USA > Michigan > Newaygo County > Portrait and biographical album of Newaygo County, Michigan : containing portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county also containing a complete history of the county, from its earliest settlement to the present time > Part 13
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Yours very July Charles Mu. Prozwell
GOVERNORS OF MICHIGAN.
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CHARLES M. CROSWELL.
HARLES M. CROSWELL, Governor of Michigan from Jan. 3, 1877 to Jan. 1, 1881, was born at Newburg, Orange County, N. Y., Oct. 31, 1825. He is the only son of John and Sallie (Hicks) Croswell. His father, who was of Scotch-Irish extraction, was a paper-maker, and carried on business in New York City. His ancestors on his mother's side were of Knicker- bocker descent. The Croswell family may be found connected with prominent events, in New York and Connecticut, in the early exis- tence of the Republic. Harry Cros- well, during the administration of President Jefferson, published a pa- per called the Balance, and was prosecuted for libeling the President under the obnoxious Sedition Law. He was defended by the celebrated Alexander Hamilton, and the decis- ion of the case establised the important ruling that the truth might be shown in cases of libel. Another member of the family was Edwin Croswell, the fam- ous editor of the Albany Argus ; also, Rev. William Croswell, noted as a divine and poet.
When Charles M. Croswell was seven years of age, his father was accidentally drowned in the Hudson River, at Newburg ; and, within three months preced- ing that event, his mother and only sister had died,- thus leaving him the sole surviving member of the family, without fortune or means. Upon the death
of his father he went to live with an uncle, who, in 1837, emigrated with him to Adrain, Michigan. At sixteen years of age, he commenced to learn the car- penter's trade, and worked at it very diligently for four years, maintaining himself, and devoting his spare time to reading and the acquirement of knowledge. In 1846, he began the study of law, and was ap- pointed Deputy Clerk of Lenawee County. The du . ties of this office he performed four years, when he was elected Register of Deeds, and was re-elected in 1852. In 1854, he took part in the first movements for the formation of the Republican party, and was a member and Secretary of the convetion held at Jack- son in that year, which put in the field the first Re- publican State ticket in Michigan. In 1855, he formed a law partnership with the present Chief-Jus- tice Cooley, which continued until the removal of Judge Cooley to Ann Arbor.
In 1862, Mr. Croswell was appointed City Attorney of Adrian. He was also elected Mayor of the city in the spring of the same year; and in the fall was chosen to represent Lenawee County in the State Senate. He was re-elected to the Senate in 1864, and again in 1866, during each term filling the posi- tions above mentioned. Among various reports made by him, one adverse to the re-establishment of the death penalty, and another against a proposition to pay the salaries of State officers and judges in coin, which then commanded a very large premium, may be mentioned. He also drafted the act ratifying the Thirteenth Amendment to the Federal Constitution, for the abolishment of slavery, it being the first amendment to the instrument ratified by Michigan. In 1863, from his seat in the State Senate, he de- livered an elaborate speech in favor of the Proclama-
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CHARLES M. CROSWELL.
tion of Emancipation issued by President Lincoln, and of his general policy in the prosecution of the war. This, at the request of his Republican associ- ates, was afterwards published, In 1867, he was elected a member of the Constitutional Convention, and chosen its presiding officer. This convention was composed of an able body of men ; and though, in the general distrust of constitutional changes which for some years had been taking possession of the people, their labors were not accepted by the pop- ular vote, it was always conceded that the constitu- tion they proposed had been prepared with great care and skill.
In 1868, Mr. Croswell was chosen an Elector on the Republican Presidential ticket; in 1872, was elected a Representative to the State Legislature from Lenawee County, and was chosen Speaker of the House of Representatives. At the close of the session of that body his abilities as a parliamentarian, and the fairness of his rulings were freely and form- ally acknowledged by his associates ; and he was pre- sented with a superb collection of their portraits handsomely framed. He was, also, for several years, Secretary of the State Board for the general supervis- ion of the charitable and penal institutions of Michi . gan ; in which position, his propositions for the amel- ioration of the condition of the unfortunate, and the reformation of the criminal classes, signalize the be- nevolence of his nature, and the practical character of his mind.
In 1876, the general voice of the Republicans of the State indicted Mr. Croswell as their choice for Governor; and, at the State Convention of the party in August of the same year, he was put in nomination by acclamation, without the formality of a ballot. At the election in November following, he was chosen to the high position for which he had been nominated, by a very large majority over all opposing candidates. His inaugural message was received with general favor; and his career as Governor was marked with the same qualities of head and heart that have ever distinguished him, both as a citizen and statesman.
Governor Groswell has always prepared his ad- dresses with care; and, as his diction is terse, clear, and strong, without excess of ornament, and his de- livery impressive, he is a popular speaker; and many of his speeches have attracted favorable comment in the public prints, and have a permanent value. He has always manifested a deep interest in educational matters, and was for years a member and Secretary of the Board of Education of Adrain. At the formal opening of the Central School building in that city, on the 24th day of April, 1869, he gave, in a public address, an "Historical Sketch of the Adrian Public Schools."
In his private life, Governor Croswell has been as exemplary as in his public career he has been suc- cessful and useful. In February, 1852, he was mar- ried to a daughter of Morton Eddy, Lucy M. Eddy, a lady of many amiable and sunny qualities. She suddenly died, March 19, 1868, leaving two daugh- ters and a son. Governor Croswell is not a member. of any religious body, but generally attends the Pres- byterian Church. He pursues the profession of law, . but of late has been occupied mainly in the care of his own interests, and the quiet duties of advice in business difficulties, for which his unfailing pru- dence and sound judgment eminently fit him. Gov- ernor Croswell is truly popular, not only with those of like political faith with himself, but with those who differ from him in this regard.
During Gov. Croswell's administration the public debt was greatly reduced; a policy adopted requiring the State institutions to keep within the limit of ap- propriations ; laws enacted to provide more effectually for the punishment of corruption and bribrery in elec- tions; the State House of Correction at Ionia and the Eastern Asylum for the Insane at Pontiac were opened, and the new capital at Lansing was completed and occupied. The first act of his second term was to pre- side at the dedication of this building. The great riot at Jackson occured during his administration, and it was only by his promptness that great distruction of both life and property was prevented at that time.
Davises Shouse
GOVERNORS OF MICHIGAN.
165
DAVID h. JEROME.
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DAVID H. JEROME, Gover- @nor of from Jan. 1, 1881, to Jan. 1, 1883, was born at De- troit, Mich., Nov. 17, 1829. His parents emigrated to Michigan from Trumansburg, Tompkins Co., N. Y., in 1828, locating at Detroit. His father died March 30, 1831, leaving nine children. He had been twice married, and four of the children living at the time of his death were grown up sons, the off- spring of his first union. Of the five children by his second marriage, David H. was the youngest. Shortly after Mr. Jerome's death, his widow moved back to New York and settled in Onondaga County near Syracuse, where they remained until the fall of 1834, the four sons by the first wife continuing their residence in Michigan. In the fall of 1834, Mrs. Jerome came once more to Michigan, locating on a farm in St. Clair County. Here the Governor formed those habits of industry and ster- ling integrity that have been so characteristic of the man in the active duties of life. He was sent to the district school, and in the acquisition of the funda- mental branches of learning he displayed a precocity and an application which won for him the admiration of his teachers, and always placed him at the head of his classes. In the meantime he did chores on the farm, and was always ready with a cheerful heart and willing hand to assist his widowed mother. The heavy labor of the farm was carried on by his two
older brothers, Timothy and George, and when 13 years of age David received his mother's permission to attend school at the St. Clair Academy. While attend- ing there he lived with Marcus H. Miles, now de- ceased, doing chores for his board, and the following winter performed the same service for James Ogden, also deceased. The next summer Mrs. Jerome moved into the village of St. Clair, for the purpose of continuing her son in school. While attending said academy one of his associate students was Sena- tor Thomas W. Palmer, of Detroit, a rival candidate before the gubernatorial convention in 1880. He completed his education in the fall of his 16th year, and the following winter assisted his brother Timothy in hauling logs in the pine woods. The next summer he rafted logs down the St. Clair River to Algonac.
In 1847, M. H. Miles being Clerk in St. Clair Coun- ty, and Volney A. Ripley Register of Deeds, David H. Jerome was appointed Deputy to each, remaining as such during 1848-'49, and receiving much praise from his employers and the people in general for the ability displayed in the discharge of his duties. He spent his summer vacation at clerical work on board the lake vessels.
In 1849-'50, he abandoned office work, and for the proper development of his physical system spent several months hauling logs. In the spring of 1850, his brother " Tiff" and himself chartered the steamer "Chautauqua," and "Young Dave" became her mas- ter. A portion of the season the boat was engaged in the passenger and freight traffic between Port Huron and Detroit, but during the latter part was used as a tow boat. At that time there was a serious obstruction to navigation, known as the "St. Clair Flats," between Lakes Huron and Erie, over which
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DAVID H. JEROME.
vessels could carry only about 10,000 bushels of grain. Mr. Jerome conceived the idea of towing vessels from one lake to the other, and put his plan into operation. Through the influence of practical men,- among them the subject of this sketch,-Congress removed the obstruction above referred to, and now vessels can pass them laden with 60,000 or 80,000 bushels of grain.
During the season, the two brothers succeeded in making a neat little sum of money by the sum- mer's work, but subsequently lost it all on a contract to raise the "Gen. Scott," a vessel that had sunk in Lake St. Clair. David H. came out free from debt, but possessed of hardly a dollar of capital. In the spring of 1851, he was clerk and acting master of the steamers "Franklin Moore" and "Ruby," plying be- tween Detroit and Port Huron and Goderich. The following year he was clerk of the propeller "Prince- ton," running between Detroit and Buffalo.
In January, 1853, Mr. Jerome went to California, by way of the Isthmus, and enjoyed extraordinary success in selling goods in a new place of his selec- tion, among the mountains near Marysville He re- mained there during the summer, and located the Live Yankee Tunnel Mine, which has since yielded millions to its owners, and is still a paying investment. He planned and put a tunnel 600 feet into the mine, but when the water supply began to fail with the dry season, sold out his interest. He left in the fall of 1853, and in December sailed from San Francisco for New York, arriving at his home in St. Clair County, about a year after his departure. During his absence his brother "Tiff" had located at Saginaw, and in 1854 Mr. Jerome joined him in his lumber operations in the valley. In 1855 the brothers bought Black- mer & Eaton's hardware and general supply stores, at Saginaw, and David H. assumed the management of the business. From 1855 to 1873 he was also ex- tensively engaged in lumbering operations.
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
169
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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170
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 hin 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.
EWAYGO
OUnTY,
MICHIGAN.
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BIOGRAPHICAL
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INTRODUCTORY.
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HE strength of the history of Da section of country lies in the biographical records of its set- tlers and later residents. The annals of the one class delin- eate its pioneer period ; those of the other represent its progress and the status of the generation whose experiences constitute the period closed by the era of its collated records.
Newaygo County is fortunate in its day. Its wonderful pioneer era laps on its present period and the regis- tration is complete. Many of those whose efforts gave the county its earliest impetus may still be seen in 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 manipulating of the present, still 1 jealous for the repute of Newaygo, and eagerly solicitous for her sub- stantial and permanent progress.
The projectors of these records strive to establish but one claim for its biographical integrity. It is pre- pared from the stand-point of no man's prejudice or
biased opinion. To demonstrate the exact relation of every individual represented to the generations of the past and present is its full scope in personal record.
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 capable. Only biography can fitly represent the foundation, progress and ultimatum of local history and portray with perfect justice the precise attitude and relation of men to events and to circumstances.
Newaygo County is justly proud of her pioneer record, and, so far as possible, the compilers of the biographical sketches have striven to honor the rep- resentatives of that period as well as those of to-day. Labor and struggle, performed in the light of hope and the earnestness of honest endeavor, established the county on a permanent basis, and is rounding up a period of glorious completeness. Her villages are creditable and her agricultural community is com- posed of the best grades of humanity.
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