USA > Michigan > Oakland County > Portrait and biographical album of Oakland County, Michigan, containing full page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county > Part 51
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 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108
The parents of the gentleman of whom we write had eight children, four sons and four daughters, of whom the Doctor is the fifth. He was just thir- teen years old when he came to Pontiac. He at- tended school there and later was sent back East to receive instruction at the academy in Waterloo, N. Y. Ile went there in 1842 and remained three years. Returning to Michigan he took up the study of medicine with Dr. Paddock and then took lectures in the medical department of the Western Reserve College, at Cleveland, Ohio, from which he was graduated in medicine in 1849.
The young doctor returned to Pontiac and formed a partnership with Dr. Paddock and re- mained there until 1852. He then went to Clyde, N. Y., where he engaged in the drug business and forwarding and commission business and practicing medicine also there until 1862. He now entered the United States service as Assistant Surgeon of vol- unteers, stationed at the United States hospital at Alexandria, Va., ranking as First Lieutenant and having his headquarters there for four years. Ile was connected with the United States general hos- pital until February, 1866. After this he returned to Pontiac and resumed his practice, to which he now devotes his whole time. He has had a medi- ical practice of forty-two years. He is a member of the Northwestern Medical Association, also of the State Medical Association, which he helped to reorganize in Detroit in 1866.
Dr. Elliott was married in 1854 to Miss Melinda C., daughter of J. B. Jones, of Clyde. N. Y. She died at Alexandria, Va., în 1864, leaving a son- William C., who is a medical practitioner at Ra- cine, Wis. The present Mrs. Elliott was Harriet A., daughter of Joseph Shotwell, of Plainfield, N. J. By this marriage one daughter, Fannie M.,
1
Yours Truly
1
465
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.
was given to the home of Dr. Elliott. She is now a student at Ann Arbor. The Doctor has served several years as Health Officer in the City of Pon -. tiac. In 1846 he became a Mason. He is a mem- ber of the Presbyterian Church and resides oppo- site to their place of worship at the corner of Wayne and Iluron streets. In this pleasant residence he he has made his home since 1867. He is a stanch and prominent Republican in this part of the State.
OSEPH D. PARTELLO. One of the im- portant industries of Southeastern Michigan is that of the manufacture of woolen goods of various kinds, and among the manufac- turers and dealers in these staples the name that introduces this biographical sketch is very familiar. Mr. Partello has been connected with factories in which knitting was carried on, and on December 3, 1889, patented a knitting machine which is proving more meritorious than many that have been in use. He sold the right to the Western Knitting Com- pany of Detroit for $10,000, and it is now used in their manufactory, where knit goods only are made.
The Partellos are a French family and the first to come to America was Milo, grandfather of Joseph D. He located in New England and his son Milo was born in Massachusetts. The younger of the name farmed for some years, but was chiefly engaged in operating a woolen mill at Lowell. Ile died in 1859 in New York State, where he lived during his last years. He had married Adelaine Jones, a native of the old Bay State, who survived him a few years, passing away May 24, 1863. Their family comprised thirteen children and Joseph was the youngest. The six daughters are living, and two sons, one being a farmer in De Kalb County, I11.
.
The subject of this notice may be said to have been brought up in a woolen mill, and at the busi- ness he was employed about twenty-eight years, with the exception of the months spent in the
Union Army. He was born in Madison County, N. Y., June 13, 1847, and in his youth enlisted in Company A, Fifty-second Illinois Infantry. The date of his enrollment was January 20, 1864, and his age sixteen years. He went with Sherman to the sea, returned through the Carolinas and took part in the Grand Review at Washington. He had participated in sixteen battles, among the number being several that have a world-wide fame. He had many narrow escapes from captivity and death, but was one of the fortunate few who passed through danger unscathed. He was discharged July 12, 1865, and resumed the arts of peace in Cincinnati, Ohio.
In 1867 Mr. Partello went to Mt. Gilead, Morrow County, and after a sojourn of three years changed his place of residence to Sullivan, Ill. There he remained until 1874, after which he spent two years in Charleston, one in Pike County, and one in Kankakee City. Valparaiso, Ind., was his next place of abode and in that city he so- journed some four years. He next spent a year in Chicago, then came to Rochester, where he has remained. The establishment with which Mr. Par- tello is now connected and in which his knitting machine is successfully operated, employs six bun- dred hands in the two branches and finishes up all the work that passes through the machines. In 1869 a plant was built by John Roberts for a woolen mill and being destroyed by fire in 1881 it was rebuilt the next year by Samuel Richardson and operated by him until 1884. It was then bought by the Oakland Company, but in a short time was sold to the Western Knitting Company of Detroit, and in 1891 became the property of the Western Knitting Mills of Detroit.
Mr. Partello has a pleasant home presided over by the lady who became his wife March 20, 1881. Prior to that date she was living in St. Cloud, Minn., and bore the name of Maggie C. Aurand. She has an excellent education, agreeable manners and a sympathizing nature, and attracts to her home desirable friends. Mr. Partello is a Repub- lican in politics and is connected with the social order of the Knights of the Maccabees. His por- trait is herewith presented to the readers of this volume.
466
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.
RED R. LAMB. Since 1878 this gentleman has been located in Big Beaver, Troy Town- ship, carrying on a sawmill. He was born in Detroit, January 20, 1851, and is a son of John and Mary (Vokes) Lamb, natives of England, who were born in 1812 and 1813 respectively. The father was a brickmaker, first in his own country and then in this State, until 1865. He then located on section 14, Troy Township, and improved a farm on which he resided until his decease in 1888. Ilis good wife breathed her last in 1883. They reared nine sons and five daughters and all but one still live.
The sixth son and tenth child in the family is Fred R., who spent his boyhood in Detroit and re- ceived his education there. He was fourteen when he came with his parents to this county and he aided his father on the home farm some five years, after which he learned the painter's trade and en- tered upon his personal career. He worked at his trade, first in this locality and then in South Haven, where he remained two years, and later in Bir- mingham four years. When that period had elapsed he bought a sawmill and turned his atten- tion to his present occupation. This has proved remunerative and the feet of lumber he saws per season extends np to the hundreds of thousands.
. Mr. Lamb and Miss Jane Anscomb were mar- ried April 14, 1870. She was born in Froy Town- ship October 28, 1846, and educated in the district school. Iler parents, John and Mary ( Wright) Anscomb, were natives of England and were very early settlers in this county. Mr. Anscomb died bere in 1859 and Mrs. Anscomb in 1890. She was then seventy-seven years old. Mr. and Mrs. Lamb have two sons. John Edgar and Willie H. The one was born in January, 1873. and the other in August, 187.1. Both are at home, preparing them- selves for the duties of manhood.
Mr. Lamb has been called upon to serve his fel- low citizens in several official capacities. He was elected Justice of the Peace in 1887, was Supervi- sor in 1888-89 and Township Treasurer in 1886- 87, and is again serving in the last-named position. He was School Assessor nine years. Politically he is a Republican and he is an active member of the party. Ile belongs to Birmingham Lodge, No. 14,
F. & A. M., Birmingham Chapter No. 93, R. A. M., and has held different Chairs, having been Seere- tary of the Blue Lodge two years. Ile also be- longs to the Knights of the Maccabees. He is not connected with any church, but attends the Bap- tist, as his wife is a member of that denomination.
ATHEW D. RIBBLE, a prominent and in- fluential citizen of Addison Township, Oakland County, was born in. Knowlton Township, Warren County, N. J., August 18, 1826. His father, George B. Ribble, of New Jersey, was a farmer and died in 1830, when this son was only four years old. The grandfather was George Ribble, and his father Anthony, was a na- tive of Germany. The mother of our subject bore the maiden name of Susan Bird and died in 1830, about the same time her husband passed away. Our subject is the sixth in number of seven chil- dren, only two beside himself are still living.
After the death of his parents Mathew Ribble was taken to be reared by a bachelor and two maiden ladies. He fell into good hands and re- ceived careful and kindly training and remained with these good friends until he was twenty-three years old. His education was received on the farm and in the district school. the first school he attended being in a wheelwright shop. In 1849 he came to Oakland County, Mich., and purchasing the land where he still lives, located in Addison Township. Ten acres of this land were already broken and partly cleared. He built the log house which still stands, and devoted himself to the cul- tivation of his land. Wild game abounded and the Tuckatoe tribe of Indians lived in this town- ship.
Miss Nancy A. Lamberson became the wife of our subject in 1850. She was born in New Jersey in 1831 and accompanied her parents to Michigan when only five years old. She became the mother of three children, Eliza A., Mary J., and Isaac, and died July 3, 1877. Mr. Ribble has been a Demo- erat and is often made a delegate to county, district and State conventions. He has taken quite an ac-
1
1
467
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.
tive part in local politics. For twenty years in succession he has served as Supervisor of the town- ship. He has been identified with the Masonic order since 1857. He came to Michigan with no means and has achieved a decided success. One hundred and seventy acres of his land are well im- proved and highly cultivated. He is a man of in- fluence and is highly esteemed by his neighbors, and during the last four years he served as Super- visor he was made Chairman of the Board.
2 UGHI IRVING. No business establishment in Birmingham is better known to the citi- zens and dwellers in the surrounding coun- try than the hardware store of Mr. Irving. This gentleman has been in business here since 1849 but has traveled extensively during the per- iod intervening from that date to the present. He is justly entitled to the good name he bears as business man and citizen and is deserving of com- mendation for having made a success in life, finan- cially speaking. He came here a poor young man but armed with a good trade, firm principles and determination. By his own exertions he has risen to comfort and is now so situated as to feel secure against want in his last years. Ile was born in County Down, Ireland, in 1815, and was the son of Hugh and Jane ( Montgomery ) Irving, who were natives of Scotland. They removed from the Em- erald Isle to Manchester, England, iu 1821, and spent the remuant of their days in that great man- ufacturing city.
The fourth child in the parental family was Hugh, who was but a lad when taken to England, aud grew to manhood in Manchester. During his boyhood he learned the tinsmith's trade and he afterward worked at it in Manchester, Birming- ham, Liverpool, and other leading English cities. In 1849 he erossed the Atlantic and came to this county to make his home in Birmingham. IIe be- gan working at his trade and often walked to De- troit in order to save a little money, as he had no surplus to spend. His travels since he came to
America have taken him over seventeen or eight- een States, but Birmingham has always been his home and the center of his business efforts.
December 25, 1839, Mr. Irving was married to Miss Hannah Saunders, of Worcestershire, England. who did hier part to advance their mutual interests and those of their children until she was called hence in June, 1885. The marriage was blessed by the birth of seven children. named respectively, William, John, Mary A., Elizabeth, Emma, Alfred and Martha. Only two are now living-Elizabeth, wife of J. W. Burson, of San Francisco, Cal., and Martha, wife of Henry Dale, of St. Louis, Mo. In May, 1888, Mr. Irving made a second marriage, his bride being Miss Fanny Fish, of Birmingham. She is a daughter of Elijah E. and Fanny Fish, who came to this county in 1819 and settled on a farm in Bloomfield Township that is now owned by John Benedict. Mrs. Irving is an estimable woman and a consistent member of the Presbyterian Church, to which Mr. Irving also belongs. IIe is a mason and holds the rank of Knight Templar. The Republican party has his support but he has never been a politician. His energy has been devoted to his business affairs and his enjoyment obtained in domestic and social life.
OSEPH WINGLEMIRE, proprietor of the Crescent Roller Flour Mill and also of a fine furniture store both in Holly, is a man well- known and highly respected for his integrity and business ability. He is a native of Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany, where he was born March 19, 1825, and is the son of Joseph and Maria (Griddel- back) Winglemire. The parents lived and died in Germany and the father after spending his ear- liest years as a laborer, entered the Bavarian army where he served six years. Of his large family our subject only survives. Ile came to America and landed in New York in October of 1854.
In the new country Mr. Winglemire began to work at his trade. He soon removed to Syracuse, N. Y., and in 1857 came to Ilolly, Mich. With his tailor's trade he combined the work of a cabinet-
168
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.
maker. His wife also assisted by sewing. After five years he gave up the needle and the goose and engaged in the cabinet business alone. IIe was the first cabinetmaker in Holly and the only one now there. llis first purchase of real estate was on Saginaw Street and he now owns eight lots, a mill, cabinet shop, store and a pleasant residence. The whole of his property is worth many thousand dollars. Ile employs four men in the mill and one in the cabinet store. In 1855 he was united in marriage with Miss Christina Apply, of Syracuse, N. Y. Six children have been born to them of whom four are now living: Jacob R., Joseph R., John R., and Clara, His oldest son married Miss Nina Davis and they are the parents of two beau- tiful little children-Mabel and Agnes. Mr. Wingle- mire is a Republican in politics. llis prosperity emphasises the experience of others that America is the land to which a man of energy and deter- mination may come, with an assurance that his efforts will ultimately he crowned with success.
ON. WILLIAM E. CARPENTER. Among the farmers of Waterford Township none bear a better reputation for activity and progressive ideas than the gentleman above named, who owns and occupies a fine farm formerly the property of his father. He has fairly earned the title of Honorable by acceptably serving the interests of the people in the State Legislature, to which he was elected by the Democrats of his dis- triet in 1883 and again in 1891. His constituents find him ever alive to their interests and the good of the county. ever ready to expose fraud and cor- ruption and to lift his voice and cast his ballot in favor of the right. Ile combines the keen observa- tion. quiek perception and accurate judgment which make him a power in the community, and give weight to his opinion and advice.
'The late B. K. Carpenter, one of the pioneers of this county, was born in the State of New York in 1810 and reared on a farm with limited educational advantages. At the age of twenty-five, in the vigor of a stalwart manhood, he came to Michigan in
1835 and located in Orion Township, this county. His first purchase comprised eighty acres of land, which he improved and made his home for twelve years. Two years after his arrival, in 1837, he bought one hundred and twenty acres in Water- ford Township, which he partially improved while still residing in Orion Township. In 1847 he re- moved to the farm on section 20, and there passed the remainder of his life, dying in 1889 at the age of seventy-nine years.
The maiden name of the mother of our subject was Sarah A. Rodenbo. She was born in New Jersey, whence she removed with her parents to New York and later, in 1837, came to Michigan. Her marriage, which took place in 1847, was blest with four children, namely : William E .; John D., a physician at Raleigh, Mo .; Carrie L., who is un- married and lives with the mother ; and Charles H., who resides at Puget Sound. The mother survives at an advanced age, and as one who shared in the toils and privations of frontier life and who is over ready to lend a helping hand to those around her, as well as for that character which is the crowning glory of womanhood, she receives the hearty re- spect of all to whom she is known.
The subject of these paragraphs was born in Wa- terford Township, Oakland County. August 18, 1849, and received a good common-school educa- tion, besides attending the State Normal. He made use of his excellent education as a teacher, and was thus engaged for some time, teaching ten terms during winter seasons and working his father's farm on shares during the summer. He began life for himself at the age of twenty-one, and by sturdy integrity and unremitting labor has accumulated a competence for his declining years. His sound judgment has made him useful to his fellow-men, whom he has often served in political capacities. Ile was Township Supervisor six years, Township Clerk two years, School Inspector four years, and Superintendent of Schools one year. He also served as Chairman of the Board of Supervisors one year.
May 31, 1877. Mr. Carpenter was married to Eilen L. Colvin, daughter of Levi B. and Kezialı E. Colvin. Mr. Colvin, who is represented else- where in this volume, was a pioneer of 1831, and
4
1
------- ----- + 1 1
.
1
-- -
-- -------
Charles B. Petrie
471
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.
settled in Waterford Township, where Mrs. Car- penter was born September 4, 1848. The happy home of our subject is brightened by the presence of the two children born to himself and his estima- ble wife-Bessie, who was born in 1886 and Mary in 1888. Socially Mr. Carpenter belongs to the Grange, and the Knights of the Maccabees, and in his political opinions, is a stanch Democrat.
HARLES B. PETRIE. A goodly number of men who have won a sufficient amount of this world's goods to enable them to re- tire from the active work of life, are making their homes in Pontiac. Among them is Mr. Petrie, a capitalist whose large accumulations have been se- cured by energy and industry during years of busy life. He began his career with very modest means but found an opportunity to enter upon a line of work which gave an opening for his financial abil- ity and foresight and led him to wealth. Ile has been living in Pontiae since 1879, looking after his business interests without exerting himself beyond what is pleasant and healthful. His resi- (lence is a large three-story brick, located upon the Orchard Lake Road, in the midst of attractive surroundings.
Mr. Petrie is the representative of old New York families and is himself a native of the Empire State. His parents, Joseph B. and Thankful (Jack- son) Petrie, were born at Little Falls, N. Y., and spent their wedded life in Herkimer County. Of their six children Charles was the second son, and he and one other are the only survivors. He was born in Madison County August 19, 1819, and passed his school days mostly in Rochester, where he acquired a knowledge of higher mathematics and surveying. lle began his career as a civil engineer employed on the Great Western Railroad, a portion of whose line runs through Canada.
In 1846 Mr. Petrie came to Michigan as an em- ploye of a railroad company and acted as operator and agent at Detroit. He next went to the mining regions of Lake Superior and for a time operated in the copper mines, acquiring a knowledge of the
business. Ile was finally employed as general manager for the firm known as the Central Mining Company, taking charge of all the departments and having control of the entire business. He saw to getting the ores ready for sale, disposing of them, making necessary purchases, and tending the com- pany's stores, for a period of over a quarter of a century. Upon retiring from the position, Mr. Petrie located in Pontiac and gave his attention to looking after investments he had made and the disposal of his capital.
August 31, 1848, Mr. Petrie was united in mar- riage with Miss Naney Flower, daughter of Andrew Flower, and sister of the Hon. Theron A. Flower, now of California. Mrs. Petrie was born in Ohio and came to Michigan in her girlhood. She has become the mother of one daughter, Henrietta E. This young lady is now the wife of P. R. Robert, owner of the noted Hinman farm near Pontiac and connected with the firm of Thurber, Morton & Bliss, extensive brokers of New York City, as general manager of their mining interests in Cali- fornia.
Mr. and Mrs. Petrie stand well in the community and are always looked to to aid in the projects which will advance the welfare of the people or seenre a more rapid development of the resources of this country. They are social and kindly, en- joy the companionship of intelligent and well-bred people, and their doors are always hospitably open to their friends and acquaintances. Politically Mr. Petrie is a Democrat. His portrait is presented to the readers of this volume, in connection with his biographical review.
P AYNE AXFORD. This gentleman has been intimately connected with the progress of Orion Township for a number of years and has a life-long interest in the affairs of this county, in which he was born October 20, 1836. He is the owner of valuable property, both in town and country, all of which was secured by his own efforts, as he began his career in life without means. In 1884 he retired from the farm which
472
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.
he had cultivated for a number of years and set- tled in the town of Orion, where he has a handsome residence property. He owns two hundred and fifty acres of land on sections 11 and 12, Orion Township, and abont eighty acres on section 2, which has been platted and is known as Axford's Addition to Orion. Ile also has one hundred and twenty aeres on section 17, Oxford Township. Ilis farm land is well improved, with substantial buildings, good fences, gardens and orchards.
Mr. Axford traces his paternal ancestry back to New England, where his great-grandfather lived in his yonth. Samuel Axford, Jr., grandfather of our subject, was born in New Jersey and went from his native State to Canada, where he followed farming until 1822. He then came to Macomb County, Mich., where he died early in the '40s. His son Samuel was born in County Windsor, Canada, in 1809, came to this State with his parents and re- mained in Macomb County until 1831. He then entered land in Oxford Township, this county, the deed for which was signed by Gen. Jackson, then President of the United States. Ile followed an Indian trail to his new location, which was on the highest point in the township and the watershed of the streams. Ile built a log cabin and literally hewed out a home from the wilderness. lIe mar- ried Phebe Sommers, whose father, Jacob Som- mers, a native of New Jersey, came to this State in 1827 and lived in Macomb County until his death, in 1857. Mr. Sommers served in the Legislature of the State and also in the Senate.
Samnel Axford held a commission in the State militia. He was an active politician and held va- rions local offices, including that of Township Su- pervisor, and also served as a member of the Legislature two terms and represented his district in the Senate. Hle was an active Mason and a member of the Congregational Church. His influ- ence was wide spread and his name is well remem- bered by the older citizens of Southeastern Michi- gan. Self-made, he began here in the woods and acquired a fortune between $35,000 and $50,000. He left his estate in snei excellent shape that there was not the least jar in settling it and making the proper divisions. He had not gained riches at the expense of others, but had always been charitable,
kind to the poor, and careful to treat his fellow- men with brotherly kindness. Ile breathed his last in 1883, and his wife followed him to the tomb abouta twelvemonth later. They had eight chil- dren, six of whom still live.
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.