USA > Michigan > Grand Traverse County > Sprague's history of Grand Traverse and Leelanaw counties, Michigan embracing a concise review of their early settlement, industrial development and present conditions...to which will be appended...life sketches of well-known citizens of the county > Part 40
USA > Michigan > Leelanau County > Sprague's history of Grand Traverse and Leelanaw counties, Michigan embracing a concise review of their early settlement, industrial development and present conditions...to which will be appended...life sketches of well-known citizens of the county > Part 40
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iam has taken his place as secretary and treas- urer of the company. Mr. Mitchell's polit- ical life will be a reminiscence to some per- sons now living who were in active life dur- ing the decade of 1850. His first public of- fice was that of village trustee at Lima, in 1847. He was a candidate for township clerk in 1857 on the American or Know- Nothing ticket. He was a delegate to the na- tional convention of that party at Philadel- phia, February 22, 1856, which nominated ex-President Fillmore for president and An- drew J. Donelson, of Tennessee, for vice- president. After that campaign he became a Republican and was an active member of that party until the end of his life. He was a del- egate to the national convention in 1876 which nominated Rutherford B. Hayes for president, and attended every Republican na- tional convention since, including that which nominated Mckinley and Roosevelt. He was receiver of the United States land office at Reed City, from 1878 to 1887, when it was consolidated with the office at Grayling. He served two terms as representative in the state legislature, 1867-70 and in 1871-2, and two terms as senator, 1873-4 and 1875-6. He held various local offices, including jus- tice of the peace for fourteen years, school inspector, member of board of review and township treasurer. Mr. Mitchell was mar- ried, in 1852, at Lima, Ohio, to Miss Isa- bella Milligan, a daughter of Thomas Milli- gan. They had two daughters and two sons, all of whom are living with the exception of the eldest daughter. Mrs. Mitchell is also still living.
John Francis Grant was born in England in 1821 and his occupation from boyhood was bookkeeping. He was married, January 9, 1849, to Maria Woodhams, of Bucking-
hamshire, England, and the same year emi- grated with his wife to Brooklyn, New York, where they resided eight years, he be- ing employed as bookkeeper. In 1856 he moved to Lansing, Michigan, and thence to Muskegon, where he remained one year, and came to Traverse City in 1857. Here he en- tered into the employ of Hannah, Lay & Company, as bookkeeper, remaining with the firm until his death, March 16, 1883. Soon after coming to Grand Traverse he bought of the government two hundred acres of land in sections 8 and 9, Garfield township, where he resided with his family for the last twenty years of his life. The family of Mr. Grant consisted of himself, wife and five children, three sons and two daughters, all of whom survive him, Mrs. Grant living in Traverse City and the others in the vicinity.
James Lee was born in England, March 10, 1816. He came to Detroit, Michigan, in June, 1832, and remained in that vicinity un- til 1858, when he removed to Leelanaw coun- ty and purchased a farm in what is now the township of Bingham, which he cleared up and made for himself and family a beautiful home in the waving forest. He was among the first to plant fruit trees in that part of the county and was also one of the first to in- troduce sheep. Mr. Lee was married, in 1839, to Miss Jane Ackley, also a native of England, who died in 1873. While living in Bingham Mr. Lee served seven years as su- pervisor of the township, twelve years as justice of the peace, ten or twelve years as highway commissioner, six years as school inspector, and also held various other offices. In 1875 he was elected a member of the state legislature, and was re-elected in 1877. Soon after this he retired from active farm work and removed to Traverse City, where he re-
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mained until his death, October 11, 1888. In Traverse City he served as highway commis- sioner, justice of the peace and member of the village council. Two children survive him, John A. Lee, a prosperous farmer of Leelanaw county, and Miss Sarah Lee, who lives in a beautiful residence on the corner of Ninth and Union streets, Traverse City.
Smith Barnes, deceased, was one of the prominent and respected citizens of Traverse City. He was a gentleman of wide experi- ence and unusual financial ability, and the success of the mammoth mercantile concern with which he was long identified is largely attributed to his keen judgment and able management. He was secretary, treasurer and general manager of the Hannah & Lay Mercantile Company. He was born in Mad- ison county, New York, and died June 19, 1891. He was the only son of Roswell and Maria ( Adams) Barnes. The former was also an only son, and as the subject of this sketch had no children, his branch of the family terminated with his death. Five years of his boyhood were passed in Livingston county, Michigan, after which he resided in Oakland county six years and for twelve years in Port Huron, Michigan. From 1836 until his death his home was uninterruptedly in Michigan, and his own history was inter- woven with the development of the state. In 1860 Mr. Barnes came to Traverse City and obtained employment with Hannah, Lay & Company, taking sole charge of their mer- cantile business. During the first year, in company with one clerk, he made all the sales, amounting to about sixteen thousand dollars. He continued to manage the busi- ness until 1881, when the Hannah & Lay Mercantile Company was incorporated, of which he became a large stockholder and
general manager, which position he held un- til his death. He took great interest in local affairs, and especially in providing fire pro- tection for the then small village, and it was largely through his efforts that the first at- tempt to organize a fire department was made, which resulted in planting the seed of what has grown to be one of the best equipped fire departments possessed by any city of its size in the state. In 1852 Mr. Barnes married Miss Lucinda M. Hart, whose death occurred in 1870. The follow- ing year he married Miss Catharine K. Clarke, of Geneva, New York, who still makes her home in Traverse City. Mrs. Barnes is a native of Buffalo, New York, and is a daughter of Grosvenor and Christine (Kip) Clarke. She received a good educa- tion and is a lady of culture and refinement. Extensive travel in Europe as well as in all parts of our own country tended to make Mr. Barnes what all his friends found him, a courteous, polished gentleman and an inter- esting and entertaining conversationalist. In politics he was a Republican, but never an office-seeker.
Reuben Goodrich came from a remark- able family and an illustrious ancestry, whose lineage is traced back many genera- tions to the owners of Goodrich Castle, in England, the old feudal home of the Good- rich race. The castle dates back to 1204. The branch of the family from which the subject of this sketch descended emigrated to Connecticut in 1639. Levi Hamilton Goodrich, the father of Reuben Goodrich. was a native of Old Hadley, Massachusetts. He had eight children, of whom Reuben, the subject of this sketch, was the youngest. The latter was born in Clarence, Erie county, New York, June 28, 1819, and was reared
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on the home farm, having limited opportuni- ties for gaining an education. In boyhood he worked hard, handling logs, driving ox teams and performing the various duties in- cident to farm life in those days. At the age of seventeen he removed to Michigan, and remained a resident of the state until his death. The Goodrich family settled in Gen- esee county, Michigan, in 1836, where they purchased eleven hundred acres of land, the village of Goodrich now standing on a part of the purchase. In 1845 the brothers Enos and Reuben Goodrich built the Goodrich Flouring Mill, which was run by water power. They succeeded in establishing a large trade and excellent credit. While the brothers were thus engaged the state bank- ing law went into effect, and the so-called "wildcat money" was issued. The law re- quired that the issue must be secured by one- third the amount of issue in specie; that is, they must have one-third as much specie as they issued paper, and the county judge and clerk, with the sheriff, were to count the same and certify to the fact. It so happened that the same specie was used for the estab- lishment of many different banks, and the se- curity being thus found insufficient, the law was amended, requiring real estate security to the full amount of issue. Under the lat- ter law the Goodrich brothers concluded to establish a bank, and made a mortgage of real estate to the state of Michigan for that purpose. They opened the bank, but soon the banks began to fail and were looked upon with disfavor, which caused them to call in the issue, pay up all claims and wind up the bank. The banks were all required to pay a specific state tax of one per cent, upon their capital stock, and Reuben took the necessary specie, fifty dollars, in a canvas bag to Gov-
ernor Mason, who was greatly surprised, and inquired if the folks at Goodrich were crazy, adding that it was the only bank in the state that had paid the specific tax. The crisis of 1857 swept over the land and the most of the hard earnings of twenty years were lost. Mr. Goodrich was twice honored by election to the state legislature, being in 1854 elected from Genesee county to the senate, where he was associated with such men as Austin Blair, George Jerome and O. D. Conger. The next two years he represented the first district of Genesee county in the house of representatives, and took an active part in electing Zachariah Chandler to his first term as United States senator. In his public life the labors of Mr. Goodrich were character- ized by the same energy that marked his business career in his early days. At that time one of the most momentous questions the legislature had to deal with was the dis- posal of about eight million acres of swamp lands, in which Grand Traverse county, in common with all the northern counties, was greatly interested. Assuming the ground that these lands were granted by the general government and accepted by the state on the specific condition that they or their proceeds should be expended for the purpose of drain- age, until, in the language of the grant, they were rendered "fit for cultivation," he be- came one of the foremost in the band of northern statesmen who battled against the fearful odds of the older counties, that were determined to disregard the obligations of the grant, and throw into all sorts of pet edu- cational schemes the whole bequest. Such an act would have been a palpable breach of trust and an injustice to the northern coun- ties, and yet it was advocated at the start by overwhelming numbers from the populous
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southern counties, and, in spite of the best efforts of the defenders of the rights of the northern counties, one-half of these lands were taken from one trust fund, where a sa- cred compact had placed them, and trans- ferred to the school fund, where the plausible plea of popular education had secured them. In 1860 Mr. Goodrich came to Traverse City to look after his landed interests. The following year President Lincoln appointed him receiver of the United States land office, but President Johnson removed him. Later he was re-appointed by President Grant, holding the position for nine years altogeth- er. In the organization of new townships and the establishing and upbuilding of roads Mr. Goodrich always took an active part. It was under his supervision as highway com- missioner that the stumps were cleared out of Front street, Traverse City. It was said of him that he never traveled through the woods in any direction or for any purpose that he did not have an eye out to note any place where a road could be laid out to ad- vantage. He was one of the three members of the state highway commission selected by the governor to prepare an amendment to the state constitution, providing for a county road system, which was adopted by the legis- lature, also by the popular vote at the state election in 1893. He served as highway com- missioner of Traverse township for twenty- three years. He also served repeatedly upon the board of education, and was a member of the city council at the time of his death, Jan- uary 8, 1899. Mr. Goodrich was married, in 1851, to Miss Eliza J. Eastman. Four children were born to them, two girls and two boys. Clara, one of the daughters, is the wife of C. B. Atwood, now living in Cal- ifornia. Frank is married and lives in Trav-
erse City. The other son and daughter are dead. Mrs. Goodrich still survives and lives with her daughter Clara. Mr. Goodrich was truly one of the active pioneers of Grand Traverse who did much to improve and de- velop it.
Seth C. Moffatt was born in Battle Creek, Michigan, August 1, 1841. He re- ceived a common school education there, and removed, in the fall of 1858, with his par- ents, to Colon, St. Joseph county, where he spent two years as a teacher in the seminary. He graduated from the law department of the Michigan University in 1863. After graduation he entered the law office of Hon. Byron D. Ball, at Grand Rapids. In the spring of 1864 he removed to Lyons and began the practice of law. From there he went to Northport, Leelanaw county, in the fall of 1866. He was at once elected pros- ecuting attorney for that county and re- elected in 1868. In 1870 he was elected state senator from the thirty-first district, and served through the regular and extra ses- sions of 1871-2. He was appointed a mem- ber of the constitutional commission of 1873. In the spring of 1874 he was ap- pointed register of the United States land office at Traverse City, and held the office until its removal to Reed City in 1878. In that year he was elected prosecuting attorney of Grand Traverse county. Having been elected representative in the state legislature in 1880, his name was at once mentioned in connection with the speakership, to which responsible position he was elected from among several prominent and capable candi- dates. In 1884 he was elected to congress from the eleventh district, and with such success and satisfaction did he serve his con- stituents that he was re-elected in 1886, but
J. b. moffaut
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before the commencement of his second term he died at Washington, December 22, 1886. Mr. Moffatt was married, in October, 1864, to Miss Emma R. Linnell, who was born in Wisconsin, her parents having removed to that state from New York. She is a lady of intelligence and refinement, and was a help- mate and confidant of her husband in all his undertakings. Their children, four in num- ber, were Orlando C., now married and liv- ing in Traverse City, state senator from this district; Henry, who died at fifteen years of age; Lucius, who died at the age of eighteen, and Edna, who is living with her mother in a pleasant home in Traverse City. Mr. Moffatt was a Republican in politics, and was recognized as one of the most able lead- ers of his party.
Samuel K. Northam, one of the very early pioneers of Grand Traverse, was born in Williamstown, Berkshire county, Massa- chusetts, December 11, 1824. When fifteen years of age he came to Michigan. In 1847, in company with his brother-in-law, the late Abram S. Wadsworth, and the latter's fam- ily, comprising his wife and two children, they left Detroit on a propeller bound for Mackinaw. From the straits they proceeded on their journey in a schooner as far as Cross Village, where, while waiting for a storm to subside, they camped several days on the beach. After the winds had abated they set out in a small boat for Old Mission, and at Middle Village again went into camp, waiting for two days on account of rain. Their next stop was made at Little Traverse, where they hoped to obtain provisions from the Indians, but they succeeded only in se- curing a few potatoes and a single loaf of bread. The little party had lived on fish un- til they could no longer bear the food, and
the children, especially, suffered for want of their accustomed diet. After leaving Lit- tle Traverse they were favored with pleas- ant weather, but the last day they were on the bay the water was rough, and they feared to cross from the eastern shore to Old Mis- sion. Seeing smoke on the shore near Elk River, they steered in that direction, and found some Indians with a seaworthy boat, who were about to cross the bay. Mrs. Wadsworth and her children were placed in the Indians' boat, which was navigated by her husband and one of the Indians, while Mr. Northam and the other Indians occupied the small boat. In a short time they were safely landed at Old Mission, on the 16th of August, 1847. After reaching Old Mis- sion, Mr. Northam worked for some time with the Indians, after which he went to the present site of Elk Rapids, which was then a wilderness. Here, hewing out some boards, he built a rude shelter, in which Mr. Wadsworth and family, as well as himself, took up their abode until a log cabin could be constructed. The latter was placed on the present site of the town hall, and, as far as known, was the first dwelling erected by a white man in that section, except that erected by Rev. Peter Dougherty and abandoned some years previous, as mentioned in an- other place in this volume. In order to buy some of the actual necessities of life, Mr. Northam, assisted by some Indians, peeled a quantity of hemlock bark, which they shipped to Racine, Wisconsin. It would take a volume to give in detail the many adven- tures and experiences, both pleasant and oth- erwise, which fell to the lot of Mr. Northam. At Elk Rapids he, in connection with Mr. Wadsworth, erected a shingle-mill. The Indians were peaceable and were valu-
:
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able allies of the early pioneers, and helped in the building of this mill. In 1853 a por- tion of the water power at Elk Rapids passed into the hands of M. Craw & Company, who built a saw-mill, that three years later be- came the property of Dexter & Noble. Mr. Northam had charge of this mill from the time of its erection and supervised the lum- bering operations of the firm until 1870, when he came to Traverse City, where for several years he was engaged in successful and extensive lumbering. He also bought an interest in a hardware store, and when five years had passed, purchased the whole concern, which has been under the immedi- ate management of A. H. Perry, husband of a niece of Mr. Northam. Mr. Northam was a very quiet, unassuming gentleman, but an excellent business man, and succeeded in ac- cumulating a very comfortable fortune with very little stir or bluster. Mr. Northam never married and he died in Traverse City June 23, 1903.
OTHER DECEASED PIONEERS.
In addition to the pioneers of Grand Traverse county already mentioned who are deceased, the following may be mentioned as among the number of those who first set- tled in the county, very many of whose de- scendants are either prominent farmers and fruit growers or business men of the county.
John Wilhelm was born in Austria, May 16, 1846, and emigrated to the United States with his parents in the fall of 1852, landing in New York city, where he re- mained some six years. He came to Trav- erse City in the summer of 1858 and assisted his father to clear up his farm in Garfield township until 1866, when he entered the
employ of Hannah, Lay & Company, and continued until 1870. He then engaged for two years in the manufacture and sale of furniture. He afterwards conducted for several years a dry goods and merchant clothing store, and subsequently built, in con- nection with the firm of Wilhelm, Bartak & Company, the City Opera House block, and owned an interest in the same at the time of his death. He held the office of director of the poor of Traverse City for several years and also the office of supervisor of his ward, both of which he managed to the entire sat- isfaction of the people.
John D. Billings, a native of Maine, un- der whose management the Park Place Ho- tel became the most popular public house in northern Michigan, came to Traverse City with his family in 1879 and for many years conducted the Park Place Hotel. His wid- ow, a son, Ervin C. Billings, and daughter, Bertie, survive him. Mrs. Billings owns a pleasant cottage at Elmwood, where she spends her summers. Her son and daughter are with her a part of the time.
Wolcott F. Griffin, a native of the state of New York, came to Traverse City in 1876, where, after spending a short time in the grocery business, he engaged in real es- tate transactions. He platted Fernwood, second Fernwood, Oakwood, Winnie & Grif- fin's additions to Traverse City, and also that of Oak Park.
William Fowle was born in England in 1833, and came to Traverse City in June, 1854. He was for some time engaged as baker in the boarding house of Hannah, Lay & Company, and later was at various times cook in their lumber camps. In May, 1857, he took the Front Street House and ran it some three years as the Traverse City
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House. He was for three seasons cook on the ill-fated steamer "Sunny Side," and was on board when she was wrecked at the mouth of Pine river in the fall of 1867. In the spring of 1868 he resumed charge of Hannah, Lay & Company's boarding house, and continued until 1874, when he rented the building and conducted it on his own ac- count for several years as the Bay House. Later he moved to Grand Rapids, where he died less than two years since. At the time of his death he owned considerable property in Traverse City and a farm of one hundred and twenty acres in Elmwood.
John Black, one of the very early settlers of the region, was a native of Scotland, born in 1827. He came to Canada with his par- ents in 1835 and moved to Wisconsin in 1850, and soon after to Manistee, Michigan. In the spring of 1851 he came to Traverse City and was engaged in the lumber business until 1858, when he bought one hundred and sixty acres of land on section 30, town- ship 27, range 10, where he resided and car- ried on farming operations until his death. He was married, in 1853, to Harriet A. Sco- field, a native of New York, who died in 1862. They had three sons and one daugh- ter. He was married a second time, in 1865, to Helen McFarland, of Canada, who sur- vives him and by whom he had one child.
A. K. Fairbanks was a native of the state of New York. He came to Grand Traverse county in 1861 and located a farm in Whitewater township that he cleared up and occupied until his death. He was twice married. His first wife's maiden name was Mary Thompson, who died in 1855, leaving one daughter. In
1859 he married Emeline Eastman, a na- tive of New York, by whom he had one son, Andrew. After his arrival and settlement in Whitewater Mr. Fairbanks was engaged in trapping for about two years and thus ac- quired a thorough acquaintance with the country, and aided new settlers very much in the selection of lands. In April, 1865, Mr. Fairbanks was in the office of the Trav- erse Bay Eagle when the first number of the paper went to press, and became the first subscriber to that paper, taking the first number of the paper off the press home with him. He remained a continuous subscriber until his death, some thirty-six years after- wards.
Jared W. Arnold, who at the time of his death was a farmer of Acme township, was a native of Rhode Island, who moved with his parents to New York and afterwards to Washtenaw county, Michigan, where he lived until 1854, when he came to the Grand Traverse region in company with the writer and worked for Dexter & Noble in a saw- mill until 1868. He then bought the farm upon which he died. He was married, Jan- uary 29, 1865, to Amelia L. Langworthy, and they had two sons and two daughters.
William P. Deyoe, who was born in Co- lumbia county, New York, in 1800, was one of the early settlers in Mayfield township, locating upon a homestead there in 1863. He cleared up and made for himself and family one of the finest farms in the town- ship, upon which he lived for twenty years, when, becoming feeble with age, he moved into Kingsley village in 1883, where he died, a highly respected citizen, several years ago.
HISTORY
OF
LEELANAW COUNTY, MICHIGAN
1
CHAPTER I.
PHYSICAL FEATURES.
Leelanaw county, with the exception of the North and South Manitou and the North and South Fox islands, which have been at- tached to the county since its organization, lies wholly between Grand Traverse bay and Lake Michigan. It is bounded on the south by Grand Traverse and Benzie counties. The islands just mentioned, which now constitute a part of the county, lie to the west and northwest of the mainland in Lake Michigan. It is of an irregular, triangular shape. Its greatest length from north to south is about thirty-five miles, and its greatest width on the southern boundary is twenty-two miles. It has a shore line on Grand Traverse bay and Lake Michigan, exclusive of its islands, of more than one hundred miles. There are several lakes within its territory, the most im- portant of which are Glen lake and Carp lake, the latter of which is fifteen miles in length, measuring in a straight line, but considerably
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