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 49
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 49
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FINLEY M. HAMMOND.
Finley M. Hammond, who follows gen- eral farming in Garfield township, is a son of the late Nelson Hammond, of Grand Traverse county, who was born in New York in July, 1821. The mother of the subject. bore the maiden name of Mary C. LaForce, and her birth occurred in Tioga county, Pennsylvania, on the 9th of April, 1833. For a time the parents resided in the latter county, but, wishing to take advantage of the business opportunities of the growing west, they came to Grand Traverse county, Mich- igan, in 1867, and after living for six months in East Bay township they removed to Gar- field township, settling on section 24. The farm which the father there developed be- came the old family homestead, and he re- mained thereon until his death, which occur- red in April, 1901. He was a prosperous agriculturist, a public-spirited citizen and a man of sterling worth. He held friendship inviolable, and was true to every trust re- posed in him, and because of his many ex- cellent traits of character his loss was deeply mourned throughout the community in which he had long made his home. His
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widow still survives him and is yet living in Grand Traverse county. This worthy couple were the parents of eight children,, Finley M. being the third of the number. Five are still living, namely : Clinton, Callia, Finley M., Alma and Emma. Those who have passed away are Hugh, Chancy and John, who died at the age of thirteen, eleven and four years, respectively, all within a week, the disease which terminated their lives being diph- theria.
Finley M. Hammond is a native of the Keystone state, his birth having occurred in Tioga county on the 10th April, 1865. He was, therefore, only two years of age when brought by his parents to Grand Traverse county, Michigan. He was reared in Gar- field township and acquired a common school education. Upon the home farm he has al- ways resided, and when not engaged with the duties of the school room in his youth he assisted in its cultivation and improvement. After attaining man's estate he largely re- lieved his father of the care of the property, and is now successfully engaged in its oper- ation. He owns about one hundred and for- ty acres, of which ninety acres have been improved, and through his strong purpose, unabating diligence and marked industry he has won prosperity in his undertaking.
April 17, 1894, in Garfield township, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Hammond and Miss Bertha M. Brodhagen, who was born in Pennsylvania January 3, 1875, and is a daughter of Henry and Bertha Brodhagen, who are now residents of Traverse City. Mr. and Mrs. Hammond have three children, Floyd E., Daisy Mildred and Henry N. Both Mr. and Mrs. Hammond have a wide ac- quaintance in this county and are held in the highest esteem by their many friends.
The hospitality of the best homes is extended to them and their own household is noted for its good cheer and the cordial reception which is given to their many guests. In pub- lic affairs Mr. Hammond is quite prominent and influential, and matters affecting the weal or woe of the county elicit his earnest attention. Whatever receives his endorse- ment also wins his active aid, and the meas- ures which he believes detrimental to the community are as earnestly opposed by him. Mr. Hammond has held the office of town- ship treasurer of Garfield township and has also acted in the position of highway com- missioner. Fraternally he is connected with the Independent Order of Foresters, and his wife is a companion. He is accounted one of the valued representatives of the lodge to which he belongs, for he is familiar with its tenets and in his life he exemplifies its teachings and the beneficent spirit of the fraternity. A member of one of the pioneer families of this section of the state, the name of Hammond has long been closely and hon- orably associated with the history of Grand Traverse county, and Mr. Hammond of this review, like his father, is numbered among the honored citizens. In business he is straightforward and reliable, is patriotic in citizenship and in his social relations he is esteemed because of his cordial disposition, unfailing courtesy and genuine worth.
EDGAR A. WILLIAMS.
Edgar A. Williams, who owns and oc- cupies a farm of sixty acres on section 3, Blair township, was born in Mercer county. Pennsylvania, August 3, 1838. His father was Thomas Williams, a native of New
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York. Reared in the east, he chose as a com- panion and helpmate for life's journey Miss Angeline Drake, who was also a native of the Empire state. Their marriage was blessed with four children, Edgar A. being the youngest of the family. When he was a little youth of four years his parents removed from Pennsylvania to Chautauqua county, New York, and about the time he attained his majority the parents came with their chil- dren to Michigan, settling upon a farm in Van Buren county, where both the father and mother died.
Edgar A. Williams was largely reared in Chautauqua county, New York. His boy- hood was passed not unusual to the farmer boys of that period and locality. He has never desired to branch out into other fields of business activity since attaining his ma- jority, but has been content to follow the pursuit to which he was reared, and at gen- eral farming he has gained a good livelihood. He became a farmer of Van Buren county, Michigan, where he lived until October, 1888, when he came to Grand Traverse coun- ty, and through the intervening years has re- sided upon the farm which is now his home. This tract of sixty acres is rich and arable land, of which fifty acres is now under culti- vation.
Mr. Williams was married in Van Bu- ren county, Michigan, on the 14th of July. 1861, to Miss Flora Rice, and they have now traveled life's journey together for more than forty years. The lady was born in St. Joseph county, this state, on the 8th of Au- gust, 1843, and is a daughter of Joseph and Eliza (Rawson) Rice. He was born in New York and the mother in Massachusetts, and of their four children Mrs. Williams is the third. Mr. and Mrs. Williams are the par-
ents of eight children : Seymour; Angeline, who is the widow of Charles Hagar; Kate, the wife of Charles Butcher; Cynthia, the wife of James Say; Chester; Ethel; Mary and Allan. The last four are still under the parental roof and the sons assist their father in the conduct of the home farm.
Mr. Williams has never been an active politician in the sense of office-seeking, yet has held the position of school assessor. He gives his political support to the Prohibition [ party. He and his wife are members of the Free Methodist church, and their religious faith is manifest in their daily lives, in their treatment of their fellow-men and in the conduct of business affairs. Mr. Williams is at all times straightforward and honest in his dealings with his fellow-men, and, while he is careful to see that no man takes advant- age of him, he is equally watchful to see that he does unto others as he would have others do unto him. The Golden Rule has, indeed, been the motto of his life, and there is no surer foundation upon which to build an up- right manhood.
STEPHEN McGARRY, JR.
The sons of the Emerald isle are found in every land upon the face of the globe and their ready adaptability to circumstances, their quick wit and their enterprise have made them valued citizens. Mr. McGarry is one who has come to Michigan from the Green Isle of Erin. He was born in county Roscommon, Ireland, about 1857, and was a lad of perhaps eight years when brought by his parents to the United States. He is a son of Michael and Bridget (Mulague) McGarry, but the latter is now deceased,
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having passed away at her home in Blair township. She had become the mother of nine children, Mr. McGarry of this review being the second in order of birth. He yet remembers incidents of the ocean voyage to the United States and of the early residence in Michigan. The father brought his family to Grand Traverse county, settling upon a farm in Blair township and it was here that Stephen McGarry was reared, being early trained to habits of industry upon the old homestead. He worked in the fields through the months of summer and during the winter seasons attended school. Throughout his entire life he has carried on agricultural pur- suits or else worked in the lumber woods, with the exception of a brief period of two years which were passed in Manistee, Michi- gan. Whatever he has undertaken has re- ceived his undivided attention and his marked diligence forms the basis of all suc- cess which has crowned his efforts.
Mr. McGarry was married in Traverse City, Michigan, in the month of October, 1883, the lady of his choice being Miss Elsie Rennie, who was born in Traverse City. Their marriage has been blessed with a large family of nine children, as follows : Maggie, Lottie, Hattie, William, Dominick, Stephen, Jr., Mary, Eleanor and Annie. Mr. McGarry is now living with his family upon the home farm of one hundred and ninety- five acres. He cultivates eighty acres of this tract and the soil is rich and productive, therefore returning to him good harvests, for which he finds a ready market. Thus his income is annually increased and he is able to provide his family with all of the necessi- ties and many of the comforts of life. He has served as highway commissioner in Blair township and has likewise filled the office. of
school director and school moderator. The cause of education finds in him a stalwart friend for he realizes its value as a prepara- tion for life's responsible duties. From an early day he has resided in Grand Traverse county and his memory forms a connecting link between the primitive past and the pro- gressive present. He can relate many inter- esting incidents of the early days here when the work of progress largely lay in the fu- ture. Not only has he been a witness of the growth of the county, however, but has also aided in its development and as one of the honored early residents of this section of the state he deserves mention in the history of Grand Traverse county.
WALTER E. GREILICK.
Among the representatives of the busi- ness interests of Leelanaw county, few have attained as distinctive prestige as Walter E. Greilick, whose brief life history is herewith presented. In addition to the large mercan- tile establishment of which he is proprietor and his extensive and valuable agricultural holdings in Michigan, he has important oil interests in California, besides being actively identified with the fruit-growing industry of that state. As the name indicates, the Grei- lick family is not of Anglo-Saxon origin, but German, and its genealogy is traceable to an early period in the history of Austria, in which country the subject's antecedents lived for many generations. His grandfather, Godfrey Greilick, was a prominent contrac- tor and builder in Austria, and many monu- ments to his efficiency and skill as an archi- tect may still be seen in the large public edi-
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MRS. W. E. GREILICK.
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WALTER E. GREILICK.
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fices which he erected in various parts of that country, among them being the largest and most imposing structures in Kratzau, the city of his residence. He is well and favorably remembered by the older residents of that place, and his reputation is destined to con- tinue for ages to come, as he was undeniably one of the most noted architects of his day and generation in the city of which he was for many years an honored resident.
John Greilick, son of Godfrey and father of the subject, was born in Austria, but came to the United States when a young man, and for about forty years carried on farming and lumbering, spending the greater part of his life in Leelanaw county. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Salina D. Weller, was a native of Ohio, born in 1850, of New Eng- land extraction, and is now living in Leela- naw county.
Walter E. Greilick was born July 25, 1867, at or near his present place of residence in Leelanaw county, Michigan, and received his preliminary education in the public schools at Lansing. Later he attended one year the high school of Lansing, after which he entered the State Agri- cultural College in that city, but, not finding the curriculum what he desired, he withdrew from that institution after a few months and turned his attention to business pursuits. For two and a half years after quitting college Mr. Greilick held the position of log scaler and bookkeeper for the Greilick Brothers, at the expiration of which time he accepted a clerkship in the store of W. S. Johnson & Company at Sutton's Bay, Michigan, his chief reason for making this change being a desire to familiarize himself with the mercantile business. After remain- ing one year with that firm he resigned to
become manager of a large lumber yard in Milwaukee owned by the Greilick Broth- ers, which position he held one and a half years, severing his connection with the latter company in 1887 for the purpose of engag- ing in business upon his own responsibility.
Returning to the place of his birth, Mr. Greilick, in 1888, embarked in general mer- chandising at Norrisville, and he has re- mained at that place ever since. In addition to his store, Mr. Greilick owns, near Norris- ville, a beautiful, valuable and highly-culti- vated farm of one hundred and twenty-seven acres, which contains some of the finest im- provements in the country and from the pro- ceeds of which he receives every year no small part of his income. He also owns, in partnership with his mother, a valuable ranch in California, which is becoming more pro- ductive each year, besides having consider- able stock in the Superior Oil Company, which property is considered one of the best in the far-famed Sunset oil fields of that state. The stock in this company is constant- ly rising in value, and its future prospects are most promising, Mr. Greilick's assurance of realizing an ample competence from this source alone being so well-founded as to ad- mit of no doubt. His various interests in the far west requires his presence there at least once a year, and he has already made six trips to the Pacific coast.
Mr. Greilick is public-spirited, and in addition to building up and greatly increas- ing the value of his enterprises, he has been an influential factor in the affairs of his town and county, having at different times been elected to positions of honor and trust. He served six years as township treasurer, and discharged his official functions in an able manner, accounting with the most scrupu-
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lous exactness for every cent of the public funds and proving a safe and conservative custodian of one of the people's most import- ant interests. Shortly after the expiration of his term as treasurer he was elected township clerk, which position he filled for a period of seven years, and in April, 1903, he was chosen supervisor of the township of Elm- wood, the duties of which office he has but recently resumed.
In 1897 he was appointed postmaster of Norrisville and had charge of the office until it was discontinued in 1902, his term of ser- vice covering a period of five years. From the time of attaining his majority until 1900 Mr. Greilick voted the Democratic ticket and was a zealous worker for the party, but, be- coming dissatisfied with its departure from time-honored principles and its not altogeth- er creditable record on the financial and other important issues, he withdrew his allegiance in the campaign of that year and cast his presidential ballot for William McKinley. Since then he has been unswerving in his support of the Republican party, the prosper- ous condition of the country and the solid basis upon which all business interests are being conducted being among the best proofs that the change in his political sentiments were not only carefully considered, but very wisely ordered.
Mr. Greilick was made an Odd Fellow in 1889, and since that year has filled all the chairs in the local lodge to which he belongs, at the present time holding the title of past grand. He is also an active worker in the Pythian brotherhood, which he joined in 1894, and in which he has been honored with important official station, belonging also to the Uniform Rank of the society. Al- though a member of no church or religious
organization, he has profound regard for Christianity and is a believer in the same. While he recognizes in all churches powerful agencies for the moral and spiritual advance- ment of mankind, he inclines to the belief of the Congregational church, which, though liberal in doctrine, is aggressive in good works and stands prominent among the Prot- estant bodies by reason of its wonderful in- fluence in modern religious thought and its effectiveness in winning humanity to higher life.
The married life of Mr. Greilick dates from the 24th of January, 1889, at which time he was joined in the bonds of wedlock to Miss Emma E. Gilbert, of Buffalo, New York, the union resulting in four children, whose names and dates of birth are as fol- . lows: Howard W., November 8, 1889; John S., July 8, 1892; Alla E., August 10, 1893, and Walter E., December 14, 1900, all living.
Thus, in a brief and somewhat disjointed manner, the writer has endeavored to set forth the leading facts in the life and the salient attributes in the character of one of the active and successful business men of the county which is honored by his citizenship. His business training has been long and thor- ough, and his practical knowledge is one of the kind that enables the possessor to inaug- urate important enterprises and push them to completion with every assurance of ultimate success. Mr. Greilick is an intelligent, broad-minded man, of courteous demeanor, and thus far his career has been one of great activity and signal usefulness. He bears an unsullied reputation in commercial and social circles and his honesty and integrity have gained him the unqualified regard of all with whom he has come in contact. Entirely free
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from ostentation, he is kindly and genial in his relations with others and has the friend- ship and good will of his fellow citizens, who esteem and honor him for his manly charac- ter and genuine personal worth.
OTIS L. WHITE.
It is the object of this volume to preserve an authentic record, as far as possible, of the lives and deeds of those who have assisted in the upbuilding of the varied interests of Lee- lanaw county. The rank that a city. or coun- ty holds very largely depends upon the achievements of its citizens. Some add to its reputation by official service, some by pro- fessional skill, some by increasing its man- ufacturing or commercial interests and some by cultivating and improving its lands. To give a faithful account of the lives of the old settlers and representative citizens of a com- inunity is to write its history in its truest sense. Mr. White is one of the venerable residents of Leelanaw county, and for many years was actively associated with its farm- ing interests. He expects, however, to spend much of his time among his children in Glad- stone, South Dakota, intending to go there , in the early summer of 1903. For this rea- son he has rented his farm, but he still re- tains possession of the place which was so long his home.
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Mr. White was born in Jefferson county, New York, November 2, 1821, and lived there until twenty-seven years of age, during much of which he had been engaged in farm- ing. His father was Lyman White, and his mother bore the maiden name of Hannah Wilson. Mr. White was born in Massachu-
setts, and the lady whom he wedded was a native of Vermont, but through a long pe- riod they resided in the Empire state and afterward died in Jefferson county. Of a family of eight children Otis L. White was the eldest.
Reared in the county of his nativity, Otis L. White there pursued his education, but his advantages in that direction were some- what limited, for his services were needed on the home farm. He worked at farm labor continuously until twenty-seven years of age, when he left Jefferson county, New York, for the west, going first to Chicago. He re- mained there, however, for only a brief period, and then removed to Berrien county, Michigan. He spent one summer employed in that locality and then returned to Jefferson county, New York, where he remained for a year, but the west, with its opportunities, its possibilities for growth and development, attracted him, and he had become imbued with its progressive spirit. Therefore he re- turned to Michigan and sought and obtained employment in a steam saw-mill at Ludding- ton, where he remained for three years. On the expiration of that period he went to Racine, Wisconsin, where he acted as a clerk in a mercantile establishment for two years.
In August, 1853, Mr. White arrived in Leelanaw county, Michigan, and located on the farm which through many years has been his home. It is situated on section 26, Leela- naw township, and until the present summer he supervised its cultivation and, in fact, took an active part in its improvement and in the labor which made it a productive tract. This was a pioneer region when Mr. White lo- cated here. The Indians were still numerous and had their wigwams in the forest, whence they issued forth to hunt and fish. Many
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other evidences of pioneer life were seen. The trees stood in their primeval strength and the woodman would have to labor for many years before this would be cut away and converted into lumber, making possible the work of the agriculturist who was to fol- low and transform the wild land into pro- ductive fields. Mr. White took an active part in the work of reclaiming the unim- proved tract, and upon his home he placed many of the evidences of an advanced civili- zation. He planted an orchard, covering ten acres, and was known as a successful horti- culturist, producing good apple and peach crops. He owns four hundred acres of land, of which two hundred acres are improved.
Mr. White was married in Leelanaw township on the 31st of December, 1858, the lady of his choice being Miss Sarah Hazel, a native of upper Canada. Through forty- four years she was a faithful companion and helpmate to him upon life's journey, and their mutual love and confidence increased as time went by, but on the 7th of May, 1902, when in her sixty-sixth year, Mrs. White was called to her final rest, and be- cause of this -- the children having married and gone to homes of their own-the home is now desolate, and Mr. White intends to abandon housekeeping and live with his chil- dren. He has four daughters: Irene W., who is the wife of Thomas Shelp; Jeanette L., who is the wife of George W. Lee; Ella, now the wife of Marquis Brown; and Clara, who is the wife of Elmer Whitcomb.
Mr. White has held the office of super- visor of Leelanaw township, and he has also been justice of the peace, and in public office has shown himself loyal to the general good, placing public progress and improvement be- fore personal aggrandizement. He has al-
ways acted with the Democratic party, and has firm faith in its principles. The history of the pioneer settlement of Leelanaw coun- ty would be incomplete without the record of this gentleman, who from a very early epoch in its development has been a promi- nent factor here. He braved all of the trials and hardships of pioneer life in order to make a home in the northwest, which was rich in its resources yet was unclaimed from the dominion of the red men. Today it is one of the most attractive sections of the en- tire country, and that this is so is due to such settlers as Mr. White, whose name is in- separably interwoven with its history.
JOHN PULCIPHER.
John Pulcipher is probably better known than most residents of Grand Traverse coun- ty, Michigan, as he has been a citizen of this community for half a century, coming at a time when the county was in its infancy and primitive unclaimed condition. From the first he has taken a deep interest in its prog- ress and has been a leading factor in push- ing it towards its present prosperous and flourishing condition. Mr. Pulcipher was born in Jefferson county, New York, March 8, 1838, and is the elder of two sons ( Har- rison is elsewhere represented in this vol- ume) born to Edwin and Matilda (Walts) Pulcipher. Both parents were natives of New York, in which state they were reared and married. It was not until the fall of 1855 that they moved to Michigan, settling in Acme township, where they died, the mother at the age of seventy-three and the father when about seventy-eight.
When Mr. Pulcipher came to Grand
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MRS. JOHN PULCIPHER.
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