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 67
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 67
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JOSEPH AMTSBUCHLER.
The farm which is owned and occupied by Joseph Amtsbuchler lies partly in Solon and partly in Elmwood township, Leelanaw county. His home, however, is situated on section 27, Solon township, and stands in the midst of fields that are well tilled and re- turn to the owner golden harvests for the care and cultivation he bestows upon them. He is of Austrian lineage and birth, having first opened his eyes to the light of day in .Austria, on the 12th of July, 1863. His parents were Franz and Caroline (Hertzig) Amtsbuchler, both of whom were natives of the same land, and there they grew to adult age and were married. Several children were added to their household ere they sought a home in the new world. They became parents of six children, five of whom reached years of maturity and are still liv- ing, and of these Joseph is the second. It was in 1865 that the father made his ar- rangements to come to the United States. Bidding adieu to home and friends he sailed with his wife and children and eventually reached the American harbor in safety. He then continued his journey acress the coun- try until he had arrived at Leelanaw coun- ty, Michigan, when he secured a tract of land in Solon township and began the de- velopment of a farm. He succeeded in re- claiming the wild land for purposes of civil- ization and with the aid of his sons trans- formed his place into an excellent farm which he continued to cultivate throughout his remaining days. He died in his fifty- fifth year, but his widow is still living.
Joseph Amtsbuchler was only two years old when brought by his parents to the United States, and upon his father's farm
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MR. AND MRS. JOSEPH AMTSBUCHLER
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in Solon township he grew to manhood. He acquired a common school education and from the time of early spring planting until harvests were garnered in the autumn he largely spent his time in the fields, assist- ing his father in the development of the home place. When he started out upon an independent business career he resolved to follow the pursuit to which he had been reared and he has been connected with no other work than that of farming, and has found this a good source of income, when the work is conducted along progressive lines and when unabating industry charac- terizes the work. He is now the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of land in Solon township and he also has seventy- eight acres in Elmwood township, and he has placed good improvements upon the property. He uses the best farm machinery to facilitate his work and he has substantial and modern farm buildings and excellent equipments which makes the property at- tractive in appearance and of considerable value.
In Solon, on the 15th of May, 1889, Mr. Amtsbuchler was joined in wedlock to Miss Anna Strohm, a daughter of Erhard and Katherina (Kirner) Strohm, who are men- tioned on another page of this volume, being well known farming people and representa- tive citizens of Leelanaw county. Mrs. Amtsbuchler was born in Elmwood town- ship, on the 5th of September, 1869, and by her marriage she has become the mother of five children, four sons and one daughter, as follows: Julius E., Edwin J., Tony E., Walter F. and Clara.
Mr. and Mrs. Amtsbuchler are members of the Congregational church of Solon and in his political views he is an earnest Re-
publican. He has held the office of town- ship treasurer for three years, was justice of the peace for several years, and has also been highway commissioner. The confidence of the public was well placed when it was given to Mr. Amtsbuchler, for he is deeply inter- ested in the public welfare and has conserved the general good by his prompt and faithful performance of his official duties. He has known no other home than Leelanaw coun- ty, for he was too young when brought to America to retain any recollection of his native land. The fact that many with whom he has been acquainted from boyhood are numbered among his stanchest friends is an indication that his entire life has been honor- able and worthy of the regard of those with whom he has been associated for a long period.
HECTOR J. ROBERTSON.
Hector J. Robertson, now deceased, was for many years a prominent citizen of Grand Traverse county. He came to this section of the state in pioneer times and he assisted in bringing about the transformation of the county from the wild condition in which it was found at the time of his arrival to its later-day progress and improvement. While he carried on agricultural pursuits in a manner as to gain a comfortable compe- tence for himself, he also belonged to that class of representative citizens who promote the public welfare while advancing indi- vidual success. There were in him sterling traits which commanded uniform confidence and regard and his memory is today honored by all who knew him and is enshrined in the hearts of his many friends.
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Mr. Robertson was a native of England, but almost his entire life was passed in this country. He was born in London on the 6th of June, 1834, and was only two and a half years old when brought by his parents to America. He was then a resident of New York city until eighteen years of age and in its public schools he acquired his education. About 1852 he enlisted in the United States navy and served three years and three months. After leaving the service he re- turned to New York and after another year spent in the eastern metropolis he made his way westward to Chicago, Illinois, where he also spent a year. On the expiration of that period he arrived in Grand Traverse county, Michigan. The district as it then appeared bore little resemblance to the thickly popu- lated section of today. Great forest trees stood in their primeval strength and in the midst of the green woods were a few settle- ments to show that courageous pioneers had begun the task of reclaiming the region for the uses of the white man. A few lumber industries had been established in this sec- tion of the state and Mr. Robertson became connected with one of these, entering the employ of Hannah, Lay & Company. He was at work in the East Bay mills from 1855 until after the inauguration of the Civil war, and was found as a faithful em- ployee, enjoying the unqualified confidence of those whom he represented.
In the first year of the Civil war, how- ever, Mr. Robertson returned to the Empire state and there offered his services to the government, enlisting in Battery G, First New York Light Artillery, serving in the army for three years. He took part in a number of the most hotly contested engage- ments which had direct and important bear-
ing upon the final outcome of the war and with a most creditable military record he re- turned to his home after three years of act- ive and valiant service.
Making his way again to Grand Traverse county Mr. Robertson here purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land on section 15, Grant township. It remained his home continuously from that time until his de- mise and he was widely recognized as one of the leading, practical and enterprising farm- ers of this part of the state. With charac- teristic energy he gave his attention to the development of his land and the cultivation of the fields, and his work was attended with good results, good crops rewarding his labors. In all his business transactions he was honorable and straightforward, never taking advantage of the necessities of his fellow men in any deal, but gaining a fair profit by honorable methods, and thus pro- viding his family with a comfortable living.
It was in Grant township, Grand Trav- erse county, on the 28th of March, 1867, that Hector J. Robertson was married to Miss Mary Jane Wilson, who was born in Gray county, Ontario, in the township of Collinwood, May 6, 1849. Her parents, Harvey and Maria Wilson, were also natives of the Dominion and on coming to the United States they settled in Grant township, Grand Traverse county, Michigan, where they lived for six years. They afterward returned to Canada and then again came to Michigan, settling the second time in Elk Rapids, where their remaining days were passed, and when they were called to their final rest, their deaths occasioning deepest regret among their many friends. Of their family of twelve children, Mrs. Robertson is the eldest. She became the mother of nine
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children, as follows: Mary A., who is now the wife of Lao Russell; Isabella J., the wife of James Gibbs; Thomas H .; William A .; Emma M., the wife of Charles Drake; Celia E., who married Henry Hulett; Anna A .; Eva L., who wedded Edwin N. Broadway, who is represented elsewhere in this volume; and Martha E., who died in infancy.
To his family Mr. Robertson was a de- voted husband and father and counted no personal sacrifice on his part too great if it would promote the welfare and happiness of his wife and children. In matters of cit- izenship he was always as true and loyal as he was when he wore the blue uniform of the nation .and fought for the Union upon southern battlefields. Men who had business dealings with trusted him because he bore an unassailable reputation for integrity and fairness. He passed away February 23, 1891, when fifty-seven years of age, leaving to his family the priceless heritage of an untarnished name, to the county the value of good citizenship, and to the young an ex- ample well worthy of emulation. Public opinion in passing judgment upon his life work, classed him with the men of honor and worth, and with the pioneer citizens of Grand Traverse county his name is also in- scribed.
WLLIAM COATES.
The student interested in the history of Grand Traverse county does not have to carry his investigation far into its annals be- fore learning that William Coates had long been an active and leading representative of its agricultural interests, and that his labors have proven a potent force in making this a
rich agricultural region. Thirty-eight years have passed since he came to the county, for the year 1865 witnessed his arrival. There was much difficult work before the early settlers in the task of clearing the land for improvement, for it was originally covered with a dense growth of forest trees and even when these had been cut away the stumps still remained to be dragged from the ground in order to leave the field free for plowing. Through almost four decades Mr. Coates carried on farm work and while he pros- pered in this he has also found ample oppor- tunity to assist in the material development of the county, and his co-operation has been of value in movements for the general good.
Mr. Coates resides on section 35, Grant township-far removed from the place of his birth, which occurred in Yorkshire, Eng- land, on the 3d of January, 1834. His parents were George and Isabella (Litt) Coates, who were also native of the "merrie isle," but their births occurred in the county of Cumberland. They were the parents of four children, three sons and a daughter, and William Coates, their second child, was reared in the county of Westmoreland where he remained until a few months past his twentieth birthday. He had been edu- cated in the public schools and had been instructed concerning the value of earnest labor and unfaltering honesty in the active affairs of the business world. When in his twenty-first year he formed the desire to seek his fortune beyond the Atlantic and crossing the briny deep he made his home for some years with an uncle in Lewiston, Ni- agara county, New York, but while that re- mained his home he spent a part of the time employed at farm labor in Canada.
It was in the latter country that Mr.
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Coates was married to Miss Isabella Men- zies, the wedding taking place on the 30th of January, 1862. Mrs. Coates was born in Halton county, Canada, on the 7th of De- cember, 1842, and was the fifth of the eight children of Robert and Catherine (Red- path) Menzies, both of whom were natives of Scotland, and on leaving the purple hills of that country they located in Canada, where their daughter was born and reared. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Coates continued to make their home in Canada until their removal to Grand Traverse coun- ty, Michigan, in May, 1865. They settled in Grant township and Mr. Coates took up a claim of one hundred and sixty acres, the original deed for which, dated February IO, 1874, and signed by President Grant, is still in the possession of the family. The land was at that time in the possession of the gov- ernment and was therefore entirely unim- proved, but the energetic efforts of the owner and his enthusiastic interest in his work have wrought a great change here and the Coates farm is today a valuable property, rich in its modern equipments and accessories, its fields of grain, its verdant meadows and its good stock. The farm buildings have been erected by Mr. Coates and are modern structures, well adapted to the uses to which they are put. The farm comprises one hun- dred and eighty acres, of which one hun- dred and twenty acres are improved.
Mr. and Mrs. Coates are the parents of five children : Robert, in Aberdeen, Wash- ington ; George, of the Northern Peninsula; Kate E., who is the wife of G. A. Brigham; Esther, in Munising, Michigan; and Clark, who completes the family, and lives in Wex- ford county. Mr. and Mrs. Coates are sub- stantial supporters of the gospel and are in-
terested in whatever tends to promote the moral welfare of the community. In town- ship and county affairs Mr. Coates takes an active interest and when his judgment ap- proves of any measure that is advanced he is not hesitant in giving his approval and active aid. He has not only been a witness of the development of the county, the cultivation of its farms, the building of its railroads, the establishment of its towns, the introduc- tion of its business enterprises, but in many ways has given his time and services . for the general good. He has a wide acquaint- ance and the favorable judgment which the public passed upon him in the early days of his residence here has been in no degree set aside or modified as the years have gone by.
PHILIP HEIMFORTH.
Thirty-nine years compass the life record of Philip Heimforth and the entire period has been passed in Leelanaw county, His birth occurred on the old family homestead on North Manitou island on the 15th of February, 1864, and he has never left the county of his nativity, content to enjoy the advantages here afforded and the business opportunities which its citizens may enjoy. He is the fifth of a family of ten children, born unto Frederick and Elizabeth (Zim- merman) Heimforth. From the fatherland the parents came to the new world, the father having been born in Prussia, while the mother's birth occurred in Bavaria. He crossed the Atlantic in 1850, and she made the voyage in 1851. He had settled in Lee- lanaw county, casting in his lot with the early settlers who were laying broad and
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deep the foundation for the present develop- ment and progress of the county. After about two years he returned to New Jersey, where he made Miss Zimmerman his wife, and with his bride he returned to Michigan, where he has since lived, devoting his ener- gies to farming. His home is now on section I, Elmwood township, where he and his wife wife have a good residence. They are now widely and favorably known in the county and their worth has won for them the good will and confidence of those with whom they have been associated.
In the usual manner of farmer lads of the period Philip Heimforth has spent the days of his youth and at the usual age he entered the public schools, mastering with facility certain studies and earnestly striv- ing to learn others. The pleasures of the playground also interested him when he was not engaged with the duties of the school room or with the work of the fields, and thus he lived as other farm boys of the period, and when he grew to manhood he determined to follow as a life work the pursuits to which he had been reared. He was only eight months old when his parents removed to Elmwood township, and here remained with them until nineteen years of age. He then entered upon an independent business career, working as a farm hand in the neighborhood until he was twenty-one years of age. About that time he was married and settled upon the farm in Elmwood township upon which he now makes his home. He owns one hun- dred and eighty acres of land, of which one hundred and thirteen acres are improved. A careful survey of his farm in all its de- partments will indicate to the observer that his farm methods are progressive and his enterprise has been so carefully directed by
sound judgment that he has gained pros- perity.
On the 31st of August, 1885, Mr, Heim- forth was joined in wedlock to Miss Lillian Cooper, the marriage being solemnized in Elmwood township, Leelanaw county. The lady was born in Shelby, Ohio, in April, 1869, a daughter of Joseph and Abby Cooper. Her father is now deceased, but her mother is still living. Unto our subject and his wife have been born seven children : Edna M., Henry, Sadie, William, Warren, Mary and Gertrude.
Mr. Heimforth exercises his right of franchise in suport of the men and measures of the Republican party and his influence has even been given for its advancement. He has never sought or desired office, but is a public-spirited citizen and withholds his co-operation from no movement which is tended to promote public improvement. What he has achieved in life proves the force of his character and illustrates his steadfastness of purpose. He is now one of the men of affluence living in Elmwood township and his advancement to a position creditable in business circles is the direct outcome of his own labors.
GEORGE SELKIRK.
George Selkirk, a wealthy and influential citizen of Grand Traverse county, Michi- gan, was born in Montreal, Canada, Novem- ber 3, 1832. His parents, John and Agnes (Service) Selkirk, were natives of Scotland who came to America during the first part of the nineteenth century and settled in Can- ada, where they reared a family of ten chil-
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dren and spent the remainder of their lives. Young Selkirk remained in Canada, obtain- ing a meager education and putting in his time in farm work. He has always enjoyed agricultural pursuits and has made it his business and a very successful one. It was not until in 1869, when in the very prime of young. manhood, that he finally resolved to break loose from old associations and plant his family in the heart of the thriving and prosperous community in Michigan. He came to Grand Traverse county and secured one hundred and twenty acres of land in Whitewater township and the following year was joined by his family. The change of residence proved to be a wise one and he has thrived above his expectations, ranking among the best farmers in the county.
Mr. Selkirk was married April 1, 1856, to Miss Jeanette Robertson, who was born in Dundee, Scotland, on Christmas day, 1829, and was the eldest of a family of nine children born to William and Ann (Gow) Robertson. The fruits of this union are eight children, James; William; Margaret, widow of Philo Scofield, a prominent cit- izen of this locality who departed this life April 14, 1894, at the age of forty-one years ; George, Jr. ; Robert J .; Belle, who died at the age of thirty-four ; and Charles L. Mr. and Mrs. Selkirk are members of the Presbyterian church and in that faith have reared a family who are an ornament to society and a com- fort to the parents.
ALEXANDER INNIS.
Alexander Innis is one of the energetic, persevering men whose industry and thrift have not only placed him among the sub- stantial and well-to-do agriculturists who
represent the backbone of Grand Traverse county, Michigan, but have placed the county among the most productive and wealthy of the state. Born August 22, 1830, among the hills of Perthshire, Scotland, he inherited the hardy, indomitable spirit of that sturdy race who thrived and grew under all the oppression and hardships heaped upon them, whose character and principles were not less strongly founded than their own rugged hills whose forests and crags furnished them shelter and protection as they fought and won the battles of independence long ago. His parents were Robert and Margaret (Isdale) Innis, who reared a family of eight children.
Like many of his countrymen, young Innis left the fatherland to do for himself in the land of freedom and equality. He landed in New York when about eighteen years of age and from there went to Hamil- ton, Ontario, where he engaged in lumber- ing for a number of years, going thence to Chatham, Ontario, where he followed the same business. In 1869 he moved to Antrim, Michigan, where he remained but a short time before he established his family in Otsego county, this state, and for ten years was in the lumber business. At the expira- tion of that time he moved to Grand Traverse county and purchased forty acres of land, upon which he has since lived. This tract was timber land and has been cleared and placed in its present improved condition en- tirely by Mr. Innis and his family. Under- brush and timber has given place to culti- vated fields and fruit-bearing trees, while durable and commodious houses and out- buildings bespeak the wise outlay of his means for the comfort and convenience of his family.
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Mr. Innis was married in Canada, in 1858, to Miss Phoebe Jane Hanley, a sis- ter of Mrs. John Carns, of this township, and a daughter of Truman and Mary (Gill) Hanley. She was born in Harnich, Canada, January 19, 1840, and it was in the first month of the year that she became a bride, eighteen years later. Of the eight children who blessed the union of this worthy cou- ple, four did not survive infancy or early childhood. Those living are William E., Lewis A., Charlotte E., who is the wife of William Bloodgood, and Lester G. Mr. and Mrs. Innis are active members and liberal contributors of the Methodist Episcopal church at Elk Lake and are upright, con- scientious Christian people.
WILLIAM HEIMFORTH.
One of the owners of extensive landed and farming interests is William Heimforth, who resides on section 8, Elmwood town- ship. Leelanaw county. His valuable prop- erty has been acquired through his own ef- forts-his persistency of purpose, his lauda- ble ambition and his determination, and the prosperity which is the legitimate reward of all earnest labor is today his.
Mr. Heimforth is one of the native sons of Leelanaw county, but is of German de- scent and he possesses many of the strong and commendable traits of character of the Teutonic race. His father, Frederick Heim- forth, was bern in Prussia, in September, 1824, and when he had reached adult age he wedded Elizabeth Zimmerman, who was born in Bavaria, Germany, in June, 1835. In the year 1850 the father of the subject crossed the Atlantic to the new world and the
mother came about a year later. They were married in New Jersey and almost imme- diately afterward they came to Michigan, settling on North Manitou island, where they remained for several years, covering a decade or more. They took up their abode there in 1855 and Mr. Heimforth devoted his ener- gies to farming. A previous visit to this section of the state, made Mr. Heimforth in 1850, had led him to become imbued with a desire to establish his home in this section of the country, for he had faith in its de- velopment and future growth. On his first arrival here he located on North Manitou is- land, where he spent two years, and then re- turned to New Jersey, where he was married. He then brought his wife to the west and several years were happily passed at their home on the island, during which time chil- dren came to bless their home. In the lat- ter part of the 'fifties Mr. Heimforth bade adieu to his family and went to Colorado, owning a claim on the site of the present city of Denver. He spent several months in the west and then returned to his family, again taking up his abode on the island, where he remained until September, 1864. At that date he removed with his family to Elmwood township, and has since resided upon his farm on section 1. He has a good property here, well improved, and provided with all modern equipments and accessories for facilitiating farm work. He is one of the energetic and progressive agriculturists of the community and is also one of the hon- ored pioneer settlers. Years have passed since he first came to this part of Michigan, finding the conditions of pioneer life-the uncut forest, uncultivated fields, the streamis unbridged and the roads uncut. He has watched with interest the transformation
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