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 91
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 91
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
1
GRAND TRAVERSE AND LEELANAW COUNTIES.
712
Mr. Green has held the office of justice of the peace for several years, and has done much toward enforcing law and good order.
ARTHUR W. WAIT.
As may well be supposed, the children born to the early pioneers of a new country are not reared in the lap of luxury. They have to bear their full share of trials and privations and have to forego many of the pleasures and enjoyments of children born and reared under less trying conditions. The subject of this review, Arthur Wait, very forcibly experienced this. He was born at Old Mission, Grand Traverse county, Febru- ary II, 1854. Not many white children had preceded him into the world in that region. The strenuous life that he led during the early years of his existence gave him confi- dence in himself and made him self-reliant. Even adversity has its uses, and although it is true that no good can come out of evil, adversity, while generally considered an evil, is not an unmixed one. That the trials and privations of his early life have made him a far better man that he might otherwise have been, even Arthur Wait himself does not question.
Martin S. Wait was the father of Arthur Wait. He was a native of Bennington, Ver- mont, and a wagon-maker by trade. After he grew to manhood he went to Rochester, New York, and there was married to Miss Mary Ann E. Fox. Some years later they moved to Etna, Ohio, making the journey by the Erie canal to Buffalo. The family moved to Waterville, Wisconsin, in 1846, and re- mained there two years. They located on the island of Mackinac in 1848, and there
engaged in the dairy business. In the autumn of 1850 they moved to Old Mission, Grand Traverse county, where they remained a number of years. Here Arthur Wait was born. At that time the whole Grand Trav- erse region was an unbroken wilderness. The parents died many years ago, the mother August 29, 1879, while her husband survived her nearly three years, expiring May 14, 1882.
Arthur Wait has been a resident of Grand Traverse county since his birth. His education was received in the public schools of this locality. He was a good student and made good progress in his studies, so that at the time of leaving school, at the age of eighteen years, he was possessed of a very fair common school education. For the next two years he engaged in teaching, and then applied himself to acquiring a knowledge of the carpenter's trade. In 1876 he entered into partnership with M. B. West, under the firm name of West & Wait, contractors and builders, and for six years the firm did a flourishing business. Many of the best build- ings of that period in Traverse City were erected by this firm. After the dissolution of the partnership, in 1882, Mr. Wait con- tinued in the business on his own account, with marked success. Four years ago he re- tired from the business of contracting, and has since devoted himself exclusively to superintending the construction of buildings. In this branch of the business his services are greatly in demand. His long experience as a contractor and builder makes him a very effi- cient superintendent of construction.
In 1891 he established at Traverse City a factory for the manufacture of store fix- tures, window frames, door frames, etc., with a large planing-mill attached, and engaged
718
GRAND TRAVERSE AND LEELANAW COUNTIES.
in regular planing-mill work of all kinds. For about two years he did a thriving busi- ness, but, having put nearly all his means into the concern and having gone in debt in anticipation of the returns he felt certain could be realized from the manufactured product, his limited capital made it necessary for him to convert his wares into cash as speedily as possible. This was easily done, and his prosperity was equal to his brightest anticipations, until he found himself in the midst of the panic of 1893. Then business of all kinds, trade manufacture and com- merce was paralyzed. More stores were be- ing closed than opened, and factories were hourly shutting down. No buildings were in course of construction, and every individual who had a dollar was clinging to it with the tenacity of a drowning man to a straw. The most inconvenient things a man can have in such emergencies are creditors. Mr. Wait had them, and they were rapacious. In such cases there can be but one result. The factory and all of its manufactured product was taken to satisfy the greed of those to whom he was indebted. The savings of a life-time were swept away within a few weeks, but the owner, though then nearly forty years old, was neither disheartened nor discouraged. The rugged life that he led in his early years had inured him to disappoint- ment and strengthened him to encounter mis- fortune. He again took up his work as a con- tractor and builder, and has in a great meas- ure retrieved his fortune from the losses of that disastrous year.
December 24, 1879, in Leslie, Ingham county, Michigan, Arthur Wait was united in marriage to Mrs. Alice M. Hazelton, a native of New York, born near Auburn July 4, 1850. Her parents were John W. and
Amanda (Simonds) Wilcox, both natives of New York. The parents moved to Ingham county, Michigan, when their daughter, Alice M., was a little girl. John W. Wilcox was a farmer, and followed that vocation all his life. He is still living, residing on the farm on which he originally located years ago. His wife died in 1859, when Mrs. Wait was a child of nine years. To Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Wait four children have been born, viz : Mary, born August 5, 1881 ; Arthur E., born October 16, 1883; Harrison M., born November 6, 1888; and Roy W., born November 30, 1893. Mary was edu- cated in the city schools and graduated from the same school. Harrison was born on the day of the presidential election of 1888, and was named in honor of the Republican candi- dates in that year-Harrison and Morton. Printed birth cards were sent to each of the candidates, and each responded in an auto- graph letter, expressing their appreciation of the compliment. Mr. Morton accom- panied his with his photograph. Roy came to bless the home of the family on Thanks- giving day, 1893, and has proved some com- pensation for the financial losses of that un- fortunate year.
In politics Arthur Wait is a Republican, and a very ardent one, but his has been en- tirely too busy a life to give him much leis- ure to play at politics. He never aspired to public office, and never filled but two-the important but by no means lucrative place of highway commissioner, and as a member of the board of public works, not, however, from his own seeking. He is not a member of any religious denomination, but the family be- longs to the Congregational church, and are regular attendant upon its services. He is a Mason, a Woodman and a Maccabee.
714
GRAND TRAVERSE AND LEELANAW COUNTIES.
A large, well-located, handsomely-furnished home is one of the possessions of the subject of this review. He has reared a family of which he may well be proud, and although the years of his life have been marked chiefly by industry often unrequited, he is far hap- pier than many who have much less cause for repining.
ALLISON TAYLOR.
Among the wide-awake and progressive agriculturists of Grand Traverse county was Allison Taylor, who since the summer of 1870 up to his recent death resided in East Bay township. There he owned eighty acres of land, of which he had sixty acres improved, and in the development of his farm he showed thorough and comprehen- sive knowledge of agricultural work and manifested marked industry and diligence in carrying on the duties which devolve upon the agriculturist.
Mr. Taylor was born in Fowler, Trum- bull county, Ohio, on the 4th of February, 1833, his parents being Alanson and An- geline (Vietz) Taylor, both of whom were natives of New England. Removing west- ward, they established their home in the Buckeye state in the early part of its devel- opment. Their son Allison was the fourth in their family of eight children and he was reared in the county of his nativity, attend- ing the public schools until he had mastered the branches of English learning usually taught in such institutions. In the months of summer he worked upon his father's farm, taking his place in the fields almost as soon as he was old enough to reach the plow handles. The experience which he
gained in his youth molded his later life and farming was his life occupation.
Before leaving Trumbull county, Ohio, Mr. Taylor was united in marriage to Miss Adaline Parshall, who was born in Milton, Ohio. The young couple began their do- mestic life in Ashtabula county, Ohio, and continued to live there until the summer of 1870, when they removed to Michigan, set- tling in Grand Traverse county. Mr. Tay- lor chose as a location a tract of land in East Bay township and it was afterward his place of residence. His work wrought con- siderable change here, transforming the land into rich fields which annually produce de- sirable harvests. Progress and improvement was characteristic in his work in its various lines and today the farm of eighty acres is a good property, sixty acres being in cultiva- tion and thus rewarding the efforts of the owner in his labors to acquire a comfortable competence.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Taylor were born three children : Ernest J., who is a resident farmer of East Bay township; Forest D., who is living in East Bay township, and Alice, who became the wife of Edwin Black and died in East Bay township. Mr. Tay- lor exercised his right of franchise in sup- port of the men and measures of the Re- publican party and held the office of high- way commissioner, but was never a poli- tician in the sense of office seeking, prefer- ring to devote his time and energies to his business affairs. He was much esteemed as a citizen who never failed to manifest deep interest in all local affairs of moment, his aid being relied upon at all times and under all circumstances, by those arrayed under the banner of progress and patriotism. In all his relations with others he was sincere, just
. ... ... ........
MR. AND MRS. ALLISON TAYLOR
715
GRAND TRAVERSE AND LEELANAW COUNTIES.
and upright, meriting their respect and hon- or. He was accidentally killed by a train on the Pere Marquette road November 26, 1902, while on his way home from Traverse City, and the event cast a gloom over the entire community, where he had been so long and favorably known.
GEORGE E. ALDRICH.
Success is ambition's answer. There is no prosperity won without ambition, for it is the spur to all endeavor, the moving spirit in all business activity. Where am- bition is satisfied and every ultimate aim ac- complished then effort ceases and supine inactivity follows, but where man has be- fore him a goal which he is desirous of reach- ing, he so directs his labors that his progress toward that goal is continuous. In examin- ing the life record of George E. Aldrich we learn that laudable ambition for a compe- tence was the potent force in all his busi- ness life and that as a result of his strong purpose, determination and energy he has won a place among the substantial citizens of Grand Traverse county that enables him to live retired at the present time.
Mr. Aldrich is a native of Ohio, his birth having occurred in Brunswick, Medina county, on the 26th of October, 1844. His father was George W. Aldrich, a native of New York, who after arriving at years of maturity wedded Miss Mary Wyman, a na- tive of Vermont. Emigrating westward, they became residents of Ohio and the fa- ther died in Ottawa county, that state, while the mother's death occurred in Lorain coun- ty. Unto them were born eight children, of 45
whom Geoge E. is the fifth in order of birth.
Farm life, with all the labors incident to the cultivation of the fields and the care of the stock, claimed the attention of the subject in his youth. He resided during the period of his minority in Medina and Lorain counties, and to the public school system of Ohio he is indebted for the education priv- ileges he enjoyed. He was not yet twenty years of age when in view of his country's need he responded to her call for aid and enlisted in the fall of 1862 as a defender of the Union. He was assigned to duty with Company D, Sixth Ohio Cavalry, and was with the regiment for about ten months. He then returned to his home in Lorain county, , Ohio, and again in the summer of 1864 he enlisted, this time joining the boys in blue of Company D, One Hundred and Seventy- eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was transferred to the One Hundred and Eighty- first Ohio Volunteer Infantry and thus served until mustered out in the early au- tumn of 1865. Mr. Aldrich participated in a number of important engagements, was in several skirmishes and was always found at his post of duty, whether it called him to the lonely picket line or into the thickest of the fight.
With a creditable military record Mr. Aldrich returned to his home and for about a year remained in Lorain county, at the end of which time he came to Michigan, settling first in Kent county. There he was em- ployed at farm labor and later, with the cap- ital acquired through his own labors, he pur- chased a tract of land in Allegan county, making his home thereon until the spring of 1891, when he removed to Grand Traverse county. He lived in Grant township until
.
716
GRAND TRAVERSE AND LEELANAW COUNTIES.
the spring of 1899, when he sold his farm and came to Grawn, where he is now living a retired life, enjoying a well-earned rest. For many years he was actively engaged in agricultural pursuits, and his persistency of purpose and unfaltering energy enabled him to overcome all obstacles and difficulties in his path and work his way steadily upward to success.
On the 21st of February, 1867, in Kent county, Michigan, Mr. Aldrich was united in marriage to Miss Rebecca Bisard, who was born in Spencer township, Medina county, Ohio, on the 15th of March, 1847, her par- ents being David and Rebecca (Hughes) Bisard, both of whom were natives of Penn- sylvania, but spent their last days in Kent county, Michigan. In their family were eleven children, Mrs. Aldrich being the sev- enth child. The home of the subject and his wife has been blessed with the presence of three children, but they had the misfor- tune to lose their first born, Jiley L., who died when only two and a half years old, and Mary F., who became the wife of S. B. Howard, died in Traverse City, Michigan, on the 22d of December, 1901, when twenty- four years of age. The living daughter is Maud R., now the wife of William E. Batey.
In the spring of 1900 Mr. Aldrich was elected to the office of justice of the peace and has since discharged the duties of the position in a manner creditable to himself and satisfactory to his constituents. He be- longs to the Masonic fraternity and is true and loyal to the teaching of the craft, ex- emplifying in his life the beneficent spirit of the fraternity, with the tenets of which he is very familiar. His progressive spirit and devotion to the welfare of the community
has made him a valued and representative citizen of Grawn and the same spirit of loyalty which he manifested when on the battlefields of the south as a defender of the Union is now shown in his co-operation in measures for the general good. His busi- ness record, too, is creditable, and through honorable methods and unfaltering diligence, he won the competence which now enables him to live retired.
WILLIAM HEIM.
As the name indicates, William Heim is of German lineage. His father, George Heim, was born in Germany on the 17th of April, 1823, and spent the days of his boy- hood, youth and early manhood in the land of his nativity. In 1851 he crossed the briny deep to the new world and took up his abode in Pennsylvania, where he was married. He afterward came to Grand Traverse county in 1863, settling in Blair township, where his wife died, when about fifty-four years of age. They were the parents of five children who reached years of maturity, namely : George, John, William, Mary and Christine.
It was after the removal of his parents to Grand Traverse county that William Heim was born. He first opened his eyes to the light of day in Blair township, on the 9th of August, 1865, and he has since lived upon the farm which was his birthplace. He has always followed agricultural pursuits and is an enterprising agriculturist, whose close at- tention to his farming interests has resulted in the acquirement of a comfortable compe- tence and a good home.
In Grand Rapids, Michigan, Mr. Heim
.
717
GRAND TRAVERSE AND LEELANAW COUNTIES.
was married on the 28th of April, 1898, to Miss Mary A. Lampert, who was born in Germany on the 10th of April, 1872. She was a little maiden of nine years when she came to America with her parents and in Grand Rapids she was reared, her education being obtained in the public schools of that city. Her father was August Lampert and her mother, in her maidenhood, was Mary Roth. Both were natives of Germany and in that country were married. Coming to the United States, they took up their abode in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Mr. Lam- pert died when fifty years of age. Unto him and his wife were born four children, of whom Mrs. Heim is the eldest. She is an estimable lady, possessed of many excellent traits of character and a genial manner and kindly disposition, and these qualities have gained her many friends. Unto the subject and his wife have been born two children, Ernest W. and Marie C.
The family home of William Heim is situated on section 10, Blair township, where his entire life has been passed and, in com- pany with his brother John, he owns two hundred acres of land here, of which fifty acres has been placed under the plow and now yields good crops annually in return for the care and cultivation bestowed upon the fields. Mr. Heim is quick to adopt ad- vanced methods of farming that will prove of practical utility and his sound judgment arrives at correct conclusions concerning the value of methods that are advanced. He re- alizes, too, that industry is the foundation of all true success and it has been because of his earnest, persistent effort that he has won a place among the prosperous agriculturists of the community.
JOHN ANDERSON.
Far from the land of his birth has John Anderson taken up his residence, for he is now living on section 13, Green Lake town- ship, Grand Traverse county, Michigan, and he was born in the kingdom of Sweden. His natal day was February 12, 1848. A noted world-traveler has said: "Sweden is the home of the honest man." From ancestry who have every right to be classed with the race that has won that splendid encomium John Anderson is descended. His life was passed amid humble surroundings : but he was trained to habits of industry and integrity, which have been potent factors in shaping his entire life. He spent his youth upon a farm in his native country and there lived until 1876. When nineteen years of age he entered the Swedish army and served for about three years. When his military ex- perience had ended he sought and obtained employment at various occupations until 1876, when he determined to try his fortune in America, attracted by the opportunities afforded in this country.
In the spring of 1876 Mr. Anderson bade adieu to friends and native land and sailed for the United States, landing at Boston, Massachusetts, whence he made his way to Peshtigo, Wisconsin. There he lived for a few months, after which he came to Michi- gan and was employed for a brief period by the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad Com- pany in the upper peninsula. He then re- turned to Wisconsin, but soon went to Min- nesota, where he was employed at railroad work and also at farm labor. At a later date he became a resident of Chicago, where he remained until 1886, which year wit-
718
GRAND TRAVERSE AND LEELANAW COUNTIES.
nessed his arrival in Grand Traverse county. He settled upon the farm on section 13, Green Lake township, on which he is now living, having purchased it about two years previously. His landed possessions aggre- gate two hundred and thirty acres, of which ninety-six acres has been reclaimed from its virgin state for purposes of cultivation and now the rich fields return good harvests for the care and labor bestowed upon them.
Mr. Anderson has been twice married. Ere he left his native land he wedded Miss Josephine Anderson, who died in Gutten- berg, Sweden, leaving two children: Axel and Alida, the latter the wife of Robert Stadlebauer. Mr. Anderson of this review was again married in Chicago, the second union being with Christina Swanson, who was born in Sweden, September 22, 1852. They have a pleasant home upon their farm and Mr. Anderson has erected good build- ings for the shelter of grain and stock. He keeps everything in repair and fences divide his property into fields, devoted to the rais- ing of various cereals best adapted to the soil and climate. He has also set out an orchard of apple and plum trees, covering about six acres, and from these he annually gathers the fruits which stock his cellar and also add to his capital because of their ready sale on the market.
During his residence in Green Lake township Mr. Anderson has held several school offices and has also been township treasurer. Matters of public improvement and reform and progress elicit his earnest attention and to any movement for the general good he renders beneficial assistance. He especially favors the construction of good roads and he has labored effectively for the material upbuilding of the county.
He was a young man of twenty-eight years when he came to America. That his choice of a home was wisely made is indicated by his present enviable position in the regard of his fellow men and also when judged from a financial standpoint. There is no country in which it is more true that "labor is king," and yet there is no country in which due recognition of labor is more readily granted. No caste or class prevents the ad- vancement of an individual who has enter- prise and determination, and it is to those commendable qualities that Mr. Anderson owes his prosperity.
GEORGE SMITH.
George Smith was born in Middlesex county, Ontario, July 31, 1847, and is a son of John and Elizabeth (Suterington) Smith. Both parents were natives of York- shire, England, and moved to Canada, where they reared a family of eight children and spent there the last days of their lives. Mr. Smith was reared in Ontario and re- mained there, following the occupation of farming until 1872, when he came to the States and located in Michigan. He bought a tract of land containing eighty acres sit- uated in Acme township and at once set about its improvement by building a modest home and clearing off the timber. He has been a resident here for thirty years and the improvements he has added to his premises have kept a steady pace with the general growth around him.
Mr. Smith was married December 16, 1869, to Miss Sarah Jane Hanna, a lady of charming personality and great force of character who takes a leading part in the
.
GEORGE SMITH.
MRS. GEORGE SMITH.
719
GRAND TRAVERSE AND LEELANAW COUNTIES.
social life of the neighborhood. She was born in Middlesex county, Ontario, Novem- ber II, 1850, and is a daughter of James and Mary ( Pritchard) Hanna. Her father was a Canadian and her mother was from sunny Ireland. Their family was remark- able from its size, numbering fourteen chil- dren. To Mr. and Mrs. Smith have been born five children, two of whom, James W. and John W., did not outlive their infancy. Those living are Nina M., who married Erastus Krebs; Verne E., and Mary E., who is the wife of Melvin C. Miller. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are zealous members of the Methodist Episcopal church of Acme and contribute liberally of both time and means for its support. He is a wide-awake, hustling citizen, active in all good works and has held a number of offices in the township, al- though he is of quiet disposition and not an aspirant for political honors.
JOHN W. WARREN.
In the front ranks of the columns which have advanced the civilization of the north- ern Mississippi valley were sturdy pioneers who laid the foundation-and laid it broad and deep-for the substantial development and progress of a later day. When Grand Traverse county was a frontier district, when Indians still lived in this portion of the state and roamed at will through the forests, the Warren family was founded in Penin- sula township and John W. Warren, then a lad of about nine years, was reared amid the wild scenes of pioneer life. He has since been particularly active in advancing the growth and improvement of this locality and
his name is enrolled among those citizens whose work is widely recognized as being of particular value here.
Mr. Warren was born in Orleans, Jeffer- son county, New York, on the 12th of Sep- tember, 1841, his parents being Charles H. and Nancy (Visgar) Warren, who were like- wise natives of the Empire state. They had four children, of whom their son John was the second. He was only six years old when his mother died and his father afterward removed to Michigan with the family, es- tablishing his home in Peninsula township, Grand Traverse county, in the spring of 1851. Here John W. Warren was reared to manhood and has since resided in the same township, his attention being chiefly given to farm work. His farm of eighty acres is well improved, nearly the entire amount be- ing under cultivation, and the property has become valuable through the labor he has expended upon it.
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.