USA > Michigan > St Clair County > St. Clair County, Michigan, its history and its people; a narrative account of its historical progress and its principal interests, Vol. I > Part 37
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It was not long before his extensive business interests compelled his removal to Detroit, and from that time until death in 1875, he made that city his home. He bought and developed iron mines, established great rolling mills at Wyandotte, purchased immense tracts of pine timber, and built large mills at Ludington, established a large glass plant in Missouri, built railroads,-these are but a few of the many large enterprises into which he threw his personal force and energy. The panic of 1873 found him too widely extended and his sudden death greatly imperiled his vast estate, much the largest in the state up to that time, and it was only by the careful and prudent management of his executors. T. C. Owen and O. M. Potter, that it came safely through and realized a large amount to the beneficiaries.
A bitter litigation over his will followed his death, and it was demon- strated that his great wealth had not brought him happiness in home or family. He was a man of unbridled passions, ruthless and unscrupu- lous in his methods. but was one of the first great captains of industry. His sister, Aunt Emily, was a remarkable character. Deprived of her mother when only nine years of age, she grew up as the mainstay of the family, and took the care of her brother and two sisters, all younger than herself. After the removal of her father to Newport in 1845, she assisted her brother and uncle in many ways in the fitting out of their boats, and gradually grew to have a considerable interest in boats which brought her large returns. She could not be contented without doing for others, and for some years taught school at Newport, and not only brought up the orphaned children of her sisters, but took under her charge and educated a number of young men and women who repaid her with a life-long affection and gratitude. Many are still living who recall the woman who was "Aunt Emily" to so many, and who died in 1891, beloved and regretted.
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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY
Nathan Ward, was another brother of Samuel, and came to Michi- gan in 1836; his son, David, brought up in St. Clair county, educated as a surveyor, taught school, was graduated in medicine at the state university, and became the largest individual owner of pine lands in Michigan.
Zael Ward, another brother, eame to St. Clair county in 1837, but after living in Newport for twenty-seven years, returned east to New York state, where he died. David Ward, still another brother, was a surgeon in the army, and died at the age of ninety in Wisconsin, where he had lived many years.
The Wards, during the high tide of wooden boat building, were among the leaders on the great lakes. They built in all no less than twenty-nine steamboats, including a tug and three propellers, and twelve sailing vessels or barges, a total of forty-one boats. Most of them were side wheel passenger steamers, and second to none upon the lakes of their time.
EMILY WARD
Emily Ward familiarly known for a generation as Aunt Emily, was born in Manlius, N. Y., March 16, 1809, and passed a large part of her busy and influential life within this eounty. Her father, Eber Ward, was the brother of Samuel Ward, the first of the family to come West, and who was the founder of Newport. The father was a great wanderer, and by the time Emily had reached the age of 13, she had lived successively in New York, Vermont, Canada, again Vermont, Ohio and Michigan. The early death of her mother threw many household cares upon the shoulders of a young girl who had three younger brothers to mother, but she grew to meet the burdens. The father came to Newport in 1819 and three years later brought his daughter Emily and son Eber B. there, where they lived for seven years and then went baek to Ohio where the daughter remained until 1834. In the meantime the father had been appointed in 1829 lighthouse keeper on Bois Blanc Island near Mackinac Island and in the spring of 1834, Emily went up there and lived until 1842 when her father exchanged lighthouses, and became the keeper of Fort Gratiot lighthouse, which position he held for three years, when he withdrew finally from the service, and moved to Newport with his daughter. There they found the brother Samuel, a wealthy boat owner and the young Eber B. Ward already on the high road to success and displaying the en- terprise and prescience which made him the wealthiest man of his time in the state.
Emily was then 36 years of age, her experience was wide, and to her abundant common sense, and business eapaeity, and thrift was added a far seeing generosity and a strong desire to improve the educational facil- ities of the community. A deep fondness for children led her to take a great interest not only in her own immediate relatives, but also in many other boys and girls, to whom she became their loving, helpful and gen- erons "Aunt." One of her earliest movements to help was the establish- ment of an academy which she and her brother maintained for years, and the present Marine City High School stands upon the site of this academy Vol. I -- 20
EMILY WARD
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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY
which was given for that purpose when Aunt Emily moved to Detroit. This school proved very unusual in the quality of its pupils. It produced a post master general (Don M. Dickinson), a railroad president (J. P. Hagerman), after whom is named one of the best known passes through the Rocky Mountains, and a considerable number of other noted and wealthy people in other lines.
The following twenty-two years of her life after returning to New- port were the most active and busy period of her life. Her brother and uncle were just at the outset of their famous boat-building career and Emily took an active part ; she had charge of the furnishings of the boats, and this meant in each case the preparation of a large amount of ma- terial for cabins and staterooms, and called for much labor which was overseen by Aunt Emily, and as her pay was taken in shares in the boats, the large profits made by them resulted in procuring for her an ample fortune which she used during her life and in distribution at her death with the greatest carc, judgment and liberality. In 1867 she moved to Detroit, and lived there until her death which occurred August 28, 1891, a part of the time with her brother, but the last twenty-one years in her own home on Fort street.
In rugged honesty and force of character, combined with unusual business ability and judgment, and a kindly generous helpful spirit, "Aunt Emily" Ward was one of the most notable characters of the county.
METTA VICTORIA AND FRANCES AURETTA FULLER
St. Clair county was the home for a short time of two writers of considerable reputation, half a century ago, Metta Victoria Fuller and her sister, Frances Auretta, who were residents of St. Clair for a part of two years, 1851 and 1852. Metta Victoria, the younger, was born in Erie, Pa., March 2, 1831, and removed with her parents to Wooster, Ohio, in 1839. When but thirteen years of age she wrote "The Silver Lute," a story which was published the same year. At fifteen she wrote a romance, "The Last Days of Tul." In 1851, "Poems of Sentiment and Imagination," by the two sisters, was published, and the following year Metta Victoria published "Fresh Leaves from West- ern Woods," a collection of stories.
In 1856 she married O. J. Victor, of Sandusky, Ohio, and not long after they removed to New York and lived in that vicinity until her death in 1886. During this period she wrote and published many vol- umes, stories of adventure, humorous sketches, and one temperance story, "The Senator's Son," which had a large circulation both in America and England.
Frances Auretta, the older sister, was born in Rome, N. Y., May 23, 1826, and while not so precocious as her sister, produced both poetry and fiction until her marriage in 1853, to Mr. Barrett. After his death she married in 1865, a cousin of her sister's husband, and removed to the Pacific coast. While living there she wrote a number of volumes descriptive of western scenes, and also furnished a number of chapters to Bancroft's series of histories of the Pacific States. She died in 1897.
While at St. Clair the sisters lived with their mother-their father
308
HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY
having died in Ohio-in the house on Main street which later became the Cadillac hotel.
THOMPSON JAY HUDSON
Was born in Windham, Ohio, February 22, 1834. He prepared for college, but unwilling to follow his father's desire to have him enter the ministry, he read law and was admitted to the bar at Cleveland in 1857, and practiced his profession successfully at Mansfield, Ohio, for a time. In 1860 he removed to Port Huron, where he entered the journalistic field by joining the staff of the Port Huron Commercial, with which he remained until 1865, when he returned to the law and was admitted to practice in Michigan. In 1866 he was a candidate upon the Democratic ticket, for the state senate, but was defeated by Colonel William San- born.
In 1868 he moved to St. Clair and went into the flouring mill busi- ness, but in the following year opened a law office there, and in May, 1870, was a candidate against Albert A. Carleton for the office of justice of the peace. Fortunately he was defeated and a little later he moved to Detroit and took a position as editor upon the Daily Union. When that paper was discontinued in the spring of 1873, he returned again to St. Clair for a short time, but went again to Detroit, this time for the Evening News. In 1877 he went to Washington to represent the Scripps newspapers and in 1880 he became an examiner in the U. S. Patent office, where he remained thirteen years. The remainder of his life was spent in writing and lecturing. He wrote "Law of Psychic Phenomena." "A Scientific Demonstration of the Future Life," and other books, which gained for him a wide attention and were recognized as valuable additions to the literature on those subjects. In 1861 he married at Port Huron, Emma Little, and died at Detroit, May 26, 1903.
STANLEY WATERLOO
The county can boast of its providing all kinds of intellectual food for the people, and among others, it has produced one of the leading novelists of the country in Stanley Waterloo, who was born in Colum- bus township, St. Clair county, May 21, 1846, the son of Charles H. Waterloo, who was elected register of deeds in November, 1862. He attended the schools in St. Clair and the University of Michigan for three years from 1865 to 1868, but did not graduate, although he re- ceived the honorary degree of M. A. in 1898. After leaving the uni- versity he began upon newspaper work, becoming a reporter, and later editor of several of the most prominent St. Louis and Chicago news- papers, and then definitely adopted a literary career. He has written, among other works. "A Man and a Woman," "An Odd Situation," "The Story of Ab," the latter descriptive of the life of primitive man, and it has received the flattery of several imitations. His writings bear evidence of his love and knowledge of nature and as some of his situa- tions are placed in the county, his books have an added attraction in the local interest.
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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY
JEREMIAH WHIPPLE JENKS
The National Cyclopedia of American Biography speaks as follows re- garding one of St. Clair county's native sons : Jeremiah Whipple Jenks, educator and author, was born at St. Clair, Mich., September 2, 1856, son of Benjamin Lane and Amanda (Messer) Jenks. His first American an- cestor was Joseph Jenks of Hammersmith, England, who was induced by Governor Winthrop to settle at Lynn, Mass. Here he established "the iron and steel works," in the year 1642, being the first builder of machin- ery in this country, as well as the first patentee of inventions, having built the first fire engine in America and patented the present form of grass scythe. His son, Joseph, founded Pawtucket, R. I., and made that town the great iron workshop of the colonies. Joseph Jenks' son Nathaniel was a major of militia ; his son Jeremiah was one of the signers of the "association test," and a lieutenant of Newport volunteers at the battle of Ticonderoga. He married Luey Whipple, and their son was Jeremiah Whipple, who married Hester Lane, and was the grandfather of the subject of this sketch.
Professor Jenks attended the Michigan public schools and in 1878 was graduated, B. A., at the University of Michigan, receiving the de- grees of M. A. in 1879 and LL. D. in 1903. He received the de- gree of Ph. D. at the University of Halle in 1885. After his graduation he studied law and was admitted to the Michigan bar in 1881. He taught Greek, Latin and German at Mt. Morris College, and English literature at Peoria high school. He was professor of political science and Eng- lish literature at Knox College. Galesburg, Ill., during 1886-89; pro- fessor of political economy and social science at Indiana University, 1889-91, and professor of political science at Cornell University from 1891 to the present time.
In 1899 Professor Jenks was engaged as expert agent by the United States Industrial Commission to supervise their investigation of trusts and industrial combinations, arranging for and examining the wit- nesses and editing the testimony and reports. In these reports he wrote "The Effect of Trusts on Prices," and prepared the legal report con- taining the statutes and decisions of federal, state and territorial law on the subject of industrial combinations. As consulting expert of the United States Department of Labor, he prepared the interpretation of its "Report on Trusts" (1900). In 1901 he was appointed special com- missioner of the war department to visit the English and Dutch colo- nies in the East in order to secure information on the questions of eur- reney, labor, taxation and police, which might be of service to the gov- ernment in connection with legislation in the Philippine Islands, and in that capacity he visited Egypt, India, the Straits Settlements and the Federated Malay States, Sumatra, Java and the Philippine Islands. On his return the government published "Report on certain economic ques- tions in the English and Dutch colonies of the far East." In 1903 the Mexican government invited him, with Messrs. Charles A. Conant and Edward Brush, to visit Mexico as an adviser in connection with the reform of their monetary system. Later that same year President Roosevelt appointed him a member of the commission on international
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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY
exchange with H. H. Hanna and Charles A. Conant. This commission visited the leading countries of Europe, and later, as a representative of the commission, he visited China, Japan and the Philippine Islands in connection with the reform of the Philippine currency and the pro- jected reform of the Chinese currency. He also edited the second vol- ume of the report of the commission on international exchange, which was issued as a government publication, two volumes, one in 1903 and the other in 1904. In 1907 he was made, by President Roosevelt, a member of the U. S. Immigration Commission.
Professor Jenks is the author of "Citizenship and the Schools" (1905), "Great Fortunes" (1906), and the "Political and Social Sig- nificance of the Life and Teachings of Jesus" (1906), "Road Legisla- tion for the American State" (1889), "The Trust Problem" (1909), "Principles of Politics" (1909), "Governmental Action for Social Wel- fare" (1910), "The Immigration Problem" (1912), as well as of many contributions to encyclopedias, reviews and magazines in Germany, Eng- land and the United States, especially on the subjects of trusts, monopo- lies, money question, and political methods. Professor Jenks' career has a unique character in American university life. Successive generations of college students testify that his work in the classroom is ever vital with reality, that it develops a sane and judicial spirit in the student, and that it inspires also to active efforts for civic usefulness. His public service as expert adviser to various legislative and executive bodies has probably exceeded that of any other living economist, and his first-hand studies of trusts, monetary problems and immigration have aided both the specialist and the public to a better understanding of these ques- tions, and have, in a peculiar and notable manner, advanced the cause of social reform and of political science in America. He is a member of the American Economic Association, of which he was president dur- ing 1905-07; is a member of the Century Club and the National Arts Club of New York City. He was married at Mt. Morris, Ill., August 28, 1884, to Georgia, daughter of George W. Bixler, and has two sons and one daughter.
OTHER CELEBRITIES
A native of the county who has reflected credit upon it in her char- acter and writings is Huldah St. Bernard Hollands, who was born on the St. Bernard place above St. Clair, November 7, 1837, the daughter of George St. Bernard, a real pioneer, and Charlotte Millard. She married W. H. Hollands in 1860 and they moved to Detroit in 1869, where she lived until her death, February 12, 1910. She was always interested in the early days of this vicinity, and began writing about them, and their legends at an early age, contributing to the local and Detroit papers from 1853, and many interesting and valuable papers appeared, especially in the Detroit News, relating to places and people of St. Clair county. In 1889 she published a story, "Marfa," which dealt with opium smuggling across the St. Clair river, and in 1896 "When Michigan Was New" appeared. This contains stories and le- gends of the early days, and is of much interest. At her death she had
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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY
prepared ready for publication, the manuscript of another Michigan story to be called "Moccasined Feet."
In the fall of 1865, among the teachers employed in the St. Clair high school, was Miss Fanny E. Stone, who remained there one year. This ended her career as a school teacher, as she met in St. Clair Dr. Newberry, whom she soon after married, and they removed to the western part of the state. Mrs. Fannie Newberry became quite a pro- lifie and successful writer of stories for boys and girls, among others were "All Aboard," "Bubbles," "Comrades," "Joyce's Investment," "Sara, a Princess." Her stories had a considerable vogue.
Mrs. Eliza W. Glover, who was long a resident of Port Huron, dy- ing Nov. 20, 1911, was an enthusiastic admirer of Byron, and col- lected many copies and editions of his work, and in 1910, a book com- posed of various articles written by her and relating to the poet, was published by a niece, the book being entitled "Byroniana."
Mr. Crocket McElroy, who was for many years a prominent citizen of the county, and of late years has resided in Detroit, and who has been referred to in the Chapter on Natural Resources, because of his important work in starting the production of salt from the salt rock, was always inclined to literature, and since his retirement from active life, has spent much of his leisure in writing.
In the biographical volume of this history will be found a full sketch of the life of Loren A. Sherman, who is included in this chapter because of the fact that in addition to his newspaper writing he wrote and pub- lished in 1895 a book entitled "The Science of the Soul."
CHAPTER XX
RELIGIOUS HISTORY
FIRST TWO CHURCH BUILDINGS-HOW THE M. E. CHURCH WAS BUILT -A UNION CHURCH-PORT HURON PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH-PRO- TESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH-FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH-METHODISTS IN THE COUNTY-BAPTIST CHURCH OF ST. CLAIR-EPISCOPAL CHURCH -ST. CLAIR M. E. CHURCH-UNIVERSALIST CHURCH-MARINE CITY CHURCHES-THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN THE COUNTY.
The first religious observances in the county were those conducted at Fort St. Joseph by Father Enjelran, who was a Jesuit priest of con- siderable prominence in this western territory, but after that fort was abandoned more than a century and a third passed before there was any community in the county populous enough to warrant the erection of a building for religious purposes.
FIRST TWO CHURCH BUILDINGS
In 1826 Jean B. Petit deeded to Edward Fenwick of Cincinnati, bishop of the Catholic church, a piece of land in private claim No. 187, -a part of the Cottrell farm,-one-half arpent (or acre) wide, on St. Clair river, by two arpents deep. conditional upon a church being built upon it to be called St. Felicity. The French were all Catholic and as the Cottrells had married French wives they belonged to that faith. Upon this land the first church building in St. Clair county was erected near the river's edge, not long after, and was used for some years, until the high water undermined the foundations and the building was de- stroyed.
The second church building was one at Algonac, built in 1831 and 1832, and the following statement of account showing the cost of the building and the sources from which it was obtained, throws so much light upon the conditions of life obtaining in the early days of the county that we reproduce it in full, the original papers being still in the possession of the family of the late Abram Smith, of Algonac.
HOW THE M. E. CHURCH WAS BUILT
"We, the undersigned, do agree to pay to a committee that may be appointed by the Methodist E. Church, the sums by us subscribed for
312
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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY
the purpose of building a Methodist Mecting House at or near Point Dechan, to be paid when called upon. January 10th, A. D. 1830."
LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS AAMOUNT
SUBSCRIBED
John K. Smith & Catharine Smith. $10.00
John Dunlop, to be paid in produce. 10.00
Henry Cottrell, to be paid in
sawed lumber.
5.00
Silas Miller, to be paid in wheat.
5.00
James Fulton, county orders 5.00
John Harrow, in county orders. 5.00
Samuel Ward, nails, 40 lbs. 5.00
P. F. Brakeman, supplies for laborers. 5.00
Flora Stafford. 5.00
Geo. Jasperson, in goods ... 5.00
L. J. Brakeman, in materials 5.00
Ebenezer Wesbrook, in lum- ber and labor 15.00
S. B. Grummond, in prop- erty. 5.00
Robt. Little, in labor
3.00
Ira Marks, in team work.
5.00
Jacob G. Streit, in grain. . .. 5.00
Mary Harsen, 20s to be paid in cider 2.50
Lydia Harsen, 10s t be paid in apples. 1.25
Amelia Harsen, 10s to be paid in apples. 1.25
Mary Stewart, 16s paid to Hamilton in door 2.00
Wm. Hill, in grain and labor 20.00 John Brown. 3.00
James & Palmer, in sawed lumber, 1 M feet 6.00
REMARKS.
AMOUNT RECEIVED
Paid in labor and lumber. . $10.00
Unsettled account.
$3.50 paid to Newhall, $1.00 to Smith. 4.50
Paid to D. Hamilton 5.00
Paid to Hamilton at $4.00 .. 4.00
Paid to Hamilton at $4.00 .. 4.00
Appropriated 25 lbs., lent to Smith, 15 lbs 5.00
Appropriated in frame .... 5.00
Not paid.
Paid in nails or other ma- terials. 5.00
Paid to Newhall, 12s to C. Philips, 32s 5.50
Unsettled.
Paid in labor, ete. 5.00
Paid hewing timber for
frame.
3.00
Paid.
5.00
Paid in grain at store, for mails, etc. 5.00
Paid to E. Wesbrook and J. Peer, not accounted for.
Paid to E. Wesbrook and J. Pecr.
Paid to Smitlı 1.25
Paid Hamilton for work on door. 2.00
Unsettled account. Not paid.
Paid to E. Wesbrook, 1 M feet. 6.00
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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY
LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS AMOUNT SUBSCRIBED
Laura Graham, 10s in sew- ing. $ 1.25
Lucretia Peer, 10s in stock-
ings. 1.25
S. F. Hopkins, in cabinet work.
5.00
Geo. Palmer, in grain. 4.00
Stephen Huling, in shingles 1.00
Jas. Byrns, in shingles. .. 1.00
E. H. Rose, in lumber and labor. 15.00
A. H. Wesbrook, in lumber 15.00 Amasa Hemenger, in lumber 5.00
Clark Worden, in lumber .. 5.00
Charles Phillips, labor. 10.00
Daniel Stewart, in lumber .. 5.00
Wm. Gallagher, in lumber .. 10.00 James B. Wolverton, in lum- ber. 5.00
John Robertson, in grain ... 2.00
Thomas Furgo, in grain ... 2.00
5.00
E. Beardsley, in sash. . Z. W. Bunce, in lumber. 6.40
Knapp & Cook, 1 M feet lumber. 6.00
J. H. Wesbrook, 1 M feet lumber. 6.00
Geo. McDougall, in county order. 5.00
Reuben Hamilton, in shingles 1.00
Samuel Wilson, in shingles. 2.00
Joseph House, in shingles .. 2.00
R. Goodwin, in shingles .. . R. Sansbury, in shingles ... 2.00
1.00
Wm. R. Goodwin, in sawed lumber. 6.00
Angus Willings, in shingles. 2.00 Samson Ward, in shingles. . 2.00
Henry Ward, in shingles ... Andrew Heath. 1.00
Howard & Wadhams, in lum- ber (1 M) 6.00
REMARKS. AMOUNT RECEIVED
Not paid, deceased.
Paid one pair to Hamilton, one to Smith. $ 1.25
Not paid.
Paid to Charles Phillips. . 4.00
Paid 1 M to E. Wesbrook .. 1.00 Not paid; says he paid.
Not paid.
Paid 2 M of boards. 15.00
Paid to B. Newhall for labor 5.00
Paid in lumber on hand. 5.00
In framing. 10.00
To be paid to E. Beardsley ; says not paid.
Paid in whitewood siding .. 10.00
Not paid.
Paid to C. Phillips for frame 2.00
Paid to C. Phillips for frame 2.00
Paid in sash. 5.00
In lumber, paid in boards. 6.40
Paid 1 M lumber 6.00
Paid in lumber 6.00
Paid E. Wesbrook in lumber at $3 M. 5.00
Paid E. Wesbrook, 1 M
shingles. 1.00
Paid 2 M to E. Wesbrook, shingles. 2.00
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