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. II > Part 5
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He studied law in the office of his brother, the late Alexander R. Avery, and in 1885 was admitted to practice. The next year was spent in the completion of his law course at Michigan University. Two years later he was admitted to a partnership with his brother and the firm of Avery Brothers, afterward Avery Brothers & Walsh, experienced a long and successful career. After the death of Mr. A. R. Avery the firm became Avery & Walsh. In 1908 this partnership was dissolved, since which time Mr. Avery has practiced his profession alone.
Reared a Republican, Mr. Avery has always been a staunch sup- porter of the party. In 1892 he was elected to the office of prosecuting attorney. In 1898 he was elected to the office of city attorney of Port Huron and served a term and a half. During this time he was ap- pointed a member of the state board of education. Both these offices he. resigned in 1901 when he accepted the Federal office of collector of cus- toms for the district of Huron. Mr. Avery was collector of customs for seven years, at the end of which time he was removed by President
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physicians and surgeons of the city. He was a member of the County and State Medical Societies and of the American Medical Association, and for ten years was supreme medical examiner for the Knights of the Maccabees. Dr. Northup was a Master Mason. In church faith both he and his wife were members of the Episcopal church. Dr. Northup was an ardent Democrat in his political affiliations, and in all measures of a public nature took a keen and lively interest. He was one of the first trustees of the Port Huron Hospital and Home and one of the earliest advocates of a good public library. He served as city health officer for many years, in which capacity he did excellent work for the betterment of conditions coming within his jurisdiction. He also served as a member of the city council and in 1886 was elected mayor of Port Huron. His last official position was that of marine surgeon for the district of Huron. Dr. Northup was one of Port Huron's most esteemed citizens, and is still held in fond memory by a large number of people who were privileged to know him. He died March 15, 1904. Mrs. Northup survived her husband a little more than seven years, passing away on September 14, 1911.
Unto Dr. and Mrs. Northrup were born two children, Lizzie H., now Mrs. Lincoln Avery, of Port Huron, and Charles S. Northup, now a practicing attorney of Toledo, Ohio.
EDWARD ANDREAE. The Yale Woolen Mills, of which Mr. Andreae is secretary and treasurer, and with which industry he has been identified throughout his active career, is one of the most important industries of St. Clair county and has contributed much to the distinction of this county in manufacturing. To the city of Yale this industry for the past thirty years has been one of the resources upon which the population de- pends and has brought a large share of prosperity.
The establishment of the woolen mills at Yale in 1881, was one of the important events in the commercial history of the town. The founders of the business were the enterprising Andreae family, consisting of Charles V., and his sons Rudolph and William V., the original firm name being Charles Andreae & Sons. At the beginning the mill did a small custom business, principally the spinning of wool into yarn for home trade. After the death of Charles Andreae in 1892, the business was continued by his sons until the death of Rudolph in 1901. His estate and Mr. Wil- liam V. Andreae then conducted the mills for a year, when the latter sold his entire interest to the Rudolph Andreae estate. In 1905 a reorgani- zation was effected, at which time the business was incorporated under the laws of Michigan and the name changed to its present form, the Yale Woolen Mills. The first officers of the corporation were: James Living- ston, president; Frank W. Andreae, vice-president; and Edward An- dreae, secretary and treasurer. The present official directory of the com- pany is as follows: Frank W. Andreae, president ; Jesse A. Rapley, vice- president ; and Edward Andreae, secretary and treasurer.
Since 1899 the product of the Yale Woolen Mills has been confined to cloth for men's suitings, and Yale cloth has a standard reputation for quality among garment makers. The present capacity of the plant is twelve hundred yards of double-fold cloth per day. The importance of the industry to Yale is conveyed in the fact that one hundred and ten per- sons find employment in the mills, and the annual payroll is distributed
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among hundreds of families here. As a plant the mills have the most modern equipment. In 1895 the old mill, which was a wooden structure, burned, and was replaced with new buildings of brick and on a much larger scale. There are now three factory buildings besides a separate office building. The main factory is fifty by three hundred feet, and a part of it three stories high. Another building is forty-four hy one hun- dred feet, two stories, and the third is thirty by two hundred and ten, one story.
The Andreae family, who in this way have been so prominently identi- fied with the industrial prosperity of St. Clair county, originated in Wuertemberg, Germany. There Charles Andreae spent his early life, and there his son Rudolph was born in 1845. The latter was a small boy when his father immigrated to America. Their first home was in Ohio, where the wife of Charles died. From there they moved to near Chat- ham, Ontario, and in 1869 to Lexington, Sanilac county, Michigan. Here the family became identified with woolen manufacturing under the firm name of Fead & Andreae, and remained there until 1881, when Charles Andreae and his sons established the business at Yale.
Rudolph Andreae married Miss Lena Wolfel, who is still living and makes her home in Yale. She is a native of Austria, and came to the United States when sixteen years old. They were the parents of six chil- dren, namely : Frederick C., now deceased ; Frank W .; Edward ; Rudolph E .; Clara L. ; and Walter.
Edward Andreae, the secretary and treasurer of the company, was born at Lexington, Michigan, the 3d of March, 1878. His early youth was spent in Yale, where he attended the public schools and the high school, and then entered the mills, to the success of which he has devoted his en- tire career. He is an energetic business man and public-spirited citizen. and his influence and enterprise have been direeted in many ways to the advancement of his home community's welfare. He served one term as mayor of Yale. Fraternally he is a member of the Masonic order.
Mr. Edward Andreae was married at Yale, June 22, 1904, to Miss Marcia E. Beecher. Mrs. Andreae was born at Franklin, New York, a daughter of Edward and Fannie Beecher. Two children have been born of their marriage, Frances B. and Robert E.
Frank W. Andreae, also a son of Rudolph and now president of the Yale Woolen Mills, was born at Lexington, Michigan, December 18, 1876. After completing his course in the Yale high school he prepared for his business career by taking a technical course in the Philadelphia Textile School. He is a member of the Masonic order, and one of the popular and progressive citizens of Yale. He was married in Ontario, Canada, June 29, 1902, to Miss Christina Mckenzie. They are the parents of three sons: Frederick N., Harold and Gordon.
HON. LEWIS O'DETTE. In spite of the fact that corruption has been proved to exist in the country districts of a number of our various states, Illinois and Ohio offering notable examples, yet it is upon the farming class that we depend for elean politics. It seems instinctive to trust the man who lives out of doors, who is associated day after day with the good brown fields. the blue sky, fresh air and sunlight. He should have noble thoughts. and the care of helpless things which is his daily duty, tends to make him unselfish. He also has more time to think and to reason ont
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for himself some of the big questions upon which the politics of to-day hinge, therefore we are right when we give our confidence to the farmer instead of to the man who rushes about in a taxi-cab from one political meeting to another, where everyone is trying to discover some way to get the best of his neighbor. We are sometimes mistaken and lose our faith, and then a man like the Honorable Lewis O'Dette comes along and confi- dence is again restored. Mr. O'Dette is a farmer in St. Clair county, Michigan, and is an extremely successful agriculturist. He has a fine dairy in connection with his farm and is a man of the most progressive ideas. He never misses an opportunity to improve the out-put of his farm, either by the introduction of new methods of cultivation, new facil- ities or by experimental work with new crops. He is a busy man, yet he believes it his duty and he has acted upon his belief to take an active in- terest in politics. He is held in high esteem by his fellow citizens, as is proved by the long list of township offices which he held, and by the crowning honor which he received, that of representing his district in the state legislature. He made as fine a statesman as he did a farmer and he was one of the leading men in the legislature during his term of office, having a large influence, which he always exerted in behalf of the progres- sive movements, never sanctioning any bill which he considered deleteri- ous to the rights of his constituents.
Lewis O'Dette was born on the 29th of April, 1843, in Canada, the son of Louis O'Dette, who was of French descent. The wife of Louis O'Dette was Julia Haley, who was born in the Emerald Isle. The date of her birth was 1817, and the place was county Cork. She came with her parents to Canada in 1828, when she was eleven, and here she lived for several years after her marriage. It was in 1854, that Louis O'Dette moved his family to Michigan. He died there in 1892, but his widow is still living, her home being with her son Lewis. She was the mother of five children, three of whom are living. Elizabeth is the widow of Thomas Mills, of Staten Island, New York; Mary A. is the widow of James Mc- Donald, of Flint, Michigan ; Ellen became the wife of Abbott Sheoil, and has since died; and Genevieve married Clayton Homillen and is also de- ceased.
Lewis O'Dette received a thorough education, attending the common schools of Canada until he came to Michigan. He lived on a farm in Canada, and when he was eleven and came to this country ; his surround- ings might have been the same, for here he also lived on a farm. He con- tinued to go to school after coming to Michigan, and his life was a healthy out-of-doors existence. After finishing his education he con- tinued to live at home, assisting with the work of the farm, until he was mustered into the service of the government. He was given the position of dispatch carrier from General Thomas' headquarters, and remained in this service for about two years. He served until the close of the war in 1865, and discharged his rather responsible duties with great merit. After the war he was mustered out of the service and returned to the quiet of his home, a welcome change from the excitement of the past few years.
He now took up farming again, and in July of the year 1871 he was married. His bride was Ellen M. Brigham, a native of Ireland, having been born in county Down on the 3rd of August, 1844. Her father was James Brigham and her mother was Eliza (Doak) Brigham. They came
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to America in 1854, and located in Michigan soon after their arrival. They first settled in St. Clair county, but one year later removed to Lake- port. Here Mr. Brigham was in business for many years and became a highly respected member of the community. Mrs. O'Dette received a good education both in her native county and later in Michigan, and in spite of the fact that her advantages were not of the best, she made snel good use of them that she was prepared to teach school. This is a good proof of Mrs. O'Dette's natural abilities and her powers of concentration and perseverance. She taught school for six years and made a great suc- cess as a pedagogue. Mr. and Mrs. O'Dette are the parents of five chil- dren, four of whom are living : Mary E., who was one of the most promi- nent women in St. Clair county, and very active in the social and intel- lectual life, and who is now the wife of Daniel Whitmore; Julia E., who, like her sister, was a leader in whatever she chose to interest herself, is the wife of Wilbur Curry ; Frank L. is engaged in mining in Old Mexico, and Margaret, who was a very talented musician and taught music, is the wife of Frank Dagg. Mr. and Mrs. O'Dette have six grandchildren, and it seems almost as though they had their own little ones back again.
All of this large family are members and active workers in the Metho- dist Episcopal church. Mr. O'Dette is a member of the Grove Grange, and his ability as an agriculturist and as a man of force, received recog- nition in his election as the lecturer for this organization. His farm con- sists of one hundred acres of fine land, from which he is obtaining the finest kind of results by the application of scientific principles. His herd of Jersey cows and his attractive dairy are worth seeing. He takes a personal pride in having the products of this branch of his farm just as pure and of as high a grade as possible, and he has won quite a reputa- tion for these products.
In polities Mr. O'Dette is a Republican, and is a loyal worker for his party. He has been school inspector, township clerk and has held various other offices. He is a man who can best be described as "all-round." and his neighbors easily discovered this and took advantage of the fact to place him in many different offices, where he had to meet many different situations. He thus gained a wide knowledge of conditions, and became very popular throughout this whole section. His friends became increas- ingly numerous, for once a friend of his, always a friend : therefore it was no surprise when he was elected to the Michigan state legislature in 1897. He served for two years and in this brief space of time managed to make his personality strongly felt. He was the direct cause of the passage of four bills, all laws which were beneficial to the people of Michigan. His service was an honorable one and one in which not only he should take pride but one of which the men who elected him should also be proud. It it not often that so honest and sincere a man is sent to the legislature. He and his wife have spent the larger part of their life in St. Clair county, and are among the most respected residents of that county, having al- ways lived lives of service to others. and being well known for their simple, gracious hospitality.
VANNESTE BROTHERS. Among the prosperous business firms of Capac special mention should be made of Vanneste Brothers, which is composed of five wide-awake, brainy young men, who came to this country from a foreign land a little more than ten years ago, and who, through their
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own untiring efforts have established a large and profitable business as manufactory of chicory. The members of this firm are Charles E. Van- neste, Joseph Vanneste, Jerome Vanneste, Leon Vanneste and Julius Vanneste. Sons of the late Charles Vanneste, all of these men were born, reared and educated in Belgium, where their grandfather, Henry Van- neste, was a pioneer in the art of manufacturing chicory, founding a trade which he taught his son Charles and his grandsons. In 1901 Charles Vanneste immigrated with his five sons to the United States, in- tending to found a chicory factory in Michigan. With that object in view, he located in Capac, but in a week his plans were frustrated by the angel of death.
The sons of Charles Vanneste, under the firm name of Vanneste Broth- ers, immediately made arrangements to erect a factory for the manufac- ture of chicory in Capac. In 1909 their factory was destroyed by fire. Nothing daunted, however, the brothers rebuilt the second factory the same year and have managed it successfully since. The output of the plant is two thousand tons of chicory annually, the ten thousand tons of chicory root used in its manufacture being raised by the farmers liv- ing in the vicinity in Capac. The firm also has another factory at Cole- man, Michigan, where the output is about the same. Each factory is in operation during the entire year, and employs about thirty people, the products of both being handled by brokers.
Charles E. Vanneste, a resident of Capac, married in June, 1911, Catherine Ward, of Big Rapids, Michigan. He has taken out papers of citizenship, and is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. Ju- lius Vanneste, whose home is in Capac, married in 1906, Alida Verlong, and they have one son, Paul Vanneste. The other brothers are yet sin- gle, and all are members of the Roman Catholic church. They are men of excellent ability and good judgment, and although since coming to Michigan they have met with many discouragements, they have steadily climbed the ladder of success, with diligence and patience overcoming all obstacles, and are now on the highway to prosperity, their business being in a flourishing condition, and highly remunerative.
CHARLES G. GRUEL. The man who is forced to fight his own battles in the world, to educate himself and to force an entrance through the gate of success prizes more highly that which he wins than one to whom all good things come by birth or inheritance. Material success is some- thing worth seeking, and he who has placed himself among the substan- tial men of his community merely through the force of his own industry and ability has attained something of which he may be justly proud. One of the successful self-made men of Port Huron, Michigan, is Charles G. Gruel, senior member of the firm of Gruel & Ott, manufacturers of soft drinks, with a plant at No. 731-733 Griswold street. Mr. Gruel is a native of Germany, and was born November 15, 1864, a son of Adolph and Mary (Priest) Grnel, who came to Michigan in 1868 and settled at Fargo, where Mrs. Gruel, now Mrs. Mckenzie, still resides.
Charles G. Gruel secured a limited education in the country schools near Fargo, and as a lad he was employed as a chore boy in a boarding house at Alcona. In 1884 he came to Port Huron to accept a position as driver for Gotlatt Andre, in whose employ he continued until October, 1894, at which time, with his present partner, he purchased the business,
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and has conducted it ever since. The firm manufactures all kinds of soft drinks, employing about eight men, and supplying the wholesale and re- tail trade and families in St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Lapeer and part of Macomb and Tuscola counties. The factory, owned by himself and part- ner, has been greatly improved since they took charge of the business, and the structure has been almost entirely rebuilt. Straightforward methods of doing business, coupled with the enterprising and progressive ideas of the partners have built up an excellent business, and the firm stands high in rank among the industries of its kind in this section. Mr. Gruel is a staunch Republican in politics, but his personal interests have kept him so busy that he has not found time to engage actively in public matters. His fraternal connections are with the Odd Fellows, the Mac- cabees, the Elks, the U. C. T., the Knights of the Grip and the German Aid Society. With his family he attends the German Evangelical church, of which he is a trustee.
On December 15, 1891, Mr. Gruel was married to Miss Fredericka Westphal, who was born in Port Sanilac, Michigan, daughter of Joseph and Mary (Miller) Westphal, natives of Germany. For a number of years Mr. Westphal was a grocery store proprietor in Port Huron, but he and his wife are both now deceased, and are buried in Lakeside Cem- etery. Mr. and Mrs. Gruel have had a family of seven children, all of whom were born in Port Huron, as follows: Minnie C., born October 3, 1892, a graduate of the Port Huron high school; Anna, who died at the age of eighteen months; Joseph C., born May 24, 1897, now attending high school ; Louise M., born July 21, 1901; Marguerite, born February 17, 1905 ; Frederick, born October 2, 1908; and Freda, twin of Frederick.
LANCELOT M. ARDIEL, M. D. Fortunate, indeed, is the town of Avoca, St. Clair county, in her possession of a medical adviser of the skill and ability of Dr. Ardiel, a resident and practicing physician and surgeon of this wholesome little town since 1891. In the twenty years that have elapsed since he first became identified with this community, Dr. Ardiel has come to be regarded almost as one of the institutions of the place, and his province is quite as much the preservation of the health of his people as in the restoration of health to the afflicted.
Born in Ontario, Canada, November 30, 1867, Dr. Ardiel is the son of James and Sarah ( Elliott) Ardiel, both of whom were natives of Ireland, where they were reared and married. They immigrated to Canada shortly following their marriage and settled on a farm in the province of Ontario. They were the parents of seven children, Lancelot M. being the youngest of the family. He attended the district school and high school of his town and later was a student in St. Mary's Acad- emy, following which he became a school teacher and taught for some time. He was the possessor of a life certificate to teach in Canada, but the ambition of the young man did not lie in the direction of the peda- gogie art. Medicine was his dream, and after a few seasons of teaching he decided to make that his life work. He accordingly entered the med- ical department of the Western University of London, Ontario, and on the completion of a full four years' course in that institution he was duly graduated in 1891, with the degree of M. D. In June of the same year of his graduation Dr. Ardiel came to Avoca, Michigan, where he launched out into actual practice. He was badly hampered by the in-
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debtedness incurred in the last years of his studies, but nothing daunted, the young man set about to overcome difficulties of that nature, and in the span of a few years of diligent labor in his district had found a se- cure place for his activities, and had succeeded in overcoming all his monetary difficulties of former years. For seven years Dr. Ardiel was pension examiner under President MeKinley, and he has filled other of- fices of a civic nature in connection with his manifold duties as practic- ing physician. Dr. Ardiel is the owner and proprietor of an eighty-acre stock farm, where he breeds registered trotting horses, and is most enthu- siastic with regard to his live stock and his success in that line of en- deavor. He has been postmaster of Avoca for the past four years, and has performed his full duty in that connection. His political affiliation is with the Republican party, and he has always been active in its inter- ests. Dr. Ardiel is a member of the Masonic fraternity, being connected with Chapter No. 3 and the London R. A. M. He is a member of the B. P. O. E. at Port Huron, Michigan, and of other orders of a like nature.
In 1892 Dr. Ardiel married Catherine Colbert, of London, Ontario, where she was born and reared. Dr. and Mrs. Ardiel are the parents of three children : Vera, a graduate of Central high school of Detroit of the class of 1910, and a graduate of the State Normal at Ypsilanti. She has specialized in music and is possessed of more than ordinary talent in that art. Verna and J. Russell are both students in the schools of Avoca. Mrs. Ardiel is a member of the Presbyterian church of Avoca and of the W. C. T. U., in both of which organizations she is a prominent factor.
RALPH PERCEY CHASE. It is Mr. Chase's good fortune to live on the farm which his grandfather took up in 1851, changed from a virgin for- est to cultivated land and upon which he not only followed the occupa- tion of farming, but also plied his trade as a shoemaker. He made the pegs for his boots and shoes from the wood which grew on his farm. Eugene Barnard Chase, the father of Ralph P. Chase, was seven years of age when his father came from New York state to Michigan, as he was born July 26, 1844. He lived on the home place until four years ago, when he retired and moved to Port Huron, where he now resides. Thirty-five years ago he married Mary Helen Reams, who was born Au- gust 25, 1850, and Ralph Chase is one of a family of eleven children born to Eugene and Mary Chase. They include Margaret, Zenas, Hattie, Ira, May, Sidney, Josephine, Nettie and Lelah. All are living and with the exception of Margaret and Zenas reside in this county; Margaret lives in Chicago and Zenas in Windsor, Canada. The father has served a number of times as justice of peace and also many years on the school board.
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