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 7
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FRANK E. BEARD was born in Port Huron, Michigan, May 21, 1853, and his parents, now deceased, were James and Mary (Decker) Beard. His father was born in New York state and the mother in Vermont.
Having completed the course of instruction in the public schools of Port Huron, Mr. Beard continued his studies at Albion College, in Al- bion, Michigan. He subsequently became associated with his father in the lumber business, first as a clerk and later as a partner in the concern, being a member of the firm from 1875 until 1883. Embarking in a new line of industry in the latter year, he organized the Beard Campbell Company, of which he was made president, and which deals exclusively in heavy hardware. Mr. Beard has also other interests of importance, being president of Hayer's Motor Car Company and vice president of the First National Exchange Bank, one of the substantial financial in- stitutions of the city.
Politically, Mr. Beard is an active member of the Republican party, and has rendered the city excellent service not only as an alderman, but in the advancement of its educational interests, having been a member of the board of education for ten years, while at the present time, in 1911, he is serving as supervisor. Fraternally he is a member and the treasurer of Port Huron Lodge, No. 58, Free and Accepted Order of Masons; of Port Huron Commandery, No. 7, Knights Templar; and of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.
In 1876 Mr. Beard was united in marriage with Minnie A. Hewlett, a daughter of the late C. V. W. Hewlett. Her mother, whose maiden name was Emma Bartle, is still living. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Beard, namely : Harold. aged thirty-two years; How- ard, aged twenty-eight years ; and Frances, who was born seventeen years ago, is attending a private school. The two older sons are residing in New York City, where they are engaged in business. Mr. and Mrs. Beard are members of Grace Episcopal church, and have reared their children in the same religious faith. They have a pleasant home at 2353 Military avenue, the house in which they live having been built by Mr. Beard in 1887.
HON. JOHN KINGOTT. The career of John Kingott, a representative farmer and stock raiser of sections 20 and 21, Mussey township, has been marked by sturdy industry and application, and his sterling in- tegrity and honor have gained for him the confidence and esteem of the public to such a degree that he has been at various times chosen to fill positions of responsibility and trust, in which he has demonstrated his ability and conscientious regard for duty. It would be hard to find a better illustration of the facility with which, under the liberal institu- tions of this great country-be they Republican or Democrat-a man
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of ability and integrity, whether native-born or of foreign birth and im- pressions, may rise to any station. than is afforded in Mr. Kingott's history. Born in Kirchheim, Wurttemberg, Germany, March 17, 1857, a son of Christian and Rosena ( Auch) Kingott, he was but nine years of age when he lost his father by death, and not long thereafter he gave up his studies to start to make his own way in the world. His mother, who was a widow for forty-two years, died in 1908 in the Fatherland, having been the mother of three children: Ernest, a farmer of section 34, Mussey township; Gottlieb, who still resides in Germany ; and John.
John Kingott received his education in the common schools of his native land and was confirmed in the Lutheran church. At the age of fourteen years he began to learn the trade of blacksmith, but one year later secured a position in an oil mill, at three dollars per week, his earn- ings being turned over to his mother, from whom he learned habits of industry and economy. . On March 20, 1874, he left his native locality for the United States and on April 17th following landed in New York with a capital of two dollars. Soon thereafter he secured employment as a farm hand in Connecticut, and the next year and two days were spent in agricultural work, his wages being $12 per month for the first eight months and $8 per month for the balance of the period. Of this money he sent $20 to his mother, and then started for Michigan, arriving at the home of his uncle, in Memphis, St. Clair county, with fifty dollars. He remained at his unele's home for one month and then went to the lumber woods, where he was employed for the next ten years, also working on the farm during summers and harvest times. Subsequently Mr. Kingott decided to engage in agricultural pursuits on his own account and in- vested his earnings in land in sections 20 and 21, Mussey township, where he now owns 120 acres of finely cultivated land, devoted to farm- ing and stock-raising. When he first came to this country, Mr. Kingott knew but little of the English language-only the rudiments-and never attended school here; but by close observation and study he became mas- ter of the tongue in comparatively a short time. By attending strictly to business, and using all of his leisure time to advantage, he has sue- ceeded in attaining his present position, and securing a well-earned popu- larity with all classes. Fraternally, he is connected with Forest Lodge. No. 126, A. F. & A. M., in which he is serving his third year as master, and he also holds membership in the Maccabees and the Foresters. Po- litically, Mr. Kingott is a stalwart Republican. From 1895 to 1899 he served as supervisor of his township, and in 1898 was elected to represent St. Clair county in the state legislature. After serving his constituents faithfully for one term, he was elected highway commissioner and trespass agent for four years, under Land Commissioner William H. Rose, and in 1911 was again chosen township supervisor, a capacity in which he is at present acting. His administration has been marked by the same con- scientions devotion to duty that has marked every phase of his career. and he is justly regarded one of his township's most representative men.
On August 11, 1885, Mr. Kingott was united in marriage with Miss Bertha M. Thrun, who was born in Germany, October 18, 1861, and who came to the United States with her parents when six years of age, re- ceiving her education in the public schools of Mussey township. Mr. and Mrs. Kingott have four children: Frank, born September 16, 1886, grad- uated from the district schools and Capac high school; Glenna, horn Vol. II-4
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July 22, 1888, also a graduate of the district and high schools, formerly a teacher for two years, and now the wife of William Hofert and the mother of two children: Susie, born March 1, 1892, now attending the Capac high school ; and Ethel, born in April, 1897, attending the Capac schools.
WILLIAM J. JOHNSTON was born in St. Lawrence county, New York, in the village of Potsdam, on June 6, 1859. The trying period of the Civil war was the background for his babyhood, and his father, Hiram Johnston, had responded to the call for soldiers to save the Union, and gave four years of his life to the cause. For six dreadful months he was a prisoner in Andersonville, and the rigors of that experience shattered his constitution. Six years after the close of the war Julia Cleveland Johnston was left a widow. William was then twelve years of age and the youngest of the family. His two older sisters were both married and living in Lexington, Michigan, and the widow decided to take her boy there to bring him up.
For three years after coming to Michigan William Johnston attended the district school, as his mother lived on a farm. At the age of fifteen the boy went into the employ of R. D. Shenick to learn the wood-manu- facturing business. His wages for the first year were six dollars a month. This munificent salary was increased to nine dollars the second year, and the third year he was advanced to twelve dollars. Until he was twenty-one he remained in the employ of the same firm, to whom he made himself increasingly useful. He thoroughly mastered every detail of the business and when he started out for himself it was with a com- plete knowledge of the matter, which was a large factor in his success.
When Mr. Johnston left Mr. Shenick's employment he went to Mar- lette, Michigan, and worked there for a number of years. It was there that he became acquainted with Miss Ida Gertrude Lund, the young lady who later became his wife. Miss Lund was born at Port Hope, Mich- igan. Her father was Josiah Lund, and her mother was a Miss Ellsworth previous to her marriage. Miss Lund had received a good education and for a number of years had been a teacher, following that profession with signal success.
Shortly after his marriage Mr. Johnston moved to Cleveland, Ohio, and engaged in the wood-manufacturing business there. It was in Cleve- land that his two children, Vera Edith and Roy O., were born. Miss Johnston graduated from the Port Huron high school and is now em- ployed as a stenographer. Roy Johnston is a finisher in his father's fac- tory, and he and his wife, Marie Minnie Johnston, are well known in Port Huron.
Mr. Johnston returned to Port Huron after living a few years in Cleveland, and for a time worked for another wood-manufacturing concern. He then went into business independently and has ever since been at the head of the Home Manufacturing Company, whose plant is at 432 Tenth street. This factory turns out all kinds of church and store fixtures, stair work, hard-wood finish, sashes and doors, blinds, mould- ings, frames, brackets, posts and all manner of wood work for buildings. The business is an extensive one and has been built up by Mr. Johnston's business sagacity and his skill in his chosen occupation.
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The lodges in which Mr. Johnston holds membership include both orders of the Maccabees, the Woodmen of the World and the Free and Accepted Masons. The Methodist church is the denomination with which both Mr. and Mrs. Johnston are affiliated. Ile is a believer in the doc- trines of the Republican party, and gives his support to that body. Public office has never attracted Mr. Johnston, but he has served on the board of estimates for a number of years. He was once appointed to this office, and later elected for two successive terms. As his plant is one of the leading commercial institutions of the city, so Mr. Johnston is one of the substantial and representative citizens both of Port Huron and of St. Clair county.
CHARLES A. WESTRICK & SON. One of the leading industries of Ma- rine city is the manufacture of cement building material, the business being conducted by the firm of Charles A. Westrick & Son. The firm deals extensively in cement and lime, sand and brick, cement block of all kinds and all building materials, and has been engaged in this busi- ness for a long period of years, the addition of the manufacture of ce- ment bloeks being made in 1902. They are pioneers in the handling of building material of all kinds in the line of cement and concrete, and have a reputation for integrity and knowledge of the trade which they have rigorously shielded and fought for since the establishment of the business.
('harles A. Westrick, the senior member of the firm, was born in China township, April 16, 1863. He is the son of Jacob and Mary Westrick, both of whom were born in Germany, coming to America with their parents at an early date. The families settled in China township and entered government land, securing their patent direct from the United States land office. The early schooling of Charles A. Westrick was in the district schools of the community wherein he was reared, and he alternated his schooling with seasons of work upon the farm home. When he was twenty-six years old he left home and took up carpenter work for a time. He also sailed the lakes for one season, after which he came to Marine City and again engaged in carpenter work, his ef- forts being confined principally to repairing and moving buildings, with some original building, which business he has conducted ever since. In 1902 Mr. Westrick began handling cement blocks, he being the first to introduce their use into Marine City, and in 1908 he established his present shop for the manufacturing of the product. The gravel used is obtained from Lake St. Clair, and the plant is in every way an np-to- date and complete affair. The firm conducts an ever-growing business in all kinds of conerete building material and is regarded as one of the most prosperons concerns in the city.
In November. 1889, Mr. Westrick married Miss Christancia Zweng, of China township. She is the daughter of John and Christancia Zweng, farmers, who immigrated from Germany in their early life and settled in St. Clair county. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Westrick : Elzear B., was born August 21, 1890; Rosa Distelrath, of Cottrellville township, became his wife, and he is the partner of his father in the business described. Clarence F., horn Angust 6, 1892, is en- gaged in the Michigan Sugar Works and lives at home; and Warner Walter John, the youngest of the family, was born on May 3, 1906, and is
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a student in the schools of Marine City. The family are members of Holy Cross Catholic church.
Mr. Westriek is a citizen of advanced ideas, and in the three years of his service as supervisor of the third ward of Marine City he has done good work for the municipality, and is still looking after the interests of his ward and the city as its representative on the board of aldermen.
O'BRIEN J. ATKINSON. In Toronto, Canada, the late O'Brien J. Atkinson was born May 24, 1839. He died at Port Huron, Michigan, July 9, 1901. He was one of eleven children born unto James and Elizabeth (Shinners) Atkinson. His parents were natives of Ireland. His mother was a daughter of Lucy O'Brien, a relative of William Smith O'Brien, the distinguished leader of the Irish rebellion of 1848, and from this branch of his ancestors Mr. Atkinson received the given name of O'Brien. His father was a surveyor, and followed his vocation in Ireland, Canada and the United States. He removed his family to Port Huron, Michigan, when O'Brien J. Atkinson was about fifteen years old, and from that time on the distinguished subject of this per- sonal sketch made Port Huron his home. Here he obtained a public school education which was supplemented by a classical course in the academy at Sarnia, Canada. He then began the study of law in the office of John S. Crellin, of Port Huron, and in 1860, graduated from the law department of the University of Michigan. He received the degree of LL. B. and the first diploma issued by the law department of that now famous institution. He applied for admission to the bar, and was admitted at Detroit in the Wayne County Circuit Court in June, 1860. He began the practice of his profession at Port Huron, but soon afterward the Civil war came on and he offered his services in the de- fense of the Union, enlisting for a term of three years, or during the war, but so patriotic were the sons of Michigan that the quota was full before the company to which he belonged could be mustered in, and it was therefore disbanded. Although he himself did not render service in that dreadful civil conflict, he had four brothers who did: Patrick A., Colonel John (who organized Company C. Twenty-second Michigan Volunteer Infantry), Captain William F., and Lieutenant James J. At- kinson.
Mr. Atkinson began the practice of law in partnership with his pre- ceptor, Mr. Crellin, with whom he was associated until Mr. Crellin's death. Thereafter he was in partnership with his brother, Colonel John Atkinson, until the latter removed to the city of Detroit. About then Mr. Atkinson and Elliott G. Stevenson became associated in the prac- tice of law, and still later another brother, William F. Atkinson, was a partner. Still later, Samuel W. Vance, Frank T. Wolcott and George G. Moore were, at different times, his partners in the practice of law.
As a lawyer he was for more than forty years a leader of the bar in Michigan, a state famed for its profound jurists and able lawyers. His name has gone down in the history of Michigan as one of the state's really great advocates. The popular fame of most of the great lawyers of the past rests more upon their achievements in political life than upon their success at the bar, but if splendid talent and ability and brilliant attainments, crowning a life of more than forty years of active practice, can save the memory of a lawyer, the fame of O'Brien J. Atkinson will
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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY
be imperishable. Within a few years after his admission to the bar in 1860 he had gained a state-wide reputation and was engaged in much of the important litigation which occurred during the last quarter of the nineteenth century. His name appears in every Michigan report from the 10th to the 124th. Like every other lawyer who attained prominence. his life was characterized by untiring industry. He did not believe that any man was born a genius, but that the only gift nature could bestow which made one man greater than another was a love for hard work. To this alone he attributed any success which came to him in his pro- fession. He had a warm heart and tender sympathy that made him quick to feel the wrongs of the distressed, and often, without reward or the hope of reward, he gave much of his time and energy to the defense of a man whom he believed was not wholly bad for the sake of the man's wife and children. He possessed a profound knowledge of the law, and as a trial lawyer he was supereminent.
He was a lover of books and literary pursuits, was a constant reader throughout life and possessed a large and well selected library. He was a ready writer as well as speaker, and contributed to magazines and state papers many well accepted articles, among them being "Thomas Moore," "Campbell, Burns and Moore," "Relation of Church to School," "Capital Punishment," etc. From May, 1895, to July, 1901, he served as a member of the Port Huron Public Library Board of Commissioners, of which he was chairman.
Mr. Atkinson was a steadfast supporter of the principles of the Dem- ocratie party, but in the strict sense of the term he was not a politician. He accepted political honors out of the mere sense of duty. He was twice elected prosecuting attorney for St. Clair county, and was also elected the first president of the village of Fort Gratiot, where he re- sided, and which is now a part of Port IIuron. On several occasions he accepted his political party's nominations for office, once for congress, more than once for circuit judge, once for judge of the supreme court, but his party heing in the minority suffered usual defeat. In spite of politics his great ability gained for him the appointment as circuit court judge from a Republican governor, an appointment which was endorsed by every lawyer of the St. Clair county bar. His term on the bench was of short duration, eighteen months, but it was long enough for him to exemplify by his own work, kindness and untiring energy, the high ideal which he himself had entertained of a judicial position. It is not too much to say that Mr. Atkinson sacrificed his life on the altar of his profession. Days and nights of unceasing toil during the many years of his active practice finally exhausted his physical strength, but left him in the fullness of his mental powers, and when the end was near he faced death with the same thoughtful courage and fearlessness that had marked his life. Nature did much for him, but what she left un- done he did for himself. Next to the Christian religion he loved his pro- fession best, and felt that to be a good lawyer was the highest attain- ment to which any man could reach. He was at one time vice president of the American Bar Association, also president of the Michigan Bar Association, and at the time of his death he was president of the St. Clair County Bar Association. Upon his retirement from the circuit court bench Mr. Atkinson resumed the practice of law and the care of large real estate holdings which he had accumulated during former years, but
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his health began to fail about that time, and it was not long until he was called to the great beyond. In church faith he was a Roman Catholic, and was much devoted to his church.
In November of 1861 Mr. Atkinson married Mary M. Jones, who was born in Clyde township, St. Clair county, Michigan, in 1839. Her father, John R. Jones, was a native of New Hampshire, and her mother, who bore the maiden name of Mary Donovan, was born in Ireland. Mrs. Atkinson's parents were pioneer settlers of St. Clair county, and highly respected people. She obtained a good education, and became an as- sistant teacher while still'a pupil of Mr. Crawford in the public schools of Port Huron. Subsequently she taught school in Clyde township and other places in St. Clair county until her marriage to Mr. Atkinson. While an assistant teacher in the public schools of Port Huron, under William Hartshuff, one of her pupils was Dr. Charles B. Stockwell, of Port Huron. Mrs. Atkinson is possessed of rare intellect and business acumen. During the life of her husband she had charge of the renting of much of their property, and since his death she has superintended the management of the estate with excellent success, continuing a success- ful real estate business. Mrs. Atkinson occupies the residence which her distinguished husband erected at 719 Hancock street, Fort Gratiot, now a part of Port Huron. She also owns a beautiful summer home down the St. Clair river at "The Bunce." Mr. and Mrs. Atkinson had no children of their own, but adopted and reared Clara Jones, a niece of Mrs. Atkinson.
COLONEL JOHN JORDAN CRITTENDEN. Distinguished not only for his brilliant military record, and for the illustrious ancestry from which he traces his descent, but for his personal worth and good citizenship, Col- onel John Jordan Crittenden holds a place of prominence among the leading men of Port Huron, Saint Clair county, Michigan. A son of E. W. Crittenden, he was born June 17, 1856, in Frankfort, Kentucky, and comes of Revolutionary stock, his great-grandfather, John Critten- den, having served under General Washington during the struggle of the colonists for independence. The Colonel's grandfather, John J. Crit- tenden, a soldier in the War of 1812, subsequently became very promi- ment in the early history of Kentucky, serving as senator and as one of the first governors of the state. He married Maria Innes, a daughter of Judge Innes, a noted Kentucky lawyer.
E. W. Crittenden was born and bred in Kentucky, and at his death, which occurred in California, he was buried in San Francisco. He was for many years one of the officers of the Regular Army, serving as major of the Fifth Cavalry. His wife, whose maiden name was Laura Bacon, was born in Frankfort, Kentucky, and there spent the closing years of her life. Of their children two are now living, as follows: John Jordan, the special subject of this brief sketch, and Mrs. Sarah Bacon Taylor, of Frankfort, Kentucky.
Colonel John Jordan Crittenden attended the Nebraska College, ac- quiring a practical education in his youthful days. Inheriting the mil- itary and patriotic spirit of his ancestors and ere he had attained his majority, he was appointed by General Grant as second lieutenant in the Regular Army. He fought gallantly in many engagements of the Span- ish-American war, and subsequently continued with the army until his
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retirement, January 31, 1907, with the rank of colonel. On leaving the army Colonel Crittenden came to Port Huron, the early home of his wife, and has sinee been a resident of this city.
Colonel Crittenden married, July 31, 1882, Miss Rose Mitchell, who was born in Port Huron, a daughter of JJudge William T. and Fannie F. (Ilosmer) Mitchell, the former of whom elaimed New York as his na- tive state, while the latter was born in Ohio. Three children have been
born to Colonel and Mrs. Crittenden, namely : Frank Rice, born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in January, 1886; William Mitchell, born in the same place in 1888; and Eugene Wilkinson, born in 1890, in Totton, North Dakota. These sons are all living with their parents, their beautiful home being at 1233 Water street, which was formerly known as the J. H. White place. Within the past year these boys who are industrious and wide-awake, have established a large and lucrative business in the breed- ing, raising and selling of chiekens, making a specialty of raising two fine grades of poultry, White Leghorns and White Orpingtons. Mrs. Crittenden is a woman of culture and refinement, affable and cordial to all, and eminently worthy of the high regard in which she is held throughout the community.
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