USA > Michigan > Wayne County > Detroit > The city of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922, Vol. III > Part 4
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In 1836 Francis Palms was married to Miss Martha Burnett, a lady of refinement and culture, and they had one son, Francis F. Palms, the mother dying soon after his birth. Three years later the father married a daughter of the late Joseph Campau and there was one daughter of that marriage, Clotilde, who afterward became the wife of Dr. James Burgess Book of Detroit.
Francis F. Palms was but an infant at the time of his mother's death and was then taken to the home of his grandfather in New Orleans, where he acquired a liberal education. In 1854, he became a student in the college at Georgetown, D. C., and three years later was there graduated. He afterward opened an engi- neering office in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and continued in the conduct of the business until the outbreak of the Civil war, when he joined the Fourth Louisiana Infantry. In 1862 he organized a signal corps and was on active duty at the siege of Port Hudson, estab- lishing a range of signals extending fifteen miles on the west side of the river whereby the besieged were at all times informed of the movements of the Federal troops under General Banks, who, however, eventually won the siege and Lieutenant Palms was then made a prisoner of war and sent to Fortress Monroe. After a brief time, however, he was exchanged and returned to his command, with which he continued until the close of the conflict. He then took up his abode in the parish of West Baton Rouge, turning his atten- tion to the development of a cotton plantation, but the floods of 1867 ruined his crops and he removed to New Orleans. Not long after becoming a resident of New Orleans, Francis F. Palms was appointed chief clerk to the register of deeds of that city and occupied the position until 1870, when he was made minute clerk of the fourth civil district court of the parish of New Orleans for a term of eight years. On the expiration of that term he was reappointed and served until 1880, when, at the urgent request of his father, he resigned the position to become the latter's private secretary. In that connection he assumed the management of his father's affairs, which he conducted until the death of Francis Palms, Sr., in 1886. There were but two heirs to the vast Palms estate, Francis F. and his half-sister, Mrs. Clotilde Book of Detroit. This estate was left to the two for life with a rever-
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sion to their children, but with a provision for the continuation of the trust through any grandchild's minority. The grandfather sought to prevent any possible overturning of his will by a provision that should either child contest it, he should be disinherited. The chief beneficiaries evaded this provision by unit- ing in a petition to the circuit court for a construction of the will, which was upheld in every particular. Francis F. Palms, by reason of his inheritance and also by reason of his business capacity and inherent force of character, became a man of broad and varied interests. He was president of the National Loan and Investment Company, of the Buck Stove Com- pany of St. Louis; was vice president of the Penin- sular Stove Company; a dircetor of the Peoples Sav- ings Bank, of the Michigan Stove Company, the Standard Life & Accident Insurance Company, and the Matthews-Ireland Manufacturing Company. Ex- tensive and important as were his interests, he always found time to cooperate in plans and projects for the upbuilding of Detroit and for a time was commis- sioner of the park board of the city and only a brief time before his death he resigned as a member of the municipal art commission. He gave his political endorsement to the democratic party. He passed away in New Orleans at the age of sixty-seven years, his remains being brought back to Detroit for interment. A contemporary writer has said of him: "Mr. Palms was a man of remarkable kindliness and benevolence and his pleasing personality made all with whom he came into contact his friends. While not an ostenta- tious giver, he was at heart one of the most generous of men and at Christmas time never failed to remember the charitable institutions of the city with substantial gifts. His memory will long remain undimmed by reason of his charming personality, his good deeds and his public-spirited attitude toward all movements for the general good."
In July, 1866, Francis F. Palms was married to Miss Devall, daughter of a prominent planter of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and her death occurred in the same year. In 1869 he wedded Célimène Pellerine, of Breaux Bridge, St. Martinsville Parish, Louisiana, who passed away in Detroit in 1888, leaving seven children. The eldest, Martha, became the Countess of Champeaux and died in France in 1904. The others are: Bertha, the widow of A. Ingersoll Lewis; Charles L .; Viola, the wife of Dr. Burt R. Shurly; Corinne, the wife of Hamilton Carhartt, Jr .; Francis, first vice president of the Michigan Stove Company; and William, who is now deceased. In 1890 Mr. Palms was married to Marie Aimée Martin, a daughter of Hon. S. V. Martin of St. Martinsville parish, Louis- iana, and the three children of that marriage are: Helene; Clarence, deceased; and Marie Louise,
Charles Louis Palms was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, June 2, 1871, and after pursuing his educa- tion in private schools of New Orleans and Detroit continued his education in the Georgetown University at Washington, D. C., where he was graduated with
the class of 1889, the Bachelor of Philosophy degree being then conferred upon him. He subsequently attended the Harvard Law School and afterward traveled extensively in Europe, returning to Detroit in 1892, at which time he became associated with his father, Francis F. Palms, in the management of the Palms estate, left by his grandfather. In 1901 Mr. Palms acquired an interest in the Detroit Journal, of which he became secretary and treasurer. In the same year he was elected president of the Preston National Bank of Detroit, which was later consoli- dated with the Commercial National and then merged into the First National Bank. In 1904 he organized the Wayne Automobile Company and was its first president and treasurer. In 1907, with four others, he organized the E. M. F. Company for the purpose of manufacturing automobiles in large quantities. This company developed into one of the largest pro- ducers of automobiles in the country and was sub- sequently purchased by J. P. Morgan & Company of New York, representing the Studebaker interests of South Bend, Indiana. Mr. Palms is president of the Palms Realty Company and administrator of the F. F. Palms estate and a director of the Michigan Stove Company, the Palms-Book Land Company and the Michigan Fire & Marine Insurance Company. Not- withstanding his many business affiliations, Mr. Palms' interest in matters literary, artistic and dramatic has never waned. He was president of the Alliance Française of Detroit for several years and in 1912 was decorated Officier d'Academie by the French republic. In 1917 he published "Rhodanthe," a poetic fantasy, which was favorably received by the critics.
In 1894 Mr. Palms was married in St. Louis to Miss Isabel de Mun Walsh, a daughter of Julius S. Walsh, president of the Mississippi Valley Trust Com- pany of that city, and has four children: Josephine D .; Charles L., Jr .; Isabelle de Mun; and Dorothy C. He votes with the republican party and has member- ship with the Michigan Naval Reserve Veterans, the Detroit Club, the Country Club, the Grosse Pointe Riding & Hunt Club, the Bankers Club, the Detroit Boat Club and the Detroit Chamber of Commerce. He has been a liberal contributor to everything con- nected with the development of Detroit. He is one of the best known of the younger Detroiters, a man of marked popularity, not alone through his family prestige, but owing to his personal worth and ex- cellence of character. Of innate culture and of quiet and modest demeanor, he is at all times dignified yet thoroughly approachable.
EDWARD W. VOIGT was an outstanding figure in connection with the development of Detroit, where for more than fifty-five years he was identified with the city's business interests. Mr. Voigt was born in Doebeln, Saxony, Germany, April 5, 1844, a son of Carl William and Pauline (Beck) Voigt, the latter of
EDWARD W. VOIGT
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whom died in Germany. The father married again in that country and with his wife and only son, Edward W., sailed from Hamburg for Liverpool, England, the latter part of May, 1854. At the latter port they embarked on the ship Malabar and reached New York on the 1st of August. An epidemic of cholera was then raging in New York and, moreover, the father was not in robust health as a result of conditions which he had experienced during the ocean voyage. It seemed better that they leave New York at once, which they did, and went to College Point, Long Island. When the father had sufficiently recovered to travel they went west, stopping in Toledo, Chicago and Milwaukee, but remained in those cities only a short time, after which they journeyed on to Madison, Wisconsin. In the latter city Carl William Voigt established a small ale brewery, which was converted into a lager beer brewery in 1857, and this business he conducted until 1863, when he removed to Milwau- kee, where he soon afterward purchased the schooner Columbian that plied the lakes between Chicago and Buffalo in the grain trade. In 1864 Carl William Voigt removed to Detroit, retaining his vessel inter- est until December, 1865, when he disposed of same. It was really his intention at this time to return to Germany, but rumors of the possibility of war be- tween that country and France caused him to defer the trip. In 1866 he established a brewery in Detroit and continued to conduct this until 1871, when he leased the plant to his son, Edward W., and returned to Germany, where he engaged in the milling busi- ness until his death in that country in 1889.
Edward W. Voigt was about ten years of age when his parents brought him to America. His first school- ing was received in his native land and after coming to this country he attended the public schools of Madison, Wisconsin, also a business college and for one term was a student at the University of Wiscon- sin. He had from boyhood worked in his father's brewery at different periods and early in life had acquired a practical knowledge of the business. In those days it was impossible to brew lager beer during the summer months owing to the lack of familiarity with the theory of refrigeration, so that during those periods of inactivity Edward W. Voigt was able to attend classes. When the weather became cooler, so that the manufacture of beer could be re- sumed, he again took his place as a brewer in his father's plant.
After his father disposed of the brewery at Madison in the fall of 1863, Edward W. Voigt concluded he would go to California and try his fortune in that new country. He went by the Isthmus of Panama but on reaching San Francisco found that work as a brewer was difficult to secure. He could not afford to remain idle indefinitely, so shipped before the mast on the barkentine Monitor, plying between San Francisco and north Pacific coast cities. Wages were low and the work not the most desirable. In writing home to his
parents he had mentioned the character of his em- ployment and his father replied that if Edward W. Voigt wanted to be a sailor he should come back home, as the father had bought the schooner Colum- bian. Edward W. Voigt returned east, again by the Isthmus route, and took the position of second mate on his father's schooner. This was during the latter part of 1864. During the winter of 1864-65 Edward W. Voigt studied navigation in Boston, thus equipping himself to command his father's schooner, and during the season of 1865 he was captain of the vessel, which was sold in December, 1865.
The following year Edward W. Voigt entered the employ of his father in the brewery which the latter had established in Detroit and continued in that capacity until 1871. At this time his father decided to return to Germany, so that the brewery equipment was disposed of to the son, who rented the plant for a term of four years, later renewing the lease for five more years. This was a downright business trans- action and the fact that the father and only child were the principals made no difference whatever in the terms of the deal. The son had practically no capital at all and the father was secured by chattel mortgage on the stock and equipment. This was Edward W. Voigt's beginning in business for himself and at a time when competition was keen, as there were no less than thirty plauts in the ale and lager beer line in Detroit, but he was young, energetic and a hustler. Under his management the business began to grow from the very start and before long he was on the rapid road to success, so that in 1882 he pur- chased outright the entire interest of his father. The high class product that he turned out soon became one of the most popular in the city and the capacity of his brewery grew from three thousand barrels an- nually to more than forty-three thousand barrels, which was then a larger production than that of any brewery in the state. Mr. Voigt continued the busi- ness as sole owner and under his personal management until 1889, when he sold out to an English syndicate, retaining, however, a substantial interest in the new organization. In 1895 he bought back the business and organized the Voigt Brewery Company, of which he became president, and remained as such until the business was closed out on May 1, 1918, as a result of prohibition. Subsequently the plant passed into the hands of the Voigt Beverage Company, which now owns the plant.
While Mr. Voigt was a most successful brewery oper- ator and one of the most prominent men in that in- dustry in Detroit, his activities in other lines were big and valuable factors in the city's growth. As his business became profitable and his means began to accumulate, he invested in numerous projects that not only brought personal gain but great public benefit as well. He was one of the founders of the Edison Illuminating Company of Detroit in 1886, in which undertaking he was associated with James Scripps,
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George Peck, Simon J. Murphy and several others. This company had a capital of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars and for fifteen years Mr. Voigt was its vice president. It proved a profitable project from its inception and led to Mr. Voigt's further connection with various public utilities. He helped in establish- ing branches of the Edison Illuminating Company at Grand Rapids, Jackson, Sault Ste. Marie and Petoskey, Michigan. Mr. Voigt was formerly the owner of a tract of about one hundred and fifty acres of land on Woodward avenue four miles from the city's center that he operated as a farm for a number of years. Then as the city began to expand he developed the property into the Voigt Park subdivision, which was laid out in the '90s. In connection with that project he donated the present Voigt Park to the city. He laid out Boston and Chicago boulevards, as well as Atkinson, Edison, Longfellow and Calvert avenues and Glynn Court, comprising some of the best resi- dential property in the city. Years ago Mr. Voigt purchased what was then known as Moores Bay, a tract of land of about fourteen acres at the foot of Twenty-fourth street, which was covered by six feet of water. This was filled in to the harbor line after nearly forty years of effort and was transformed into a valuable property. In 1919 the same was con- demned by the city for dockage purposes. He was an extensive owner of central property and his city realty included his residence on Second boulevard and Cass Park, which was completed in 1886 and was his home until his death. This fine old mansion was built in the days when every detail of material and con- struction was most carefully considered and every- where gives evidence of the thorough manner in which such work was done. Mr. Voigt was also one of the founders of the Port Huron Sulphite & Paper Com- pany, which was organized in 1888 and of which he was the president until his death. In 1898-1900 he built the North Western Electric Railway out Grand River road to Northville, Orchard Lake and Pontiac, which is a great feeder now to Detroit and is con- trolled by the Detroit United Railway. He was like- wise the president of the bridge company that built the large bridge between Grosse Ile and Wyandotte in 1912. This bridge connected his large tract of valuable land with the mainland. He was also the president of the Miles Theatre Company. He readily recognized and utilized business opportunities and as the years passed by developed his interests to exten- sive proportions.
In April, 1871, Mr. Voigt was married to Miss Ber- tha Dramburg, of Detroit, and they became the parents of four children: Augusta L. and Pauline M., both living at home; Anna Elsa, who is now Mrs. Otto Reinvaldt, of Detroit, and has three daughters; and one son, William F., who married Miss Caroline Hal- Joran, of Detroit, by whom he has a son, Edward W. (II), and two daughters. William F. Voigt, who is the second of the family, and Otto Reinvaldt, his son-
in-law, were for a number of years associated with the father in business, largely looking after the Voigt interests. Mrs. Bertha (Dramburg) Voigt died in 1890 and for his second wife Mr. Voigt married in 1892 Miss Marion Randall, of Detroit, who passed away in December, 1911. There were no children by this marriage.
Years ago Henry Ford was in the employ of Mr. Voigt for a period of nine years as chief engineer of the Edison Illuminating Company. After prohibition went into effect the Voigt Brewery Company ceased to operate, but the outside interests of Mr. Voigt were extensive and important and made full claim upon his time and energy. In early manhood Mr. Voigt was a democrat, but the party's stand upon the sub- ject of free trade made him change his allegiance to the republican party, of which he became a warm supporter. He belonged to the Harmonie Society, to the Elks lodge and to the New Grosse Ile Golf Club. Mr. Voigt was one of the original founders of the Detroit Museum of Art. His success came from his own efforts and for many years he was included among Detroit's strong, substantial business men. He was an unusually well preserved man for one of his years and took a keen interest in everything that pertained to the civic welfare and advancement of Detroit. His contributions to the development of the city were of a most substantial character, making him one of the foremost business men of Michigan's metropolis. His death occurred May 14, 1920.
WILLIAM ADDISON BUTLER, JR. The life ex- periences of William Addison Butler, Jr., were broad and varied, and while his intelligently directed efforts brought to him notable success, making him one of the substantial business men of Detroit, he was a man who never lost the common touch and never did he regard as foreign to himself anything that con- cerned the welfare and advancement of his fellowmen. Born in Detroit, he was always keenly interested in the advancement and progress of the city and his cooperation could be counted upon to further any movement that tended to promote the best interests of Detroit and uphold its civic standards.
The natal day of William A. Butler, Jr., was May 30, 1847, and he came of an ancestry distinctively American in its lineal and collateral branches through various generations. The family originated in England and the first representative of the name in America was Richard Butler, who came from his native country to the new world in 1632, establishing his home at Hartford, Connecticut, in 1634. He married Elizabeth Bigelow and the line of descent comes down through their son Nathaniel, through William and Hannah (Hills) Butler, John and Sarah (Foster) Butler, John and Chloe (Norton) Butler, Samuel and Elizabeth (Pine) Butler to William Addison Butler, who wedded Mary Ann Harter and became the father of William Addison Butler, Jr. William Addison Butler, Sr., was
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WILLIAM A. BUTLER, JR.
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born in Delaware county, New York, May 17, 1813. His father had been a member of the infantry during the War of 1812, serving principally ou Long Island, after which he engaged in farming in New York and thence removed to Michigan, passing his last days in the home of his daughter in Calhoun county.
William A. Butler, Sr., was reared on the home farm to the age of fourteen years, when he started out to provide for his own support, working in Catskill, New York city, New Haven, Connecticut, and Northampton, Massachusetts, at varying periods. He first came to Detroit in 1835, and established his permanent home in the city the following year. After engaging for a time in merchandising he established a banking business in 1847 in partnership with Alexander H. Dey and a little later withdrew to establish a bank of his own in 1848, under the style of William A. Butler & Company. He became the first cashier of the Detroit Savings Fund Institute, which was open only three mornings in the week, but the growth, of his own banking interests forced him to retire from that position. He had no partner until 1863, when he was joined by his eldest son, Edward H. Butler. In 1870 the Mechanics' Bank was incorporated, with William A. Butler as president and with a capital stock of one hundred thousand dollars. With the expiration of the bank's charter October 1, 1901, the bank was liquidated. As the years passed he made large investments in real estate and erected several substantial buildings in Detroit. For many years he was president of the Elmwood Cemetery Association and for twelve years was vice president of the Michi- gan Mutual Life Insurance Company, after which he was elected to the presidency and so continued until his death. He was likewise president of the Detroit Fire & Marine Insurance Company. While never ae- tive in polities, he stood for all that had to do with the benefit and upbuilding of Detroit and he was a devoted member of the First Congregational church. On the 12th of September, 1839, he wedded Mary Ann Harter of Adams, New York, who died January 19, 1908. They were parents of three sons: Edward H., William A., Jr., and Frederick E., all of whom became active associates of their father in business.
William Addison Butler, Jr., began his education in the public schools of Detroit, passing through con- secutive grades to the high school, while later he ma- triculated in the University of Michigan and won his Bachelor of Science degree upon graduation with the class of 1869. He initiated his business experience as assistant in his father's banking house and so remained until 1886, when he was elected assistant cashier of the Mechanics Bank of Detroit, then known as the Butler Bank. In 1891 he was advanced to the position of cashier and so continued until the liquidation of the bank following the expiration of its charter. He had become one of the prominent bankers of the city who had closely studied the more involved and complex financial problems, and his
sound judgment and unremitting energy were potent elements in the success of the institution with which he was connected. IIe also became a factor in the sue- cessful management of other important corporate in- terests of Detroit and at the time of his demise was a director of the Detroit Fire & Marine Insurance Company, also of the Detroit Trust Company and the Oak Grove Sanitarium at Flint, Michigan.
On the 20th of July, 1876, Mr. Butler was united in marriage to Miss Fanny Judson Knight, a daughter of Lemuel Partridge and Julia Jane (Judson) Knight. Her father was a banker and railroad man who was born at Hatfield, Massachusetts, April 15, 1815, and who passed away at Detroit, January 16, 1892. His wife's birth occurred at Ridgeway, New York, May 29, 1822, and she was called to her final rest in De- troit, August 8, 1897. They had become residents of this city in 1859. Their daughter, Fanny J., was born November 4, 1849, and has therefore been a resident of Detroit from the age of ten years. By her marriage she became the mother of two children: Lawrence Knight, who was graduated from Yale Uni- versity in 1901 aud is now a vice president of the Detroit Trust Company, married Elsa Gregory of De- troit, aud they have two children, Edith G. aud Wil- liam Gregory. The daughter, Mrs. Edith Knight But- ler, resides with her mother.
The activities and interests which claimed the at- tention of William Addison Butler aside from his business career were many. He always recognized the duties and obligations as well as the privileges of citizenship and never failed to respond when his aid was needed in connection with public affairs. From 1887 until 1891 he was inspector of elections and in 1896 he was made one of the trustees of the Detroit Light Guard, while in 1907 he was unani- mously chosen a member of its board of directors. His connection with military affairs brought him ae- tive experience at the time of the iron riots at Ishpeming, at which time he served as second lieuten- ant but soon won advancement to the rank of colonel in the Michigan National Guard. He was also an acknowledged authority upon questions relating to the Civil war and he presented a set of war maps of various battle fields to the Military Order of the Loyal Legion. In 1885 Mr. Butler became a member of the executive committee of the American Fisheries Society. In 1888 he was chosen one of the directors of the University Club of Detroit and in 1890 was elected to the presidency of the Detroit High School Alumni Association. In 1897 he became a member of the board of managers of the Michigan Society of the Sons of the American Revolution and was delegate-at-large to the anunal congress of the national society, held in St. Louis in 1904. He belonged to the Sigma Phi fraternity and to various prominent social organiza- tions of the city, including the Old Club of St. Clair Flats, the Detroit Boat Club, the Detroit Country Club and also to the Windsor Club of Windsor, Ontario. He
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