USA > Michigan > Wayne County > Detroit > The city of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922, Vol. III > Part 56
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ALANSON A. MOORE
Vol. III-31
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of business, his trade covering the states of Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Texas and Minnesota. In compiling and printing the pamphlet he gave employment to thirty-five persons and his patrons among the legal professions numbered more than twelve thousand. Subsequently he sold his interests in that enterprise and engaged in the printing business independently along general lines and was thus active until 1915, when he came to Detroit and organized the . Electrograph Company. In 1916 the business was in- corporated for seventy-five thousand dollars, Mr. Adams being made president, with Benjamin F. Reed as vice president, James Beattie as secretary and Mrs. Adams as treasurer. They are producers of direct advertising and in connection with the business Mr. Adams has introduced many novel features, so that the work produced is without a parallel as to style and value from an advertising standpoint. From its inception the business has enjoyed a steady growth and Mr. Adams' initiative spirit has enabled him to for- mulate many plans which have substantially promoted its development. He is keenly alive to the possibili- ties of every new avenue opened in the natural rami- fications of trade and in his business career has been a persistent, resolute and energetic worker, keeping his hand steadily upon the helm of his interests and manifesting at all times strong executive power.
Mr. Reed has been married twice, his first union being with Miss Edith Groover, whom he wedded in 1893. She passed away in March, 1917, leaving a sou, Richard, whose birth occurred September 14, 1911. On the 16th of April, 1918, he was united in marriage to Miss Mabel Smith, whose father was superintendent of the Detroit Chemical Works.
In his political views Mr. Reed is largely indepen- dent, voting for the candidate whom he deems best fitted for office without regard to party ties. He is fond of life in the open and finds his chief recreation in hunting and fishing. In business affairs he has made steady progress, his capable management and inde- fatigable industry constituting the basis upon which he has builded his prosperity. His powers of organization and his executive force have enabled him to develop a business of extensive proportions and his record is not only written in terms of success but also in terms of energy and perseverance. His influence is always on the side of advancement and improvement and he is recognized as a representative business man and pub- lie-spirited citizen, loyal to the best interests of the community.
CAPTAIN EUGENE B. GIBBS, deceased, who de- voted his life largely to the military service of the country, participating in the Civil war and afterward becoming a member of the regular army, was born in Newport, Rhode Island, May 19, 1833, a son of William C. and Mary (Kane) Gibbs. The father was a dis- tinguished citizen of New England who served for sev- eral terms as governor of Rhode Island and afterward
spent his last years in honorable retirement from busi- ness and political cares. He did much to shape public thought and action in his state for many years and his word was as good as his bond, his honesty at all times unquestioned. He passed away in 1872, while his wife was called to the Home beyond in 1889. He was a nephew of Dr. William Ellery Channing, the noted Unitarian divine.
Captain Gibbs, who was one of a family of nine children, began his education in the public schools of Newport, Rhode Island, passing through consecutive grades to his graduation from the high school. He afterward went to California and there engaged in business, but following the outbreak of the Civil war he raised a company in response to the country's call for aid in preserving the Union. He was elected to the captaincy of the company and participated in a number of hotly contested engagements with the In- dians, remaining a member of the military force that the country maintained in the west until mustered out at the close of the war in 1865. He had in the mean- time participated in a number of engagements in Ari- zona and when hostilities between the north and the south were over he enlisted, in January, 1866, as an infantryman in the regular army, and in that year received his commission as captain. Later for twelve years he was a member of General Terry's staff, during which time he was captain in the quartermaster's department, and so served until his death.
On the 4th of December, 1858, Captain Gibbs was united in marriage in San Francisco, California, to Miss Mary E. Hoyt, a daughter of John C. and Mary (Johnson) Hoyt of that city. Mrs. Gibbs is a member of the Episcopal church and thus adheres to the faith of the family. She is living with her sister, Mrs. Charles Larned Williams, in a pleasant home at 204 Erskine street in Detroit, which city has been her home since 1883.
Captain Gibbs passed away on the 21st of April, 1882, at the home of his brother, Major Theodore Kane Gibbs, in New York city, his remains being interred in Newport, Rhode Island. The story of his life is one of bravery, of loyalty and of fidelity. Living up to every standard and requirement of the army, he observed not alone the letter but also the spirit of the law in this particular, ever attempting to introduce the highest ideals into military service, while his own rec- ord was an example and an inspiration to those who served under him.
FREMONT WOODRUFF, was born in Detroit, February 14, 1857, and is a son of Charles P. and Marietta (Boyd) Woodruff, who were natives of the state of New York. The father came to Michigan in 1836, first locating in Monroe, Michigan, where he met and married his wife. He moved to Detroit in 1845 and started in the hardware business, which he carried on until 1873, when he retired. His death occurred in 1900, at the age of ninety years. His wife also
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died in Detroit March, 1910, at the age of ninety-one years. In their family were six children, three of whom are yet living, the brother of Fremont Woodruff being Charles B. Woodruff, a resident of Duluth, Min- nesota, while the sister, Miss Eva Woodruff, is still living in Detroit.
After leaving the high school Fremont Woodruff took up the reading of law in the office of Frank H. Can- field and in 1878 was admitted to practice at the Michi- gan bar. He at once entered upon the active work of the profession, which he continued for several years but early withdrew from active practice to enter upon other lines of business. He is now concentrating his efforts and attention upon his real estate and mining holdings, looking after his own property. He is chair- man of the Board of Managers of the Stevens Land Company, Limited. His mining interests are in Colo- rado, and he is the treasurer of the Iron-Silver Mining Company of Leadville.
On the 24th of November, 1890, Mr. Woodruff was married to Miss Annie L. Stevens, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William H. Stevens, who were prominent Detroit residents. Mr. and Mrs. Woodruff have five children: Stevens, born in Detroit, pursued his educa- tion in the public schools of this city, Thacher school, Ojai valley, California, and in Yale University. He is married and resides in Detroit. During the period of the World war he was connected with the ordnance department; Ruth was born and educated in Detroit, graduating from Miss Lowe's school in Stamford, Con- necticut; Mary and Alice attending the Liggett school of Detroit and the Westover Academy of Connecticut; Anne is attending the Liggett school in Detroit.
Mr. Woodruff is prominently known in club circles, being a member of the Detroit, Detroit Athletic, De- troit Country and Bloomfield Hills Country Clubs. He is a republican in politics and his religious faith is that of the Presbyterian church.
GEORGE W. DRENNAN, president of the firm of Drennan & Seldon, dealing in practically all kinds of real city property, has had broad experience in the real estate field in New York city as well as in De- troit and employs most progressive and original methods in the conduct of his business. Michigan numbers him among her native sons, his birth hav- ing occurred on a farm in St. Clair county, December 20, 1878, his parents being John and Pinnie (Sheldon) Drennan. The father, who was of Scotch-Irish descent, was one of the pioneer real estate operators in this part of the country. He was born in the north of Ireland, was only four years of age when brought to the new world and for many years was prominently known as a real estate dealer but has passed away. His wife was born in Canada of English parentage and now makes her home in Flint, Michigan.
After obtaining a public school education George W. Drennan started out to provide for his own sup- port when a lad of eleven years, working on a farm
for twenty-five cents per day. When a youth of fourteen he secured a clerkship in a store at Brown City, Michigan, where he was employed for three years, and at the age of seventeen he accepted a posi- tion in a store in Port Huron. He thus early realized the value of industry and energy in the affairs of life and came to a realization of the fact that opportunity lies before the individual who is willing to put forth the effort to secure the logical rewards of labor. He believed the city offered the opportunities which constituted for him the threshold of success, and without capital but with hope in the future, he came to Detroit. In his youth he had become acquainted to some extent with the rudiments of the real estate business under his father, who, having slightly im- paired eyesight, often permitted his son to fill out deeds and mortgages, copy documents and also go to the county seat to look up land titles. Thus Mr. Drennan learned something concerning real estate matters and never forgot the knowledge thus acquired. It was his experiences in those connections that event- ually led him into the field in which he has made for himself a most creditable name and place.
Mr. Drennan made his initial step in the real estate business in 1903. For a year he was with W. W. Hannan and in 1904 became connected with the Stormfeltz-Loveley Company, occupying the position of manager. At a later date he went to New York city, where he became connected with the Douglas Robinson, Charles S. Brown Company, one of the most prominent and most exclusive real estate concerns in Manhattan, dealing only with the best city real estate and with big properties. During the years 1913 to 1915 Mr. Drennan remained with this firm and re- garded his training as his postgraduate work in the field of real estate. Again he became a resident of De- troit and in 1916 organized the Sanders & Drennan Com- pany, which later became Drennan & Selden and was incorporated in 1916. The firm deals in city property and is one of the ranking firms of Detroit, well known throughout the state. It has handled much important subdivision property in the last four years and there is no phase of the real estate business with which Mr. Brennan is not thoroughly familiar. In developing his interests he has employed original methods, his initiative and enterprise being strong fea- tures in the attainment of his present-day success.
On the 27th of February, 1905, Mr. Drennan was married to Miss Claribel Krause of Detroit, and they have one son, Sheldon, who was born January 18, 1914, in New York. Mr. Drennan is a member of the Board of Commerce and was president of the Detroit Real Estate Board in 1919. The nature of his activities and interests aside from business is further indicated in the fact that he is a member of the Detroit Ath- letie Club, Oakland Hills Country Club, a member of the Masonic fraternity, a republican in his political views, an Episcopalian in his religious faith and a trustee of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United
GEORGE W. DRENNAN
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States. His present position, where he is numbered among the representative real estate men and pros- perous citizens of Detroit, is in marked contrast to his condition when as a lad of eleven years he began working on a farm for a quarter per day. He early manifested indefatigable energy, however, and has ever been guided by a laudable ambition that has en- abled him to overcome all difficulties and obstacles in his path and work his way steadily upward to success.
ERNEST R. ROBINSON, president of the Automo- bile Supply Company of Detroit, was born in Lapeer county, Michigan, February 13, 1877, his parents be- ing George and Caroline (Ingles) Robinson. He was educated at Vassar, Michigan, where he completed a high school course and then made his initial step in the business world as elerk in a bank, with which he was associated for eight years. On the expiration of that period he came to Detroit and here engaged in the life insurance business, in which he remained for seven years. He next established his present business, which was organized under the name of the Automobile Supply Company and which was incorporated on the Ist of July, 1913. From the time of organization he has been the president and the company does a whole- sale business in automobile accessories, selling to both manufacturers and dealers throughout the state. The business has assumed extensive and gratifying pro- portions, owing to the progressive business methods, the unfaltering enterprise and the thorough reliability of the founder and his associates.
Mr. Robinson is a member of Detroit Lodge, No. 2, A. F. & A. M. and as a member of Michigan Sovereign Consistory he has attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite. He is also a member of Moslem Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He is a member of the First Congregational church, the teachings of which guide him in every relation. He belongs as well to the Exchange Club and is also a supporter of the republican party, while in matters of citi- zenship he fully recognizes his duties and obligations as well as his privileges. Each opportunity presented has been to him a call to action and the utilization of his advances and chances has brought him to an enviable place in connection with the commercial interests of his adopted city.
FRANK CHANDLER SIBLEY, member of the firm of Sibley, Armstrong, MeNair & Mead, a rising and successful member of the Detroit bar, was born in Marietta, Georgia, February 17, 1888, the son of John Adams and Sarah L. (Chandler) Sibley and a descend- ant of one of the old American families, tracing his ancestry in direct line back to John Sibley, who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1629.
In the acquirement of his education Frank C. Sibley attended the schools of Tifton and of Athens, Georgia, and afterward entered the Presbyterian College of South Carolina, at Clinton, that state. He prepared
for the bar in the Detroit College of Law, was grad- uated in June, 1908, at the age of twenty years, with the degree of LL. B., and following his admission to the bar on his twenty-first birthday, he became asso- ciated with the firm of Robson & George, later with Robson & Murfin, and in 1920 became the senior member of the firm of Sibley, Armstrong, McNair & Mead. He is also the vice president of the Miller & Miller Company. In his profession he has made steady advancement.
On the 18th of June, 1912, Mr. Sibley was united in marriage to Miss Mary Gladys Barkley, a daughter of Rev. James M. and Mary (Conwell) Barkley. The latter was the daughter of a captain in the Union army. Her husband, a native of North Carolina, served in the Confederate army. He had graduated from the University of New Jersey at Princeton with the class of 1876, had devoted his life to the Presby- terian ministry and was a moderator of the general assembly of the Presbyterian church. To Mr. and Mrs. Sibley have been born three children: Mary Conwell, Sallie Chandler and Elizabeth Barkley.
Mr. and Mrs. Sibley are active members of the Presbyterian church in Detroit and he has heen presi- dent of the Men's Club of the church. He also has membership in the City of Straits Lodge, No. 452, F. & A. M., and in Damascus Commandery, No. 42, K. T., and Moslem Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He belongs to the Valhalla Club, to the Michigan Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, to the Married Men's Club, the Detroit Automobile Club, the Detroit Lawyers' Club, the Southern Society of Detroit, of which he has been president, and the Theta Lambda Phi, a law fraternity. His political allegiance is given to the republican party and his interest in Detroit's welfare and progress is shown in his mem- bership and activities in the Detroit Board of Com- merce. His interests are of wide compass, indicating his concern in all those things which are a matter of vital importance in the uplift of the individual and the betterment of the community at large.
EDWIN C. LEWIS, a prominent representative of the Detroit bar and a member of the firm of Trow- bridge, Lewis and Watkins, was born at Bryan, Texas, March 29, 1880, a son of Edwin Colby and Kate (Devine) Lewis, who removed to the north when the subject of this review was but a child. He attended the public schools of Vermont and St. Johnsbury Academy of that state, after which he entered Yale University, from which he received the A. B. degree in 1901. Subsequently he was for time a student in the law department of the University of Chicago, completing his professional studies at the Detroit College of Law, which conferred upon him the LL. B. degree in 1907. Previous to this time he had successfully followed educational work, acting as instructor in mathematics at St. Johnsbury Academy during 1901 and 1902, and then became a teacher in
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the Detroit University School, with which he was thus connected until 1907. In June of that year he was admitted to the Michigan bar and at once entered upon active practice, becoming identified with the old established law firm of Clark, Jones & Bryant. In 1909 he went to Battle Creek, Michigan, where he formed a partnership with A. B. Williams, prac- ticing as a member of the firm of Williams & Lewis until 1913. He then returned to Detroit and has . since been associated with Luther S. Trowbridge, and latterly with Mr. James K. Watkins.
On the 22d of October, 1912, Mr. Lewis was married to Grace Hays Thompson, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. F. M. Thompson of this city. Mr. Lewis is a member of the Detroit Board of Commerce, the Oakland Hills Country Club, the Grosse Pointe Country Club, the Detroit Boat Club, the Detroit Athletic Club and the University Club, while professionally be is identified with the Detroit and Michigan State Bar Associations and the Phi Delta Phi, a legal fraternity.
EDWIN L. THOMPSON. For many years the name of Edwin L. Thompson figured prominently in connection with the lumber industry and transporta- tion interests of Detroit and Michigan. He became a resident of this city in 1880 and was identfied with its business development from that time until his demise. His activities were ever of a character which contributed to the progress and upbuilding of the communities in which he labored and there stand as monuments to his memory and business ability the model plant of the Detroit Lumber Company which was constructed under his supervision, and the Addison family hotel, which was promoted through his efforts in 1905.
Mr. Thompson was a native son of Pennsylvania, his birth having occurred on a farm in Crawford county, January 17, 1845, his parents being James E. and Joan (Treadway) Thompson, the former also a native of the Keystone state, while the latter was born in Vermont. In the paternal line he was de- scended from ancestors from the north of Ireland, his grandparents having sailed from the Emerald isle to the United States.
In the district schools of his home county Edwin L. Thompson began his education, which was continued in the Meadville (Pa.) Academy. After his text- books were put aside he sought the business oppor- tunities offered in the growing west and made his way to Michigan. He established a lumber business at Lapeer, organizing the firm of Thompson, Rich & Company in 1866. In 1875 he promoted the lumber firm of Piper & Thompson and five years later, in the development of his growing business interests, he laid out the town of Thompson, Michigan, and organized the Delta Lumber Company. His activities were constantly extended over a broader field and from 1882 until 1886 he was the president of the Brunswick Lumber Company of Brunswick, Georgia.
In the meantime, or in 1880, he had removed from Lapeer to Detroit, where in 1883 he organized the Thompson Navigation Company for the transporta- tion of lumber by barge. Subsequently he organized the Detroit Lumber Company, of which he became the president in 1899 and thus still further broadened his activities as one of Michigan's prominent lumber- men. There was no phase of the lumber trade in this state with which he was not thoroughly familiar and according to the most progressive business methods he developed his interests, becoming a well known and prominent figure in lumber trade circles in the state. In 1905 he organized the Addison Apartments Com- pany, which erected the Addison family hotel in that year, this being one of the exclusive apartment hotels of Detroit, and located on the site of his old home.
On the 3d of November, 1869, Mr. Thompson was married to Miss Julia M. Piper of Lapeer, Michigan, a daughter of Abram H. and Melvina (Trumbull) Piper, the former a native of Pennsylvania, while the latter was born in the state of New York. Mrs. Thompson died December 10, 1919. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson became the parents of three children: Anna, the wife of George C. King of Detroit, and now the mother of two children, Alice and Helen; Mabel, who is the wife of William M. Grant of Walkerville, Ontario, and has three children, Anna T., William T. and Edwin Neale; and Vinnie, who died when fif- teen years of age.
Mr. Thompson passed away in Detroit on the 30th of January, 1915. He had won the well merited reputation of being "one of the biggest lumbermen of Michigan." He had steadily developed his busi- ness interests along legitimate lines, always employ- ing constructive effort and never basing his success upon the wreck of other men's fortunes. His pro- gressiveness and his integrity constitute an inspiring example for others. His keen interest in Detroit's welfare and upbuilding was indicated in his member- ship in and cooperation with the Board of Commerce in all of its projects for public good. His political allegiance was given to the republican party and in religious faith he was a Presbyterian, being a member of the Westminster church, but later was a member of the First Presbyterian church. Not only did he leave to his family the substantial rewards of business ability and enterprise, but also the priceless heritage of an untarnished name.
CHARLES BOVENSIEP, JR., engaged in design- ing and manufacturing bronze doors and other bronze equipment for mausoleums and memorials, also memo- rial tablets and honor rolls, was born in Essen, Ger- many, February 28, 1871, his parents being Charles and Emma (Wachholder) Bovensiep. Leaving their native country in 1882, they settled in Detroit. After attending the public schools, he took up the line of architectural metal work in all its branches, in the employ of E. T. Barnum, and continued with him
EDWIN L. THOMPSON
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for fifteen years, when he entered business on his own account, and a few years later dropped the general line of architectural metal work aud specialized in the designing and manufacturing of bronze work for mortuary and memorial purposes exclusively.
The thorough knowledge of all the details of this peculiar line and the excellence of the products of his shop in careful artistic workmanship and finish soon developed a large number of appreciative cus- tomers and the business has grown to considerable volume and at the end of 1919 over 2,000 mausoleums in all parts of the country had been furnished with bronze doors and other bronze equipment as well as thousands of memorial tablets and other mortuary bronze work.
On June 4, 1896, Mr. Bovensiep was married to Miss Catherine Hack of Detroit, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Hack.
He is a member of the Harmonie Club, Board of Commerce, Detroit Credit Men's Association, Detroit Skat Club, Detroit Automobile Club and the Detroit Double Quartet, and takes active interest in the plans and projects of these organizations.
EDWARD D. STAIR. Fortunate in possessing char- acter and ability that inspire confidence in others, the simple weight of these qualities has carried Edward D. Stair to important business relations in the field of journalism, banking and corporate interests of Detroit. He was born at Morenci, Michigan, March 29, 1859, and is a son of Jacob and Maryette (Beek- with) Stair. In the public schools of his native city he pursued his education and began his career as a country newspaper publisher in Morenci in 1876. He was thus engaged continuously until 1888, when he retired from the ownership of the Livingston Republican at Howell, Michigan. In the same year he entered upon theatrical management in New York by producing a play which he had written and for a number of years he was thus connected with amuse- ment interests in the east. In 1901 he reentered the newspaper field through the purchase of an interest in the Detroit Journal and he extended his connections by purchase to the Detroit Free Press in 1906. For a number of years he was identified with these papers as president of the Free Press Company and also of the Detroit Journal Company, but disposed of his interests in the Journal a few years ago. He is like- wise identified with banking interests as a director of the First & Old Detroit National Bank and the Detroit Trust Company. He is also one of the prin- cipal stockholders in the Paige Motor Company, and the Detroit Creamery Company, thus being identified with two of the important and extensive productive industries of the city, and he is also the president of the United States Amusement Company, director of the First National Company and a director of the Detroit Creamery Company. Throughout his business career his plans have been carefully formulated and
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