USA > Michigan > Wayne County > Detroit > The city of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922, Vol. IV > Part 103
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The religious faith of Mr. Dearth is that of the Congregational church and in political belief he is a republican. He is a Knights Templar and Scottish Rite Mason and also a member of the Mystic Shrine and he likewise belongs to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and the Knights of Pythias. He has membership in the Detroit Athletic Club and turns to fishing for one phase of his recreation but largely spends his leisure hours amid the master minds of all ages, for he is the possessor of one of the finest private libraries in Michigan, containing five thousand vol- umes. He has been described as "a big-hearted, big- brained man, who though sixty-one years of age looks forty-one and gets all the joy out of life possible." He early recognized the fact that the keenest pleasure comes from intellectual stimulus, and reading has been not merely a source of information to him but one of his greatest enjoyments. Nothing that affects the wel- fare of his fellowmen is foreign to him and one of the most marked and admirable traits of his charac- ter is shown in the universality of his friendships.
H. F. WARDWELL, secretary of the Detroit Steel Products Corporation, is regarded as one of the progressive young business men of the city, his capability being in- dicated in his present official connection with one of the largest industries of Detroit. His quick recognition of opportunity is followed by immediate action in the utilization of that opportunity and thus steadily he has advanced until now extensive and important interests are under his control. Mr. Wardwell comes to Michigan from the Empire state, his birth having occurred in Rome, New York, October 23, 1883, his parents being John S. and Mary Ella (Cornish) Wardwell, both of whom were natives of New York and always resided there. The father was engaged in the hardware business in Rome up to the time of his death. The mother survives and is still
living in that city. Their family numbered four sons: H. F .; Daniel, living in Rome, New York; John S., of Detroit; and Samuel, also of Rome.
H. F. Wardwell, after completing a high school course in his native city, attended the Rome Academy and was there graduated with the class of 1902. This constituted his preparatory step for his entrance into Cornell Univer- sity, in which he pursued a course in architecture, winning his diploma in 1907. He then went to New York city, where he secured a clerical position with the United States Gypsum Company and there remained until 1910, when he came to Detroit. Here he has been identified with the Detroit Steel Products Corporation through the intervening period of more than a decade. He began in a minor position but has continued to advance, winning consecutive promotions until he became secretary in 1913. In addition to discharging the duties of the office he has also had complete charge of sales for the past eight years and his work in this connection has constituted an im- portant element in the growth and development of the business, which is now one of the most important of the industrial and commercial interests of Detroit. He is also a director of the Standard Coupler Company of New York city.
On the 1st of June, 1912, Mr. Wardwell was married to Miss Helen Russel of Detroit, daughter of Henry Russel, formerly vice president of the Michigan Central Railroad and one of the prominent residents of the city, who here passed away a short time ago. Mr. and Mrs. Wardwell have become parents of three children: Henry R., born in Detroit in 1913 and now attending school at Grosse Pointe; Mary, born in 1915; and John H., born in 1917.
Mr. Wardwell belongs to the Detroit Country Club, the University Club, the Detroit Athletic Club and the Detroit Golf Club, finding his recreation largely in outdoor life and sports. Throughout his business life he has been connected with Detroit interests and his progressiveness has made him one of the leading young business men of the city, while his social qualities are such as have gained him warm friendship and kindly regard. His future will undoubtedly be one of still greater usefulness and activity if one judges from past accomplishments, for all that he is and all that he has won are the direct outcome of his individual labors and the improvement of the opportunities which fate has held out to him.
NORMAN A. HENWOOD, vice president and general manager of the Commonwealth Brass Corporation, is one of the best known men in connection with that line of manufacturing in Detroit. He was born in this city on the 2d of August, 1879, and is a son of Milton and Anna (Pfiefle) Henwood, the former a native of Carlisle, Penn- sylvamia, while the latter was born in Michigan. The father came to Detroit in 1866 and won prominence as a mason contractor. He continued in this business for many years, retiring to private life in 1918 and now residing in Florida. His wife is also living. Their family numbered four children: Norman A., of this review; Emily, living in Detroit; and Milton C. and Bessie, who are deceased.
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Norman A. Henwood was a student in the Central high school and when his education was completed made his initial step in the business world with the Barnum Wire & Iron Works. Later he became connected with the Hen- wood & Brown Company, mason contractors, the senior partner of this firm being his father, Milton Henwood. He spent two years in that connection, when he took up other lines of business that have led up to his present association. He began as an employe of Freeman & Dela- mater, a wholesale hardware firm of Detroit, starting at the bottom and working up to a position of responsibility during his five years' service. On the expiration of that period he resigned his position to enter the employ of the United States Heater Company, which has since been absorbed by the United States Radiator Corporation. His service with that company covered a period of six years and during much of that time he was at the head of the specialty department but at length resigned to become secretary and manager of the Commonwealth Brass Cor- poration in 1911. This is one of the substantial industries of Detroit, its volume of business being such as to neces- sitate the employment of three hundred and fifty people. A thoroughly equipped plant and a thoroughly system- atized business have led to the attainment of substantial success and Mr. Henwood has been an important factor in winning the desired results.
On the 20th of July, 1904, Mr. Henwood was married to Miss Anna M. Kamman, a daughter of Charles Kamman of Detroit. They have two children: Anna B., born in Detroit in 1905 and now a high school pupil; and Ford K., born in Detroit on the 1st of May, 1910.
Fraternally Mr. Henwood is a Mason, having member- ship in Palestine Lodge. He belongs to the Michigan Manufacturers Association, thus taking active interest in solving the problems of trade and in the development and improvement of commercial conditions, and his interest in community affairs is shown in his membership in the Detroit Board of Commerce. He is likewise a member of the Detroit Automobile Club. He is interested in all that pertains to the general welfare and his attitude upon any vital question is that of a public-spirited citizen. Mr. Henwood's residence is at No. 1915 West Grand boulevard.]
FORD BALLANTYNE, who has been identified with the Michigan Alkali Corporation of Detroit during the past decade, has worked his way steadily upward in that connection until he is now secretary and assistant treasurer of the company and an active factor in its successful control. His birth occurred in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on the 14th of August, 1891, his parents being the Rev. James and Hettie (Ford) Ballantyne, the former a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, while the latter was born in Kentucky. In carly life the mother removed to Pittsburgh, where she formed the acquaintance and became the wife of the Rev. James Ballantyne, who remained a resident of that city until his demise, which occurred in 1901, and who was prominent in the pulpit of the Methodist Epis-
copal church. Mrs. Ballantyne still survives and makes her home at Grosse Pointe, Michigan. They be- came the parents of three children: Ford, of this review; Howard P., who is a resident of Detroit; and Mrs. Dorothy B. Jones, also living in this city.
In the acquirement of an education Ford Ballantyne attended the schools of Lawrenceville, New Jersey, but because of failing health was obliged to discon- tinue his studies. Making his way to Detroit, he be- came connected with the Michigan Alkali Company in 1911 in a minor capacity and gradually worked his way upward through merit and ability until he was made secretary of the corporation. Subsequently the duties of assistant treasurer were added to those of secretary, so that he is now serving in the dual capacity. In addition to his official connection with the Michigan Alkali Corporation, a chemical manu- facturing concern, he is also the secretary of the Wyandotte Transportation Company, secretary and assistant treasurer of the Wyandotte Terminal Rail- road and assistant secretary and treasurer of the Ford Collieries Company.
On the 22d of November, 1913, in Detroit, Mr. Bal- lantyne was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Wilson, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Wilson and a representative of a prominent family of this city. Mr. and Mrs. Ballantyne have become the parents of two sons: Ford, Jr., who was born in Detroit, Decem- her 19, 1915; and James Wilson Ballantyne, born June 17, 1920.
In politics Mr. Ballantyne maintains an independent attitude, supporting men and measures rather than party. At the present time he is serving as a member of the Grosse Pointe village council. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Presby- terian church of Grosse Pointe and he also belongs to the Detroit Club and the Detroit Country Club. Though still a young man, he has already won an enviahle place in business circles and his many friends predict for him a future of continued success.
DON L. WATSON, secretary and treasurer of the Detroit Haynes Auto Company, is not only one of the well known men in connection with the automobile trade in this city, but in point of continuous identification with that industry, his record of twenty-one years is not equaled by any other dealer in Detroit.
Mr. Watson was born February 20, 1884, at Crystal City, Missouri, about thirty miles south of St. Louis, his parents being Joshua and Elizabeth (Frost) Watson, both of whom are native of England. They came to America about 1865, settling in Missouri, and the father, who was a glass blower by trade, took up his abode at Crystal City, then a glass manufacturing center. He later removed with his family to Kokomo, Indiana, where he now resides. His wife is also living. They became the parents of five children, three of whom have passed away, while those who survive are Don L. and a sister, Mrs. Jessie Duddy, residing in Owensboro, Kentucky.
FORD BALLANTYNE
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In early boyhood Don L. Watson attended the schools of Indiana and of Butler, Pennsylvania, and then became an apprentice to the machinist's trade. He gave this up, however, to accept a position in the office of the Haynes Motor Company in 1900 and worked his way upward through various positions and departments until he was assigned the important task of opening a Detroit branch of the house in 1917. He has successfully accomplished this work and through the intervening period has been Detroit manager and was made secretary and treasurer of the Detroit Haynes Auto Company and one of the directors of the parent concern. It is a matter of his- torical interest that the first automobile show of the United States consisted of three Haynes cars exhibited by a circus man at a state fair in Columbus, Ohio, in the fall of 1896. John Robinson rented the first Haynes car ever made for use in a side-show, and the experiment proved such a financial success that when the second Haynes was completed, it, too, was rented by Mr. Robinson and a short time later, when the third car had been built, Mr. Robinson placed the three on exhibition under a more pretentious canvas and charged a nominal admission price, paying $150 per month for the use of each car and driver. In the twenty-five years which have since elapsed the Haynes has been improved in accordance with modern progress in automobile manufacture, and as the head of the Detroit establishment, Mr. Watson has developed a business of gratifying proportions.
On the 3d of November, 1909, Mr. Watson was married to Miss Roma Haynes of Butler, Pennsylvania, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. S. W. Haynes. To them has been born one child, Martha, whose birth occurred in Kokomo, Indiana, in July, 1912.
Fraternally Mr. Watson is connected with the Masons, having taken the degrees of both York and Scottish Rites. He also belongs to the Kiwanis Club and to the Detroit Board of Commerce. He is well known, standing high in social circles, and has the respect and confidence of his contemporaries in the automobile field.
THOMAS E. BECK, vice president of the Detroit Mantel & Tile Company, was born at Elk River, Minne- sota, May 12, 1869, a son of William B. and Charlotte (Davey) Beck, both of whom are natives of Devonshire, England. The mother came to this country when twelve years of age, while the father crossed the Atlantic when a youth of eighteen, both settling in Detroit, where they met and were married. Starting out to make a home for themselves, they went to Minnesota, where Mr. Beck engaged in farming until after the outbreak of the Civil war, when he tendered his aid to the Union cause, enlist- ing in a Minnesota regiment. He remained in the service throughout the entire period of the war and became a corporal. He participated in many hotly contested en- gagements and displayed unfaltering valor in defending the stars and stripes. After the war he continued farm- ing in Minnesota until 1882, when he came to Detroit, but later again took up his abode in the village of Elk River, Minnesota, where he and his wife now reside.
They became the parents of six children: George; Joseph; Francis; Lottie; Alice, who is now the wife of E. N. Dailey; and Thomas E.
The last named is the eldest of the family. He was a pupil in the public schools of Detroit and also attended night school. After leaving the public schools he went to work, learning the business of tile manufacturing. He started in a humble capacity but worked his way steadily upward and finally became general manager of a tile company. He afterward aided in organizing the Detroit Mantel & Tile Company, which was formed in 1898 and which has become recognized as one of the standard companies in this line in the middle west. In 1907 the business was incorporated and many new features were added, such as electric fixtures, bathroom accessories, etc. The company has received contracts in its line in connection with many of the notable modern buildings of Detroit, including theatres, hotels, banks and fine private residences, as well as many of the large automobile plants and showrooms. Steadily the business has grown in vol- ume and importance and Mr. Beck has had much to do with directing the policy of the company in his present position as vice president.
On the 4th of November, 1891, Mr. Beck was married to Miss Amy C. Thomas, of Detroit, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Cyrus Thomas. Mr. Beck belongs to the Pilgrim Congregational church and the nature of his interests is further indicated in the fact that he has membership in the Fellowcraft Athletic Club, in the Detroit Board of Commerce and in the Employers Association. He is interested in all those agencies which make for better understanding of business conditions and more harmoni- ous relations between employer and employe. His own career shows the possibility for successful accomplish- ment, for he started out in life empty-handed, and when the Detroit Mantel & Tile Company was organized by Mr. Beck there was only one employe. Something of the continued growth of the business is indicated in the fact that there are now one hundred names on the pay roll of the company and their business covers a wide territory becoming the visible expression of the sound judgment and keen sagacity that underlies their success.
ELI JOSEPH BARKUME, secretary, treasurer and general manager of the Barkume & Stark Company of Detroit, was born January 24, 1878, in the city in which he still makes his home, his parents being Charles and Mary (Vigneau) Barkume, the former a native of Michi- gan, while the latter was born in Sandwich, Canada. The father devoted much of his life to the coal trade in West Detroit, where he carried on business for many years. He passed away in Detroit in 1910 and his widow still resides in this city.
Eli J. Barkume was the sixth in order of birth in a family of eleven children and in his boyhood attended the parochial schools. He had early experience in the coal business, for while yet a school boy he was doing odd jobs in his father's coal yard and as his age permitted was given more important work therein. After putting
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aside his textbooks he became elevator boy in the old Whitney music store on Woodward avenue and shortly afterward accepted a position in the office of the Detroit Conservatory of Music. For seven years he was asso- ciated with that institution, during which period he was advanced to the position of assistant secretary. Mr. Barkume left this position to take the management of a big coal yard and since that time has maintained a con- tinuous connection with the coal trade in Detroit. In 1908 he became manager for the City Concrete & Coal Company and remained in that capacity until April 1, 1914, when he organized the Barkume & Stark Concrete Company. The success of that company dates from its inception and in the fall of 1914 its operations were ex- panded to include the retail coal business. In 1916 the firm name was changed to the Barkume & Stark Company, which maintains three large coal yards and is included among the city's well known wholesale and retail coal firms.
On the 24th of January, 1911, Mr. Barkume was mar- ried to Miss Gertrude Eades, of Detroit, daughter of Richard M. Eades, of a prominent family of Detroit and Port Huron. They have one child, Margaret Mary, born September 15, 1919, in Detroit. Mr. Barkume belongs to the Roman Catholic church and is a third degree member of the Knights of Columbus. He also has mem- bership in the Catholic Mutual Benefit Association and he belongs to the Detroit Board of Commerce, the Detroit Automobile Club, the Business Exchange Club and the Detroit Coal Exchange, of which he is treasurer and a director. His continuous activity in business has been the basis of his growing success and has placed him in a creditable position among Detroit contractors and coal dealers.
HERMAN A. STRASBURG was one of the lead- ing figures in Detroit's social life and for many years its most prominent teacher of dancing. His personal worth, as well as his professional ability, was widely recognized and he commanded the respect and esteem of all who knew him. Detroit numbered him among her native sons. He was born October 29, 1860, his parents being Professor Herman and Matilde (Thiel) Strasburg. His father had for a number of years prior to the birth of his son and namesake been a teacher of dancing in Detroit and also gave instruc- tions in music and in fencing. He was an accom- plished musician and frequently played with sym- phony orchestras from abroad and with the Theodore Thomas orchestra, being regarded as one of the finest cello players of his time. His family numbered four children: Herman A., whose name introduces this re- view; Matilde; Max; and Adele.
In the public schools of Detroit, Herman A. Stras- burg began his education and later attended the Michigan Military Academy at Orchard Lake, one of the most popular private schools of the state. His higher education, however, was largely acquired under the instruction of private tutors. He was always a
lover of literature and manifested a decided taste for the higher classics. He likewise cultivated his musical talent and possessed a natural ability of unusual char- acter. Herman A. Strasburg became the assistant of his father in young manhood and for many years re- mained the leading dancing instructor in Detroit. A notable feature of his work and of his success was the personal attention which he gave to his pupils. He possessed a remarkable memory for names and faces and could recognize a great majority of his pupils. He always stood for the highest ideals in connection with his schools and maintained unexcelled standards. The Strasburg dancing academies were developed along the most progressive lines and the name became a familiar one in dancing circles throughout the country. Herman A. Strasburg was recognized as one of the most proficient "method" teachers. He em- ployed a well devised method in instruction which became the standard of many other successful teachers " A school-not a dance hall," and his academies were in various parts of the country. His motto was ever places of instruction and not merely a public place of amusement. His patronage not only came to him from the most prominent families of Detroit but he devoted one night a week to the Franklin Street school, where he conducted a dancing class for young people who were recent arrivals in Detroit and who could there meet and dance in a wholesome atmos- phere, thus contributing in large measure to the attrac- tive features of one of the social settlement centers of the city. His son, Paul, is now teaching the fourth generation of Detroit families. With the Strasburg family dancing has ever been one of the classic arts and their ideals have been of the highest, their methods of instruction the most proficient, and few teachers have always enjoyed the profound respect of their pupils that was accorded Herman A. Strasburg during the many years in which he was at the head of Detroit's leading dancing academy.
In private as well as in public life Mr. Strasburg enjoyed and merited the high esteem and friendship of all with whom he came into contact. He was deeply concerned in many civic interests of Detroit and his aid and influence were always on the side of progress and improvement. He gave liberally in support of many plans and measures for the city's betterment and moral uplift.
In 1885 Mr. Strasburg was united in marriage to Miss Ida Pinet, a native of Detroit. They became parents of four children: Karl, now deceased; Mar- jorie; Paul, who has become his father's successor in the conduct of the dancing academy; and Hermine.
As the years passed Mr. Strasburg made extensive investments in real estate and developed several sub- divisions. Politically he maintained an independent attitude, nor was he ever dominated by party dicta- tion, always supporting the candidates whom he be- lieved to have the interests of the people at heart. He was very progressive in his views concerning ques-
HERMAN A. STRASBURG
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tions of national importance and advocated equal suf- frage long before it came to be an issue. He was also a stanch supporter of the prohibition cause. Fond of outdoor life, he devoted his leisure hours to boat- ing and golfing, was a lover of clean sports and a devotee of our national game of baseball. He be- longed to the Detroit Golf Club, the Pointe aux Barques Club and to the Board of Commerce. He likewise stood high in Masonry, attaining the Knights Templar degree, and was a member of the Old Guard of Detroit Commandery. He also received the thirty- second degree of the Scottish Rite and was a Noble of the Mystic Shrine. His religious faith was mani- fest in his connection with the First Presbyterian church and in that faith he passed away January 8, 1917. His death was deeply deplored throughout Detroit, where his many splendid social and business qualifications and his support of high ideals of citizen- ship had won for him the respect and honor of all with whom he was associated. He was one who spread around him much of life's sunshine and the world is better for his having lived.
FREDERICK F. BLODGETT, president of the Blodgett Engineering & Tool Company, was born in Detroit, January 22, 1881, a son of William James and Mary Elizabeth (Crowley) Blodgett. The father's birth occurred at Port Sanilac, Michigan, while the mother was born in Detroit. The father was for many years well known in business circles in this city, where he con- ducted a successful shoe trade to the time of his death, which occurred on the 9th of February, 1919, at the age of sixty-eight years, for he was born on the 11th of April, 1851. His widow, who was born in Detroit in 1853, still makes her home in this city. In their family were four sons and four daughters: William A., who was born November 29, 1879, and died August 29, 1918; Flora, who was born December 30, 1880; Frederick F .; Elizabeth, who was born in March, 1883, and died at the age of three years; Elizabeth, who was the second of the name and also died in early life; Alva, who was born May 23, 1887; Alexander H., born December 23, 1889; and Ella, who was born January 20, 1891, and died in October, 1906. All were born in Detroit, where the family home has long been maintained.
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