USA > Michigan > Wayne County > Detroit > The city of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922, Vol. IV > Part 110
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Mr. Griggs was united in marriage to Miss Minnie Langley and they have become the parents of three children: Mrs. E. H. Collins; Edna S .; and Elihu C., who is a prominent business man of Walkerville, Canada.
In his political views Mr. Griggs is a stanch republican and for four years he was a member of the common council of Detroit, serving for one term as president of the board, in which connection he rendered valuable service to the city, his influence being ever on the side of advancement and improvement. Fraternally he is iden- tified with the Masons, belonging to Oriental Lodge, F. & A. M., and the nature of his recreation is indicated in the fact that he is a member of the Detroit Athletic Club, Detroit Boat Club, Walkerville Country Club and the Walkerville Boat Club. An analyzation of his life record indicates that close application, determination and industry have been the salient factors in his success. He has ever been a man of action rather than of theory and is generally regarded by the people of Detroit as among the foremost of those who have wrought effec- tively for the development and growth of the city. For the past decade, Mr. Griggs has resided in Walkerville, Ontario.
FRANCIS X. BRABANT. While death ealled Fran- cis X. Brabant on the 23d of January, 1914, his name deserves an honored place on the pages of Detroit's history, inasmuch as he was closely associated with the development of those great industrial interests which have been the chief source of the city's growth and progress. Mr. Brabant was born in Clayton, Jefferson county, New York, June 23, 1859, his par- ents being Hyacinth and Bibianna (Duval) Brabant. He began his education in the publie schools of his native city and was but nine years of age when his parents removed with their family to Wallaceburg, Ontario, Canada, where he continued his studies. He started out in the business world as clerk in a gro- cery store in Wallaceburg and afterward entered into
partnership with William A. Fraser in the conduct of a grocery house in that city, the business relation with Mr. Fraser being maintained for four years. He afterward removed to Toronto, where he continued in business for a year with Mr. Fraser, and in 1889 he arrived in Michigan. For three years he was in the retail grocery business at Newberry and on establish- ing his home in Detroit he again entered the grocery trade, being thus engaged until he became associated with Thomas Fraser in the organization of the Stand- ard Brass Works in 1896. He was elected secretary and treasurer of the new concern and was identified with the business for a decade. He then disposed of his interests and for a year resided on a farm near Wallaceburg, Ontario. He afterward organized the Standard Brass Manufacturing Company of Windsor, Canada, in company with his brothers, William and Leo Brabant. Later Mr. Brabant purchased both his brothers' interests and then sold an interest to How- ard B. Anthony and in September, 1911, returned to Detroit and they organized the Michigan Brass & Foundry Company, of which he remained the president and manager until his death, since which time the plant has been sold. The business had become one of the important productive industries of the city and Mr. Brabant had gained wide recognition as a leading force in the manufacturing circles of Detroit.
In religious faith Mr. Brabant was a Catholic and held membership with the Knights of Columbus. His politieal endorsement was given to the republican party but the honors and emoluments of office had no attraction for him. He was married June 3, 1891, to Margaret M. Johnson of Wallaceburg, but left no children. His memory, however, is enshrined in the hearts of many who knew him, those who were his associates in business and those who were his com- panions in social activities. He had many sterling traits of character and was keenly appreciative of the social amenities of life.
JAMES H DEMPSTER, A B., M. D., F. A. C. P. That Dr. Dempster is a man of high professional standing is show not only in his career as physician in the city of Detroit but also in his having given effective service as a member of the faculty of his Alma Mater, the Detroit College of Medicine and Surgery, continu- ously since 1910; in his valuable contributions to the literature of his profession; and in his reception, in Febru- ary, 1920, of a fellowship in the American College of Physicians. In his active professional work his practice is now restricted to radiography.
Dr. James Herbert Dempster was born May 12, 1873. in Elgin county, Province of Ontario, Canada, and he was three years of age when his parents, Archibald F. and Catharine (Campbell) Dempster, removed to a farm near Ridgetown, Ontario, where he passed the period of his boyhood and where he profited by the advantages afforded in the public schools, including the high school at Ridgetown. In the pursuance of his higher academic
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education he matriculated in Queen's University, at Kingston, Ontario, and in this institution he was gradu- ated in 1899, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Here his major work was in political economy, in which he specialized in preparation for journalism. After leaving the university Dr. Dempster was for six years aetively identified with newspaper work. He first became an editorial writer on the staff of the London Daily Ad- vertiser, at London, Ontario, and he represented this paper in the press gallery of the Canadian House of Commons during one session of the Dominion parliament. Later he was connected with the Windsor Daily Record, now known as the Border Cities Star. Finally absolving himself from the insistent lure of journalism, Dr. Dempster began the study of medicine in 1905, and in this connection he crossed over the Detroit river from Windsor to become a student in the Detroit College of Medicine and Surgery, in which institution he was graduated as a member of the class of 1909. After receiving his degree of Doctor of Medicine he engaged in the general practice of his profession in Detroit, and this practice continued to involve general work in both medicine and surgery until 1918, since which time he has limited his work to radiography.
Shortly after his graduation from the medical college Dr. Dempster was appointed editor of the Detroit Medical Journal, and he continued the incumbent of this position for a period of eleven years. In the educa- tional work of his profession he has further given most valuable service through being a member of the faculty of the Detroit College of Medicine and Surgery almost con- tinuously since 1910, and through his contributions to the standard and periodical literature of his profession. He is the author of a book entitled "Pathfinders of Physiology," which was published in 1913.
The year 1903 recorded the marriage of Dr. Demp- ster to Miss Nellie M. Taylor of London, Ontario, and they have two sons, Wilfrid T. and Clifford H.
Dr. Dempster is actively affiliated with the Wayne County Medical Society, the Michigan State Medical Society, the American Medical Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Radiological Society of North America, besides which he is a fellow of the American College of Physicians. He has been earnest in service and an influence in connection with the affairs of his profession in Detroit, and has been for two years secretary of the Wayne County Medical Society and one year vice president. In the Masonic fraternity the Doctor has received the thirty-second degree of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, as a member of Michigan Sovereign Consistory and his Masonic associations are further amplified by his membership in Moslem Temple of the Mystic Shrine, in his home city.
EDWARD A. HOFFMAN, president of the Hoffman- Fisher Company, the well known real estate firm of De- troit, was born in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, January 1, 1875, and is a son of the Rev. J. J. and Rose (Von Anshutz) Hoffman, both of whom were natives of Penn-
sylvania. On leaving the Keystone state they traveled overland to Wisconsin, casting in their lot with the pioneer settlers of that state. The father was a Lutheran minister and was delegated to preach the gospel to the new settlers in the section of Wisconsin to which he had journeyed. In fact, he established the first Lutheran church in Sheboygan Falls and for a number of years he rode his circuit, which extended to the upper peninsula of Michigan. He preached in various sections at given intervals and did much to develop the moral progress of the community. Later in life he moved again, this time to New Orleans, where he presided in the pulpit of the Lutheran church up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1918, when he had reached the age of seventy- two years. His widow survives and is living at Merrill, Wisconsin, at the age of seventy-nine years. The labors of Rev. Mr. Hoffman were indeed a potent factor for good in Wisconsin from pioneer times to a late period and he did much to uphold high ideals among the settlers and for the benefit of the people among whom he lived and labored. To him and his wife were born eleven children, three of whom have departed this life, while those living are: M. G., who resides in New Orleans, Louisiana; Philip, a resident of Cuba; Mrs. Clara Roth, the wife of Professor Roth of Ann Arbor, Michigan; Adolph, who is living in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Otto, who is manager of the Pittsburgh Coke Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Edward A., of this review; William, a resident of Cleveland, Ohio; and Harry, who is located at Merrill, Wisconsin.
Edward A. Hoffman was a pupil in the public schools of Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, and later attended the Marine Engineering School of Milwaukee. He was graduated therefrom as a marine engineer and at that time secured a limited license for work in the profession of marine engineering. He then entered the employ of the Eddy-Shaw Company of Bay City, Michigan, and soon rose to an important position in that connection, finally becoming chief engineer. He afterward resigned and was made superintendent of salesmen for the Storm- feltz-Loveley Company, real estate dealers of Detroit. He continued to fill that position from 1907 until 1914, when he resigned and organized the Schaffner-Hoffman Real Estate Company. From this Mr. Schaffner after- ward withdrew and a new association was formed, under the style of the Hoffman-Fisher Company. Mr. Hoffman has since been president of the organization and his firm has occupied a prominent position in the realty circles of Detroit. He has thoroughly familiarized himself with every phase of the business and his word and judgment as a realtor are accepted as authority. The Hoffman- Fisher Company now has a large clientele and Mr. Hoff- man is a specialist in appraisals for courts and for other realty companies. Mr. Hoffman was also appointed ap- praiser for the United States Mortgage Bond Company and Metropolitan Investment Company, which position he has occupied sinee 1916.
On the 20th of January, 1897, Mr. Hoffman was married to Miss Veronie J. Dimler of Detroit, who passed
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away on the 2d of December, 1920. She was a daughter of Christopher Dimler, well known in this city. They had one daughter by adoption, Nellie, who was born in Iowa and has been educated in the public schools of this city.
Mr. Hoffman has voted with the republican party since age conferred upon him the right of franchise. He is also well known in Masonic circles, having taken the degrees of the Scottish Rite and at all times he is a loyal follower of the teachings and purposes of the craft. He is also president of the Community Club of Lake St. Clair Shores and is interested in all that pertains to community welfare. He has membership in the Masonic Country Club, in the Detroit Auto Club, is a charter member of the Vortex Club, and an active member of the Detroit Real Estate Board, being a past treasurer of the latter. His interest in the progress and improvement of the fourth city is shown in his membership in the Detroit Board of Commerce. Judging by what he has accomplished it would seem that the word progress must be emblazoned on his banners, for his entire course has been a forward one, reaching out to larger and better things in the business way and in connec- tion with the public welfare. His residence-The Ram- blers-is on Lake Shore road, on the shore of Lake St. Clair, in Macomb county.
FRANK JEFFREY. A life devoted to the ship- building industry brought Frank Jeffrey to the re- sponsible position of superintendent of the Detroit Shipbuilding Company. In his youth he worked in the shipyards on the Clyde, for Scotland was his native country and his youth was there passed. He was born October 28, 1860, in Aberdeen, being one of the eight children whose parents were Frank and Anna (Brown) Jeffrey. He had gained considerable knowledge of shipbuilding when in 1881 he bade adien to friends, family and native country and sailed for the United States. Landing in New York city, he remained in the eastern metropolis for about two years and then made his way westward to Bay City, Michigan, in 1883. There he engaged in shipbuilding and afterward removed to Lorain, Ohio. His early connection was with F. W. Wheeler & Company, ship- builders of Bay City, and for two years he was with the Union Iron Works of San Francisco, but for a long period he was with the American Shipbuilding Company, from which corporation he went to the Pacific coast, being made general manager under James H. Scott, who was then president of the Union Iron Works. With his return to Michigan he settled in Detroit and became general manager of the Detroit Shipbuilding Company, a position of importance and responsibility which he continued to fill until his death on the 24th of April, 1920. There was no phase of the shipbuilding trade with which he was not thoroughly familiar and his broad experience and capa- bility won him advancement from time to time until his position was one of prominence in connection with the shipbuilding interests of this section of the country.
On the 28th of January, 1888, in Bay City, Michi-
gan, Mr. Jeffrey was married to Miss Agnes Corri- gan, a daughter of Patrick Corrigan of Quebec, Can- ada. To Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey were born two children: Lilly N., who was born July 15, 1889, and is the wife of Leonard Collins of New York city; and William, an electrician, who was born December 2, 1892.
The family are members of the Presbyterian church, of which Mr. Jeffrey was a loyal follower, guiding his life by its teachings. His political endorsement was given to the republican party and fraternally he was connected with the Masons as a member of Golden Gate Lodge and of the Knights Templar Commandery of San Francisco. He was also a member of the Fellowcraft Athletic Club and the Board of Com- merce. He had reached the age of fifty-nine years when death called him and in his passing a life of great activity and usefulness was ended. Not only had he made for himself a creditable name and place in business circles but had also become firmly estab- lished in the regard of his fellowmen by reason of his fidelity to those principles which develop high character and take the individual into the walks of life that separate him from all that is gross and common and bring him into connection with those in- terests which are of cultural and moral uplift.
JULIUS L. BERNS, a native son of Detroit and a representative of one of the old and prominent families of the city, entered upon the practice of law in 1917 and during the intervening period of four years has made rapid progress in his profession, being now a member of the firm of Millis, Streeter, Murphy & Berns, leading attorneys of Detroit. He was born on the 21st of January, 1895, and his parents, Julius W. and Louise (Loeser) Berns, were also natives of this city, in which they were reared, educated and married. As a young man the father engaged in the retail dry goods business, while later he turned his attention to real estate, being very successful in his operations in that line. He is now living retired in this city, but the mother passed away in March, 1915. In their family were three children: Sidney H., Waldo J. and Julius L., all residents of Detroit.
In the acquirement of an education Julius L. Berns attended the grammar schools of this city, after which he became a pupil in a private school, and subsequently entered the law department of the University of Michigan, from which he was graduated in 1917, receiving the LL. B. degree. He then became identified with Anderson, Wilcox & Lacy, leading attorneys of Detroit, and after severing his connection with that firm he practiced his profession independently for a time, but since January 1, 1921, he has been a member of the firm of Millis, Streeter, Murphy & Berns, his admission thereto being proof of his professional ability, for their standing in legal circles of the city is of the highest. Mr. Berns is an earnest, discriminating student, thoroughly familiar with the principles of jurisprudence. He is careful in analysis, clear in his reasoning and logical in his deductions and whatever he does is for the best interests of his clients
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and the honor of his profession. He is also attorney for the village of Grosse Pointe Park and although one of the younger representative of the Detroit bar, he has already demonstrated his ability to cope with the intricate problems of the law.
On the 15th of July, 1916, Mr. Berns was united in marriage to Miss Laura Meabrod of this city, and they have a daughter, Marie Louise, who was born November 11, 1917. His political allegiance is given to the repub- lican party and he is prominent in Masonry, being a member of Zion Lodge, No. 1, F. & A. M. He belongs to Gamma Eta Gamma, a college fraternity, and is a member of the Detroit, Michigan State and American Bar Associations. With a nature that cannot be content with mediocrity, he is constantly striving to increase his knowledge and promote his efficiency and in a profession demanding a keen intellect and individual merit he is rapidly making his way to the front, while his upright policy has won for him the esteem of his fellow practi- tioners and also of the general public.
DE WITT H. TAYLOR. Since 1874 the home of De Witt H. Taylor has been on Alfred street in Detroit and, moreover, he is a native son of the city, his birth having occurred on the 12th of August, 1848. He repre- sents one of the oldest and most distinguished families of Detroit and his life record has ever been in harmony with that of his distinguished ancestry. He won a most creditable position in the ranks of the legal profession and in business circles and has always held to those high standards of citizenship which have been synonymous with the public activity of members of the Taylor family. He is the son of Elisha Taylor, who became a resident of Detroit in 1838 and who is mentioned at length on another page of this work. Reared in his native city he attended the public schools until graduated from the old Detroit high school as a member of the class of 1867, the insti- tution having occupied the building that had formerly served the state as its capitol. In the autumn of 1867 he was matriculated in the academic or literary depart- ment of the University of Michigan as a member of the class of 1871, but after a year transferred his enrollment to the class of 1870 as a law student. Completing the full law course he was graduated with the Bachelor of Arts degree and soon afterward was admitted to practice in the state courts and in the United States district court of Michigan. About the same time he entered the com- mercial field by becoming silent partner in the hardware firm of Coulson, Fisher & Stoddard of Detroit, with which firm he was associated until 1874, when he withdrew and went abroad. He spent fifteen months in travel over Europe and part of Asia and Africa, visiting Greece, Turkey, Syria, Palestine and Egypt.
On again reaching Detroit, in the autumn of 1875, De Witt H. Taylor entered into partnership with his father in the practice of law, under the firm style of Taylor & Taylor, an association that was maintained until the death of the senior partner when nearly ninety years of age. The firm occupied a prominent position
at the bar and father and son were also closely associated in the management of the large real estate interests which the former had accumulated and which have been so successfully managed and directed by De Witt H. Taylor since his father's death. While he enjoys a most enviable reputation by reason of his forcefulness and resourceful- ness as a lawyer, his ability to interpret legal principles and his power to solve intricate and involved problems of law, he has also most wisely and successfully directed his real estate operations. He developed on North Woodward avenue, a restricted and exclusively residential subdivision, known as Taylor Avenue, covering a tract extending from Woodward avenue to Hamilton boule- vard. He also platted and successfully developed a subdivision in the Hamtramck district of Detroit, known as Playfair Avenue and in various other ways he has con- tributed to the development and progress of the city through real estate channels. He likewise became president of the Grand Haven Gas Company at Grand Haven, Michigan, and a member of the directorate of the Detroit Pressed Steel Company. He was elected a director of the Detroit Lubricator Company and the Coahuila Mining & Smelting Company, which holds valuable properties and concessions in Mexico. He is president of the Roseland Park Cemetery Association and his cooperation is a most valued element in the successful management of the various enterprises with which he has become associated.
On the 5th of November, 1894, Mr. Taylor was married to Miss Alice Andrus, a native of Washington, Macomb county, Michigan, but a resident of Detroit at the time of her marriage. Her father, Lawren Andrus, was a prominent and representative citizen of Detroit until his demise. Mrs. Taylor was long a recognized leader in social, musical and literary circles of Detroit and became president of the Detroit Industrial School & Free Kinder- garten Association, vice president of the board of lady managers of Grace Hospital, chairman of the Woman's Guild of the Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian church and an active member of the Detroit Assemblies and the local Young Women's Christian Association. She was like- wise a leading member of the Tuesday Musicale, her liberal culture in the realm of music identifying her with the most prominent musical affairs of the city. Mrs. Taylor passed away March 19, 1916, survived by her husband and two children: Agnes Aurelia Taylor, who was educated at the Liggett School in Detroit and at a select school at Dobbs Ferry, New York, is the wife of Buell H. Heminway, Jr., of Watertown, Connecticut, and they are parents of two children, Buell Taylor and Agnes Andrus; De Witt Elisha Taylor, the only son, prepared for college at Hotchkiss school in Lakeville, Connecticut, afterward attended Yale and is now a student in the University of Michigan.
A lifelong republican, Mr. Taylor's opinions have long carried influence in the councils of his party and he has worked efficiently and resultantly in obtaining its suc- cesses. For six years he was treasurer of the republican city committee and he served for five terms of ten years
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as a member of the Detroit Board of Estimates, acting as president of the board for a year. His religious faith is that of the Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian church, of which his father was one of the founders and of which his wife was a most helpful member. Mr. Taylor is aeting as elder of the church and as chairman of its board of trustees. He still gives his attention to the work of the legal profession and belongs to the Detroit Bar Associa- tion. His social nature has found expression in his membership in the leading elubs of the eity, including the Detroit, the Country, the Detroit Assemblies, the Detroit Boat and the Old Clubs and, moreover, his influence and aid have extended to many well organized societies looking to public benefit. He is an active mem- ber of the Detroit Society for the Study and Prevention of Tuberculosis and of the Michigan Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. He has long been a helpful and generous member of the Young Men's Chris- tian Association and he belongs to the Detroit Board of Commerce and also to the Michigan Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. His interests are indeed broad and varied and throughout his life he has been allied with those forces which make for the uplift of the individual and the benefit of the community at large. His endorsement of any measure, plan or project always wins to it a large following because of the recognized value of his judgment and his public spirit. He occupies the fine old Taylor homestead in Detroit at No. 59 Alfred street, where he has lived since 1874, while his summer home is on the shore of Long Island Sound at Madison, Connecticut.
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