The city of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922, Vol. IV, Part 113

Author: Burton, Clarence Monroe, 1853-1932, ed; Stocking, William, 1840- joint ed; Miller, Gordon K., joint ed
Publication date: 1922
Publisher: Detroit-Chicago, The S. J. Clarke publishing company
Number of Pages: 1024

USA > Michigan > Wayne County > Detroit > The city of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922, Vol. IV > Part 113

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At Frazeysburg, Ohio, on the 23d of May, 1888, Mr. Spencer was united in marriage to Miss Sallie F. Mendenhall, who passed away in 1914, leaving a little daughter, Hazel, who died in infancy. On May 8th, 1919, Mr. Spencer was married in Detroit to Miss Inez Lynd, a daughter of William Lynd of Detroit.

Mr. Spencer belongs to the Exchange Club and the Ohio Club. He is also connected with the Detroit Board of Commerce and the Builders' and Traders' Exchange, and has been a member of the Detroit Automobile Club since its organization. In religion he is of the Prebyterian faith and is now serving as an elder of the First Presbyterian church. His po- litical endorsement is given to the republican party, but he belongs to that class whose patriotism tran- scends all partisanship in an hour of crisis. He is a member of the American Protective League and through the period of the war has been most active in connection with Red Cross and Young Men's Chris- tian Association work.

FREDERICK G. ELL, a progressive, energetic and capable young business man of Detroit, is rapidly coming to the front in real estate circles of the city, displaying mature judgment, foresight and determination in the management of his interests. He was born in Wilkes- Barre, Pennsylvania, September 11, 1894, and is a son of Charles and Christina (Lind) Ell, the latter also a native of the Keystone state, while the former is of foreign birth. When but five years of age the father was brought to the United States by his parents, who settled in Penn- sylvania, where he was reared and educated. Subse- quently he devoted his attention to learning the carpenter's trade, which he has since followed successfully in Wilkes- Barre. In that city his marriage occurred and eight chil- dren were born but two of the family have passed away, those who survive being: Mrs. Helen Buckley, Mary, Esther, Harry, Carl and Frederick G.

In the acquirement of an education Frederick G. Ell attended the public and parochial schools of Wilkes-Barre,

RALPH SPENCER

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after which he served an apprenticeship to the trade of a plumber and steamfitter. Upon receiving his release papers he came to Detroit, arriving in this city in 1911, and for some time he continued to follow his trade as a journeyman Through economy and industry he accumulated sufficient capital to enable him to engage in business on his own account and was building up a good trade when the entrance of the United States into the World war caused him to abandon all personal considera- tions and on the 14th of June, 1918, he enlisted for service in the navy. He was one of the first recruits to leave Detroit and owing to his technical ability he was assigned to duty as a steamfitter on one of the Eagle submarine chasers. The vessel on which he left Detroit proceeded as far as Quebec, Canada, where it was frozen in the ice, and Mr. Ell was then sent to Boston, Massachusetts, where he was stationed until his discharge on the 6th of February, 1919. Upon returning to Detroit he opened a confectionery store on Kercheval avenue, which he con- ducted successfully until the early part of 1920, when he entered the real estate field, in which he has since con- tinued and is rapidly building up a good business. He is well informed concerning property values in Detroit and has already negotiated many important realty transfers, his enterprising methods, close application and strict integrity being the chief factors in the development of his business, while his labors are also directly benefiting the city.

On the 14th of August, 1916, Mr. Ell was united in marriage to Miss Edith Hilton, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Hilton, well known residents of this city. In his political views Mr. Ell is a republican and he is a faithful communicant of the Catholic church, being also a member of the Knights of Columbus, in which he has taken the third degree. He is likewise identified with the Detroit Plumbers Union, the Southeastern Real Estate Associa- tion, the Detroit Real Estate Brokers Association, and the Kercheval Commercial Club, of which he is serving as secretary. He is a young man of high principles and sub- stantial qualities, progressive and reliable in business, loyal and public-spirited in citizenship and at all times displays a' devotion to the duties that devolve upon him.

WARNER R. THOMPSON. Various commercial enterprises have profited by the business acumen, enter- prise and executive ability of Warner R. Thompson, who is well known in industrial circles of Detroit as a dealer in fire elay, moulders' sand, coke and foundry materials. He established this business in 1911 and in the intervening period of ten years has succeeded in building up a large trade as the result of his progressive methods and close application. He was born in Ecorse, a suburb of Detroit, July 29, 1864, and is a son of Charles M. and Margaret A. (Weir) Thompson, the former a native of Detroit, while the latter was born in Dearborn, Michigan. The paternal grandfather was well known in political circles of this section of the state, serving for many years as sheriff of Wayne county and performing the duties of that office fearlessly and efficiently. In Wayne county the

parents of Warner R. Thompson were reared, educated and married, and subsequently they took up their abode in Detroit, where the father became the first paid fireman on the pay roll of the city. He joined the department in 1881 and continued to act as fireman until his retirement. He passed away in Detroit in 1914, while the mother's demise occurred in 1917.

Warner R. Thompson, the eldest in a family of eight children, was a pupil in the graded schools of Detroit and the Central high school, and following his graduation entered the employ of the Western Union Telegraph Company as a messenger boy. Subsequently he became identified with the Lake Shore Railroad Company, and, faithfully performing every task assigned him, he at length rose to the position of yardmaster in the Detroit division, being the youngest man ever employed by the company to fill that position. For eight years he remained with that road and then became connected with the A. A. Parker Coal Company, being placed in charge of their first branch office. He remained with that corporation for a period of twenty-two years and was regarded as one of their most valuable and faithful employes, resigning in 1911 to enter business circles on his own account as a dealer in moulders' sand, fire clay, coke and foundry materials. His untiring energy, honorable and straightforward business methods and sound judgment have enabled him to build up an enterprise of large proportions and he is also a director and vice president of the Monarch Foundry Company of Detroit, president of the Gordon Sand Company of Ohio and vice president of the Great Lakes Stone & Lime Com- pany of Alpena, Michigan. His interests are thus extensive and important, showing him to be a most capable · business man whose plans are carefully formulated and promptly executed.

At Port Huron, Michigan, in 1886, Mr. Thompson was united in marriage to Miss Margaret A. Miller, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Miller, prominent residents of that place. Mrs. Thompson passed away on the 20th of April, 1920, leaving a son, W. Edward Thompson, who was born at Port Huron on the 24th of September, 1887. He was educated in the public and high schools of Detroit and is now in business with his father. He married Miss Christine Bauman, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Bauman, well known residents of Detroit, and they have become the parents of two daughters: Lillian, who was born in 1915; and Bettie, whose birth occurred in 1917.

Mr. Thompson is a faithful and consistent member of Grace Episcopal church, and his interest in the welfare and progress of his city is indicated by his membership in the Board of Commerce, whose plans and projects for the expansion of the trade relations of Detroit receive his hearty support. He is well known in social circles of the city as a member of the Noontide, Exchange, Oakland Hills Country and Detroit Automobile Clubs and fra- ternally is identified with the Masons, belonging to Detroit Commandery, K. T., in which he has been active, being sent as a delegate to the national assembly at Denver and participating in the prize drill of his company. He be- longs to the York and Scottish Rites, in which he has

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attained the thirty-second degree, and he is also a member of the Masonic Country Club. Mr. Thompson is a self- made man, deserving all the praise which the term implies, for he started out in life empty-handed and has steadily worked his way upward, placing his dependence upon the substantial qualities of industry, perseverance and integrity. He now ranks with the leading business men of Detroit and the most envious cannot grudge him his success, so worthily has it been won, so well used.

ERNEST N. PAPPAS is one of the most note- worthy men in Detroit, or in America, for that matter, 'not only because of his natural talents and the posi- tion to which he has raised himself as a lawyer, but even more because he is a model after which all Europeans coming to America might well pattern themselves. He was born at Velvendos, Greece, near the famed Pierian spring, which the English poet, Pope, immortalized in his verse:

"A little learning is a dangerous thing;

Drink decp, or taste not the waters from the Pierian spring."

Ernest N. Pappas was born March 4, 1886, and came to America, December 2, 1903. In Greece he received the rudiments of his early education. His father died when he was only nine months old and his mother worked in the field for what would be the equivalent of four cents a day in American money, to give him an education. At the age of eleven he started out to make his own way in the world. All by himself he set out for Athens, where he took a position as servant, and with the money so earned completed the Greek high school course.

In America Mr. Pappas continued his studies at night schools in St. Louis, Missouri, in which city he worked for some time as a machinist. There also he became interpreter for the United States immigration department and filled that responsible position for four years. He was peculiarly fitted for that service because he speaks Roumanian, French, Italian and Turkish, as well as English, and consequently was very helpful to the department. In three months after landing in the United States he had become proficient in English and subsequently he was a teacher in night schools in Cleveland, Ohio, and also in the Brownell School of that city.

Always a student, Mr. Pappas kept up his own studies, working toward a legal education, and when in St. Louis studied in the law offices of Stein & Wulff. He was admitted to practice in the courts of Kentucky, June 15, 1916, then took the examination in Michigan on October 23, 1917, and was admitted to the bar of this state. The following year, in 1918, he passed the bar examination in Ohio and was ad- mitted to practice in the courts of that state. He has been actively engaged in the practice of his pro- fession in Detroit since 1917 and has built up a sub- stantial clientele and a high reputation, both as an advocate and counselor.

When he came to the United States, Mr. Pappas at

once began to inhale and assimilate Americanism, even as he breathed the air, and when this country entered the World war there was no more patriotic man than he. He put his whole heart into any work he could find to do and exerted all his influence to induce Greeks to enlist. He was a notable Four-Minute speaker, delivering two hundred and fifteen speeches during the war, and he was a member of the legal advisory board, working every night in the municipal court. He was also a member of the registration board and to his efforts was due one of the greatest demon- strations in Detroit to promote enlistments. He re- quested the authorities to send all the Greek soldiers at Camp Custer to Detroit to join in a great mass- meeting to inspire enlistments. This was done hy order of Governor Sleeper. In this connection a meet- ing was held at the Statler hotel, more than one thousand people being present, and Mr. Pappas was made chairman of the meeting, which resulted in the enlistment of about two hundred Greeks during the following week. He received special recognition for his war-time work in a letter from Mr. Campbell, secretary of the Liberty Loan compaign committee, and his correspondence with Washington during those strenuous days was rich in patriotic sentiment. His letters were not only fired with patriotic zeal, but gave evidence of a broad and statesman-like vision.

While residing in Cleveland, Mr. Pappas was a rep- resentative of the Greek colony there from 1912 until 1915, and he is vice president of the Greek colony in Detroit. He is now endeavoring to form a club for the general welfare of Greeks and to give adequate protection to Greek soldiers. His work for his brother Greeks and his sterling Americanism have attracted the attention of leading men in America, and one mark of their appreciation was the naming of Mr. Pappas by Newton D. Baker, secretary of war, as a member of the committee which welcomed Ambassador Myron T. Herrick on his return to America. In 1913 he was a member of the Perry Centennial Commission in Ohio. He is constantly striving to aid the Greeks in every way, and a most laudable project which he now has in view is the presentation of a library of six hundred volumes to his native city of Velvendos.

In 1913 Mr. Pappas married, in New York city, Iphigenia Maktos, daughter of a Greek professor who was dean of a college in Greece for thirty-two years. Mrs. Pappas is a poetess and among her writings are, "The Greek-Turkish War" and "The Greek-Bulga- rian War, 1912," both written in poetry. Mr. and Mrs. Pappas have three children, namely: Platonia, Plato and Anna.

DR. THOMAS F. KEATING, who in the practice of his profession has specialized on the treatment of diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat, has studied so closely and comprehensively along this line that he has become a recognized authority and has done splendid work for his patients, who are constantly increasing in number,

ERNEST N. PAPPAS

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while the character of his practice has constantly grown in importance. Dr. Keating comes to the Mississippi valley from New England, his birth having occurred in South Manchester, Connecticut, August 11, 1882, his parents being Timothy and Mary (Toomey) Keating. The father is a native of Ireland and came to America with his parents in early boyhood. The mother was born in Wales and was quite a young maiden when her parents with their family left that little rock-ribbed country to seek the opportunities and advantages offered in the new world. The Toomey family also settled in Connecticut and both the father and mother of Dr. Keating were reared in that state. There their marriage was celebrated and they have since continued to reside in Connecticut, where the father is well known as a prosperous and suc- cessful merchant of Manchester, and both he and his wife enjoy the warm regard of many friends in that town. Their family numbered eight children, three of whom are yet living, these being: Mrs. Edgar Martin, of New York city; Mazie, residing in Manchester, Connecticut; and Thomas F.

In the graded and high schools of Manchester, Con- necticut, Dr. Keating pursued his studies until he had com- pleted his course there and in the meantime he was mentally reviewing the business situation, with the pos- sibilities offered along commercial, industrial and profes- sional lines. His review led him to the determination to enter the medical profession and to this end he matricu- lated in the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Balti- more, Maryland, being there graduated with the M. D. degree in 1910. He began practice at Grafton, West Virginia, and after a short time there he became attached to the United States Health Service a government appointment. Through the succeeding five years he traveled extensively in the discharge of his official duties, visiting Alaska, Japan, China and the Philippine Islands besides various parts of the United States. In 1917 he severed his connection with the government and after resigning entered the Manhattan Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital of New York city as house physician and surgeon. There he remained until October, 1920, when he came to Detroit, taking this step against the advice of many of his friends.

Dr. Keating was unacquainted in this city when he sought a location here, but he had studied business con- ditions here and felt that there would be excellent oppor- tunity for a physician. He therefore found suitable quarters at his present address-4152 Woodward avenue, where he has fitted up a fine office, thoroughly equipped for work along the line of his specialty. He has here thoroughly demonstrated his ability as an authority upon the care and treatment of the eye, ear, nose and throat and has built up a notably successful practice within the short period that he has lived in the city. All who know him feel that his further success is now assured. He belongs to the Wayne County Medical Society, the Michi- gan State Medical Association and the American Medical Association and through the proceedings of these bodies Vol. IV-62

keeps in touch with the advanced thought and purposes of the profession.

Dr. Keating is of the Roman Catholic faith and he belongs to the Knights of Columbus. He also has mem- bership in the Business Exchange Club of Detroit and his political allegiance is given to the republican party. He deserves much credit for what he has accomplished, having worked his way upward entirely through merit and ability. He holds to high professional standards and he embraces every chance for broadening his knowledge and efficiency, for he is most conscientious in the performance of his professional duties.

DR. B. H. GLENN, a leading physician of Detroit, who has here practiced his profession since 1917, was born in Livingston county, Michigan, August 2, 1882, and is a son of Rupert M. and Marian E. (Purchase) Glenn, also natives of this state, the former having been born in Washtenaw county and the latter in Wayne county. The maternal grandfather was one of the early settlers of Michigan and on coming to this state he purchased a farm in what is now the principal residential district of Detroit but later traded this property for a tract of land in Livingston county which he considered more desirable. In his later years Rupert M. Glenn engaged in farming in Livingston county, in which connection he has won a sub- stantial measure of success, and he is still residing in that locality. In the family were three children, of whom one has passed away, and those who survive are Orla C., and B. H.

In the graded and high schools of Pinckney, Michigan, Dr. Glenn pursued his education, after which he entered the medical department of the University of Michigan, from which he was graduated in 1908. Going to Howell, Michigan, he at once entered upon active practice, remain- ing in that city for a period of eight years. In 1917 he came to Detroit and in the intervening period has estab- lished a good practice, being recognized as a skilled physician who holds to high standards in his professional labors. In addition to caring for his private practice he is serving as a member of the medical staff of Grace Hospital and has always made his professional duties his first consideration, being most thorough and conscientious in performing the work which develops upon him in this connection. He engages in the general practice of medicine and surgery and through broad reading and study keeps abreast with the advancement that is constantly being made in the methods of medical and surgical practice.

At Howell, Michigan, on the 7th of September, 1910, Dr. Glenn was united in marriage to Miss Nellie D. Lan- sing, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Francis E. Lansing, members of a well known and highly respected family of that city. In his political views the Doctor is a republican, stanchly supporting the principles and candidates of the party, and while a resident of Howell he was called to public office, serving as county coroner for two terms of two years each. He also filled the position of health officer for a term of two years, making a most creditable

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record in both connections. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Methodist Episcopal church and he is a loyal follower of its teachings. He is a valued member of the Wayne County and Michigan State Medi- cal Societies and the American Medical Association and is also a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, while fraternally he is identified with the Masons, belonging to the blue lodge, to the Scottish Rite Consistory and to the Mystic Shrine. He has gained high standing in his profession, is recognized as a loyal and public- spirited citizen and personally is popular.

JOHN WAREHAM STRONG (III), is state agent and manager for the Bankers Life Company at De- troit. In his business career he is, as it were, "to the manner born," for he is of the third generation of the family to engage in the insurance business in Detroit. Mr. Strong traces his ancestry back to old New England families, being in the ninth generation of descent from Elder John Strong of Northampton, who came to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the ship "Mary and John," arriving on May 30, 1630, and was one of the founders of Dorchester, Massa- chusetts, Windsor, Connecticut, and Northhampton, Massachusetts. John Wareham Strong, grandfather of the subject of this review, became a resident of Detroit in 1832. He owned and operated a large farm fronting on the river in what is now the western part of the city. He married, in 1808, Mary Banks Root, of Hartford, Connecticut, daughter of Hon. Jesse Root and a direct descendant of John Alden and Priscilla Mullens of the "Mayflower."

The children of this marriage who continued as residents of Detroit were Mary Beebe Strong, who married Henry H. Brown; Emily Tryon Strong, who married Gershom M. Williams, son of John R. Williams; Sarah Jane Strong, who married Henry T. Stringham; Harriet Sophia Strong, who married Charles Bissell; Heman Norton Strong, who married Helen Mary Chapin, daughter of Dr. Marshall Chapin; and John Wareham Strong (II) who was born June 22, 1816, at Windsor, Connecticut, and was sixteen years of age when his father located at Detroit. He began his business career as a clerk in the hardware store of Chase & Ballard and later engaged in the same line in partner- ship with A. H. Newbold, under the name of A. H. Newbold & Company. In 1854 he became general state agent for the Home Insurance Company of New York and continued in that connection until he re- tired from active business in 1869. He was a member of the first vestry of St. John's Episcopal church, and while always interested in and informed in all issues of the day, his business affairs and his family fully claimed his attention and time, and he never sought the honors nor emoluments of public office. He was married in 1848 to Cornelia Alger Howard, daughter of Colonel Joshua Howard, a lineal descend- ant of Mary Chilton of the Mayflower company. Colonel Howard of the regular army, a native of

Bridgewater, Massachusetts, was a lieutenant in the War of 1812 and an officer in the Mexican war and the Civil war, acting as paymaster during the con- flict between the north and the south. As an officer in the United States army he superintended the con- struction of the Fort Wayne arsenal buildings at what is now Dearborn, Michigan, in 1834. Later he took up a large tract of land in that vicinity and laid out and named the village of Dearbornville, now Dearborn. He built the house now known as the Haigh residence on Michigan avenue, Dearborn, and there some of his children and grandchildren were born.

"It was the building of the Arsenal that brought Dearborn into prominence and made its early days seem important. The construction of this considerable army post was commenced and carried to completion under the immediate charge of a bright young army officer, Lieutenant Joshua Howard, of the United States Engineers. His work must have been appre- ciated by the war department, for he remained in command of the new post for quite a number of years. Recognizing the beauty of the location, he purchased lands adjoining the arsenal grounds on which he built the house which later became and con- tinued to be the home of the Strong family for seventy years. In this colonial mansion Captain Howard en- tertained his numerous friends, including many dis- tinguished army officers, and from this old home his three beautiful daughters were married to three rising young residents of Detroit, who later became very prominent citizens, viz: General Henry R. Mizner, a distinguished soldier of the Civil war; John W. Strong and Walter Ingersoll, both successful merchants, but all long since dead. Their descendants, or some of them, still reside in Detroit." (Excerpt from ad- dress by Henry A. Haigh before the Dearborn Board of Commerce, April 20, 1920.)

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The city of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922, Vol. IV, Part 113

Author: Burton, Clarence Monroe, 1853-1932, ed; Stocking, William, 1840- joint ed; Miller, Gordon K., joint ed Publication date: 1922 Publisher: Detroit-Chicago, The S. J. Clarke publishing company Number of Pages: 1024

Author: Burton, Clarence Monroe, 1853-1932, ed; Stocking, William, 1840- joint ed; Miller, Gordon K., joint ed
Publication date: 1922
Publisher: Detroit-Chicago, The S. J. Clarke publishing company
Number of Pages: 1024