USA > Michigan > Wayne County > Detroit > The city of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922, Vol. IV > Part 45
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the wife of Morris Lacy of New York; and Orrin, now residing in Rochester, New York.
In the public schools of the Empire state J. Martin Brown pursued his education, graduating from the high school of Wyoming, New York, in 1900, after which he entered the University of Syracuse, New York, where he completed a course in architecture and was graduated from that institution in 1905. While at- tending the university he took an active part in ath- letie sports and became very proficient in the hurdles. During this period he sought employment with the leading architects of Syracuse in order to defray his college expenses, working in the office of Brockway & Taylor, and during his junior year he was em- ployed by the firm of Crandall & Strobel, thus gaining valuable practical experience which greatly assisted him in his studies. From 1906 until the spring of 1908 Mr. Brown was connected with New York archi- tectural firms, after which he went abroad, spending six months in England and France studying the finest examples of architecture in the old world and storing his mind with much valuable information which has since been of great assistance to him in his professional work. From the fall of 1908 until the latter part of 1911 he was associated with the noted architect, Charles A. Platt, who has drawn the plans for many of the finest estates in America. For a time he was identified with the firm of Kirby, Pettit & Green and was a student in the famous Atelier Prevost, in New York, many of whose students have been successful in winning the prize offered by the city of Paris for superior work in art. From 1911 until 1913 Mr. Brown was in the employ of the firm of Jackson & Rosencrans and in 1913 he came to Detroit, where he engaged in business independently. He is now president of Brown, Preston & Derrick, Incorporated. They maintain their offices in the Empire building and are specializing in the construction of commercial and industrial struc- tures, in which connection they have built up a large business, being recognized as experts in their line. In the execution of contracts they are prompt and re- liable, conforming not only to the letter but also to the spirit of an agreement, and their business activi- ties have ever balanced up with the principles of in- tegrity and honor.
On the 1st of January, 1910, Mr. Brown was united in marriage to Miss Mattie Owen of New York, and they have become the parents of a son, Stanley Owen, whose birth occurred on the 17th of April, 1912. Mr. Brown keeps in touch with all that is being done in the line of his profession through his membership in the American Institute of Architecture and fraternally he is identified with the Masonic order, whose benefi- cent teachings guide him in the relations of daily life. He is interested in all athletic sports and is fond of boxing and fencing, being very proficient with the foils. He has won high standing in his profession and is regarded as one of the leading architects and engineers of Detroit. He has led a busy, active and
useful life, employing every opportunity to advance, and his present success is attributable to close appli- cation and a spirit of determination that prompts his continued effort until he has reached the desired goal. His labors have ever been of a constructive character, contributing to the development and upbuilding of his community as well as to individual prosperity, and Detroit is fortunate in claiming him as a citizen.
JOHN DALZELL. Among the men of substantial worth and sterling character who contributed to the development and progress of Detroit and always stood for the best in citizenship, while advancing their individual interests through carefully directed busi- ness affairs, was John Dalzell, who was extensively engaged in business as a wholesale lumber dealer. A native of Ireland, he was born on a farm near Belfast on the 10th of January, 1836, and was a son of Alexander and Elizabeth (Diek) Dalzell. He came of sterling Seoteh-Irish ancestry and was one of a large family of children. He acquired his education in the schools of his native country and years later one who knew him well and was qualified to write of his life history said of him, "His boyhood memo- ries were not happy ones. When he thought of a cer- tain little cottage in faraway Ireland, and certain brothers and sisters who seemed ever more remote than the shadowy land of his birth, it was only to recall the hardships and trials of a naturally sensitive, ambitious boy. Yet these very hardships fostered in him a determination to leave a home where he was so misunderstood and become his own master in the great, unknown America. It must have taken all the courage that ever a brave lad possessed to part from his familiar surroundings, and, alone, face the dan- gers of a sea voyage, and later the hard struggle for a place of his own in the crowded business and social life of his adopted country. Even then he was just at the beginning, and it proved his inherent force of character, his ability, his capacity for diligence and labor, that he finally won through, not only to an established financial position, but to gain for himself a real respect and warm regard from all who knew him."
It was when a youth of eighteen years that John Dalzell left the Emerald Isle and crossed the Atlantic to the new world. The voyage of six weeks being terminated, he landed in New York in the year 1854. He first became identified with the Skillings, Whitney Brothers & Barnes Lumber Company and for fifty con- secutive years was associated with the business, be- coming in this period one of the most prominent and representative lumbermen of the state. As pre- viously indicated there were hardships and difficulties to be overcome and many obstacles to be surmounted, but with persistent purpose he continued his work and remained in the lumber trade until he had accumulated a fortune, retiring in 1913.
Mr. Dalzell was united in marriage to Miss Emma
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JOHN DALZELL
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Nash, a daughter of William B. and Lura (Barstow) Nash, the former a representative of a well known pioneer family of Vermont and it was in the Green Mountain state that the birth of Mrs. Dalzell occurred. Their marriage was celebrated on the 15th of De- cember, 1868, and they became the parents of a daughter: Bessie L., who is the wife of William F. MeCorkle, a well known representative of the Detroit bar, and to them has been born a daughter, Helen Dalzell MeCorkle.
Mr. Dalzell was long a devoted member of the First Presbyterian church and he served as one of its trustees for thirty consecutive years. He passed away in that faith August 14, 1917, and his remains were interred in the Woodlawn cemetery at Detroit. He had been a member of the Masonic fraternity for a long period and had served as president of the Old Wayne Club. No better characterization of Mr. Dalzell can be given than the words of one who knew him long and well and who spoke of his as "A fine, righteous man." "Absolutely upright and honest, abhorring all that was mean or low, he stood, stanch and unbending as one of his own beloved pines, against adversity or temptation, yet he was gentle, loving and very generous toward his family, always delighted at their pleasure or by their expressions of affection for him. He rarely spoke of his quiet, sane philosophy of life, or of his religion. There was no need, for they constantly showed in his unflagging interest and constructive work for his church and charities, for whatever he did was done to the very best of his power, unselfishly and unassumingly. There was about him a certain air of freshness and vitality, gained from long hours in the silence of the pine woods, of dependable strength which came from the overcoming of obstacles, of lovableness which eman- ated from a sympathetic heart, and expressed itself in his sweet, heart-warming smile."
ALLAN CAMPBELL. Whether in a partnership re- lation or practicing alone Allan Campbell has contin- ually given demonstration of his powers as an able lawyer, one who analyzes his cases carefully and is seldom at fault in the application of a legal principle. He was born in Detroit, October 12, 1876, and is a son of Walter Scott and Annie (Fenton) Campbell. He pursued a course in the Detroit high school by graduation in January, 1894, and afterward pursued his more specifically literary course in the University of Michigan, where he won the Bachelor of Arts de- gree in 1898. His law studies were pursued in his native city and the Detroit College of Law conferred upon him the LL. B. degree in 1901. In the mean- time, however, he had taken up the profession of teaching, which he followed for four and a half years in connection with the public schools of Detroit after graduating from the State University, class of 1898. He regarded this merely as an initial step to other professional labor, however, and he eagerly embraced
every opportunity that qualified him for admission to the bar. He began the practice of law with the firm of Maybury, Lucking, Emmons & Helfman in Jan- uary, 1904, but that connection was maintained only until October, 1905. He thereafter practiced alone until the 1st of January, 1908, when he entered into partnership with Fred G. Dewey under the firm style of Campbell & Dewey, and in 1918 the firm became Campbell, Dewey & Stanton. Mr. Campbell was com- missioned first lieutenant, Signal Reserve Corps, of the air service, in December, 1917, and served at Camp Sevier, Camp Jackson, Washington, and Garden City, Long Island, being discharged December 8, 1918. There have been no spectacular phases in his career, his course being marked by a steady devotion to duty and conscientiousness in his work on behalf of his clients. He brought to the starting point of his career a keen, rapid, logical mind plus the business sense and these qualities, added to a broad knowledge of the law, have made for continuous advancement throughout his professional career.
On the 20th of November, 1908, Mr. Campbell was married to Miss Elizabeth Barton Pitman and theirs is one of the hospitable homes of the city. Mr. Camp- bell is identified with the Sons of the American Revo- lution, also with St. Andrew's Society and with the Phi Beta Kappa as well as with the University and the Lawyers clubs. He belongs also to the Detroit, the Detroit Tennis, the Detroit Boat, the Detroit Ath- letic, the Prismatic and the Country Clubs; also to the Board of Commerce and the American Legion. These various associations indicate the nature and breadth of his interests, showing him to be a man of well bal- anced capacities and powers who has never confined his attention solely to one line to the exclusion of other interests which make for a well balanced individuality and carefully developed powers.
JAMES E. HANNA. The public press is frequently called upon to record the death of some man who has made substantial contribution to the material de- velopment of the city and thus aided in its upbuilding. There are comparatively few, however, who advance the cultural interests, who devote their lives to the sale of those things which take one out of the more sordid lines of trade and commerce, developing a love of beauty and calling forth that which is high- est and best in the individual. James E. Hanna, who passed from this life May 6, 1920, was widely known as an art dealer and connoisseur of Detroit. In 1909 he incorporated a business under the name of James E. Hanna & Brothers and did much to im- prove art taste in this city by reason of the fine collection of paintings always to be found in the galleries of the corporation which he organized. As the years passed he became well known in the art centers of Europe and in his travels abroad made a notable collection of paintings, bronzes and other works of art.
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Mr. Hanna was born in Meaford, Canada, May 23, 1858, a son of Constantine and Jane (Johnson) Hanna, who crossed the Atlantic from Ireland to Canada in early life. In 1867 they removed from the Dominion to Detroit with their family and the father engaged in stone quarrying at the Kelly Island quarries. Both he and his wife passed away in this city.
James E. Hanna was the second in order of birth in a family of seven children. His early life was spent in the schools of Detroit and after school hours, like many another ambitious young lad, he sold the evening papers and thus earned a little ready money, from which time he provided for his own support. He was still quite young when he took up the business of picture framing in the employ of A. J. Brow, an art dealer, and from that point he naturally drifted into art, becoming a close student and lover of fine paintings and other art work. At the time of his demise one of the local papers wrote: "Nearly fifty years ago a thin, somewhat shy boy edged into a picture frame shop in Detroit and blushingly asked for a job as gilder or frame finisher. Thursday that boy died, and in his death Detroit lost its leading art dealer, a man whose work had placed him in almost an autocratic position in the city in all questions relating to pictures, a man whose knowledge of the genuine in art objects made him an authority in Europe as well as America, for the boy was James E. Hanna, head of the firm bearing his name in the David Whitney building." For a period from 1880 Mr. Hanna was associated with Dr. Gus Ives under the firm name of Hanna & Ives. The business was later reorganized as Hanna & Noyes, Mr. Noyes suc- ceeding Dr. Ives in the partnership. As the years passed Mr. Hanna developed a knowledge and skill that made him an able critic and this power was of great value to him in the selection of the masterpieces which have adorned the galleries in the David Whitney building. Many fine paintings from both the old and new worlds have through the Hanna galleries been placed in the finest homes of Detroit and other cities. The studios are constantly visited by discerning art critics and are known from coast to coast and even in foreign lands. Mr. Hanna became the president of the close corporation which was organized in 1909 under the name of James E. Hanna & Brothers. The years had marked his steady advance since he sat on a three-legged stool in a varnish-reeking room with a little brush, daubing gilt on sticks to be used as frames for such pictures as were sold at that day. His experience in the Detroit store brought to him a knowledge of the fact that there was great difference in pictures and he began to read and study, and as his knowledge and efficiency developed he was pro- moted to the position of salesman, eventually became a partner of his employer under the firm style of Brow & Hanna and at length reached the position as head of the company with which he was associated to the time of his death. A contemporary writer
said: '' All the great artists who ever knew Detroit knew the slender, rather short man that ran the 'art store' and more than once, when genius burned more bright than recompense, an artist had to thank Mr. Hanna for timely assistance." In his later years Mr. Hanna traveled extensively in Europe. He visited the famous galleries of Italy, Holland, France and England and made his way into the second-hand stores and to the auction sales of London, also to the castles and manor houses and entered the homes of the faded court families in queer, twisted streets of Paris. Here and there he picked up genuine works of art, sometimes dust-covered and almost black with age, and in other cases such treasures were found in cheap frames in parlors whose owners knew nought of their r worth. Mr. Hanna became an expert in detecting careful imitations of the masters both old and new.
In 1881 Mr. Hanna was married to Miss Jean Kerr, who passed away in Detroit on the 25th of December, 1909. They were the parents of five children: Eliza- beth, who is the wife of Allan H. Botsford, secretary- treasurer of the firm of James E. Hanna & Brothers; Jennie; Frances; Jay Eaton, who was graduated from the University of Michigan in 1916 and succeeded his father as president of James E. Hanna & Brothers; and Margaret. Mr. Hanna was twice married. On February 7, 1916, Miss Gertrude Tolsma of Detroit became his wife and three children were born to them: Rita E., who died young; Mary E .; and Rita June.
He was a well known Mason, a member of Ashlar Lodge, F. & A. M., and he attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite. He belonged also to the Detroit Athletic Club and to the Lotus Club of New York city. His political allegiance was given to the republican party. Mr. Hanna certainly deserved great credit for what he accomplished after making his initial step in the business world, finally establishing the galleries of which he had every reason to be proud, constituting one of the chief art centers not only of Michigan but of the entire middle west. His life work made the world brighter and better, for it introduced an appreciation for and love of beauty into many homes, having that uplifting influence which always comes from the things of cultural worth.
WILLIAM FOSTER MCCORKLE, for thirty-eight years a member of the Detroit bar, was born at Thorntown, Indiana, January 7, 1855, his parents being the Rev. William A. and Cordelia Maria (Foster) Mc- Corkle. The father was born in Troy, Ohio, in 1822 and the mother's birth occurred in the Empire state. They were married, however, at Adrian, Michigan, and both have passed away, the death of Rev. Mr. MeCorkle occurring in 1896, while his wife survived until 1901.
William Foster MeCorkle is numbered among the alumni of Princeton University of the class of 1877.
WILLIAM F. MCCORKLE
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He became a resident of Detroit in 1882, having in the meantime studied law in Brooklyn, New York, where he was admitted to the bar in 1880. Since his removal to the middle west he has continued in the active practice of his profession in Detroit, covering a period of thirty-eight years, confining his attention largely to real estate, probate and corporation law, in which branches of jurisprudence he has gained a place of eminence.
On the 20th of April, 1897, Mr. MeCorkle was mar- ried in Detroit to Miss Bessie L. Dalzell and they have one child: Helen Dalzell MeCorkle.
Mr. McCorkle has always been a supporter of the republican party and his religions faith is that of the Presbyterian church, in the work of which he takes an active interest, serving now as elder of the First Presbyterian church of Detroit. He belongs to the University Club, to the Detroit Boat Club, to the Board of Commerce, and to the Detroit Real Estate Board, while along strictly professional lines he has connection with the Lawyers' Club, the Detroit Bar Association and the Michigan State Bar Association. His long residence in Detroit has brought him a wide acquaintance and the respect and honor of his fellow- men because of his allegiance to all those causes which make for the uplift of the individual and the betterment of society at large.
FRANK H. DAVIS, a prominent and progressive builder and contractor, engaged in these lines in De- troit for several years, is a native of Illinois, born in Evanston, that state, a son of Frank H. and Annie (Marey) Davis.
Mr. Davis was educated at the Massachusetts In- stitute of Technology, from which he was graduated with the class of 1904. For about twelve years, from 1902 to 1913, he was engaged at railroad construction work and surveying, in these branches having met with considerable success, as well as laying the foun- dation of his future career.
It was in 1913 that Mr. Davis came to Detroit and immediately established himself as a general contrac- tor and builder. Since starting in this business he has done much building and construction work in Detroit, where he has earned for himself a permanent reputation for excellent work. Mr. Davis was one of the builders of the Stattler Hotel Annex.
In 1910 Mr. Davis was united in marriage to Miss Anne Hadden, and they have become the parents of one son, Frank H., Jr. Mr. Davis is a member of the University Club, the Indian Village Club, the Engineers Society, and the Board of Commerce, in the affairs of all of which he takes a warm and prac- tical interest.
Following the entry of the United States into the World war, Mr. Davis became a very zealous worker in all the patriotic movements on foot during that time. Mrs. Davis was equally active in carrying on patriotic work, giving freely of her time and ability
to the furtherance of all projects designed to help America's success in the gigantic struggle. Mr. Davis and his wife take a proper part in the social and cultural activities of the community, and, as in war work, they lend their support to movements intended for the common good of the people.
WILLIAM A. GUTHARD, who for four years has been the vice president of the insurance firm of Jacob Guthard & Son, was born in Detroit, August 9, 1880, his parents being Jacob and Louise (Aberle) Guthard, of whom mention is made elsewhere in this work. Spending his youthful days under the parental roof, he began his education at the usual age in the public schools and afterward attended the Detroit Business University. He immediately engaged in business with his father in the conduct of an insurance agency and, acquainting himself with every phase of the business, has during the last four years been the vice president of the firm of Jacob Guthard & Son, representing twenty-eight different insurance corporations and handling all kinds of insurance save life.
On the 24th of July, 1906, Mr. Guthard was married to Miss Minnie A. Letzring and they have a daughter, Marie, now twelve years of age. During his younger years Mr. Guthard was a football player of note, making a splendid record upon the gridiron both as an amateur and professional player, his position being that of full back. He still feels an interest in the game and greatly enjoys watching a contest of this character. In religion he is a Protestant, in politics a republican and fraternally is connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He also be- longs to the Detroit Wheelmen's Club and at all fimes recognizes and meets the duties and obligations as well as the privileges and opportunities of citizen- ship. He has never sought to figure in any public light, however, preferring at all times to concentrate his attention and energies upon his business affairs.
ERNEST A. O'BRIEN. During the fifteen years of his practice as a member of the Michigan bar, with office in Detroit, Ernest A. O"Brien has made steady progress, developing his powers through the exercise of effort and through continuous study and research along the lines of his profession. Detroit numbers him among her native sons. He was born July 1, 1879, his parents being James and Mary A. (Brennan) O'Brien. His literary training was received at the University of Detroit, from which he was graduated with the Bachelor of Arts degree in 1898. He afterward attended the Detroit College of Law and won his LL. B. degree in 1905. Before preparing for the bar, however, he had spent four years in business life, being throughout that period a drafts- man in the civil engineer's department of the Detroit water board. In 1905 he was admitted to the Michigan bar and has since followed his profession in Detroit. He was for ten years associated with the late George
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F. Monaghan, and is now a member of the firm of Van Dyke, O'Brien & Wheat, a firm recently estab- lished, with offices in the Bank Chambers, Griswold and Larned streets.
On the 16th of September, 1909, Mr. O'Brien was married to Miss Elizabeth Dee of Detroit, and they have become the parents of two sons, Ernest D. and John J. The religious faith of the family is that of the Catholic church and Mr. O'Brien is state deputy of the Knights of Columbus, which limits its mem- bership to those of Catholic faith. He is also identified with the Knights of Equity. His political allegiance is given to the independent party and he belongs to the Lawyers Club, the Fellowcraft Club of Detroit, and to the Detroit Athletic Club, the Alumni Asso- ciation of the University of Detroit. He is likewise a member of the Detroit Bar Association and he enjoys the confidence and goodwill of his professional brethren. His life has been passed in this city, where he has a wide acquaintance, and wherever known warm regard is entertained for him.
ROLAND JOHN ELLIS, manager of the brokerage firm of E. W. Wagner & Company, was born in Wor- cestershire, England, November 22, 1882, and is a son of Edwin and Susan (Garbett) Ellis, who were also natives of that country. The father was a prominent railroad contractor and builder to the time of his death, which occurred in 1884. The mother afterward crossed the Atlantic to the new world and settled in Toronto, Canada, where she still resides. Their fam- ily numbered four children, three of whom are living: George, a resident of Worcestershire, England; Mrs. Eleanor Merrifield, who makes her home in Montreal, Canada; and Roland John, of this review.
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