USA > Michigan > Wayne County > Detroit > The city of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922, Vol. IV > Part 80
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JOHN W. MERCKEL, a leading furrier of Detroit, is regarded as an expert in his trade, having devoted practically his entire life to this line of occupation, and in the conduct of his interests he has been very successful, his business having reached large and profitable proportions. He has traveled extensively and is a man of liberal views and pleasing manner, with whom it is a pleasure to converse.
Mr. Merekel was born in Saginaw, Michigan, Jan- uary 9, 1874. His father was a man of broad culture, acquiring his education in the University of Munich, Bavaria, Germany, and when a young man he emi- grated to the United States, being induced to come to this country by the Singer Manufacturing Company of New York, one of the manufacturing concerns in the United States, with whom he remained for many years, being regarded as one of their most trusted employes.
His son, John W. Merckel, attended the schools of his native city until thirteen years of age, when he came to Detroit and here pursued a course in the old Detroit Business College. Hoping to benefit his health which had become somewhat impaired, he went abroad and during his seventeenth and eighteenth years toured Europe on a bicycle, visiting France, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and a portion of Aus- tria. He attempted to enter Russia but was turned back at the border, and in Germany he was arrested for speaking in favor of American democracy. He had many interesting experiences during his travels abroad and also gained much valuable knowledge and information which has proven of great benefit to him in later life. When a youth he began learn- ing the trade of a furrier, engaging in trapping during the daytime, while his evenings were devoted to study. He thus gained a thorough and comprehen- sive knowledge of the business, which he has continued to follow, becoming recognized as an expert furrier. He became traveling salesman for a Detroit fur house and also represented a New York firm on the road, covering the entire United States while thus engaged. At length he acquired sufficient capital to enable him
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to engage in business independently and his venture has been a most successful one. He handles skins of all kinds, in connection with whicli he does a great variety of work, and he has built up an extensive trade, for he is thoroughly reliable and his patrons know that in purchasing of him they obtain the finest skins the market affords and at the most rea- sonable prices. The work which he turns out is of the highest class and he is devoting every energy to the legitimate expansion of his interests.
Mr. Merckel was united in marriage to Miss Emily Holthan and they have become the parents of four children: William, Edgar, Edna and John, the sons all being members of the Boy Scout organization.
Mr. Merckel's political views are in accord with those of his father, who was an adherent to the republican party, and his religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Lutheran church. Like his father, he has also become prominent in the Masonic order, belonging to Ashlar Lodge, F. & A. M .; to Peninsular Chapter, R. A. M .; Michigan Sovereign Con- sistory, S. P. R. S., in which he has attained the thirty- second degree; and to Moslem Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He is also identified with the Uniformed Rank of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and is likewise a Forester. When leisure affords he ob- tains needed relaxation from business in athletic sports of all kinds and is particularly fond of fishing and hunting. The secret of his success lies in the fact that he has never been afraid of earnest labor and that his diligence and close application have ever been supplemented by unquestioned integrity and re- liability. He is recognized as a successful business man, a public-spirited citizen and a loyal friend and enjoys the respect and goodwill of all with whom he has been associated.
CHARLES ELMER ROGERS, a member of the old- est family in Wayne county and one long established on American soil, is a forceful figure in business cir- cles of Detroit, being at the head of one of the large manufacturing enterprises which have contributed to- ward placing this city among the great industrial centers of the United States. Moreover, he has other claims to distinction, being the pioneer in the manu- facture of condensed milk in the state of Michigan, and his name is inseparably associated with the devel- opment of this industry in the United States. The Rogers family has been established in America for many generations. The maternal grandfather was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, participating in the battle of Sodus Point, situated on Lake Ontario, near the city of Rochester, New York, and from that state he made his way to Michigan, where he established his home. The paternal grandfather, John Rogers, came to this state in 1823 and was numbered among its pioneer settlers. He took up a tract of land in Wayne county, which he cleared and developed, con- verting it into a valuable and well improved farm,
and this property has since remained in possession of the family. Here was reared Charles E. Rogers, who is its present owner. This farm lies very near the city of Detroit, heing situated but a mile north of the junction of Grand River avenue with Seven-Mile road, and is a place of historic interest, for upon it stands the first brick house erected in Wayne county. In this house occurred the birth of Charles T. Rogers, the father of the subject of this review, and he passed away in April, 1921, at the age of seventy-seven years.
Charles E. Rogers was born September 14, 1867, and after laying aside his textbooks he entered the dairy business in association with his father. So successful were they in this enterprise that they de- cided to expand the scope of their activities by engag- ing in the manufacture of milk-condensing machinery. With the passing years the business has rapidly de- veloped until Charles E. Rogers is now the largest manufacturer of milk-condensing machinery in the United States, being assisted by his three sons, who are partners in the enterprise. He is a man of notable creative genius and recently invented and patented a machine for the manufacture of ice-cream bricks, this being the first successful device of this kind placed upon the market. This machine they also manu- facture and sell to the trade. In 1883 Mr. Rogers and his father became the pioneers in the manufacture of condensed milk in the state of Michigan, exhibiting the product at the exposition held at New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1884, and being awarded the first prize. During the World war he not only turned over his plant to the government but also rented five other plants, rendering valuable service to his country by his activity in the manufacture of brass and copper pipe for the Eagle submarine chasers constructed by Henry Ford. Mr. Rogers is a man of superior busi- ness ability and executive power and a splendid in- dustrial enterprise stands as a significant monument to what he has accomplished.
On the 21st of September, 1887, Charles E. Rogers was married to Miss Harriet I. Thornton, a daughter of Charles Monroe and Barridill (Tobey) Thornton of Oakland county, Michigan. Mrs. Rogers also comes from one of the real pioneer families of Michigan and was born on the farm, one mile north of North- ville, where her paternal grandfather, Charles Monroe Thornton, settled in 1827. Mr. and Mrs. Rogers have four sons: Charles A., who wedded Florence Mac- Diarmid and has three children, Charles A., Jr., Hester Florence and Roy; Elmer Donald, who wedded Miss Marjorie Howlett and has three sons, Elmer Donald, Jr., Arthur Albert and Robert; Roger Monroe, who married Miss Margaret Henning, by whom he has two children, Florence and Albert Monroe; and Rus- sell Howard. Roger M. Rogers, who was attending the University of Illinois at the time the United States entered the World war, was assigned by the secretary of war to the government desiccating plant, engaged in the manufacture of powdered soup for the army,
CHARLES E. ROGERS
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and acted as assistant to Professor Cross of Cornell University, while he also was attached to the Fifty- fifth Infantry of the Seventh Division. The three eldest sons of Mr. Rogers are all associated with their father in business.
Mr. Rogers, Sr., and his sons, Charles A., Elmer D. and Roger M., are thirty-second degree Masons, ex- emplifying in their daily lives the beneficent teachings of the craft. He possesses those qualities which make for leadership and his initiative spirit has led him into new and untried fields in which his efforts have been rewarded with a notable measure of success. He has made valuable contribution to the world's work and Detroit is proud to claim as one of her citizens a man of such distinguished ability. Mr. Rogers re- sides at 4818 Ivanhoe avenue.
ARTHUR JOHN SCULLY. A prominent figure in real estate circles of Detroit is Arthur John Scully, who is specializing in the handling of subdivisions and whose influence is one of broadening activity and strength in the field in which he operates. He established his present business in 1918 and has already won a liberal patronage, for he has made a thorough study of the work in which he is engaged, his close application, enterprise and spirit of deter- mination constituting potent factors in the attainment of his present success.
Mr. Scully was born April 6, 1884, in Dubois, Penn- sylvania, his parents being John and Mary (Coakley) Scully, both of whom are deceased. He acquired bis early education in the schools of Dunkirk, New York, after which he entered the University of Michigan, devoting a year to literary work. He then took up the study of law and won his LL. B. degree from that institution upon his graduation with the class of 1909. In June of that year he was admitted to the Michigan bar and in March, 19II, was admitted to practice at the bar of New York. For a time he resided in Dunkirk, New York, and then sought the opportunities of the west, going to San Diego, Cali- fornia, where from 1913 until 1917 he engaged in the real estate business. He then returned to the east and in 1917 came to Detroit, becoming assistant gen- eral manager for the Houseman-Spitzley Company, with whom he was identified for a year, after which he reentered the real estate field, in which he has con- tinued. He specializes in the development of sub- divisions and has been very successful in his operations along this line, transforming unsightly vacancies into fine residential districts. He handles Nottingham sub- division, of which he is one of the owners, and the Tannenholz Burke Avenue subdivision. Mr. Scully has recently purchased the Detroit Michigan National Guard Target Range from the United States govern- ment for a syndicate. This property is located north of Mack avenue, inside of the city limits and when subdivided will be one of the most desirable residen- tial subdivisions on the east side, as the property is
located adjoining and just 'north of Grosse Pointe. He also handles improved properties. During the past two years more than one hundred homes have been built in the Tannenholz Burke Avenue subdivision. There are also several new homes in process of construction in Nottingham subdivision and through his activities he is doing much toward solving the housing problem in Detroit.
Mr. Scully was united in marriage to Miss Luella Granger and they have one son, Frederick G. Scully. In his political views be is a republican and while residing in Dunkirk, New York, and in California, par- ticipated actively in political affairs but is now de- voting his entire attention to his extensive business interests. In religious faith he is a Catholic and he belongs to the Knights of Columbus. He is also iden- tified with the Oakland Hills Country Club, the Uni- versity Club and Sigma Phi, a college fraternity of the University of Michigan, and is a member of the Detroit Board of Commerce. He attacks everything with a contagious enthusiasm and the secret of his success lies in the fact that he has never been afraid of hard work. The methods which he has used have ever been of a constructive character and he is con- tributing in substantial measure to the improvement and development of Detroit through his activities in the real estate field. He is a man of firm purpose and marked strength of character and wherever known he commands the highest respect of his business associates and those whom he meets in personal relations. Mr. Scully resides at 202 McLean avenue, Highland Park.
WILLIAM I. WHITNEY, secretary and treasurer of the Dr. Reed Cushion Shoe Company, has attained a foremost position in retail shoe circles in Detroit. Mr. Whitney was born in Hudson, Michigan, November 24, 1883, a son of Charles C. and Mehitable (Swaney) Whitney, both of whom are natives of this state. The father became a banker at Hudson, Michigan, and at the present time is an official in the Thompson Savings Bank at that place.
William I. Whitney received his early education in the public and high schools of his native town and on leaving Hudson he came to Detroit, where he com- pleted his education in the Detroit Business University. He then entered the employ of the Dr. Reed Cushion Shoe Company as bookkeeper and salesman. Eventu- ally he became a stockholder in the business, was later elected secretary and treasurer and since that time has been one of the capable officials. His business career has been marked by a sincere courtesy which is ever an important business asset and which has gained for him a wide and favorable acquaintance. The company employs fourteen salespeople in its estab- lishment and carries a full line of the famous Dr. Reed cushion shoe, which is noted for its comfort and durability. The trade is steadily growing and the success of the house is due in no small measure to the efforts of Mr. Whitney, who is well known in
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trade circles as a member of the Detroit Shoe Dealers Association. Mr. Whitney is secretary and treasurer of the Dr. Reed Cushion Shoe Company of Denver, Colorado, and president of the Dr. Reed Cushion Shoe Company of Toledo, Ohio.
On the 7th of July, 1917, Mr. Whitney was married to Miss Rhoda Buell of Detroit, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William E. Buell. Mr. Whitney is a thirty- second degree Mason, a Noble in Moslem Temple of the Mystic Shrine and is also a member of Detroit Commandery, No. 1, K. T. He likewise belongs to the Detroit Athletic Club, the Detroit Yacht Club and the Board of Commerce.
HARRY B. EARHART, president of the White Star Refining Company, is a prominent representative of Detroit's industrial and commercial interests. His administrative powers and well formulated plans have enabled him to develop one of the largest oil refining and distributing companies in this section of the country and an important factor in the city's splendid industrial growth. Mr. Earhart is a native of Penn- sylvania, his birth having occurred at Worthington, on the 21st of December, 1870. His parents, Joseph and Margaret (Boyd) Earhart, were also natives of the Keystone state and for many years the father has been recognized as one of the leading business men and valued citizens of Worthington. Eleven children were born to their union and eight of the number are living, namely: Mrs. C. A. Cummings, a resident of Chicago, Illinois; Mrs. R. M. Hunter of Duluth, Min- nesota; Dr. Lyda B. Earhart, a member of the faculty of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Nebraska; Mrs. F. H. White, whose home is at Duluth, Minne- sota; Mrs. A. M. McCollough, of Butler, Pennsylvania; Gertrude Earhart, a resident of Bellingham, Wash- ington; Frances Earhart of Duluth, Minnesota; and Harry B., the subject of this review.
The last named attended the schools of his native town to the age of seventeen years, when he started out in life for himself, going to Duluth, Minnesota, where he became connected with the vessel business. Later he went to Chicago, Illinois, where he continued his vessel interests and on disposing of his business in that city he came to Detroit, arriving here in 1904. He was connected with various lines of activity until 1911, when he became president of the White Star Refining Company. At that time the enterprise was a small one, having made but little progress since its organization, but under the able direction of Mr. Ear- hart it has enjoyed a remarkably rapid growth, oil stations now being maintained throughout the city and state, while a large refinery has been established at Woodriver, Illinois, on the Mississippi river, opposite St. Louis, Missouri. Their private tank car line of one million gallons capacity is operated between the re- finery and stations, to transport petroleum products. Mr. Earhart also owns valuable oil leases in Kentucky and Louisiana He keeps in close touch with what
is being done in all departments and has succeeded in maintaining a high degree of efficiency in the operation of the business, which has become extensive and im- portant.
In Detroit, on the 2d of April, 1901, was solemnized the marriage of Harry B. Earhart and Miss Carrie Beal, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Beal of this city. They have become the parents of four chil- dren: Margaret, who is a student at Vassar; Louise, who is also at Vassar; Richard, who was born in Evanston in 1904 and is pursuing his studies in a school at Wallingford, Connecticut; and Elizabeth, who is a student in the schools of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Mr. Earhart is the owner of a beautiful home at Ann Arbor, coming into the city each day to transact business. He is devoted to the welfare of his wife and children, finding his greatest happiness in the midst of his family. His political allegiance is given to the republican party, and that he is not unmindful of his moral obligations is indicated by his member- ship in the Central Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is a trustee. He is deeply interested in all that has to do with public progress or the uplift of the individual and for the past seven years has been vice president of the Young Men's Christian Asso- ciation of Detroit, doing valuable and important work in that connection. He is a prominent member of the Detroit Board of Commerce and the Michigan Manu- facturers Association and through his connection with the Barton Hills Golf Club, the Detroit Athletic Club and the Detroit Boat Club he obtains relaxation from the cares of business. Fraternally he is identified with the Masons, belonging to Palestine Lodge, No. 357, F. & A. M., at Detroit and also to the Scottish Rite Consistory. A self-made man, he is essentially a mem- ber of the class of doers, gifted with initiative and quick resolve, and his influence is one of broadening activity and strength in the field in which he operates. His labors have ever been of a constructive character, contributing to public progress and prosperity as well as to individual success, and he ranks with Detroit's strong and able business men.
WILLIAM F. G. ROSS, local manager for the firm of Marwick, Mitchell & Company, accountants and auditors, which is classed with the leading accountants of the state of Michigan and is of international repute, was born in Leith, Scotland, September 24, 1890, and is a son of Alexander Aiken and Agnes (Mochrie) Ross. He attended the public schools and also the University of Glasgow, in which he took up the study of law. He became an associate accountant with Kerr, Andersons & McLeod, chartered account- ants of Glasgow, and remained with them for about six and a half years. In 1914 he came to America and settled in Chicago, becoming an accountant with Marwick, Mitchell & Company in that city. In 1916 Mr. Ross opened the Detroit office for the firm. The
HARRY B. EARHART
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Detroit office acts as accountants for the city of Detroit and for many of the largest corporations op- erating here. The firm of Marwick, Mitchell & Com- pany supplied the statistics in the arbitration affairs between the Grand Trunk Railway and the Canadian government.
In 1914 Mr. Ross was united in marriage in Glas- gow, Scotland, to Miss Martha Clark Robertson and they have one son, George Henry Robertson, born in Detroit, April 4, 1918.
Aside from being a chartered accountant of Scot- land, registered in the state of Michigan, Mr. Ross is a member of the American Institute of Accountants, the Michigan Society of Certified Public Accountants, the Institute of Accountants and Actuaries in Glasgow and other societies of similar character. He also be- longs to the Detroit Athletic Club, to the Birmingham Golf Club, to the Board of Commerce, to the Credit Men's Association and to the Birmingham Presby- terian church.
COLONEL GEORGE H. WEBB, to whose engineer- ing skill and ability the fine Michigan Central sta- tion largely stands as a monument, was born in Dubuque, Iowa, March 5, 1860, and was a son of George and Emma (Alder) Webb, who were natives of Pennsylvania and pioneer settlers of Iowa. The father was a government engineer, who, after spend- ing some time in the middle west, returned to Waynes- port, Pennsylvania, and later lived in Pittsburgh, where he was the manager of the Pennsylvania Railway lines in charge of the western division and also chief engi- neer of the lines. He died in Pennsylvania in 1883 and his wife passed away in Bethlehem, that state, in 1899. In their family were six children, of whom George H. was the second in order of birth.
Colonel George H. Webb attended the public schools of Pittsburgh and also the Pennsylvania Military College, from which he was graduated on the 10th of June, 1880, with the degree of Civil Engineer. After leaving college he became connected with various railroads from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from Canada to Mexico. In 1889 he went to Chile, Sonth America, where he built a railroad for the govern- ment, spending two years in its construction. In 1891 he went to Peru and was there chief engineer on a construction of the Summit Division through the main range of the Andes, building the highest railroad in the world, reaching an altitude of fifteen thousand, six hundred and fifty-seven feet. The obstacles en- countered in the construction of this road were among the most trying that any engineer has had to face in railroad building, and the accomplishment of the project will remain for all time a remarkable achieve- ment in railroad construction. This road was known as the F. C. Central Railway of Peru and is now called the Royal Railroad, being owned by British interests. Colonel Webb later returned to the United States and entered upon the private practice of his
profession, which he followed for several years and then from 1897 until 1903 was a representative of different roads throughout the country. In January, 1903, he became division engineer for the Michigan Central Railway and in November of the same year was made assistant chief engineer, while on the 1st of January, 1905, he was advanced to the position of chief engineer, with entire charge in this department. In the meantime he was given the construction and location for the new Michigan Central station in De- troit. He planned and finished the depot and yards and this task has also become known throughont the engineering world as a notable feat. In June, 1917, Colonel Webb asked for his release, so as to be able to assist the government in work necessary in the winning of the war. He was made lieutenant-colonel of the Sixteenth Engineers and in 1918 was promoted to the rank of colonel of his regiment. This depart- ment of service was invaluable in connection with the prosecution of the war and the record of the Six- teeuth Engineers will go down in history as one of the greatest in point of valor and achievement of any of the nnits which aided in winning victory for the forces which were fighting for democracy. Colonel Webb was in constant service for twenty-one months and had charge of an entire section, constructing one hundred and seventy-five miles of railroad from central France to the border of Switzerland. After his task was accomplished he returned to America and was honorably discharged on the 16th of May, 1919. He was accorded high honors by the government and by the United States congress, in recognition of the valuable service which he had rendered. He has a wide and well merited reputation today, in engi- neering circles throughout the world. He was a mem- ber of the Detroit Engineering Society, the American Railway Engineers Association and the American So- ciety of Civil Engineers. He was awarded the dis- tinguished service medal of the United States and was decorated by the President of France with the order of the Black Star and the Legion of Honor.
On the 18th of January, 1905, Colonel Webb was married to Miss Jessie I. Lawrence of Chicago, daugh- ter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Lawrence. On the 21st of May, 1907, in Detroit, his wife passed away. Colonel Webb was a member of the Detroit Board of Com- merce and was keenly interested in all that pertained to the city's growth and welfare. He was also an active member of the Episcopal church and his life, by reason of his personal characteristics, as well as his professional ability, was one that gained him esteem and honor all the way. He passed away No- vember 3, 1921, at Newton Lower Falls, near Boston, Massachusetts.
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