USA > Michigan > Wayne County > Detroit > The city of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922, Vol. IV > Part 94
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ANDREW BAIRD. The vital industrial spirit that pervades the Michigan metropolis is definitely per- sonified in the vice president of the W. J. Baird Machinery Company and the Baird Machine & Manu- facturing Company, the headquarters of which are maintained at the corner of Jefferson avenue and Brush street. As vice president of these substantial in- dustrial corporations Andrew Baird is consistently to be classified among the representative business men of the younger generation in Detroit. He was born at Galt, Province of Ontario, Canada, Decem- ber 9, 1882, and his parents, Crawford and Agnes (Jardine) Baird were born and reared in Scotland, whence they immigrated to Canada about the year
LEWIS A. KOEPFGEN
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1879, their home being now in the city of Detroit, further record concerning them being given on another page of this work, in the personal sketch of their son, William J., president of the W. J. Baird Machin- ery Company.
Andrew Baird profited by the advantages not only of the public schools of his native city but also those of the night school conducted under the auspices of the Young Men's Christian Association at Galt. In the meanwhile he had initiated an apprenticeship to the machinist's trade, and after completing his apprenticeship he followed his trade in the operation of woodworking machinery and served as stationary engineer in his native province until 1909, when he came to Detroit and became associated with his elder brother, William J. Baird, in the organization of the W. J. Baird Machinery Company and the Baird Machine & Manufacturing Company, of both of which corporations he is now vice president and to the upbuilding of the substantial business of which he has contributed most effectively.
At Galt, Ontario, on the 20th of December, 1905, Mr. Baird was united in marriage to Miss Mabel C. Cole, whose parents William and Christine Cole, now reside in Detroit. Mrs. Baird was summoned to the life eternal on the 15th of May, 1920, and is sur- vived by two children: Dalziel J., born in 1910; and Doris C., born in 1916.
Mr. Baird has won many friends in the representa- tive business and social circles of Detroit, is an active member of the Detroit Board of Commerce and the Michigan Manufacturers Association, is in- dependent in politics, is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, in the Scottish Rite, and holds member- ship in the Felloweraft Club.
FREDERICK E. MeCAIN of Detroit, attorney and certified public accountant, was born October 21, 1875, in the city which is still his home, his parents being Edmund S. and Ann J. (Ferguson) McCain. His parents, both of whom have passed away, were natives of the state of New York.
Frederick E. MeCain obtained a publie school edu- cation and· received his pharmaceutical degree from the Detroit College of Medicine in 1898. Changing his plans concerning a professional career, however, he took up the study of law in the Detroit College of Law and won the LL. B. degree upon graduation with the class of 1908. The same year he was admitted to the bar and has since engaged in general practice, while since 1909 he has been well known in the busi- ness circles of the city as a certified public accountant. For ten years he followed the pharmaceutical trade and he was also at one time cashier for the Standard Accident Insurance Company, which he represented for five years. He has specialized in commercial law, developing marked skill in that direction, and his knowledge of that department of jurisprudence has
been of much assistance to him as he has met various firms in the relation of public accountant.
On the 12th of November, 1916, Mr. MeCain was married to Miss Alice G. Love of Detroit, daughter of William Love, deceased, and they have two children: Margaret Ann, who was born July 14, 1918; and Winifred Alice, born December 15, 1919. The religious faith of the family is that of the Christian Science church. He is now a special lecturer at the Y. M. C. A. in connection with the pharmaceutical course and he belongs to the State Pharmaceutical Asso- ciation. He is likewise a member of the Michigan Academy of Science and of the Detroit Institute of Science, the Detroit Athletic Club and the Detroit Automobile Club, and thus his interests are broad and varied, keeping him in touch with many lines of activity and a factor in many fields of usefulness.
HARRY E. FEARL, one of the organizers of the Motor Finance Corporation and for some time pre- vious a member of the firm of Horton & Fearl, dealers in used automobiles in Detroit, came to this city in 1916. He was born in Burlington, Kansas, and spent his youthful days in the Sunflower state, pursuing his education in the schools of Hutchinson. He afterward learned the jeweler's trade and was engaged in the jewelry business in Hutchinson, Kan- sas, for a period of four years. He later went to New Mexico and afterward to California and in both states continued his connection with the jewelry business. He traveled on the road as manufacturers' agent for a merchandise brokerage house of San Fran- cisco for a period of two years and then returned to Kansas, where he again engaged in the jewelry trade for a year.
It was in 1916 that Mr. Fearl took up his abode in Detroit and at once became associated with Maurice W. Fox as a salesman, thus entering into active con- nection with the automobile business. He afterward became manager of the service department of the same house and in October, 1919, he formed a part- nership with Donald D. Horton and established the present business under the name of Horton & Fearl at No. 156 East Milwaukee street. This firm is engaged in dealing in used cars, making a specialty of the Ford car but also handling all makes. Recently they organized the Motor Finance Corporation which han- dles automobile notes. The officers of the company are: Alonzo P. Ewing, president; Peter M. Ditzler, vice president; and Harry E. Fearl, secretary and treasurer.
In 1917 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Fearl and Miss Grace Scoresby. Mr. Fearl belongs to the Board of Commerce of Detroit and is interested in the plans and purposes of that organization for the benefit and upbuilding of the city. He finds his rec- reation in fishing. He indicates something of his Irish ancestry in his versatility, but for several gen- erations in both the paternal and maternal lines his ancestors have lived in America and he prides himself
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upon this fact. He is a typical young American busi- ness man, full of enterprise and determination and dis- playing in all that he undertakes pronounced busi- ness ability.
HENRY VINCENT UPINGTON, who acts as state manager for the Fidelity & Casualty Company of New York, his headquarters being in Detroit, has devoted many years to insurance interests and is one of the best known men in this line of activity in Michigan. He was born in Cork, Ireland, November 14, 1874, a son of Samuel Fleming and Mary (Lambkin) Uping- ton and a nephew of the late Sir Thomas Upington, who served as prime minister of Cape Colony, Africa. His education was acquired in private schools of Lon- don, England, and in St. George's College at Wey- bridge, England, and in 1888, when fourteen years of age, he came to the United States, becoming con- nected with an insurance agency at New Rochelle, New York. In 1898 he associated himself with the Fidelity & Casualty Company of New York and is now manager for that corporation in the state of Michigan, with offices in Detroit. He devotes his entire time and attention to his duties in this con- nection and has succeeded in building up a large business for the company in this district. He has had broad experience along insurance lines and in the conduct of the interests intrusted to his care is proving energetic and capable, his services being very valuable to the corporation which he represents.
In religious faith Mr. Upington is a Catholic and his interest in the welfare and development of De- troit is indicated by his membership in the Board of Commerce. He is a member of the Michigan Casualty Underwriters Association, of which he is serving as president; is chairman of the board of the Plate Glass Underwriters Association; and a member of the exec- utive committee of the Insurance Exchange of De- troit. He is well known in social circles of the city as a member of the Players and the Detroit Athletic Clubs. During the World war he was a member of the British Recruiting Commission in Detroit and also served as a lieutenant in connection with the promo- tion of the various Liberty Loan drives. His close application to his business, his tireless energy and his thorough study of insurance matters have brought him to the front in his chosen line of work. His life has ever been actuated by high and honorable prin- ciples and he is loyal to all those interests which make for honorable manhood and progressive citizenship.
JAMES K. NICHOLS, attorney at law and member of the firm of Routier & Nichols, was born at Ionia, Michigan, September 15, 1890, his parents being George E. and Harriet M. (Kennedy) Nichols, the for- mer a native of Grand Ledge, Michigan, while the latter was born in Ionia, this state. The father be- came a prominent member of the Michigan bar,
practicing at Ionia under the firm style of Nichols & Locke. His wife is also living.
James K. Nichols, their only child, attended Olivet College, from which he was graduated with the Bach- elor of Arts degree in 1912, and then entered the University of Chicago, winning his Ph. B. degree in 1913. He next entered the University of Michigan for the study of law and gained his LL. B. degree in 1916. He began practice in association with his father at Ionia, Michigan, under the firm style of Nichols & Nichols, and thus continued until April, 1917, when he enlisted in the United States service at Camp Custer. He was later transferred to the Forty-ninth Field Artillery and was commissioned a second lieutenant in October, 1918, at Camp Taylor. On his discharge from the army he was appointed assistant prosecuting attorney at Detroit, where he continued from January 1, 1919, until April, 1920, and during that time he had charge of the recorder's court. It was on the 1st of January, 1920, that the present firm of Routier & Nichols was formed and already they have become splendidly established as a leading and dependable law firm with large prac- tice of an important character. Mr. Nichols is also one of the directors of the Michigan Auto Insurance Company of Grand Rapids.
On the 6th of May, 1917, occurred the marriage of James K. Nichols and Miss Kathleen B. Everitt, of Detroit, sister of Byron F. Everitt. They have one child, George E. Nichols (II), born March 6, 1920. Mr. Nichols turns for recreation to various outdoor sports and this has led to his membership in the Grosse Ile Golf Club, the Detroit Athletic Club and the Aviation Country Club. He is likewise well known in fraternal circles, having membership with the Masons, the Knights of Pythias, the Elks and the Odd Fellows, while along strictly professional lines his connection is with the Detroit and Michigan Bar Associations.
HAROLD O. MILLER, secretary of the Harry Brothers Manufacturing Company of Detroit, has been a resident of this city for more than two decades but is a native of Toledo, Ohio, where his birth occurred. In his boyhood days the family home was established in Wisconsin, where he attended the public schools, and in 1900 he removed to Detroit, initiating his business career in this city as a clerk in the offices of W. H. Hill & Company, with whom he remained for two years. He was afterward with the Standard Pearl Button Company for a time and then became connected with the Detroit Heating & Lighting Com- pany. In 1905 he joined the Harry Brothers Manu- facturing Company and in various positions acquainted himself with the trade in every particular. He won steady advancement by reason of his capability, fidel- ity and increasing efficiency and since 1913 he has been the secretary of the company.
Mr. Miller is a son of Wesley and Clara (Griffith)
HENRY V. UPINGTON
Vol. IV-52
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Miller and is descended from English ancestry in both the paternal and maternal lines. He wedded Mary Kenny and they have become parents of two children, Thomas Ormond and Ethel Louise. Politi- eally Mr. Miller is a republican and fraternally he is a Mason, belonging to Kilwinning Lodge, F. & A. M .; King Cyrus Chapter, R. A. M .; and Detroit Commandery, No. 1, K. T. He is also connected with several other fraternities and with the Detroit Boat Club, and his personality has won him popularity in the social circles in which he moves. His progres- siveness and capability in business are manifest in the constant promotions which have come to him and which have brought him to a place of executive leadership in the business circles of Detroit.
WALTER S. CONELY, president of the Graham Printing Company of Detroit, was born in this city March 26, 1873, a son of William B. and Anna (McCol- Ium) Conely, whose family numbered two children, the daughter being Catherine C. The ancestral line is traced back to the old Halsey family of England, but the ancestors have been represented in this coun- try for several generations. William B. Conely, father of Walter S. Conely, came to Michigan in 1837 and to Detroit in 1870. He was an artist of considerable prominence and died in 1911. His widow survives and has recently celebrated her eighty-first birthday.
Walter S. Conely was a pupil in the public and high schools of Detroit and his first business experience came to him in connection with real estate interests. He remained in that field, however, for only about a year and a half and next entered the employ of the William Graham Printing Company, with which he has been identified for the past twenty-seven years. His original position was that of bookkeeper, carrying with it a salary of eight dollars per week. He was not afraid to work, however, nor was he afraid of giving his employer a greater service than he was paid for and thus he won promotion through his faithfulness, cap- ability and diligence. In 1900 he was made secretary of the company and in 1915 was advanced to the posi- tion of manager, while in 1918 he became vice presi- dent and general manager. In January, 1921, he was elected president, treasurer and general manager and is now the chief executive of the business, which is today one of the important interests of this kind in Detroit, with offices at 460 West Larned street, where more than thirty-five people are employed in various capacities. The new office building at the corner of Larned and Second streets has more than twelve thou- sand square feet of floor space. The Graham Print- ing Company conducts a general printing business and has built up a most enviable reputation for the quality of work and the character of service rendered the public, a reputation surpassed by no concern of this kind in the city. Mr. Conely has confined his business chiefly to Detroit, where he enjoys an ex- tensive patronage that includes a large number of
the leading commercial firms and individuals of the city. All work is done under Mr. Conely's supervision and he maintains the highest standards in everything turned ont.
On the 5th of June, 1905, Mr. Conely was married to Miss Helen Merriam and they have become parents of two children: Kenneth R., born in 1906; and Jean Elizabeth, born in 1909. The parents are members of the Christian Science' church and politically Mr. Conely is a republican. He is identified with Masonry as a member of Zion Lodge, F. & A. M., and has at- tained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite in the Michigan Sovereign Consistory. He likewise belongs to the Credit Men's Association, to the Board of Commerce, to the Detroit Auto Club, to the Caravan Club, to the Ingleside Club, the Detroit Yacht Club and the Exchange Club. His acceptance into the mem- bership of these different organizations indicates his pleasing social qualities, his geniality and his un- feigned cordiality. He has been a lifelong resident of Detroit and his entire record is a credit to the city which numbers him among her native sous. '
JOSEPH T. SCHLACKS is the vice president and general manager of the MeCord Manufacturing Com- pany of Detroit, with which business he has been iden- tified since 1912. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, July 19, 1869, his parents being Henry and Christina Schlacks. He pursued his education in the grammar schools of his native city and afterward spent six months as a student in the University of Illinois. He entered upon his business career as a machinist apprentice with the Illinois Central Railroad Com- pany at Chicago and afterward was advanced to the position of draftsman, remaining continuously with that corporation until 1890, save for the six months' period in which he was a student in the Illinois Uni- versity. On attaining his majority he was appointed assistant foreman of the roundhouse and shops at Champaign, Illinois, for the Illinois Central Railroad, there continuing until 1891. In the latter year he went to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as a machinist with the Westinghouse Electric Manufacturing Company and spent five months in that city. Later he crossed the Atlantic and was in Germany and Austria as representative for the Siemens & Halske Electric Com- pany, studying railway signal apparatus. After his return to the United States in July, 1893, he repre- sented the same concern at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
Early in 1894 Mr. Schlacks resigned his position with the Siemens & Halske Electric Company and entered into association with the Knowles & Blake Pump Company as a salesman. In December of the same year, however, he gave up that position ou ac- count of illness and in July, 1895, he became general manager of the Freeport General Electric Company at Freeport, Illinois, where he remained until March 1, 1898, when he was appointed assistant general mana-
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ger of the Miller & Sibley Mining & Smelting Company at Topia, Durango, Mexico. He retained this position until July, 1900, when he was appointed master mechanic for the Rio Grande Western Railway at Helper, Utah, where he continued until January 31, 1902. He next joined the Fitz-Hugh, Luther Company of Chicago as inspector and two years thereafter was elected second vice president, with office in New York. He so served until July 1, 1912, when he resigned and was elected vice president and manager of the MeCord Manufacturing Company of Detroit. This company was established as a branch of the Chicago company of the same name. In 1908 it was incorporated as a separate concern and business was begun in Detroit on the 1st of January, 1909. Mr. Schlacks entered into active connection therewith in 1912. Up to this time there was no head of the plant at Detroit, the business being directed from the Chicago office. Mr. Schlacks, through the intervening period of eight years, has remained as vice president and general manager, the company being engaged in making automobile radia- tors and copper clad gaskets for autos and for all purposes. The firm also manufactures railway car window fixtures, force-feed lubricators and other spe- cialties and the business has become one of gratifying proportions.
At Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, January 25, 1899, Mr. Sehlaeks was married to Miss Bertha Ann Redfearn. They have four children, namely: Charles Henry, Josephine Redfearn, Joseph Theodore, Jr., and Albert Redfearn. Mr. Schlacks belongs to the Detroit Club, Detroit Athletic Club, Freeport Club, the Catholic Club of New York and the Oakland Hills Country Club. His experiences along lines of mechanical industry have been wide and varied and in the school of ex- perience he has learned valuable lessons which, put to the practical test, have gained him advancement to a point where his business ability is widely recognized.
CHARLES J. MERBACH. While the spirit of de- mocracy tolerates no titles and no pretensions to super- iority in America, there is one class of men who always command the respect of their fellows and who are deserving of the highest commendation. This is the self-made man who owes his advancement to individual effort intelligently directed-the man who promotes his fortunes through constructive methods and never wins his successes at the price of other men's fail- ures. Such a man was Charles J. Merbach, who, prompted by a laudable ambition in early manhood, started out to win victory and who became one of the most prominent shoe merchants of Detroit, while many accorded him the place of leadership in his chosen line. Moreover, his course was ever such as to win the respect and confidence of his fellowmen and Detroit numbered him among her representative citizens. Mr. Merbach was a native of Wisconsin, his birth having occurred in Portage City, March 15, 1859. He was one of a family of three children born
to Charles J. and Elenore (Wackershausen) Merbach. The father conducted a prosperous business as a gen- eral merchant at Portage City, Wisconsin, to the time of his death, which occurred in the year 1859. His widow long survived him, passing away in Detroit in 1893.
Charles J. Merbach was a small boy when he came to Detroit. He completed his education at the Barstow school and in youug manhood he made his initial step in business as an employe of the well known firm of Boothroyd & Gibbs. From the beginning he was actuated by a laudable ambition to progress. He felt that he was responsible for his own fortunes and he recognized the fact that energy and determina- tion are an excellent foundation upon which to build prosperity. Accordingly he used every legitimate ad- vantage for the attainment of his ends, and as the architect of his own fortunes he builded wisely and well. He became connected with the shoe trade when he entered the store of C. R. Mabley at the age of nineteen years and in time became assistant mana- ger in the store, in which he continued for a period of several years. He then became connected with the firm of Bracy, Diehl & Company, photographers, with whom he was associated for a year and in January, 1891, embarked in business independently at No. 122 Gratiot avenue, where he remained for eighteen years or until he retired in December, 1909. He steadily advanced by reason of his close study of market con- ditions and his thorough understanding of the demands of the trade, coupled with earnest desire to please his patrons. His business grew year by year and in time assumed extensive proportions, making his one of the leading shoe houses of the city. He carried a large and fine stock of shoes and received his pat- ronage from many of Detroit's best families. After retiring from the shoe business Mr. Merbach devoted his attention to real estate interests. In 1905 he and Mrs. Merbach completed the erection of the Mer- bach apartments at John R and Erskine streets, which they later disposed of. In 1913 the Carola Apartment hotel was erected by them and for nearly two years they conducted this hotel after it was opened. This property is still owned by the family.
On the 16th of September, 1884, Mr. Merbach was united in marriage to Miss Rosa Schmidt, a daughter of John G. Schmidt of Detroit. Mrs. Merbach is a woman of unusual business ability and her aid and counsel were no small factors in the business success of her husband. They became parents of one daughter, Mrs. Lola Merbach Hamilton. The family circle was broken when on the 5th of May, 1920, Mr. Merbach passed away. Mrs. Merbach is a member of the Uni- versalist church, in which Mr. Merbach also held membership, and she and her daughter are members of the Twentieth Century Club of Detroit and Tuesday Musicale Club, while Mrs. Hamilton belongs to the Woman's Historical Club and Mrs. Merbach is a past matron of Detroit Chapter of the Eastern Star. Mrs.
CHARLES J. MERBACH
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Merbach is a member of the Past Matrons Club of Detroit Chapter of the Eastern Star and also belongs to the Wimodausis Association.
In politics Mr. Merbach was a stanch republican, giving earnest support to the party, and he was one of the prominent Masous of the city, holding mem- bership in Kilwinning Lodge, F. & A. M .; King Cyrus Chapter, R. A. M .; Detroit Commandery, No. 1, K. T .; and the Michigan Sovereign Consistory. He also be- longed to Moslem Temple and to the Masonic Country Club and he had the warmest friendship of his Masonic brethren. His life measured up to the highest stand- ards and can well serve as a source of inspiration and encouragement to others, showing what can be accom- plished in the way of upbuilding business and of de- veloping character.
GEORGE G. EPSTEAN, operating in real estate circles in Detroit, was born September 21, 1874, in the city which is still his home, his parents, Isaac and Bloome Epstean, locating in Detroit in the late '50s. The father, who devoted many years to mer- cantile pursuits in Detroit, died in 1879. His widow survives and is yet living in Detroit.
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