Page 409-410
James PHILLIPS. Among the citizens of St. Joseph County who in years gone by have materially aided it growth and added to its prosperity, the gentleman whose name is at the head of this sketch occupies no means position, and we are pleased to be able to present a brief record of his life to the readers of this volume. He is now living in honorable retirement in pleasant home in Sturgis, having by the quiet force of persistent effort, directed to duty, gained a well-deserved competency, so that he can now pass his declining years free from the cares and toils that best his early manhood. He is still the possessor, however, of a farm, which, with its well tilled acres, neat buildings, and other valuable improvements, is considered one of the finest pieces of property within a radius of many miles.
Mr. PHILLIPS has been a resident of St. Joseph County for over fifty years, and it has been his privilege to watch the great change that has been brought about since, when a lad of thirteen or fourteen years, he came here with his parents. Michigan had that year been admitted into the Union as a State, but the greater part of it was still an unreclaimed wilderness, as the people were but beginning to dimly comprehend the vastness of the many and varied resources of the State, although there had been settlements made on her borders more than a century, yea, more than a century and a half before, the first permanent settlement being made at Sault St. Marie in 1688. But as late as the first quarter of the present century it was the confirmed belief that the interior of the State was a vast swamp, this belief being supported by the geographers of the day and by the Government surveyors who had penetrated to primeval forest to survey bounty lands for the soldiers of the Union. This had so retarded emigration to this fair and goodly country that when our subject came here the gigantic task of clearing away the forest, draining the swamps and cultivating the wild prairies, found here and there, had but scarce begun. It required the Herculean labors of brawny, brave, stout-hearted pioneers to subdue the powerful forces of Nature in the wilderness. As a result of their work and that of their successors Southern Michigan can now boast of as fine and productive farms as can be found in the Union, and her commerce and manufactures in her thriving towns and prosperous cities as flourishing as in other States.
Our subject may well be proud that he has had a hand in developing the agricultural resources which form so important a source of the wealth of the State of his adoption. He has also been conspicuously identified with the civic life of his township, having served as Township Treasurer for two years, as School Director for some years, and as School Assess or for nine years. He is a quiet, unassuming man, whose downright honest and simplicity of character, combined with shrewd common sense and good business qualifications, render him thoroughly respected by all with whom he comes in contact. He is a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity, and has taken the ninth degree, that of Knight Templar.
He of whom we write was born in Ulster County, N. Y., Jan. 7, 1823. His father, Elijah PHILLIPS, was a native of the same State, and was there reared and married, Catherine HOGAN, a native of New York, becoming his wife. To them were born seven children, three of whom are living, namely: James, Hiram and Margaret. In 1837 Mr. PHILLIPS came to Michigan with his family, traveling on the Erie Canal to Buffalo, when they embarked on a lake steamer for Toledo. There the father bought two yoke of oxen, and with the household goods started for his destination in his county, passing through the famous Cottonwood Swamp. That was before the days of macadamized roads, and the poorly constructed highways were almost impassable, it requiring three days to get through the swamp. The women came on the primitive railway that extended between Toledo and Adrian, the cars being drawn by horses, and from the latter city they came to St. Joseph County by stage. Mr. PHILLIPS purchased wild land in this township, six miles west of Sturgis, and in the pioneer home that he established there our subject grew to stalwart manhood. He received his education in a subscription school that was taught in a log cabin, with slab seats, and a board on pins against the wall for a desk.
January 1, 1851, Mr. PHILLIPS and Mary BROWN united their lives for better or for worse. She was a daughter of Archibald BROWN, and was born in New York, in 1826. Her parents came to Michigan in 1835, and were early pioneers of this county, settling first in Burr Oak Township, and the next year coming to this township. The union of our subject and his wife proved a happy one, and it has been blessed by the birth of three children, two of whom are living, Archibald and Mary J. Archibald married Adda HANER, a daughter of Lewis HANER, of White Township, and to them three children have been born: Homer, Virgil and Edna. Mary J. married Herbert B. HENRY, of this township, and they have three children: James, Catharine and Mary.
Page 411
Nelson I. TOBEY, a druggist of Sturgis, is a fine representative of the young businessmen of St. Joseph County, native and to the manner born, who are fast stepping to the front to take an active part in sustaining and extending the extensive commercial interests of Southern Michigan. He is a worthy descendant of an old pioneer family of this county, his grandfather, Bracy TOBEY, having been an early settler in this part of Michigan, and taken an active part in its development.
The parents of our subject were William and Augusta (SANBORN) TOBEY, natives of Schenectady, N. Y., and Vermont. When the father of our subject was fourteen years old he accompanied his parents to their new home in the wilds of Southern Michigan, and here, amid the exigencies of the pioneer life that prevailed in those early days of the settlement of St. Joseph County, he grew to manhood. He married Augusta SANBORN, daughter of Gideon and Jane SANBORN, and they began their wedded life in Burr Oak Township. Some years later moved with his family into Sturgis.
Nelson TOBEY was born in Burr Oak Township, May 7, 1861, and when in his seventh year came to Sturgis to make his home with his grandfather TOBEY, that he might attend the city schools, where he gleaned a substantial education, as he was a bright, intelligent lad. He began his career as a druggist in the store of Mr. Anthony, for whom he clerked a period of six months. He is subsequently clerked in Hibbard’s drug store for seven years, and became thoroughly familiar with the drug business in all its details, and is a first-class pharmaceutist in all that name implies. In September, 1885, Mr. TOBEY established himself in his present business. He has a neat and pleasant store, well fitted up, and carried a full line of drugs, medicines, paints, oils and a general line of sundries, having a capital stock of $1,800, and his annual sales amounting to $4,000, he having quite an extensive and prosperous trade.
Mr. TOBEY was married, April 14, 1882, to Miss Clara B., daughter of the late Malachi and Sarah (WILLIAMS) ROAT. She was born in this county. She has become the mother of two children, Alta and Teddy. Our subject is a young man of good personal habits and of high character, and his tactful and gentlemanly manners have won him a large degree of popularity. He pays strict attention to his business, and his long experience in that line has given him an enviable knowledge of the drugs that he dispenses and of their various uses, so that his customers patronize him with the utmost confidence. Mr. TOBEY is identified with the Knights of Pythias as a prominent member of the order.
Page 411-412
Irving J. GOODENOW, the enterprising editor and proprietor of the White Pigeon Journal, was born in Henrietta, Monroe, Co., N. Y., April 10, 1850, where he resided and received his education. He was graduated from the Academic Institute at LeRoy, N. Y., in June, 1868, after which he engaged in printing and publishing in Holly, Mich. This business he has since followed. He was foreman in the Daily Democrat office in Grand Rapids for several years. When he left that position he went to Marlette, Sanilac County, and purchased the Index, which he remodeled, and changed the name to that of the Marlette Leader, which he published for four years, and made it one of the leading papers of that section of the State.
His venture here proving successful our subject disposed of his business, and in the spring of 1884 he went to Cedar Springs, Kent County, and was employed in the office of the Clipper until September, 1888, when he came to White Pigeon and purchased the Jounral, which he is now publishing. It is an eight-column folio, and is one of the most spicy and well edited newspapers of the many published in the county. He enjoys a liberal share of advertising patronage, and has a very large and increasing paid subscription list. The editorials in the paper are always short and direct, having for their subject the current events of the day. The editor is a level-headed, clear-thinking individual, and his paper has a great influence on all questions of public and vital interest.
This gentleman was married to Alice A. SMITH, Feb. 22, 1871. She is the daughter of Elijah SMITH who is now deceased. They have become the parents of four children: Fannie, Ralph, Maud and Harold. They are very bright and intelligent and are a source of much comfort to their parents. They are attending the schools of their native town, laying a foundation for acquiring such knowledge as will make them useful member of society.
The subject of our sketch has never sought any public office, preferring to wield any political influence that he might possess through the columns of his paper, the circulation of which would allow him to reach every week the hearts and minds of his many intelligent readers. He was a delegate to the Republican State Convention which met in Lansing in 1882. He is an honored member of the I. O. O. F., and is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Page 412-413
Tindil H. CALAM, a member of the firm of Wells & Calam, dry goods merchants of Constantine Village, is a man whose business ability has given him prominence in mercantile and financial circles in St. Joseph County, and rendered him no unimportant factor in its material prosperity.
Our subject was born in Yorkshire, England, July 20, 1826, being the eldest of the four children of John and Mary (HARWOOD) CALAM. They were lifelong residents of Yorkshire, where his father carried on the trade of butcher. Much of the earlier life of our subject was spent with his grandparents on a farm until he was fourteen years old, when he was apprenticed for six years to a shoemaker to learn the trade. After the completion of his term of apprenticeship he followed that vocation for a year and a half in his native land, but in the early part of 1850 the course of his life changed, he having determined to seek a new home in the United States, and crossed the Atlantic for that purpose. After his arrival in this country he made his way to Sturgis, Mich., and was engaged by his uncle to work on a farm. Two years later he abandoned farm work to resume his trade, and building a small shoe-shop in Sturgis, he was actively engaged in making shoes there for about two years. He then came to Constantine and established himself here as a manufacturer of boots and shoes, and built up quite an extensive trade, sometimes employing as many as ten hands to fill his orders. He continued in that line of business until the winter of 1861, when he formed a partnership with John M. Wells, and they have since continued together in the mercantile business. They have a commodious, neat and well-arranged store, do a large business, and are prospering financially. Mr. CALAM was appointed Postmaster of Constantine July 29, 1867, and held that office until April, 1886, when he was succeeded by the present incumbent, E. J. Heimbach. Prior to his appointment his partner had been Postmaster for several years, but during that time Mr. CALAM discharged the duties as deputy, making more than a quarter of a century in all in which the office was under his management. While holding that office our subject discharged its duties with a faithfulness and efficiency that made him popular with the people. In politics he is a true Republican, and has taken quite an active part in party affairs. He was formerly a member of the Reformed Church, and since its consolidation with the Presbyterian and the change of name to the Congregational, he has been identified with that. He is entitled in the fullest degree to the respect and confidence of his fellowmen, as his character is without blemish, and his life is guided by upright motives. He early displayed the tact, keen sagacity, and prompt business habits that have made him so successful in his mercantile career, and has placed himself among the most prosperous and well-to-do citizens of Constantine Village.
Mr. CALAM has been three times married. He was first wedded in Florence Township, St. Joseph County, to Miss Ann, daughter of the late Robert SHELLCOCK. She was born in Constantine, and her death occurred in that village Jan. 2, 1864. She bore him five children, of whom Robert F. and Charles E. are the only ones now living. Those deceased are Mary and Annie, who died young, and John M., who died at the age of twenty-seven. Mr. CALAM’s second wife, whose maiden name was Martha J. METCALF, died in Constantine. He was again married in this village, Miss Lizzie WACHTENHAUSER becoming his wife, and she still presides over his pleasant home, making it comfortable and attractive.
Page 413-414
George W. MOAK. Although not having a place among the old time settlers of the town of White Pigeon, this gentleman takes an important position in the business circles of the town, where he has large business interest. He is one of the promoters and active managers of the Cyclone Fanning Mill Company, one of the thriving and growing business enterprises in the southern part of the State. He is at present one of the foreman in the factory.
Our subject is a native of the town of Sharon, Schoharie Co. N. Y., where he was born Sept. 18, 1844. Both his parents, John and Nancy (MERENESS) MOAK, were natives of the same county. He is one of a family of seven children, five of whom are living, namely: George W., our subject; Jacob, John, Abram and Nancy M. One son, Nicholas, died in the army during the Rebellion. He was married and left a wife and five children. The brother David was killed on the Albany & Susquehanna Railroad. He was deaf, having lost his hearing while in the Union Army, during the late war. He lost his life by stepping from one track of the road, to get out of the way of an approaching train, directly in front of one approaching from the opposite direction, and was run over and killed.
The education obtained by the subject of this sketch was in common schools, in which he availed himself of every advantage offered, and acquired habits of study and observation, which he exercises daily. He came to White Pigeon in 1866, where he has lived continuously, except the years between 1867 and 1872, which he spent in Berrien County, Mich. He is a carpenter, and he followed that occupation until October, 1886, when he engaged in his present business. The factory operated by the Fanning Mill Company is well equipped with the latest improved labor saving devices, including one single-surfacer, a band-saw, mortising-machine, rowting-machine sticker, and with a full complement of rip and cut-off saws. The power is supplied by a 20 horse power Ames engine. The mechanical perfection of the mill manufactured is due to a large extent, to the knowledge possessed and applied by our subject. It is designed to be simple, and at the same time substantially constructed, that it may be able to withstand the rough usage often subjected to in the hands of the farmers.
Mr. MOAK was married to Louisa GEIST, Nov. 8, 1868. She is a daughter of Thomas GEIST. Her father is now deceased. They are the parents of five children, four of whom are living: Charlie, Vina, Mety and Frank. The deceased child was a son, Pearl, who died at the age of five years. The domestic life of this gentleman is exceptionally happy, and with their four children about them, the parents have one of the most pleasant and agreeable home circles in the neighborhood.
The subject of this sketch was a soldier in the late war. He enlisted in Company E., 153rd New York Infantry, in which he served two years, and participated in the battles fought during the historical Red River expedition, and in the Shenandoah Valley, Va., as well as many of the smaller skirmishes. He was not wounded in any of them, but was sick in the hospital for five months. He was honorably discharged, and is now an active member of the G. A. R. Post at White Pigeon; he is also associated with the A. F. & A. M.
Our subject is one of those men who have from earliest boyhood earned their living by the labor of their hands. In this case he has performed his part of life nobly. As a carpenter and builder he has, by attention and study of the many mechanical principles connected with his calling, mastered the profession in all its details. He considered that anything worth doing at all was worth doing well, and when engaged upon any work he devoted his entire time and attention to its successful completion, and labored both mentally and physically to attain that result. As a consequence there is no one in the vicinity who has better knowledge or a m ore thorough understanding of the trade, and has a better reputation as a mechanic than our subject. The business in which he is now interested is destined to make him one of the wealthy and financially solid men of the county. His residence is in a neat and tasty building located on East Chicago street. He affiliates with the Republican party.
Page 414-415
David P. HAMILTON. While traveling through St. Joseph County the biographical writers of this Album but few active business men who were born natives of the county. A large majority of those who today are tilling the soil and raising stock or engaged in business or commercial enterprises, or members of the professions, were born without the borders of the county. Among this number is the subject of our sketch, who is now one of the leading and enterprising men of White Pigeon, where he owns and operates one of the finest flouring-mills in the State. He was born in Cumberland County, Pa., Jan. 10, 1828. His parents migrated to Ohio in 1835, our subject accompanying them. They settled in Fairfield County, in that State, where David was reared and received his education. While a resident of this county he learned the carpenter and joiner trade, which he followed for eleven years. In 1847 he went to Vicksburg, Miss., where he worked a short time. He also visited Louisiana, in which State he passed one year.
At the expiration of that time our subject returned to Fairfield County for a short visit. He then went to Columbus, Ohio, where he remained six months. In December, 1848, he went to St. Mary’s, Ohio, where he followed his trade until 1855, in which year he engaged in milling. He pursued this business until 1860, when he moved to South Bend, Ind., where he bought an interest in the Harper flouring-mill, which he held until 1862, in which year he came to White Pigeon, Mich., and in company with John H. Keedy he build the mill he now owns. He retained his interest in the South Bend Mill until 1865, when he disposed of it and concentrated his interests in their present shape. There had been a mill on the site now occupied by his property, which had been burned.
Our subject purchased his partner Keedy’s interest in this mill in 1865, which he still owns and operates. The system employed in the mill is the full roller process, which was put in operation in 1883. Water supplies the motive power, which is brought to mill through a race three-fourths of a mile in length. At all seasons of the year he has six feet head, the power of which is transmitted to the mill by means of a modern turbine wheel. The mill is capable of producing 150 barrels of flour every twenty-four hours. The product of the mill is of the very best quality, and commands the highest price in the markets where it is sold.
Mr. HAMILTON was married, May 19, 1853, to Catherine BECHDOLDT. She was born in Auglaize County, Ohio, and died July 2, 1866. She was the mother of four children: Robert J., Mary and Alice are living; and Frank died at the age of eight years. Our subject married Miss Mary E. SALYER Oct. 20, 1870. She died Dec. 24, 1884. She was the daughter of George Z. SALYER, who is now deceased.
In the spring of 1857 our subject went to Lawrence, Kan., leaving his family in St. Mary Mary’s, Ohio. He remained there until August of the same year, when he returned to Ohio, and in the spring of 1858 he went back to Lawrence and from there to Denver, Col., in August of the same year in the winter of which the city of Denver was located. In October following he returned to St. Mary’s, where he remained until he secured his business interests in South Bend, Ind. His daughter Mary is married to Elliot O. GROSVENOR, and now resides in Monroe, Mich., and is the mother of one child; Ira RUFUS.
Our subject is the son of Samuel HAMILTON, who was a native of Cumberland County, Pa.; he is now deceased. His paternal grandfather, George, was born in Scotland and served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War. Mr. HAMILTON’s mother was Mary (WEAVER) HAMILTON. She was also a native of Cumberland County. The parents reared a family of eight children, six of whom are living, namely: David, our subject; Margaret, Eliza, Voctorine, Robert J. and Angustus. The second son, John, was drowned in the canal in Licking County, Ohio, in 1857, at the age of twenty-five years; while filling the lock he fell into the water and was drowned before he could be rescued, and the son George W. was drowned at Tecumseh, Mich., in the Raisin River, in June, 1874. HE was fifty-four years old. He lost his life while taking some timbers out of the whirlpool at their mill dam.
Mr. HAMILTON takes a first place among the many prominent citizens of the locality where he lives, and during his long and eventful business career he has ever strictly observed that most important factor in the successful public or business life of any, honesty. He combines strictness of moral principles with energy and decision of character. He is a careful, conscientious business man, ever adhering to the dictates of his conscience, in matters both of public and private nature; he has made profitable investments, become interested in remunerative enterprises, and has won honorable success in business, and secured a competence as the product of personal industry and good judgement, put forth in a field wisely selected. In politics he is devoted to the Republican party.
Page 415-416
Eri C. WHEELER. Among the many prosperous and successful business men of White Pigeon, who have, through their own efforts and the exercise of economy and energy, accumulated a competency, is the gentleman whose name heads this sketch. He is now engaged in business as a general merchant, in the conduct of which he exercises a rare degree of business shrewdness and a complete knowledge of all its details. He was born in New Hampshire, March 8, 1841, and is the son of George WHEELER, a native of Goffstown, N. H., where his birth also occurred in 1809. His father is now deceased.
Our subject attended the common schools of the community where he lived, and laid the foundation for the rich store of knowledge he now possesses. Although never attending any college, he has, by his experience and observation, added to his ever increasing stock of information, until he is now one of the best informed men in the town where he lives. At the age of twenty-three he entered into the business of railroading, which he followed continuously for eighteen years. The last fifteen years of his service was as a locomotive engineer on the L. S. & M. S. R. R., whose service he entered Sept. 1, 1867, and which he left Aug. 31, 1882. Two years prior to his leaving the road he opened a store in White Pigeon, devoted to the millinery and fancy goods trade, which was looked after and successfully managed by his wife. In 1882 he left the railroad service and opened a dry-goods and grocery store making the millinery store a department in the new venture, of which his wife still has charge. They have a capital of about $12,000 invested, and their annual sales will amount to $25,000 or over. They employ one clerk steadily, and a portion of the time the services of two are necessary.
Mr. and Mrs. WHEELER were married June 6, 1867. Her maiden name was Julia M. SMITH; she is a daughter of Henry SMITH. Her father was a soldier in the Union Army during the Rebellion. He is now dead. The couple have no children, but have adopted a boy, Charles, who is now twelve years old, a remarkably bright, intelligent lad.
Whatever Mr. WHEELER does he does with all the energy of which he is capable, thinking that what ever is worth doing at all is worth doing well. The economical disposition he possesses is shown by the fact that when he began railroading he had comparatively nothing, and now, by his efforts and the valuable assistance of his wife, they carry a fine stock of goods and do a business, the sales from which amount high up into the thousands of dollars annually. While employed on the railroad he was one of the leading men in his profession, and stood high in the estimation of the officials of the road. He endeavored, by leading the life of sobriety and devoting his attention closely to his business, to merit a continuance of this feeling toward him, and succeeded in doing so to his fullest expectation.
From the nature of his calling in years past Mr. WHEELER acquired habits of regularity and close attention to his work, which he has brought with him into his new business, and it is these that contribute so largely to his present successful career. The part that his good wife had taken in the past should not be overlooked, but full credit be given her for her devotion and tact shown by conducting the first business started in the able manner in which she did. They are both generous, public spirited, and take a prominent place in the social life of White Pigeon.
Page 416
Solomon Diltz FLOWERS, manufacturer and dealer in boots and shoes, carries on quite an extensive business in that line in Sturgis, and is numbered among the wide-awake and prosperous citizens of this town. His wife assists him in the business, and has charge of a hair department in connection with the neatly arranged, commodious store.
Mr. FLOWERS was born Oct. 12, 1847, in Champaign County, Ohio, his birthplace being eleven miles west of Urbana, the county seat. His parents, William T. and Sarah (MARTINDALE) FLOWERS, were natives respectively of Ohio and Greencastle, Ind., his father having been born near the city of Dayton. He is now deceased, but the mother of our subject is still living, and makes her home in this town. They were the parents of five children, three of whom are living; George, William and our subject, and all reside in Sturgis.
Solomon FLOWERS was brought up and educated in his native county, in the town of St. Paris, to which his parents removed when he was a small child. His father was a shoemaker, and he learned the trade of him when a boy, and has always followed it. He came to Sturgis in 1868, and has since lived there. He began life for himself in 1872, establishing himself in his present business. He carries a full line of boots, shoes, gaiters, slippers, etc., having a stock of $1,500, and an annual business of $2,000 or more. Besides making shoes himself he keeps three hands at work, as he has a demand for all that he can manufacture. He also makes for the trade all kinds of boot, shoe and gaiter uppers.
Mr. FLOWERS was united in marriage to Mary K. WAIT, May 31, 1874. She is a daughter of Hiram B. WAIT, a resident of Point View, Pawnee Co., Kan. She was born near Saratoga, in Balston Spa, N. Y. As before stated, Mrs. FLOWERS assists her husband in his business; she is a woman of more than average capacity, and her husband is much indebted to her for her valuable aid in bringing about his prosperity. They are esteemed members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and are active workers in every good cause that interests this community, among which is the Y. M. C. A., of which he is an active member.
Mr. FLOWERS is emphatically a self-made man, as he began life with no other capital than industrious habits, good business principles, a through knowledge of his trade, and a steady determination to succeed. It is therefore more to his credit that, notwithstanding the reverse he has met he is now in comfortable circumstances, although he has not yet reached the meridian of life. He has a profitable business, and his credit is good in financial circles.
Page 416-417
Merritt WEMPLE. The history of any locality or place is nothing but the biographies of the lives of the people making it their home. The history of White Pigeon would not be complete should we overlook the life of the gentleman whose name heads this sketch, who claims the town as his home, and where he is engaged in business, operating a general provision and meat market. This he conducts in a very quiet, unostentatious manner, which is peculiar to the individual.
This gentleman was born in Mendon, Monroe Co., N. Y., near Rochester, Feb. 28, 1833. He lived in his native place, attending school and working at various avocations until 1854, in which year he came to Michigan, and settled in Van Buren County, on a farm twelve miles west of Kalamazoo. He prospered in this undertaking, and in the year 1868 he disposed of his interests, and established his present business, where he has since lived, excepting one year (1873) which he spent in Chicago.
Mr. WEMPLE is the son of Garrett B. WEMPLE, who was a native of Dutchess County, N. Y. He was a sailor and mate on the Great Lakes, and the St. Lawrence River. The grandfather was a native of Holland. The mother of our subject was Dorcas IRWIN; she was born in the town of Mendon, N. Y. The subject of this sketch was married, April 29, 1865, to Sarah J. HARRISON. This lady was born in Sackett’s Harbor, Jefferson Co., N. Y.; she was the daughter of Alanson HARRISON, who is now deceased. He was a native of Jefferson County, N. Y., where he followed the trade of a stone-cutter. The years of her girlhood were spent on a farm. Her mother was Nellie LUNO; she was born in Jefferson County, N. Y., of German ancestry. This lady is a devout member of the Presbyterian Church; she blends her Christian belief intimately with her everyday life, and is a model woman and wife.
The subject of this sketch is a very quiet, unassuming man, seeking to avoid notoriety or public attention. He is singularly modest and retiring in his disposition, although genial in address and generous to a fault, and his friends are as numerous as his acquaintances. He is very enterprising, and takes a leading part in all matters calculated to advance the best interests of the community. In politics he acts with the Republican party.
Page 417- 418
Henry L. ANTHONY, the popular druggist of Sturgis, is one of its leading citizens, and is identified with many of its varied interests. He has a fine military record, and although a youth when he enlisted, attaining his majority about the close of the war, his loyalty and devotion to the stars and strips, his courage, efficiency, and other soldiery qualities in the face of danger on many a hard-fought battle-field, won him the commendations of his superiors, and raised him from the ranks through the various grades of noncommissioned offices to the position of Second Lieutenant.
Our subject derives his descent from an old New England family, who were pioneers of Rhode Island, coming to that State from England very early in Colonial days. Mr. ANTHONY is himself a native-born citizen of this State, his birth having taken place in Calhoun County, Nov. 9, 1844. The same pioneer spirit that actuated the original ancestor of our subject to cross the ocean in those far-off days must have descended from father to son for some generations, as some progenitor of our subject must have settled in New York State in an early day, David ANTHONY, father of our subject, having been born there, and he, in his turn, became the pioneer of the still newer State of Michigan. He had been married in his native State to Cynthia MAYNARD, likewise of New York birth, and to them were born five children, three of whom are living, namely: Emma and Oscar, on the home place in Kalamazoo County, and our subject. The father has attained the advance age of seventy-nine years.
While the war was raging our subject enlisted, spite of his youth, becoming a member of Company A, 7th Michigan Cavalry, and served faithfully the interests of his country on South battle-fields three years and three months, and took an active part in nearly all the battles fought by the Army of the Potomac in that time, except during the summer of 1864, when he was on detached service, having been partly disabled by a wound. He was wounded twice, once in the hip, which disabled him for six months. He enlisted as a private, and passed through all the non-commissioned offices, and Sept. 17, 1863, was commissioned Second Lieutenant. His regiment composed a part of the famous cavalry brigade commanded by the late Gen. George A. Custer.
In the fall of 1866 Mr. ANTHONY came to Sturgis, where he has since lived. His first employment here was that of teaching penmanship and bookkeeping in the Sturgis Business College, after which for nearly four years he was a clerk and book-keeper in the dry-goods store of Herbert Bros. In November, 1873, he established his present business, and has since followed it. He carries a full line of drugs, medicines, paints, oils, druggists’ sundries, fancy goods, etc., carrying a stock of $5,000, and having an annual sale of $10,000. His establishment is finely and tastefully fitted up, and as he sells none but the best and purest drugs, medicines, etc., he has a large patronage.
The marriage of Mr. ANTHONY and Miss Louisa PINNEY was solemnized Oct. 14, 1876. They have one child, Ethel, born Feb. 6, 1886. Mrs. ANTHONY was born Feb. 1, 1852, at DeKalb, St. Lawrence Co., N.Y. She too is of New England parentage, her ancestors being of Scotch descent, and coming to this country very early in its history. Her father, S. R. PINNEY, died at Ames, Kan., Aug. 17, 1879, at the age of seventy-one years.
Our subject has taken an active interest in the administration of local affairs, his cool judgment, clear intellect, superior education and practical sagacity, eminently fitting him for civic life. He was a member of the Town Council for four years, and Township Clerk for the same length of time. He is a valued member of the G. A. R., and is prominently identified with the Masonic fraternity, holding the office of Grand Junior Warden of the Grand Commandery of the State of Michigan, and he has filled all the chairs of the subordinate lodges except that of the Worship Master of the Blue Lodge. Mr. ANTHONY is president of the electric light plant of Sturgis. He has always been identified with the business interests of his adopted town, being a recognized leader in every measure looking to its material growth and prosperity giving generously of his means for the upbuilding of every enterprise for the benefit of the village, and thereby adding to its already increasing prosperity.
Page 418-419
Daniel BERGER, undertaker, of Sturgis, is a well-known and highly honored citizen of St. Joseph County, of which he has been a resident for a quarter of a century. He comes of good old Pennsylvania stock, and is himself a native of the Keystone State, born in Luzerne County, Feb. 4, 1835. His father, Charles BERGER, at present a resident of Tama County, Iowa, was likewise a native of that county, having been born there in June, 1801. He married Catherine KESTER, who was born in Luzerne County, Pa. In 1838 he removed with his family to Delaware County, Ohio, and for a few years cast in his lot with the early pioneers of that part of the Buckeye State. In 1851 he again took up the westward march, and crossing the border into Indiana, settled in Steuben County on a farm, and was actively and prosperously engaged in agricultural pursuits there.
He of whom we write was scarcely three years of age when his parents moved from his birthplace to the wilds of Ohio, and eleven years had passed over his head when they took up their residence in Indiana. He there grew to a strong and vigorous manhood on his father’s farm, and received a good practical training in agricultural labors when not attending the public schools, where he obtained his education. After the breaking out of the late war he joined a regiment, Company A., 29th Indiana Infantry, and for thirteen months was patriotically engaged in fighting his country’s battles. At the age of twenty-four he had acquired the carpenter’s trade, spending a year in Butler, Ind. In the fall of 1864 he came to Sturgis, where he has since made his home. He established himself in the undertaking and furniture business in this town Oct. 16, 1880, and in the latter line did quite an extensive and flourishing business until he sold that branch to Frank H. Church, in September, 1888, and now devotes his entire attention to the undertaking, he doing about all the business in that line in Sturgis and vicinity. He owns and runs a fine hearse in connection with his establishment, and by the exercise of energy, ability and natural shrewdness, he has placed himself among the substantial citizens of the county.
Our subject has been twice married. Dec. 28, 1853, he was united to Ann GUNN, daughter of Morrison GUNN, of Steuben County, Ind., and to them two children were born: Eva E. and Bertha A. After a brief but pleasant married life, the amiable wife of our subject’s early years passed away from the scenes of earth, in January, 1856. Mr. BERGER’s marriage to his present estimable wife occurred Feb. 1, 1864. She was formerly Olive C. ELDRIDGE, daughter of John G. ELDRIDGE, of Sturgis, and she was born in 1845 in Cleveland, Ohio. Mr. BERGER not only has a fine residence but an attractive and cheerful home, rendered so by the present courtesy of the host and hostess, and the truly hospitable welcome extended to whomsoever crosses its threshold, whether they be high or low degree.
Mr. BERGER is a man of unimpeachable integrity, who has always led a strictly upright moral life. He is sound Christian and a valued member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is a man of much social importance in this community, and is a member of the G. A. R., the I. O. O. F., and also of the Masonic fraternity. In politics he is a stanch Republican, firmly believing that the policy of that party is the best for the guidance of National affairs.
Page 419-420
Dr. Samuel B. FOLLETT, who is a practicing physician of the Old School and a graduate of Geneva College, N. Y., has for many years labored among the people of Sturgis, where he has built up a large and lucrative business, and is held in warm regard by the people of his community. A native of the Empire State, he was born in Roxbury, Delaware County, Nov. 6, 1827, and is the son of William and Sybil (BLACKMAN) FOLLETT, who were natives of the same State as their son. The family is of English origin, and the father of our subject a farmer by occupation. The parents spent their last years in New York State.
The subject of this sketch was reared a farmer’s boy, and pursued his first studies in the district school. Later he attended Bethany Academy. He entered upon the study of medicine under the instruction of Dr. Street, of Roxbury, with whom he remained three years. After this he became a student of Geneva Medical College, from which he was graduated with first honors about 1853. He entered upon the practice of his profession at Bloomville, N. Y., where he labored successfully for about three years, then, in 1856, coming to Michigan, located in the then unpretentious little village of Sturgis. He had been married, Oct. 13, 1853, to Miss Almeda C. WHITE. This lady was born in Bloomville, N. Y., March 2, 1835, and continued the loving and affectionate companion of our subject for a period of nearly twenty-seven years. She passed away at her home in Sturgis, Aug. 14, 1880. She was a lady of fine intelligence and much culture, well educated, having completed her studies at the academy at Delhi, N. Y. Of this union there had been born two children: Charles S., March 4, 1856, and who died at the age of six years, Jan. 20, 1863; and Edwin W., born Sept. 23, 1863, who is still living, a regular graduated pharmacist, located now in Chesterton, Ind. Mrs. Almeda FOLLETT had for many years been a prominent light in the Methodist Episcopal Church, and was warmly devoted to the service of the Master. Her parents were natives of New York State, and her father, Shadrach WHITE, was a member of a prominent family of that name there.
Dr. FOLLETT, on the 10th of November, 1881, contracted a second matrimonial alliance, with Mrs. Mary E. (OSBORNE) WILLIAMS, who was born in Sturgis, Mich., April 1, 1842. Her parents were Edward and Sarah I. (ELLIS) OSBORNE, natives of Genesee County, N. Y., the father being a farmer by occupation and a dealer in produce for many years. He was born Feb. 5, 1817, and his wife, Sarah I., Jan. 19, 1821. They were married in St. Joseph County, this State, March 22, 1838. Edward OSBORNE departed this life Dec. 14, 1873. His wife had preceded him to the better land, her death occurring March 11, 1868. They were the parents of ten children, three of whom died in infancy. They were named respectively: Sophia C., Mary E., Electa M., Charles W., Charles E., Caroline, Milton E., Theodore S., Ella L. and Reuben C. Mary E. was first married Oct. 4, 1860, to Spencer WILLIAMS, and they became the parents of three children, of whom Edward E. died in childhood; John J. married Miss Nina DRAKE, and is living in Sturgis, Mich.; Lois E. is unmarried, and remains with her mother. Spencer WILLIAMS was born in Ohio, in March, 1834, and died at his home in Sturgis, in 1876. Mrs. FOLLETT received a careful home training and a good education in the common schools, completing her studies at Kalamazoo. She was a most excellent lady, and a conscientious member of the Baptist Church.
Dr. FOLLETT soon after coming here was recognized as a valued addition to the community, and in 1858 was elected a Justice of Peace, which office he held by successive re-elections for a period of twelve years. He served as Supervisor of Sturgis Township four terms, and was a member of the committee of investigation appointed to look into the acts of the defaulting County Treasurer, there being discovered a deficiency of $2,000. During this time also he superintended the laying out of the new cemetery, which is now one of the most beautiful burial places in the county. For two terms he has been President of the Village Board, and has exerted his influence in the establishment of the electric light and other improvements connected with his village. In the City Council he has been foremost in the encouragement of the establishment and maintenance of schools, and every other enterprise calculated for the advancement of the people, morally and socially. Although no politician, he takes a genuine interest in matters connected with National and State Government, and upholds zealously the principles of the Republican party.
In 1874 Dr. FOLLETT was appointed Mail Agent of the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad, a position which he has occupied for a period of fifteen years, and in which he has made a fine record for good judgement, skill and ability. Socially, he belongs to the Masonic fraternity. His pleasant and comfortable home is located on Maple avenue, and is replete with all that makes life comfortable and desirable.
Page 420-421
Charles R. HOLMES, a retired farmer of Constantine Village, was one of St. Joseph County’s pioneers in the early days of its settlement, coming here in the summer of 1834, and thus for fifty-five years it has been his privilege to watch and aid its development from the wilderness to its present advanced state of civilization and material prosperity. He was at first identified with its industrial interests as a carpenter, and the chair and cabinet shop that he opened later must have been among the first manufacturing establishments in the county. In 1841 or 1842 he connected himself with the farming interests of the county, and for many years took an active part in their advancement and sustenance. He still owns a large and valuable farm of 380 acres on Pigeon Prairie, from the rental of which he derives a good income.
Our subject was born in the town of Cambria, Niagara Co., N. Y., Aug. 1, 1821, being the third child in the family of ten children belonging to John and Betsey (STROUSE) HOLMES, who were also natives of New York, and his father was born in Niagara County. After marriage they first settled in Lockport, but subsequently removed to Cambria. In 1824, with their little children, they left their native State, and making their way to Ohio, settled in the wilds of what is now Lucas County to found a new home, and there those worthy people passed the remainder of their lives.
Charles R. HOLMES was but two or three years of age when his parents left the comforts of their home in New York to battle with the hardships of life in a new and sparsely settled, forest covered region, and amid the pioneer scenes and surroundings of their dwelling-place in the years that followed he grew to be stalwart, self-reliant, courageous youth, and starting out early in life to make his own way in the world, the summer of 1836 found him across the borders in this State. He came to White Pigeon, and at first worked at carpentering, as before mentioned and afterward established himself in business as a chair and cabinet maker. For five or six years he was very profitably engaged at that, and then became a farmer. In time he, by assiduous and well-directed labor, developed a fine farm on Pigeon Prairie. In the fall of 1872, though not yet past middle age, he had accumulated a sufficient store of wealth to warrant his taking life easier, and he retired to the pretty village of Constantine, of which he has ever since been a valued resident.
The marriage of our subject to Miss Mary COATS took place on Pigeon Prairie, Nov. 10, 1842. She was a daughter of John and Ellen (ROMANS) COATS, who were among the earliest pioneers of Pigeon Prairie, entering land there in 1829. They built up a comfortable home in which they spent the remainder of their lives. They had eight children, of whom Mrs. HOLMES was the fourth, her birth taking place in Yorkshire, England, Sept. 17, 1816. She was an earnest and faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and the life that closed Dec. 17, 1880, numbering sixty-four years and three months, was well spent and full of all things that go to make a good woman in the fullest sense, and her memory will be cherished by her relatives, friends and neighbors. Of her union with our subject six children were born: John C., who died July 30, 1879; Elizabeth, the wife of Franklin CASEMAN, living on her father’s farm in Florence Township; Julia R., who died when a year and a half old; Harriet L., who died in infancy; Adella and Adelbert, who died young. John C. had been married, Miss Julia LAFLER becoming his wife May 27, 1872, and of their marriage two children were born, Lillie L. and Charles W., the boy dying when nine years of age. His widow and their child make their home with his father.
Mr. HOLMES is an unassuming, practical man, who is no less respected as a citizen than as a pioneer, and he has always displayed, both in public and in private life, those traits of character that make a true and honest gentleman, and his fellow-citizen have shown their confidence in his sterling worth and capacity by electing him at different times to various civic offices. In him the Democratic party finds one of its staunchest supporters.
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