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A 


Twentieth  Century  History 


OF 


Cass  County,  Michigan, 


L.  H.  GLOVER, 

Secretary  Cass  County  Pioneers'  Association, 
EDITOR. 


ILLUSTRATED. 


THE  LEWIS  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

CHICAGO      ::      NEW    YORK 

1906 


PREFACE. 


The  History  of  Cass  County  has  been  completed  after  more  than 
a  year  of  unremitting  effort  on  the  part  of  the  pubhshers  and  the  editor 
and  his  staff.  That  the  work  will  bear  the  critical  inspection  of  the 
many  persons  into  whose  hands  it  will  come,  and  that  it  measures  up  to 
the  highest  standards  of  modern  book-making,  the  Publishers  con- 
fidently believe.  Also,  through  the  diligent  co-operation  of  Mr.  Glover, 
the  editor,  the  history  has  become  a  record  of  enduring  value  and 
dignity. 

It  is  not  the  purpose  of  the  Publishers  to  delay  the  readers  with 
a  long  preface.  It  is  sufficient  to  acknowledge  their  indebtedness  to 
many  who  have  contributed  of  personal  knowledge,  of  time  and  patience 
in  their  cordial  endeavors  to  preserve  and  extend  the  fund  of  historical 
knowledge  concerning  Cass  County.  It  would  be  impossible  to  mention 
the  names  of  all  who  have  thus  assisted  in  making  this  work.  Yet 
we  cannot  omit  mention  of  the  assistance  rendered  by  the  county  of- 
ficials, especially  County  Clerk  Rinehart,  Judge  Des  Voignes,  Register 
of  Deeds  Jones,  County  Treasurer  Card,  County  Commissioner  of 
Schools  Hale.  Naturally  the  newspapers  of  the  county  have  been  drawn 
upon,  and  Mr.  Allison  of  the  National  Democrat^  Mr.  Berkey  of  the 
Vigilant,  Mr.  Moon  of  the  Herald,  have  never  failed  to  supply  us  with 
exact  information  or  further  our  quest  in  some  helpful  way.  These  and 
many   others   have  helped   to   compile   a   trustworthy  history  of   Cass 

County. 

THE  PUBLISHERS. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER.  I. 
Description ,. . .       i 

CHAPTER  II. 
Origfinal   Inhabitants    . .  .  .  . . 14 

CHAPTER  III. 
The  County's  Southern  Boundary 22 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Early  Settlement   ..... . . . 37 

CHAPTER  V. 
"Pioneers  of  Cass  County" 53 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Organization 91 

CHAPTER  VII. 
Growth  and  Development .,  loi 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Centers  of  Population , .1. ,. .    119 

CHAPTER  IX. 
Cassopolis    . .,. . . .  .  .1. .  . .  . ., ,. .,. . . ... .  . . . ... ..........    142 

CHAPTER  X. 
City  of  Dowagiac   ,.  .1. . . ....    154 

CHAPTER  XL 
Communication  and  Transportation  . .  . , 163 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Industries  and  Finance 1. .,. ., 180 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
Agriculture    ,. • •  ■  •. .    198 


VI  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
Court  House  and  Other  County  Institutions , , 207 

CHAFI^ER  XV. 
Education  in  State  and  County ., ,. . ,. ... . .   215 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
City  and  Village  Schools , ,. .  . .,. .,. .  . .,.  ...... .   228 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
Libraries ,..,.., . . . ... . . .   244 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
The  Cass  County  Press ...  ... ... .  . . .  .1 ,. ... . . ... .   249 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
Medicine  and  Surgery 257 

CHAPTER  XX. 
Cass  County  Bar . .....   270 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
Cass  County  the  Home  of  the  Races ,. 284 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
Military  Records ....... 297 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
Military  Organizations    . .  . ., . ... ... .. ., .,  329 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
Social  Organization .1. . . . . .. 334 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
Cass  County  Pioneer  Society .,. 349 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 
Religion  and  the  Churches 371 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 
Oiificial  Lists 389 


INDE^X. 


Abolitionists. — 54,   112,   290. 

Adams,    Sterling. — 124. 

Adamsport. —  (See  Adamsville.) 

Adamsville. — 109,  124,  125,  165,  186,  258. 

Agnew,  Hugh  E.— 253,  750. 

Agriculture. — 8,  198-206. 

Agricultural  Implements. — no,  iii,  190  et 

seq. ;  198  et  seq. 
Agricultural    Society,    Cass    County. — ^205, 

206. 
Aikin,    Charles   C. — 442. 
Air  Line  Rail  Road. — 129,  131,  136,  175  et 

seq. 
Akin,  Perry. — 448. 
Aldrich,  Levi. — 262. 
Allen,  Green. — 291. 
Allen,  Reuben. — 109. 
Allison,  C.  C— 250,  251,  255,  765. 
Amber  Club. — ^339. 
Amsden,  Charles  T. — 674. 
Anderson,  T.  W. — 265. 
Andrus,    Henry. — 255,   503. 
Ann  Arbor  Convention. — 35,  36. 
Anti-Horse  Thief  Society. — ^2oi5. 
Argus,  The.— 254,  255. 
Armstrong,  A.  N. — ^454. 
Arnold,   William.— 614. 
Atkinson,  John. — 655. 
Attorneys — (see  Lawyers)  prosecuting, 391. 
Atwell,'F.  J.— 276. 
Atwood,  Frank. — 197,  729. 
Atwood,  James. — 756. 
Atwood,  W.  H. — 159. 
Austin,  Edwin  N. — 594. 
Austin,  Jesse  H. — 522. 

Bacon,    Cyrus. — 93. 

Bacon,  Nathaniel. — 17. 

Bailey,  Arthur  E.— 565. 

Bair,  John. — 97,  116. 

Baker,  F.  H.— 193. 

Baker,  Nathan. — 129. 

Balch,  A.  C— 158. 

Bald  Hill.— 10. 

Baldwin,  John. — 50,  126. 

Baldwin,  William. — 135. 

Baldwin's  Prairie. — 7,  125. 

Ball,  C.  P.— 131. 

Banks. — 194-197. 

Banks,  Charles  G. — 772. 

Baptist  Churches. — 146,  378,  379,  380. 

Bar  Association. — 283. 

Bar,  Cass  County. — 270-283. 


Barney,  John  G.  A. — 372. 

Barnhart,   Andrew. — 661. 

Barnhart,  Peter. — 337. 

Barnum,  Edwin. — 139. 

Barren  Lake  Station. — 131. 

Beardsley,  Elam. — 116,  126;  Darius,  116. 

Beardsley,   Ezra. — 45,  49,  93,   109,   121. 

Beardsley,  Othni. — 95,  126,  186. 

Beardsley's  Prairie. — 7,  114,  115,  121,  374, 

381. 
Beckwith,  E.  W.— ^7. 
Beckwith  Memorial  Theatre. — ^247,  248. 
Beckwith,  Philo  D. — 161,  190  et  seq. ;  245, 

690. 
Becraft,  Julius  O.— 159,   191,  253,  745. 
Beebe,  Bruce. — 583. 
Beeman,  Alonzo  P. — 136,  476. 
Beeson,  Jacob. — 155,  156,  162. 
Beeson,  Jesse  G. — 108,  197. 
Bennett,    William    P. — 273. 
Benson,  Henry  C. — 599. 
Berkey,  W.  H.— 252. 
Berrien  County,  Attached  to  Cass. — 94. 
Bigelow,  Hervey. — 134. 
Big  Four  R.  R.— 177. 
Bilderback,  John.— 666. 
Birch  Lake.— 386. 
Bishop,  George  E. — 746. 
Black  Hawk  War.— 102,  107,  166,  170,  297. 
Blackman,  Daniel.— 146,  148,  274. 
Blacksmiths. — 184  et  passim. 
Blakeley,  T.  L.— 265. 
Blood,  J.  v.— 415. 
Bly,  Kenyon. — 760. 
Bogue,  Stephen.— 48,  49,  I3i»  289. 
Bogue,  William  E. — 709. 
Bonine,  E.  J.— 259. 
Bonine,  James  E.— 195,  386. 
Bonine,  Lot. — 510. 
Boundaries. — 22   et  seq. ;   of  Cass  county, 

92;  of  townships,  93  et  seq. 
Bowen,  Henry  H. — 566. 
Boyd,  James. — 184. 
Brady.— 141. 
Brick.— 13,  no. 
Bridge,  Leander.— 564. 
Brown,  David  and  William.— 128. 
Brown,  Jonathan. — 135. 
Brownsville.— 8,  128,     187. 
Buell,  B.  G.— 206. 
Bugbee,  Israel  G.— 262. 
Bulhand,  Dr.— 261. 
Bunn,   C.   W.— 291. 


Vlll 


INDEX 


Burney,  Thomas. — 137. 

Bushman,  Alexander. — 286. 

Business. —  (See  under  village  names.) 

Byrd,  Turner. — ^291. 

Byrnes,  Daniel  K.,  464. 

Calvin    Township. — 50,   96,    112,    113,   223, 

287-296;  2^77,  2>9^' 
Campbell,  Malcom  A. — y22. 
Canals.— 121,    172. 
Carey    Mission. — 11,    16-19,    40,    165,    185, 

372. 
Carnegie  Library. — 246. 
Carr,J.  R.— 278. 
Carr,  L.  J.— 332. 

Cass  County  Advocate. — 249,  250. 
Cass    County. — Formed,   92;     boundaries, 
92;  named,  92;  civil  organization,  92. 
Cass,  Gen.  Lewis. — 29,  92. 
Cassopolis.— 99,    103,    108;    142-153;    ^77, 

183,    184,    189,    228-231  ;    244,    374, 

375,  379,  382,  401,  402,  403- 
Cassopolis  Milling  Co. — 189. 
Cassopolis  Woman's  Club. — 338,  339. 
Catholic  Church.— 285,  371,  372,  2>72>' 
Caul,  Andrew  F. — ^455. 
Cavanaugh,  Lawrence. — ^47. 
Centers,   of    Population.— 119   et    seq. ;    in 

Volinia  township,  138. 
Chain  Lakes. — 8. 
Chapman,  Franklin. — ^479. 
Chapman,  H.  Sylvester. — 592. 
Chapman,  J.  B. — 153^ 
Charles,  Jacob.— 126,  138. 
Charleston.— 138,  337. 
"Charter  Citizens,"  of  Cassopolis. — 150. 
Cheesebrough,  Nicholas. — 155- 
Chicago  Road.— 8,  119,  120,  121,  124,  137, 

164,  166,  167. 
Chicago  Trail. — 164. 
Chicago  Treaty. — 19,  166. 
Chipman,  John  S. — 272. 
Chipman,  Joseph  N. — 272. 
Choate,  N.  F.— 193,  196. 
Christiann    Creek.— 7,    124,    128,    131,    132, 

186,  187. 
Christiann  Drainage  Basin. — 8. 
Churches.— 123,    125.      (See   under  names 

of   villages),    371-388. 
Circuit  Court. — 391. 
Circuit  Court  Commissioners. — ^391. 
(Tircuit  Judges. — 390. 
Civil  War. — 297  et  seq. 
Clark,  Geo.  Rogers. — 22. 
Clark,  Walter.— 540. 
Clarke,  J.  B.— 275. 
Clarke,  W.  E.— 263. 
Clendenen,    John.— 692. 
Clerks,  County. — 391. 
aisbee,  C.  W.— 275. 
Clothing,  of  Early  Days.— 181  et  seq. 
Clubs.— 338  et  seq. 
Clyborn,  Archibald. — ^45. 


Coates,  James  R. — 108. 

Colby,  H.  F.— 154,  161,  193;  Colby  Mills, 
154,  193;  G.  A.,  193. 

Collins,  John  R. — 613. 

Commissioners,  County  Seat. — 98,  99,  143, 
144,  146,  147. 

Communication. — 100,  120,  121 ;  163-179. 

Condon,  John. — 9. 

Cone,  C  E.— 278,  554. 

Congregational    Churches. — 383. 

Conklin,  Abram. — 725. 

Conklin,  E.  S. — 458. 

Cortklin,  Gilbert.— 681. 

Conklin,   Simeon. — 719. 

Conkling,  W.  E. — 233. 

Coolidge,  H.   H.— 121,    123,  27:^. 

Cooper,  Alexander. — ^445. 

Cooper,  Benj. — 160. 

Corey,  136. 

Coulter,  John  F. — 443. 

Coulter,   William   H. — 62,6. 

Counties,  Erection  of. — 91. 

County  Normal. — 223,  224,  232. 

County  Officers. — 390-393- 

County  Seat,  Location  of. — 98  et  seq. ;  108, 
129,  132,  142,  143,  144,  145. 

Court  House. —  (See  County  Seat.)  146, 
147,  151,  187,  207-212. 

Court  House  Company. — 147,  207,  208. 

Courts,  Established. — 93;  county,  93;  Cir- 
cuit, 93 ;  207,  271,  279. 

Craine,   Orlando. — 154. 

Crawford,  George. — 45. 

Crego,  H.   A.— 678. 

Criswell,  M.  H.— 265,  509. 

Crosby,  Nelson  J. — 646. 

Curry,  Joseph  Q. — 460. 

Curtis,  C  J.— 263. 

Curtis,  Jotham. — 96,  116. 

Curtis,   Solomon. — 707. 

Gushing  Corners. — 139. 

Gushing,  Dexter.— 139,  687. 

Gushing,  William. — 139- 

Customs,  Early.— 334  et  seq. 

Dailey.— 128,  129. 

Dana,  Charles. — 272. 

Davis,  Alex.— 134. 

Davis,  C.  A.— 6. 

Davis,  C  E.— 267. 

Davis,  H.  C— 526. 

Davis,  Job.~i33»  186. 

Denike,  G.  H.— 624. 

Denman,   H.   B.— 195. 

Dennis,    Cassius    M. — 439- 

Dentists.— 268. 

Des  Voignes,  L.  B.— 278,  294,  769. 

Dewey,  Burgette  L.— 161,  3^^,  712. 

Diamond  Lake.— 2,  8,  39,  49,  98,  103,  129, 

140. 
Diamond  Lake  Park. — 140. 
Disbrow,  Henry. — 99. 
Disciples  Churches.— 383,  384- 


INDEX 


IX 


Distillery.— 183,   184;   et  passim;    187. 

Doane,  William  H. — 113. 

Donnell's  Lake. — 13. 

Dool,    Robert. — 516. 

Dowagiac— 97,     132,    151;     154-162;     177, 

188,    189   et   seq. ;   231    et  seq. :   245, 

375,  400,  401,  404,  405,  406. 
Dowagiac  Creek. — 10,  11,  132,  134,  154. 
Dowagiac    Manufacturing    Co.— 161,     188, 

192,    193- 
Dowagiac  Swamp. — 10. 
Drainage. — 2,  7,  8;  9-10;  commissioners,  9. 
Drift,  Covering  Cass  Co. — 3;  distribution 

of,   5. 
Driskel,  Daniel. — 117. 
Dunn,  Frank. — 136,  465. 

Eagle  Lake. — 141. 

East,  Settlement. — 112;  family,  112. 

Easton,  Edd  W. — 669. 

Easton,  W.  W.— 266. 

Eby,  Daniel. — 765. 

Eby,  Gabriel. — 127,  620. 

Eby,  Peter. — 537. 

Eby,    Ulysses   S. — 279,   536. 

Eby,  William. — 127. 

Education. —  (See   Schools.)    120,   215-243, 

295. 
Edwards,  Alexander  H. — 121. 
Edwards,  J.  R. — 279. 
Edwards,  Lewis. — ^44. 
Edwards,  Thomas  H. — 46,  49,  121. 
Edwardsburg. — ^45,  120,  121,  122,  143,  151, 

167,  169,  170,  172,  184,  196,  237,  258, 

374,  378,  380,  381,  382. 
Electric  Railroads. — 177. 
Elevation  of  Surface. — 4. 
Emerson,  J.  Fred. — 588. 
Emmons,  George. — 438. 
Emmons,  James  M. — 561. 
Engle,  Frank. — 573. 
Erie  Canal. — 54,  121. 
Evangelical  Churches. — 387. 

Factories. — 187  et  seq.     (See  Mills,  Man- 
ufacturing.) 
Fairs. — 205,  206. 

Farmers'  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Co. — 197. 
Farming.     (See  Agriculture.) 
Farr,  Willis  M. — 161,   194,  332,  724. 
Fields,  George  M. — 279,  629. 
Fiero,  Byron. — 577. 
Fiero,  John  P. — 187,  710. 
Finance. — 194-197. 
Fish,  A.  M.— 758. 
Fish  Lake. — 141. 
Flax.— 181. 

Fletcher,  Don  A. — 542. 
Follett,  Henry.— 258. 
Forest  Hall  Park. — 140. 
Fosdick,   John. — 95;    George,    131. 
Fowie,  Charles. — 193. 
Fowler,  H.  H.— 98,  129,  130,  143,  257. 


Frakes,  Joseph.— 48. 
Fraternal  Orders.— 123,  348. 
French,  D.  L. — 153. 
French,  Explorers. — 2;]. 
French,   Henry  J.— 585. 
Friends,    Settlement.— 48;    societies,    ^8;. 
386.  ^  ^' 

Frost   of   1835.— 103. 
Frost,  William  M.— 716. 
Fruit  Culture. — 203. 
Fulton,  Alex,  and  David. — 138. 
Funk,  C.  H. — 654. 

Gage,  John  S. — 190. 

Gage,  Justus. — 205. 

Gard,  Edgar  J.— 484. 

Gard,  George  W. — 206,  210,  513. 

Gard,  L  N. — 206. 

Gard,  Jonathan. — 51,  206. 

Gard,  Josephus. — 95. 

Gard,  M.  J.— 206. 

Card's  Prairie. — 52. 

Gardner,  A.  B. — 191. 

Gardner,  S.  C. — 116. 

Garrett,  Hugh  P.— 648. 

Garver. — ^46. 

Garvey,  M.  T. — 129,   159. 

Garwood,  Alonzo. — 260. 

Garwood,  Benjamin  F. — 535. 

Garwood,  Levi. — 128,   137. 

Garwood,  William   H. — 425. 

Gas.— 13,    158. 

Geneva  Village. — 98,  129,  143,  184,  257. 

Gibson,  J.  E. — 210  et  seq. 

Gilbert,   Eugene   B. — 738. 

Gilbert,  Samuel  H. — 6or. 

Glaciers,  Action  of. — 2  et  seq. 

Glenwood. — 139. 

Glover,  L.  H. — 279,  781. 

Goble,  Elijah.— 51,  138,  ZZI- 

Goff,  Frederick. — 117. 

Goodwin,    Fairfield. — 265. 

Goodwin  House. — 145. 

Graduates,    from    Schools. — 224,   229,    230, 

234,  240,  242. 
Graham,  Sidney  J. — 618. 
Grain,  Planting  and  Harvesting. — 201,  202, 

203. 
Grand  Army  Posts. — 329,  330,  331,  332. 
Grand  Trunk  R.  R. — 2;  7,   12-2,   130,   136, 

137,   152,  176,  177. 
Grange,  The. — 204,  205. 
Griffin,  Robert  S. — 262. 
Grindstone,  First  in  County. — 47. 
Grubb,   Pleasant. — 128. 

Hadden,  George  M.— 587. 

Hadden,  M.  O.— 75i- 

Hadden,  Samuel  B. — 541. 

Haight,  Joseph. — 117. 

Hale,  William  H.  C— ^15  et  seq.;  642. 

Halligan,   Raymond    S. — 572. 

Hamilton,  Patrick.— 155,  156. 


INDEX 


Hampton,    Thaddeus. — 139;      stock   farm, 

139. 
Hannan,   Peter. — 'J2']. 
liardy,  Alonzo  J. — 085. 
Hardy,   George   W. — 481. 
Harmon,  Charles  O. — ^280,  294,  515.    John 

B.,   280. 
Harper,  Joseph. — 148,  207,  562. 
Harrington,    S.    S. — 153. 
Harris  Line. — 28. 
Harter,   Joseph.— ^113. 
Hartman,  Kleckner  W. — ^456. 
Hartsell,  Frank  L. — 744. 
Harvey,  Dan  M.— 581. 
Hatch,  Junius  H. — 134. 
Hatch,   OHver  W.— 261, 
Hayden,  Asa  K.— 281. 
Hayden,  B.  W,— 435- 
Hayden,  James  G.— 664. 
Hayden,  W.  B.— 153. 
Hawks,  Samuel. — ^291. 
Henderson,  Ira  B. — 149. 
Hendricks,  Line. — 32. 
Hendryx,   Coy   W. — 774,  280. 
Herald,  The. — ^254. 
Herkimer,  George  R. — ^266. 
Hess,  Joseph. — 628. 
Hicks,  Henry  B.— 517. 
Hicks,  Orren  V.,  478. 
Higgins,  Cornelius. — 96. 
Higgins,  Thomas  T. — 409. 
High  Schools. — ^222,  229,  234. 
Highland   Beach. — 141. 
Hinkley,  Rodney. — ^48. 
H irons,  Edward. — 123. 
Hirsh,  Jacob. — 160. 
Hitchcox,  James. — 126. 
Holland,  Marion. — ^265. 
Hollister,  Noel  B.— 159,  160,  2^^- 
Hopkins,  David. — 138,  .207. 
Hopkins,  W.  D.— 189. 
Hotels.     (See  Taverns.) 
Household    Utensils. — 181    et    seq.;       see 

Houses. 
Houses,    Pioneer.— 42,   43,    104,    105,    114, 

181   et  seq. 
Howard  Township.— 12,  95,  113,  114,  223, 

337,  399. 
Howard,  William  G. — ^276. 
Howardville. — 131 . 
Howell,  David  M.— 195,  251;  M.  L.,  195, 

280. 
Howser,  S.  M.— 447. 
Hoyt,   W.    F.— 193. 
Huff,  John.— 486. 
Huff,  Otis.— 699. 
Hughes,  G.  A.— 266. 
Hunter,  George  W. — 703. 
Huntley,  G.  G. — 9. 
Hutchings,  Nelson  A. — ^468. 
Hux,  Chris  A.— 196,  660. 

Ice  and  Water,  Influence  on  Surface. — 2. 


Immigration,  Sources  of. — 53,  54;  direc- 
tion of,  94,  103. 

Indians. — 14-21;  school,  18;  in  Silver 
Creek,  20;  102,  103;  284-287;  372 

Indian  Trails.— 8,  102,  163,  164,  165. 

Industries. — 180-197.  (See  Manufacture 
ing.  Mills.) 

Jail.— 146,   147,  212,  213. 

James,  Isaac  P. — 130;  Parker,  130. 

Jamestown. — 7,  130,  177,  184. 

Jarvis,  Frank  P. — 775. 

Jarvis,   William. — 705. 

Jarvis,  Zadok. — 64.0. 

Jefferson  Township. — 12,  49,  95,  no;  early 

settlers,  in;  22}^,  398. 
Jenkins,  Baldwin. — ^41,  z[2,  43. 
Jewell,   Elbridge. — 610. 
Jewell,  Hiram. — 108;  family,  142,  144. 
Johnson,  Joseph  H. — 534. 
Johnson,   Oliver. — 142,   145. 
Jones,  E.  H. — 136. 
Jones,  George  D. — 48,  160,  694. 
Jones,  George  W. — 137,  412. 
Jones,  Gilman  C. — 159,  161. 
Jones,  Henry. — 207. 
Jones,  Horace. — 161. 
Jones,  J.  H. — 266. 
Jones,  Nathan. — 529. 
Jones,  Village. — 136,  265. 
Jones,    Warner    D. — 453. 
Judd,  Mark.— 161,  663. 
judges.  Lists  of. — 390. 

Kelsey,  Abner. — 129. 

Kelsey,  Wm.  J.— 261 ;  J.  H.,  261,  266. 

Kentucky  Raid.— in,  112,  289. 

Kessington. — 125. 

Kester,  Clinton  L. — ^459. 

Ketcham,  Clyde  W.— 280,  332,  718. 

Ketcham,  W.  J.— 266. 

Kimmerle,  Catherine. — 108. 

Kimmerle,  Charles  H.— 208,  212,  432. 

Kimmerle,  Henry. — 778. 

Kingsbury,  Allen  M.— 643. 

Kingsbury,  Asa.— 131,   146,    147,   148,   I94» 

195,  207,  213,  644. 
Kingsbury,  Charles. — 194. 
Kingsbury,  David  L. — 195,  452. 
Kingsbury,  George  M.— 153,  209,  551. 
Kinnane,  James  H. — 281,  743. 
Kirby,   W.   R.— 485. 
Kirk,  William.— 42,  ii3- 
Knapp,  Amos. — 192,  702. 
Kyle,    Joseph    C. — 422. 

L'Allegro   Qub.— 343. 

La  Grange  Prairie. — 11,  12,  46. 

La  Grange  Township.— ii,  46  et  seq.;  94, 

107,  108,  175,  186,  223,  375,  397. 
La    Grange    Village.— 131,    132,    I33,    i34. 

154- 
Lake   Alone. — 131. 


INDEX 


XI 


Lake,   J.   M.— 421. 

Lake  View  Park. — 141. 

Lakes.— 5,  6;  Lilly  lake,  7;  136;  139. 

Land  Sales. — 106. 

Lawrence,  Levi. — 109,   138. 

Lawrence,  L.  L. — 734. 

Lawson,  William. — 291 ;  Cornelius,  293. 

La  wy  er  s . — 270-283 . 

Leach,  James  H.,  418. 

Lee  Brothers. — 196. 

Lee,  P>ed  E.— 191,  196. 

Lee,   Ishm.ael. — iii. 

Lee,  Joseph  W. — 109. 

Letters.— 178. 

Lewis,  E.,  F. — 498. 

Lewis,  Roland. — 762. 

Libraries. — 244-247. 

Lilley,  Thomas  J. — 532. 

Lincoln,  Samuel  J. — 544. 

Lindsley,  John  A.— 161,  y2(). 

Link,  Donald  A.— 267,  770. 

Little  Prairie  Ronde.— 7,  11,  19,  5i ;  post- 

office,  138. 
Little  Rocky  River.— 10. 
Lockwood,  Henry. — 258. 
Lofland,  Joshua.— 159,  213. 
Longsduff,  George. — 488. 
Longsduff,  John. — 632. 
Loupee,  John. — 603. 
Loux,  Abraham. — ^47. 
Lover idge,   Henry   L. — 463. 
Lumber.— 12,  161.   (See  under  Mills,  Man- 
ufacturing.) 
Lutheran  Church. — 387. 
Lybrook,  John.— 47 ;  Isaac,  47;  Henley  C, 

159- 
Lybrook,  Joseph. — 428. 
Lyle,  C.  M.— 281. 
Lyle,  Daniel.— 133,   I95»   196. 
Lyle,F.  W.— 193,  196;  C.  E.,  193. 

Madrey,  J.  W.— 291. 
Magician  Beach. — 141. 
Magician   Lake. — 140,  141. 
Manufacturing.— (See    Mills.)     121,     133, 

134,  161,  180-194. 
Maple  Island  Resort. — 141. 
Marcellus    Township.— 10,    97,    io7>    ii7, 

223,  394. 
Marcellus  Village.— 137,  138,  239,  240,  254, 

406,  407. 
Marckle,  John. — 492. 
Markham,  Israel.— 41,  184. 
Marl  Beds. — 13;  lime,  13. 
Marsh,  A.  C— 121. 
Mason,  Governor. — 33,  100. 
Mason  Township.— 96,  115,  223,  397- 
Masons. — 348. 
Mater,  John.— 683. 
Matthew  Artis  Post.— 293. 
May,  Russel  D— 440. 
McAllister,  James. — 418. 


McCleary,  Ephraim. — 142,  145. 
.McCleary,  William.— 48. 
McCoy,  C.   Delivan. — 426. 

McCoy,    Isaac. — 16,    17. 

McCoy,  Richard.— 431. 
jNlcCoy,  William   H. — 431. 

McCutcheon,  William  C. — 266,  268,  647. 

McDaniel,  James, — 96,  115,  116. 

McGill,  William.— 612. 

Mcintosh,   Daniel.— 187. 

Mcintosh,  Jacob.— 548. 

Mclntyre,  Fred. — 451. 

McKenney,  Thomas. — 47. 

McKessick,  Moses. — 125. 

McKinney's  Prairie. — 11. 

McMaster,   Hamilton   S.— 266,   713. 

McNeil,  Marion. — 617. 

McOmber,   Jay   W.— 156. 

Meacham,  George.— 45,  no;  Sylvester,  45. 

Mechanicsbnrg. — 134. 

Mechling,  John   VV.— 59i- 

Medical   Society,  Cass  County.— 268. 

Medicine  and  Surgery. — 257-269. 

Merchants.— 46,  155;  in  Edwardsburg, 
123;  of  Marcellus,  138;  Cassop- 
olis,  148  et  seq.  (See  under  village 
names)  ;   159. 

Merritt,  Wm.  R.— 127 ;  J.  Fred.,  128. 

Methodism.— 114,  132:  churches,  373-378. 

Michigan  Central  R.  R.— 122,  132,  138,  I39, 
151.  155,  161,  173,  174. 

Michigan  Southern  R.  R.— 174,  et  passim. 

Michigan  Territory.— 27 ;  history  to  ad- 
mission to  Union,  22-36. 

Military  Annals.— 103. 

Military  Organizations.— 329-333- 

Military  Records.— 297-328. 

Miller,  Ezra.— 109. 

Miller,  George.— 276. 

Miller,  O.  P.— 645- 

Mills —At  Carey  Mission,  18;  105,  no; 
113,  ns,  122,  124,  128,  129,  130,  133, 
134,  135,  137,  154,  183  et  seq. 

Milton  Township.— 12,  97,  lU,  223,  37o, 
400. 

Minnich,  James  J.— 568. 

Mint  Culture.— 203. 

Model  City.— 139. 

Monday  Evening  Club.— 346. 

Monroe  Land  Office.— 106. 

Moon,  Abner  M.— 154,  i59,  253,  254,  695- 

Moraines.— 4;  Lake  Michigan  moraine,  4, 
II. 

Moreland,  Jacob.— 138. 

Morgan,  C.  A.— 267. 

Morse,  C.  W.— 263. 

Mosher,  Francis  J.— 160;  Ira  D.,  160. 

Mosher,  H.  L.— 191. 

Motley,   Edward   T.— 576. 

Myers,   C.   M.— 267. 

National   Democrat.— 251. 
Negro,  Colony.— 287-296. 


Xll 


INDEX 


Nelson,   C.  Carroll. — 294,  608. 

Newberg  Township. — 10,  97,  107,  116,  117, 

^^2>.  394. 
Newberg  Village. — 136. 
New  Buffalo. — 174. 
New  Century  Club. — 345. 
Newell  House. — 106,  146,  149. 
News,  The. — 254. 
Newspapers. — 249-256. 
Newton,  James. — 109;  George,  109. 
Nichols,  Jonathan. — 138. 
Nicholson,  Spencer. — 136. 
Nicholsville. — 139. 
Niles. — 42;   see   Carey   Mission;    103,   122, 

174,  249. 
Nineteenth  Century  Club. — 340. 
Northwest  Territory. — 2'^  et  seq. 
Norton,  Levi  D. — 112. 
Norton,  Nathan. — ^49. 
Norton,  Pleasant. — iii,  213. 

Oak  Beach. — 141. 

Odd  Fellows.— 348. 

O'Dell,  James. — 185,  393. 

O'Dell,  John.— 604. 

Official  Lists,   County,   Township,  Village 

Officers. — 389-409. 
O'Keefe,  George  A. — 99. 
"Old  Fort."— 146,  208. 
Olds,  May  A.— 466. 
Olmsted,  J.  C— 237,  380,  381,  382. 
Ontwa  Township. — 45  et  seq. ;  94,  107,  108, 

2.22,,  398. 
Ordinance  Line. — 24,  27. 
Ordinance   of    1787. — 23   et   seq. 
Organic  Act. — 92. 

Organization,  History  of. — 91  et  seq. 
O'Rourke,  Jerry. — 'j^^, 
Osborn,   Family. — 112;    Charles,    112;   Jo- 

siah,  112,  289. 
Osborn,  Leander. — 264. 
Ouderkirk,  Charles.— -623. 

Pardee,  Elias. — ^yj- 

Parker,  John. — 149. 

Parker,  W.   E.— 267. 

Parsons,  William  E. — 495. 

Pattison,   Laurence   B. — 733. 

Peninsula      R.      R. — 175.       (See      Grand 

Trunk.) 
Penn  Township. — ^48  et  seq. ;  94,  97,   108, 

'^^z.  38—,  396. 

Penn  Village.     (See  Jamestown.) 

Petticrew,  John. — 134. 

Pettigrew,  John. — 186. 

Phillips,  H.  H.— 259,  266. 

Phillips,  John  H. — 560. 

Physicians. — 257-269. 

Pioneer  Society. — 212. 

Pioneer  Society,  Cass  County. — 349-370; 
officers,  349,  350;  annual  speakers, 
350,  351 ;  members  record,  351-370. 


Pioneers. — Alphabetical  record  of,  53-90; 
see  Settlement ;  Homes  of,  104  et 
seq.;  of  Penn,  108;  of  Howard,  114; 
of  Silver  Creek,  115;  manufactur- 
ing, 180  et  seq. ;  farming,  198  et 
seq. ;  social  customs,  334  et  seq. 
a  tragedy,  116;  of  Newberg,  117;  of 
Marcellus,  117. 

Planck,  E.  A.— 265,  268,  622. 

Plank  Roads. — 169. 

Pleasant  Lake. — ^45. 

Poe,   Charles   W. — ^474. 

Pokagon,  Chief. — 16,  19,  20,  42,  285,  372. 

Pokagon  Creek. — 11,   134. 

Pokagon  Prairie. — 11,  40,  44,  184,  375. 

Pokagon  Township. —  (See  Pokagon  Prai- 
rie.) 93,  107,  223,  399. 

Pokagon  Village. — 134,  135,  264. 

Poor  Farm,  Cass  County. — 213,  214. 

Population. — 107,  108  et  seq. ;  122,  127, 
129,  130,  134,  135,  136,  151,  157,  2^\ 

Porter  Township.— 50,  51,  95,  97,  107,  no, 
186,  22Z,  395- 

Post  Roads. — 165,  166. 

Postal  Service.— 178,  179. 

Postoffices. — 119,  120  (See  Rural  Free 
Delivery);  126;  129,  130,  136,  137, 
138,  139,  149,  158,  178,  179. 

Pottawottomies. — 14  et  seq.;  42,  102,  115, 
372. 

Pound,  Isaac  S. — 652. 

Prairies. — 5,  6,  7,  11. 

Presbyterian    Churches. — 380-383. 

Press,    Cass    County. — 249-256. 

Price,   John. — 48. 

Prindle,   C.   P.— 263. 

Probate  Judges. — 390. 

Products,    Natural. — 12. 

Prosecuting   Attorneys. — 391. 

Protestant    Episcopal    Church. — 388. 

Public   Square. — 129,   143,   145   et  seq. 

Putnam,  Uzziel,  Sr. — 40  et  seq.;  202;  Ira, 
44;  Uzziel,  Jr.,  44. 

Puterbaugh,  William  F. — 630. 

Quakers.— 48;   112,  287,  385,  386. 

Railroads.— 122,  132,  135,  151,  155,  167, 
171  et  seq.;  electric  lines,  177;  un- 
derground, 287. 

Railroad  Era. — 171  et  seq. 

Read,  S.  T.— 176,  195. 

Reames,  Moses  and  William. — 49;  Moses, 

Redfield,  Alex.  H. — 143,  144  et  seq. ;   148, 

149,  207,  212,  270,  271. 
Redfield,  George  H.— 505. 
Redfield's  Mills.— 129. 
Reed,  John. — 48,  49,   96. 
Registers  of  Deeds. — 392. 
Religion. — 371  et  seq.   (See  Churches.) 
Renniston,  William.— 108.  154,  186,  193. 
Representatives,  State. — 389. 


INDEX 


Xlll 


Republican,  The. — 253. 

Reshore,  Frank. — 281. 

Re    Shore,   Grace. — 245,   247. 

Resorts.     (^See  Summer  Resorts.) 

Reuch,  Jonathan  H. — 639. 

Reynolds,  Levi  J. — 546. 

Richardson,   Norris. — 731. 

Rickert.    Charles    C. — 420. 

Rinehart,  Carleton  W. — 590. 

Rinehart,  Family. — no,  186. 

Rinehart,  John. — 48. 

Rinehart,  S.  M. — 126,  127, 

Ritter,    Charles   A. — 195,   625. 

Ritter,  John  J. — 197,   735. 

Roads. —  (See  under  Communication,  Rail- 
roads.)  163,  164  et  seq. 

Robbins,  George  W. — 472. 

Robertson,  Alexander. — ^426. 

Robertson,  George  W. — ^472. 

Robertson,   John. — 264. 

Robinson,  C.  S. — z^^y. 

Rockwell,  John  D. — 597. 

Rodgers,  Alexander. — ^45. 

Roebeck,  John  L. — 491. 

Root,    Eber. — 146. 

Rosewarne,   Henry   G. — 720. 

Ross,   F.   H. — &J2>- 

Ross,   Jasper  J. — 558. 

Round  Oak  Stove  Works.— (See  P.  D. 
Beckwith.) — 188,   190-192. 

Rouse,  Daniel  G. — 97. 

Rowland,  Thomas. — 99. 

Rudd,  Barak  L. — 140,  dzZ- 

Rudd,  Orson. — 137. 

Rural  Free  Delivery. — 120,  125,  128,  132, 
T79,  204. 

Russey,  E.  J. — 650. 

Sage,  Chester. — 45,  126. 

Sage,  Family. — 124,  196;  Moses,  124,  125, 
186;   Martin  G.,  Norman,  124. 

Sailor. —  (See  Kessington.) 

Salisbury,  William. — 519. 

Sandy  Beach. — 140. 

School   Funds. — 222. 

Schools — T20,  132.  (See  under  names  of 
villages,  215-243.)  Cassopolis,  228- 
231:  Dowagiac,  231-237;  Edwards- 
burg,  237-239;  Vandalia,  241-243; 
Marcellus,  239-241. 

School    Officers. — 393  ;    22^^-227. 

Senators. — 389. 

Settlement.  Affected  by  Natural  Condi- 
tions.— I ;  early,  37  et  seq. ;  date  of 
first,  42;  102,  106;  T07  et  seq. 

Shaffer,  Daniel.— 48. 

Shaffer.  David.— tti  ;  Peter,  tit;  187; 
George  T.,  in. 

Shakespeare. — 135. 

Shanahan,  Clifford. — 273. 

Shannon.  Albert  J. — 482. 

Sharp,  Craigie. — 139. 

Shavehead. — 19;  trail,   164,  165. 


Shaw,  Darius. — 148,  207. 

Shaw,  James. — 114. 

Sliaw,  John.~io9,   ^Z^. 

Shaw,    Richard.— 109. 

Shcpard,   James   M.— 252,   556 

Sheriffs. — ^392. 

Sherman,    Elias   B.-135,   138.    143,   144  et 

seq  ;  195,  271,  336. 
Sherwood     C.    L.~i59,    160,   679. 
Shields,  Martm.— 48. 
Shillito,    Ernest.— 571. 
Shockley,  Alfred.— 507. 
Shoemakers,   Pioneer.— 182. 
Shore  Acres. — 130. 
Shugart,    Zachariah.— 289. 
Shurte,  Isaac. — 47,  103. 
Sibley,  Col.  E.  S.— 98^  129. 
Silo  Plants.— 203. 

Silver   Creek   Township. — 11,   20,  96    115 
^.,        '^2Z,  285,  yjl.  399. 
Silver,  Jacob  and  Abiel.— T2i  ;  George  F.. 

123;    Orrin,    124,    149;    Jacob,    207,' 

Skinner,  Samuel  F. — 574. 

Smith,    Amos. — 522. 

Smith,  A.  J.— 123,  131,  274. 

Smith.  Cannon. — 114,  ^i^y^y. 

Smith,  Daniel. — 704. 

Smith,  Ezekiel   C. — 114. 

Smith,  Ezekiel  S.— 159,  255,  272-,  Joel  H 

Smith,  George  W. — 494. 

Smith,  Harsen  D.— 195,  282,  657. 

Smith,  Hiram. — 538. 

Smith,  Joseph. — 187,  208,  251. 

Snyder,  Robert. — ^436. 

Social  Organizations. — 334-348. 

Soil. — 12. 

Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Monument  Associa- 
tion.—332,  zzz- 

Soldiers  of  Cass  County  in  Civil  War  — 
298-328. 

Spalding,  Erastus  H.— 133,  154,  156,  160,. 
193;  Lyman,   154. 

Spencer,  James  M. — 275. 

Spinning  Wheel. — 181. 

Squatters*  Unions. — 107. 

Stage  Coaches. — T2t,  123,  126,  169,  170. 

Standerline   George. — ^470. 

Standerline,   William. — 471. 

Stapleton,  James  S. — 261. 

Stark,  Myron. — t6t,  194,  741. 

Starrett.    Charles. — 700. 

State  Officials  from  Cass  County. — 390. 

Stebbins,  E.  S. — 264. 

Stewart,  Hart  L. — 98,  129,  143 ;  A.  C,  129.. 

St.  Joseph  Township. — 91. 

Stone  Lake. — 99.  142,  145,  149,  152. 

Stretch,  William  Y{.—(^26. 

Subscriptions,  to  Railroads. — 175. 

Sullivan,    Tames. — 2^2. 

Sumner,  Isaac. — 134. 

Summer  Resorts, — 139,  140,  141. 


XIV 


INDEX 


Snmnerville. — 43,  134. 
Supervisors,  Township. — 393-401. 
Surveyors. — 392. 
Sweet,   Charles  E. — ^282,  753. 
Sweetland,  John  B. — 255,  262. 
Swisher,  John   F. — 659. 

Talbot,  John  A. — 276. 

Talladay,    Alamandel    J. — 524. 

Taverns.— 43,   46,    50,    115,    116,    121,    123, 
126,  138,  146,  149,  156,  159,  337. 

Taylor,   Albon   C— 682. 

Taylor,  Alexander. — 414. 

Taylor,  Clifford  L. — 430. 

Taylor,  James  D. — 264. 

Teachers. — 216;  certificates,  219,  220,  22;^. 

Telephones. — 127,  179. 

Territorial   Road    (see   Chicago   Road).— 
167. 

Tharp,  Abner. — ^49,  50. 

Thatcher,  Nelson  E.— 528. 

Thickstun,  David  C— 638. 

Thomas,  S.  B. — 152. 

Thomas,  Silas  H. — 578. 

Thompson,    Allison    D. — 502. 

Thompson,  Merritt  A. — 277. 

Thompson,    Squire. — 44. 

Thomson,    Samuel   C. — 450. 

Thorp,  A.  L. — 264. 

Tibbits,  Nathan  and  William. — 126. 

Tietsort,  Abram. — 103,  142,  145,  150,  183. 

lletsort's   Sidetrack. — 139. 

Times,  The. — 253,  254. 

Tolbert,  George  H. — 596. 

Toledo  War.— 22,  2>?>,  34,  35- 

Tompkins,  L.  D. — 260. 

Toiiey,  James. — 51. 

Topography. — i    et   seq. ;    striking   features 
.  of,  5- 

I  ourists'   Club. — 341. 

Townsend,      Abram. — 41,    46,     202,    255; 

Ephraim,  41  ;  Gamaliel.  44,  103. 
Township  Officers. — 393-401. 

Townships,    Formation   of. — 93   et   seq. 

Trades.      (See   Manufacturing,  Industries, 
etc.) 

Transportation.      (See  under  Communica- 
tion, Railroads. X 

Treasurers,  County. — 392. 
Tribune,  1lie. — 252. 

1>uitt,  James  M. — 771. 
ITuitt,   Peter.— 97,   114. 

Truitt  Station. — 177. 

Turner,  George  B. — 39,  205,  251,  273. 

Turner,  Virgil. — yjy. 

Tuttle,   William.— 192. 

Underground  Railroad. — 2^y  et  seq. 
Union. — 125,   126,   165,  2>7^. 


Union  Hotel. — 146. 

United  Brethren   Churches.— 387. 

Universalist    Church. — 387. 

Vail,   Levi   M. — 129. 

Van  Antwerp,  Lewis  C. — 497. 

Van  Buren  County,  Attached  to  Cass.— 94. 

Vandalia.— 8,  49,  130,  131,  185,  241,  242, 
408,  409. 

Van  Riper,  Abram,  and  Sons.— 133. 

Van  Riper,  J.  J.— 276. 

Venice. — 154. 

Vigilant,    The. — 251,   252. 

Volinia  Farmers'  Club.— 205,  206. 

Volinia  Township. — 11,  19,  51,  52,  95,  103, 
109,  222,,  395- 

Volinia  Village. — 138. 

Volinia  and  Wayne  Anti-Horsethief  So- 
ciety.— 206. 

Voorhis,   C.   E. — 152,   434. 

Wakelee. — T36,   137. 

Walker,    Henry    C. — 635. 

War,  Toledo.- 22;  Sac  or  Black  Hawk, 
102;  Civil,  297-328;  Spanish,  297. 

Warner,  J.   P. — 193. 

Washington,  Booker  T. — 292. 

Water  Works. — 152,   189. 

Watson,  John  H. — 779. 

Wayne  Co. — 24,  25,  26,  91. 

Wayne  Township. — 96,  223,  397. 

Wee  saw. — 19. 

Wells,   C.   P.— 264.- 

Wells,   Henry  B.— 671. 

Wells,  Isaac,  Sr. — 696. 

Wells,   Leslie  C. — 423. 

Wells.  Willard.— 748! 

Wheeler.  J.   PI. — 264. 

White,   Gilbert. — 531. 

White,  Milton  P. — 233,  267,  jGy. 

White  Pigeon  Land  Office. — 106. 

Whitman,   Martin    C. — 98,    133. 

Whitmanville. — 133.  (See  La  Grange  Vil- 
lage.) 

Wilber,    Theodore    F. — 676. 

Wiley,    Robert    H.— 763. 

Williams,  Josiah. — 127. 

Williamsvilk. — 127,   128. 

Witherell,  Duane. — 416. 

Women's  Clubs. — 338-348. 

Wooden,   Zaccheus. — 38. 

Wooster,  John. — 282. 

Wright,  Elijah  W.— g6. 

Wright,   Job. — 38-40,    140,   334. 

Wright,  William  R. — 47. 

Young,  John   H. — 496. 
V^oung's  Prairie. — 7,  374,  376. 


MAP  of 


R.16  IV 


^  MICIIIGAIN^ 

Scale:  4  ^nles  to  1  Inch 

11.15  W.  11.14  W. 


R.13VV. 


History  of  Cass  County. 


CHAPTER  L 
DESCRIPTION. 


Cass  county,  topographically  considered,  is  much  the  same  now 
as  before  the  first  settlement.  The  three  generations  of  white  men  have 
cleared  the  forest  coverings,  have  drained  the  swamps,  have  changed 
some  of  the  water  courses;  have  overwhelmed  the  wilderness  and  con- 
verted the  soil  to  areas  productive  of  useful  fruitage;  have  net-worked 
the  country  wath  highways  and  roads  of  steel ;  have  quarried  Ijeneath 
the  surface  and  clustered  structures  of  brick  and  stone  and  wood  into 
hamlets  and  villages,  and  from  the  other  results  of  human  activity 
have  quite  transformed  the  superficial  aspects  of  our  county.  But  the 
greater  and  more  basal  configurations  of  nature  endure  through  all 
the  assaults  of  human  energ}^  The  eternal  hills  still  stand  as  the  sym- 
bol of  permanence  and  strength;  the  lake  basins,  though  their  water 
area  is  becoming  gradually  reduced,  still  dot  the  expanse  of  the  couirty 
to  form  the  same  charming  contrast  of  sparkling  waters  and  green  for- 
est and  prairie  which  the  original  settlers  looked  upon.  The  slopes  of 
drainage,  the  varieties  of  soil,  the  general  geology  of  Cass  county  con- 
tinue with  little  change. 

To  describe  the  county  as  nature  made  it  seems  a  fit  introduction 
to  the  history  of  man's  occupation  which  forms  the  bulk  of  this  volume. 
The  development  of  a  people  depends  on  environment  in  the  first  stages 
at  least,  until  the  powers  of  civilization  assert  their  sway  over  the  in- 
ertia of  nature.  Succeeding  pages  prove  this  fact  over  and  over  and 
indicate  how  natural  conditions  afifected  the  settlement  and  growth  of 
the  county.  The  conspicuous  natural  features  of  the  county,  both  as 
related  to  the  pioneer  settlement  and  as  they  can  be  noted  now,  deserve 
description.  Nature  is  not  only  useful  but  beautiful,  and  both  attributes 
are  known  and  valued  in  any  proper  history  of  a  county  and  its  people. 

It  is  not  an  impertinent  query  why  the  surface  configuration  of 
the  county  is  as  it  is.     Why  the  county  is  traversed,  roughly  in  the  di- 


2  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

rection  of  the  Grand  Trunk  R.  R.  line,  by  the  well  defined  range  of  hills 
constituting  the  axis  of  drainage  for  all  the  surface  water  of  the  county, 
so  that  the  overflow  from  Diamond  lake  passes  south,  while  the  "waters 
collected  two  miles  west  of  the  county  seat  flow  west  into  Dowagiac 
creek?  Also,  what  is  the  origin  of  the  many  lakes  on  the  surface  of  the 
county  ?  Why  were  the  hills  piled  up  in  such  irregular  confusion  in 
some  places,  and  in  others  the  surface  becomes  almost  a  level  plain? 
Whence  come  the  rounded  boulders  of  granite  which  are  found  every- 
where, yet  quite  detached  from  any  original  matrix  rock,  as  though 
strewn  about  in  some  Titan  conflict  of  ages  past?  These  and  many 
other  questions  come  to  the  mind  of  one  who  travels  over  the  county, 
endeavoring,  with  the  help  of  modern  science,  to 

"Find   tongues   in  trees,   books   in   running  brooks, 
Sermons  in  stones,  and  good  in  everything." 

The  key  to  the  understanding  of  Cass  county's  topography  is  found 
in  the  action  of  ice  and  water  during  the  glacial  age.  The  surface  of 
all  the  region  about  the  Great  Lakes  is  radically  different  from  what 
it  was  when  this  part  of  the  continent  first  rose  from  the  sea  and  be- 
came a  habitable  portion  of  the  earth's  crust.  Perhaps  thousands  of 
years  passed  after  the  sea  separated  from  the  land  and  many  forms  of 
vegetable  and  animal  life  flourished  on  the  soil.  Then  came  the  ice 
age.  A  period  of  intense  cold,  with  the  intermittent  warm  seasons  so 
brief  that  the  rigors  of  winter  were  never  entirely  relaxed,  covered  all 
the  north  temperate  zone  with  an  ocean  of  ice  and  snow,  which,  radi- 
ating from  a  probable  center  near  Hudson's  bay,  extended  its  glacial 
flow  southward  as  far  as  the  Ohio  and  Missouri  rivers,  which  spread 
like  embracing  arms  around  the  southern  borders  of  the  ice  area.  Geol- 
ogists have  estimated  the  thickness  of  these  ice  fields  to  vary  from  a  few 
hundred  to  thousands  of  feet,  in  some  places  a  mass  of  glaciated  material 
over  a  mile  high. 

Had  these  great  ice  ar^as  been  stationary,  they  would  have  had 
little  effect  in  reconstructing  the  earth's  surface.  But  the  mass  was 
characterized  by  a  ponderous, ,  irresistible  motion,  sometimes  but  a  few 
feet  in  a  year^  and  now  advancing  and  again  retreating;  b^ut  prolonged 
over  an  era  of  years  such  as  humap  minds  can  hardly  conceive,  its  e^ffect 
was  more  tremendous  in  the  aggregate  than'those  of  any  natural,  phe- 
nomena dteervable  in  historic  times,  surpassing  even  the  earthquake 
and  volcano. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  3 

As  the  ice  sheet  passed  over  the  surface,  down  the  mountain  val- 
leys and  over  the  plains,  individual  glaciers  uniting  with  others  or  from 
elevation  or  depression  being  cast  upon  or  under  a  larger  sheet,  every- 
where the  motion  of  the  mass  being  marked  by  terrific  rending,  plough- 
ing and  friction,  it  was  inevitable  that  the  earth's  surface  woukf  l)e 
greatly  changed.  The  ice  mass  acted  in  some  places  as  a  mighty  broom, 
sweeping  the  loose  material  down  to  the  bare  rock  and  carrying  the 
mingled  soil  and  broken  rock  buried  in  the  ice.  Again  it  plowed  up  and 
moved  away  entire  hills.  And  the  friction  of  such  a  mass  througli  the 
ages  of  its  movement  wore  off  even  the  hardest  rock  and  bore  the  re- 
sulting sand  and  boulders  to  remote  distances.  Thus  it  came  about  that 
the  ice  sheet  had  not  moved  far  from  its  source  before  it  liecame  a  car- 
rier of  a  vast  weight  of  rock  and  soil  material  transported  on  the  sur- 
face, embedded  in  the  center. and  rolled  and  pushed  along  underneath. 
As  mentioned,  the  motion  of  the  ice  fields  was  not  constant.  Event- 
ually its  southern  extremes  reached  as  far  south  as  indicated,  1)ut  there 
were  many  stages  of  advance  and  retreat,  and  it  seems  that  at  one  ])c- 
riod  the  ice  was  driven  far  back  to  the  north  and  then  came  south  again, 
so  that  for  a  portion  of  the  United  States  there  were  two  periods  of 
glaciation,  separated  by  an  interval  when  the  ice  siege  was  raised. 

While  the  ice  field  was  advancing  it  was  continually  receiving  new 
accessions  of  solid  material  in  the  manners  described  above.  But  when 
the  cold  relaxed  to  the  point  where  melting  was  greater  than  freezing, 
the  edge  of  the  field,  decaying  under  the  heat,  began  to  retire.  As  soon 
as  the  ice  relaxed  its  grasp,  the  imbedded  and  surface  load  of  solid  ma- 
terial was  dropped  and  deposited  in  irregular  heaps,  according  as  the 
mass  carried  was  great  or  small.  •  , 

This  material  gathered  by  the  glacier  in  its  progress  and  deposited 
in  its  retreat  is  the  ''drift"  which  throughout  Cass  county  covers  the 
original  surface  to  varying  depths, ^  and  from  which  the  ''soil"  of  the 
county  has  been  formed.  The  .composition  of  this  drift  is  readily  rec- 
ognized by  any  observer.  Varying  iri  thickness  throughout  the  south- 
ern half  of  the- state  from  a  few. feet  to-  several  hundred  feet,  in  the  case 
of  a  well  bored  at  Dowagiac  a  few  years, ago  the  drill  having  to  pene- 
trate 202  feet  of  drift  before  reaching  the,,  regular  strata,  of  slate  and 
shale,  this  mass. of, sand,  gravel,  clay,  with  large. -bqulders  of  granite,  is 
the  material  from  which  all  the  superficial  area  an^.surf^pe /^gotiguratipn 
of  the  county  have  been,  derived.    Ip  qtja^r^^rds.,  thp  ,f^  and 

villages,.of  Cass  county  rest  atop^^  ?P;JgiR9J§S?^iF^^r^^'^^'?b^J?^-" 


4  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

ground  and  pulverized  and  heaped  together  by  the  action  of  ice  and  wa- 
ter ages  before  Columbus  discovered  America. 

Whenever  the  edge  of  the  ice  field  remained  stationary,  because  the 
advance  of  the  glacier  was  offset  by  the  melting  away  of  the  forward  end, 
there  resulted  a  deposit  of  glacial  material  heaped  together  along  the 
entire  border  of  the  ice  and  much  greater  in  bulk  and  height  than  the 
drift  left  behind  when  the  field  was  steadily  withdrawing.  These  ridges 
of  drift,  brought  about  by  a  pause  in  the  retreat  of  the  ice  mass,  are 
called  ''moraines." 

Cass  county  is  crossed  by  one  of  the  longest  and  best  defined  of 
these  moraines.  The  ice  fields  which  covered  the  lower  peninsula  of 
Michigan  had  three  distinct  divisions,  considered  with  respect  to  the 
source  and  direction  of  the  movement.  The  Lake  Michigan  glacier, 
whose  north  and  south  axis  centered  in  Lake  Michigan,  was  the  west- 
ern of  these  fields  or  glacial  ''lobes.''  On  the  east  was  the  "Maumee 
glacier,"  advancing  from  the  northeast  across  Lakes  Huron  and  Erie, 
the  western  edge  of  which  has  been  traced  in  Hillsdale  county.  Be- 
tween these  tw^o  the  "Saginaw  glacier"  protruded  itself  from  Saginaw 
bay,  and  its  southern  advance  is  marked  by  a  "frontal  moraine"  extend- 
ing east  from  Cassopolis  through  south  St.  Joseph  and  Branch  coun- 
ties to  a  junction  in  Hillsdale  county  with  the  Maumee  glacier.  The 
moraine  of  the  Lake  Michigan  glacier,  marking  the  final  pause  of  the 
ice  before  it  withdrew  from  this  region,  is  a  clearly  defined  ridge  circling 
around  Lake  Michigan,  at  varying  distances  from  the  present  shore  of 
the  lake,  being  from  15  to  20  miles  distant  on  the  south,  with  Valpa- 
raiso, Ind.,  lying  upon  it.  It  passes  into  Michigan  in  the  southeast  cor- 
ner of  Berrien  county,  being  observable  from  the  railroad  train  west  of 
Niles  as  far  as  Dayton.  Thence  it  passes  obliquely  across  Cass  county — 
Cassopolis  lying  upm  it — and  crosses  northwestern  Kalamazoo  county. 
Valparaiso  is  100  feet  above  the  level  of  Lake  Michigan;  La  Porte,  234 
feet;  and  as  the  moraine  enters  Michigan  it  rises  somewhat  and  corre- 
six)ndingly  develops  strength.  Passing  over  the  low  swell  in  southwest 
Michigan,  it  is  depressed  somewhat  in  crossing  the  low  belt  of  country 
which  stretches  from  Saginaw  bay  to  Lake  Michigan,  its  base  being 
less  than  100  feet  above  these  bodies  of  water. 

From  the  south  line  of  Michigan  the  moraine  is  more  sandy  than 
the  corresponding  arm  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  lake,  is  less  sharply 
and  characteristically  developed,  more  indefinitely  graduated  into  the 
adjacent  drift,  and  more  extensivdy  flanked  by  drifts  of  assorted  material. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  5 

The  superficial  aspect  of  the  formation,  as  ol^servahle  in  Cass  county, 
is  that  of  an  irregular,  intricate  series  of  drift  ridges  and  hills  of  rap- 
idly but  often  very  gracefully  undulating  contour,  consisting  of  rounded 
domes,  conical  peaks,  winding  ridges,  short,  sharp  spurs,  mounds,  knolls 
and  hummocks,  promiscuously  arranged.     The  elevations  are  accompa- 
nied by  corresponding  depressions.     These  are  variously  known  as  ''])^^{- 
ash  kettles,"  ''pot  holes,"  ''pots  and  kettles,"  and  "sinks.''     Those  that 
have  most  arrested  popular  attention  are  circular  in  outline  and  symmet- 
rical in  form,  not  unlike  the  homely  utensils  that  have  given  them  names. 
It  is  not  to  be  understood  that  the  deposits  from  the  glaciers  re- 
mained where  or  in  the  form  in  which  they  were  left  l)y  the  withdrawing 
ice.      From  the  margin  of  the  ice  flowed  great  volumes  of  water,   in 
broad,  rapid  rivers  rushing  from  beneath  the  glacier,  and  in  dashing, 
powerful  cataracts  plunging  from  the  surface  to  the  drift  jjelow.     1die 
power  of  this   flowing  water  in   redistributing  the  loose  drift  may  he 
comprehended  by  comparing  its  action  with  a  spring  freshet  in  the  rivers 
of  today,   although  the  forest  and  vegetation  that  now  cover  the  soil 
serve  as  a  protection  against  the  floods,  so  that  the  glacial  waters  were 
many  times  more  effective  in  their  violence.     The  glacial  streams,  liber- 
ated from  their  confined  channels  under  the  ice,  tossed  and   scattered 
and  re-collected  the  deposited  drift  with  the  same  effect  that  a  stream 
from  a  garden  hose  will  dissipate  the  dry  dust  in  the  road.     The  w  ater's 
power  was  sufficient  to  gutter  out  deep  valleys  and  surround  them  with 
high  hills  of  dislodged  material.     In  other  places,  flowing  with  broader 
current,  it  leveled  the  drift  into  plains  and  wrought  out  the  so-called 
"prairies"   which  are  so  conspicuous  a  feature  of  the  county's  topog- 
raphy.    Not  alone  while  the  ice  fields  were  here,  but  for  a  long  period 
afterward,  the  surface  of  the  county  was  wrought  upon  by  the  inunda- 
tion and  flow  of  water.     In  fact,  the  numerous  lakes  are  but  the  distant 
echoes,  as  it  were,  of  the  glacial  age,  indicating  in  whisjDers  the  time 
when  the  dominion  of  water  was  complete  over  all  this  country.     When 
the  ice  departed  and  the  water  gradually  passed  off  by  drainage  and 
evaporation,  the  drift  ridges,  the  Ararats  of  this  region,  naturally  ap- 
peared first,  and  the  subsidence  of  water  then  brought  the  rest  of  the  sur- 
face successively  to  view.     But  the  depressions  and  basins,  hollowed  out 
by    the    ice    and    water,  remained    as    lakes    even    into   our  times,  al- 
though these  bodies  of  water  are  but  insignificant  in  comparison  with 
their  former  size,  and  most  of  them  are  slowly  decreasing  in  depth  and 
area'  even  without  the  efforts  of  artificial  drainage.     Since  the  settlement 


6  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

of  while  men  in  the  county  many  of  the  small  lakes  have  'Mried  up," 
and  their  bottoms  are  now  plowed  over  and  their  rich  ''muck"  soil  pro- 
duces the  heaviest  of  crops. 

Describing  the  lakes  of  tl\e  Lower  Peninsula,  Prof.  C.  A.  Davis 
says :  'The  small  lakes,  particularly  those  of  the  Lower  Peninsula,  are 
commonly  depressions  in  the  drift,  shallow  and  not  of  large  extent,  fre- 
quently partially  filled  in  around  the  margin  with  the  remains  of  former 
generations  of  plants,  so  that  many  of  the  typical  features  of  the  lakes 
of  hilly  or  mountainous  regions  are  partly  suppressed  or  entirely  want- 
ing. These  lakes  belong  to  recent  geological  time,  and  this  undoubtedly 
accounts  for  some  of  their  peculiarities.  By  far  the  larger  number  of 
them  exhibit  the  following  features :  A  small  sheet  of  water,  roughly 
elliptical  in  shape,  bordered  by  marshy  areas  of  varying  width,  or  on 
two  or  more  sides  by  low,  abruptly  sloping,  sandy  or  gravelly  hills.  The 
marshy  tract  is  frequently  wider  on  the  south  than  on  the  north  side, 
and  its  character  varies  from  a  quaking  bog  at  the  inner  margin,  through 
a  sphagnous  zone  into  a  marsh.  Li  the  larger  lakes  the  marshy  border 
may  not  extend  entirely  around  the  margin,  but  it  is  usually  noticeable 
along  the  south  shore,  where  it  may  be  of  considerable  extent  while  the 
rest  of  the  shore  is  entirely  without  it."  This  description  may  be  veri- 
fied in  an  examination  of  any  of  the  lakes  of  this  county. 

The  hills  and  morainal  ridges  approach  most  nearly  the  composition 
and  form  in  which  the  drift  was  deposited  from  the  retreating  glaciers. 
Here  we  see  the  least  sorting  of  materials,  the  boulders  being  indiscrim- 
inately mixed  with  the  finer  sand  and  gravel.  Hence  the  soil  of  the  hills 
is  generally  lighter  and  less  varied  in  its  productiveness  than  the  lower 
areas. 

Those  portions  of  the  surface  which  were  long  inundated  by  the 
post-glacial  waters  naturally  were  subjected  to  many  changes.  The 
rough  contour  was  worn  off  by  the  action  of  the  water,  and  the  bottoms 
of  former  vast  lake  areas  became  smoothed  down  so  that  when  the  wa- 
ter finally  drained  off  they  appeared  as  the^'prairies"  of  today.  Further- 
more, the  w^ater  performed  a  sifting  process,  the  constant  wash  causing 
the  larger  rocks  to  settle  on  the  lowest  level'  aiid  the  sand  and  clay,  as 
Hghter  material,  to  remain  on  the  surface.^  In  some  cases,  where  the 
water  remained  sufficiently  long,  decomposition  of  vegetable  and  or-' 
ganic  matter  resulted  in  the  fonnation  of  muck— as  seen  in  the  lakes 
today — which  mingled  with  the  oth^r  materials  to  form  the  rich  loam 
«oil  that  can  be  found  in  some  of  the  prairies."  '  . 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  7 

Thus,  all  the  prairies— Beardsley's  prairie,  Young's  prairie,  Bald- 
win's prairie,  Little  Prairie  Ronde,  and  the  numerous  others  that  be- 
came the  favorite  sites  for  settlement  in  this  county— were  at  one  time 
covered  with  water,  the  action  of  which  effected  many  of  the  features 
which  characterize  these  level  or  gently  undulating  areas. 

From  the  prairie  levels  the  waters,  in  their  retreat,  were  collected  in 
the  yet  lower  depressions  which  are  now  the  lakes  of  Cass  county.  Some- 
times the  glacial  ridges  were  piled  up  so  as  to  completely  surround  these 
depressions,  resulting  in  the  ponds  and  sinks  above  described,  and  which 
could  not  be  drained  by  artificial  outlet  except  at  such  expense  as  to  be 
impractical. 

Drainage,  both  natural  and  artificial,  has  been  a  matter  of  foremost 
importance  from  early  settlement  to  the  present  time.  The  i)resence 
of  so  many  lakes  on  the  surface  of  the  county  indicates  that  natural 
drainage  is  defective.  The  glacial  waters  were  drained  off  so  gradually 
that  they  did  not  cut  deep  channels  for  their  outlet,  but  must  have  flowed 
off'  in  broad,  shallow  courses,  which  gradually  narrowed  down  to  a 
stream  little  larger  than  a  brook.  Just  east  of  the  village  of  Jamestown, 
to  mention  a  case  in  point,  the  road  crosses  two  little  water  courses  that 
later  contribute  their  waters  to  the  Christiann.  The  actual  channels  are 
mere  brooks,  but  each  is  at  the  center  of  a  uniform  depression,  some 
rods  in  breadth,  which  was  clearly  the  bed  of  a  once  large  but  sluggisli 
river.  The  writer  has  observed  but  one  of  these  old  water  courses  which 
indicate  that  the  current  was  swift  enough  to  ''cut''  the  banks.  At  the 
north  end  of  Lilly  lake  in  Newberg  township  is  a  ''narrows,"  through 
which  the  waters  of  the  once  larger  lake  extended  north  into  what  is 
now  a  recently  drained  and  swampy  flat.  On  the  west  side  of  this  "nar- 
rows" the  bank  juts  sharply  down  to  the  former  lake  l)ottom,  indicating 
that  the  subsidence  of  the  water  caused  a  current  through  the  neck  suffi- 
cient to  cut  the  bank  at  a  sharp  angle. 

As  already  mentioned,  the  glacial  ridge,  roughly  paralleled  by  the 
Grand  Trunk  Railroad,  is  the  watershed  separating  the  county  into  two 
drainage  divisions.  Eventually  all  the  surface  waters  of  the  county 
find  their  way  into  the  St.  Joseph  river.  But,  recognizing  the  line  of 
division  just  mentioned,  the  drainage  of  the  south  and  eastern  half  is 
effected  by  two  general  outlets,  and  of  the  north  and  west  half  by  one. 

Christiann  creek,  which  reaches  the  St.  Joseph  at  Elkhart,  receives 
the  drainage,  in  whole  or  part,  of  Ontwa,  Mason,  Jefferson,  Calvin,  Penn 
and  Newberg  townships.     Its  extreme  sources  may  be  traced  to  Mud  and 


8  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Wildcat  lakes  in  north  Penn.  Several  of  the  lakes  in  southwest  New- 
berg  drain  into  this  creek,  and  the  surplus  waters  from  the  Diamond 
lake  basin  pass  into  the  little  Ijranch  that  extends  from  the  lake's  south- 
ern extremity,  through  Brownsville,  to  a  junction  with  the  Christiann. 
A  little  further  south  Christiann  creek  receives  accessions  to  its  placid 
current  from  the  ''chain  lakes"  of  Calvin,  and  from  various  small 
tributaries  in  east  Jefferson,  and  from  the  lakes  of  north  Ontwa.  From 
the  earliest  period  of  white  settlement  Christiann  creek  has  furnished 
sites  for  mills,  one  of  the  first  in  the  county  being  at  Vandalia,  where  the 
water  is  still  utilized  for  similar  purposes,  though  its  volume  at  this 
point  is  small. 

To  the  student  of  nature,  especially  with  reference  to  the  physical 
geography  of  this  county,  some  of  the  facts  derived  from  ol>servations 
of  familiar  scenes  become  as  impressive  as  the  grandeur  and  surpassing 
wonders  that  lie  a  thousand  miles  awa}^  Surely  there  is  cause  for  con- 
templation and  admiration  in  the  knowledge  that  at  one  time  the  great 
area  roughly  defined  by  the  Christiann  and  its  tributaries  w^as  under  the 
dominion  of  confused  and  dashing  waters,  under  wdiose  influence  the 
land  surface  was  moulded  and  shaped  anew,  and  that  when  it  finally 
emerged,  water-worn,  to  the  light  of  the  sun  its  surface  was  the  more 
fit  for  the  uses  of  man.  From  total  inundation  the  waters  withdrew 
by  stages  until  they  are  now  confined  to  the  diminishing  lakes  and  the 
narrow  streams. 

The  entire  Christiann  basin  is,  in  turn,  tributary  to  the  St.  Joseph 
valley,  whose  irregular  shore  line  is  clearly  and  sometimes  abruptly  de- 
fined along  the  southern  border  of  Cass  county.  The  old  Indian  trail 
and  Chicago  road  often  follows  close  on  the  edge  of  this  river  bluff, 
now  descending  to  the  old  stream  level  and  now  winding  along  on  the 
heights. 

We  have  described  with  some  particularity  the  Christiann  drain- 
age area,  because  its  features  are  quite  typical  of  the  other  similar  areas 
in  the  county.  And  before  speaking  of  these  other  drainage  divisions, 
it  is  necessary  to  state  the  part  played  by  artificial  drainage  in  the  county. 

The  pioneers  found  many  portions  of  the  county  unfit  for  cultiva- 
tion and  agricultural  improvement.  Marsh  hay  was  the  only  product 
of  value  furnished  by  these  areas,  and  to  offset  this  the  flats  and  marshes 
were  the  breeding  grounds  of  chills  and  fevers  and  for  many  years  a 
source  of  disease  to  all  who  lived  here.  Now  these  same  places  are  the 
sites  of  some  of  the  most  productive,  valuable  and  healthful  farmsteads 


HISTORY  Ol^^  CASS  COUNTY  i) 

in  the  county.  Not  alone  the  system  of  ditching,  under  individual  and 
county  enterprise,  has  heen  responsible  for  this.  The  clearing  of  the 
timber  tracts  and  undergrowth  and  the  loosening  and  upturning  of  the 
soil  by  the  plow  increased  surface  evaporation  and  sub-drainage,  and 
these  were  the  first  important  agencies  in  removing  the  excess  moisture 
and  making  the  land  more  habital)le  as  well  as  arable. 

The  first  acts  of  the  legislature  with  reference  to  drainage  were 
passed  in  1846.  For  ten  years  all  the  public  drainage  undertaken  was  un- 
der the  direction  of  township  authorities.  In  1857  the  board  of  super- 
visors were  given  power  to  appoint  three  commissioners  to  construct 
and  maintain  drains.  This  act  w^as  amended  at  different  times.  In  188 1 
it  was  provided  that  one  drain  commissioner  might  be  appointed  in 
each  county,  to  hold  office  two  years,  and  in  1897  the  office  of  drain 
commissioner  was  formally  established  in  each  county,  to  be  filled  by 
appointment  of  the  board  of  supervisors  for  a  term  of  two  years,  the 
first  full  term  dating  from  January,  1898.  In  consideration  of  the  vast 
benefit  conferred  upon  the  counties  of  Michigan  by  drainage  works,  it 
is  noteworthy  that  the  laws  and  court  decisions  expressly  affirm  that 
such  construction  and  maintenance  of  drains  can  be  undertaken  only 
on  the  ground  that  they  are  ''conducive  td  the  public  health,  convenience 
and  w^elfare."  In  other  words,  the  increased  value  of  lands  and  the  ben- 
efits to  private  individuals  are  only  incidental.  The  present  incumbent 
of  the  office  is  G.  Gordon  Huntley,  and  his  predecessor  in  the  office 
was  John  Condon. 

Public  drains  may  now  be  found  in  all  parts  of  the  county.  In 
some  places  the  digging  of  a  ditch  through  a  natural  barrier  and  the 
maintenance  of  a  straight  channel  in  place  of  a  former  tortuous  and 
sluggish  outlet,  has  effected  the  complete  drainage  of  a  lake  basin,  thus 
ending  another  dominion  of  the  picturesque  tamarack  and  marsh  grass 
and  making  room  for  waving  grain  fields.  As  a  result  of  drainage 
many  of  the  lakes  which  the  pioneers  knew  and  which  are  designated 
on  the  county  maps  in  use  today,  are  now  quite  dry  and  cultivable,  and 
in  the  course  of  another  generation  many  more  of  these  sheets  of  crys- 
tal water,  reminiscent  of  geologic  age  and  picturesque  features  of  the 
landscape,  will  disappear  because  inconsistent  with  practical  utility  and 
the  welfare  of  mankind. 

Another  important  phase  of  the  drainage  work  is  the  deepening 
and  straightening,  by  dredging,  of  the  existing  water  courses.  Per- 
haps the  most  notable  instance  is  in  Silver  Creek  and  Pokagon  town- 


10  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

ships,  where  the  sinuous  Dowagiac  creek,  for  considerable  portions  of 
its  course,  has  been  removed,  as  it  were,  bodily  from  its  former  bed  and 
placed  in  a  new  straight  channel,  where  its  current  hastens  along  at  a 
rate  never  attained  by  the  old  stream  in  times  of  freshet.  By  this  means, 
the  water  being  confined  to  a  narrow  channel  and  not  allowed  to  wan- 
der at  its  sluggish  will  over  the  ancient  bed,  as  though  unwilling  to  for- 
get its  former  greatness,  a  large  area  of  timber  and  swamp  land  has  been 
rendered  available  for  productive  purposes.  By  clearing  of  the  forests 
and  by  improvement  of  surface  drainage,  the  "Dowagiac  Swamp,''  so 
fearful  to  the  early  settlers  as  the  haunt  of  pestilence  and  long  deemed 
impossible  of  reclamation,  has  lost  its  evil  reputation  and  is  now  not 
only  traversed  by  solid  highways  as  successors  to  the  old  corduroy  or 
primitive  ''rail  road,"  but  is  cut  up  into  fertile  and  valuable  farms. 

Resuming  the  description  of  the  remaining  topographical  divisions 
of  the  county,  we  find  that  besides  the  Christianu  basin  a  large  portion  of 
Newberg  and  Marcellus  townships  sheds  the  surface  water  through  the 
outlets  afforded  by  Little  Rocky  river  and  its  branches,  which  pass  east 
to  a  junction  with  the  St.  Joseph  in  the  county  of  the  latter  name.  That 
portion  of  the  county  that  forms  the  barrier  of  separation  between  the 
Chfistiann  and  the  Little  Rocky  presents  the  most  diverse  and  rugged 
surface  to  be  found  in  the  county.  The  south  part  of  Newberg  town- 
ship was  at  one  time  quite  submerged,  this  conclusion  being  based  on 
the  numerous  lake  basins  and  plains  to  be  found  there.  But  north  from 
Newberg  town  hall,  which  is  situated  on  a  delightfully  level  plain,  where 
the  loamy  soil  itself  indicates  a  different  origin  from  that  found  in  the 
rougher  areas,  the  level  is  abruptly  broken  and  the  road  ascends  to  a 
series  of  morainal  hills  and  ridges,  forming  a  f-airly  well  defined  group 
spreading  over  sections  8,  9,  10,  15,  16  and  17.  Among  these  is  ''Bald 
Hill,''  between  sections  g  and  16,  conceded  to  be  the  highest  elevation 
not  only  of  this  group,  but  perhaps  of  the  entire  county.  From  these 
hills  of  heaped  up  gravel,  sand  and  clay,  with  corresponding  deep  and 
irregular  sinks  and  valleys,  prospects  are  afforded  on  all  sides.  To  the 
south  the  country  appears  to  extend  in  level  perspective  until  the  hori- 
zon line  is  made  by  the  hills  in  north  Porter  township.  The  view  on  the 
east  is  not  interrupted  short  of  the  east  line  of  the  county,  though  all 
the  intervening  surface  is  extremely  hilly  and  some  of  the  most  tortu- 
ous roads  in  the  county  are*  in  east  Newberg:  Northward  from  Bald 
Hill  the  descent  into  the:  valley  of  the  Little  Rocky  is  such  that  here  is 
seen  the  most'  irhpress'ive  panorama  in  Cass  county.     On  a  clear  day. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  11 

when  the  timbered  areas  have  lost  their  fohage,  the  houses  of  Marcellus 
village,  at  the  center  of  the  next  township,  are  visible.  Between  arc 
the  succession  of  woodland  and  cultivated  fields,  dotted  with  farm- 
houses and  all  the  evidences  of  prosperous  agriculture.  Some  of  the 
landscape  vistas  that  stretch  away  in  every  direction  from  the  hills  of 
JNewberg,  not  to  mention  the  hills  themselves,  are  worthy  the  labors  of 
a  most  critical  painter. 

As  soon  as  the  Lake  Michigan  moraine  north  and  west  of  Cas- 
sopolis  is  crossed  an  entirely  different  drainage  area  is  reached.  Here 
Dowagaic  creek  reaches  out  its  numerous  branches  and  increases  its 
current  from  the  drainage  of  practically  half  the  county.  Fish  lake,  in 
the  northeast  corner  of  the  county,  is  the  extreme  source  within  the 
county.  Thence  the  course  lies  westward  through  the  Little  Prairie 
Rondo,  which  attracted  the  Cards  and  Huffs  and  other  well  known 
early  settlers  to  Volinia  township.  Further  along,  as  the  stream  increased, 
it  afforded  power  for  mills,  which  all  along  its  course  have  been  im- 
portant factors  in  the  industries  of  the  county  from  the  pioneer  period. 
Wandering  on  in  its  course  through  Volinia  and  LaGrange,  its  drainage 
area  has  been  marked  by  alternate  forest,  flat  marsh-land,  and  beautiful, 
fertile  prairies.  Reaching  northeast  LaGrange,  its  valley  expands  into 
the  broad  LaGrange  prairie,  wliich  the  succeeding  pages  will  describe 
as  the  site  of  one  of  the  three  earliest  and  largest  Cass  county  settle- 
ments.  The  valley  again  contracting  as  it  winds  through  the  hills  east 
of  Dowagiac,  the  stream  passes  into  the  series  of  marsh  flats  which 
characterize  the  country  surrounding  Cass  county's  only  city.  As  al- 
ready mentioned,  the  country  between  the  two  forks  of  the  Dowagaic, 
comprising  a  large  part  of  Silver  Creek,  as  also  of  the  adjoining  town- 
ships, has  been  redeemed  from  the  reign  of  swamp  and  water  by  man's 
enterprise.  The  north  branch  of  the  Dowagiac,  with  its  source  in  Van- 
Buren  county,  is  bordered  by  the  flats  of  Wayne  and  Silver  Creek,  which 
ditching  and  clearing  are  making  some  of  the  most  productive  land  in 
the  county. 

Between  the  south  branch  of  the  Dowagiac  and  Pokagon  creek, 
comprising  much  of  the  area  of  Pokagon  and  LaGrange  townships,  are 
located  several  of  the  gently  undulating,  thinly  timbered  areas  to  which 
the  pioneers  gave  the  name  ''prairies.''  Of  these,  Pokagon  prairie,  by 
its  native  fertility  and  beauty,  first  attracted  the  homeseekers  from  the 
rendezvous  at  Cai-ey  Mission  (Niles).  Also,  McKinne/s  prairie  is  a 
geographical  name  often  repeated  in  these  pages,   designating  a  tract 


12  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

about  and  including  Sections  20  and  21  of  LaGrange.  LaGrange  prairie 
belongs  to  the  same  general  description.  All  the  area,  included  between 
the  central  morainal  ridge  and  Dowagiac  creek,  was  at  one  time,  it  must 
be  remembered,  the  bottom  of  the  immense  water  basin  which  contained 
the  Hoods  poured  from  the  edge  of  the  retreating  glacier  as  it  withdrew 
from  the  moraine,  and  the  niundation  which  continued  for  a  long  time 
effected  many  changes  in  the  surface  and  the  arrangement  of  drift 
material. 

The  southwest  part  of  the  county,  much  of  it  ridged  and  over- 
spread with  the  moraine,  presents  a  topography  similar  to  Newberg, 
though  not  so  rugged.  The  numerous  lakes  and  absence  of  any  im- 
portemt  streams,  indicate  the  work  of  the  ice  fields  in  sculpturing  the 
surface  of  Howard,  Jefferson  and  Milton  townships.  Here  are  some  ex- 
tensive flats  which  a  complete  system  of  drainage  will  in  time  make  very 
valuable  from  an  agricultural  point  of  view.  Howard  especially  was 
noted  for  its  ''oak  openings,"  and  the  loose  sandy  soil  and  presence  of 
many  gravel  and  boulder  ridges  militated  against  a  very  early  occupa- 
tion by  settlers,  although  the  same  land  has  long  since  been  found  well 
adapted  to  practical  agriculture. 

Generally  speaking,  the  soil  throughout  the  county,  in  consequence 
of  its  origin  in  the  composite  glacial  drift,  is  very  deep  and  contains 
all  the  chemical  constituent  elements  of  good  soil.  The  character  of  the 
soil  depends  upon  the  assortment  of  the  drift  material  into  clay,  sand  or 
gravel  beds,  as  one  or  the  other  of  these  layers  happens  to  occupy  the 
surface  position,  or  as  they  are  mingled  without  regard  to  kind. 

A  few  words  may  be  said,  in  conclusion,  relative  to  what  may  be 
termed  the  ''natural  products"  of  Cass  county.  At  the  time  of  settlement 
the  greater  part  of  the  area  was  covered  with  forest  growth  in  all  its 
primeval  magnificence  and  wildness.  The  clearing  of  these  timber  areas 
— for  they  are  meager  in  comparison  with  their  former  area  and  mostly 
of  second  growth  trees — effected  the  greatest  changes  in  the  landscape, 
as  it  has  been  modified  under  the  influences  of  seventy-five  years  of  civil- 
ization. Pioneers  recall  the  heavy  forest  growths  among  which  their 
first  habitations  were  constructed.  In  those  days  no  value  was  attached 
to  timber  that  would  now  be  bought  at  almost  fabulous  prices  for  lum- 
ber. Black  walnut,  measuring  four  or  five  feet  in  diameter,  white, 
black  and  red  oak,  hickory,  elm  and  beech,  were  all  ruthlessly  cut  down 
and  given  prey  to  fire  in  order  that  space  might  be  had  for  tillage.  The 
timber  tracts  now  to  be  found  in  the  county,  though  in  some  cases  mag- 


J IJ STORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  13 

iiificent  features  of  the  landscape,  are  restricted  and  hardly  adequate  as 
a  means  by  which  the  imagination  can  reconstruct  the  gloomy,  intricate 
forest  depths  through  which  the  pioneer  forced  his  way  to  his  wilderness 
home. 

Of  coal  and  mineral  deposits,  Cass  county  has  none.  Borings  for 
gas  have  not  resulted  successfully,  although  about  twenty  years  ago  a 
company  at  Dowagiac  sunk  a  drill  over  nineteen  hundred  feet  below  the 
surface.  From  an  early  day  the  manufacture  of  brick  has  been  carried 
on,  but  brick  kilns  have  been  numerous  everyw^here  and  furnish  no 
special  point  of  distinction. 

The  most  important  of  nature's  deposits  are  the  marl  beds.  This 
peculiar  form  of  carbonate  of  lime,  now  the  basis  of  Michigan's  great 
Portland  cement  industry,  the  total  of  the  state's  output  being  second 
only  to  that  of  New  Jersey,  was  known  and  used  in  this  county  from 
an  early  day.  The  plaster  used  in  the  old  court  house  was  made  of  marl 
lime.  Many  a  cabin  was  chinked  with  this  material,  and  there  were 
several  kilns  in  an  early  day  for  the  burning  of  marl.  A  state  geolog- 
ical report  states  the  existence  of  a  large  bed  of  marl  at  Donnell's  lake 
east  of  Vandalia,  Sections  31  and  32  of  Newberg,  the  marl  in  places 
being  over  twenty-five  feet  in  depth.  Just  north  of  Dowagiac,  in  the 
lowlands  of  the  old  glacial  valley  is  said  to  be  a  deposit  of  bog  lime  over 
six  hundred  acres  in  extent  and  from  eighteen  to  twenty-eight  feet  deep. 
Harwood  lake,  on  the  St.  Joseph  county  line,  is,  it  is  claimed,  surrounded 
by  bog  lime.  About  the  lakes  east  of  Edwardsburg  are  marl  deposits 
whicli  were  utilized  for  plaster  from  an  early  day.  But  as  yet  these 
deposits  have  not  been  developed  by  the  establishment  of  cement  plants, 
and  that  branch  of  manufacture  is  a  matter  to  be  described  by  a  future 
historian. 


14  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


CHAPTER  n. 
ORIGINAL  INHABITANTS. 

It  IS  asserted  that  when  the  first  white  men  settled  in  Cass  county, 
they  liad  as  neighbors  some  four  or  five  hundred  Indians.  So  that, 
although  we  make  the  advent  of  the  white  man  the  starting  point  of  our 
history,  yet  for  hundreds  and  perhaps  thousands  of  years  there  has  been 
no  break  in  the  period  when  the  region  we  now  call  Cass  county  has 
served  as  the  abode  of  human  beings. 

The  lands  which  we  now  till,  the  country  dotted  over  with  our  com- 
fortable dwellings,  the  localities  now  occupied  by  our  populous  towns 
and  villages,  were  once  the  home  of  a  people  of  a  different  genius,  with 
dift'erent  dwellings,  different  arts,  different  burial  customs,  and  different 
ideas;  but  they  were  human  beings,  and  the  manner  in  which  our  interest 
goes  out  to  them,  and  the  peculiar  inexpressible  feelings  which  come 
to  our  hearts  as  we  look  back  over  the  vista  of  ages  and  study  the  few 
relics  they  have  left,  are  proof  of  the  universal  brotherhood  of  man  and 
the  universal  fatherhood  of  God. 

Almost  all  of  the  Indians  living  here  at  the  coming  of  the  white 
settlers  were  members  of  the  Pottawottomie  tribe.  And  they  were  the 
successors  of  the  powerful  Miamis,  who  had  occupied  the  tountry  when 
the  French  missionaries  and  Explorers  first  made  record  of  its  inhab- 
itants. This  shifting  of  population  had  probably  gone  on  for  ages, 
and  many  tribes,  of  varying  degrees  of  barbarism,  have  in  their  time 
occupied  the  soil  of  Cass  county.  The  Pottawottomies  were  destined  to 
be  the  last  actors  on  the  scene,  and  with  the  entrance  of  the  white  man 
they  soon  passed  out  forever. 

But  during  the  first  three  decades  of  the  nineteenth  century  they 
were  the  possessors  of  this  region.  The  ascending  smoke  from  the  wig- 
wam fires,  the  human  voices  by  wood  and  stream,  were  theirs.  They  were 
the  children  of  nature.  The  men  were  hunters,  fishers,  trappers  and  war- 
riors. Their  braves  were  trained  to  the  chase  and  to  the  battle.  The 
w^omen  cultivated  the  corn,  tended  the  papooses  and  prepared  the  food. 

And  yet  these  people  had  attained  to  a  degree  of  approximate  civil- 
ization.    Though  they  wrote  no  history,  and  published  no  poems,  there 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  15 

certainly  were  traditions  among  them,  especially  concerning  the  creation 
of  the  world.  Though  they  erected  no  monuments,  they  had  their 
dwellings,  wigwams  though  they  were.  Their  civilization  was  not  com- 
plicated, and  yet  they  lived  in  villages,  graphic  accounts  of  which  have 
been  given.  In  place  of  roads  they  had  trails,  some  of  them  noted  ones, 
which  will  be  described  later.  They  communicated  with  each  other  in 
writing  by  means  of  rude  hieroglyphics.  They  had  no  schools,  but  their 
young  were  thoroughly  trained  and  hardened  to  perform  the  duties  ex- 
pected of  them. 

The  Indians  had  not  carried  agriculture  to  a  high  degree  of  per- 
fection, but  they  turned  up  the  sod  and  planted  garden  vegetables  and 
corn,  of  which  latter  they  raised  more  than  is  generally  supposed,  though 
the  women  did  most  of  the  farm  work.  They  were  not  given  to  com- 
merce, but  tliey  bartered  goods  with  settlers  and  took  their  furs  to  the 
trading  posts  where  they  exchanged  them  for  the  white  man's  products. 
I'hey  made  their  own  clothes,  their  canoes,  their  paddles,  their  bows  and 
arrows,  and  other  weapons  of  war,  and  wove  bark  baskets  of  sufficient 
fineness  to  hold  shelled  corn.  And  another  interesting  fact  concerning 
them,  they  also  understood  how  to  make  maple  sugar.  The  sugar  groves 
of  the  county  have  given  of  their  sweetness  for  more  generations  than 
we  k-now  of. 

Much  of  a  specific  nature  has  been  written  of  the  Indians  of  this* 
part  of  the  country,  much  more  than  could  be  compressed  within  the  space 
of  this  volume.  We  can  only  characterize  them  briefly.  That  they 
were  in  the  main  peacable  is  the  testimony  of  all  records.  On  the  other 
hand  they  were  by  no  means  the  ''noble  red  men"  which  the  idealism 
of  Cooper  and  I^ongfellow  has  painted  them.  Historical  facts  and  the 
witness  of  those  who  have  had  the  benefit  of  personal  association  with 
these  unfortunate  people  lead  one  to  belieVe  that  the  Indian,  as  compared 
with  our  own  ideals  of  life  and  conduct,  was  essentially  and  usually  a 
sordid,  shiftless,  unimaginative,  vulgar  and  brutish  Creature,  living  from 
hand  to  mouth,  and  with  no  progressive  standards  of  morality  and  char- 
acter. The  Indians  in  this  vicinity  frequently  came  and  camped  around 
the  settlers,  begging  corn  and  squashes  and  giving  Venison  in  return. 
They  supplemented  this  begging  propensity  by  thievirig— usually  in  a 
petty  degree— and  it  is  said  that  they  would  steal  ahy  article  they  could 
put  their  hands;on  and- escape  observation.  A  sharp  watch  was  kept  on 
their  movements  when- tliey  were  known  to  be'in  the  rieighborhood:' 

The  Indian^  witb  whom  the  settlers  of  Cass  county  had' to  deal  had 


16  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

been  influenced  more  or  less  by  coming  in  contact  with  Christianity.  At 
different  times  for  a  century  French  missionaries  had  penetrated  this 
region.  Father  Marest  is  one  of  the  first  known  as  having  worked  in 
this  field.  The  Pottawottomies  yielded  more  readily  than  other  tribes 
to  the  teachings  of  the  missionaries.  They  were  deeply  impressed  by 
the  ritual  of  the  Catholic  church.  The  tenacity  with  which  many  of 
the  converts  clung  to  the  faith  is  a  remarkable  tribute  to  the  power  of 
that  church  over  a  barbarous  people.  Old  chief  Pokagon,  whose  record 
has  come  down  to  us  singidarly  free  from  the  usual  stains  of  Indian 
weakness,  was  a  lifelong  adherent  of  the  Catholic  church,  and  he  and  his 
people  formed  the  nucleus  and  chief  support  of  a  church  in  Silver  Creek 
towaiship. 

The  natives  had  been  subject  not  only  to  the  influences  of  Catholi- 
cism but  to  those  of  Protestantism.  This  brings  us  to  the  consideration 
of  one  of  the  most  remarkable  institutions  of  a  missionary  character  that 
the  middle  west  ever  knew.  Not  only  the  work  of  religion  but  many 
secular  events  and  undertakings  that  concern  the  early  history  of  north- 
ern Indiana  and  southwestern  Michigan  centered  around  the  Baptist 
mission  among  the  Pottawottomies,  which  w^as  founded  near  the  site 
of  Niles  in  the  year  1822.  Here  gathered  the  red  men  to  receive  re- 
ligious and  secular  instruction.  The  councils  between  the  government 
authorities  and  the  chief  men  of  the  tribe  took  place  at  the  mission  house. 
This  was  the  destination  to  which  the  settler  from  the  east  would  direct 
his  course.  After  resting  and  refitting  at  this  point  and  counseling 
wnth  those  who  knew  the  country,  the  homeseekers  would  depart  in  dif- 
ferent directions  to  locate  their  pioneer  abode.  Thus  the  Carey  Mission, 
as  it  was  called,  played  a  very  conspicuous  part  in  the  history  of  this 
region.  It  served  to  connect  the  old  with  the  new.  It  was  founded  pri- 
marily for  the  benefit  of  the  Indians,  it  served  their  spiritual  and  often 
their  physical  needs,  and  its  existence  was  no  longer  warranted  after  the 
Indians  had  departed.  But  the  Mission  was  also  a  buffer  to  soften  the 
impact  of  civilization  upon  the  Indian  regime.  Its  work  in  behalf  of 
the  Indians  and  settlers  alike  pushed  forward  the  process  of  civilization 
and  development  in  this  region  some  years  before  it  otherwise  would 
have  been  attempted. 

The  name  of  Rev,  Isaac  McCoy  has  become  fixed  in  history  as 
that  of  one  of  the  most  remarkable  religious  pioneers  of  the  middle  west. 
His  influence  and  fame,  while  centering  around  the  Carey  Mission  which 
he  established,  also  spread  to  many  parts  of  the  west     Bom  in  Pennsyl- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  17 

vania  in  1784,  he  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  the  wilderness  of  Kentucky 
when  six  years  old.  There  he  met  and  married  the  gentle  Christiana,  a 
daughter  of  Captain  Polk,  and  as  faithful  co-workers  they  devoted  their 
efforts  to  a  common  cause.  The  people  of  Cass  county  have  special 
reason  to  remember  this  pioneer  missionary's  wife,  for  her  name  is 
borne  by  the  stream  that  runs  south  from  the  center  of  the  county  to  a 
junction  with  the  St.  Joseph  near  Elkhart.  For  a  number  of  years 
Rev.  McCoy  was  pastor  of  a  church  in  Indiana,  and  in  18 17  was  ap- 
pointed a  missionary  and  undertook  his  labors  among  the  Indians  of 
the  western  states  and  territories. 

The  founding  of  the  Carey  Mission  was,  in  the  language  of  Judge 
Nathaniel  Bacon  in  an  address  delivered  at  Niles  in  1869,  ''the  pioneer 
step  in  the  way  of  settlement.  It  was  barely  ten  years  since  the  massacre 
at  Chicago,  and  about  the  same  time  after  the  memorable  battle  at  Tip- 
pecanoe, and  the  disastrous  defeat  of  our  army  at  Brownstown,  when 
this  mission  was  established.  Emigration  had  in  a  great  measure  stopped. 
Very  few  dared  to  venture  beyond  the  older  settlements,  until  McCoy  bold- 
ly entered  into  the  heart  of  the  Indian  country,  and  began  his  mission 
school  among  the  Pottawottomies  who  dwelt  on  the  river  St.  Joseph. 
The  fact  was  soon  made  known  throughout  Indiana  and  Ohio,  and  at 
once  adventurers  began  to  prepare  to  follow  the  example  of  the  mis- 
sionary, who  had  led  the  way." 

In  the  same  address  Judge  Bacon  quoted  a  report  of  mission  made 
by  Major  Long  of  the  United  States  army  in  1823.  It  contained  the 
following  description  of  the  mission  establishment:  'The  Carey  Mis- 
sion house  is  situated  about  one  mile  from  the  river  St.  Joseph.  The 
establishment  was  erected  by  the  Baptist  Missionary  Society  in  Wash- 
ington, and  is  under  the  superintendence  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  McCoy,  a  man 
whom,  from  the  reports  we  have  heard  of  him,  we  should  consider  as 
eminently  qualified  for  the  important  trust  committed  to  him. 

''The  spot  was  covered  with  a  very  dense  forest  seven  months  be- 
fore the  time  we  visited  it,  but  by  the  great  activity  of  the  superin- 
tendent he  has  succeeded  in  the  course  of  this  short  time  in  building  six 
good  log  houses,  four  of  which  afford  comfortable  residences  for  the  in- 
mates of  the  establishment;  the  fifth  is  used  as  a  school  room,  and  the 
sixth  forms  a  commodious  blacksmith  shop.  In  addition  to  this  they  have 
cleared  about  fifty  acres  of  land,  which  is  nearly  all  enclosed  by  a  sub- 
stantial fence.     Forty  acres  have  already  been  plowed  and  planted  with 


18  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

maize,  and  every  step  has  been  taken  to  place  the  estabHshment  on  an 
independent  footing. 

'The  school  consists  of  from  forty  to  sixty  children,and  it  is  con- 
templated that  it  will  soon  be  increased  to  one  hundred.  The  plan  adopted 
appears  to  be  a  very  judicious  one;  it  is  to  unite  a  practical  and  intel- 
lectual education.  The  boys  are  instructed  in  the  English  language — ^ 
reading,  writing  and  arithmetic.  They  are  made  to  attend  to  the  usual 
occupations  of  a  farm,  and  perform  every  operation  connected  with  it, 
such  as  plowing,  planting,  harrowing,  etc.  In  these  pursuits  they  ap- 
pear to  take  great  delight.  The  system  being  well  regulated,  they  find 
time  for  everything. 

'The  girls  receive  the  same  instruction  as  the  boys,  and  in  addition 
are  taught  spinning,  knitting,  weaving  and  sewing,  both  plain  and  orna- 
mental. They  are  also  made  to  attend  to  the  pursuits  of  the  dairy, 
such  as  milking  cows,  making  butter,  etc.  All  appear  to  be  very  happy, 
and  to  make  as  rapid  progress  as  white  children  of  the  same  age  would 
make.  Their  principal  excellence  rests  in  worksi  of  imitation.  They 
write  astonishingly  well,  and  many  display  great  natural  taste  fbr 
drawing. 

'The  institution  receives  the  countenance  of  the  most  respectable 
among  the  Indians.  There  are  in  the  school  two  of  the  great-grandchil- 
dren of  To-pen-ne-bee,  the  great  hereditary  chief  of  the  Pottawottomies. 
The  Indians  visit  the  establishment  occasionally  and  appear  well  pleased 
with  it.  They  have  a  flock  of  one  hundred  sheep,  and  are  daily  ex- 
pecting two  hundred  head  of  cattle." 

From  a  later  official  report,  made  in  1826,  it  appears  that  the  mis- 
sion "has  become  a  familiar  resort  of  the  natives,  and  from  the  ben- 
efits derived  from  it  in  various  shapes  they  begin  to  feel  a  dependence 
on  and  resource  in  it  at  all  times,  and  especially  in  difficult  and  trying 
occasions.  There  are  at  present  seventy  scholars,  in  various  stages  of 
improvement.  Two  hundred  and  three  acres  are  now  enclosed  by 
fences,  of  which  fifteen  are  in  wheat,  fifty  in  Indian  corn,  eight  in  pota- 
toes and  other  vegetable  products ;  the  residue  is  appropriated  to  pasture. 

'There  have  been  added  to  the  buildings  since  my  last  visit  a 
house  and  a  most  excellent  grist  mill,  worked  by  horse  power.  The  use- 
fulness of  this  mill  can  scarcely  be  appreciated,  as  there  is  no  other  of 
any  kind  within  one  hundred  miles  at  least  of  this  establishment,  and 
here  as  benevolence  is  the  preponderating  principle,  all  the  surrounding 
lx>pulation  is  benefited.'^     In  fact,  there  were  few,  if  any,  of  the  first 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  19 

white  settlers  of  the  surrounding  country  who  did  not  resort  to  the  Mis- 
sion mill  to  get  their  grist  ground. 

Thus  the  Indian  occupants  of  the  territory  of  Cass  county  had 
been  taught  many  of  the  arts  of  civilized  life  before  the  record  of  the 
first  white  settlement  in  the  county  is  recorded.  This  dependence  on  the 
assistance  of  the  white  man,  while  it  tended  to  ameliorate  the  naturally 
hostile  feelings  between  the  races,  at  the  same  time  subjected  the  settlers 
to  the  burden  of  their  improvident  neighbors  as  long  as  they  remained 
in  the  county. 

The  Indians  found  in  Cass  county  at  the  advent  of  the  white  set- 
tlers were  in  three  bands.  The  chiefs  of  two  of  these — Pbkagon  and 
Weesaw — were  promiaent  characters,  reputable  and  representative  men 
of  their  tribe,  and  the  annals  of  the  time  contain  frequent  mention  of 
their  names.  According  to  the  History  of  1882,  Pokagon's  band,  num- 
bering over  two  hundred,  occupied  originally  the  prairie  in  the  western 
part  of  the  county  which  retains  the  chief's  name.  As  the  settlers  came 
in  and  appropriated  the  land,  the  Indians  moved  from  place  to  place 
in  the  county,  the  majority  of  them  finally  settling  in  Silver  Creek  town- 
ship. Weesaw  and  his  followers  had  their  home  in  the  northeast  por- 
tion of  the  county,  on  Little  Prairie  Ronde,  in  Volinia  township.  The 
third  band  of  Cass  county  Indians  had  as  their  chief  the  notorious  Shave- 
head — named  so  because  he  kept  his  hair  closely  cropped  except  a  small 
spot  on  top  of  his  head  and  behind.  Pie  was  a  morose,  troublesome  and 
renegade  Indian,  never  became  a  party  to  any  of  the  treaties  between 
the  whites  and  Indians  and  viewed  with  sullen  hostility  every  advance 
of  settlement. 

But  long  before  this  time  the  Indians  had  formally  relinquished  their 
claims  to  the  region  now  occupied  by  Cass  county.  The  Chicago  treaty 
of  i8'2i  provided  for  the  cession  to  the  United  States  of  all  the  territory 
lying  west  and  north  of  the  St.  Joseph  river  claimed  by  the  Pbttawot- 
tomie  Indians.  By  the  later  treaty  of  1828  all  the  possessions  of  the 
tribe  within  the  territory  of  Michigan  were  transferred  to  the  govern- 
ment, with  the  exception  of  a  reservation  of  forty-nine  square  miles  in 
Berrien  county, .west  of  the  St.  Joseph  and  bordered  by  it. 

In  1833,  at  Chicago,  a  treaty  was  drawn  up  by  the  three  commis- 
sioners of  tjie  United  States  and  the  chiefs  of  the  Pottawottomies,  among 
whom  w^ere  Pbkagon  and  Weesaw,  by  which  it  was  provided  that  ''All 
the  Indians  residing  on  the  said  reservations  (that  in  Berrien  county 
being  the  principal  one)  -shall  remove-therefrom  within  three  years  from 


20  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

this  date,  during  which  time  they  shall  not  be  disturbed  in  their  posses- 
sion, nor  in  hunting  upon  the  lands  as  heretofore.  In  the  meantime  no 
interruption  shall  be  offered  to  the  survey  and  sale  of  the  same  by  the 
United  States  government/' 

Pokagon  and  his  followers  would  not  sign  this  treaty  until  they 
were  guaranteed  exemption  from  the  clause  which  concerned  their  re- 
moval. It  was  the  cherished  desire  of  Pokagon  that  his  people  should 
remain  in  ''the  land  of  their  fathers,"  and  in  accordance  with  this  inten- 
tion he  began  to  enter  land  in  Silver  Creek  township  in  1836,  and  in  a 
year  or  so-  had  about  nine  hundred  acres  entered  in  his  name,  although 
others  of  the  band  had  contributed  money  for  its  purchase.  This  was 
the  origin  of  the  Indian  settlement  in  Silver  Creek  township,  which,  as 
it  still  continues,  will  be  described  elsewhere. 

According  to  the  treaty,  the  date  of  removal  of  the  Indians  from 
their  reservation  was  set  for  1836.  When  the  time  came  the  Indians 
protested.  There  were  many  delays  in  executing  the  plan  of  the  gov- 
ernment. Agents  were  busy  for  some  time  in  collecting  a  census  of  the 
tribes.  It  was  difficult  to  assemble  the  scattered  bands  preparatory  to 
their  exile.  Many  escaped  from  the  surveillance  of  the  officers  and  took 
to  hiding  until  the  exodus  was  accomplished.  Some  were  assisted  in 
secreting  themselves  by  the  white  settlers,  who  felt  sympathy  for  them. 
Such  an  emigration,  imposed  from  without,  must  always  excite  com- 
miseration. History  is  full  of  similar  instances,  as  witness  the  exile 
of  the  Acadians  made  famous  in  Longfellow's  "Evangeline." 

Upon  the  day  appointed  for  the  exodus  the  Pbttawottomies  ren- 
dezvoused at  Niles,  and  under  the  escort  of  two  companies  of  United 
States  troops  moved  out  on  the  Chicago  road  toward  their  future  home 
in  distant  Kansas.  It  was  a  sad  and  mournful  spectacle  to  witness  these 
children  of  the  forest  slowly  retiring  from  the  homes  of  their  childhood, 
that  contained  not  only  the  graves  of  their  revered  ancestors,  but  also 
many  endearing  scenes  to  which  their  memories  would  ever  recur  along 
their  pathway  through  the  wilderness.  They  felt  that  they  were  bidding 
farewell  to  the  hills,  valleys  and  streams  of  their  infancy;  to  the  more 
exciting  hunting  grounds  of  their  advanced  youth,  as  well  as  the  stern 
and  bloody  battlefields  they  had  contended  for  in  their  manhood.  All 
these  they  wer^  leaving  behind  them  to  be  desecrated  by  the  plowshare 
of  the  white  man.  .  As  they  east  mournful  glances  back  toward  these 
loved  scenes  that  were  fading  in  the  distance,  tears  fell  upon  the  cheek 
of  the  dowwast  warrior,  old  men  trembled,  matrons  wept,  and  sighs 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  21 

and  half-suppressed  sobs  escaped  from  the  motley  groups  as  they  passed 
along.  Ever  and  again  one  of  the  party  would  break  out  of  the  train 
and  flee  to  their  old  encampments  on  the  St.  Joseph.  In  the  following 
year  these  and  many  of  those  who  had  avoided  removal  by  hiding,  were 
collected  and  taken  to  their  brethren  in  Kansas. 

Thus  departed,  with  few  exceptions,  all  of  the  original  inhabitants 
of  Cass  county.  From  the  standpoint  of  humanity,  their  mode  of  exist- 
ence, their  ascent  in  the  scale  of  human  development,  and  their  pitiful 
decadence  and  defeat  in  the  contest  against  a  superior  race,  will  always 
claim  a  full  share  of  interest.  But  in  the  history  which  tells  of  progress, 
of  building  of  great  cities  and  empires,  of  a  constantly  broadening  scope 
of  human  acivity,  the  story  of  the  Indian  has  little  place.  He  has  left 
nothing  that  we  have  thought  worthy  of  imitation,  nothing  of  a  funda- 
mental character  on  which  we  might  continue  to  build.  On  the  con- 
trary, in  the  history  of  America,  the  Indian  seems  almost  without  ex- 
ception to  have  been  an  adverse  factor.  He  must  be  removed  just  as 
it  has  been  deemed  necessary  to  remove  the  forests  in  order  that  agri- 
culture might  proceed.  And  fortunate  were  the  settlers  of  such  a  region 
as  Cass  county  that  this  removal  was  accomplished  without  a  bitter  and 
relentless  warfare,  such  as  was  the  inevitable  accompaniment  of  every 
advance  of  white  men  in  the  far  west. 


22  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


CHAPTER  III. 
THE  COUNTY'S  SOUTHERN  BOUNDARY. 

Being  one  of  the  southernmost  tier  of  Michigan  counties,  any  ques- 
tion that  affected  the  southern  boundary  of  the  state  is  of  direct  interest 
to  Cass  county.  The  county  was  not  organized  till  1829  and  its  settlers 
were  comparatively  few  at  that  date.  But  the  pioneers  of  that  period 
as  well  as  those  who  settled  here  later  from  other  parts  of  the  state  were 
well  acquainted  with  the  boundary  dispute  that  continued  through  the 
existence  of  Michigan  as  a  territory  and  which  culminated  in  what  has 
gone  down  in  history  and  is  still  remembered  by  the  oldest  inhabitants 
by  the  name  of  ''the  Toledo  war.'' 

Perhaps  no  one  still  alive  in  Cass  county  can  recall  from  personal 
knowledge  any  of  the  events  of  this  very  mteresting  dispute.  But  in  the 
early  thirties  the  settlement  of  the  southern  boundary  very  nearly  pre- 
cipitated a  civil  war  and  attracted  national  attention.  Had  government 
policies  taken  a  little  different  turn,  the  southern  line  of  Cass  county 
might  now  embrace  the  great  bend  of  the  St.  Joseph  river  that  now 
sweeps  through  the  northern  half  of  Elkhart  and  St.  Joseph  counties  of 
Indiana,  and  the  boundary  line  between  the  two  states  of  Michigan  and 
Indiana  would  be  ten  miles  south  of  its  present  direction. 

If  any  one  will  take  a  map  covering  the  area  of  Indiana,  Ohio  and 
Michigan,  he  will  see  that  the  northern  boundary  of  Ohio  is  not  on  a 
line  with  the  northern  boundary  of  Indiana.  The  northwest  corner  of 
Ohio  does  not  join  the  corner  of  Indiana,  but  is  further  down  and  runs 
a  little  upward,  or  north  of  due  east,  and  terminates  at  the  most  north- 
em  cape  of  Maumee  bay,  leaving  that  bay  within  the  bounds  of  Ohio. 
The  question  is.  What  has  made  this  difference  in  the  boundary  lines? 
and  the  answer  involves  the  history  of  three  different  boundary  lines 
which  have  to  do  intimately  with  the  area  of  Cass  county,  or  more  prop- 
erly speaking,  that  part  of  Michigan  territory  from  which  Cass  county 
was  made. 

In  1778-9  George  Rogers  Clark,  a  young  Virginian  of  extraordinary 
character,  who  has  well  been  called  the  Hannibal  of  the  west,  captured 
Kaskaskia  and  Vincennes,  thus  cutting  off  the  supplies  of  the  Indians. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  23 

He  had  been  sent  out  by  the  government  of  Virginia,  and  that  state 
therefore  laid  claim  to  all  the  territory  northwest  of  the  Ohio  river, 
which  was  the  same  territory  ceded  to  Great  Britain  by  France  in  the 
treaty  of  1763.  On  March  i,  1784,  through  her  authorized  delegates  in 
Congress,  Virginia  ceded  this  territory  to  the  United  States.  She  stip- 
ulated that  it  be  divided  into  states  but  specified  no  boundaries.  By  vir- 
tue of  ancient  royal  charters,  New  York,  Massachusetts  and  Connecti- 
cut also  claimed  large  territories  north  of  the  Ohio  river,  but  these 
claims  were  all  transferred  to  the  United  States,  Connecticut  alone  re- 
serving a  tract  which  was  called  the  Western  Reserve  until  May  30, 
1800,  when  she  surrendered  her  jurisdictional  claim  over  this  tract  to 
the  United  States.  Thus  the  general  government  obtained  the  juris- 
diction over  the  Northwest  Territory,  and  of  the  lands,  subject  however 
to  the  proprietary  rights  of  the*  Indians. 

When  Congress  assumed  the  jurisdiction  there  was  no  established 
government  anywhere  in  the  territory.  The  French  commandants  of  the 
posts  had  administered  the  laws  dictated  by  France,  the  British  succeeded 
them  and  proclaimed  the  common  law  of  England  to  be  in  force,  Vir- 
ginia also  had  extended  her  laws,  but  there  were  no  courts  to  enforce 
any  of  them.  The  question  of  forming  some  kind  of  government  for 
the  newly  acquired  territory  at  once  attracted  the  attention  of  Congress. 

At  first  a  report  was  made  providing  for  the  formation  of  the  ter- 
ritory into  ten  states  with  fanciful  names,  but  nO'  action  was  taken  upon 
it.  This  was  Thomas  Jefferson's  scheme.  From  the  time  of  its  ac- 
quirement by  the  government  until  1787,  there  was  no  organized  control 
over  the  Northwest  Territory.  The  people  who  were  settling  in  it  were 
left  to  struggle  along  as  best  they  could.  But  on  April  23,  1787,  a  com- 
mittee consisting  of  Mr.  Johnson  of  Connecticut,  Mr.  Pinckney  of  South 
Carolina,  Mr.  Smith  of  New  York,  Mr.  Dane  of  Massachusetts,  and 
Mr.  Henry  of  Maryland,  reported  an  ordinance  for  the  government  of 
the  new  territory.  It  was  discussed  from  time  to  time  and  very  greatly 
amended,  and  finally,  on  the  13th  of  July,  it  passed  Congress.  This  is 
the  celebrated  Ordinance  of  1787,  a  document  which,  next  to  the  Con- 
stitution of  the  United  States,  perhaps  has  occasioned  more  discussion 
than  any  other,  on  account  of  its  sound  principles,  statesmanlike  qual- 
ities and  wise  provisions. 

It  is  Article  5  of  this  ordinance  which  has  most  intimately  to  do 
with  our  present  subject.  That  article  provided  for  the  formation  in 
the  territory  of  not  less  than  three  nor  more  than  five  states,  it  fixed  the 


24  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

western,  the  southern,  and  the  eastern  boundaries  of  what  became  lUi- 
nois,  Indiana  and  Ohio,  and  then  the  ordinance  said,  'Tf  Congress  shall 
find  it  hereafter  expedient,  they  shall  have  authority  to  form  one  or  two 
states  in  that  part  of  the  vSaid  territory  which  lies  north  of  an  east  and 
west  line  drawn  through  the  southerly  bend  or  extreme  of  Lake  Mich- 
igan." We  call  special  attention  to  this  line,  for  it  is  the  first  boundary 
line  with  which  we  have  to  do,  and  has  been  of  exceeding  great  import- 
ance in  the  so-called  boundary  line  dispute.  But  for  a  strange  combina- 
tion of  circumstances  and  long  continued  strife,  it  would  have  been  the 
southern  boundary  of  Michigan.  It  is  called  the  ^'ordinance  line"  because 
it  was  specified  in  the  great  Ordinance  of  1787  for  the  government  of 
the  Northwest  Territory. 

On  May  7,  1800,  Congress  divided  the  Northwest  Territory  by  a 
line  running  from  the  mouth  of  the  Kentucky  river  to  Fort  Recovery^ 
and  thence  due  north  to  the  Canadian  line.  It  will  be  seen  that  this 
line  is  not  the  same  as  that  prescribed  in  the  ordinance,  which  was  a  line 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Miami  river  to  Fort  Recovery  and  thence  due 
north,  making  the  boundary  line  due  north  and  south  all  the  way,  from 
Canada  to  the  Ohio  river  where  the  Miami  empties  into  it.  The  mouth 
of  the  Kentucky  river  is  several  miles  west  of  the  mouth  of  the  Miami, 
and  a  line  from  the  mouth  of  the  Kentucky  to  Fort  Recovery  runs  east 
of  north.  This  threw  a  three-cornered  piece  of  territory,  shaped  like  a 
church  spire  with  its  base  resting  on  the  Ohio  river,  into  Ohio,  which, 
when  the  states  were  organized,  was  included  in  Indiana  according  to 
the  ordinance,  and  afterwards  Ohio  from  time  to  time  set  up  claims  to 
this  tract. 

All  the  region  east  of  this  line  was  still  to  be  Northwest  Territory, 
and  that  on  the  west  was  erected  into  the  Indiana  Territory.  It  will  be 
seen  that  this  division  threw  about  one-half  of  the  Michigan  country  into 
Indiana  and  left  the  other  half  in  the  Northwest  Territory. 

And  now  for  the  first  time  the  ordinance  line,  the  east  and  west 
line  drawn  through  the  southerly  bend  or  extreme  of  Lake  Michigan, 
comes  into  prominence;  for  all  that  portion  of  the  east  Michigan  country 
which  lay  north  of  this  line  was  organized  as  Wayne  County  of  the 
Northwest  Territory,  and  its  settlers  supposed  that  their  fortunes  were 
thenceforth  identified  with  those  of  Ohio. 

The  Ordinance  of  1787  had  provided  for  the  admission  into  the 
Union  of  the  prospective  states  of  the  Northwest  Territory  as  follows : 
''Whenever  any  of  the  said  states  shall  have  sixty  thousand  free  inhab- 


MITCHELL'S  MAP  OF  1755. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  25 

itants  therein,  such  states  shall  be  admitted  by  its  delegates  into  the  Con- 
gress of  the  United  States  on  an  equal  footing  with  the  original  states 
in  all  respects  whatever,  and  shall  be  at  liberty  to  form  a  permanent  con- 
stitution and  state  government,  provided  the  constitution  and  govern- 
ment so  to  be  formed  shall  be  republican  and  in  conformity  to  the  prin- 
ciples contained  in  these  articles ;  and  so  far  as  can  be  consistent  with  the 
general  interests  of  the  confederacy,  such  admission  shall  be  allowed  at 
an  earlier  period,  and  when  there  shall  be  a  less  number  of  free  inhab- 
itants in  the  state  than  sixty  thousand"  (Article  5). 

The  Northwest  Territory  was  rapidly  filling  with  settlers,  and  in 
accordance  with  the  above  provision  the  whole  population,  including 
Wayne  county,  were  agitating  the  question  of  statehood.  On  April  30, 
1802,  Congress  passed  an  enabling  act,  the  first  of  its  kind,  according 
to  which  Ohio  might  frame  a  constitution  and  establish  a  state  govern- 
ment, if  it  was  deemed  expedient.  In  that  act  the  old  ordinance  line 
running  east  and  west  ''through  to  the  southerly  extreme  of  Lake  Mich- 
igan" was  specified  as  her  northern  boundary.  The  Ordinance  of  1787 
seemed  to  prescribe  this  as  the  dividing  line  between  the  three  states 
south  of  it  and  the  two  which  might  be  formed  north,  of  it,  and  so  it 
seems  to  have  been  regarded  and  accepted  at  the  time.  In  harmony  with 
the  enabling  act,  a  convention  met  at  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  on  November 
1st,  to  frame  a  constitution  for  the  new  state.  It  is  related  in  the  ''His- 
torical Transactions  of  Ohio"  that  while  the  convention  was  thus  en- 
gaged an  old  hunter  whose  curiosity  led  him  thither  appeared  on  the 
scene,  and,  learning  of  the  prescribed  boundaries,  informed  the  dele- 
gates that  the  southern  extreme  of  Lake  Michigan  lay  much  farther 
south  than  they  supposed,  or  than  the  maps  in  use  indicated.  This  state- 
ment at  once  awakened  great  interest  and  was  the  subject  of  careful 
deliberation.  The  map  used  by  Congress  in  prescribing  the  ordinance 
line  of  1787,  was  the  one  made  by  Mitchell  in  1755. 

This  map  had  been  accepted  as  accurate  by  the  Ohio  statemakers, 
until  the  statement  of  the  old  hunter  caused  them  toi  pause  and  consider. 
According  to  this  map  a  line  due  east  from  the  southern  bend  of  Lake 
Michigan  would  strike  the  Detroit  river  a  little  south  of  Detroit;  if,  how- 
ever, the  old  hunter's  statem.ent  was  true  and  the  line  was  farther  south, 
Ohio  would  be  deprived  of  much  of  her  territory.  Accordingly,  after 
much  deliberation,  the  convention  embodied  in  the  constitution  the 
boundaries  prescribed  in  the  enabling  act,  but  with  the  following  proviso: 
"If  the  southerly  bend  or  extreme  of  Lake  Michigan  should  extend  so 


26  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

far  south  that  a  Hue  drawn  due  east  from  it  should  not  intersect  Lake 
Erie  east  of  the  Miami  (now  the  Maumee)  river  of  the  lakes,  then 
*  '^  *  with  the  assent  of  Congress  of  the  United  States,  the  northern 
boundary  of  this  state  shall  be  established  by,  and  extend  to  a  line  run- 
ning from  the  southerly  extremity  of  Lake  Michigan  to  the  most  north- 
erly cape  of  the  Miami  (now  the  Maumee)  bay,  thence  northeast,  etc.," 
or  straight  on  through  Lake  Erie  and  Ohio  to  Pennsylvania.  With  this 
proviso:  the  constitution  was  adopted  on  November  29th. 

The  congressional  committee  on  the  admission  of  Ohio  refused  to 
consider  this  proviso,  because,  first,  it  depended  on  a  fact  not  yet  ascer- 
tained, and,  second,  it  was  not  submitted  as  were  other  propositions  of 
the  constitutional  convention.  Congress,  therefore,  ignoring  the  proviso, 
received  Ohio  into  the  Union. 

The  inhabitants  of  Wayne  county  were  very  indignant  that  Con- 
gress should  specify  the  ordinance  line  as  the  northern  boundary  of  the 
new  state.  More  indignant  still  were  they  when  Congress  received  Ohio 
into  the  Union  and  left  Wayne  county  out  in  the  cold.  They  contended 
that  it  was  illegal  to  treat  them  thus,  that  the  ordinance  of  1787  forbade 
the  further  division  of  the  Northwest  Territory,  until  the  northern  part 
of  it  could  be  made  a  state,  that  to  exclude  the  county  from,  Ohio  would 
ruin  it.  But  all  their  protests  wer*"  in  vain.  The  reason  was  a  political 
one.  The  Democrats,  or,  as  they  were  then  called,  the  Republicans,  had 
just  secured  the  presidency  in  the  election  of  Thomas  Jefferson.  Ohio, 
as  admitted  into  the  Union,  was  on  their  side;  but  if  Wayne  county 
were  a  part  of  the  state  it  might  be  thrown  into  the  ranks  of  their  op- 
ponents, the  Federalists.  Governor  St.  Clair  declared  that  to  win  a 
Democratic  state  the  people  of  Wayne  county  had  been  ^'bartered  away 
like  sheep  in  a  market.'' 

The  act  enabling  the  people  of  Ohio  to  form  a  state  provided  that 
Wayne  county  might  be  attached  to  the  new  state  if  Congress  saw  fit. 
Congress  did  not  see  fit,  but  on  the  contrary  attached  it  to  Indiana  Ter- 
ritory, and  in  1803  Governor  Harrison  formed  a  new  Wayne  county 
which  comprised  almost  all  of  what  is  now  Michigan.  North  and  east 
it  was  bounded  by  Canada,  but  on  the  other  sides  it  was  bounded  by  a 
"north  and  south  line  through  the  western  extreme  of  Lake  Michigan" 
and  '*an  east  and  west  line  through  the  southern  extreme  of  the  same." 
Here  the  same  old  ordinance  line  appears  again,  as  the  southern  bound- 
ary of  what  is  now  Michigan. 

But  the  Michigan  country  thus  united  was  too  strong  to  remain 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  27 

long  a  part  of  a  territory,  and  hence,  on  January  ii,  1805,  Michigan 
Territory  was  formed  by  act  of  Congress.  It  was  bounded  on  the  west 
by  a  Hne  extending  through  the  center  of  Lake  Michigan,  and  on  the 
south  by  a  hne  running  east  from  the  southern  extreme  of  the  same. 

It  will  be  seen  that  even  at  this  time  Michigan  was  deprived  of  a 
strip  of  land  on  the  west  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  which  as  Wayne 
county  Congress  had  given, her.  Had  she  contended  for  that  as  persist- 
ently as  she  did  for  the  strip  in  Ohio,  she  would  have  sought  some- 
thing more  valuable,  for  Chicago  is  situated  in  that  very  strip.  That 
spot  was  comparatively  worthless  then,  and  the  future  is  hidden  from 
states  as  from  individuals.  It  is  interesting,  however,  to  think  what 
would  have  been  the  result  if  Michigan  had  retained  the  boundary  lines 
which  she  had  as  Wayne  county. 

But  the  fact  which  concerns  us  here  is,  that  the  ordinance  line  ap- 
pears again.  After  January  11,  1805,  and  until  1816,  Michigan  Terri- 
tory's southern  boundary  was  a  line  running  due  east  and  west  from 
the  southern  extreme  of  Lake  Michigan ;  and  though  it  had  not  yet  been 
ascertained  accurately  just  where  that  line  would  come  out  in  Ohio, 
enoiigh  was  known  about  it  to  make  not  only  Ohio  but  the  people  of 
Indiana  object  very  strongly  to  the  southern  boundary  of  Michigan  Ter- 
ritory, as  public  documents  abundantly  show. 

The.  lx)undary  dispute  was  now  transferred  to  Ohio.  No  sooner 
had  the  Ohio  congressmen  taken  their  seats  after  her  admission  into  the 
Union,  than  they  began  working  to  secure  formal  congressional  assent 
to  their  proviso  about  the  boundary  line.  Senator  Worthington  secured 
the  chairmanship  of  a  committee  to  consider  the  question,  but  to<  no  pur- 
pose; both  houses  of  Congress  were  unmoved.  The  boundary  of  so 
distant  a  state  was  an  unimportant  matter.  When  the  territory  of  Mich- 
igan was  organized,  effort  to  have  the  neglected  proviso  confirmed  was 
again  made,  but  in  vain ;  and  the  southern  line  of  the  territory  was  de- 
scribed precisely  as  Ohio'  did  not  wish.  The  Ohio,  in  session  after  ses- 
sion of  her  legislature,  instructed  her  congressmen  to  endeavor  to  secure 
the  passage  of  a  law  defining  the  northern  boundary  line  of  their  state. 
It  was  certainly  quite  necessary  that  this  be  done.  The  lands  near  the 
rapids  of  the  Miami  (now  the  Maumee)  had  recently  been  ceded  to  the 
government  by  the  Indians  and  were  rapidly  filling  with  settlers.  Mich- 
igan magistrates  exercised  authority  over  the  district,  while  the  presi- 
dent had  appointed  a  collector  to  reside  at  the  Rapids,  describing  the 
place  as  in  Ohio. 


28  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

The  appeals  of  Ohio'  became  so  urgent  that  Congress  was  wilhng 
to  consider  the  matter.  Representative  Morrow  of  Ohio  proposed  a  bill 
confirming  the  northern  boundary  as  specified  in  the  constitution  of  his 
state,  and  was  made  chairman  of  a  committee  to  consider  the  question. 
But  the  bill  which  passed  provided  for  surveying  the  boundary  as  estab- 
lished by  the  enabling  act  of  1802,  the  ordinance  line.  Congress  had  not 
sufficient  knowledge  of  the  country  to  venture  to  change  the  line,  and 
it  is  probable  that  the  line  prescribed  in  the  ordinance  of  1787  was  re- 
garded as  inviolable.  The  bill  to  survey  the  boundary  was  passed  in 
1 812,  when  the  government  was  engaged  with  hostile  Indians  and  with 
the  war  against  England,  and  hence  nothing  was  done  for  three  years, 
or  until  1815,  and  even  then  but  little  was  accomplished.  Had  the 
survey  been  made  at  once,  before  the  disputed  strip  became  more  pop- 
ulous, the  question  might  have  been  settled;  but  during  the  delay  the 
tide  of  immigration  was  pouring  into  the  Miami  region,  and  the  ques- 
tion of  jurisdiction  was  becoming  more  and  more  important.  Again  the 
Ohio  authorities  urged  the  survey  of  the  state  line,  and  the  president 
complied  with  the  request  and  ordered  it  to  be  done  according  to  the  act 
of  1812.  The  survey  was  made  in  1816.  The  surveyor  general  of 
Ohio  employed  a  Mr.  Harris  to  run  the  line;  not,  however,  according 
to  the  president's  direction  but  according  to  the  proviso  of  the  Ohio  state 
constitution,  from  the  southern  extreme  of  Lake  Michigan  to  the  north- 
ernmost cape  of  Maumee  bay.  The  Harris  line  is  the  second  of  the 
boundary  lines  that  pertain  to  our  present  discussion. 

The  third  soon  appeared.  On  April  19,  1816,  Congress  passed  the 
enabling  act  for  the  admission  of  Indiana  as  a  state,  fixing  the  northern 
boundary  by  a  line  drawn  due  east  and  west  '*ten  miles  north  of  the 
southern  extreme  of  Lake  Michigan.''  Indiana  was  required  to  ratify 
this  boundary,  which  she  did  by  a  duly  elected  convention  which  sat 
at  Corydon,  June  10  to  19,  1816,  and  framed  a  constitution,  and  she  was 
formally  admitted  into  the  Union  on  December  nth. 

Moving  the  boundary  to  the  north  cut  off  from  Michigan  a  strip 
ten  miles  wide  and  one  hundred  miles  long,  which  she  claimed  had  been 
guaranteed  her  by  the  ordinance  of  1787,  and  by  several  other  acts  of 
Congress;  but  she  allowed  the  act  to  pass  unchallenged  at  the  time, 
probably  because  she  was  engaged  in  her  contention  with  Ohio,  and  be- 
cause the  strip  thus  taken  away  from  her  was  sparsely  settled  and  little 
known.  To  justify  depriving  Michigan  of  her  territory  in  this  manner 
It  was  argued  that  the  ordinance  of  1787  expressly  stipulated  that  the 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  29 

boundaries  it  laid  down  would  be  subject  to  changes  which  Conoress 
afterwards  might  make,  and  Michigan  was  <>nly  a  territory that  Indi- 
ana needed  not  only  river  communication  with  the  south  but  lake  com- 
munication with  the  north — that  this  would  facilitate  and  encourao-e  the 
building  of  connecting  canals  and  the  influx  of  settlers  by  way  of  the 
lakes — that  the  ordinance  line  of  1787  would  deprive  Indiana  of  all 
this  and  give  all  the  lake  frontage  to  Michigan;  and,  moreover,  that  if 
shut  out  from  northern  waters,  then,  in  case  of  national  disruption,  the 
interests  of  Indiana  would  be  to  join  a  western  or  southern  confederacy. 

This  ten-mile  strip  thus  given  to  Indiana  in  no  way  affected  the  in- 
terests of  Cass  county,  except  from  the  standpoint  of  speculative  history. 
When  this  boundary  was  decided  on,  there  were  no  settlers  in  the  region 
now  called  Cass  county,  and  few,  if  any,  in  all  the  strip  in  question. 
But  had  Ohio's  victory  in  the  contention  that  the  Harris  line  should 
form  the  inter-state  boundary  also  prevailed  to  establish  the  northern 
line  of  Indiana,  it  is  possible  that  Cass  county  might  have  embraced  a 
quite  dififerent  area  of  country  from  what  it  does  to-day. 

As  soon  as  General  Cass,  governor  Michigan  Territory,  heard  that 
Ohio  had  surveyed  the  Harris  line,  he  wrote  to  the  surveyor  general  of 
that  state,  asking  why  the  line  was  not  run  due  east  from  the  southern 
extreme  of  Lake  Michigan,  and  saying  that  a  disputed  jurisdiction  was 
one  of  the  greatest  of  evils,  and  that  the  sooner  the  business  was  in- 
vestigated the  better.  To  this  General  Tiffin  of  Ohio  replied  that  Harris 
had  found  the  southern  extreme  of  Lake  Michigan  to  be  more  than  seven 
miles  south  of  the  northernmost  cape  of  Miami  (or  Maumee)  bay,  and 
that  he  had  run  the  line  between  the  two  points.  He  sent  General  Cass 
a  map  illustrating  the  two  lines,  saying  that  the  proper  authority  should 
decide  which  should  govern,  but  for  his  part  he  believed  that  the  Harris 
line  was  the  true  one,  because  it  was  according  to  Ohio's  proviso,  and 
the  state  had  been  received  into  the  Union  with  that  proviso  in  her  con- 
stitution. 

Hearing  of  this  correspondence,  the  governor  of  Ohio  sent  to  his 
next  legislature  a  message  urging  that  the  matter  be  settled  at  once, 
and  that  body  settled  it  as  well  as  they  could  by  passing  a  resolution  to 
the  effect  that  Congress  had  accepted  the  proviso  in  accepting  the  con- 
stitution of  Ohio,  and  therefore  that  the  northern  boundary  of  the  state 
was  the  Harris  line.  Hearing  of  this,  acting  Governor  Woodbridge, 
in  the  absence  of  Governor  Cass,  wrote  to  the  governor  of  Ohio,  assur- 
ing him  that  the  act  was  unconstitutional.     He  also  wrote  to  John 


30  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Onincy  Adams,  then  secretary  of  state,  and  there  was  some  very  strong 
correspondence  on  the  subject,  too  extensive  to  include  here. 

Ilhnois  Territory  had  been  formed  in  iSog-,  It  included  all  the 
country  north  to  the  Canadian  Hne;  that  is,  what  is  now  Wisconsin  and 
a  part  of  Minnesota.  In  1818  the  legislature  of  Illinois  passed  a  reso- 
lution requiring  Nathaniel  Pope,  the  delegate  in  Congress,  to  present  the 
petition  for  admission  into  the  Union.  The  committee  to  which  that  pe- 
tition was  referred  instructed  Pope  to  prepare  a  bill  for  the  admission 
of  the  new  state.  On  April  i8th  of  the  same  year,  Congress  passed  an 
enabling  act  and  provided  that  Illinois  might  elect  delegates  to  a  conven- 
tion to  frame  a  state  constitution.  Illinois  elected  her  delegates  in  July 
and  they  w^ere  authorized  to  meet  in  convention  in  August  following  ''and 
if  deemed  expedient  to  form  a  constitution  and  state  government,  the 
same  to  be  republican  in  form  and  not  repugnant  to  the  ordinance  of 
1787,  excepting  so  much  thereof  as  related  to  the  boundaries  of  the 
states  therein  formed."  This  exception  was  very  important.  It  seems 
that  the  bill  for  the  admission  of  Illinois  had  specified  the  ordinance  line 
*as  the  northern  boundary,  but  this  exception  permitted  Delegate  Pope 
to  amend  the  bill  for  admission,  so  that  the  northern  boundary  was 
moved  up  to  where  it  is  now.  Thus  was  the  ordinance  line  ignored 
against  the  contention  of  Michigan,  and  the  northern  boundary  of  Illi- 
nois moved  about  sixty  miles  to  the  north.  This  helped  to  keep  the 
boundary  dispute  before  the  people.  Michigan's  constant  contention  had 
been  that  the  ordinance  line  was  the  true  one,  that  Congress  had  no 
right  to  change  it,  and  that  it  should  be  the  lower  boundary  of  the 
northern  tier  of  states  west  of  Lake  Michigan  as  well  as  east. 

In  1818  the  governor  and  judges  of  Michigan  Territory  protested 
against  Ohio's  claims  to  the  disputed  strip,  and  also  against  the  right 
of  Congress  to  give  to  Indiana  a  strip  lying  further  west.  They  knew 
it  was  too  late  to  alter  the  northern  boundary  of  the  new  state,  but  they 
said,  "We  take  this  away  to  preserve  the  just  rights  of  the  people  of 
this  territory  -  *  *  *  that  it  may  not  hereafter  be  supposed  that  they 
have  acquiesced  in  the  changes  which  have  been  made."  They  left  the 
final  decision  to  the  future,  as  they  said,  ''when  the  people  of  this  country 
can  be  heard  by  their  own  representatives." 

The  dispute  with  Ohio  was  another  matter.  There  the  contested 
strip  lay  in  the  most  fertile  region,  near  the  center  of  population  of 
Michigan,  and  the  question  of  possession  must  continually  arise.  In 
1818  the  authorities  of  Michigan  Terrftoi-y  sent  to  Congress  a  memorial 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  31 

stating  that  the  Hne  run  by  Harris  was  not  the  one  which  Congress  had 
ordered  marked,  but  another  running  several  miles  further  north.  They 
also  sent  a  committee  to  Washington  to  press  the  claims  of  the  terri- 
tory. In  response,  President  Monroe,  under  the  advice  of  a  house  com- 
mittee, directed  that  the  northern  boundary  of  Ohio  be  marked  according 
to  the  provisions  of  the  act  of  May  20,  1812.  Mr.  Harris  declined  to 
do  the  work;  and  so,  in  1820,  one  Fulton  was  commissioned,  who  ran 
the  line  due  east  and  west  from  the  most  southerly  bend  or  extreme  of 
Lake  Michigan.  The  Fulton  line  was  not  a  new  one,  but  the  old  ordi- 
nance line  correctly  surveyed.  Two  years  later  the  president  notified 
Congress  that  the  northern  teundary  of  Ohio  had  been  marked  according 
to  the  law  of  18 12.  The  Ohio  members  complained  that  the  Fulton  line 
had  been  run  not  by  order  of  Congress  but  at  the  request  of  General 
Cass,  and  asked  to  have  it  re-marked  according  to  the  Harris  survey. 
The  house  refused,  but  neglected  to  declare  the  line  marked  by  Fulton 
to  be  the  true  boundary.  Thus  the  matter  apparently  was  as  far  from 
being  settled  as  ever. 

In  182 1  the  Ottawa,  Chippewa  and  Pottawottomie  Indians  ceded 
to  the  United  States  their  lands  east  of  the  south  bend  of  the  St.  Joseph 
river  and  north  of  the  ordinance  or  Fulton  line,  and  in  1826  the  Potta- 
w^ottomies  ceded  their  lands  west  of  the  river  and  north  of  the  same 
line.  This  use  by  the  government  of  the  ordinance  line  as  a  boundary 
encouraged  Michigan  to  hope  in  its  stability. 

In  1826  there  was  much  excitement  over  the  matter.  The  Ohio 
delegation  tO'  Congress  secured  the  appointment  of  a  committee  to  con- 
sider the  expediency  of  marking  the  line  dividing  Ohio  from  Michigan 
Territory,  this  time  not  claiming  that  it  be  done  according  to  their  con- 
stitutional proviso.  Probably  they  were  becoming  wary.  The  proposal 
was  not  considered,  but  Michigan  was  on  the  alert.  In  her  next  council 
she  voted  to  instruct  her  delegate  in  Congress  to  prevent  any  change  in 
the  territorial  boundary,  and  announced  that  she  had  ^'acquired  absolute 
vested  rights"  by  the  Ordinance  of  1787  and  the  Act  of  1805.  A  little 
later,  in  1827,  Michigan  organized  the  township  of  Port  Lawrence  in 
the  very  heart  of  the  disputed  tract  without  causing  any  protest  from 
Ohio.     The  battle  for  the  present  was  to  be  fought  in  Congress. 

In  1827  a  bill  was  passed  without  difficulty  providing  for  the  mark- 
ing of  the  northern  boundary  of  Indiana.  This  was  the  first  time  it 
had  been  surveyed.     The  line  was  runby  E.  P.  Hendricks,  under  the 


32  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

authority  of  the  surveyor  general  of  the  United  States,  and  the  work  was 
begun  in  October,  1827. 

By  1 83 1  the  boundary  question  began  to  assume  a  serious  aspect. 
The  Ohio  legislature  petitioned  Congress  for  a  speedy  and  permanent 
establishment  of  the  dividing  line  between  that  state  and  the  territory  of 
Michigan.  Governor  Cass  was  anxious.  He  sent  to  the  council  of  the 
territory  a  very  serious  message  referring  briefly  to  the  attempt  of  certain 
counties  to  separate  from  the  territory,  and  to  the  possession  by  Indiana 
of  a  portion  of  the  territory.  He  advised  against  urging  any  claim 
to  the  latter,  as  Indiana  was  already  in  possession,  and  it  was  better  to 
leave  the  tract  unclaimed  until  Michigan  too  should  be  a  member  of  the 
tribunal  which  must  decide  the  question.  But  with  regard  to  Ohio  he 
urged  sending  to  Congress  a  memorial  which  would  state  the  rights 
and  sentiments  o"f  the  people  of  the  territory.  Before  referring  the 
matter  to  Congress,  the  legislative  council  authorized  Governor  Cass  to 
negotiate  with  the  governor  of  Ohio  with  a  view  to  a  compromise, 
which  he  did ;  but  as  this  was  in  vain,  a  memorial  was  sent  to  Congress. 
About  the  same  time  the  legislature  of  Ohio  memorialized  Congress, 
and  for  the  first  time  outlined  their  claims.  The  result  was  the  passage 
of  an  act  to  provide  for  the  determining  of  the  latitude  of  the  southern 
end  of  Lake  Michigan  and  other  points,  preparatory  to  an  adjustment 
of  the  Ohio  and  Michigan  boundary. 

The  year  1833  marked  the  beginning  of  the  end,  the  contest  was  od 
and  waxed  warmer  until  the  people  of  the  two  states  faced  each  other 
in  battle  array,  and  both  defied  the  central  government  as  only  the  se- 
ceding states  have  ever  dared  to  do.  Both  parties  were  active,  there  was 
a  sharp  and  continued  contest  in  Congress;  there  were  memorials  and 
counter  memorials. 

On  the  nth  of  December,  1833,  Michigan  made  her  first  formal 
petition  for  admission  into  the  Union,  which  was  refused.  In  1835  she 
tried  again  with  the  same  result.  She  had  more  than  the  requisite 
number  of  inhabitants,  no  one  doubted  that  she  should  be  admitted,  but 
many  doubted  the  right  of  admission  with  the  boundaries  which  she  so 
uncompromisingly  claimed. 

Failing  in  the  second  attempt  to  obtain  permission  to  form  them- 
selves into  a  state,  the  people  of  Michigan  determined  to  go  on  without 
permission.  In  January,  1835,  the  legislative  council  called  a  convention 
to  meet  the  following  May,  to  '^form^  for  themselves  a  constitution  and, 
state  government,''  which  they  did.     Meantime  Congress  was  consider- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  33 

ing  the  matter  of  the  disputed  Hne.  The  senate  passed  a  bill  according 
to  the  desire  of  Ohio-,  Indiana  and  Illinois,  which  was  killed  in  the 
house  by  John  Quincy  Adams.  Indiana  and  Illinois  had  turned  against 
Michigan,  because  her  insistence  that  Congress  had  no  right  to  disre- 
gard the  fundamental  provisions  of  the  Ordinance  of  1787  made  them 
fear  that  their  own  northern  lines  might  be  in  danger;  since  both  had 
been  run  regardless  of  the  ordinance. 

When  the  people  of  Michigan  heard  that  the  senate  had  passed  a 
bill  according  to  the  views  of  Ohio,  there  were  rumors  of  war.  Mich- 
igan declared  to  Congress  that  she  would  submit  the  question  to  the 
supreme  court,  but  until  a  decision  was  reached  she  would  resist,  "let 
the  attempt  be  made  by  whom  it  may,  all  efforts  to  rob  her  of  her  soil 
and  trample  on  her  rights.''  She  offered  to  negotiate  with  Ohio  and 
Indiana  regarding  their  conflicting  claims.  Indiana  ignored  it,  and  Ohio 
declined  it;  but  instead  the  governor  of  Ohio  advised  that  the  counties 
of  the  state  be  extended  to  a  line  running  from  the  southern  extremity  of 
Lake  Michigan  tO'  the  most  northern  cape  of  Maumee  bay.  The  advice 
was  promptly  accepted,  the  legislature  passed  an  act  to  that  effect,  and 
directed  the  governor  to  appoint  three  commissioners  to  survey  and  re- 
mark the  Harris  line.  The  people  of  the  disputed  tract  desired  it.  They 
wished  to  come  under  the  jurisdiction  of  Ohio.  The  Miami  canal  was 
in  process  of  construction,  from  the  mouth  of  the  Maumee  to  Cincin- 
nati, and  the  settlers  desired  to  secure  the  full  benefit  of  it. 

Two  weeks  before  this,  the  council  of  Michigan  had  passed  an  act 
to  prevent  the  exercise  of  foreign  jurisdiction  within  the  limits  of  the 
territory  of  Michigan.  Governor  Lucas  now  sent  to  acting  Governor 
Mason  of  Michigan  a  copy  of  his  message  to  the  Ohio-  legislature,  and  the 
latter  issued  orders  to  Brigadier  General  Joseph  W.  Brown,  of  the  Mich- 
igan militia,  and  prepared  to  resist  Ohio-  by  force.  The  blood  of  each 
party  was  up,  each  claimed  to  be  a  sovereign  state  and  each  resented  in- 
terference by  the  national  government,  though  Michigan  was  willing  to 
await  a  decision  of  the  supreme  court.  On  the  first  of  April  General 
Brown  and  a  force  of  volunteers  had  already  encamped  at  Monroe, 
just  north  of  the  contested  strip,  and  he  was  now  joined  by  Governor 
Mason.  On  April  second  Governor  Lucas  and  staff,  and  the  commis- 
sion to  re-mark  the  Harris  line,  accompanied  by  General  Bell  and  his 
troops,  arrived  at  Perrysburg,  just  south  of  the  contested  strip.  The 
election  of  officers  in  the  disputed  strip,  under  the  auspices  of  Ohio, 
passed  off  quietly;  the  tu9'  of  war  would  come  when  th'^^'T  officers  at- 


34  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

tempted  to  exercise  their  functions;  then  Michigan  would  begin  civil 
processes  against  them,  and  back  it  up  if  necessary  by  force  of  arms. 
The  rival  governors  had  received  notice  from  President  Jackson  that 
he  had  sent  peace  commissioners  who  were  on  the  way.  Governor  Mason 
now  wrote  to  Governor  Lucas  asking  him  to  desist  from  enforcing  the 
Ohio  law  until  the  president's  mediators  appeared.  Lucas  did  not  deign 
to  reply  by  writing,  but  sent  an  oral  message  saying  he  had  already  written 
to  the  president  a  letter  which  would  prevent  interference,  and  that  Ohio 
did  not  desire  the  service  of  mediators. 

At  this  juncture  the  mediators  appeared.  Richard  Rush,  of  Phil- 
adelphia, and  Benjamin  C.  Howard,  of  Baltimore,  had  traveled  night 
and  day,  which  meant  much  in  those  days,  and  on  April  third  they  arrived 
in  Toledo.  They  sought  by  diplomacy  to  appease  the  wrath  of  each  gov- 
ernor, but  failed.  The  men  elected  under  the  Ohio  act  were  beginning 
to  assume  office,  civil  processes  were  issued  against  them  under  the  Mich- 
igan act,  and  General  Brown,  with  his  forces,  was  ready  to  execute 
them. 

The  people  of  the  disputed  strip  were  between  two  fires,  and  yet 
their  fortunes  were  bound  up  with  the  government  of  Ohio.  They 
begged  the  Ohio  authorities  to  protect  them.  Tlie  commission  to  survey 
the  boundary  line  began  to  run  the  Harris  line,  and  had  proceeded  as 
far  west  as  Tecumseh,  where  Ohio  people  say  they  were  attacked,  Mich- 
igan people  that  they  were  arrested.  Governor  Lucas  called  an  extra 
session  of  his  legislature  to  increase  his  army.  The  peace  commissioners 
proposed  that  Ohio  run  her  line,  and  that  there  be  concurrent  jurisdic- 
tion until  settlement  by  the  federal  judiciary.  Lucas  consented  to  both. 
Mason  was  willing  to  let  the  line  be  run,  but  spurned  the  idea  of  concur- 
rent jurisdiction. 

At  length  the  Ohio  legislature  voted  to  abide  by  the  proposals  of 
the  peace  commissioners  if  the  United  States  would  compel  Michigan 
to  do  so ;  but  as  a  safeguard  Ohio  passed  an  act  against  kidnappers,  and 
appropriated  v$300,ooo  to  carry  out  her  plans.  During  the  same  time  the 
Michigan  constitutional  convention  was  in  session  at  Detroit,  and  de- 
clared that  Ohio  might  run  the  line,  but  no  authority  on  earth  save  that 
of  the  United  States  should  be  exercised  in  the  disputed  strip.  Ohio  be- 
gan to  carry  out  the  proposal  of  concurrent  jurisdiction,  resulting  in 
renewed  preparations  for  war.  On  the  seventh  of  September,  1835,  the 
Ohio  judges  went  to  hold  court  at  Toledo.  x\gain  troops  were  mus- 
tered on  both  sides.     But  the  court  was  held  at  midnight,  and  adjourned 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  35 

just  as  the  Michigan  forces  came  up.  The  troops  were  therefore  dis- 
persed; the  people  on  either  side,  from  many  considerations,  were  as 
wilHng  to  follow  their  leaders  to  peace  as  to  war,  the  Toledo  war,  or 
the  Governor  Lucas  war,  was  over,  and  the  dispute  was  destined  to  be 
settled  by  politicians  at  Washington. 

President  Jackson  had  submitted  the  boundary  dispute  to  Attorney 
General  Butler,  who  had  decided  that  the  disputed  strip  Monged  to 
Michigan.  John  Quincy  Adams  also,  then  secretary  of  state,  said, 
*'Nev^r  in  the  course  of  my  life  have  I  known  a  controversy  of  which  all 
the  right  was  so  clearly  on  one  side  and  all  the  power  so  overwhelmingly 
on  the  other,  where  the  temptation  was  so  intense  to  take  the  strongest 
side,  and  the  duty  of  taking  the  weakest  was  so  thankless." 

But  the  president  was  in  a  difficulty.  The  following  year  a  presi- 
dential election  would  occur,  and  he  desired  that  Martin  Van  Buren  be 
the  successful  candidate.  Indiana  and  Illinois,  each  of  which  states  of 
course  preferred  its  more  northern  boundary,  naturally  sympathized  with 
Ohio.  These  three  states  had  a  large  number  of  votes.  On  the  other 
hand  Michigan,  though  having  a  state  government,  was  only  a  terri- 
tory. Again,  Arkansas  as  well  as  Michigan  aspired  to  statehood,  and 
the  administration  was  anxious  to  have  both  admitted  in  time  to  vote 
at  the  next  presidential  election,  as  toth  were  supposed  to  he  Democratic. 
Moreover,  one  was  a  slave  state  and  the  other  a  free  state,  and  if  only 
one  were  admitted  the  other  would  take  offense.  Clearly  the  only  way 
to  remove  all  difficulties  was  to  settle  the  boundary  dispute.  The  de- 
cision of  the  attorney  general,  though  seeking  to  be  just  to  Michigan, 
pointed  out  to  the  president  that  he  might  remove  Governor  Mason,  and 
appoint  for  Michigan  a  governor  who  would  not  violate  the  law  and  yet 
who  would  not  push  matters  to  violence,  until  the  question  could  be 
settled  by  Congress,  an  expedient  to  which  the  president  finally  resorted. 
This  occasioned  John  Quincy  Adams  to  say  that  the  attorney  general's 
decision  'Svas  perfumed  with  the  thirty-five  electoral  votes  of  Ohio,  Indi- 
ana and  Illinois." 

Acts  for  the  admission  of  both  states  were  approved  June  15,  1836. 
Arkansas  was  admitted  unconditionally,  but  Michigan  on  condition  that 
she  give  the  disputed  strip  to  Ohio,  and  receive  as  compensation  the 
upper  peninsula.  In  a  convention  at  Ann  Arbor  on  the  fourth  Monday 
in  September,  Michigan  rejected  these  conditions  by  a  strong  majority. 
But  her  senators  and  representatives  were  anxious  to  take  their  seats  in 
the  national  Congress,  men  at  Washington  feared  losing  money  on  lands 


36  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

sold  in  Michigan,  the' administration  was  anxious  to  have  the  state  ratify 
the  act  for  her  admission,  and  all  these  interested  parties  brought  pressure 
to  bear.  Arguments  in  favor  of  the  state's  yielding  were  put  in  circula- 
tion and  after  much  shrewd  management  a  popular  convention  was  held 
at  Ann  Arbor  on  December  14th,  which  assented  to  the  terms  of  the  act 
of  admission.  This  convention  was  not  duly  called,  and  it  acted  wholly 
without  the  proper  authority;  but  strange  to  say,  both  houses  of  Con- 
gress by  large  majorities  passed  an  act  approved  January  26,  1837,  ^^" 
cepting  this  convention  as  meeting  the  requirements  of  the  case,  and  so 
Michigan  was  admitted  into  the  Union. 

But  for  some  years  Michigan  did  not  relinquish  her  claims  to  her 
lost  tracts  of  land.  In  1838  and  again  in  1842,  the  question  was  brought 
up  in  the  Michigan  legislature,  and  eminent  lawyers  were  consulted  as 
to  her  right  to  the  disputed  tracts.  And  it  is  probable  that  she  would 
have  made  a  legal  test  of  the  question  long  ago  but  for  the  development 
of  the  immense  wealth  of  her  mines  in  the  upper  peninsula,  which  had 
been  given  her  as  a  compensation  for  what  she  lost  to  Ohio.  This  de- 
velopment began  about  the  year  1845,  and  soon  convinced  her  that  her 
lost  strips  bore  no  comparison  in  value  to  the  rich  mining  region  which 
she  had  acquired. 

Such  are  the  three  boundary  lines;  first,  the  ordinance  line,  the 
Fulton  line,  or,  as  it  is  also  called,  the  old  Indian  boundary;  second,  the 
Harris  line ;  and  third,  the  Hendricks'  line,  which  is  the  present  state  line 
between  Michigan  and  Indiana.  From  the  foregoing  we  may  see  that 
the  location  of  the  line  which  now  forms  the  south  boundary  of  Cass 
county  and  of  the  state  has  been  of  exceeding  great  importance  in  the 
history  of  the  Northwest,  being  the  occasion  of  a  dispute  which  lasted 
for  forty-nine  years,  through  twelve  administrations,  extending  over  the 
periods  of  seven  presidents,  and  which  occasioned  great  contention,  em- 
ploying much  of  the  best  talent  of  the  country,  engaging  many  of  our 
strongest  characters,  and  very  nearly  resulting  in  a  bloody  war. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  37 


CHAPTER  IV. 
EARLY  SETTLEMENT. 

In  writing  history  the  events  and  the  personages  of  the  past  always 
fill  more  of  the  canvas  than  is  given  to  the  affairs  and  actors  of  the  period 
within  our  ready  remembrance.  ''No  one  has  written  a  true  history  of 
his  own  generation."  Events  that  are  near  deceive  us  because  of  their 
very  proximity.  To  obtain  their  true  relation  to  each  other,  all  objects, 
historical  as  well  as  material,  must  be  viewed  ''in  perspective."  We  may 
chronicle  events  of  a  recent  date,  or  place  in  some  sort  of  statistical 
order  the  various  activities  and  their  representatives;  but  to  do  more  is 
to  incur  the  risk  of  having  all  such  historical  judgments  set  aside  in 
the  future. 

There  is  another  reason,  not  based  on  the  historical  difficulty  just 
stated,  why  "first  things"  should  receive  a  seemingly  disproportionate 
share  of  our  attention.  It  is  to  the  pioneer  generation  of  every  locality 
that  its  present  inhabitants. owe  most  of  the  advantages  they  enjoy.  The 
American  youth  of  to-day  enters  into  the  full  use  of  a  magnificent  heritage 
that  has  been  won  only  through  the  toil  and  struggle  of  others.  He 
begins  life  among  luxuries  that  hardly  existed  in  the  wildest  dreams  of 
his  ancestors.  AH  the  superstructure  of  civilization,  its  home  and  insti- 
tutional life,  rests  upon  a  foundation  laid  at  the  cost  of  tremendous  self- 
sacrifice  and  effort  by  generations  that  have  passed  or  are  now  passing. 

It  is  with  this  in  mind  that  we  should  view  the  actors  and  events  of 
the  pioneer  past.  With  them  the  history  of  Cass  county  began.  The  work 
they  began  and  the .  influences  they  set  in  motion  have  not  ceased  to 
be  operative  to  the  present  time.  Character  is  pervasive  and  continuous, 
and  the  character  of  our  pioneers  has  not  yet  spent  its  force  in  Cass 
county. 

Of  transient  residents  within  the  borders  of  the  present  Cass  county 
there  were  many.  Perhaps  some  of  the  followers  of  La  Salle  got  this  far 
in  the  closing  years  of  the  eighteenth  century.  French  trappers  and  ex- 
plorers and  missionaries  certainly  were  birds  of  passage  during  the  fol- 
lowing century.  Then,  after  the  country  passed  from  French  to  English 
control  in  1763,  there  must  have  been  some  under  the  protection  of  the 


38  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Union  Jack  who  ventured  far  from  the  strongholds  of  settlement  into 
this  then  untamed  wilderness.  Adventurers  of  all  nationalities  explored 
the  region. 

But  the  only  person  who  would  have  penetrated  this  country  for 
business  reasons  was  the  trapper  and  fur-gatherer.  Several  are  named 
who  pursued  this  vocation  within  the  limits  of  Cass  county.  One  Zac- 
cheus  Wooden,  who  penetrated  the  lake  region  of  southern  Michigan  and 
set  his  traps  among  the  lakes  of  Cass  county  as  early  as  1814,  was  in  the 
employ  of  John  Jacob  Astor,  who  at  that  time,  in  rivalry  with  the 
British  fur  companies  on  the  north,  was  spreading  his  fur-gathering 
activity  throughout  the  western  territory  of  the  United  States.  There 
were  doubtless  many  engaged  in  similar  pursuits  with  Wooden  who 
likewise  at  different  times  had  their  headquarters  in  Cass  county.  But 
this  class  can  hardly  be  called  settlers,  and  it  is  only  necessary  to  call 
attention  to  the  fact  that  there  w^ere  such  men. 

One  other  type  of  early  resident  may  be  mentio-ned  before  we  pro- 
ceed to  consider  the  "permanent  settlers."  There  come  down  to  us  in 
the  history  of  every  community  several  instances  of  ''relapses"  from 
civilization — men  who,  because  of  natural  aversion  to  their  fellow  men, 
by  reason  of  some  sorrow  or  the  commission  of  crime,  turned  their  backs 
to  the  life  in  which  they  had  been  reared  and  severing  all  connection  with 
social  usages  thenceforth  chose  to  live  apart  from  the  world  and  bury 
their  existence  and  their  deeds  in  the  depths  of  the  wilderness.  Of  these 
restless  wanderers,  haunting  the  midshores  between  civilization  and  bar- 
barism, and  making  common  cause  with  the  Indians  and  other  creatures 
of  the  wild,  one  example  may  be  given. 

The  story  of  the  eccentric,  misanthropic  Job  Wright  is  well  told 
in  the  Cass  county  history  of  1882.  Born  in  North  Carolina,  he  was 
the  first  settler  of  Greenfield,  Ohio,  in  1799.  ^^^  t^uilt  a  log  cabin  there, 
and,  like  the  literary  Thoreau,  satisfied  his  slender  needs  by  making  hair 
sieves.  The  wire  sieve  not  yet  having  been  introduced,  he  found  a  goocl 
market  for  his  products  in  the  households  of  the  neighborhood.  But  it 
w^as  contrary  to  his  nature  to  follow  this  or  any  other  pursuit  on  a  per- 
manent business  basis,  and  with  enough  ahead  for  his  wants  in  the 
immediate  future  he  turned  to  the  more  philosophic,  if  less  profitable, 
occupation  of  fishing.  According  to  the  account,  he  ''followed  it  with  a 
perseverance  and  patience  worthy  of  his  biblical  protonym  and  with  a 
degree  of  success  of  which  even  Isaak  Walton  might  be  proud." 

Job  soon  found  that  his  happy  environment  was  being  taken  away 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  39 

from  him.  The  woods  and  meadows  that  had  existed  without  change 
throughout  the  centuries  were  being  occupied  by  an  energetic  people. 
Even  the  streams  were  being  obstructed  to  furnish  power  to  grind  the 
settler's  corn,  and  the  fish  felt  their  imprisonment  and  were  leaving.  The 
countrv^  was  getting  crowded.  It  was  no  place  for  a  lover  of  nature  in 
its  first  dress.  The  Indians  had  gone,  the  deer  were  leaving,  and  it  was 
not  long  before  civilization  crowded  Job  farther  west. 

Various  corners  of  the  world  knew  him  after  that,  but  the  virgin 
wilderness  was  always  his  best  loved  home.  Only  the  promptings  of 
patriotism  brought  him  forth  to  serve  his  country  in  the  war  of  1812. 
Then  he  returned  to  his  wanderings.  He  is  said  to  have  made  his  ap- 
pearance in  Cass  county  in  1829,  very  naturally  selecting  as  his  location 
the  island  in  Diamond  Lake.  He  built  a  small  log  cabin  near  the  north 
end  of  the  island,  and  for  some  time  lived  there  as  a  ''squatter,"  but 
finally  entered  the  land,  when  there  appeared  to  be  danger  that  it  might 
pass  intO'  the  hands  of  some  one  else. 

At  his  island  home  Job  led,  the  greater  part  of  the  time,  a  hermit's 
life.  During  a  portion  of  the  time  he  spent  upon  his-  little  domain, 
however,  his  mother,  son  and  son's  wife,  whom  he  brought  from  Ohio, 
lived  with  him.  Job  Wright  wasi  tall  and  gaunt,  but  powerful.  His  hair 
was  red  and  lie  wore  a  long  beard.  On  one  hand  he  had  two  thumbs, 
and  claimed  that  this  peculiar  formation  was  the  badge  and  token  of 
the  gift  of  prophecy  and  other  endowments  of  occult  power.  By  many 
persons  he  was  said  to  have  a  knowledge  of  witchcraft,  and  they  re- 
lated, with  impressive  confidence,  how  he  could  stop  the  flowing  of  blood 
by  simply  learning  the  name  and  age  of  the  person  whose  life  was  en- 
dangered, and  pronouncing  a  brief  incantation.  Most  of  his  time  was 
spent  in  hunting  and  fishing,  but  he  cultivated  a  small  part  of  the  island, 
raising  a  little  corn  and  a  few  vegetables  for  his  own  use. 

Despite  his  isolation  in  the  center  of  the  lake,  he  was  very  much 
disturbed  by  the  rapid  settlement  of  the  surrounding  country.  He  again 
set  out  on  his  wanderings.  But  the  years  had  now  laid  their  weight 
upon  him  and  denied  him^  the  strength  of  middle  age.  He  returned  to 
his  island  refuge,  where,  amid  the  trees  and  in  sight  of  the  sparkling 
water,  he  soon  passed  away. 

The  rest  of  the  account  reads  as  follows :  "A  few  friends  and  ac- 
quaintances among  the  settlers  of  the  neighborhood,  not  more  that  a 
dozen  in  all,  followed  the  remains  of  the  old  recluse  to  the  Cassopolis 
burying  ground.     George  B.  Turner,  passing,  and  happening  to  notice 


40  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

the  little  knot  of  inen  gathered  about  an  open  grave,  was  led  by  curios- 
ity to  join  them.  There  was  no  minister  present.  The  preparations  were 
all  made,  and  the  rude  whitewood  coffin  was  about  to  be  lowered  into 
llie  ground  when  one  of  the  men,  a  rough-spoken  but  tender-hearted 
and  humane  old  farmer,  uttered  a  suggestion  to  the  effect  that  some  re- 
marks ought  to  be  made  before  the  remains  of  a  fellow  mortal  were 
laid  away  to  rest.  He  called  upon  Mr.  Turner,  who,  after  a  moment's 
hesitation,  stepping  upon  the  little  mound  of  fresh  earth  at  the  side  of 
the  grave,  delivered  Job  Wright's  funeral  sermon. 

''The  secret  of  the  cause  which  had  driven  the  eccentric  pioneer  to 
this  life  of  seclusion  was  buried  with  him." 

In  discussing  the  first  settlements  of  Cass  county,  the  presence  of 
the  near-by  Carey  Mission  must  be  constantly  borne  in  mind.  We 
have  alluded  to  the  importance  of  that  establishment  in  rendering  the 
surrounding  country  more  available  for  settlement.  The  Mission  was 
the  radiating  point  for  the  streams  of  settlers.  While  prospecting  for  a 
suitable  location,  the  homeseeker  would  make  his  headquarters  at  the 
Mission. 

It  is  due  to  this  fact  that  the  first  settlements  in  Cass  county  were 
made  on  the  western  edge  of  the  county.  The  pioneers  entered  the 
county  from  the  west,  not  from  the  south  or  east,  as  might  be  supposed. 

The  beautiful  Pokagon  prairie,  in  the  township  of  the  same  name, 
was  the  spot  selected  by  the  first  permanent  settler  of  Cass  county.  The 
man  who  will  always  be  honored  as  the  first  citizen  of  the  county  was 
Uzziel  Putnam.  Right  worthy  he  was  to  bear  this  distinction.  It  would 
seem  not  to  have  been  a  futile  chance  that  directed  him  toward  this  re- 
gion. The  quality  of  his  character  had  nothing  in  common  with  the 
restless  Job  Wright.  A  purpose  supplemented  by  all  the  rugged  vir- 
tues of  the  true  pioneer  directed  him  in  the  choice  of  a  home  in  this  then 
wilderness. 

He  came  of  a  stock  fit  to  furnish  pathfinders  and  builders  of  a  new 
country.  Born  in  Wardsboro,  Vermont,  March  17,  1793,  inheriting  the 
peculiar  strength  and  courage  of  the  Green  Mountain  New  Englander, 
when  fourteen  years  old  he  moved  with  his  parents  to  western  New 
York.  After  serving  a  full  apprentice  period  with  a  clothier,  he  proved 
his  fitness  for  the  hardships  of  a  new  country  by  making  a  journey  of 
five  hundred  miles,  most  of  the  way  on  foot,  to  the  home  of  his  parents, 
who  had  located  near  Sandusky,  Ohio.  He  experienced  in  youth  all 
the  disadvantages  of  poverty,  but  there  is  little  account  to  be  made  of 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  41 

this,  for  in  a  new  country  a  matlly  strength  and  the  homely  virtue  of 
patient  industry  were  the  best  capital.  While  in  Ohio  he  was  a  soldier 
in  the  war  of  1812.  In  1822  he  married  Ann  Chapman,  with  whom  he 
lived  more  than  a  half  century, ^and  their  pioneer  experiences  were  en- 
dured together. 

As  early  as.  182 1  the  fame  of  the  valley  of  the  St.  Joseph  had  been 
carried  by  Indians,  trappers  and  traders  to  the  frontier  settlements  in  Ohio, 
and  it  excited  in  the  minds  of  the  many  adventurous  individuals  a  desire 
to  explore  the  region  and  to  substantiate  the  representations  made  of  its 
beauty,  fertility  and  natural  resources.  Among  the  number  was  Bald- 
win Jenkins,  who,  leaving  Ohio  in  October,  1824,  pursued  his  investi- 
gations in  northern  Indiana  and  about  the  St.  Joseph  in  Cass  and  Ber- 
rien counties,  after  which  he  returned  home.  Another  was  Abram 
Townsend,  who  in  the  same  year  as  Jenkins  visited  the  valley  of  the 
St.  Joseph,  and  on  his  return  tO' his  home  in  Sandusky  county,  Ohio,  gave 
a  most  flattering  account  of  what  he  had  seen,  and  announced  his  inten- 
tion to  remove  with  his  family  to  Pokagon  prairie.  His  praises  of  the 
region  were  echoed  by  an  Indian  trader  named  Andrus  Parker,  who 
had  also  explored  along  the  course  of  the  St.  Joseph. 

Among  those  who  listened  with  interest  to  the  narratives  of  Town- 
send  and  others  was  Uzziel  Putnam,  then  thirty-two  years  old  and  in 
the  prime  of  his  strength.  He  was  foremost  among  the  many  who  be-  . 
came  convinced  that  the  fertile  region  about  the  Carey  Mission  held  in 
waiting  the  opportunities  that  his  ambition  craved.  And  having  made 
up  his  mind  to  emigrate  to  the  Michigan  country,  he  at  once  began  t6  get 
ready  for  the  long  and  difficult  journey. 

He  was  not  alone  in  this  undertaking.  When  the  eventful  journey 
began  on  the  17th  of  May,  1825,  the  party  consisted  of  Putnam  with  his 
wife  and  child,  and  Abram  Townsend  and  son  Ephraim,  and  Israel 
Markham.  A  most  detailed  description  would  not  enable  us  to  under- 
stand and  appreciate  the  arduousness  of  such  a  journey.  Their  custom- 
made  wagon,  strong  though  it  was,  was  hardly  equal  to  the  strain  put 
upon  it  by  its  great  load  of  domestic  goods  and  by  the  roughness  of  the 
way.  Three  yoke  of  oxen  furnished  the  traction,  and  between  sunrise 
and  sunset  they  had  often  advanced  not  more  than  seven  or  eight  miles^ 
Rains  constantly  hindered  them,  the  wagon  mired  down  in  the  unbeaten 
way  that  they  chose  in  lieu  of  anything  like  a  modern  highway,  which, 
ot  course,  did  not  exist.  The  bad  roads  and  the  heavy  pull  caused  the 
oxen  to  go  lame,  with  consequent  delays.    And  in  the  eqd  it  was  found 


42  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

necessary  to  improvise  a  bark  canoe  and  transport  most  of  the  goods  by 
water  to  Fort  Wayne. 

Through  the  gloom  of  rainy  days,  the  vexatious  delays  caused  by 
mud  and  accident,  and  the  constant  fatigue  and  exposure  inseparable 
from  such  a  journey,  the  courage  of  the  pioneers  was  all  the  more  lus- 
trous; their  patient  perseverance  the  more  admirable;  ^nd  the  more  in- 
spiring is  their  success  in  overcoming  all  obstacles  and  finally  making 
a  home  in  the  wilderness — not  for  themselves  alone,  but  for  all  future 
generations.  The  journey  of  the  Putnam  party  was  typical.  Thou- 
sands of  pioneers,  both  before  and  after,  had  similar  experiences,  and 
we  dwell  somewhat  at  length  on  those  of  the  first  Cass  county  settler  to 
illustrate  some  of  the  difficulties  that  were  as  a  matter  of  course  in  the 
opening  of  a  new  country  to  civilization. 

But  finally  they  reached  the  land-  they  sought.  Crossing  the  St. 
Joseph  at  the  mouth  of  the  Elkhart,  and  following  the  track  by  way  of 
Cobert's  creek  and  Beardsley's  prairie,  they  reached  in  safety  the  cabin 
of  William  Kirk,  which  then  stood  about  sixty  rods  east  of  the  present 
railroad  depot  at  Niles.  On  the  following  day  Baldwin  Jenkins  (who 
had  already  arrived  on  the  scene)  and  Mr.  Kirk  piloted  Putnam  and 
Townsend  through  the  woods  to  Pokagon  prairie,  a  distance  of  six 
miles,  where  they  examined  the  ground  and  selected  places  for  farms. 
They  found  small  bands  of  Pottawottomies  living  on  the  prairie,  and 
when  they  explained  to  Chief  Pokagon  their  wish  to  settle  there  and 
cultivate  the  land,  the  old  Indian  objected,  saying  that  the  Indians'  corn 
would  be  destroyed  by  the  settlers'  cattle  and  that  his  people  would 
move  off  in  the  fall  to-  their  hunting  grounds,  after  which  the  whites 
could  come  and  build  their  houses. 

Mr.  Putnam,  having  selected  his  location,  now  returned  to  Fort 
Wayne  and  in  the  last  days  of  October  brought  his  family  and  the  rest 
of  his  goods  to  the  new  settlement,  reaching  Mr.  Kirk's  after  a  week's 
travel. 

The  22nd  day  of  November,  1825,  is  the  date  fixed  for  the  first 
permanent  settlement  in  Cass  county.  On  that  day  Uzziel  Putnam  moved 
his  family  into  his  new  home  on  Pokagon  prairie,  and  from  that  time 
until  his  death  on  July  15,  1881,  this  pioneer  had  his  residence  on  the 
beautiful  prairie  which  it  was  his  privilege  to  see  become  the  home  of 
many  prosperous  and  happy  people.  His  first  house  was  a  shanty  twelve 
feet  square,  covered  with  bark  and  without  floor  or  chimney,  which  Mr. 
Markham  had  put  up  for  his  convenience  while  cutting  hay  there  during 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  43 

the  previous  summer.  Poor  as  this  shelter  was  they  remained  in  it  until 
Mr.  Putnam  had  completed  a  new  and  more  comfortable  one.  Even 
the  new-  one  at  first  had  neither  floor,  door  nor  windows.  All  the  tim- 
bers had  to  be  hewn  into  shape  with  an  ax  or  cut  with  a  hand  saw, 
since  there  was  no  sawmill  within  a  hundred  miles. 

Six  days  after  Mr.  Putnam  moved  into  this  rough  cabin  on  Poka- 
gon  prairie,  Baldwin  Jenkins  located  in  the  same  neighborhood,  a  short 
distance  north  of  Sumnerville,  where  he  is  said  to  have  utilized  an 
Indian  wigwam  as  a  place  of  abode  during  the  winter.  As  already  men- 
tioned, he  had  arrived  at  the  Mission  some  time  before  Mr.  Putnam, 
and  during  the  summer  had  succeeded  in  raising  a  small  crop  of  com 
near  by.  In  the  fall  he  returned  to  Ohio^  and  brought  his  family  over- 
land to  Pokagon,  arriving  just  a  little  too  late  to  be  regarded  as  the 
first  settler. 

At  this  time  it  is  said  there  were  but  nine  families  in  Cass  and 
Berrien  counties,  excepting  those  at  the  Mission — two  in.  Cass  and 
seven  in  Berrien. 

Before  going  further  in  the  settlement  of  this  region,  a  few  words 
might  be  said  concerning  the  life  of  the  second  settler  of  Cass  county, 
Baldwin  Jenkins.     His  was  an  unusual  character,  in  an  age  and  country 
that  called  for  distinctive  attributes  of  mind  and  body.     Born  in  Greene 
county,  Pennsylvania,  October  4,   1783,  he  lived  to  he  sixty-two  years 
old.     At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  accompanied  the  family  to  the  timber  re- 
gion of  middle  Tennessee,  where  he  had  the  training  and  environment 
of  a  frontiersman.     To  avoid  slavery  the  family  later  moved  to  Ohio, 
and  from  there  Baldwin  made  his  various  journeys  of  investigation  to 
the  west,  and  eventually  moved  out  to  Michigan.     He  was  one  of  the 
largest  land  owners  among  the  early  settlers.     Possessed  of  that  broad 
spirit  of  hospitality  which  was  the  noblest  characteristic  of  new  coun- 
tries, his  home,  situated  on  the  direct  line  of  emigration,  became  a  noted 
stopping  place   for  travelers   and  homeseekers,    from,  whom  he  would 
receive  no  compensation.     He  carried  this  hospitality  tO'  such  an  extent 
that  the  products  of  his  farm  and  labor  were  largely  consumed  by  the 
public.     He  possessed  great  confidence  in  his  fellow  settlers,  loaning 
them  money,  selling  them  stock  and  farm  products  on  time,  without  re- 
quiring vvritten  obligations  and  charging  no  interest.     He  was  a  man 
of  parts.     In  religion  he  was  a  devout  member  of  the  Baptist  church. 
He  had  a  remarkably  retentive  memory,  and  his  mind  was  an  encyclo- 
pedia of  local  knowledge,  so  that  he  could  not  only  tell  the  names  but 


44  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

also  the  ages  of  nearly  all  his  neighbors.  He  was  one  of  the  first  just- 
ices of  the  peace  in  western  Michigan,  having  been ,  appointed  by  Gov- 
ernor-Cass  for  the  township  of  St.  Joseph,,  which  then  comprised  all 
the  territory  west  of  Lenawee  county.  He  was  the  first  road  commis- 
sioner in  Cass  county,  was  one  of  the  first  associate  judges  appointed 
under  the  territorial  government,  and  one  of  the  delegates  to  the  first 
constitutional  convention  of  the  state. 

The  settlement  on  Pokagon  prairie  soon  began  to  grow.  In  the 
summer  of  1826  was  added  to  the  little  community  Squire  Thompson. 
It  is  said  that  he  and  William  Kirk  were  the  first  permanent  settlers, 
under  the  influence  of  the  Carey  Mission,  to  cross  the  St.  Joseph  and 
make  their  homes  on  its  north  side  in  Berrien  county.  Mr.  Thompson 
had  visited  the  vicinity  of  the  Mission  in  1822,  before  the  completion 
of  the  buildings,  and  in  the  spring  of  1823  returned  and  made  choice 
of  a  location  and  built  a  cabin  on  the  banks  of  the  river.  He  lived  there 
without  neighbors  until  the  arrival  of  William  Kirk  in  the  following 
spring.  On  moving  to  Pokagon,  he  settled  on  section  20,  and  lived  there 
until  his  departure  for  California  during  the  height  of  the  gold  excite- 
ment. 

Other  arrivals  were  Abram  Townsend,  who,  we  have  seen,  ac- 
companied Uzziel  Putnam  hither,  and  who  now  returned  as  a  settler; 
and  Ganialiel  Townsend  and  his  family,  together  with  the  Markhams 
(Israel,  Jr.  and  Sr.,  Samuel  and  Lane)  and  Ira  Putnam.  Gamaliel 
Townsend  should  be  remembered  as  being  the  first  postmaster  in  the 
township,  receiving  and  distributing;  the  scanty  mail  at  his  father 
i\bram's  house. 

Most  important  of  all  was  the  arrival,  on  August  12,  i8'26,  of  Uz- 
ziel Putnam,  Jr.,  who  was  bom  on  that  day,  and  as  nearly  as  can  be 
ascertained  in  such  uncertain  problems  as  priority  of  birth  or  residence, 
he  was  the  first  white  child  born  within  the  present  limits  of  Cass  county. 

Through  the  leafless  forests  and  over  the  prairies  swept  by  the 
wintry  blasts  there  came  in  the  early  months  of  1&27,  from  Warren  coun- 
ty, Ohio,  Lewis  Edwards  and  his  family.  Their  journey  was  replete 
with  hardships,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  Mrs.  Edwards  and  her 
year-old  baby  kept  from  freezing  to  death.  Lewis  Edwards  became  the 
first  collector  and  first  justice  in  the  county,  and  was  one  of  the  prom- 
inent pioneers.  Of  Welsh  descent,  he  was  born  in  Burlington  county, 
New  Jersey,  in  1799,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  was  adventuring  in 
various  enterprises  in  the  Ohio  valley.     He  had  all  the  versatile  genius 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  45 

of  the  typical  frontiersman,  and  before  moving  out  to  Cass  county  had 
been  employed  several  years  in  the  carpenter's  trade,  so  that  he  v^as 
probably  the  first  regular  carpenter  to  settle  on  Pokagon  prairie.  He 
brought  along  with  him  his  set  of  tools,  and  while  his  family  was  shel- 
tered under  the  roof  of  Uzziel  Putnam  he  was  engaged  in  construct- 
ing a  model  home  for  those  days.  His  cabin  contained  well  made  win- 
dows and  doors,  and  his  skill  also  improvised  practically  all  the  house- 
hold furniture.  His  interest  in  fruit  culture  is  also  noteworthy.  He 
brought  from  his  father's  New  Jersey  orchard  some  fine  apple  grafts, 
and  for  some  years  he  raised  the  best  and  greatest  variety  of  apples  in 
the  county.  As  ^'Squire  Edwards,''  he  became  one  of  the  noted  charac- 
ters of  the  vicinity,  and  numerous  incidents  connected  with  the  transac- 
tion of  oflicial  business  are  associated  with  his  name. 

Beginning  with  1828,  the  settlers  came  in  too-  great  numbers  to 
receive  individual  mention.  Alexander  Rodgers  and  family  of  wife  and 
eight  children  located  in  the  township.  He  was  the  first  supervisor 
elected  after  the  organization  of  the  county,  although  he  did  not  serve 
on  account  of  illness.  From  Giles  county,  Virginia,  came  the  Burk 
family  and  also  Archibald  Clyborn  (the  family  name  also  spelled  Cly- 
bourne  and  Clyburn),  who  was  a  member  of  that  noted  family  who 
were  prominent  in  many  communities  of  the  middle  west,  furnishing  at 
least  one  of  the  historic  characters  of  early  Chicago-. 

ONTWA   TOWNSHIP. 

From  Pokagon  we  turn  to  historic  Ontwa,  w^hich  was  settled  al- 
most contemporaneously  with  Pokagon.  In  the  western  part  of  the 
township,  near  the  beautiful  sheet  of  water  rightly  named  Pleasant  lake, 
and  on  the  broad  prairie  where  now  stands  the  town  of  Edwardsburg, 
Ezra  Beardsley,  who  had  come  from  Butler  county,  Ohio,  unloaded  his 
household  goods  in  the  spring  of  1826  and  became  the  pioneer  of  the 
locality  which  has  since  borne  the  name  of  Beardsley's  prairie.  In  the 
previous .  year  he  had  prospected  this  site,  decided  upon  it  as  his  perma- 
nent home,  and  erected  a  rude  cabin  to  shelter  his  family  when  they 
should  arrive.  During  the  first  year  his  household  was  the  only  one  on 
the  prairie.  But  in  the  following  spring  the  nucleus  of  a  settlement  was 
formed  by  the  arrival  of  George  and  Sylvester  MeacHam,  George  Craw* 
ford  and  Chester  Sage.  The  latter  two  remained  only' a  year  of  so, 
when  they  moved  to  Indiana  and  took  a  prominent  part  iri  the  foutid- 
ing  of  the  now  city  of  Elkhart,  Mr.  Crawford  surveying  the  first  plaf 


46  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

and  Cliester   Sage's  home  serving  as  the  first  court  house  of  Elkhart 
county. 

The  Beardsley  settlement  became  a  favorite  rendezvous  for  home- 
seekers  passing  through  or  preparing  to  locate  in  the  vicinity,  and  to 
accommodate  this  stream  of  visitors  Ezra  Beardsley  commenced  keep- 
ing a  tavern,  which  was  the  first  in  the  county.  When  the  Beardsley 
house  was  crowded  to  its  limit,  as  was  often  the  case,  the  overflow  was 
sent  to  the  Meacham  cabin,  otherwise  known  as  ''bachelor's  hall."  Suf- 
ficient plain  food  and  a  shelter  between  their  bodies  and  the  sky  were  all 
that  were  asked  by  pioneer  travelers,  and  this  furnished  they  were  con- 
tent. 

The  pioneer  merchant  of  Ontwa,  Tliomas  H.  Edwards,  was  also 
selling  goods  from  a  pole  shanty  on  the  south  bank  of  Pleasant  lake, 
and  thus  the  central  settlement  of  the  township  was  somewhat  distin- 
guished by  its  commercial  character  from  the  agricultural  community 
which  was  growing  on  Pokagon  prairie. 

According  to  the  former  Cass  county  history,  Ontwa  township  at 
this  time  contained  a  resident  whose  peculiarities  entitled  him  to  a  place 
with  the  hermit.  Job  Wright.  This  individual,  whose  name  was  Car- 
ver and  who  came  from  Virginia,  is  said  to  have  lived  in  his  log  cabin 
for  nearly  a  month  without  any  roof,  subject  to  the  rain  and  inclemen- 
cies of  the  weather,  waiting  for  the  moon  to  be  in  the  right  position  in 
the  zodiac  before  shingling  his  cabin,  so  that  the  shakes  would  not  warp 
up.  A  few  years  later  he  became  so  annoyed  by  the  increasing  num- 
ber of  his  neighbors,  and  especially  by  the  surveying  of  a  road  past  his 
dwelling,  that  he  sold  out  and  moved  to  a  thick  wood  in  Indiana,  miles 
from  any  habitation.  One  house  within  five  miles,  and  that  a  tavern, 
where  whiskey  could  be  obtained,  constituted  his  idea  of  Paradise. 

LA    GRANGE    TOWNSHIP. 

Next  to  Pokagon,  and  excepting  the  small  settlement  in  Ontwa, 
La  Grange  prairie  attracted  a  small  rivulet  of  that  great  stream  of  emi- 
gration which  at  this  time  was  flowing  with  increasing  volume  from  east 
to  west.  The  first  settler  in  La  Grange  township  was  that  pioneer  with 
whom  we  are  already  familiar,  Abram  Townsend,  whose  first  home  in 
this  county  was  in  Pokagon.  He  had  followed  the  receding  frontier 
for  many  years.  Born  in  New  York  in  1771,  he  had  moved  to  Upper 
Canada  when  young,  in  1815  settled  in  Huron  county,  Ohio,  thence  to 
Sandusky  county  (where  a  township  was  named  for  him),  and  in  1825 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  47 

began  the  series  of  explorations  which  ended  in  his  becoming  a  settler 
of  Cass  county. 

Mr.  Townsend  soon  had  as  neighbors  Lawrence  Cavanaiigh  and 
wife  and  son  James;  Abraham  Loux,  a  son-in-law  of  Townsend;  and 
Thomas  McKenney  and  James  Dickson,  who  located  on  section  17.  In 
the  autumn  of  this  year,  after  a  dreary  drive  from  southwestern  Ohio, 
the  Wright  family  arrived.  William  R.  Wright  was  one  of  the  able 
pioneers  of  this  vicinity,  and  the  family  connections  and  descendants 
have  long  been  prominent  in  the  county. 

Two  other  familiar  names  may  be  mentioned.  Isaac  Shurte,  who 
came  to  the  settlement  in  1829,  was  born  in  New  Jersey  in  1796;  moved 
to  Butler  county,  Ohio,  w^here  he  married  Mary  Wright,  and  from  there 
came  in  1828  to  Niles  and  in  the  following  year  to  his  home  in  La 
Grange.  It  was  in  his  house  that  the  first  election  in  the  township  was 
held,  and  his  name  often  appears  in  the  early  accounts  of  the  county. 

John  Lybrook,  who  came  to  the  township  in  1828,  was  a  member  of 
the  Virginia  family  of  that  name  that  sent  numerous  of  its  scions  to  this 
portion  of  the  middle  west,  and  most  of  them  came  in  for  prominent 
mention  in  connection  with  the  early  and  formative  history  of  their  re- 
spective communities.  John  Lybrook  had  come  to  Michigan  as  early 
as  1823,  assisting  Squire  Thompson  to  move  his  goods  to  Niles.  Sev- 
eral years  later  he  brought  his  parents  and  sisters  to  this  locality,  and 
lived  there  until  his  removal  to  La  Grange.  It  is  claimed  that  he  sowed 
the  first  wheat  in  the  St.  Joseph  country.  He  also^  imported  the  first 
grindstone  seen  in  this  region,  carrying  it  on  horseback  from  Detroit. 
So  useful  was  this  instrument  that  it  became  almost  an  institution,  and 
many  settlers  came  twenty,  thirty  and  even  forty  miles  for  the  purpose 
of  sharpening  their  implements. 

At  the  time  of  this  writing  (May,  1906),  there  lives  in  Berrien 
township  of  Berrien  county,  some  six  or  seven  miles  north  of  Niles, 
the  venerable  Isaac  Lybrook,  who  is  without  doubt  the  oldest  of  Cass 
county's  surviving  pioneers.  Born  in  1825,  he  was  a  member  of  this 
well  known  Lybrook  family,  his  father  being  a  brother  of  John  Lybrook, 
and  his  mother  a  sister  of  A.  L.  Burk,  also  a  pioneer  of  Cass.  Isaac  was 
brought  to  Pokagon  township  by  his  mother  in  October,  1828,  and  lived 
there  until  he  was  fifteen  years  old.  He  went  to  Berrien  county  in  1840 
and  has  followed  farming  through  his  active  career. 

Many  other  names  might  be  added  if  it  were  our  purpose  to  make 
a  complete  catalogue  of  those  identified  with  the  occupation  of  this  town- 


48  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

ship.  Many  of  these  persons  will  be  mentioned  in  the  later  history  of 
the  township,  and  as  this  account  must  stop  short  of  being  encyclopedic, 
some  familiar  names  may  be  entirely  passed  over.  Our  purpose  here 
is  to  indicate  the  most  prominent  of  the  ''first  settlers"  of  the  county, 
those  upon  whom  devolved  the  labor  of  organizing  and  setting  in  mo- 
tion the  civil  machinery  of  the  county  and  its  divisions.  Of  pioneer 
history  and  the  interesting  stories  told  of  men  and  events  of  the  time, 
volumes  could  be  written.  Even  so  we  could  but  feebly  re-illumine 
the  features  and  spirit  of  those  times;  for,  truly, 

''Round  about  their  cabin  door  the  glory  that  blushed  and  bloomed 
Is  but  a  dim-remembered  story  of  old  time  entombed." 

PENN    TOWNSHIP. 

Another  locality  that  received  immigration  before  the  civil  organ- 
ization of  the  county  was  Penn  township.  Here  the  matter  of  priority 
of  settlement  is  uncertain.  The  finst  settlers  appear  to  have  been  of 
transient  residence.  During  the  years  1827  and  1828  Joseph  Frakes, 
Rodney  Hinkley,  Daniel  Shaffer,  John  Reed  and  others  took  claims  here, 
but  all  except  Shaffer  left  the  following  year.  In  18*29  came  George 
Jones  and  sons,  from  Butler  county,  Ohio.  He  was  the  largest  land- 
holder in  tlie  township,  according  to  the  list  of  original  entries.  Other 
settlers  of  the  same  year  were  John  Price,  John  Rinehart  and  sons,  Ste- 
phen Bogue,  William  McCleary  and  Martin  Shields.  In  the  person  of 
Martin  Shields  the  township  received  a  representative  of  the  saddlers 
trade,  although,  like  all  followers  of  a  trade  in  a  new  country,  he  based 
his  occupation  on  land  and  agriculture.  When  the  residents  of  the  com- 
munity met  to  cast  their  first  ballots  in  the  new  county,  they  found  his 
house  the  most  convenient  polling  place,  and  perhaps  for  that  reason  he 
was  also  the  first  postmaster  of  the  town.  He  was  evidently  of  a  more 
visionary  nature  than  most  of  the  practical  pioneers  of  this  section,  for 
at  one  time  he  felt  called  upon  to  preach  the  gospel,  although  when  he 
opened  his  mouth  to  speak  no  words  followed  his  inspiration  and  his 
spiritual  leadership  was  short-lived. 

This  township  bears  a  name  suggestive  of  the  character  of  its  early 
inhabitants.  The- g6- religionists  of  William  Penn  settled  in  large  num- 
bers not  only  in' the  Quaker  colony  of 'Pennsylvania,  but  all  along  the 
Atlantic  coast.  But  m  the  south,  where  slavery  was  the  predominating 
feature  of  the  economic  systemj  their  fundamental  principles  of  faith 
set  the  Friends  at  variance  with  the  majority  of  their  fellow  citizens. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  49 

Northwest  Territory,  with  its  basic  principle  of  prohibition  of  slavery, 
attracted  to  its  broad,  new^  lands  a  great  immigration  of  these  simple 
people,  and  consequently  there  is  hardly  a  county  in  the  middle  west 
that  has  not  had  a  Quaker  settlement.  Penn  township  was  the  locality 
to  which  most  of  the  Quaker  immigration  to  Cass  county  directed  its 
settlement,  where  they  had  their  meeting  house  and  where  their  sim- 
plicity of  creed  and  manner  and  dress  were  for  many  a  year  the  most 
marked  characteristics  of  the  township's  population. 

To  refer  at  this  point  to  one  such  settler,  who  was  not  the  less 
prominent  in  the  general  history  of  the  county  than  as  a  member  of  his 
sect.  Stephen  Bogue  was  born  in  North  Carolina  in  1790;  in  181 1, 
owing  to  their  abhorrence  of  slavery,  the  family  moved  to  Preble  county, 
Ohio'.  In  1829  he  came  to  the  St.  Joseph  country  and  entered  for  his 
prospective  home  a  tract  of  land  in  Penn  township,  whither  his  sister, 
the  wife  of  Charles  Jones,  had  arrived  in  the  preceding  year.  Mr.  Bogue 
returned  in  183 1  to  a  permanent  residence  in  this  township  until  his 
death  in  1868.  He  comes  down  to  us  as  one  of  the  clearest  figures  of 
the  pioneer  times.  His  connection  with  the  ^^mderground  railroad"  and 
the  ''Kentucky  raid"  of  ante-bellum  days  is  elsewhere  recorded.  He 
took  a  foremost  part  in  the  organization  of  the  Birch  Lake  Monthly 
Meeting  of  the  Society  of  Friends.  His  name  is  also'  mentioned  in  con- 
nection with  the  platting  and  establishment  of  the  village  of  Vandalia. 

JEFFERSON    TOWNSHIP. 

Pioneer  settlers  in  the  township  of  Jefferson  were  the  four  families 
whose  heads  were  Nathan  Norton,  Abner  Tharp,  w^hose  son  Laban 
turned  the  first  furrow  in  the  township,  and  Moses  and  William  Reames. 
These  men  had  learned  of  the  attractions  of  Cass  county  through  John 
Reed  (related  by  marriage  to  Tharp  and  Norton),  who,  we  have  seen, 
was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  Penn.  In  the  fall  of  1828  the  four  fam- 
ilies w^iose  heads  have  been  named  left  Logan  county,  Ohio,  and  after 
the  usual  hardships  of  primitive  traveling  arrived  in  Cass  county.  They 
passed  through  the  site  of  Edwardsburg,  where  they  were  greeted  by 
Mr.  Beardsley  and  Thomas  H.  Edwards,  and  after  spending  a  few  days 
with  John  Reed  on  Young's  prairie,  they  proceeded  to  the  southwest 
shore  of  Diamond  lake,  and  on  section  i  they  erected  the  first  houses 
of  white  man  in  what  is  now  Jefferson  township.  In  the  latter  part  of 
1829  John  Reed  joined  these  pioneers,  and  his  date  of  settlement  in  the 
township  is  placed  second  to  that  of  the  Tharps,  Nortons  and  Reameses. 


50  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

CALVIN   TOWNSHIP. 

From  this  nucleus  of  settlers  in  Jefferson  in  the  spring  of  1829  de- 
parted Abner  Tharp  to  a  suitable  spot  in  Calvin  township,  where  he 
erected  a  log  cabin,  plowed  ten  acres  on  the  opening,  and  by  reason  of 
these  improvements  and  the  crop  of  corn  and  potatoes  which  he  raised 
that  year  is  entitled  to  the  place  of  first  actual  settler  in  that  township. 
It  is  said  that  he  was  the  sole  occupant  of  the  township  throughout  the 
first  summer.  He  was  not  a  permanent  settler,  however,  for  in  1830 
he  returned  to  Jefferson,  and  in  subsequent  years  lived  in  various  parts 
of  the  west,  only  returning  to  pass  his  last  years  in  Calvin  township  at 
the  village  of  Brownsville. 

PORTER   TOWNSHIP. 

Only  a  few  more  names  can  be  mentioned  among  those  of  the  first 
comers  to  Cass  county.  In  Porter  township  there  located  in  1828  a 
settler  who  varied  considerably  from  the  regular  type  of  pioneer,  both 
as  to  personal  character  and  the  events  of  his  career.  John  Baldwin  was 
a  southerner;  averse  to  hard  labor;  never  made  improvements  on  the 
tract  which  he  took  up  as  the  first  settler  in  Porter;  but,  for  income, 
relied  upon  a  tavern  which  he  kept  for  the  accommodation  of  the  trav- 
elers through  that  section,  and  also'  on  his  genius  for  traffic  and  dicker. 
He  had  hardly  made  settlement  when  his  wife  died,  her  death  being 
the  first  in  the  township.  It  appears  that  Baldwin  carried  to  extreme 
that  unfortunate  trade  principle  of  giving  the  least  possible  for  the 
largest  value  obtainable.  In  one  such  transaction  with  his  neighbors  the 
Indians,  he  bargained  for  the  substantial  possession  of  certain  oxen  by 
the  offer  of  a  definite  volume  of  fire  water.  There  were  no  internal 
revenue  officers  in  those  days  tO'  determine  the  grade  and  quality  of  fron- 
tier liquor,  and  the  strength  of  the  potation  was  regulated  by  individual 
taste  or  the  exigencies  of  supply  and  demand.  Certainly  in  this  case 
the  customers  of  Mr.  Baldwin  were  somewhat  exacting.  Having  con- 
sumed an  amount  of  their  favorite  beverage  sufficient,  as  they  judged 
from  former  experiments,  to  transport  them  temporarily  to  the  happy 
hunting  grounds,  and  waiting  a  reasonable  time  for  the  desired  effect 
with  no  results,  they  at  once  waited  uiwn  Mr.  Baldwin  with  the  laconic 
explanation  that  the  liquor  contained  ''heap  too  much  bish"  (water). 
Evidently  this  deputation  of  protest  proved  ineffectual,  for  a  few  nights 
later  the  aggrieved  former  owners  of  the  oxen  repaired  to  the  Baldwin 
tavern,  and,  arming  themselves  with  shakes  pulled  from  the  door,  forced 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  51 

an  entrance,  and,  pulling  the  unfortunate  landlord  out  of  bed,  proceeded 
to  beat  him  about  the  head  and  shoulders  in  a  most  merciless  manner, 
not  leaving  off  their  fearful  punishment  until  they  thought  life  was  ex- 
tinct. Mr.  Baldwin  finally  recovered,  however,  but  not  for  a  long  time 
was  he  able  to  resume  business.  This  event  was  the  subject  of  much 
comment  among  the  settlers  for  many  years,  and  was  one  of  the  very 
few  Indian  atrocities  to  be  found  on  the  annals  of  the  county.  No  ar- 
rests were  made,  but  the  Pottawottomie  tribe  paid  dearly  for  the  assault, 
for  Mr.  Baldwin  filed  a  bill  with  the  government,  claiming  and  event- 
ually receiving  several  thousand  dollars  in  damages,  which  was  retained 
from  the  Indians'  annuities. 

A  number  of  settlers  arrived  in  Porter  in  1829,  among  them  Will- 
iam Tibbetts,  Daniel  Shellhammer,  Caleb  Calkins  (who  was  a  carpen- 
ter and  joiner  by  trade),  Nathan  G.  O'Dell,  George  P.  Schultz.  With 
Mr.  Schultz  came  his  step-son,  Samuel  King,  then  fourteen  years  old, 
but  who-  became  one  of  the  most  successful  men  in  Porter  township 
and  at  one  time  its  largest  land  owner. 

VOLINIA   TOWNSHIP. 

The  rather  remarkable  history  of  Volinia  township  had  also  begun 
previously  to  organization.  During  the  twelvemonth  of  1829  many 
people  located  in  this  portion  of  northern  Cass  county,  among  those 
named  as  first  settlers  being  Samuel  Morris,  Sr.,  J.  Morelan,  H.  D. 
Swift  and  Dolphin  Morris.  One  does  not  go  far  in  the  history  of  this 
township,  either  in  pioneer  times  or  the  present,  without  meeting  the 
name  Gard.  With  some  special  mention  of  the  family  of  this  name  we 
shall  close  this  chapter  on  early  settlement. 

Jonathan  Gard  was  born  in  New  Jersey  in  1799,  was  taken  to  Ohio 
in  1801,  and  spent  his  youth  and  early  manhood  in  the  vicinity  of  Cin- 
cinnati and  in  Union  county,  Indiana.  He  was  well  fitted  by  nature  and 
training  to  be  a  pioneer,  possessing  the  rugged  qualities  of  mind  and 
body  that  are  needed  to  make  a  new  civilization.  While  prospecting 
about  southern  Michigan  in  the  fall  of  1828,  in  search  of  a  place  for  a 
new  home,  chance  brought  him  together  with  a  party  who  were  bound 
on  a  like  mission,  consisting  of  Elijah  Goble,  Jesse  and  Nathaniel  Win- 
chell  and  James  Toney.  They  stopped  a  few  days  at  the  home  of  their 
old  friend,  Squire  Thompson,  on  Pokagon  prairie,  and  then  proceeded 
to  the  region  that  is  now  comprised  in  Volinia  township.  Little  Prairie 
Ronde  was  the  spot  that  most  attracted  them,  and  there  Mr.  Goble  and 


52  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Mr.  Gard  selected  farms,  while  Mr.  Toney  chose  a  tract  on  what  later 
became  known  as  Card's  prairie.  In  the  following  spring  Mr.  Gard, 
Mr.  Coble  and  Samuel  Rich  came  to  take  possesion  of  their  new  homes. 
Because  of  the  fact  that  Mr.  Toney  had  been  unable  to  leave  his  former 
home,  Mr.  Gard  took  the  claimi  that  had  been  chosen  by  Mr.  Toney, 
and  thus  it  came  about  that  he  was  the  original  settler  on  Card's  prai- 
rie and  gave  it  its  name.  Jonathan  Gard  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life  at  this  spot,  until  his  death  in  1854.  He  was  the  founder  of  the 
family  which  has  included  so  many  well  known  men  of  Cass  county, 
a  grandson  of  this  pioneer  being  the  present  treasurer  of  Cass  county. 

It  is  very  remarkable  that  this  beautiful  region  of  country  should 
remain  absolutely  unsettled  until  the  late  twenties,  and  that  settlers  from 
different  parts  of  the  United  States,  without  any  preconcerted  action  or 
communication  with  each  other,  should  begin  to  pour  in  at  just  this 
time;  but  so  it  was.  Here  different  families  for  the  first  time  met  each 
other,  and  here  their  lives  were  first  united  in  the  same  community,  and 
in  many  cases  by  marriage  in  the  same  home. 

None  of  those  early  settlers  whom  we  have  named  remain.  On  the 
long  and  weary  march  they  have  been  dropping  out  one  by  one  until  of 
the  pioneer  warfare  not  a  veteran  is  left.  Ic  would  be  impossible,  in  a 
work  like  this,  to  trace  the  life  history  and  describe  the  end  of  each 
one  of  them,  and  for  this  there  would  not  be  sufficient  space. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  53 


CHAPTER  V. 
"PIONEERS    OF    CASS    COUNTY." 

*'A11  members  of  the  society  who  came  into  or  resided  in  Cass 
county  prior  to  1840  shall  be  deemed  Tioneers  of  Cass  County.'  " 

This  extract  from  the  constitution  of  the  Pioneer  Society  has  sug- 
gested an  appropriate  record  of  the  pioneers,  in  such  a  form  as  to  sup- 
plement the  preceding  pages  and  to  add  many  details  of  personal  chro- 
nology such  as  the  narrative  could  not  present.  Therefore  it  has  been 
determined  to  bring  together,  in  alphabetical  order,  a  very  brief  and 
matter-of-fact  mention  of  the  deceased  pioneers,  considering  under  that 
designation  only  those  who  became  identified  by  birth  or  settlement  with 
the  county  not  later  than  the  year  1840. 

Completeness  of  the  record  is  quite  beyond  the  limits  of  possibility 
and  has  not  been  attempted.  Yet  it  is  believed  that  the  pioneers  of  the 
county  are  well  represented  here,  and  in  a  form  for  easy  reference. 

Moreover,  a  study  of  the  following  records  is  extremely  instructive, 
as  documents  on  the  early  history  of  the  county.  Records  of  dates  and 
localities  though  they  are,  they  suggest  entire  stories  of  immigration 
and  settlement.  The  sources  of  the  county's  early  citizenship,  and  the 
character  of  the  stocks  which  determined  in  large  measure  the  institu- 
tions and  social  conditions  in  the  county,  are  indicated  in  these  annals 
almost  at  a  glance. 

The  first  deduction  to  be  drawn  is  the  overwhelming  preponderance 
of  New  York's  quota  among  the  pioneers.  Some  few  well  known  fam- 
ilies, notably  the  Silvers  from  New  Hampshire,  were  native  to  the  strict- 
ly New  England  states.  Delaware  furnished  several  worthy  families, 
Vermont  is  honorably  represented,  but  either  directly  or  as  the  original 
source  New  York  state  was  the  alma  mater  tO'  more  pioneers  than  any 
other  state.  New  York  was  the  recruiting  ground,  as  is  well  known,  for 
the  western  expansion  which  began  early  in  the  nineteenth  century. 
That  was  true,  in  large  measure,  when  the  practicable  route  of  that  im- 
migration was  through  the  gateway  of  the  Alleghanies  at  Pittsburg 
and  down  the  vallev  of  the  Ohio.     But  New  York  did  not  reach  its  full 


54  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

pre-eminence  in  the  westward  movement  until  the  opening"  of  the  Erie 
canal  in  1825,  after  which  the  full  tide  of  homeseekers  was  rolled  along 
that  highway  into  the  untried  wilderness  of  the  west. 

For  a  long  time  Ohio  was  an  intermediate  place  of  settlement  be- 
tween the  east  and  the  far  west.  Also,  it  was  a  focal  ground  upon  which 
lines  of  migration  from  New  England,  from  the  middle  Atlantic  and 
from  southern  states  converged.  Ohio  occupies  a  position  only  second 
to  New  York  in  furnishing  pioneers  to  Cass  county.  And  of  Ohio's 
counties,  Logan,  Butler  and  Preble  seem  foremost  in  this  respect.  Here 
the  uncompromising  abolitionists  from  North  Carolina  first  settled  be- 
fore Cass  county  became  a  goal  for  many. 

Carefully  studied,  these  records  tell  many  other  things  about  the 
pioneer  beginnings  of  Cass  county.  The  stages  by  which  many  families 
gradually  reached  this  point  in  their  westward  migration  are  marked 
by  children's  births  at  various  intervening  points.  And  sometimes  the 
bonds  of  marriage  united  families  from  widely  sundered  localities^  the 
community  of  residence  which  brought  this  about  being  now  in  Ohio, 
now  in  Indiana,  and  perhaps  more  often  here  in  Cass  county. 

These  are  but  a  few  of  the  inferences  and  conclusions  that  may  be 
found  in  the  annals  which  follow,  and  besides  the  historical  value  they 
thus  possess,  this  is  a  means  of  preserving  permanently  many  individ- 
ual records  which  have  a  personal  interest  to  hundreds  in  Cass  county. 

Ashley,  Thompson — Born  in  Penn  township  in  183 1;  in  1853  went 
to  California,  where  he  died  June  8,  1906. 

Abbott,  Josq)h  H. — ^Born  near  Toronto,  Canada,  January  12,  1812; 
came  to  Howard  township  in  1834,  where  he  died  November  i,  1878. 

Alexander,  Ephraim; — ^Born  in  Pennsylvania  November  6,  18 19; 
came  to  Cass  county  in  183 1 ;  died  in  Dakota  December  9,  1885. 

Allen,  Mrs.  Demarias — Born  in  1799;  came  to  Ontwa  township 
in  1835;  died  in  Jefferson  township  August  5,  1887. 

Arnold,  Henry — Born  in  Sheffield,  Massachusetts,  July  25,  1807; 
came  to  Cass  county  in  1835;  died  August  25,  1889. 

Andrus,  Mrs.  Fanny — Born  in  Cayuga  county.  New  York,  No- 
vember 4,  1808;  came  to  Ontwa  township  in  1835;  died  in  Mason  town- 
ship January  29,  1894. 

Andrus,  Hazard — Born  in  New  York  in  1789;  came  to  Ontwa  in 
1834;  died  March  3,  1862. 

Anderson,  Lemuel  H.— Born  in  Warren  county,  Ohio,  July  20, 
1829;  came  to  Cass  county  in  1833;  died  in  South  Bend  August  5, 
1895. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  65 

Anderson,  Mrs.  L.  H. — Born  in  Erie  county,  New  York,  in  183 1; 
came  to  Cassopolis  in  1833;  died  in  South  Bend  May  2^,  1883. 

Ayers,  David — Born  in  Wood  county,  New  York,  in  1829;  came 
to  Penn  township  in  1839,  where  he  died  October  30,  1895. 

Adams,  Uriah  M. — Bom  in  Sandusky  county,  Ohio,  November  2, 
1832;  came  to  Porter  township  in  1837;  died  July  5,  1900. 

Alexander,  John — Born  in  Richmond,  Indiana,  December  22,  1824; 
came  to  Young's  prairie  in  1830;  died  at  Michigan  City,  Indiana,  No- 
vember 2^,   1900. 

Alexander,  Leah  E. — ^Born  in  Wayne  county,  Indiana,  April  23, 
1818;  came  to  Penn  township  in  1832;  died  in  South  Dakota  January 
16,  1901,  as  Mrs.  G.  H.  Jones. 

Aldrich,  Henry — Born  in  Smithfield,  Rhode  Island,  May  5,  1813; 
came  to  Milton  township  in  1837,  where  he  died  February  8,  1901. 

Atwood,  Lafayette — Born  in  Cattaraugus  county,  New  York, 
March  18,  1824;  came  to  Wayne  township  in  1836;  died  at  Dowagiac 
March  18,  1906. 

Aldrich,  Dr.  Levi — Bom  in  Erie  county.  New  York,  January  2y, 
1820;  with  his  parents  came  to  Milton  in  1837;  died  at  Edwardsburg 
December  16,  1892;  his  wife,  Evaline  A.  Sweetland,  born  in  Tompkins 
county.  New  York,  September  i,  1822;  killed  in  railroad  collision  at 
Battle  Creek,  Michigan,  October  20,  1893. 

Aldrich,  Nathan^ — Born  in  Rhode  Island  January  24,  1816;  came 
to  Milton  in  1837;  died  March  26,  1894;  his  wife,  Harriet  M.  Dunning, 
born  in  New  York  July  21,  18 16;  came  to  Ontwa  in  1834;  died  Jan- 
uary 24,  1858'. 

Alexander,  John — Born  in  North  Carolina  in  1791;  came  to  Penn 
in  1831 ;  died  in  1850;  Ruth,  his  wife,  born  in  1785;  died  in  1845. 

Anderson,  Samuel  F. — Born  in  Rutland  county,  Vennont,  Feb- 
ruary 19,  1803;  came  to  Cassopolis  in  1835;  died  April  14,  1877; 
Mahala  Phipps,  his  wife,  born  in  New  York  July  10,  1807;  died  Jan- 
uary 21,   1877. 

Hannah  Phelps,  wife  of  John  T.  Adams,  born  in  Norwich,  Con- 
necticut, April  30,  1808;  came  to  Edwardsburg  in  1835  and  there  died 
June  20,  1838. 

Bement,  David — Born  at  Hartford,  Connecticut,  October  17,  1813; 
came  to  Mason  township  in  1836;  died  in  Ontwa  township  December 
18,  1879. 

Barnard,  Dr. — Came  to  Cass  .county  in  1828;  died  in  Berrien 
Springs  April  6,  i88j. 

Beckwith,  Walter  G. — Born  in  New  York  in  1810;  came  to  this 
county  in  1836;  died  in  Massachusetts  May  18,  1884. 


56  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Beckwith,  Mrs.  Eliza  A. — Born  in  Ontario  county,  New  York, 
December  2,  181 1;  came  to  Cassopolis  in  June,  1838;  died  in  Jefferson 
township  June  27,   1880. 

Brady,  David — Born  in  Sussex  county,  New  Jersey,  in  1785;  came 
to  La  Grange  prairie  in  July,  1828;  died  in  La  Grange  township  July  12, 
1878. 

Bates,  John — Born  in  Chautauqua  county,  New  York,  July  7, 
1821;  came  to  Summerville  in  1839;  died  May  18,  1879. 

Barnhart,  Mrs.  Casander  S. — Born  in  Frankhn  county,  Virginia; 
came  to  Cass  county  about  1828;  died  October  12,  1878. 

Bonine,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  G. — Born  in  Fenn  township  in  1833;  daugh- 
ter of  Amos  Green;  died  October  26,  1875. 

Bement,  Mrs.  Jane — Bom  in  Cayuga,  New  York,  September  17, 
1824;  came  to  Mason  township  in  1836,  where  she  died  April  2,  1887. 

Ball,  Israel — Born  in  Butler  county,  Ohio,  October  2,  1814;  came 
to  Cass  county  in  1830;  died  in  Wisconsin  April  30,  1887. 

Bosley,  Hiram — Bom  in  Ohio  in  1829;  came  to  Cass  county  in 
1838;  died  in  Iowa  in  1889. 

Beeson,  Jesse  G. — Born  in  Wayne  county,  Indiana,  December  10, 
1807;  came  to  La  Grange  township  in  1830,  where  he  died  February 
18,  1888. 

Bacon,  Cyrus — Born  in  Saratoga  county,  New  York,  October  26, 
1796;  came  to  Ontwa  township  in  1834;  died  October  4,  1873. 

Bacon,  Mrs.  Malinda — Born  in  Saratoga  county,  New  York,  March 
15,  1802;  came  to  Ontwa  township  in  1834,  where  she  died  April  3, 
1888. 

Bacon,  David — Born  in  Saratoga  county,  New  York,  September 
9,  1827;  came  to  Ontwa  township  in  1834;  died  at  Niles,  Michigan, 
July  25,  1899. 

Bacon,  James  G. — Born  in  Saratoga  county.  New  York,  November 
24,  1834;  came  to  Ontwa  township  in  1834,  w^here  he  died  August  20, 
1904. 

Barton,  Martha  A. — Born  in  Virginia  September  16,  1822;  came 
to  Cassopolis  in  1830;  died  September  8,   18891. 

Baldwin,  William — ^Born  in  Warren  county,  Ohio,  April  5,  182 1; 
came  to  Cass  county  in  1828 ;  died  in  P'okagon  township  August  28, 
1904.  His  wife,  who  came  to  the  county  in  1835,  died  in  Pokagon  Jan- 
uary  II,    1892,   aged  70. 

Bigelow,  Harvey — Born  in  New  York  July  4,  1816;  came  to  La 
Grange  township  in  1837;  died  at  Dowagiac  November  3,  1893. 

Blish,  Daniel — Born  in  Gilsun,  New  Hampshire,  June  17,  1812: 
came  to  Silver  Creek  in  1840;  died  November  5,  1893. 

Breece,  Jacob  B. — Born  in  Columbia  county,  Pennsylvania,  March 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  57 

26,  1816;  came  to  Ontwa  township  in  1836;  died  in  Jefferson  January 
29,  1896;  Sarah  M.  Wilson,  his  wife,  born  January  19,  1822;  died 
May  5,   1885. 

Brady,  James  T. —  Born  in  Ireland  March  i,  1802;  came  to  Ontwa 
township  in  1836;  died  at  Elkhart  December  19,  1881. 

Brady,  Mary  Ann  Jones — Born  in  New  Jersey  June  13,  1809  > 
came  to  Ontwa  in  1836;  died  June  12,  1895. 

Blair,  William  G. — Born  in  Middlefield,  New  York,  May  i,  1817; 
came  to  Edwardsburg  in  May,  1835,  where  he  died  July  17,  1895. 

Beeson,  Benjamin  F. — Born  in  Indiana  in  1832;  came  to  La 
Grange  township  in  1832;  died  in  Calvin  township  August  31,  1896. 

Baker,  Alfred — Born  in  18 16;  came  to  Geneva  in  1829;  died  in 
Iowa  February  10,   1898. 

Bump,  Eli — Born  in  Urbana,  Ohio,  March  13,  1819;  came  to  Jeff- 
erson township  in  1837;  died  in  Vandalia  May  2;^,  1899.  His  wife, 
Naomi  Reames,  l^orn  in  Logan  county,  Ohio,  September  22,  1822; 
came  to  Jefferson  in  1834;  died  at  Vandalia,  March  2,  1904. 

Bonine,  James  B. — Born  in  Wayne  county,  Indiana,  July  18,  1825; 
came  to  Penn  township  in  183 1 ;  died  November  28,  1900. 

Baldwin,  Josephus^ — Born  in  New  Jersey  October  15,  18 12;  came 
to  Cass  county  in   1828;  died  in  Indiana  May  16,  1901. 

Brady,  Noah  S. — Born  in  Ontwa  March  17,  1839;  died  July  5, 
1902. 

Byrnes,  Rev.  John — Born  in  Ireland  in  1815;  came  to  Pokagon 
in  1837,  where  he  died  March  12,  1903. 

Bishop,  Joseph  C. — Born  in  New  York  in  1820;  came  to  Ontwa 
township  in  1832;  died  at  Edwardsburg  December  26,  1902. 

Beardsley,  David — Born  in  Butler  county,  Ohio,  March  31,  1824; 
came  to  Mason  township  in  1832 ;  died  December  28,  1903. 

Benson,  Catherine  Weed — Born  in  Steuben  county.  New  York, 
September  i,   1816;  came  to  Porter  township  in  1836;  died  September 

3>  1903. 

Beardsley,  Hall — Born  in  New  York  in  1830;  came  to  Porter 
township  in  1838,  where  he  died  December  7,  1905. 

Bogue,  Elvira — ^Born  in  Penn  township  January  19,  1836;  died  at 
Vandalia  April  12,  1906,  as  Mrs.  Thomas. 

Bacon,  William  H. — Born  in  New  York  in  1809;  came  to  Ontwa 
in  1834;  died  October  6,  1856;  his  wife,  Elizabeth  Van  Name;  born 
in  1820;  died  February  4,  1897,  as  Mrs.  Starr. 

Bugbee,  Dr.  Israel  G. — Bom  in  Vermont  March  11,  1814;  first 
came  to  Edwardsburg  in  1835;  died  May  18,  1878;  his  wife,  Eliza- 
beth Head,  born  in  England  September  12,   1817;  died  June  20,  1903. 


58  HISTORY  OF  GASS  COUNTY 

Bogue,  Stephen — r-Born  in  North,  CaroHna  October  17,  1790;  came 
to  Penn  township  in  1829,  where  he  died  October  11,  1868. 

Bogue,  Mrs.  Hannah — Born  in  1798;  came  to  Penn  township  in 
1 83 1,  where  she  died  December  14,  1891,  wife  of  Stephen  Bogue. 

Bishop,  Ehjah — Born  at  Saratoga  Springs,  New  York,  in  181 1: 
came  to  Mason  township  in  1838;  died  ~- . 

Barney,  John — Born  in  Connecticut;  came  to  Wayne  in  1836; 
died  in  1852. 

Barney,  Henry,  Sr. — ^Born  in  Connecticut;  in  1763;  came  to  Sil- 
ver Creek  in  1838;  died  in  1850. 

Blackman,  Wilson — Born  in  Connecticut  in  1792;  came  to  Ed- 
wardsburg  in  1829;  the  county's  first  postmaster;  died . 

Bishop,  Calvin — Born  in  New  York  in  17.8a;  came  to  Cass  county 
in  1833;  died  in  Ontwa  February  12,  1867;  his  wife,  Mary  Ann,  born 
in  1 791;  died  Febniary  26,  1861. 

Boyd,  James — ^Bom  in  New  York  August  3,  1806;  came  to  Ed- 
wardsburg  in  183 1;  died  at  Cassopolis  September  9, ,  1890;  his  wife, 
Mary,  born  in  1796;  died  1877. 

Beckwith,  Sylvanus — Born  in  New  York  in  1776;  came  to  Cass- 
opolis in  1838;  died  February  24,  1859;  Lydia,  his  wife,  born  in 
1785;  died  September  15,  1875. 

Bishop,  Elijah — Bom  in  New  York  in  181 1;  came  to  Mason  in 
1838;  died  in  1851. 

Blackmar,  Nathaniel  Bowdish— Bom  July  3,  181 7,  in  New  York; 
came  with  father,  Willson  Blackmar,  to  Edwardsburg,' July  3,  1828, 
where  he  died  May  24,  1878.  His  second  wife,  Sophronia  Lee  Quimby, 
born  Strafford  county,  N.  H.,  May  24,  1830,  came  to  Edwardsburg  Julv, 
1836. 

Colyar,  Mrs.  Catherine^ — Born  in  Logan  county,  Ohio,  April  27, 
1814;  came  to  Jefferson  township  in  1832;  died  January  24,  1881. 

Curtis,  Mrs.  Deborah  A. — Born  in  Madison,  Ohio,  July  13,  1822; 
came  to  Mason  township  in  1S32;  died  in  1880. 

Curry,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Card — Born  in  Union  county,  Indiana,  De- 
cember 16,  181 1,  daughter  of  Josephus  Card;  came  to  Volinia  in  1830; 
died  in  Van  Buren  county,  June  2.2,  1878. 

Cooper,  Mrs.  Nancy  Brady— -Born  in  New  Jersey,  May  5,  1808; 
came  to  LaGrange  Prairie  in  1831 ;  died  in  Dowagiac,  July  30,  1878. 

Curtis,  Jotham— Born  in  Genesee  county,  New  York,  February  24, 
1809;  came  to  Mason  township  in  1842,  where  he  died  December  9, 

1879. 

Curtis,  Mrs.  Elizabeth — Born  in  Albany,  New  York,  February  7, 
1781 ;  came  to  Mason  township  in  1832,  where  she  died  October  5,  1878, 
wife  of  Jotham  Curtis. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  59 

Condon,  William — Born  in  Ireland,  October  17,  1815;  came  to  La- 
Grange  township  about  iS39;di^d  J^4^i:cl,x.  1,5,  1889;  his  wife,  Rosanna 
Hain,  born  in  Ohio,  June  22,  i827;!came  to  LaGrange  township  in 
1830;  died  in  Jefferson  township,  July  28,   1882. 

Carmichael,  Arthur  C. — Born  in  Harrison  county,  Virginia,  Jan- 
uary 23,  1825;  came  to  Jefferson  in  1836;  died  near  Benton  Harbor, 
August  28,   1885. 

Colyar,  Jonathan — Born  in  North  Carolina,  September  13,  1810; 
came  to  Jefferson  township  in  1831,  where  he  died  January  14,  1887. 

Carpenter,  Mrs.  Eliza  C. — ^Born  in  Sussex  county,  Delaware,  Octo- 
ber 14,  1802;  came  to  Cass  county  in  1837;  died  in  Milton,  June  15, 
1887. 

Clendaniel,  George — Born  in  Essex  county,  Delaware,  January  15, 
1805;  came  to  Milton  township  in  1836;  died  in  Indiana,  July  3,  1887. 

Cooper,  Benjamin — Born  in  St.  Lawrence  county,  New  York,  Au- 
gust, 1794;  came  to  Cass  county  in  1833;  ^^^^  ^^  Howard  township, 
September  9,  1887. 

Clisbee,  Charles  W. — ^Born  in  Ohio,  July  24,  1833;  came  to  Cas- 
sopolis  in  1838.  where  he  died  August  18,  1889;  secretary  and  historian 
of  the  Pioneer  Society. 

Copley,  David  B. — Born  in  Otsego  county.  New  York,  July  13, 
1817;  came  to  Cass  county  in  1835;  died  August  25,   1889. 

Churchill,  Rebecca  Hebron — Born  in  Porter  township,  January  24, 
1835,  where  she  died  February  4,   1891. 

Copley,  Jane  Helen — ^Born  in  1827 ;  came  to  VoJinia  township  in 
1838;  died  September  20,   1890. 

Copley,  Alexander  B. — Born  in  Jefferson  county,  New  York,  March 
II,  1812;  came  to  Volinia  in  1833;  died  in  Cuba,  March  28,  1899. 

Curtis,  Delanson — Born  in  Otsego  county.  New  York,  May  28, 
181 1 ;  came  to  Pokagon  in  1834,  where  he  died  June  10,  1893. 

Cooper,  Lovina  Bosley — Born  in  Lake  county,  Ohio,  April  29,  1834; 
came  to  Jefferson  township  in  1839;  died  June  17,  1894. 

Carpenter,  Messick — Born  in  Dela\vare  in  1800;  came  to  Milton 
township  in  1837;  died  at  Edwardsburg,  March  i,  1895. 

Colyar,  William — Born  in  Ohio,  1807;  came  to  Jefferson  tow^nship 
in  183 1 ;  died  in  Van  Buren  county,  January  15,  1898. 

Copley,  Ebenezer — Born  in  Otsego  county,  New  York,  May  30, 
1820;  came  to  Cass  county  in  1834;  died  in  Wayne  township,  Septem- 
ber 16,   1897. 

Cooper,  Benjamin — Born  in  New  York,  September  19,  1820;  came 
to  Howard  township  in  1834;  died  in  Dowagiac,  June  i,  1899. 

Clark,  John  C. — Born  in  Butler  county,  Ohio,  August  25,  1814; 
came  to  Wayne  township  in  1836;  died  in  LaGrange  township,  July  5, 
1899. 


60  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Chapin,  Henry  A. — Born  in  Leyden,  Massachusetts,  October  15, 
1813;  came  to  Edwardsburg  in  1836;  died  in  Niles,  December  17,  1898; 
his  wife,  Ruby  N.,  who  came  to  Edwardsburg  in  1836,  died  in  Chicago, 
October  30,  1902. 

Carpenter,  James — Born  in  Delaware;  came  to  Milton  township  in 
1837;  died  at  Edwardsburg,  February  28,  1899. 

Carlisle,  Orville  D. — ^Born  at  Ontario,  New  York,  August  31,  1833; 
came  to  Edwardsburg  in  1839;  died  in  Alabama,  June  29,  1900. 

Carpenter,  Purnell  W. — ^Born  in  Sussex  county,  Delaware,  August 
28,  1825 ;  came  to  Milton  township  in  1837,  where  he  died  April  2,  1901. 

Chapman,  Emily  S.  Harper — Born  in  CassopoHs,  March  30,  1838, 
where  she  died  January  7,  1902. 

Coates,  Jason  B. — Born  Ontario  county.  New  York,  November  11, 
1817;  came  to  LaGrange  township  in  183 1,  where  he  died  February  23, 
1902. 

Coats,  Mrs.  Jason  B. — Born  in  Howard  township.  May  27,  1836, 
daughter  of  William  Young;  died  in  LaGrange  township,  January  20, 
1880. 

Copley,  Asel  G. — Born  in  New  York,  July  23,  181 5  ;  came  to  Volinia 
in  1835;  died  May  9,  1903. 

Cays,  Abram  H. — Born  in  Butler  county,  Ohio,  April  30,  1827; 
came  to  Cass  county  in  1839;  died  in  LaGrange  township,  August  31, 
1904;  his  wife,  Margaret  Foster,  born  in  Holmes  county,  Ohio,  in  1833; 
came  to  Jefiferson  in  1839;  died  in  Dowagiac,  October  28,  1901. 

Coates,  Laura — ^Born  in  Ontario  county,  New  York,  May  13,  1812; 
came  to  LaGrange  in  1831 ;  died  at  Cassopolis,  March  17,  1902,  as  Mrs. 
William  Arrison. 

Coulter,  James. — Bom  in  Henrietta  county,  Ohio,  May  17,  1808; 
came  to  Howard  in  1834;  died  February  16,  1874;  his  wife,  Ann  Wil- 
son, born  in  Clinton  county,  Ohio,  in  1809;  died  May  18,  1893. 

Crawford,  Robert — Born  in  Ireland  in  1782;  came  tO'  Jefferson 
in  1836;  died  in  1858;  his  wife,  Elizabeth,  born  in  1786;  died  in  1844. 

Coates,  Jason  R. — Born  in  New  York  in  1789;  came  to  LaGrange 
in  183 1 ;  died  August  7,  1832;  the  first  buried  in  Cassopolis  cemetery; 
his  wife,  Jane,  born  in  1787;  died  October  26,  1844;  their  daughter, 
Jane  Ann,  born  Februar}^  29,  1823;  died  at  Cassopolis  January  24, 
1904,  as  Mrs.  Allen. 

Deal,  Owen — Born  at  Amsterdam,  New  York,  July  2,  18 16;  came 
to  Diamond  Lake,  December  18,  1836;  died  at  Constantine,  Michigan, 
March  22,  1880. 

Deal,  Angeline  Nash — Wife  of  Owen  Deal;  bom  in  Chenango 
couty.  New  York,  July  10,  1820;  came  to  Geneva  in  1830;  died  at 
Constantine  July  3,  1884. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  61 

Denton,  Cornelius  W. — Born  in  Amenia,  New  York,  June  i,  1800; 
came  to  Porter  township  in  1836,  where  he  died  November  i,  1878. 

Davidson,  Samuel — Born  in  Ohio  in  1810;  came  to  Porter  township 
in  1828;  died  at  Cassopolis  November  17,  1882. 

Davis,  Allen — Born  July  12,  1817;  came  to  Porter  township  in 
1833;  died  at  Cassopolis  April  29,  1883. 

Davis,  Reuben  B. — Born  in  Hanover  county,  Virginia,  January  i, 
1804;  came  to  Jefferson  township  in  1840,  where  he  died  in  1884. 

Driskel,  Daniel — Born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1812;  came  to  Newberg 
township  in   1833,  where  he  died  September  29,   1885. 

Dcane,  William  H. — Born  in  Greene  county,  New  York,  in  1809; 
came  to  Howard  township  in  1835,  where  he  died  May  13,  1887. 

Dickson,  Edwin  T. — Born  in  182 1  ;  came  to  McKinney's  Prairie 
in  1828;  died  in  Berrien  county  in  1891. 

Dunning,  Allen — Born  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  July  27,  1796;  came  to 
Milton  in   1836;  there  died  December   10,   1869;  his  wife — 

Dunning,  Minerva  Reynolds — Born  in  Tompkins  county.  New 
York,  January  12,  1824;  came  to  Milton  township  in  1836,  where  she 
died  March  31,  1892. 

Dickson,  Austin  M. — Born  in  LaGrange  in  1832;  died  in  Wis- 
consin, April  29,  1895. 

Dodge,  Joseph — Born  in  Johnstown,  New  York,  December  2,  1807; 
came  to  Cass  county  in  1839;  died  in  Vandalia,  September  2,  1895. 

Decker,  Barney — Born  in  Ontario  county.  New  York,  September 
20,  1812;  came  to  Cassopolis,  in  1838;  died  in  LaGrange  township,  Jan- 
uary 20,  T900;  his  wife,  Martha  Wilson,  born  in  Franklin  county, 
Ohio',  August  10,  1816,  came  to  LaGrange  Prairie  in  September,  1829; 
died  October  19,   1905. 

Driskel,  Dennis — Born  in  Tennessee;  came  tO'  Porter  township  in 
1833,  where  he  died  June  16,  1901 ;  his  wife,  Mary  Bair,  born  in  Ohio, 
February  19,  1828,  came  to  Newberg  in  1832;  died  in  Idaho,  June  24, 
190.3. 

Draper,  John — Born  in  Syracuse,  New  York,  July  17,  1836;  came 
to  Cass  county  in  1840;  died  at  Jones,  Michigan,  October  17,  1905. 

Dunning,  Horace  B. — Born  in  Cayuga  county.  New  York,  Sep- 
tember 18,  1802;  came  to  Edwardsburg  in  1834  and  to  Cassopolis  in 
1841 ;  died  May  30,  1868;  his  wife,  Sarah  A.  Camp,  born  in  1807; 
died  September  30,  1894. 

Davidson,  Armstrong — Born  in  Virginia  in  1784;  came  to  Porter 
in  1829;  died  in  1850. 

Dickson,  James^ — Born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1794;  came  to  La^ 
Grange  in  1828;  died  September  16,  1866. 

Dennis,  Nathaniel  B. — Born  in  Sussex  county,  Delaware,  March 


6:^  HISTORY  OF  tASS  COUNTY 

13,  1813;  came  to  Michigan  in  1833;  ^^^^  i^  Milton  February  6,  1899; 
his  wife,  Margaret  McMichael,  lx>rn  in  Pennsylvania  July  19,  1819; 
died  April  27,    1895. 

Drew,  Albert  L. — Born  oh  Beardsley's  prairie  July  5,  1834;  died 
in  Berrien  county;  first  white  child  born  on  the  Prairie;  Helen  Sher- 
rill,  his  wife;  born  in  Jefferson  February  i,  1839;  died  December  28, 
1894. 

Dunning,  Dr.  Isaac — Born  in  New  York  in  1772;  came  to  Ed- 
wardsburg  in  1834;  died  March  i,  1849. 

Edwards,  Lewis,  Sr. — Born  in  Lamberton,  New  York,  May  29, 
1799;  came  to  Pokagon  Prairie  in  1826,  where  he  died  June  24,  1878. 

Edwards,  Mrs.  Ellen  Collins — Born  in  Pokagon  township  January 
18,  1838;  died  January  28,  1879. 

East,  James  W. — ^Born  in  1803 ;  came  to  Calvin  township  Novem- 
ber,  1833,  where  he  died  April  19,   1887. 

East,  Jacob  Talbot — Came  to  Cass  county  in  1834;  died  in  Volinia 
October  8,  1887. 

East,  Emeline  O'Dell — Born  in  Hyland  county,  Ohio,  November 
6,  1813;  came  to  Porter  township  in  1832;  died  February  2,  1899. 

East,  John  H. — Born  in  Indiana  March  25,  '1827;  came  to  Calvin 
township  in  childhood;  died  at  Cassopolis  January  19,  1891. 

Everhart,  Sarah — Born  in  Wayne  county,  Ohio;  came  to  Porter 
township  in  1830,  where  she  died  January  14,  1891. 

Eby,  Mrs.  Gabriel' — Born  in  Germany  in  1826;  came  to  Porter 
township  in  1837,  where  she  died  November  7,  1891 ;  maiden  name 
Caroline  Wagner. 

Emmons,  John — Born  in  Giles  county,  Virginia,  August  18,  1808; 
came  to  Pokagon  township  in  1834,  where  he  died  October  i,  1893. 

East,  James  M. — Born  in  Wayne  county,  Indiana,  April  7,  1825 ; 
came  to  Cass  county  in  1833;  died  in  Vahdalia  March  13,  1895. 

Eby,  Mary  Traverse — ^Born  in  West  Morland,  Pennsylvania,  April 
5,  1813;  came  to  this  county  in  1834;  died  June  26,  1895. 

East,  Anna  Jones — Born  in  Tennessee  April  5,  1805 ;  came  to  Cass 
county  in  1833;  died  in  Calvin  township  October  22,  1896. 

East,  Emily  J. — Born  in  Porter  township  July  26,  1834,  where  she 
died  June  10,  1898,  as  Mrs.  Hughes. 

East,  Jesse  S.— Born  in  Henry  county,  Indiana,  June  2,  1829;  came 
to  Cass  county  in  1832;  died  at  Buchanan  July  29,  1904. 

East,  Enos — Born  in  Calvin  township  October  24,  1839,  where  he 
died  March  19,  1905.  ']    "' 

,East,   Thomas  J. — Born  in  Calvin  township  May  24,    1833;  died 
at  South  Haven,  Michigan,  June  6,   1905. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  63 

East,  Calvin  K.— Born  in  Calvin  township  October' 7,  1834;  died 
at  Vandalia  April  17,  i$o6. 

Emerson,  Matthew  H. — Born  in  Hopkinton  December  11,  1808; 
came  to  Edwardsburg  in  1839,  where  he  died  March  17,  1877. 

Follett,  Mrs.  Mary — Born  in  Canandaigua  county,  New  York,  Feb- 
ruary 16,  1798;  came  to  Mason  township  in  1835;  died  November  30, 
1880,  widow  of  Dr.  Henry  Follett,  who  died  in  Mason  in  1849. 

Fredericks,  Henry — Born  in  Pennsylvania;  came  to  Porter  town- 
ship in  1840,  where  he  died  August   10,   1885. 

Frakes,  Mrs.  Joseph — Born  in  Ohio  in  1804;  came  to  Cass  county 
in  1829;  died  March  15,  1887. 

Fox,  Mrs.  Sarah  C. — Born  in  Kent  county,  Delaware,  February  27, 
1815;  came  to  Howard  township  in  1839,  where  she  died  October  12, 
1889. 

Fisher,  Daniel — Born  in  Giles  county,  Virginia,  in  1801 ;  came  to 
Howard  township  in  1830,  where  he  died  February  14,   1896. 

Foster,  John  McKinley — Born  in  Holmes  county,  Ohio,  March  24, 
1835;  came  to  Jefferson  township  in  1839;  died  at  Edwardsburg  Jan- 
uary 27,  1902. 

Foster,  Andrew — Born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1779;  came  to  Beard- 
sley's  prairie  in  1833;  died  November  30,  1870;  his  wife,  Rachel  Mc- 
Michael,  born  in  1804;  died  April  26,  1884;  his  daughter,  Margaret, 
born  in  1833;  was  drowned  at  Picture  Rock,  Lake  Superior,  October 
29,  1856. 

Foster,  James — Born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1792;  came  to  Cass 
county  in  1839;  died  in  Jefferson  1872;  his  wife,  Ann  McKinley,  born 
in  1809;  died  in  184 1. 

Green,  Mrs.  Mary — ^Born  in  Volinia  township  June  13,  1832,  daugh- 
ter of  Jonathan  Guard;  died  in  Wexford  county,  Michigan,  July  15, 
1879. 

Grubb,  Fanny — Born  in  Logan  county,  Ohio,  January  21,  18 t6; 
came  to  Cass  county  with  Father  Andrew  in  1830;  died  January  27, 
i88t. 

Goddard,  Anson  A.— Born  in  Canton,  Connecticut,  March  11,  1806; 
came  to  Mason  township  in  1836,  where  he  died  December  5,  1880. 

Goodspeed,  William  L. — ^Bom  in  Wyoming  county.  New  York, 
August  Q',  1829;  came  to  Volinia  in  1836,  where  he  died  February  26, 
1879. 

Gawthrop,  Minerva  Jane— Born  in  LaGrang-e  township  May  12, 
1840;  died  in  Dowagiac  November  9,  1878. 

Garwood,  Rachel  P.-^Bom  in  Richmond,  Indiana,  in  1807;  came 
to  Cass  county  in  1832;  died  in  Pokagon  December  2%  1886. 


64  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Griffith,  Matthew — Born  in  Sussex  county,  Delaware,  March  lo, 
1811;  came  to  Cass  county  in  1837;  died  in  Milton  township  January 
28,  1879. 

Goodspeed,  Mrs.  Sarah  D. — Born  in  the  state  of  Massachusetts 
October  14,  1883;  came  to  Volinia  November,  1836,  whiire  she  died 
November  12,  1878. 

Givens,  John — Born  in  Virginia  about  1803;  came  to  LaGrange 
township  in  1835,  where  he  died  January  4,  1879;  his  wife,  Elizabeth 
P.,  died  October  15,  1878',  aged  66'. 

Grennell,  Jeremiah  S. — Born  in  Onondaga  county,  New  York,  Sep- 
tember 30,  1824;  came  to  Cass  county  in  1834;  died  in  Newberg  town- 
ship August  16,   1888. 

Gill,  John — ^Born  on  the  Isle  of  Man  November  12,  1803;  came  to 
Cass  county  in  1835;  died  at  Jones  August  6,  1888. 

Gard,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Bishop — Born  in  Preble  county,  Ohio,  Decem- 
ber 5,  1804;  came  to  Volinia  in  1829,  where  she  died  September  3,  1887. 

Goble,  James — Born  in  Pokagon  in  1836;  died  December  3,  1891. 

Green,  Selina  Henshaw — Born  in  Randolph  county,  North  Caro- 
lina, November  12,  1819;  came  to  Cass  county  in  183 1 ;  died  in  Vandalia 
February  i,  1896. 

Green,  Mary  Huff — Born  in  Preble  county,  Ohio,  July  29,  181 5; 
came  to  Wayne  township  in  1833,  where  she  died  August  8,  1896. 

Gardner,  Julius  M. — Born  in  Cuyahoga  county,  Ohio,  in  1823; 
came  to  Cass  county  in  1835;  ^^cd  in  Mason  township  January  21,  1900. 

Gard,  Milton  J. — Born  in  Butler  county,  Indiana,  March  11,  1824; 
came  to  Volinia  in  1829;  died  July  19,  1900. 

Gard,  Benjamin  F. — Born  in  Butler  county,  Indiana,  July  30,  1829; 
came  to  Volinia  in  1829,  where  he  died  September  23,  1900. 

Gard,  Isaac  N. — Bern  in  Union  county,  Indiana,  July  9,  1827; 
came  to  Volinia  in  1829,  where  he  died  July  25,  1902. 

Gard,  Reuben  F. — Born  in  Union  county,  Indiana,  August  6,  1825; 
came  to  Volinia  in  1829;  died  at  Pokagon  April  2,   1905. 

Goodspeed,  Marshall — Born  in  Cayuga  county.  New  York,  April 
I,  1830;  came  to  Volinia  in  1830,  where  he  died  September  3,  190O'. 

Goodenough,  Edward  B. — Born  in  Cayuga  county.  New  York,  in 
1835;  came  to  Volinia  in  1837;  died  October  15,  1900. 

Graham,  Arthur — Born  in  Scotland  in  181 2;  came  to  Wayne  town- 
ship in  1839;  died  at  Dowagiac,  April  23,  1901. 

Glenn,  Thomas  H. — Born  in  Milford,  Delaware,  in  1828;  came 
to  Milton  township  in  1834;  died  in  Chicago  July  21,  1901. 

Goodspeed,  Edwin— Born  in  Cayuga  county,  New  York,  January 
15,  1835;  came  to  Volinia  same  year;  died  April  5,  1903. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  65 

Gardner,  Rachel  M.  Roberts — Born  in  Erie  county,  New  York, 
October  13,  1833;  came  to  Milton  township  in  1839,  where  she  died 
August  12,  1 901. 

Green,  Eli — Born  in  Wayne  township  in  1835;  <^lied  i^  Mapleton, 
North  Dakota,  September  7,  1906;  his  wife,  Esther  Gard,  born  in 
Volinia  in  1838,  died  October  8,  1902. 

Goodrich,  Robert — Born  in  Butler  county,  Ohio,  December  18, 
183 1 ;  came  to  Jefferson  township  in  1835;  died  March  30,  1904. 

Gawthrop,  David  B. — Born  in  LaGrange  township  September  4, 
1833,  where  he  died  January  25,   1905. 

Gifford,  H.  Leroy — Born  in  Genesee  county,  New  York,  in  1825; 
came  to  Cass  county  in  1840;  died  at  Dowagiac  August  18,  1905. 

Garvey,  Sarah  Miller — Born  in  Franklin  county,  Ohio,  July  21, 
1829;  came  to  Jefferson  township  in  1832;  died  at  Cassopolis  July  i, 
1905. 

Gilbert,  William — Born  in  Long  Island,  New  York,  September  6, 
1822;  came  to  Indian  Lake  in  1839;  died  October  22,  1905. 

Glover,  Orville  B. — Born  in  Upton,  Massachusetts,  April  11,  1804; 
came  to  Edwardsburg  in  1839,  where  he  died  March  19,  1852. 

Carr,  Julia  A. — Wife  of  O.  B.  Glover;  born  in  Albion,  N.  Y.^ 
June  28,  1818;  came  to  Edwardsburg  in  1839;  died  at  Buchanan,  1893, 
as  Mrs.  Hall. 

Glover,  Harrison — Born  in  Orleans  county,  New  York,  February 
3,  1837;  came  to  Edwardsburg  in  1839;  died  at  Buchanan  in  April, 
8,   1876. 

Glenn,  James  L. — Born  in  Pennsylvania ;  came  tO'  Cass  county  about 
1835;  ^li^^'  January  i,  1876. 

Gage,  John  S. — Born  in  New  York;  came  to  Wayne  township  Sep- 
tember, 1839;  died 

Gage,  Justus — Born  in  Madison  coimty.  New  York,  March  13, 
1805;  came  to  Wayne  in  1837;  died  January  21,  1875. 

Green,  Amos — Born  in  Georgia  December  10,  1794;  came  to 
Young's  prairie  in  1831;  died  August  6,  1854;  his  wife,  Sarah,  born 
in  1796;  died  December  13,  1863. 

Goodspeed,  Joseph — Born  in  Massachusetts  April  i,  1797;  came 
to  Volinia  in  1836;  died  April  30,  1850. 

Gilbert,  Wm.  J. — Born  on  Long  Island,  New  York,  in  1790;  came 
to  Silver  Creek  in  1839;  died  February  18,  1864. 

Goble,  Elijah — ^Born  in  Ohio  in  1805;  came  to  Volinia  in  1828; 
died  . 

Hain,  John — Born  in  Lincoln  county,  North  Carolina,  August  15, 
1799;  came  to  LaGrange  township  in  1830,  where  he  died  July  8,  1879. 


^^  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Hardenbrook,  Adolphus — Born  in  Baltimore  county,  Maryland, 
January  i8,  1823;  came  to  Cassopolis  in  1836;  died  in  Wayne  township 
December  30,  1880. 

Huff,  Mrs.  Margaret  Case — Born  in  Northum^berland  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, March  i,  1804;  came  to  Cass  county  in  1834;  died  in  Volinia 
township  in  1881. 

Hunt,  Eleazur — Born  in  North  Carolina,  February  4,  1792;  came 
to  Calvin  in  183 1,  where  he  died  August  4,  1878. 

Hunt,  Mrs.  Martha — Born  in  Knox  county,  Tennessee,  October  25, 
1795;  came  to  Cass  county  in   1831;  died  August  27,   1880. 

Hull,  John  F. — Born  in  Calvin  township  June  14,  1840;  died  in 
Iowa  August  23,  1880. 

Hutchings,   Hiram' — Born   in   New   York  May  2,    182 1;   came  to 
'  Newberg  township  in  1836,  where  he  died  January  8,  1881. 

Henshaw,  Abijah — Born  in  Randolph  county,  North  Carolina,  Jan- 
uary 3,  1812;  came  to  Young's  Prairie  in  1830;  died  July  10,  1878. 

'Hutchings,  Samuel — Born  in  Ulster  county.  New  York,  Septem- 
ber 14,  1796;  came  to  Newberg  township  in  1836,  where  he  died  Au- 
gust I,  1876. 

Hain,  David — Born  in  Lincoln  county.  North  Carolina,  March  25, 
1805;  ^^1^^  to  LaGrange  township  in  November,  183 1,  where  he  died 
October  26,  1878. 

Hutchinson,  Jesse — Born  in  Vermont  in  1809;  came  to  Calvin 
township  in  1834;  died  in  Iowa  January  19,  1879. 

Harper,  Wilson — Born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1809;  came  to  Cas- 
sopolis in   1835;  died  in  Berrien  county  August   12,   1883. 

Houghtaling,  John — Born  in  New  York  June  8,  1832;  came  to 
Cass  county  in   1835;  died  in  Newberg  September  2y,   1885. 

Hain,  Jacob — Born  in  Lincoln  county  North  Carolina;  came  to  La- 
Grange  township  in  183 1 ;  died  in  Iowa  in  1886. 

Hull,  Isaac — Born  in  Pennsylvania  July  3,  1807;  came  to  Calvin  in 
1837,  where  he  died  December  19,  1873. 

FIull,  Mr§.  Maria  Grubb' — Born  in  Loudoun  county,  Virginia,  Octo- 
ber, 1806;  came  to  Cass  county  in  1837;  died  November  15,  1887. 

Hebron,  Nancy  L. — Born  in  New  York  city  February  17,  1822; 
came  to  Porter  township  in    1836;  died  in   Penn  township,   November 

28,  1893. 

Harper,  Caroline  Guilford — Born  in  Northampton,  Massachusetts, 
September  4,  1816;  came  to  Cassopolis  in  1835,  vvhere  she  died  January 
29,  1902. 

Harper,  Joseph — Born  in  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  De- 
ctmhv  19,  1805;  came  to  Cassopolis  in  February,  1835,  where  he  died 
Au:f"      d8,  1894. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  67 

Huyck,  Richard  R. — Born  in  New  York,  February  21,  181 1 ;  came 
to  Little  Prairie  Ronde  in  1832;  died  December  14,   1893. 

Hathaway,  Benjamin — Born  in  New  York  in  1822;  came  to  Cass 
in  1838;  died  in  VoHnia  March  21,  1896. 

Hebron,  Gideon — Born  in  England  in  1816;  came  to  Porter  town- 
ship in  1833,  where  he  died  January  25,  1897. 

Harrison,  Jesse — Born  in  Richmond,  Indiana,  August  17,  1822; 
came  to  Calvin  township  in  1833;  died  at  Cassopolis  February  13,  1898. 

Hardenbrook,  Adolphus  T. — Born  in  Maryland  in  1823;  came  to 
LaGrange  township  in  1832;  died  in  Wayne  in  December,   1880. 

Hardenbrook,  Margaret  Shurte — Born  in  Marion  county,  Ohio, 
March  29,  1827;  came  to  LaGrange  about  1830;  died  in  Wayne  town- 
ship February  6,  1902. 

Hathaway,  Orrin — Born  in  Stuben  county.  New  York,  May  20, 
1823;  came  to  Penn  township  same  year;  died  March   12,   1903. 

Hitchcox,  James  H. — Born  in  Erie  county,  New  York,  January  5, 
1826;  came  to  Porter  township  in  183 1,  where  he  died  March  26,  1903. 

Haney,  Charles — Born  in  Germany  January  29,  1809-;  came  to 
Ontwa  township  in  1833 ;  died  January  8,   1892. 

Haney,  Jane  Smith — Born  in  Cumberland  county,  Pennsylvania, 
August  24,  181 7;  came  to  Ontwa  township  in  1829;  died  August  14, 
1903. 

Hunt,  Eliza  Worden — Born  in  Niagara  county.  New  York,  April 
9,  1832;  came  to  Edwardsburg  in  1833;  ^^'^^l  ^^  Browaisville  August  26, 
1903. 

Harwood,  Nathan — Born  in  Bennington,  Vermont,  September  9, 
182 1 ;  came  to  Newberg  in  1837;  died  September  29,  1903. 

Harwood,  Clarissa  Easton — Born  in  Allegany  county,  New  York, 
October  16,  1834;  came  to  Newberg  in  1834;  died  February  2,  1904, 
wife  of  William  N.  Harwood. 

Hanson,  James — Born  in  Fulton  county,  New  York,  May  7,  183 1; 
came  to  Jefferson  in  1835;  ^'^^^'  ^^^  Howard  township  May  7,  1904. 

Hurd,  Rev.  John — Born  in  England  November  27,  1823;  came  to 
Newberg  in   1836;  died  at  Paw  Paw,  Michigan,  April  22,   1905. 

Hatch,  Jerome  B. — Born  in  Medina  county,  Ohio,  March  9,  1827; 
came  to  Mason  township  in  1837;  died  in  Illinois  April  9,  1905. 

Hitchcox,  Thomas  Addison — Born  in  Erie  county,  New  York, 
June  22,  1829;  came  to  Porter  township  in  183 1 ;  died  May  29,  1905. 

Hanson,  William — Born  in  Montgomery  county.  New  York,  No- 
vember 14,  1824;  came  to  Ontwa  in  1835;  died  at  Edwardsburg  March 
16,  1905;  his  first  wife,  Elizabeth  Crawford,  born  in  1822;  died  Septem- 
ber 7,   1865. 


^S  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Howard,  I-everett  C. — Born  in  Jefferson  county,  New  York,  No- 
vember 7,  1822;  came  to  Cass  county  in  1834;  died  in  Dowagiac  Octo- 
ber 3,  1903. 

Harwood,  Silas — Born  in  New  York  October  13,  1828;  came  to 
Newberg  in  1836,  where  he  died  December  31,  1905. 

Harmon,  EHza  Grubb^ — Born  in  Calvin  August  13,  1837;  died  at 
Cassopolis  March  15,  1906. 

Hicks,  Edward  P. — ^Born  in  England  February  15,  182 1;  came  to 
Ontwa  in  1835;  died  in  Milton  township  June  i,  1906. 

Hicks,  Richard  V. — Born  in  England  November  17,  1819;  came  to 
Ontwa  in  1835;  died  in  Milton  township  March  i,  1906. 

Hathaway,  Sarah  E.- — Born  in  Cayuga  county.  New  York,  June 
16,  1830;  came  to  Volinia  in  1837,  where  she  died  in  Copemish,  Mich- 
igan, April  24,   1906,  as  Mrs.  H.  S.  Rogers. 

Huff,  Amos — Born  in  New  Jersey  January  30,  1799;  came  to 
Volinia  township  in  1834,  where  he  died  July  4,  1881. 

Huyck,  John — Born  in  New  York  September  27,  1783;  came  to 
Nicholsville  in  1836;  died  at  Marcellus  September  15,  1881. 

Huyck,  Abijah — Born  in  Delaware  county.  New  York,  October 
18,  1818;  came  to  Volinia  township  in  1836;  died 

Hanson,  Ephraim,  Sr. — Born  in  New  York  in  1784;  came  to  Cass 
county  in  1835;  ^^^^^  September  4,  1837;  his  wife,  Alida,  born  in  1791; 
died  September  5,   1882. 

Huntley,  Ephraim — Born  in  Saratoga  county  September  10,  1798; 
came  to  Howard  in  1833;  died  at  Niles  October  i,  1881;  his  wife,  Eli- 
za Ross,  born   1800;  died  in  Howard  in  1856. 

.  Howell,  David  M. — Born  in  Champaign  county,  Ohio,  May  27, 
1817;  came  to  Berrien  county  in  1834  and  to  Howard  in  1840;  died  in 
Fenn  December  12,  1883;  his  wife,  Martha  Anderson,  born  on  March 
29,  1827;  died  January  11,  1869. 

Harper,  Calista — Wife  of  Wilson  Harper ;  born  in  New  York  April 
II,  1819;  died  at  Cassopolis  November  24,  1843;  Nancy  Graves,  second 
wife,  torn  May  2y,  1822;  died  in  Berrien  county  April  25,  1904. 

Hopkins,  David — Born  in  Washington  county.  New  York,  in  1794; 
came  to  Volinia  in  1836;  died  April  7,  1880. 

Hitchcox,  James — Born  in  Ontario  county.  New  York,  in  1795; 
came  to  Porter  in  1830;  died  April  14,  1850. 

Hirous,  Joseph  H. — Born  in  Delaware  in  1805;  came  to  Milton  in 
1833;  died  May  25,  1873;  his  wife,  Eleanor  Shanahan,  born  January  12, 
1808;  died  October  16,  1891. 

Jones,  Albert — Born  in  Seneca  county,  New  York,  February  27, 
1828;  came  to  this  county  in  1836;  died  in  Penn  township  December 
26,  1880. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  69 

Jarvis,  Benjamin — ^Born  in  Wayne  county,  Indiana,  May  4,  1824; 
came  to  Cass  county  in  1834;  died  at  Pbkagon  December  29,  1879. 

Jewell,  Elias — Born  in  Monmouth  county,  New  Jersey,  in  181 1; 
came  to  McKinney's  Prairie  in  1830;  died  at  Dowagiac  January  21, 
1887. 

Jewel],  Hiram — ^Born  in  Monmouth  county.  New  Jersey,  in  1805; 
came  to  LaGrange  township  in  1830,  where  he  died  September  28, 
1887. 

Jones,  Mrs.  Rebecca — Born  in  1810;  came  to  Cass  county  in  1837; 
died  January  28,  1890. 

Jones,  Stephen — Born  in  Ohio  in  182 1 ;  came  to  Cass  county  in 
1829;  died  January  12,  1891. 

Jones,  Daniel  S. — Born  in  Butler  county,  Ohio,  May  2,  18 18;  came 
to  LaGrange  township  in  1833;  died  at  Cassopolis  July  28,  1893. 

Salina  Miller — Wife  of  David  S.  Jones;  born  in  New  York  May  5, 
1824;  died  at  Cassopolis  August  10,  1898. 

Jones,  William' — Born  in  Preble  county,  Ohio,  March  8,  1813; 
came  to  Penn  township  in  1829,  where  he  died  March  29,  1894. 

Jones,  William  G. — Born  in  Penn  township  July  16,  1836;  died 
in  California  May  11,  1895. 

Jones,  George  W. — Born  in  Preble  county,  Ohio,  April  3,  1824; 
came  to  Cass  county  in  1830;  died  April  29,  1896. 

Emma  Sherman — Wife  of  George  W.  Jones;  born  in  Cassopolis 
in  1836;  died  November  20,  1870. 

Jones,  Jesse  G. — Born  in  Penn  township  December  13,  1832,  where 
he  died  March   16,  1884. 

Jones,  Joseph — Born  in  Preble  county,  Ohio,  in  1825;  came  to 
Cass  county  in  1829;  died  in  Iowa  February  16,  1897. 

Jones,  Asa — Born  in  Erie  county.  New  York,  July  10,  1817;  came 
to  Cass  county  in  1835;  died  in  Edwardsburg  February  20,  1897;  his 
wife,  Nelly  Massey,  born  in  Sussex  county,  Delaware,  October  15,  1823, 
came  to  Cass  county  in  1833;  died  in  Edwardsburg  April  30,  1899. 

Jones,  George  F. — ^Born  in  Seneca  county,  New  York,  August  11, 
1819,  came  to  Newberg  in  1837;  died  in  Indiana  August  22,  1898. 

Jones,  Cordelia — Born  in  Newberg  township  in  1836 ;  died  at  Van- 
dalia,  November  14,  1900,  as  Mrs.  Miller. 

Jones,  Keziah — Born  in  Young's  Prairie  February  4,  183 1 ;  died  in 
Penn  township  July  2y,  1905,  as  Mrs.  Brody. 

Jones,  Nathan — Born  in  Preble  county,  Ohio,  April  26,  1824 ;  came 
to  Young's  Prairie  in  1829,  where  he  died  December  8,   1905. 

Jarvis,  Norman — Born  in  Rowan,  North  Carolina,  April  14,  1820; 
came  to  LaGrange  in  1834,  where  he  died  April  14,  1903. 


70  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Jones,  Finney  H. — Born  in  Penn  in  December,  1830;  died  March 

5,  1903. 

Jones,  Amos — Born  in  Preble  county,  Ohio,  August  13,  1820; 
came  to  Cass  county  in  1830;  died  in  LaGrange  township  April  20, 
1905. 

Jarvis,  Burton — Born  in  Rowan  county.  North  Carolina,  September 

6,  1816;  came  to  LaGrange  township  in  1834;  died  in  Berrien  county, 
January  2,   1902. 

Jewell,  Jonathan  M. — Born  in  Butler  county,  Ohio,  March  8,  1835; 
came  to  LaGrange  in  1839;  died  in  Wayne  township  December  20,  1905. 

Jenkins,  William  Baldwin — Bom  in  Green  county,  Pennsylvania, 
October  4,  1783;  came  to  Pokagon  in  1825;  died  June  16,  1845. 

Jones,  Henry — Born  in  Randolph  county.  North  Carolina,  in  1790; 
came  to  Penn  township  in  1830,  where  he  died  in  1851. 

Jacks,  Joseph  L. — Born  in  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania,  May  18, 
1804;  arrived  at  Edwardsburg  July  4,  1829;  died  January  7,  1885; 
Alvira  Pennell,  his  wife,  born  October  17,  1824;  died  January  23,  1872. 

Jewell,  James — Born  in  Ohio  January  7,  1803;  came  to  LaGrange 
in  1832;  died  April  23,  1877;  his  wife,  Mary,  born  in  1806;  died 
November  26,  1883. 

Keene,  Leonard — Born  in  North  Carolina  January  13,  18 10;  came 
to  Cass  county  in  1831,  where  he  died  May  24,  1879. 

Keene,  Mrs.  Alcy — Born  in  Clark  county,  Ohio,  in  1814;  came  to 
Calvin  township  in  1832;  died  in  Jefferson  township  October  23,  1888. 

Kingsbury,  Asa — Bom  in  Massachusetts  May  28,  1806;  came  to 
Cassopolis  in  1836;  died  March  10,  1883. 

Keeler,  Lucius — Born  in  Onondaga  county,  New  York,  April  23, 
1816;  came  to  Porter  township  in  1837,  where  he  died  September  26, 
1883. 

Kelsey,  James — ^Born  in  Haddam,  Connecticut,  November  3,  18 10; 
came  to  Wayne  township  in  1839;  died  in  LaGrange  township  October 
5,  1883. 

Kelsey,  Mary  Compton — Born  in  Ontario  county.  New  York,  in 
1817;  came  to  the  county  with  her  husband;  died  Februai^y  22,  1900. 

Kirkwood,  Andrew^ — Born  in  Scotland  July  17,  1808;  came  to 
Wayne  township  in  1836;  died  in  California  March  13,  1891. 

Kirkwood,  Lieutenant  Alexander — ^Born  in  Ohio  September  27, 
1834;  came  to  Wayne  in  1836;  died  in  Chicago  March  27,  1891. 

Kirkwood,  James — Born  in  Scotland  April  12,  181 1 ;  came  to  Wayne 
township  in  1836,  where  he  died  April  20,  1892. 

King,  Samuel — Born  in  Somerset  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1818; 
came  to  Porter  township  in  1828,  where  he  died  April  24,  1896. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  71 

King,  George — Born  in  Fairfield,  Ohio;  came  to  Porter  township 
in  1828,  where  he  died  April  26,  1896. 

Kingsley,  Charles  R. — Born  in  Franklin,  Massachusetts,  May  21, 
183 1 ;  came  to  Ontwa  township  in  1839;  died  January  2,  1902. 

Kinimerle,  Henry — Born  in  Butler  county,  Ohio,  June  17,  1830; 
came  to  Cassopolis  in  1834;  died  -in  La  Grange  township  March  16, 
1905. 

Kingsbury,  Charles^ — Born  in  Massachusetts  May  4,  1812;  came  to 
Cassopolis  in  1835;  died  December  23,  1876. 

Kelsey,  Dr.  William  J. — Born  in  New  York  August  20,  1839; 
came  to  LaGrange  in  1839;  died  at  Cassopolis  November  29,   1893. 

Kingsley,  Elijah — Born  in  Franklin  county,  Massachusetts,  Octo- 
ber 5,  1796;  came  to  Mason  in  1839;  died  in  Ontwa  October  29,  1890. 

Lincoln,  Bela — Born  in  Clinton  county,  New  York,  June  ig,  1822; 
came  to  Young's  Prairie  in  1834;  died  February  i,  1881,  in  Penn  town- 
ship. 

Lee,  Ishmael — Born  in  Blount  county,  Tennessee,  May  22,  181 5; 
came  to  Jefferson  township  in  1834;  died  in,  Iowa  April  22,  1879. 

Long,  Mrs.  Elizabeth — Born  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  in 
1788;  came  to  Edwardsburg  in  1835;  died  January  12,  1879. 

Lybrook,  Henley  C. — Born  in  Giles  county,  Virginia,  November  28, 
1802;  came  to  Pokagon  May  15,  1830;  died  in  Dowagiac  July  6,  1882. 

Lybrook,  Baltzer — Born  in  Giles  county,  Virginia,  in  1824;  came 
to  Pokagon  in   1828;  died  in  Silver  Creek,  January  i,   1886. 

La  Porte,  George — Born  in  Ohio  in  1805  5  came  to  Cass  county  in 
1833;  died  in  Wayne  township  June  11,  1886. 

La  Porte,  Mrs.  Ann — Bom  in  Virginia  August  25,  181 1;  came  to 
LaGrange  township  in  1834:  died  in  LaGrange  township  July  2,  1887. 

Leach,  Joshua — Born  in  Orleans  county,  Vermont,  March  12,  1812; 
came  to  Young's  Prairie  in  1833,  where  he  died  April  4,  1890. 

Lilly,  David — Born  in  Zanesville,  Ohio,  in  1814;  came  to  LaGrange 
township  in  1835,  where  he  died  March  18,  1894;  his  wife,  Sarah  Simp- 
son, born  in  1823,  came  to  LaGrange  township  in  1830,  where  she  died 
April  3,  1902. 

Loomis,  Nancy  J.  Peck — Born  in  Champaign  county,  Ohio,  Decem- 
beri  14,  1828;  came  to  Jefferson  township  in  1836,  where  she  died  Janu- 
ary 31,  1895. 

Lybrook,  Mrs.  Mary  Hurd — Born  in  England  February  9,  1821; 
came  to  Newberg  in  1836;  died  in  LaGrange  January  26,  1903. 

Lindsley,  Elizabeth — Born  in  Rutland  county,  Vermont,  November 
5,  1830;  came  to  Young's  Prairie  in  1839;  died  in  Jefferson  March  19, 
1905. 


72  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Lawrence,  Levi  B. — Born  in  Chautauqua  county,  New  York,  June 

12,  1819;  came  to  Volinia  in  September,   1832,  where  he  died  August 

13,  1895;  his  wife,  Esther  Copley,  born  in  Jefferson  county.  New  York., 
MsLTch  26,  1824,  came  to  Vohnia  in  1833;  died  April  28,  1904. 

La  Porte,  Catherine  Tietsort — Born  in  Ohio  in  1830;  came  to 
Wayne  township  in  1834;  died  at  Dowagiac  January  21,  1902. 

Lee,  Samuel  H. — Born  in  Stafford  county.  New  Hampshire,  Au- 
gust 14,  1830;  came  to  Edwardsburg  in  1836;  died  September  17,  1904. 

Lofland,  Joshua — Born  in  Milford,  Delaware,  September  8,  18 18; 
came  to  Cassopolis  in  1836;  died  February  2^,  1862;  his  wife,  Lucetta 
Silver,  born  in  New  Hampshire  February  10,  1823;  died  at  Ham- 
mond, Indiana,  February  2,  1905. 

Lybrook,  John — Born  in  Giles  county,  Virginia,  in  October,  1798; 
came  to  LaGrange  prairie  in  1828;  died  May  25,  188 1. 

Lockwood,  Dr.  Henry — Born  in  New  York  February  26,  1800; 
came  to  Edwardsburg  in  1837;  died  at  Dowagiac  November  17,  1863; 
his  wife,  Sophia  Peck,  born  in  Connecticut  October  9,  1809;  died  at 
Edwardsburg  November  24,  1853. 

Lee,  Mason — Born  in  Massachusetts  in  1779;  came  to  Jefferson 
in  1833;  died  September  8,  1858;  his  wife,  Clarinda,  born  in  1796; 
died  May  12,  1866. 

Lee,  Joseph  W. — Born  in  New  Hampshire  January  10,  1807; 
came  tO'  Ontwa  in  1836;  died  August  24,  1874;  his  wife,  Maria 
Hastings,  born  June  20,  1800;  died  February  2,  1875;  his  son,  Abiel 
S.,  born  in  Ontwa  April  4,  1838;  died  July  13,  1871;  his  mother, 
Elizabeth  Lee,  born  in  New  Hampshire  August  11,  1772;  came  to 
Edwardsburg  in  1836;  died  March  12,  1852. 

IxDwery,  William — Born  in  Delaware  in  1822;  came  to  Edwards- 
burg in  1836;  died  January  21,  i860;  his  wife,  Elizabeth  Shanahan, 
born  in  1817;  died  at  Cassopolis  February  21,   1874. 

Mead,  Mrs.  Clarissa  Brown — Born  in  Otsego  county.  New  York, 
December  11,  1805;  came  to  Edwardsburg  in  1834;  died  in  Cassopolis 
July  28,  1879. 

McCleary,  Ephraim — Born  in  Tuscarawas  county,  Ohio,  March  31, 
1808;  came  to  Cass  county  in  1829;  died  in  Warsaw,  Indiana,  May  16, 
1880. 

Mcpherson,  Joseph — Born  in  Ohio  August  16,  1800;  came  to 
LaGrange  township  in  1829;  died  in  LaPorte  county,  Indiana,  July  4, 

1879. 

Mosher,  Ira  D.— Born  October  26,  1802;  came  to  Cass  county 
February,  1838;  died  in  Dowagiac  November  2y,  1880. 

Mowry,  Mrs.  Jane — Born  in  Hamburg,  New  York,  in  1792;  came 
to  Howard  township  in  1836;  died  in  Dowagiac  February  25,  1879. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  73 

Miller,  George  S. — Born  in  Essex  county,  New  Jersey,  June  i8, 
1817;  came  to  Cass  county  in  1835;  died  Mason  township  January  24, 
1881. 

Merritt,  Mrs.  Adelia  T. — Bom  in  Onondaga  county,  New  York, 
September  2,  1813;  came  to  Baldwin's  Prairie  in  1836;  died  in  Bristol, 
Indiana,  January  10,  1881. 

Mcpherson,  Sarah — Born  in  Virginia  May  5,  1800;  came  to  Cass 
county  in  1829;  died  December  21,  1878. 

Marsh,  Austin  C. — Born  in  Litchfield  county,  Connecticut,  July 
15,  1793;  came  to  Edwardsburg  in  1836,  where  he  died  June  3,  1886. 

Marsh,  Mrs.  Sarah  Lofland — Born  in  Kent  county,  Delaware,  Feb- 
ruary 6,  1812;  came  to  Cass  county  in  1836;  died  January  6,  1879. 

Mcllvain,  Moses — Born  in  Lexington,  Kentucky,  February  i,  1802; 
came  to  Jefferson  township  in  1836;  died  at  Cassopolis  October  18,  1883. 

Charity,  Carmichael,  wife  of  Moses  Mcllvain;  came  to  Jeffer- 
son in  1836;  died  at  Cassopolis  May  12,   1871. 

Meacham,  Mrs.  Eliza — Born  in  Delaware  June  22,  1812;  died  at 
Union  September  21,  1885. 

Merritt,  Martin — Born  in  1814;  came  to  Cass  county  in  1833;  died 
in  Sumnerville  May  20,   1886. 

Messenger,  Mrs.  Angeline  Youngs — Born  in  Rising  Sun,  Indiana, 
yVugust  16,  1821 ;  came  to  Cass  county  in  1831 ;  died  in  LaGrange  town- 
ship March  18,  1887. 

McNeil,  William  B. — Born  in  Cayuga  county.  New  York,  Decem- 
ber 3,  1817;  came  to  Mason  township  in  1835;  died  at  Brownsville  May 
II,   1887. 

Mcintosh,  Duncan — Born  in  Baltimore,  Maryland,  May  i,  1817; 
came  to  Penn  township  in  1829;  died  near  Cassopolis  May  29,  1887. 

Moore,  James — Born  in  1812;  came  to  Cass  county  in  1838;  died 
in  Pokagon  township  January  28,   1892. 

Moore,  Mrs.  James — Came  to  Pokagon  township  in  1838,  where  she 
died  April  21,   1889. 

McMullen,  Eleanor — Born  in  Ohio  September  15,  1820;  came  to 
Cass  county  in  1837;  died  in  Jefferson  township  October  i,  1888. 

Meacham,  Hiram — Born  in  Ontwa  township  May  26,  1834;  died 
in  Porter  township  August  31,  1898. 

Mosher,  Harry  C. — Born  in  Saratoga  county.  New  York,  June  17, 
1833;  came  to  Cass  county  in  1838;  died  in  Iowa  February  27,  1900. 

Mowry,  L.  C. — Born  in  Erie  county,  New  York,  February  22,  1826; 
came  to  Cass  county  in  1836;  died  in  Iowa  June  30,  1900. 

McCoy,  Henry — Born  in  Ohio  July  27,  1833;  came  to-  Cass  county 
in  1836;  died  at  Marcellus  February  10,  1901. 


74  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Mead,  Iliram  B. — Born  in  Dutchess  county,  New  York,  February 
7,  1824;  came  to-  Edwardsburg  in  1834,  where  he  died  January  11, 
1 901. 

Merritt,  Samuel  K. — Born  in  Bertrand,  Michigan,  June  24,  1836; 
came  to  Porter  township  in  same  year,  where  he  died  February  16, 
1902. 

Marshall,  Joseph  N. — ^Born  in  Stark  county,  Ohio,  March  29,  1825 ; 
came  to  Jefferson  township  in  1836;  died  at  Cassopolis  August  17,  1904. 
Marshall,  Mrs.  Lovina — Born  in  Jefferson  township  in  1831;  died 
July  5,  1889. 

Mcintosh,  Mary — Born  in  Penn  township  in  1834;  died  at  Cas- 
sopolis October  20,  1904,  as  Mrs.  Mathews. 

Meacham,  George— Born  in  Oneida  county,  New  York,  June  18, 
1799.;  came  to  Beardsley's  Prairie  in  April,  1827;  died  at  Baldwin's 
Prairie  January  2,   1888. 

Mcintosh,  Daniel — Born  March  13,  1805,  in  Alleghany  county, 
Maryland;  came  to  Cass  county  in  1831,  where  he  died  March  13, 
1890. 

Morris,  Samuel — Born  in  Ohio  in  1824;  came  to  Cass  county  in 
1828;  died  in  Volinia  April  19,  1895. 

Messenger,  Carroll — Born  in  Litchfield,  Connecticut,  February  7, 
1809;  came  to  Cass  county  in  1833;  <^li^d  ^^^  LaGrange  June  21,  1896. 

McCallister,  Mrs.  Marian — Born  in  Scotland  in  1807;  came  to 
Pokagon  in  1836,  where  she  died  September  21,  1896. 

McOmber,  Daniel — Born  in  New  York  in  1828;  came  to  Wayne 
township  in  1837;  died  in  Dowagiac  May  2,  1897. 

Manning,  John — Born  in  New  York ;  came  to  Marcellus  township 
in  1836,  where  he  died  March  11,  1898. 

McNeil,  George  B. — Born  in  Cayuga  county,  New  York,  May  12, 
1832;  came  to  Mason  township  in  1835;  died  at  Cassopolis  May  8^,  1905. 
Miller,  Jacob  E. — Born  in  Ohio  January   i,   1824;  came  to  Cass 
county  in  1830;  died  in  Buchanan,  Michigan,  March  14,  1905. 

Masten,  John  M. — ^Born  in  Kent  county,  Delaware,  in  1829;  came 
to  Cass  county  in  183 1 ;  died  in  Howard  township  April  27,  1906. 

McOmber,  Jam.es — Born  in  Berkley,  Massachusetts,  February  28, 
1801 ;  came  to  Wayne  township  in  1835 ;  died  in  1848. 

Mcintosh,  Daniel,  Sr. — Born  in  Scotland  in  1765;  came  to  Penn 
in  1829;  died  July  2,  1851. 

McKenney,  Thomas — Born  in  Washington  county.  New  York,  in 
1781;  came  to  McKenney's  prairie  in  1827;  died  in  Iowa  in  1852. 

Mead,  Barak — Born  in  Dutchess  county.  New  York,  in  1802 ;  came 
to  Edwardsburg  in  1834;  died  at  Cassopolis  in  1874. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  75 

Mansfield,  William^ — Born  in  New  York  in  1811;  came  to  Cass- 
opolis  in,  1838;  died  in  1869;  Margaret  Bell,  his  wife,  born  in  Ireland 
181 7;  died  April  18,  1896. 

Miller,  Ezra — ^Born  in  Erie  county,  New  York,  July  6,  1808; 
came  to  Edwardsburg  in  1835;  died  January  26,  1884;  his  wife, 
Maria  Best,  born  in  1816;  came  to  Edwardsburg  in  1838;  died  Janu- 
ary 2,  1883. 

Morelan,  Joseph — Born  in  Virginia  September  11,  1797;  came  to 
Volinia  in  1829;  died  February  16,  1854;  his  wife,  Sarah  Poe,  born 
in  Ohio  August  15,  1805;  died  . 

May,  Russell  G. — Born  in  New  York  in  1804;  came  to  Cass 
county  in  1837;  died  in  Ontwa  October  8,  1886;  his  wife,  Hannah,  born 
in  1805;  died  March  20,  1871. 

Mead,  Flenry^ — Born  in  New  York  in  1797;  came  to  Edwards- 
burg in  1836;  died  July  17,  1842;  his  wife,  Mary,  died  at  Niles ; 

his  daughter,  Mary,  bom  in  1827;  died  July  24,  1850,  as  Mrs.  P.  A. 
Lee. 

Morris,  Dolphin — Born  in  Ross  county,  Ohio,  in  1798;  came  to 
Pokagon  in  1828  and  to  Volinia  in  1829,  and  here  died  January  7, 
1870. 

Morris,  Henry — And  his  wife,  Esther  Jones,  son  and  daughter  of 
pioneer  parents,  were  murdered  during  the  night  of  September  28, 
1879,  at  their  farm  home  in  VanBuren  county,  adjoining  Volinia. 

Miller,  John  P. — Born  in  Pennsylvania  February  18,  1809;  came 
to  Jefferson  in  1830;  died  September  28,   1889. 

Nash,  Ira — Born  in  Danbury,  Connecticut,  August  12,  1806;  came 
to  Diamond  Lake  in  18128;  died  January  26,  1881. 

Norton,  Levi  D. — Born  in  Ohio;  came  to  Jefferson  township  in 
1828;  died  in  Calvin  township  November  7,   1872. 

Norton,  Martha  Mcllvain — Born  in  Ohio  November  26,  18 10; 
came  to  Calvin  township  in  1832,  where  she  died  January  10,  1883. 

Newton,  George — Born  in  Preble  county,  Ohio,  August  10,  1810; 
came  to  Penn  township  in  1831,  to  Volinia  in  1832,  where  he  died 
January  23,  1883. 

Nixon,  Hannah — Born  in  Penn  township  August  6,  1835,  where  she 
died  June  18,  1885. 

Norton,  Pleasant — Born  in  Grayson  county,  Virginia,  in  1806; 
came  to  Jefferson  township  in  1832,  where  he  died  in  1877. 

Norton,  Mrs.  Rachel  Fukery — Born  in  Highland  county,  Ohio, 
May  28,  1808;  came  to  Jefferson  township  in  1832,  where  she  died 
March  17,  1887. 

Norton,  Sampson — Born  in  182 1;  came  to  Cass  county  in  1829; 
died  in  Calvin  township  May  3,  1892. 


76  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Newton,  Hester  Green — Born  March  25,  1819;  came  to  Cass  county 
in  183 1 ;  died  in  Volinia  township  April  21,  1892. 

Nixon,  Esther  Jones — Born  in  Preble  county,  Ohio,  January  27, 
1814;  came  to  Penn  township  in  1830;  died  November  10,  1894. 

Nicholson,  John  W. — Born  in  Champaign  county,  Ohio,  in  183 1; 
came  to  Cass  county  in  1834;  died  in  Iowa  about  1895. 

Nothrup,  Asahel  D. — Born  in  Rutland  county,  Vermont,  February 
13,  1822;  came  to  Cass  county  in  1836;  died  in  Calvin  March  15,  1898. 

Norton,  Jane — Born  in  Logan  county,  Ohio,  December  5,  1807; 
came  to  Jefiferson  township  in  1829;  died  June  i,  1898. 

Northrop,  Spafford  B. — Born  in  Vermont  in  1828;  came  to  Calvin 
township  in  1836;  died  in  Wexford  county,  Michigan,  September  26, 
1898. 

Nicholson,  Ambrose — Born  in  Batavia,  New  York,  July  3,  1834; 
came  to  Cass  county  in  1837;  died  at  Kalamazoo  July  i,  1904. 

Neave,  John — Born  in  England  in  1780;  came  to  Ontwa  in  1836; 
died  January  2;^,  1864;  his  wife,  Mary  Ann,  born  in  1805;  died  May 
II,   1862. 

Nixon,  John — Born  in  North  Carolina  September  10,  1798;  came 
tO'  Penn  in  1830;  died  June  10,  1882. 

O'Dell,  Nathan — Born  in  Highland  county,  Ohio,  September  8, 
1819;  came  to  Cass  county  with  his  father,  James  O'Dell,  in  1832;  died 
in  Penn  township  February  22,  1880. 

O'Dell,  John — Born  in  Montgomery  county.  New  York,  February 
17,   1806;  came  to  Mason  township  in  1835,  where  he  died  November 

15, 1878. 

Oxenford,  Mrs.  Sally  Grennell — Born  at  Onondaga  county.  New 
York,  Tuly  17,  1830;  came  to  Cass  county  in  1834;  died  at  Vandalia 
July  12,  1888. 

Oren,  James — Born  in  Clinton  county,  Ohio,  January  29,  1823  ; 
came  to  Calvin  in  1838;  died  at  Cassopolis  February  22,  1891. 

O'Dell,  Thomas — Born  in  Porter  township  in  183 1;  died  January 
30,  1882. 

Osborn,  Ellison — Born  in  Wayne  county,  Indiana,  in  1823;  came 
to  Calvin  township  in  1835;  died  in  Arkansas  March  10,  1897. 

Osborn,  Ellen — Born  in  Wayne  county,  Indiana,  in  1834;  came  to 
Calvin  township  in  1835 ;  died  in  Elkhart,  Indiana,  as  Mrs.  Jackson, 
May  19,  1897. 

Olmstead,  William — Born  in  Ohio,  March  15,  1835;  came  to  How- 
ard township  in  1837,  where  he  died  March  10,  1898'. 

Osborn,  Leander — Born  in  Economy,  Indiana,  December  27,  1825; 
came  to  Calvin  township  in  1835;  died  at  Vandalia  June  13,  1901. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  77 

Osborn,  Susannah  East — Born  in  Wayne  county,  Indiana,  October 
lO,  1829;  came  to  Calvin  township  in  1833;  died  September  21,   1902. 

O'Dell,  James  S. — Born  in  Porter  township  January  10,  1830; 
died  December  18,  1903. 

O'Dell,  James: — Born  in  Virginia  July  20,  1799;  came  to  Penn 
in  1832;  died  . 

Osborn,  Jefferson — Born  in  Wayne  county,  Indiana,  January  2, 
1824;  came  to  Calvin  in  1835;  died  April  4,   1901. 

Olmstead,  Sylvester — Born  in  Connecticut  in  1780;  came  to  Ed- 
wardsburg  in  1836;  died  February  3,  1861 ;  his  wife,  Polly,  born  in 
1775;  died  August  3,  1837. 

Olmsted,  Samuel  C. — Born  in  Connecticut  July  10,  i8o'i  ;  came 
to  Ontwa  in  1836;  died  — . 

Putnam,  Mrs.  Anna  Chapman — Born  in  Kent,  Connecticut,  Janu- 
ary 19,  1792;  came  to  Pokagon  in  No'vember,  1825;  died  in  Pokagon 
Prairie,  October  15,  18801;  mother  of  first  white  child  born  in  Cass 
county. 

Putnam,  Uzziel,  Jr. — Born  in  Pokagon  Prairie  August  12,  1826: 
died  at  Pokagon  February   10,   1879. 

Peck,  Rachel — Born  in  Harrison  county,  Virginia,  October  29, 
1798;  came  to  Jefferson  township  in  1836,  where  she  died  April  15, 
1884;  wife  of  Marcus  Peck. 

Peck,  William  W. — Born  in  Shelby  county,  Ohio',  September  22, 
1830;  came  to  Cass  county  with  his  father,  Marcus  Peck,  in  1836; 
died  in  Cassopolis  April  5,   1879. 

Putnam,  James  M. — ^Born  in  Jefferson  township  in  1838;  died  in 
Kansas  February  15,   1879. 

Palmer,  Joseph — Born  in  Saratoga  county.  New  York,  March  5, 
1817;  came  to  Whitmanville  in  1832;  died  at  Dowagiac  November  9, 
1878. 

Palmer,  Jared — Born  in  Saratoga  county.  New  York,  in  1809';  came 
to  Whitmanville  in  1832;  died  at  Paw  Paw  January  18,  1879. 

Philbrick,  Mrs.  Eleanor  Goodrich — Born  in  Meadowbrook,  Con- 
necticut, in  1817;  came  to  Cassopolis  in  1838;  died  at  Grand  Rapids  No- 
vember 9,  1885. 

P'oe.  Charles  R. — Born  in  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  April  27,  1819; 
came  to  Poe's  Corners  in  1835,  where  he  died  May  19,  1888. 

Parker,  John — Born  in  Ohio  in  181 1;  came  to  Calvin  township  in 
1831;  died  in  Nebraska  March  8,  1897. 

Pemberton,  Reason  S. — Bom  in  Wayne  county,  Indiana,  March 
23,  1822;  came  to  Penn  township  in  1836;  died  in  Marcellus  April  27, 
1896. 


78  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Pollock,  William — Born  in  Preble  county,  Ohio,  August  6,  1820; 
came  to  Cass  county  in  1830;  died  at  Cassopolis  June  3,  1894;  his  wife, 
Harriet  C.  Shanahan,  born  in  Delaware  June  25,  1833,  came  to  Edwards- 
burg  in  1834;  died  at  Cassopolis  June  18,  1902. 

Putnam,  Orlean — Born  in  Jefferson  county,  New  York,  May  7, 
1809;  came  to  Cass  county  in  1827;  died  in  LaGrange  township  Jan- 
uary 19,  1886. 

Pitcher,  Silas  A. — Born  in  Logan  county,  Ohio;  came  to  Wayne 
township  in  1839;  died  September  7,  1897. 

Pollock,  James — Born  in  Preble  county,  Ohio,  February  19,  1822; 
came  to  LaGrange  township  in  1836;  died  in  Penn  October  16,  1898. 

Putnam,  Ziltha — Born  in  Ohio  in  1823;  came  to  Pokagon  in  1S25, 
where  she  died  January  22,  1900,  as  Mrs.  Jones. 

Pemberton,  Eliphalet — Bom  in  Virginia  in  1822;  came  to  Penn 
township  in  1836;  died  in  Emmet  county,  Michigan,  May  17,  1906. 

Palmer,  William  K. — Born  in  Livingston  county.  New  York,  in 
1825;  came  to  Wayne  township  in  1837;  died  at  Dowagiac  March  21, 
1902. 

Price,  Rev.  Jacob — Born  in  South  Wales  March  28,  1799;  came 
to  LaGrange  in  1833;  died  August  8,  1871;  Ann  Price,  an  English 
lady,  his  wife,  came  with  him  and  died  October  9,  1833;  his  second 
wife,  Sarah  Bennett,  born  in  Vermont  1810;  died  at  Cassopolis  in  1886. 

Rudd,  Barker  F. — Born  in  Vermont  in  1800;  came  to  Cass  county 
in  1834;  died  in  Newberg  township  February  22,  1880. 

Rinehart,  Mrs.  x'\nnie — Born  in  Ohio  in  1812;  died  near  Union 
June  7,  1889;  wife  of  Lewis  Rinehart. 

Rinehart,  Lewis — Born  in  Virginia  December  5,  1807;  came  to 
Cass  county  February  28,  1829;  died  at  Baldwin's  Prairie  December  6,, 
1879. 

Richmond,  Mrs.  Nancy — Born  in  Ohio  February  i,  181 5;  came  to 
Porter  township  about  1835;  died  July  11,  1879. 

Rinehart,  John — Born  in  Rockingham  county,  Virginia,  June  5, 
1814;  came  to  Young's  Prairie  in  February,  1829;  died  in  Porter  town- 
ship February  20,  1881. 

Runkle,  Margaret  Wilson — Born  in  Columbia  county,  Pennsylvania, 
December  9,  1818;  came  to  Beardsley's  Prairie  in  1838;  died  May  24, 
1881. 

Reames,  Moses — Bom  in  Northampton  county.  North  Carolina, 
May  2J,  1797;  came  to  Jefferson  township  in  1828,  where  he  died  De- 
cember 6,  1878. 

Rinehart,  Abram. — Born  in  Rockingham  county,  Virginia,  Janu- 
ary 5,  1817;  came  to  P'orter  township  in  1829,  where  he  died  September 
2,  1895. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  79 

Reneston,  William — Born  in  Mifflin  county,  Pennsylvania,  March 
13,  1796;  came  to  LaG range  township  in  1830;  died  August  5,  1882. 

Rosbrough,  John^— Born  in  Ohio  in  1812;  came  to  X^fferson  town- 
ship in  1833,  where  he  died  August  23,  1882. 

Reames,  Mary  Colyar — Born  in  North  Carolina,  November  15,  1812; 
camq  to  Cass  county  in  183 1;  died  in  Jefferson  township  April  i,  1884. 

Root  Mrs.  Jane — Born  in  Erie  county  Pennsylvania,  July  2,  181 1; 
came  to  Cass  county  in  183 1 ;  died  at  Dowagiac  March  5,  1887. 

Redfield,  George — Born  in  Connecticut  October  6,  1796;  came  to 
Ontwa  township  in  1835,  where  he  died  October  29,  1887. 

Reames,  W.  D. — Born  in  1820;  came  to  Cass  county  in  1828; 
died  in  Cassopolis  January  12,  18912;  his  wife,  Rhoda  Pearson,  born  in 
Logan  county,  Ohio,  in  1822,  came  to  Jefferson  in  183 1;  died  at  Cass- 
opolis August  26,   1902. 

Rudd,  Harry  L. — Born  in  Rutland  county,  Vermont,  in  January, 
182 1 ;  came  to  Penn  township  in  1835;  died  in  Oregon  August  7,  1892. 

Reames,  Levi — Born  in  Logan  county,  Ohio,  November  13,  1824; 
came  to  Jefferson  township  in  1828,  where  he  died  April  2,  1894. 

Rinehart,  John  W. — Born  in  Porter  township  January  21,  1834; 
died  in  Penn  July  17,  1893. 

Rodgers,  John — Born  in  Preble  county,  Ohio,  August  13,  1815; 
came  to  Cass  county  in  1828;  died  in  Pokagon  May  8,  1895. 

Rudd,  Orson — Born  in  Vermont  September  i,  1827;  came  to  Cass 
county  in  1837;  died  in  North  Dakota  September  2,  1896. 

Rinehart,  Jacob — Born  in  Rockingham,  Virginia,  in  June,  1804; 
came  to  Porter  in  1829,  where  he  died  May  2,   1897. 

Read,  Sylvador  T. — Born  in  Tompkins  county,  New  York,  Janu- 
ary 12,  1822;  came  to  the  county  in  183 1;  died  in  Cassopolis  January 
15,  1898. 

Reames,  Nancy  A. — Born  in  Logan  county,  Ohio,  in  1826;  came 
to  Jefferson  township  in  1834;  died  in  LaGrange  township  July  i,  1898, 
as  Mrs.  Neff. 

Robbins,  David  H. — Born  in  Geauga  county,  Ohio,  in  1828;  came 
to  Ontwa  township  in  1836,  where  he  died  April  29,  1899;  his  wife, 
Marien  Grant,  born  in  Indiana  in ;  died  June  10,  1861. 

Rogers,  Hiram — Born  in  Morris  county.  New  Jersey,  January  16, 
1802;  came  to  Milton  township  in  1831,  where  he  died  April  17,  1889. 
Lory,  his  wife,  born  in  18 10;  died  April  29,  1868. 

Reames,  Huldah  Colyar — Born  in  Logan  county,  Ohio,  April  25, 
181 5;  came  to  Cass  county  in  1830;  died  September  2^,  1900. 

Ross,  Richard  C. — Born  in  Stark  county,  Ohio,  March  20,  1814; 
came  to  Mason  township  in  1832,  where  he  died  April  22,  1901. 


80  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Reames,  Melissa — Born  in  Logan  county,  Ohio,  May  24,  1827; 
came  to  Jefferson  township  in  1828,  where  she  died  March  13,  1900, 
as  Mrs.  J.  L.  Stephenson. 

Read,  I^fayette  R. — Born  in  Tompkins  county,  New  York,  August 
5,  1804;  came  to  Calvin  township  in  1833;  died  in  Cassopolis  June  24, 
1900. 

Rinehart,  Christina — Born  in  Rockingham  county,  Virginia,  July 
4,  18 19;  came  to  Young's  Prairie  in  1829;  died  in  Porter  township  July 

18,  1900,  as  Mrs.  W.  H.  Stevens. 

Ro»6,  Mahitable  Bogart — Born  in  Genesee  county,  New  York,  April 
I,  1815;  came  to  Edwardsburg  in  August,  1829;  died  in  Mason  town- 
ship January  i,  1901. 

Reece,  Rebecca  A. — Born  in  Chenango  county.  New  York,  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1828;  came  to  Cass  county  in  1836;  died  in  Newberg  Decem- 
ber 17,  1900. 

Reames,  Jeremiah  B. — Bom  in  Logan  county,  Ohio,  in  1825;  came 
to  Jefferson  township  in  1831,  where  he  died  December  17,  1901. 

Reese,  J.  Raymond — Born  in  Tioga  county.  New  York,  March  29, 
1833;  came  to  Ontwa  township  in  1835;  died  at  Edwardsburg  February 
22,  1902. 

Rogers,  William  A. — Born  in  Preble  county,  Ohio,  October  2j, 
i82y;  came  to  Pokagon  in  1828;  died  October  6,  1902. 

Roberson,  Lewis  B. — Born  in  Cass  county  February  13,  1837; 
died  in  LaGrange  November  17,  1902;  his  wife,  Adaline  Tarbos,  born  at 
McKinney's  Prairie  November  22,  1837,  died  May  21,  1905. 

Root,  Fber — Born  in  1799;  came  to  Cassopolis  in  1832;  died  June 

19,  1862;  his  wife,  Eliza  Wills,  born  in  Green  county,  Ohio,  October 
19,  1816,  came  to  Edwardsburg  in  183 1 ;  died  April  25,  1904. 

Richardson,  Evaline  Meacham — Born  in  Porter  township  October 
16,  183c;  died  March  3,  1905. 

Rodgers,  Alexander — Born  in  Rockbridge  county,  Virginia;  came 
to  Pokagon  township  in  1828,  where  he  died  in  18&6. 

Reynolds,  John — Born  in  Ohio  in  1816;  came  to  Cassopolis  in 
1838;  died  September  24,  1874;  his  wife,  Lucinda  Fletcher,  born  in 
1818;  died  in  1873. 

Robbins,  Harry  J. — Born  in  New  York,  August  17,  1815;  came  to 
Cass  coimty  in  1832;  died  May  26,  1888;  his  wife,  Rebecca,  born  in 
1818;  died  March  7,  1866. 

Rodgers,  Alexander — Born  in  Virginia  in  1788;  came  to  Pokagon 
in  1828;  died  in  1867. 

Reading,  Augustine — Born  in  New  York  September  11,  1802; 
came  to  Ontwa  in  183 1;  died  in  VanBuren  county  May  9,  1882;  his 
wife,  Catherine,  born  July  26,  1813;  died  December  2,  1885. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  81 

Rich,  Samuel — Born  in  North  CaroHna  in  1802;  came  to  VoHnia 
in   1829;  died  February  20,   1873. 

Rich,  John  H. — Born  in  Vohnia  October  21,  1829;  first  white 
child  born  in  Volinia  township. 

Robinson,  Nathan — Born  in  New  York  November  15,  1820;  came 
to  Jefferson  in  1840;  died  September  3,  1879;  his  wife,  Margaret 
Hanson,  born  in  New  York;  died  June  16,  1891. 

Robbins,  Milton  B. — Born  in  Ohio  in  1806;  came  to  Cass  county 
in  1836;  died  in  Ontwa  March  26,  1881 ;  his  wife,  Sarah  VanTuyle, 
born  in  1804;  died  May  5,  1870. 

Ritter,  John — Born  in  Virginia  Marcli  31,  1793;  came  to-  La- 
Grange  prairie  in  1829;  killed  by  lightning  August  31,  1829;  his  wife, 
Sarah  Lybrook,  born  December  30,  1796;  died  January  23,  1834;  his 
daughter,  Miss  Hannah,  born  May  24,  1818;  died  June  25,  1882,  at 
Cassopolis. 

Smith,  George — Born  in  Sussex  county,  Delaw'are,  September  22, 
1810;  came  to  Edwardsburg  in  October,  1828;  died  in  Milton  towm- 
ship  January  25,  1880. 

Smith,  Major  Joseph — Born  in  Botetourt  county,  Virginia,  April 
II,  1809;  came  to  Calvin  township  in  1831;  died  in  Cassopolis  April 
18,  1880. 

Silver,  Rev.  Abiel — Born  in  Hopkinton,  New  Hampshire,  April 
30,  1797;  came  to  Edwardsburg  in  183 1;  died  at  Boston  March  27, 
1 881. 

Sears,  Mrs.  Margaret — Born  in  Springfield,  Pennsylvania,  February 
8,  1816;  came  to  LaGrange  township  in  1840;  died  in  LaGrange  town- 
ship March  30,  1881. 

Spencer,  Joseph — Born  in  Madison  county.  New  York,  in  August, 
1813;  came  to  Wayne  township  in  1835,  where  he  died  February  27, 
1 881. 

Scott,  Greenlee — Born  in  Logan  county,  Ohio,  in  1806;  came  to 
Cass  county  in  1830;  he  and  wife,  Mary  Grubb  Scott,  died  in  April, 
1 88 1,  in  Iowa. 

Shaffer,  Peter — Born  in  Rockingham,  Virginia,  January  10,  1791 ; 
came  to  Young's  Prairie  in  1828;  died  in  Calvin  July  13,  1880. 

Story,  Mrs.  Sophia  Boots — Born  in  England  August  20,  181 1; 
came  to  Porter  township  in  1836,  with  husband,  Ozail;  died  November 
21,  1880. 

Springsteen,  John — Born  in  Rockland  county.  New  York,  February 
16,  1802;  came  to  LaGrange  township  in  1837,  where  he  died  October 
31,  1880. 

Springsteen,  Romelia — Bom  in  New  York  August  2y,  1814;  came 
to  LaGrange  in  1837,  where  she  died  May  8,  1891. 


82  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Sullivan,  James — Born  in  Exeter,  New  Hampshire,  December  6. 
1811;  came  to  Cassopolis  in  1839;  died  in  Dowagiac  August  19,  1878. 

Smith,  Ezekiel  S. — Born  in  Oneida  county.  New  York,  in  September, 
181 1 ;  came  to  Cassopolis  in  1S39;  died  in  Chicago  February  22,  1879. 

Squiers,  Samuel — Born  in  Greene  county,  New  York,  June  4,  1801 ; 
came  to  Volinia  township  ni  1836,  where  he  died  December  9,  1882. 

Squiers,  Elza — Born  in  Pennsylvania  January  14,  1802;  came  to 
Cassopolis  in  1831;  died  in  Volinia  township  March  6,  1883. 

Smith,  Mrs.  Hannah  Hay  den — Born  in  Ohio  in  January,  1826; 
came  to  Cass  county  in  1834;  died  in  Calvin  December  14,  1885;  ^if^ 
of  Joseph  G.  Hayden. 

Stephenson,  Ira — Born  in  Logan  county,  Ohio,  February  24,  1827; 
came  to  Cass  county  in  June,  1834;  died  in  Jefferson  township  December 
26,   1886. 

Shanahan,  Peter — Born  in  Delaware,  1797;  came  to  Milton  town- 
ship in  1834;  died  at  Niles  March  7,  1887. 

Shellhammer,  Aaron — Born  in  1817;  came  to  Cass  county  in  1839; 
died  at  Union  June  8,  1889. 

Shaw,  Mrs.  Eliza  J.  Smith — Born  in  Jefferson  township  in  1834; 
died  March  18,  1888. 

Sherman,  Elias  B. — Born  in  Oneida  county.  New  York;  came  to 
Cassopolis  in  1829,  where  he  died  November  14,  1890. 

Stretch,  John — Born  in  Wayne  county,  Indiana,  December  25,  1825 ; 
came  to  Cass  county  in  1833;  ^'^^^  April  30,  1892. 

Stevens,  Andrew — Born  in  Ohio  October  28,  1822 ;  came  to  La- 
Grange  in  1833,  where  he  died  August  23,  1892. 

Smith,  Ezekiel  C. — Born  in  Erie  county,  New  York,  June  6,  181 1; 
came  to  Howard  township  in  1835,  where  he  died  July  30,  1894. 

Stephenson,  Samuel — Born  in  Logan  county,  Ohio,  in  1819;  came 
to  Cass  county  in  1834.;  died  in  Jefferson  township  April  10,  1895. 

Sammons,  Andrew  J. — Born  in  New  York,  December  26,  1834; 
came  to  Pbkagon  in  1837;  died  in  Illinois  August  21,  1894. 

Shaffer,  General  George  T. — ^Born  in  Ohio  October  9,  1821;  came 
to  Calvin  township  in  1832,  where  he  died  July  24,  1895. 

Smith,  William — Born  in  England  Novemher  10,  18 14;  came  to 
Silver  Creek  in  1840,  where  he  died  January  22,  1896. 

Smith,  Cannon — Born  in  Sussex  county,  Delaware;  came  to  Mil- 
ton township  in  1828,  where  he  died  February  i,  1896.  His  wife,  Sarah 
Dunning,  born  in  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania,  September  13,  1824;  came 
to  Milton  township  in  1836;  died  in  Ontw^a  November  17,  1904. 

Sherwood,  George — Born  in  Dutchess  county,  New  York,  in  18 19; 
came  to  Edwardsburg  in  the  '30s;  died  in  Chicago  April  18,   1896. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  83 

Stevens,  David  R.-r-Born  in  Oneida  county,  New  York,  August  i6, 
1822;  came  to  Mason  township  in  1835,  where  he  died  June  4,  1896. 

Strickland,  Mrs.  Jane — Born  in  Butler  county,  Ohio,  March  17, 
1826;  came  to  LaGrange  in  1831 ;  died  May  3,  1896. 

Shanafelt,  Nehemiah — Born  in  Pickaway  county,  Ohio,  in  1823; 
came  to  Cass  county  in   18-^5 ;  died  in  LaGrange  township  February  2, 

1897- 

Smith,  Jemmima  Lippincott — Born  in  Clark  county,  Ohio,  in  181 1; 
came  to  Cass  county  in  1832;  died  in  Cassopolis  May  30,  1897. 

Stephenson,  Eri — Born  in  Logan  county,  Ohio,  in  1832;  came 
to  Cass  county  in  1834;  died  in  Penn  tow^nship  September  20,  1896. 

Sheldon,  William  R. — Born  in  Connecticut  in  1813;  came  to  Ontwa 
township  in  1835;  died  at  Edwardsburg  January  11,  1897. 

vSherman,  Sarah  Silver — Born  in  Hopkinton,  New  Hampshire,  April 
I,   1807;  came  to  Cassopolis  in  1832;  died  in  February,  1897. 

Smith,  Andrew  J. — Born  in  Ross  county,  Ohio,  September  2,  1818; 
came  to  Edwardsburg  in  1840;  died  at  Cassopolis  May  2,   1897. 

Shanahan,  Mary  Low^ery — Born  in  Milford,  Delaw^are,  May  27, 
1809;  came  to  Cass  county  in  1834;  died  at  Cassopolis  February  23, 
1898. 

Silver,  Benjamin  F. — Born  in  Hopkinton,  New  Hampshire,  in  1808; 
came  to  Cass  county  in  183 1 ;  died  in  Pokagon  December  9,  1897. 

Sutton,  Levi  and  Lucy — Bom,  resj^^ctively,  in  18 18  and  1822,  in 
Ohio;  came  to  Porter  townshi])  in  1840;  died  in  July  and  June,  1898. 

Shaffer,  Abraham — Born  in  Clark  county,  Ohio,  in  1828;  came  to 
Calvin  township  in  1832*  died  in  California  November  30,  1897. 

Sturr,  Joseph  W. — Born  in  Burgen  county,  New  Jersey,  November 
28,  1816;  came  to  Wayne  township  in  1839,  where  he  died  February  12, 
1899. 

Smith,  Wesley — Born  in  Sussex,  Delaware,  in  182 1 ;  came  to  Ed- 
w^ardsburg  in  1828;  died  in  Milton  township  February  18,  1899;  his 
wife,  Almeda,  l>orn  in  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1826;  died  in 
Milton  township  June   18,    1892. 

Shaw,  James — Born  in  Berlin,  New  York,  February  28,  1813;  came 
to  Howard  township  in  1840',  w^here  he  died  December  11,  1898. 

Stretch,  William — Born  in  Ohio  in  1827;  came  tO'  Cass  county  in 
1 83 1  ;  died  in  Pokagon  February  6,  1903. 

Smith,  Henry  W. — Born  in  Stark  county,  Ohio,  April  12,  1818; 
came  to,  Cass  county  in  1832 ;  died  in  Indiana  April  4,  1904. 

Stephenson,  Celia — Born  in  Logan  county,  Ohio,  March  20,  1817^ 
came  to  Jefferson  township  about  183 1,.  where  she  died  March  14,  1903, 
as  Mrs.  Williams. 


84  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Silver,  Orrin — Born  in  Hopkinton,  New  Hampshire,  December  12, 
1812;  came  to  Edwardsburg  in  1835,  where  he  died  March  27,  1899; 
his  wife,  Abigail  Fifield,  born  in  New  Hampshire  in  1815;  died  at  Ed- 
wardsburg December  12,  1898'. 

Shanafelt,  William  H. — Born  in  Pickaway  county,  Ohio,  Decem- 
ber 24,  1824;  came  to  Cassopolis  in  1835;  died  May  22,  1900. 

Silver,  Mary — Born  in  Hopkinton,  Nev/  Hampshire,  September  20, 
1816;  came  to  Ontwa  in  1837;  died  at  Cassopolis  February  14,  1902. 

Sherwood,  Charles — Born  in  Dutchess  county,  New  York;  came 
to  Edwardsburg  in  183 1 ;  died  in  Mishawaka,  Indiana,  January  10, 
1900. 

Shurte,  William — Born  in  Cassopolis  April  29,  1836;  died  in  La- 
Grange  November  12,  1903. 

Stephenson,  John  H. — Born  in  Logan  county,  Ohio,  in  1821;  came 
to  Jefferson  township  in  1832;  died  December  31,  1904. 

Springsteen,  Levi — Born  in  Ontario  county.  New  York,  March  10, 
1815;  came  to  I^Grange  township  in  1836;  died  June  9,  1905. 

Shaw,  James  S.- — Born  in  Pickaway  county,  Ohio,  in  1827;  came 
to  Penn  township  in  183 1;  died  in  Volinia  township  January  18,  1905, 

Shanafelt,  Rachael — Born  in  Pickaway  county,  Ohio,  October  13, 
1824;  came  to  Cassopolis  in  1835;  died  in  LaGrange  November  10, 
1904,  as  Mrs.   Umberfield. 

Simpson,  Moses  W. — Born  in  Pembroke,  New  Hampshire,  May 
16,  1808;  came  to  Pokagon  in  1836,  where  he  died  June  16,  1849. 

Squier,  Daniel  C. — Born  in  Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania,  March 
2^,  1800;  came  to  Cassopolis  in  1831;  died  in  Volinia  township  Tulv  28, 

^873. 

Savage,  John — Born  at  Salem,  Massachusetts,  June  i,  1788;  came 
to  Marcellus  township  in  1840,  where  he  died  November,  1878. 

Shanahan,  Judge  Clifford — Born  in  Sussex  county,  Delaware,  Feb- 
ruary 4,  1805;  came  to  Edwardsburg  in  1834  and  to  Cassopolis  in 
1841;  died  August  i,  1865;  his  wife,  Mary  Lowery,  born  in  Delaware 
on  May  27,   1809;  died  at  Cassopolis  February  23,   1898. 

Scares,  Richard — Born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1771 ;  came  to  Cassopo- 
lis in  1836;  died  September  26,  1838. 

Scares,  Isaac — Born  in  Connecticut  in  1795;  came  to  LaGrange 
in  1836;  died  October  15,  1839;  Mary,  his  wife,  born  in  1796;  died 
April  24,  1870. 

Shanafelt,  William — Born  in  Sandusky,  Ohio,  in  1794;  came  to 
Cassopolis  in  1835;  died  March  28,  1864;  his  wife,  Elizabeth  Ernest, 
born  in  1802;  died  December  24,  1862. 

Shellhammer,  Daniel — Born  in  Germany  in  1785;  came  to  Porter 
in  1827;  died  in  1873. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  85 

Shurte,  Isaac — Born  in  New  Jersey  July  ii,  1778;  came  to  Cassop- 
olis  in  1830;  died  in  LaGrange  March  2,  1886;  his  wife,  Mary  Wright, 
born  in  New  Jersey  June  11,  1801 ;  died  January '5,  1892. 

Suits,  Jacob — Born  in  New  York  in  1798;  came  to  Silver  Creek 
in  1836;  died . 

Shellhammer,  John — Born  in  Pennsylvania  September  11,  181 1; 
came  to  Porter  in  1828;  died  . 

Silver,  John — Born  in  New  Hampshire  in  1763;  came  to  Edwards- 
burg  in  1830;  died  in  Indiana  in  1843. 

Silver,  Jacob — Born  in  New  Hampshire  in  1786;  came  to  Ed- 
wardsburg  in  1830  and  tO'  Cassopolis  in  1832;  died  November  5,  1872; 
Abigail  Piper,  his  wife,  died  in  New  Hampshire;  second  wife,  Maria 
Goodrich,  born  in  1796;  died  at  Cassopolis  December  14,  1876. 

Silver,  Jeremiah — Born  in  New  Hampshire  in  1790;  came  to  Ed- 
wardsburg  in  1836;  died  in  Pbkagon  April  19,  1876;  he  built  the  coun- 
ty's first  poor  house. 

Silver,  Margaret — Born  in  New  Hampshire  in  1799;  came  to  Ed- 
wardsburg  in  1837;  died  in  Indiana  as  Mrs.  Seth  Straw. 

Silver,  Joan — Born  in  New  Hampshire  in  1802;  came  to  Edwards- 
burg  in  1837;  died  as  Mrs.  Timothy  Straw. 

Silver,  Josiah — Born  in  New  Hampshire  1794;  came  to  Edwards- 
burg  in  1837;  died  in  1870. 

Shanahan,  Edward — Born  in  Sussex  county,  Delaware,  in  1806; 
came  to  Jefferson  in  1832;  died  at  Kilburn,  Wisconsin,  October  21, 
1891 ;  his  wife,  Rebecca  Kimmey,  born  July  30,  1810;  died  at  Ed- 
wardsburg  October  24,   1889. 

Scares,  William — Born  in  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania,  June  10, 
1817;  came  to  Cassopolis  in  1836;  died  March  18,  1894. 

Smith,  Jacob — Born  in  Germany  in  1778;  came  to  Ontwa  in  1830: 
died  August  25,    1849;  his  wife,  Elizabeth,  born  in    1790;  died  May 

24,  1864. 

Timjmons,  John  B. — Born  in  Butler  county,  Ohio,  June  13,  1816; 
came  to  Cass  countv  in  1834;  died  in  Howard  township  August  30, 
1878. 

Thomas,  J.  Hubbard — Born  in  Salisbury,  Vermont,  September  8, 
1807;  came  to  Mason  township  in  May,  1839;  died  in  Jefferson  township 
May  3,  1884. 

Tharp,  Mrs.  Rebecca  Hatfield — Born  in  Hardin  county,  Ohio,  in 
1835;  came  to  Cass  countv  in  1838;  died  at  Jamestown  December  11, 
1885. 

Tinkler,  Thomas  M. — Born  in  Erie  county,  New  York,  May  6, 
181 1 ;  came  to  Wayne  township  in  April,   1839,  where  he  died  April 

25,  1887. 


86  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Tharp,  Lucinda  Jane — Born  in  Kentucky  in  1799;  came  to  Calvin 
in   1839,  where  she  died  February  15,   1884. 

Tharp,  Laban — Born  in  Logan  county,  Ohio,  March  16,  18 16; 
came  to  Jefiferson  township  in  1828,  w^here  he  died  October  21,  1880. 

Townsend,  Charlotte  Hunter — ^Born  in  Champaign  county,  Ohio, 
July  12,  1821 ;  came  to  Cass  county  in  1831 ;  died  in  LaGrange  Novem- 
ber 2,   1898. 

Thompson,  Mrs.  Harriet — Born  in  181 4;  came  to  Cass  county  in 
1837;  died  near  Vandalia  May  3,  1889. 

Townsend,  Gamaliel — Born  in  York,  Canada,  January  20,  1802 ; 
came  to  LaGrange  township  in  1826,  where  he  died  August  23,  1889. 

Townsend,  Charlotte  Hunter — Born  in  Champaign  county,  Ohio, 
July  12,  182  T  ;  came  to  Cass  county  in  183 1;  died  in  LaGrange  Novem- 
ber 2,    1898. 

Tharp,  Lydia  O. — Born  in  Logan  county,  Ohio,  January  10,  18 17; 
came  to  Cass  county  in  1827;  died  September  15,   1893. 

Tharp,  Christena  Maxson — Born  in  Logan  county,  Ohio,  Septem- 
ber 17,  1827;  came  to  Jefferson  tow^nship  in  1840,  where  she  died  Sep- 
tember II,   1890. 

Tietsort,  Alamanza — Born  in  LaGrange  township  March  28,  1834; 
died  in  Jefiferson  township  December  8,  1890. 

Trattles,  William — Born  in  England  in  1814;  came  to  Porter  town- 
ship in   183,7,  where  he  died  February  21,    1891. 

Tomlinson,  Dorcas  L. — Bom  in  Delaware  May  9.,  1810;  came  to 
Cass  county  in  1835;  ^^^^^  ^^  LaGrange  township  December  23,  1891. 

Tietsort,  John — Born  in  Butler  county,  Ohio,  November  22,  1826; 
came  to  Cassopolis  in  1830,  where  he  died  April  29,   1893. 

Ellen  S.  Sherman,  wife  of  John  Tietsort,  born  in  Cassopolis  Octo- 
ber 21,  1833;  died  August  26,  1862. 

Tietsort,  Peter — Born  in  Butler  county,  Ohio,  January  28,  1808; 
came  to  Cass  county  in  1830;  died  in  Illinois  February  10,  1895;  his 
wife,  Nancy  Wood,  bom  in  Virginia  in  1806,  came  to  the  county  in 
1835;  d^^^  ^^  Illinois  August  31,   1898. 

Thompson,  Henry — Born  in  Vermont  in  1818;  came  to  Cass  county 
in  1838;  died  in  Mason  township  March  26,  1895. 

Thorpe,  Dr.  A.  L. — ^Born  in  Ohio  November  9,  18126;  came  to 
Cass  county  in  1832;  died  in  Mishawaka,  Indiana,  February  2y,  1895. 

Thomas,  Eunice  Townsend — Born  in  Brandon,  Vermont,  April  24, 
1812;  came  to  Mason  township  in  1839,  where  she  died  July  29,  1896. 

Traverse,  Aseneth  E.  Shivel — Born  in  Montgomery  county,  Ohio, 
October  10,  1827;  came  to  Porter  tow^nship  in  1833 ;  died  at  Cassopolis 
July  6,  1901. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  87 

Tietsort,  Elizabeth  Waldron — ^Born  in  Butler  county,  Ohio,  in  1813; 
came  to  LaGrange  township  in  1830;  died  April  17,   1897. 

Thompson,  James — Born  in  Ohio  in  1819;  came  to  Penn  township 
in  1829;  died  in  Dowagiac  June  9,  1898. 

Truitt,  John  M. — Born  in  Sussex!  county,  Delaware,  in  1820;  came 
to  Milton  township  in  1831;  died  at  Edwardsburg  January  26,  1899. 

Tharp,  William  Z. — Born  in  Logan  county,  Ohio,  February  7, 
1827;  came  to  Jefferson  township  in  1830;  died  November  17,  1898. 

Tietsort,  Sarah  A. — Born  in  Darke  county,  Ohio,  February  25, 
1832;  came  to  Volinia  in  1832;  died  June  2,  1901,  as  Mrs.  Ferrell. 

Truitt,  Henry  P. — Born  in  Sussex  county,  Delaware,  April  25, 
1824;  came  to  Milton  township  in  1831 ;  died  April  23,  1902. 

Tharp,  John  L. — Born  in  Logan  county,  Ohio,  February  28,  1828; 
came  to  Cass  county  in  1840;  died  at  Brownsville  April  25,  1902. 

Tietsort,  Julia  Fisher — ^Born  in  Richland  county,  Ohio,  January  21, 
1831;  came  to  LaGrange  in  1835;  ^^^^  July  29,  1902. 

Tietsort,  Henry — Bom  in  Butler  county,  Ohio,  January  26,  181 7; 
came  to  Cassopolis  in  1829;  died  September  26,  1903. 

Turner,  George  B. — Born  in  Franklin  county,  New  York,  March 
I,  1822;  came  to  Cassopolis  in  1836;  died  April  15,  1903. 

Harriet  Monroe,  wife  of  George  B.  Turner;  born  in  1827;  came 
to  Cassopolis  in  1835;  died  November  5,  1858;  Charlotte  Tytherleigh, 
second  wife,  born  in  England  in  1819;  died  November  25,   1893. 

Tietsort,  Ira — Born  in  Cassopolis  September  16,  1835;  died  in 
Detroit  November  12,   1903. 

Townsend,  Eliza — Born  in  Canada  July  6,  1814;  came  to  Mc- 
Kinney's  Prairie  in  1827;  died  in  lov/a  March  22,  1906;  wife  of  Michael 
McKinney. 

Thomas,  Harley — Born  in  Hartford,  Connecticut,  in  18 18;  came  to 
Cass  county  in  1838;  died  in  Dowagiac  in  1876. 

Truitt,  Peter — Born  in  Sussex  county,  Delaware,  February  7,  1801 ; 
came  to  Milton  township  in  183 1,  where  he  died  December  29,  1881. 

Turner,  Sterling  A. — Born  in  North  Carolina  in  1790;  came  to 
Cassopolis  in  1835;  died  May  10,  1861 ;  his  wife,  Mary,  born  in  1798; 
died  September  12,  1847. 

Townsend,  John — Born  in  Wayne  county,  Indiana,  in  1804;  came 
tQ , Young's  prairie  in  1829;  there  died.  November  20,  1835. 

Tarbo®,  William — -Born  in  Ohio  in  1801.;  came  to  LaGrange  in 
18,33;  died  March  24,  1874;  his  wife,  Mary  Waldron,  born  in  1812; 
died  April  10,  1864.         .       .      :  .. 

Tietsort,  Abram  H. — Bprn  in  New  Jersey,  February  6,  1777; 
came  to  Cassopolis  in    1830;   dii^d  JJetiniavy.  i,    1847;  his  wife,   Marr 


88  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

garet  Banta,  born  in  Ohio  January  6,  1785;  died  at  Cassopolis  Septem- 
ber 8,  1854. 

Tietsort,  Abrani,  Jr. — Born  in  Butler  county,  Ohio,  July  16,  1805; 
came  to  Cassopolis  in  1828;  died  May  31,  1842;  his  wife,  Rachel 
Thompson,  born  July  17,  1807;  died  March  9,   1893. 

Tietsort,  Levi — Born  in  Butler  county,  Ohio,  January  12,  181 1; 
came  to  Cassopolis  in  1830;  died  in  LaGrange  August  17,  1864;  his 
wife,   Elizabeth  Waldron,  born  April  22,   181 3;  died  — . 

Tietsort,  Cornelius  B. — Born  in  Butler  county,  Ohio,  January  24, 
1820;  came  to  Cassopolis  in  1829;  died  April  26,  1870;  his  wife,  Eliza- 
beth Mclnterfer,  born  April  23,   1823;  died  April  21,  1890. 

Tietsort,  Squire  V. — Born  in  Butler  county,  Ohio,  April  2,  1822; 
came  to  Cassopolis  in  1829;  died  June  7,  1852;  his  wife,  Catherine  Cus- 
tard, born  February  19,  1826;  died — . 

Thompson,  Squire — Born  in  Virginia  in  1784;  came  tO'  Pokagon 
in  1826;  died  in  California  in  1850. 

Truitt,  Peter — Born  in  Sussex  coimty,  Delaware,  February  7, 
t8oi  ;  came  to  Milton  in  1831;  died  December  29,   1881. 

Townsend,  Abram — ^Born  in  New  York  in  1771 ;  came  to-  Town- 
send's  prairie  in  1826;  died  . 

Umberfield,  Ebenezer — Born  in  Ohio  in  1828;  came  tO'  LaGrange 

in  1839;  died  ;  his  wife,  Rachel  Shanafelt,  born  in  1828;  came 

to  LaGrange  in  1835;  died  November  10,  1904. 

Van  Tuyl,  Daniel — Born  in  New  Jersey,  March  13,  1796;  came  to 
Jefferson  township  in  1835;  died  January  20,  1880. 

Van  Vlier,  George — Born  in  Virginia  in  1806;  came  to  Pokagort 
in  1830,  where  he  died  August  28,   1886. 

Van  Tuyl,  John — Born  in  Jefferson  township  October  i,  1838;  died 
at  Edwardsburg  May  25,  1899. 

Vanderhoof,  Dorcas  Howard — Born  in  Canada  November  11,  1826; 
came  to  Whitmanville  in  1837;  died  in  Iowa  in  July,  1902. 

Van  Tuyl,  Joseph  M. — Born  in  Ohio  October  19,  1833;  came  to 
Jefferson  township  in  1835,  where  he  died  June  20,  1905. 

Wilsey,  Mrs.  Nancy — Born  in  Galway,  New  York,  December  13, 
1773;  came  to  Cass  coimty  in  1835;  ^^^^  i^  Howard  township  January 
7,  1881. 

Witherell,  Oilman — Born  in  Concord,  New  Hampshire,  in  1809; 
came  to  Pokagon  in  1836,  where  he  died  November  24,  1878. 

Walters,  David — Born  in  New  York  about  1818;  came  to  Silver 
Creek  township  in  1839,  where  he  died  December  6,  1878. 

Williams,  Mrs.  Sarah — Born  in  1806;  came  to  Cass  county  in 
1830;  died  in  Calvin  township  December  14,  1885. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  89 

Williams,  Mrs.  Ann  Parmer — Born  in  Kent  county,  Delaware,  May 
4,  1801;  came  to  Milton  township  in  1837;  died  in  Howard  township 
October  24,  1880. 

Warner,  Hubbell — Born  in  New  York  in  1801 ;  came  to  Volinia  in 
1837,  where  he  died  January  22,  1888. 

Wood,  Mrs.  Sarah  Hunter — Born  in  Otsegoi  county,  New  York, 
July  4,  1818;  came  to  Cass  county  in  1836;  died  August  31,  1887. 

Walton,  Mrs.  Jane  B. — Born  in  Massachusetts  February  19,  1809; 
came  to  Jefferson  in  1838;  died  in  Cassopolis  August  26,  1890. 

Wright,  James  M. — Born  in  Butler  county,  Ohio,  May  12,  182 1; 
came  to  Volinia  in  183 1,  where  he  died  April  23,   1896. 

Warner,  Eliza  A.  Fox — Born  in  Northumberland  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, June  16,  1817;  came  to  VoHnia  township  in  1830;  died  February 
7,  1896. 

White,  Joel — Born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1809;  came  to  this  county 
in   1830;  died  in  Porter  township  March  21,  1897. 

Wright,  Stephen  D. — Born  in  Butler  county,  Ohio,  April  4,  1816; 
came  to  LaGrange  Prairie  in  1828,  where  he  died  April  25,  1898. 

White,  John^ — Bom  in  Ohio  about  1822;  came  to  Cass  county  in 
1830;  died  in  Iowa  February,  1898. 

Wilson,  Daniel — Born  in  Franklin  county,  Ohio,  in  October,  1814; 
came  to  LaGrange  township  in  1829;  died  in  Oregon  January  15,  1898. 
Waterman,  WilHam — Born  in  Norwalk,  Ohio,  May  20,  1812;  came 
to  site  of  Dowagiac  in  1835,  where  he  died  March  12,  1902. 

Warner,  Loomis  H. — Born  in  Herkimer  county,  New  York,  Febru- 
ary 6,  1828;  came  to  Volinia  in  1835;  died  at  Cassopolis  April  14,  1904. 
White,  Eli  S. — Born  in  LaGrange  April  29,   1836;  died  in  Penn 
township  December  7,  1903. 

Wells,  Col.  Samuel — Born  in  Little  Prairie  Ronde  June  4,  1833; 
died  in  Indiana  January  12,  1906. 

Warner,  J.  Harvey — Born  in  Herkimer  county,  New  York,  March 
23,   1832;  came  to  Volinia  in  1837;  died  March  24,   1906. 

Worthington,    Rev.    Henry — Born    in    Springfield,    Massachusetts, 

March  12,   iSi5>  came  to  Cass  county  in  ;  died  at  Dowagiac 

August  9,  1875. 

Wilkinson,  Harvey — Born  in  Chautauqua  county.  New  York,  in 
1795;  came  to  Ontwa  in  T834;  died  January  23,  1870;  his  wife,  Cath- 
erine M.,  born  in  1804;  died  at  Edwardsburg  September  11,   1846. 

Wright,  William  R. — Born  in  New  Jersey  in  1779;  came  to  La- 
Grange in  1828;  died . 

Williams,  Spencer — ^Born  in  Sussex  county,  Delaware,  May  2, 
1807;  came  to  Ontwa  in  183 1;  died  in  Milton  May  2,  1877. 


90  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Williams,  Isaacs — Born  in  Virginia  in  1800;  came  to  Pokagon  in 
1835;  died  November  22,  .1874. 

Walton,  Charles — Born  in  Delaware  in  1800;  came  to  Jefferson 
in  1836;  died  July  30,  1870;  his  wife,  Sarah  Primrose,  born  in  1800; 
died  May  2,  1886. 

Walton,  Henry — Born  in  New  York  in  1804;  came  to  Jefferson 
in  1831;  died  at  Cassopolis  April  25,  1865;  his  wife,  Jane  B.,  born  in 
Massachusetts  in  1838;  died  at  Cassopolis  August  26,   1890. 

Young,  William — Born  in  Rutland,  Vermont,  April  17,  1798;  came 
to  the  county  in  1831 ;  murdered  December  16,  1879. 

Youngblood,  Peter — Born  in  Preble  county,  Ohio,  in  June,  1813; 
came  to  Pokagon  in  1831;  died  in  La  Grange  township  December  20, 
1886. 

Zimmerman,  Jacob  H. — Born  in  Georgia  in  February,  1800;  came 
to  Young's  Prairie  in  1832;  died  

Zane,  Isaac — Born  in  March,  1766;  came  to  Jefferson  township  in 
1833;  where  he  died  February  19,  1839. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  91 


CHAPTER  VI. 
ORGANIZATION. 

Referring  to  the  conditions  in  the  large  civil  division  of  which 
Cass  county  was  a  part  until  the  year  1829,  the  History  of  1882  makes 
the  following  interesting  statement:  'Tt  does  not  appear  that  govern- 
ment had  any  other  than  a,  merely  nominal  existence  in  St.  Joseph  town- 
ship, and  it  is  probable,  that  no  legal  acts  were  performed  in  or  by  it." 
Although  thus  far  we  have  mentioned  the  county  townships  of  Cass 
as  if  they  already  existed  at  that  early  day,  they  did  not;  and  as  the 
quoted  words  indicate,  there  w^as  no  government  machinery  in  operation 
during  the  period  to  which  we  have  devoted  the. chapter  on  "Early  Set- 
tlement." During  the  years  1825  to  1829  many  settlers  had  come,  but 
they  were  a  law  unto  themselves.  And  well  was  it  that  they  possessed 
the  Anglo-Saxon  genius  for  law  and  order  and  ''the  enjoyment  of  mine 
without  injury  to  thine;"  othen\dse  there  would  have  been  anarchy.  But 
though  the  early  settlers  in  a  sense  were  without  law,  they  were  not 
against  law,  and  at  the  proper  time  steps  were  taken  toward  county 
organization. 

We  have  already  mentioned  the  county  of.  Wayne  and  other  muta- 
tions of  Michigan  territorial  boundaries  during  its  early  history.  The 
various  counties  erected  within  the  territory  up  to  the  time  of  our  pres- 
ent discussion  were:  Monroe,  in  1817;  Mackinac,  in  1818;  Oakland, 
in  1820;  Washtenaw,  in  1826;  Chippewa,  in  1826;  Lenawee,  from  Mon- 
roe, in  1826.  To  Lenawee  county  was  attached  all  the  territory  (com- 
prising the  greater  part  of  southern  Michigan)  to  which  the  Indian 
title  had  been  extinguished  by  the  Chicago  treaty  of  1821.  In  Septem- 
ber, 1828,  this  already  vast  domain  was  further  increased  by  the  addi- 
tion of  all  the  lands  to  which  the  Indian  title  had  been  extinguished  by 
the  Carey  Mission  treaty  of  1828.  This  entire  area,  comprising  about 
ten  thousand  square  miles,  was  constituted  and  organized  as  the  town- 
ship of  St.  Joseph,  being  attached  to  Lenawee  county. 

By  an  act  approved  October  29,  1829,  twelve  counties  were  carved 
from  this  immense  township.  Among  other,  sections  of  the  act,  one 
provided  that:    "So  much  of  the  country  as  lies  west  of  the  line  be- 


92  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

tween  ranges  12  and  13  west  of  the  meridian  and  east  of  the  hne  be- 
tween ranges  16  and  17  west,  and  south  of  the  Hne  between  townships 
4  and  5  south  of  the  base  Hne,  and  north  of  the  boundary  Hne  between 
this  Territory  and  the  State  of  Indiana,  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby  set 
off  into  a  separate  county  and  the  name  thereof  shah  be  Cass." 

It  was  a  fitting  tribute  to  an  American  statesman  and  soldier  that 
his  name  should  be  perepetuated  in  this  beautiful  county  of  southern 
Michigan.  Lewis  Cass  was  born  in  Exeter,  New  Hampshire,  October 
9,  1782,  and  died  at  Detroit,  Michigan,  June  17,  1866.  His  career, 
while  of  national  prominence,  was  peculiarly  identified  with  Michigan. 
After  a  period  of  service  in  the  second  war  with  Great  Britain,  he  was 
sent  to  the  west  as  governor  of  the  territory  of  Michigan,  and  held  that 
office  during  the  greater  part  of  Michigan's  territorial  existence,  from 
1813  to  183 1,  being  the  incumbent  of  the  office  at  the  time  Cass  county 
w^as  created.  Thereafter  he  served  as  secretary  of  war,  1831-36;  min- 
ister to  France,  1836-42;  United  States  senator,  1845-48;  Democratic 
candidate  for  president,  1848;  United  States  senator,  1849-57,  and  sec- 
retary of  state,   1857-60. 

By  the  provisions  of  the  section  above  quoted,  Cass  county  was  con- 
stituted entirely  rectangular  in  outline,  twenty-four  miles  from  east  to 
west,  and  from  north  to  south  twenty-one  miles  and  a  fraction.  It  is 
evident  that  the  erection  of  the  counties  at  this  time  was  planned  ac- 
cording to  the  lines  of  survey,  without  regard  to  geographical  conven- 
iences; for  no  account  was  taken  of  the  only  irregular  feature  in  the 
outside  limits  of  the  county,  namely,  the  small  corner  cut  off  by  the  St. 
Joseph  river.  Until  March  3,  183 1,  the  legal  boundaries  construed  the 
small  triangle  of  land  (containing  one  whole  section  and  fractions  of 
four  others)  lying  east  of  that  river  to  belong  to  Cass  county.  But 
an  act  of  that  date  changed  the  lines  to  conform  with  the  natural  bound- 
ary, giving  the  small  portion  thus  detached  to  St.  Joseph  county.  For 
seventy-five  years  Cass  county  has  been  bounded  as  at  present,  and,  as 
we  know,  this  is  also  practically  the  historical  lifetime  of  the  county. 

The  next  step  was  the  establishment  of  civil  government  within 
the  territory  thus  described,  and  this  was  provided  by  an  act  approved 
November  4,  1829,  entitled  ''An  act  to  organize  the  counties  of  Cass 
and  St.  Joseph,  and  for  establishing  courts  therein.''  The  pertinent  por- 
tions of  this  organic  act  are  as  follows: 

*'Be  it  enacted  by  the  legislative  council  of  the  Territory  of  Mich- 
igan, That  the  counties  of  Cass  and  St.  Joseph  shall  be  organized  from 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  93 

and  after  the  taking  effect  of  this  act,  and  the  inhabitants  thereof  en- 
titled to  all  the  rights  and  privileges  to  which  by  law  the  inhabitants  of 
the  otlier  counties  of  this  territory  are  entitled. 

''Sec.  2.  That  there  shall  be  a  county  court  estal>lished  in  each  of 
said  counties;  and  the  county  court  of  the  county  of  Cass  shall  be  held 
on  the  last  Tuesday  of  May  and  on  the  last  Tuesday  of  November  in 
each  year.     *     *     * 

''Sec.  4.  That  the  counties  of  Van  Buren  and  Berrien,  and  all 
the  country  lying  north  of  the  same  to  Lake  Michigan,  shall  be  attached 
to  and  compose  a  part  of  the  county  of  Cass. 

''Sec.  8.  That  there  shall  be  circuit  courts,  to  be  held,  in  the  coun- 
ties of  Cass  and  St.  Joseph,  and  that  the  several  acts  concerning  the 
supreme,  circuit  and  county  courts  of  the  Territory  of  Michigan,  de- 
fining their  jurisdiction  and  powers,  and  directing  the  pleadings  and 
practice  therein  in  certain  cases,  be,  and  the  same  are  hereby  made  ap- 
plicable to  the  circuit  courts  in  said  counties. 

"Sec.  9.  That  the  said  circuit  courts  shall  be  held  at  the  respect- 
ive county  seats  in  said  counties,  at  the  respective  court  houses  or  other 
usual  places  of  holding  courts  therein;  provided,  that  the  first  term  of 
said  court  in  the  county  of  Cass  shall  be  holden  at  the  school  house  near 
the  house  of  Ezra  Beardsley,  in  said  county/     *     *     * 

"Sec.  10.  That  the  county  of  Cass  shall  be  one  circuit,  and  the 
court  for  the  same  shall  be  held  hereafter  on  the  second  Tuesday  of 
August  in  each  year." 

It  will  be  noticed  that  this  act  provided  for  a  "county  court,"  a 
judicial  institution  of  which  few  citizens  of  the  county  at  this  date  have 
any  direct  knowledge.  The  county  court  w^^s  established  in  Michigan 
by  a  territorial  act  of  18-15,  and  the  first  session  of  the  Cass  county 
court  was  held  also  at  the  house  of  Ezra  Beardsley,  in  November,  183 1. 
In  April,  1833,  the  county  court  was  abolished  in  the  organized  counties 
of  the  territory.  The  institution  was  revived  in  1846,  and  continued 
until  its  final  abolition  in  the  constitution  of  the  state  adopted  in  1850. 
The  last  term  of  county  court  held  in  Cass  county  commenced  August 
5,   1 85 1,  with  Judge  Cyrus  Bacon  on  the  bench. 

DIVISION   INTO  TOWNSHIPS. 

Following  the  act  of  organization  of  civil  government  came  an 
act  dividing  the  new  county  for  political  purposes.  The  original  town- 
ships as  defined  by  this  act  were  four  in  number.  Technically  they 
were:  Townships  5  and  6  and  north  half  of  township  7,  in  range  16 
west,  to  be  a  township  by  name  of  Pokagon.  Townships  5  and  6  and 
north  half  of  township  7  south,  in  range  15  west,  to  be  a  township  by 

^The  first  term  of  circuit  court  in  Cass  county  was  opened  at  the  house  of  Ezra 
Beardsley  (instead  of  the  school  house),  at  Edwardsburg,  and  its  business  was  com- 
pleted in  two  days. 


94  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

name  of  La  Grange.  Townships  5  and  6  and  north  half  of  township  7 
south,  in  ranges  13  and  14  west,  to  be  a  township  by  name  of  P'enn. 
All  that  part  of  Cass  county  known  as  south  half  of  township  7  and  frac- 
tional township  8  south,  in  ranges  13,  14,  15  and  16  west,  to  be  a  town- 
ship by  the  name  of  Ontwa. 

This  division  was  no  doubt  influenced,  in  part,  by  the  density  of 
population  in  the  various  parts  of  the  county.  We  have  already  stated 
that  the  county  was  settled  by  a  wave  of  immigration  directed  from  the 
west  and  south  rather  than  from  the  east.  There  is  proof  of  this  in 
this  formation  of  townships.  On  the  west  was  the  rectangular  township, 
Pokagon,  six  miles  wide  by  fifteen  long,  and  including  the  present  Sil- 
ver Creek,  Pokagon  and  the  north  half  of  Howard.  This  was  the  old- 
est settled  portion  of  the  county,  and  at  the  date  of  organization  Poka- 
gon prairie  contained  a  large  per  cent  of  the  entire  population  of  the 
county. 

To  the  east  of  Pokagon  was  the  township  of  La  Grange,  exactly 
parallel  in  extent  and  of  the  same  width,  comprising  what  are  now 
Wayne,  La  Grange  and  the  north  half  of  Jefferson.  This  was  also  a 
comparatively  well  settled  portion  of  the  county.  Each  of  these  town- 
ships contained  an  area  of  ninety  square  miles. 

Alongside  of  La  Grange  on  the  east,  and  comprising  a  double  width 
of  townships,  was  Penn,  embracing  in  its  one  hundred  and  eighty  square 
miles  of  area  the  present  townships  of  Penn,  Volinia,  Marcellus  and 
Newberg,  besides  the  north  half  of  Calvin  and  north  Porter. 

This  left  a  strip  across  the  entire  southern  side  of  the  county,  and 
in  width  a  little  more  than  six  miles,  to  comprise  the  township  of  Ont- 
wa. Such  were  the  four  original  political  divisions  of  Cass  county.  It 
will  be  interesting  to  trace  the  process  by  which  fifteen  townships  were 
carved  from  these  four,  that  process  illustrating  very  graphically  the 
growth  of  the  county  from  a  sparsely  settled  region  to  a  poulousness 
that  made  smaller  political  divisions  both  practicable  and  necessary. 

Before  this,  however,  let  us  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  Cass 
county  comprised  at  one  time,  as  respects  political  and  judicial  func- 
tions, the  two  adjoining  counties  of  Van  Buren  and  Berrien,  as  pro- 
vided for  in  the  organic  act  quoted  above.  So  that  at  the  period  now 
under  consideration,  Berrien  county  was  a  part  of  Cass  and  was  organ- 
ized as  one  township  under  the  name  of  Niles.  Van  Buren  county  and 
the  territory  north  to  Lake  Michigan  remained  a  part  of  Cass  county 
until  1835,  and  was  originally  a  part  of  Penn  township. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  95 

Naturally,  the  rapid  filling  up  of  the  countyi  with  settlers  in  a  short 
time  called  for  a  subdivision  by  the  legislature  of  the  original  town- 
ships. The  first  act  for  this  purpose  was  dated  March  29,  1833,  and 
provided  for  three  new  townships,  Porter,  Jefiferson  and  Volinia. 

''All  that  part  of  the  township  of  Ontwa,  in  Cass  county,  situated 
in  ranges  13  and  14,  west  of  the  principal  meridian,  shall  comprise  a 
township  by  the  name  of  Porter;  and  the  first  township  meeting  shall 
be  held  at  the  house  of  Othni  Beardsley." 

This  is  not  the  Porter  township  as  we  know  it  today.  It  was,  as 
technically  defined,  the  east  half  of  the  original  Ontwa.  It  contained 
all  of  the  present  Mason,  a  part  of  Calvin  and  all  the  present  area  of 
Porter  except  the  three  ndrth  tiers  of  sections.  For  the  act  which  gave 
it  its  present  area,  see  forward,  in  connection  with  the  township  of  New- 
berg. 

In  creating  the  township  of  Jefiferson,  the  same  act  further  deprived 
Ontwa  of  considerable  territory.  'That  all  that  part  of  the  county  of 
Cass  known  and  distinguished  as  township  7  south  of  the  base  line,  and 
in  range  15  west  of  the  principal  meridian,  compose  a  township  by  the 
name  of  Jefiferson;  and  that  the  first  township  meeting  be  held  at  the 
house  of  Moses  Reames  in  said  township."  Thus  was  constituted  Jefif- 
erson township  as  we  know  it  today.  The  north  half  was  subtracted 
from  original  La  Grange,  and  the  south  half  from  Ontwa. 

The  third  township  created  by  the  act  of  March,  1833,  was  Vo- 
linia. This  name  was  given  by  Josephus  Gard,  the  pioneer,  after  a 
Polish  province  named  Volhynia,  which  was  the  original  spelling.  The 
act  reads :  "That  all  that  part  of  the  county  of  Cass  known  and  dis- 
tinguished as  township  5  south,  in  ranges  13  and  14,  west  of  the  prin- 
cipal meridian,  compose  a  township  by  the  name  of  Volinia:  and  that 
the  first  township  meeting  be  held  at  the  house  of  Josephus  Gard  in 
said  township."  Volinia,  as  thus  formed,  also  contained  the  present 
Marcellus. 

No  further  changes  occurred  until  March  7,  1834,  when  original 
Pokagon  suflfered  its  first  diminishment  of  territory.  "All  that  part 
of  the  county  of  Cass  comprised  in  surveyed  township  7  south,  in  range 
16  west,  shall  be  a  township  by  the  name  of  Howard;  and  the  first  town- 
ship meeting  shall  be  held  at  the  house  of  John  Fosdick  in  said  town- 
ship." This  also  took  more  territory  from  Ontwa,  which  was  reduced 
to  the  two  fractional  townships  in  the  southwest  comer  of  the  county. 

Before  the  passing  of  the  territorial  form  of  government,  three 


96  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

other  townships  were  created.  The  act  of  March  17,  1835,  pi'ovides 
that  ''all  that  part  of  the*  coimty  of  Cass  comprised  in  surveyed  township 
7  south,  range  14  west,  be  a  township  by  the  name  of  Calvin;  and  the 
first  township  meeting  shall  be  held  at  the  dwelling  house  of  John  Reed 
in  said -township."  Thus  we  see  that  all  the  new  townships  were  being 
erected  with  the  lines  of  the  townships  and  ranges  of  the  government 
survey,  and  at  present  these  lines  govern  entirely  with  the  one  exception 
of  Porter. 

By  the  provisions  of  an  act  also  dated  March  17,  1835,  Wayne 
township  came  into  existence.  This,  as  we  know,  was  a  part  of  the 
original  La  Grange.  But  the  settlers  had  come  in  fast  in  the  last  few 
years,  the  north  half  of  the  township  had  filled  up  with  people  who  were 
soon  demanding  a  separate  organization.  This  demand  was  granted, 
and  the  name  of  the  famous  Revolutionary  leader  and  Indian  fighter 
was  applied  to  the  new  township  at  the  suggestion,  it  is  said,  of  Corne- 
lius Higgins.  The  technical  definition  of  the  boundaries  of  the  town- 
ship is  ''that  part  of  Cass  county  comprised  in  township  5  south,  range 
15  west."  The  first  township  meeting  was  held  at  the  house  of  Elijah 
W.  Wright,  April  6,   1835. 

An  act  approved  March  23,  1836,  constituted  the  first  of  the  three 
fractional  townships  of  Cass  county.  ''All  that  jxDrtion  of  Cass  county 
designated  by  the  United  States  survey  as  township  8  south,  of  range 
14  west,  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby  set  ofif  and  organized  into  a  separate 
township  by  the  name  of  Mason ;  and  the  first  township  meeting  therein 
shall  be  held  at  the  dwelling  house  of  Jotham  Curtis  in  said  township." 
Before  the  passage  of  this  act,  this  fractional  government  township  Avas 
a  part  of  Porter  township. 

With  the  admission  of  Michigan  tO'  statehood,  the  following  town- 
ships of  Cass  county  were  constituted  with  boundaries  as  at  present : 
Wayne,  La  Grange,  Howard,  Jefferson,  Mason  and  Calvin.  The  re- 
maining townships,  which  have  since  been  divided,  were  Pokagon,  Vo- 
linia,,  Penn,  Porter  and  Ontwa. 

The  state  legislature,  by  an  act  approved  March  20,  1837,  provided 
"That  all  that  part  of  the  county  of  Cass,  designated  by  the  United 
States  survey  as  township  5  soiith,  range  16  west,  be  set  off  and  organ- 
ized into  a  separate  township  by  the  name  of  Silver  Creek ;  and  the  first 
town  meeting  therein  shall  be  held  at  the  house  of  James  McDaniel  in 
said  township."  Thus  Pbkagon  was  reduced  to  its  present  size,  and 
the  extreme  northwest  township  acquired  civil  government. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  97 

On  March  6,  1838,  the  township  of  Newberg  was  erected,  accord- 
ing to  the  provisions  of  the  following:  ''All  that  part  of  the  county  of 
Cass  designated  in  the  United  States  survey  as  township  6  south,  of 
range  13  west,  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby  set  off  and  organized  into 
a  separate  township  by  the  name  of  Newberg;  and  the  first  township 
meeting  therein  shall  be  held  at  the  house  of  John  Bair  in  said  town- 
ship." New'berg  w^as  carved  from  Penn  township,  which  on  this  date 
was  limited  to  its  present  boundaries. 

Also,  at  the  session  of  1838  an  act  w^as  approved  whereby  all  that  part 
of  the  ''township  of  Penn  in  the  county  of  Cass  comprised  in  township 
7  south,  range  13  west,  shall  be  attached  to  and  become  part  of  the 
tow'Uship  of  Porter." 

Nine  days  after  the  establishment  of  Newberg  the  legislative  act 
constituting  Milton  township  was  approved.  "All  that  portion  of  Cass 
county  designated  in  the  United  State  survey  as  township  8  south,  of 
range  16  w^est,  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby  set  off  and  organized  into  a 
separate  township  by  the  name  of  Milton;  and  the  first  township  meet- 
ing therein  shall  be  held  at  the  house  of  Peter  Truitt,  Jr."  This  division 
brought  Ontwa  towaiship  down  to  its  present  area. 

It  was  five  years  before  the  final  political  division  was  established 
in  Cass  county.  The  fifteenth  township  was  Marcellus,  which,  the  last 
to  be  organized,  was  also  the  last  to  be  settled.  The  government  town- 
ship known  as  township  5  south,  of  range  13  west,  had  hitherto  been 
a  part  of  Volinia  tovmship,  but  in  1843  the  people  living  within  the 
area,  feeling  competent  to  manage  their  own  affairs,  petitioned  the 
state  legislature  for  a  separate  jurisdiction.  The  act  organizing  the 
township  thus  defined  "by  the  name  of  Marcellus"  was  approved  March 
9,  1843.  The  first  township  meeting,  it  w^as  directed,  should  be  held 
at  the  house  of  Daniel  G.  Rouse,  who  had;  framed  and  circulated  the  pe- 
tition for  organization. 

Such  is  a  brief  account  of  the  evolution  of  Cass  county  from  an 
unorganized  region  into  its  present  shape  and  its  present  order  and  ar- 
rangement of  townships.  So  far  as  is  known,  the  divisions  into  the 
various  townships  were  never  animated  by  any  serious  disputes  and 
discussions  such  as  have  sometimes  occurred  in  the  adjusting  of  such 
matters.  As  stated,  the  townships  conform  to  the  government  surveys, 
and  in  making  the  political  subdivisions  according  to  this  plan  no  con- 
siderable inconvenience  or  confusion  has  resulted.  The  city  of  Dowa- 
giac,  it  happens,  is  located  on  the  corners  of  four  township  jurisdictions, 


98  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

but  division  of  political  interests  that  are  naturally  concentrated  is  ob- 
viated by  the  incorporation  of  Dowagiac  with  a  city  government,  with 
its  own  political  representation  on  the  same  plane  wath  the  townships. 

LOCATION  OF  THE  COUNTY  SEAT. 

One  very  important  part  of  the  organization  of  the  county  was  the 
locating  of  the  county  seat.  This  is  always  a  matter  of  supreme  inter- 
est to  the  early  inhabitants  of  a  county,  and  a  history  of  the  "county 
seat  wars"  which  have  been  waged  in  many  states  of  the  Union  would 
fill  volumes.  These  contests  have  been  characterized  by  an  infinite  va- 
riety of  details,  ranging  from  pitched  battle  and  effusion  of  blood  to 
the  harmless  encounters  of  wordy  protagonists. 

Cass  county  had  her  contest  over  three-quarters  of  a  century  ago, 
in  the  time  of  beginnings,  so  that  no  living  witness  can  tell  aught  of 
its  details.  But  as  the  records  have  been  handed  down,  the  location  of 
the  seat  of  government  was  attended  with  some  features  of  more  than 
common  interest. 

By  the  provisions  of  an  act  of  the  territorial  council  July  31,  183O', 
the  governor  was  authorized  to  appoint  commissioners  to  locate  the 
scats  of  justice  in  the  several  counties  where  they  had  not  already  been 
located;  having  located  the  seat  of  justice  of  any  county,  the  commis- 
sioners should  report  their  proceedings  to  the  governor,  who,  if  he  ap- 
proved of  the  same,  should  issue  a  proclamation  causing  the  establish- 
ment of  a  seat  of  justice  agreeable  to  the  report. 

Such  were  the  directions.  We  will  now  see  how  they  were  carried 
out.  Martin  C.  Whitman,  Hart  L.  Stewart  and  Colonel  Sibley  were 
the  commissioners  appointed  to  locate  the  seat  of  justice  in  Cass  county. 
These  men,  if  the  charges  later  preferred  against  them  be  true,  evi- 
dently understood  the  importance  of  their  decision  as  affecting  the  value 
of  the  site  Ihey  should  select.  In  fact,  it  appears  that  the  practice,  now 
so  much  condemned,  of  private  individuals  opening  their  hands  for  the 
profits  of  a  public  trust,  is  not  of  modern  origin. 

The  enterprising  commissioners,  having  kx^ked  over  the  county  and 
examined  the  eligibility  of  the  various  sites,  chose  to  recommend  the 
plat  of  the  village  of  Geneva,  laid  out  on  the  north  bank  of  Diamond 
lake  by  Dr.  H.  H.  Fowler,  as  the  proper  location. 

Before  announcing  their  decision,  however,  two  of  the  commis- 
sioners, with  remarkal>le  foresight,  hastened  to  the  land  ofifice  at  White 
Pigeon  and  entered  in  their  own  names  sundry  tracts  of  land  adjoining 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  99 

Geneva.  Their  deliberations  completed  and  made  the  subject  of  re- 
port, the  governor  announced  the  location  of  the  seat  of  justice  at  Gene- 
va in  accordance  with  the  instructions  of  the  commissioners. 

Immediately  there  arose  a  storm  of  indignant  protest  over  the  de- 
cision. The  intentions  of  the  commissioners  to  turn  their  official  acts 
into  a  source  of  private  gain  were  set  forth  at  length,  among  the  many 
other  causes  of  dissatisfaction  v^ith  the  chosen  site,  in  petitions  that  were 
sent  to  the  legislature  with  the  signatures  of  a  large  number  of  the  voters 
of  the  county. 

The  response  to  the  petitioners  came  in  an  act  of  the  legislative 
council,  passed  March  4,  1831,  to  amend  the  previous  act  under  which 
the  seat  of  justice  was  located  at  Geneva.  By  this  act  the  decisions  of 
the  former  commissioners  were  set  aside.  The  governor  was  to  ap- 
point, with  the  consent  of  the  council,  three  commissioners  to  re-exam- 
ine the  proceedings  by  which  the  seat  of  justice  had  first  been  estab- 
lished, and  were  empowered  either  to  confirm  the  same  or  to  make  new 
locations,  as  the  public  interest  might,  in  their  opinion,  rec[uire.  They 
were  authorized  to  accept  any  donations  of  land,  money,  labor  or  ma- 
terial that  might  be  tendered  them  for  the  use  of  the  county,  thus  per- 
mitting the  usual  opportunities  for  legitimate  persuasion  in  such  mat- 
ters. But  the  precaution  was  taken  to  insert  a  proviso  that  in  case  it 
was  made  to  appear  to  the  satisfaction  of  tlie  governor  that  the  com- 
missioners were  guilty  of  any  improper  conduct,  tending  to  impair  the 
fairness  of  their  decision,  it  should  be  his  duty  to  suspend  any  further 
proceedings. 

Thomas  Rowland,  Henry  Disbrow  and  George  A.  O'Keefe  were 
the  commissioners  appointed  under  this  act  to  relocate  the  county  seat, 
and  in  pursuance  of  instructions  they  were  to  meet  in  the  county  on  the 
third  Monday  in  May,  1831.  As  told  in  the  history  of  Cassopolis  on 
other  pages,  the  advocates  of  the  new  site  beside  Stone  lake  entered 
into  the  contest  with  all  the  zeal  and  enthusiasm  of  those  embarked  on 
an  enterprise  in  which  they  would  never  accept  defeat.  Besides  the  do- 
nation of  one-half  of  all  the  lands  on  the  village  plat  to  the  county,  the 
subtler  arts  of  diplomacy  were  also  invoked  in  procuring  a  favorable 
decision.  The  proprietors  of  the  village  of  Cassopolis,  with  frank  con- 
fidence in  the  ultimate  selection  of  that  village  as  the  county  seat,  an- 
nounced with  effective  ostentation  the  naming  of  three  principal  streets 
after  the  commissioners  then  engaged  in  the  work  of  location.  Whether 
the  prospect  of  their  name  and  fame  being  perpetuated  in  the  thorough- 


100  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

fares  of  the  seat  of  justice  was  especially  inviting,  and  whether  it  was 
that  the  justice  of  Cassopolis'  contention  and  the  advantages  offered  by 
its  citizens  were  the  prevailing  factor  in  their  decision,  it  is  not  of  any 
moment  to  this  discussion  to  inquire.  It  is  enough  that  the  commis- 
sioners, waving  aside  the  claims  of  Geneva,  as  well  as  those  of  several 
other  proposed  sites,  fixed  upon  Cassopolis  as  the  seat  for  the  govern- 
ment machinery  of  the  county,  and  there  it  has  ever  since  remained.* 

Strictly  speaking,  the  settlers  of  Cass  county  were  not  pioneers.  The 
majority  of  them  were  people  of  more  or  less  education  and  culture, 
trained  and  accustomed  to  the  usages  of  civilization.  In  the  settling  of 
the  country  there  was  no  interim  between  savagery  and  civilization. 
The  pioneers  did  not  come  and  build  their  cabins,  and  defend  them  with 
their  rifles  for  some  years  until  the  civil  officers,  courts,  schools  and 
churches  made  their  appearance.  This  was  necessary  in  some  settle- 
ments, but  not  here.  In  Cass  county  civil  government  sprang  into  be- 
ing almost  at  once.  The  settlers  brought  civilization  with  them.  They 
brought  the  common  law  with  them,  and,  in  harmony  with  the  legisla- 
tive statutes,  they  saw  to  it  at  once  that  the  community  should  be  gov- 
erned thereby.  They  provided  for  courts,  for  public  buildings,  for  roads, 
and  for  every  possible  institution  necessary  to  a  civilized  community. 
And  the  result  was  that  Cass  county  soon  became  a  populous  link  in 
the  great  chain  of  similar  political  communities  stretching  from  the  At- 
lantic beyond  the  Mississippi,  maintaining  without  a  break  the  institu- 
tions of  civilization  at  the  standards  of  older  communities. 


*NoTE. — The  following  is  the  proclamation  of  Acting  Governor  Mason,  issued  De- 
cember  19,    1831 : 

Whereas,  In  pursuance  of  an  act  of  the  legislative  council  entitled  "An  act  to 
amend  an  act  entitled  'An  act  to  provide  for  establishing  seats  of  justice,'"  Thomas 
Rowland,  Henry  Disbrow  and  George  A.  O'Keefe  were  appointed  commissioners 
to  re-examine  the  proceedings  which  had  taken  place  in  relation  to  the  establishment 
of  seats  of  justice  of  the  counties  of  Branch,  St.  Joseph  and  Cass,  and  to  confirm 
the  same,  and  to  make  new  locations,  as  the  public's  interest  might,  in  their  opinion, 
require ; 

And  whereas.  The  said  commissioners  have  proceeded  to  perform  the  said  duty, 
and  by  a  report  signed  by  them,  have  located  the  seat  of  justice  of  the  said  county 
of  Cass  at  a  point  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  26,  town  6,  range  15  west,  forty 
rods  from  the  southeast  corner  of  said  section,  on  the  line  running  west  between 
sections   26    and    35 ; 

Now,  therefore,  By  virtue  of  the  authority  in  me  vested  by  said  act,  and  in 
conformity  with  said  report,  I  do  issue  this  proclamation,  establishing  the  seat  of 
justice  of  the  said  county  of  Cass  at  the  said  point  described  as  aforesaid. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  101 


CHAPTER  VII. 
GROWTH  AND  DEVELOPMENT. 

In  the  preceding  chapters  we  have  endeavored  to  give  an  account 
of  Cass  county  beginning  with  its  state  of  nature,  mentioning  its  orig- 
inal inhabitants,  and  continuing  through  the  years  of  first  settlement 
up  to  the  completion  of  the  organization  of  the  county  as  a  distinct  po- 
litical division  of  the  state.  The  establishment  of  civil  government  in 
a  community  is  as  necessary  to  its  growth  and  welfare  as  the  founda- 
tion of  a  building  is  needed  to  support  the  structure  that  will  be  reared 
upon  it.  Hence,  having  described  the  institution  of  organized  govern- 
ment in  Cass  county,  we  may  now  continue  the  account  of  settlement 
and  development  until  the  various  parts  of  the  county  assumed  some- 
thing of  the  condition  in  which  we  find  them  at  the  present  day. 

This  country  about  us  is  not  what  it  was  in  a  state  of  nature;  great 
improvement  has  been  made.  It  is  still  beautiful,  but  its  beauty  is  of  a 
different  kind.  Then  its  voices  sang  of  solitude,  now  they  sing  of  use- 
fulness. Then  it  had  a  wild  beauty,  and  its  atmosphere  was  laden  with 
the  poetry  of  an  imagined  past,  when  it  teemed  with  the  civilization  of 
the  mound-builders,  or  when  the  red  man  roamed  through  its  forests 
and  over  its  prairies.  But  its  beauty  has  been  chastened  by  human 
touch,  and  now  it  tells  us  of  happy  homes,  and  of  the  triumphs  of  human 
life;  saddened,  of  course,  by  the  thought  of  the  hardships  and  sorrows 
and  final  partings  which  its  inhabitants  have  experienced. 

To  enumerate  all  the  factors  which  produced  this  transformation 
would  be  impossible  in  any  work.  For  every  individual  whose  life  has 
been  cast  within  the  county  has  contributed  either  a  forwarding  or  ad- 
verse influence  to  the  development  of  the  county.  Manifestly,  we  can 
at  best  merely  describe  some  of  the  general  conditions  and  select  from 
the  great  host  of  names  of  those  whose  lives  have  been  identified  with 
this  county  some  few  for  special  mention. 

In  this  age  when  the  sources  for  obtaining  information  and  the 
means  of  communication  are  almost  illimitable,  it  is  difficult  to  realize 
the  primitive  conditions  in  that  respect  as  they  affected  the  early  set- 
tlers of  such  a  region  as  Cass  county.     In  this  day  of  the  telegraph  and 


102  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

the  daily  newspaper  a  false  report  may  reach  us  concerning  some  dis- 
tant situation,  but  the  equally  effective  and  rapid  means  of  authentica- 
tion will  enable  us  tO'  quickly  disprove  the  first  news,  and  no  serious 
harm  is  done.  Not  so  seventy-five  years  ago.  The  report  O'f  unfavor- 
able conditions  in  the  new  Michigan  country,  of  a  serious  failure  of 
crops,  of  an  Indian  scare,  would  be  a  long  time  in  reaching  the  east, 
its  serious  aspects  would  increase  with  the  circulation,  and  once  told  its 
vicious  and  retarding  influence  would  continue  a  long  time  before 
information  of  perhaps  an  opposite  character  would  reach  the  intending 
emigrants. 

It  is  not  surprising,  therefore,  that  the  settlement  of  Cass  county 
did  not  proceed  uniformly  or  unbrokenly.  The  first  of  the  adverse  in- 
fluences which  checked  the  current  of  immigration  was.  the  Sac  or  Black 
Hawk  war  of  1832.  The  Sac  Indians  had  never  been  friendly  with  the 
United  States.  In  the  war  of  18 12  they  joined  sides  with  the  British. 
As  a  recompense  they  were  receiving  an  annuity  in  Canada,  whither 
they  went  every  year,  and  returned  laden  with  arms  and  ammunition. 
They  crossed  the  l^order  at  Detroit,  and  probably  passed  through  Cass 
county  by  w^ay  of  the  Indian  trail  along  the  southern  border.  Black 
Hawk,  the  powerful  chief  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  had  conceived  the  idea 
that  the  several  Indian  tribes  by  combining  might  be  powerful  enough  to 
resist  the  whites;  though  after  l3eing  captured  and  taken  east  tO'  see  the 
white  man's  populous  towns  and  cities,  he  returned  and  told  his  braves 
that  resistance  was  useless. 

Years  before  this  the  Sacs  by  treaty  had  ceded  their  lands  east  of 
the  Mississippi  to  the  United  States,  but  had  still  remained  upon  them. 
When  required  to  conform  to  their  treaty  they  resisted.  Early  in  1832, 
in  ugly  mood,  a  large  number  of  their  braves  went  to  Canada.  This  was 
their  last  annual  expedition.  When,  returning,  they  reached  Illinois, 
the  fiends  began  their  work  of  slaughter  by  murdering  an  old  man, 
which  was  the  first  bloodshed  in  the  memorable  Sac  and  Fox  war. 

When  the  news  came  that  the  Indians  had  commenced  hostilities 
in  Illinois,  the  settlers  of  southern  Michigan  feared  that  they  would  re- 
treat into  Canada  instead  of  going  to  their  own  lands  beyond  the  Mis- 
sissippi. There  was  no  telegraph  to  convey  the  news,  and  it  came  in  the 
form' of  vague  rumors,  and  imagination  pictured  a  hundred  horrors  for 
every  one  related.  Besides  the  fear  of  an  invasion  by  Black  Hawk's 
warriors,  there  was  anxiety  lest  the  Pottawottomies  still  in  the  country 
would  rise  and  join  in  the  revolt. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  103 

Although,  as  was  afterwards  found  out,  there  was  not  a  hostile  Ind- 
ian within  a  hundred  miles  of  southern  Michigan,  for  some  time  the 
danger  was  felt  to  be  very  close  and  real,  and  the  ''Black  Hawk  war" 
was  an  epoch  in  the  pioneer  memory.  At  the  first  information  of  hos- 
tilities the  authorities  at  Chicago  sent  an  appeal  for  militia  to  Michigan. 
General  Joseph  W.  Brown  commanded  his  brigade  to  take  the  field,  ap- 
pointing Niles  as  the  rendezvous.  Cass  county  furnished  as  many  men 
as  her  small  population  would  allow.  The  news  was  brought  to  Cassop- 
olis  by  Colonel  A.  Houston  and  communicated  to  Abram  Tietsort,  Jr., 
whose  duty  it  was,  as  sergeant  of  the  local  company,  to  notify  the  mem- 
bers of  the  order  issued  by  their  commander.  Isaac  Shurte  was  cap- 
tain, and  Gamaliel  Townsend  one  of  the  lieutenants.  There  was  great 
agitation  in  the  scattered  prairie  settlements  of  the  county  as  the  order 
to  turn  out  was  carried  from  house  to  house,  and  still  greater  when  the 
men  started  away  from  their  homes  for  what  their  wives  and  children 
supposed  to  be  mortal  combat  with  the  ferocious  Sacs  and  Foxes. 

An  Indian  scare  has  not  been  known  in  Cass  county  within  the 
memory  of  but  few  if  any  now  living.  But  to*  some  extent  we  may  im- 
agine the  trepidation  and  alarm  of  those  composing  the  settlements  at 
that  time.  No  doubt  some  of  the  more  timid  packed  their  movaljles  into 
a  wagon  and  made  post  haste  to  leave  the  danger-ridden  country.  Dur- 
ing the  short  time  the  scare  lasted  hundreds  of  families  from  this  part  of 
the  west  stampeded  as  far  east  as  Cincinnati,  many  of  them  never  to  re- 
turn to  their  forest  homes.  But  the  majority  were  of  sterner  stuff.  They 
had  endured  the  rigors  of  cold  and  fatigue,  of  hunger  and  l:iodily  pri- 
vations, in  establishing  their  homes  on  the  frontier ;  they  would  not  easily 
be  frightened  away.  Those  settlers  living  in  the  central  part  of  the 
county  advised  with  one  another  as  to  the  practicability  of  taking  ref- 
uge on  the  island  in  Diamond  lake  and  fortifying  it  against  attack. 
This  no  doubt  would  have  l:ieen  done,  had  the  alarm  not  subsided.  It 
is  said  that  the  women  of  the  Volinia  settlement  had  begun  the  erec- 
tion of  a  fort  when  the  message  reached  them  that  the  war  was  over. 

Short  as  the  Black  Hawk  war  was,  immigration  to  this  portion  of 
the  west  was  almost  completely  checked.  Not  a  few  returned  to  the 
east,  while  those  who  were  preparing  to  emigrate  hither  either  aban- 
doned their  plans  altogether  or  delayed  their  execution  for  a  year  or  so. 

While  we  are  considering  some  of  the  retarding  influences  in  the 
settlement  of  Cass  county,  it  will  be  proper  to  mention  the  frost  of 
June,  1835.     That  event  lived  long  in  the  memory  of  old  settlers.     Cli- 


104  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

mate,  as  we  know,  has  much  to  do  in  lending  a  country  the  charms 
which  attract  immigration.  The  beauties  of  the  landscape,  the  fertility 
of  the  soil,  the  gentle  warmth  of  summer,  and  the  not  too  severe  winter, 
were  favorite  themes  of  praise  with  those  who  described  their  Michigan 
home  to  eastern  friends. 

But  in  climate  as  in  human  affairs,  an  abnormal  event  gains  widest 
current  in  general  knowledge.  This  unusual  phenomenon  of  a  heavy 
frost  at  the  middle  of  June,  causing  an  almost  total  ruin  of  the  grow^- 
ing  crops,  altliough  such  a  thing  had  never  happened  before,  and  so  far 
as  known  has  not  been  paralleled  in  subsequent  history,  at  once  counter- 
balanced all  the  good  that  had  ever  been  said  of  Michigan's  climate. 
Tlie  seasons  were  never  dependable,  according  to  the  report  that  passed 
tlirough  tlie  eastern  states ;  the  latitude  was  unfavorable  for  the  produc- 
tion of  the  crops  suited  to  the  temperate  zone;  the  climate  w^as  com- 
parable to  that  of  Labrador,  and  so  on.  This  occurrence  had  an  adverse 
effect  on  immigration  perhaps  only  second  to  the  Black  Hawk  war. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  nature  yielded  her  empire  at  once  and 
W'ithout  a  struggle.  Indian  scares  and  June  frosts  were  the  uncommon- 
est  of  events.  But  the  daily,  usual  life  was  a  constant  exertion  against 
the  forces  of  wildness.  requiring  fortitude  and  strength  of  a  kind  that 
the  modern  life  knows  little.  Improvement  was  in  many  respects  very 
gradual.  It  was  a  toilsome  and  slow  process  to  transplant  civilization 
to  the  wilderness  of  Cass  county.  The  contrasts  between  the  present 
and  the  past  of  seventy-five  years  ago  are  striking  and  even  wonderful ; 
none  the  less,  w^e  dare  not  suppose  for  that  reason  that  the  transforma- 
tion was  of  fairy-like  swiftness  and  ease  of  accomplishment. 

The  first  thing,  of  course,  after  the  newly  arrived  settler  had  made 
his  family  as  comfortable  as  possible  temporarily,  was  to  build  the  tra- 
ditional log  cabin.  To  the  younger  generation  in  Cass  county,  the 
^'creature  com.forts"  of  that  time  seem  primitive  and  meager  indeed. 
In  obtaming  material  for  his  house,  the  builder  must  select  trees  which 
were  not  toO'  large,  or  they  could  not  be  handled  conveniently;  not  too 
small,  or  the  cabin  would  be  a  house  of  saplings.  The  process  of  fell- 
ing the  trees,  splitting  the  logs,  hewing  them  so  as  to  have  flat  walls  in- 
side, notching  them  at  the  ends  so  as  to  let  them  down  on  each  other, 
slanting  the  gables,  riving  out  lapboards  or  shingles,  putting  on  roof 
poles,  binding  the  shingles  to  them,  sawing  out  doors  and  windows, 
making  the  fireplace,  and  many  other  things  necessary  in  building  a  log 
cabin — this  process  is  yet  familiar  to  many  old  settlers. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  105 

After  the  settlers  had  housed  their  famihes  the}^  made  a  sheUer  for 
their  stock,  which  was  often  done  by  setting  poles  in  the  groin:d,  with 
crotches  at  the  upper  end;  poles  were  laid  from  crotch  to  crotch,  other 
poles  laid  across,  and  the  roof  covered  with  marsh  hay  until  it  was  thick 
enough  to  shed  water.  Poles  weiT  slanted  against  the  sides,  and  hay 
piled  on  them  in  the  same  manner.  The  door  could  be  left  open  or 
closed  by  any  means  convenient.  This  made  an  exceedingly  warm  slael- 
ter,  though  it  was  so  dark  that  the  animal's  eyes  sometimes  suffered 
from  it.  Swine  and  other  stock  could  be  left  to  shelter  themselves,  and 
they  usually  found  some  sheltered  nook  in  the  groves  and  forests,  or 
among  the  thick  grass,  where  they  made  themselves  comfortable,  though 
some  of  them  ran  w^ild. 

Of  course,  in  a  country  Hke  Cass,  where  it  was  possible,  though 
difficult,  to  obtain  from  the  centers  of  civilization  the  necessary  articles, 
these  primitive  methods  were  greatly  modified  and  improved  upon  from 
the  very  first.  Shingle  nails  were  often  used  instead  of  weight  poles, 
window  panes  soon  took  the  place  of  oiled  paper  or  cloth,  and  so  on. 
The  first  settlers  brought  with  them  the  few  tools  necessary  for  their 
pioneer  life,  such  as  axes,  adzes,  iron  wedges,  hammers,  saws,  augers, 
gimlets,  frows  for  shaving  shingles,  planes,  chisels,  etc.,  and  the  women 
brought  needles,  scissors,  thimbles,  pins,  thread,  yarn,  spinning  wheels, 
and  some  brought  looms.  And  in  the  early  settlement  of  the  county, 
as  we  have  seen,  there  came  a  few  trained  mechanics,  a  carpenter,  sad- 
dler, and  so  on. 

After  the  primitive  log  cabin  came  the  frame  building.  It  was  the 
sawmill  which  marked  the  first  move  away  from  pioneer  life.  For  as 
soon  as  a  sawmill  was  accessible  to  any  community,  frame  buildings 
were  practicable.  The  county  was  well  wooded,  and  all  that  was  neces- 
sary was  to  cut  the  logs,  haul  them  to  mill,  pay  the  toll,  in  whatever 
form,  and  haul  the  lumber  home  again.  And  this  was  an  economy  of 
time  very  precious  in  those  days  of  subduing  the  virgin  soil  and  making 
a  settled  home.  It  was  no  easy  matter  to  hew  timber,  and  split  out 
boards  with  wedges,  and  then  smooth  them  by  hand.  Hence  it  was  that 
sawmills  were,  along  with  grist  mills,  the  first  institutions' for  manu- 
facturing in  this  section  of  country.  And  at  once  frame  buildings — 
mills,  and  shops  of  dififerent  kinds,  stores,  hotels,  churches,  schoolhouses 
and  dwelling  houses  began  to  multiply,  and  the  country  put  on  the  ap- 
pearance of  advancing  civilization.  Some  of  those  buildings  are  stand- 
ing to-day,   though  most  of  them  have  long  since  vanished,  or  given 


106  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

place  to  others.  In  various  parts  of  the  county  may  be  found  an  occa- 
sional frame  dwelling  which  was  built  in  the  thirties  or  forties,  and 
many  of  those  built  at  tliat  time  have  since  been  remodeled  and  mod- 
ernized so  that  few  traces  of  their  original  form  remain.  The  front 
ixirtion  of  the  Newell  house,  just  west  of  the  public  square  at  Cas- 
sopolis,  was  constructed  in  1832  or  '33,  so  that  it  has  survived  the  stress 
of  W'Cather  and  time  longer  than  anv  native  resident  of  the  town. 

Slowly,  as  the  years  went  by,  improvements  were  made.  Gradually 
new',  more  beautiful  and  commodious  buildings  were  put  up  for  both 
families  and  dumb  anin]als,  and  more  and  more  conveniences  wxre  intro- 
duced into  the  former  ones,  until  to-day,  as  one  rides  through  any  part 
of  the  county,  he  sees  not  only  highly  improved  and  well  stocked  farms, 
but  large,  commodious  and  in  many  cases  even  artistic  buildings,  which 
bespeak  the  thrift  of  the  ow^ners,  and  the  vast  progress  which  has  been 
made  since  the  first  log  buildings  were  made  in  Pokagon  and  Ontwa 
tow'Uships  in  1826  and  '27. 

In  the  meantime,  the  first  small  groups  of  settlers  which  we  have 
seen  planted  in  certain  favored  parts  of  the  county  have  been  rapidly 
growdng  and  advancing  out  into  the  yet  virgin  regions  until  in  a  few 
years  there  w^as  hardly  a  section  in  any  township  that  was  availal)le  for 
entry. 

Of  all  the  transactions  witli  which  the  early  settlers  w^ere  concerned 
none  were  more  important  than  the  government  land  sales.  The  first 
public  lands  in  Michigan  disposed  of  under  government  regulations  were 
sold  at  Detroit  in  181.8.  In  1823  the  Detroit  land  office  was  divided,  and 
a  land  office  established  at  Monroe,  at  wdiich  all  entries  of  lands  west 
of  the  principal  meridian  were  made  up  to  183  t.  It  was  at  the  land 
sale  at  Monroe  in  1S29  that  the  first  settlers  of  the  county  made  formal 
entry  of  their  lands.  The  United  States  law  required  that  every  piece 
of  land  should  be  put  up  at  auction,  after  which,  if  not  bid  oflf,  it  w^as 
subject  to  private  entry,  at  one  dollar  and  a  quarter  per  acre.  It  w^as 
an  unwritten  law  among  the  settlers  that  each  pre-emptor  should  have 
the  privilege  of  making  the  only  bid  on  his  land.  This  right  was  uni- 
versally respected  among  the  settlers,  no  one  bidding  on  another's  claim. 
It  occasionally  happened,  however,  that  an  eastern  man,  unaccustomed 
to  the  ways  of  the  west,  essayed  to  bid  on  the  home  of  a  settler,  but  w^as 
soon  convinced,  in  frontier  fashion,  that  such  action  was  a  distinct  con- 
travention of  w^estern  custom.  Such  was  the  case  with  one  young  man 
at  the  sales  at  White  Pigeon,  where  the  land  office  for  this  district  was 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  lu7 

located  from  1831  to  1834.  This  individual  insisted  on  the  right  to  bid 
on  any  land  offered  for  sale,  but  made  only  one  bid  when  he  was  sud- 
denly felled  to  the  floor,  which  instantly  inspired  him  with  respect  for 
settlers'  claims  and  usages  of  western  society.  The  land  speculator  was 
persona  non  grata  with  the  settlers,  and  in  some  parts  of  the  country 
associations  known  as  ''squatters'  unions"  were  formed  to  protect  the 
settler  in  his  claims  and  when  necessary  to  use  force  in  compelling  the 
speculator  to  desist  from  his  sharp  practices.  It  was  owing  to  the  fact 
that  the  public  auction  of  land  enabled  the  speculator  to  bid  in  as  virgin 
soil  and  at  the  usual  price  of  a  dollar  and  a  quarter  an  acre  lands  that 
had  been  settled  and  iriiproved  by  an  industrious  pioneer,  that  the  system 
of  public  sales  was  finally  abolished.  After  1834  the  Cass  county  set- 
tlers entered  their  lands  at  Kalamazoo,  where  the  land  office  for  this 
part  of  the  state  was  continued  until  1858. 

The  process  of  settlement  is  graphically  illustrated  by  the  figures 
from  several  of  the  early  censuses.  These  figures  of  course  are  quite 
likely  to  be  inaccurate  as  exact  units,  but  they  convey  in  a  general  way 
the  successive  increases  of  population.  From  these  statistical  tables  we 
see  that  in  1830  the  county  had  something  less  than  a  thousand  inhab- 
itants, meaning  ]>y  that  white  persons.  This  was  the  number  with  which 
the  county  began  its  organized  existence. 

Despite  the  Black  Hawk  war  that  occurred  in  the  meanwhile,  by 
1834  the  enumeration  shows  3,280',  an  increase  of  over  three  hundred 
per  cent  in  four  years ;  and  three  years  later  this  number  had  nearly 
doubled.  By  184O'  Cass  county  was  a  comparatively  well  settled  com- 
munity of  nearly  six  thousand  people,  while  in  1845,  ^^  which  date  the 
townships  had  been  formed  as  at  present,  the  population  was  over  eight 
thousand. 

Considering  the  population  according  to  townships,  we  find  that  in 
1840,  when  all  the  townships  had  been  formed  except  Marcellus,  the 
most  populous  township  was  LaGrange,  with  769  people.  Then  followed 
Porter,  with  556;  Ontwa,  543;  Pokagon,  516;  and  thence  on  down  to 
Newberg,  with  175  persons. 

Of  the  older  townships,  whose  early  settlement  has  already  been 
adverted  to,  the  population  soon  became  settled  on  a  substantial  basis. 
Practically  all  the  lands  of  Pbkagon  township  had  been  entered  as  early 
as  1837,  and  the  assessment  roll  of  resident  taxpayers  in  that  town- 
ship for  1834  shows  the  names  of  fifty  persons,  indicating  at  least  an 
approximate  number  of  families. 


108  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

LA  GRANGE. 

In  LaGrange  township,  as  shown  in  the  above  quoted  figures,  popu- 
lation increased  more  rapidly  than  elsewhere,  owing  doubtless  to  the  es- 
tablishment of  the  seat  of  justice  at  Cassopolis.  At  the  first  township 
election,  April,  1830,  there  were  but  eighteen  voters,  according  to  the 
history  of  1882,  whereas  there  were  elected  nineteen  officials  for  the 
various  civil  positions,  making  it  necessary  in  one  or  two  cases  that  one 
man  should  hold  several  offices.  But  beginning  with  that  year  the  set- 
tlement of  the  township  increased  rapidly.  Among  the  early  settlers  not 
already  mentioned  were  the  McKenney  and  Dickson  families;  the  Jewell 
family,  whose  first  representative,  Hiram  Jewell,  arrived  in  September, 
1830,  and  William  Renniston,  who  came  the  same  year;  Henry  Hass 
and  sons;  the  Petticrew  and  Hain  families;  James  R.  Coates,  whose 
death,  in  August,  183 1,  as  a  result  of  his  horse  dashing  him  against  the 
limb  of  a  tree,  furnished  the  first  interment  in  the  Cassopolis  burying 
ground;  Catherine  Kimmerle,  the  first  of  that  well  known  family,  who 
brought  her  family  of  children  here  in  1832;  and  arbitrarily  to  end  the 
list,  Jesse  G.  Beeson,  who  came  to  settle  here  permanently  in  1833. 
Many  facts  concerning  the  history  of  this  township  are  detailed  in  the 
chapter  on  Cassopolis.  In  this  township,  too,  the  list  of  original  land 
entries  seldom  shows  a  date  later  than  1837. 

PENN. 

In  Penn  township,  the  seat  of  the  Quaker  settlement,  the  first  land 
entries  were  made  in  June,  1829,  and  the  date  of  the  last  was  May, 
1853.  The  assessment  roll  of  1837  of  the  township  as  then  organized 
gives  a  good  idea  of  the  citizenship  of  the  township  at  that  date.  It 
contains  the  following  names :  .  Amos  Green,  John  Price,  John  Donnel, 
Jacob  T.  East,  Elizabeth  Cox,  John  A.  Ferguson,  Hiram  Cox,  William 
Lindsley,  Marvick  Rudd,  Ezra  Hinshaw,  Reuben  Hinshaw,  Abijah  Hin- 
shaw,  Mary  Jones,  Lydia  Jones,  Jesse  Beeson,  Joshua  Leach,  Nathan 
Jones,  John  Lamb,  John  Cays,  John  Nixon,  Moses  McLeary,  Henry 
Jones,  Ishmae]  Lee,  Christopher  Brodie,  Alpheus  Ireland,  Drury  Jones, 
Samuel  Thompson. 

ONTWA. 

Onlwa  township,  in  which  the  second  settlement  was  made,  from 
the  first  received  a  good  share  of  the  immigration.  The  settlement  was 
especially  rapid  from  1833  to  1838,  and  by  the  latter  year  there  was 
little  or  no  land  left  for  entry.     This  township  has  produced  an  unusual 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  109 

number  of  prominent  citizens,  several  of  whom  are  mentioned  under 
other  appropriate  headings.  Edwardsburg  was  the  natural  center  for 
the  county,  and  around  the  history  of  that  village  much  of  the  interest 
that  belongs  to  the  township  gathers.  Among  the  settlers  during  the 
thirties  were,  Ezra  Miller,  who  turned  away  from  Cassopolis  to  locate 
in  Ontwa  because  the  landlord  of  the  hotel  in  the  former  place  charged 
him  six  pence  for  a  drink  of  water;  Reuben  Allen,  who'  brought  his  family 
from  Vermont  and  located  on  the  site  of  Adamsville,  using  for  his  tem- 
porary home  a  frame  building  in  which  had  been  a  ''corncracker"  mill; 
Joseph  W.  Lee,  a  New  Hampshire  Yankee,  who  for  a  dwelling  moved 
to  his  claim  the  block  house  built  by  Ezra  Beardsley  and  which  had 
been  used  as  a  hotel  and  as  the  first  court  house  in  Cass  county.  These 
and  many  others  were  the  builders  wdiose  industry  was  responsible  for 
the  subsequent  prosperity  of  Ontwa. 

VOLINIA. 

Volinia  township  from  the  earliest  times  has  been  a  very  interesting 
community.  Many  notable  enterprises  have  originated  and  been  fos- 
tered there,  and  in  the  character  of  the  early  settlers  there  was  an  in- 
dividuality that  removes  their  history  far  from  the  monotony  of 
mediocrity.  To  mention  only  a  few  besides  the  names  already  given, 
there  was  Col.  James  Newton,  an  Englishman  by  birth,  who  came  to 
this  country  in  youth,  served  under  the  American  flag  during  the  war 
of  1812,  and  camiC  to  Cass  county  about  1831.  He  was  prominent 
politically,  was  a  member  of  the  convention  that  framed  the  state  con- 
stitution, and  also  represented  Cass  and  Van  Buren  counties  in  one  of 
the  first  sessions  of  the  state  legislature.  His  son,  George  Newton,  was 
also  prominent  in  the  township,  served  as  supervisor  and  in  the  state 
legislature  of  1858-59,  just  twenty  years  after  his  father's  term.  An- 
other early  character  was  John  Shaw,  from  Pickaway  county,  Ohio,  who 
gained  celebrity  in  the  township  as  a  justice  of  the  peace  as  well  as  a  man 
of  afifairs  generally.  His  motto  was,  "Equity  first  and  legal  technicalities 
afterward,"  and  in  forwarding  the  cause  of  justice  he  was  wont  to  employ 
some  verv^  unusual  methods.  In  later  years  he  became  a  victim  of  drink, 
lost  all  his  possessions,  and  his  sadly  checkered  career  came  to  its  end  in 
the  county  infirmary.  Early  in  the  thirties  Volinia  received  two  settlers 
who  were  skilled  in  a  trade.  Richard  Shaw,  a  shoemaker,  although  he 
engaged  in  agriculture  mainly.  Levi  Lawrence,  a  genius  as  a  blacksmith, 
and  the  scythes  which  he  made  were  the  most  efifective  implements  of 


liO  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

the  kind  until  they  were  superseded  by  mowing  machines.     He  did  not 
remain  long  in  the  township. 

PORTER. 

Settlement  in  Porter  township  progressed  rapidly  after  county  or- 
ganization. One  of  its  early  residents,  whose  career  is  historical,  was 
George  Meacham,  whom  we  have  already  met  as  one  of  the  coterie  of 
pioneers  in  Ontwa.  He  moved  into  Porter  township  in  1836  and  was  a 
resident  there  nearly  half  a  century.  He  constructed  for  his  owai  use 
what  was  claimed  to  be  the  first  threshing  machine  used  in  this  section 
of  the  country,  it  being  in  fact  but  one  of  the  component  parts  of  the 
modern  grain  separator,  namely,  the  cylinder  for  beating  out  the  grain. 
He  was  the  first  sheriff  in  the  county,  serving  from  1830  to  1836.  His 
jurisdiction  was  all  the  country  west  of  St.  Joseph  county  to  the  lake, 
and  in  empanelling  a  jury  he  summoned  all  but  five  of  those  qualified  for 
this  service  in  this  great  scope  of  territory.  To  serve  on  a  jury  at  that 
time  it  w^as  necessary  that  one  had  paid  a  minimum  tax  of  fifty  cents; 
this  excluded  the  majority  of  the  residents  in  this  circuit.  Mr.  Meacham 
was  also  in  the  lower  house  of  the  legislature  in:  1839,  and  twenty  years 
later  occupied  a  seat  in  the  state  senate. 

Then  there  was  the  remarkable  family  of  Rinehart  brothers,  Lewis, 
Samuel,  Jacob,  John  and  Abram,  whose  interests  and  connections  in 
Cass  county  might  fill  many  pages  were  w^e  to  describe  them  in  detail. 
John  Rinehart,  their  father,  born  in  1779,  came  to  Cass  county  in  the 
spring  of  1829,  settling  first  in  Penn  and  later  in  Porter  township.  The 
sons  were  farmers,  mechanics,  and  Lewis,  Samuel  and  Jacob  owned  and 
operated  the  first  sawmill  in  Porter  township. 

Among  the  arrivals  during  this  decade  was  James  Hitchcock,  a  stone 
and  brick  mason,  wdio  constructed  the  first  brick  house  in  Mason  town- 
ship. Brick  early  became  a  favorite  building  material  in  this  part  of  the 
country,  and  it  was  not  many  years  after  the  county  was  settled  before 
the  primitive  log  house  was  used  only  during  the  short  period  while 
the  settler  was  getting  started  in  his  work  of  improvement. 

JEFFERSON. 

In  point  of  population,  Jefferson  township  soon  grew  to  about  her 
present  standard.  From  less  than  five  hundred  in  1840,  to  nine  hun- 
dred in  1850,  her  enumeration  in  i860  was  1,071,  with  no  marked 
change  since  that  date.  Besides  the  pioneers  w^ho  made  the  first  set- 
tlement in  the  northeastern  corner,  there  are  named  among  the  early 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  HI 

land  entries  Stephen  and  Peter  Marmon,  Aaron  Brown,  David  T.  Nichol- 
son, Daniel  Burnham,  F.  Smith,  Richmond  Marmon,  John  Pettigrew, 
Samuel  Colyar,  William  Barton,  William  Mendenhall,  Obediah  Sawtell, 
Isaac  Hultz,  several  of  whom  became  closely  identified  with  the  affairs 
of  the  county  and  township.  Richmond  Marmon  was  an  orthodox 
Quaker.  In  1834  came  Ishmael  Lee,  who  in  later  years  became,  accord- 
ing to  the  record,  ''one  of  the  most  faithful  and  successful  conductors  on 
tlie  underground  railroad,  and  many  a  wagonload  of  fugitive  slaves 
have  been  piloted  by  him  through  the  woods  of  Michigan  on  their  way 
to  Canada  and  freedom.  He  was  a  prominent  actor  in  the  well  known 
Kentucky  slave  cases  of  1848,  and  was  one  of  those  sued  by  the  Ken- 
tuckians  for  the  value  of  the  escaped  fugitives,  and  he  paid  a  large  sum 
of  money  to  compromise  the  litigation."  Other  arrivals  were  Daniel 
Vantuyl,  John  Stephenson,  Robert  Painter,  a  justice  of  the  peace,  mer- 
chant and  manufacturer,  Horace  Hunt,  who  was  a  wagonmaker  and  made 
some  of  the  wooden  plows  used  by  the  early  settlers.  Many  citizens  of 
this  township  remember  Pleasant  Norton,  who  lived  here  from  1832  to 
his  death  in  1877.  He  was  a  stanch  Democrat  politically,  and  his  name 
is  among  those  occurring  most  frequently  in  the  early  civil  lists  of  the 
county.  He  was  twice  in  the  legislature,  was  supervisor  of  Jefferson  nine 
times,  was  township  treasurer  four  terms.  At  his  death  he  left  a  large 
property.  He  was  a  man  of  native  ability,  of  rugged  personality,  and 
unusual  force  of  character,  and  it  was  these  qualities  for  which  his 
fellow  citizens  honored  and  respected  him. 

CALVIN. 

Calvin  township  was  estimated  as  having  two  hundred  inhabitants 
by  1837.  Among  the  earliest  of  these  was  the  family  of  William  Grubb, 
who  came  from  Logan  county,  Ohio,  in  1830.  The  same  year  came 
David  Shaffer,  a  skilful  hunter  whose  annual  record  gained  in  the  wil- 
derness  of  this  county  was  said  to  include  as  many  as  two  hundred  deer. 
In  the  southwestern  portion  of  the  township  Peter  Shaffer  located  in 
1832  and  resided  there  until  his  death  in  1880.  His  son,  George  T. 
Shaffer,  was  prominent  locally,  and  as  a  military  man  his  record  is 
unique.  He  w^as  a  member  of  a  militia  company  during  the  war  of 
181 2,  and  half  a  century  later  entered  the  service  of  his  country  in  the 
rebellion.  He  became  successively  first  lieutenant,  captain,  major,  lieu- 
tenant-colonel, and  in  March,  1865,  was  brevetted  colonel  and  brigadier- 
general  of  volunteers. 


112  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Another  Calvin  settler  was  Levi  D.  Norton,  who  located  here  from 
Jefferson.  His  name  is  found  frequently  in  connection  with  the  civil 
affairs  of  his  township.  It  is  also  noteworthy  that  he  was  among  those 
who  turned  the  first  furrows  in  Jefferson  township  and  assisted  in  the 
production  of  the  first  crops. 

In  1833  t'^^  East  settlement  was  established  in  the  northeastern 
portion  of  this  township.  The  family  of  this  name  and  its  numerous 
connections  have  left  a  distinct  impress  on  the  history  of  the  county. 
William  East  and  his  wife  Rachel,  who  were  members  of  the  Society 
of  Friends,  thus  giving  another  touch  of  distinction  to  the  ■  settlement, 
were  the  parents  of  the  large  family  which  formed  the  nucleus  of  this 
settlement.  To  mention  the  names  of  their  sons  will  recall  some  of  the 
early  and  prominent  settlers  of  this  township.  They  were,  James  M., 
Calvin  K.,  Armstrong,  John  H.,  Jesse,  Alfred  J.  and  Joel. 

Another  well  known  family  of  early  date  in  Calvin,  and  also  strict 
Quakers  in  faith,  were  the  Osborns.  Charles  Osborn,  the  progenitor  of 
the  family  and  himself  at  one  time  a  resident  of  Cass  county,  was  a 
famous  Quaker  preacher  and  abolitionist,  having  traveled  in  the  interests 
of  his  church  pretty  much  over  the  civilized  world.  His  later  years 
were  devoted  almost  entirely  to  anti-slavery  agitation,  and  his  position 
on  this  question  was  among  the  extreme  radicals.  William  Lloyd  Gar- 
rison called  him  "the  father  of  all  us  abolitionists."  His  work  gave 
him  an  international  reputation  among  the  advocates  of  emancipation. 
The  first  paper  ever  published  which  advocated  the  doctrine  of  imme- 
diate and  unconditional  emancipation  was  issued  by  Mr.  Osborn  at 
Mount  Pleasant,  Ohio,  in  1816,  entitled  the  Philanthropist.  In  order 
to  attain  to  complete  consistency  with  his  views,  he  held  that  none  of 
the  products  of  slave  labor  should  be  used.  He  himself  refused  to  wear 
any  garments  made  of  cotton,  nor  would  he  eat  cane  sugar,  on  the  ground 
that  slave  labor  was  used  in  its  manufacture.  Singularly  appropriate  it 
is  that  the  history  of  this  opponent  of  slavery  should  be  connected  with 
the  township  which  sheltered  one  of  the  first  colonies  of  freedmen. 

Josiah  Osborn,  a  son  of  the  abolitionist,  settled  on  Section  24  of 
Calvin  township  in  1835.  His  connection  with  the  township  is  notable 
because  he  planted  one  of  the  first  fruit  orchards  and  nurseries  in  the 
county,  clearing  away  the  virgin  forest  to  make  place  for  his  fruit  trees. 
He  also  was  one  of  those  concerned  in  the  Kentucky  raid  of  1848,  and 
suffered  such  severe  losses  thereby  that  he  is  said  to  have  been  obliged  to 
work  ten  years  to  pay  off  all  the  obligations  incurred. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  113 

The  history  of  the  colored  settlement  in  Calvin,  which  has  played 
such  an  important  part  in  the  annals  of  the  township,  will  be  considered 
on  later  pages. 

HOWARD. 

Turning  now  to  some  of  the  townships  which  were  settled  and  or- 
ganized after  the  pioneer  period,  a  few  facts  and  names  may  be  recalled 
that  will  complete  this  outline  of  early  growth  and  development  in  the 
county. 

Howard  township,  although  in  the  direct  line  of  settlement,  was 
passed  by  at  first  because  of  the  prejudice  against   its  numerous  oak 
openmgs,  or  barrens,  whose  fertility  and  value  had  not  yet  been  tested. 
But  it  was  not  long  before  the  productiveness  of  its  soils  was  established, 
and  by  the  late  thirties  its  population  was  up  to  the  average  of  the  newer 
townships.     Long  before  the  substantial  settlement  of  this  jXDrtion  of  the 
county  had  begun,  there  lived  on  Section  i8,  close  to  the  western  line 
of  the  county,  one  of  the  famous  pioneer  characters  of  the  St.  Joseph 
country.     William  Kirk,  whom  we  have  mentioned  as  an  associate  of 
Squire  Thompson,  and  whose  first  home  was  in  Berrien  county,  while 
hunting  one  day  discovered  a  fine  spring  in  Section  i8  and  at  once  moved 
his  family  and  built  his  log  cabin  beside  the  bubbling  water,  although  he 
thus  became  situated  far  from  neighbors.     In  his  entertainment  of  im- 
migrants and  land  lookers  he  united  pioneer  hospitality  with  his  inherent 
southern  lavishness,  and  thus  dissipated  the  greater  part  of  his  posses- 
sions.    He  was  fond  of  the  solitudes,  not  because  of  any  ascetic  nature, 
but  because  hunting  and  fishing  and  the  life  of  the  wild  woods  attracted 
him  more  than  the  occupations  and  society  of  an  advanced  civilization. 
It  is  not  surprising,  therefore,  after  the  advent  of  the  railroad  and  the 
progress   of  settlement  had  practically   destroyed  his   hunting  grounds, 
to  find  him  bidding  farewell  to  Cass  county  scenes  and  moving  to  the 
far  west.     He  died  in  Oregon,  in  1881,  at  the  age  of  eighty-nine  years. 
We  have  mentioned  how  necessary  to  development  was  the  sawmill. 
It  is  stated  that  the  first  water-power  sawmill  in  Howard  township  was 
built  about  1834  by  Joseph  Harter,  who  had  located  in  the  township  in 
1830.     In  1836  a  carpenter  and  joiner  arrived  in  the  township  in  the 
person  of  William  H.  Doane,  and  he  became  well  known  in  township 
affairs.     He  brought  a  stove  into  the  township  in  18137,  and  it  was  the 
attraction  of  the  neighborhood  for  some  time,  being  known  as  /'Doane's 
Nigger.'^ 


Hi  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

A  man  of  mark  in  the  township  was  Ezekiel  C.  Smith,  w4io  located 
here  in  1835.  Ahiiost  at  once  he  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace,  and 
during  thirty-six  years  in  that  office  he  is  said  to  have  married  four 
hundred  couples.  He  also  served  as  supervisor,  and  was  sent  to  the  state 
legislature  in  1850. 

Another  figure  in  the  affairs  of  early  Howard  township  was  James 
Shaw,  who  located  here  in  1840,  and  served  several  times  as  supervisor, 
two  terms  in  the  legislature,  and  afterward  was  Democratic  candidate 
for  the  senate.  Other  names  that  belong  among  the  first  settlers  are 
found  in  the  election  polling  list  of  1837,  which  comprises:  Ira  Perkins, 
John  W.  Abbott,  Jonathan  Wells,  O.  D.  S.  Gallup,  Zenos  Smith,  Henry 
Heath,  J.  V.  R.  Perkins,  Amasa  Smith,  Ephraim  Huntley,  Joseph  C. 
Teats,  Ebner  Emmons,  Arthur  C.  Blue,  Charles  Stephenson,  Zina 
Rhodes,  Nathan  Dumboltom,  Eli  Rice,  Jr.,  Daniel  Partridge,  Gurdon 
B.  Fitch,  Sylvenon  Dumboltom,  Calvin  Kinney,  Nathan  McCoy,  Henry 
L.  Gould,  Jonathan  E.  Wells. 

MILTON. 

Milton  township,  which  till  1838  was  the  west  half  of  Ontwa,  had 
similarly  attractive  features  with  its  neighbor  and  developed  from  the 
pioneer  stage  about  the  same  time.  This  township  also  contains  a  por- 
tion of  the  famous  Beardsley's  prairie,  where  the  pioneers  were  enabled 
to  reap  plenteous  crops  by  the  first  year's  effort  and  which  consequently 
first  attracted  the  attention  of  the  settlers. 

The  first  names  are  those  of  John  Hudson  and  J.  Melville,  neither  of 
whom  remained  long.  Cannon  Smith  and  family,  who  made  Edwards- 
burg  their  home  from  the  fall  of  1828  till  the  spring  of  183 1,  settled 
on  section  14.  Mr.  Smith's  house  was  a  model  pioneer  dwelling  such 
as  the  typical  one  described  in  the  first  part  of  this  chapter.  He  did  all 
the  work  himself,  his  only  tools  being  an  ax,  draw-shave,  hammer  and 
auger.  After  the  trees  had  been  felled  and  split,  and  hewn  out  into 
siding  as  nearly  as  possible,  the  draw-shave  w^as  used  for  the  finishing. 
The  studding  and  braces  were  split  out  like  fence  rails,  and  then  labor- 
iously smoothed  on  one  side  to  an  even  surface.  The  frame  was  fast- 
ened together  with  wooden  pins,  and  the  roof  consisted  of  ^'shakes" 
held  down  with  poles.  Mr.  Smith  was  a  good  Methodist,  and  this 
humble  house  often  sheltered  his  neighbors  while  listening  to  the  words 
of  the  circuit  rider  of  those  days. 

Peter  Truitt  was  the  merchant  and  business  man  of  early  Milton.    In 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  115 

his  double  log  cabin,  built  in  183 1.  he  opened  the  first  stock  of  goods 
in  the  township,  and  as  his  merchandise  did  not  monopolize  all  the 
space  in  his  house  nor  its  disposal  require  all  his  time  and  attention,  he 
also  transformed  his  place  into  the  ''White  Oak  Tree  Tavern,"  at  which 
for  many  years  he  welcomed  the  tarrying  traveler  through  this  region. 

SILVER    CREEK. 

Silver  Creek,  famed  as  the  last  retreat  of  the  Pottawottomies  who 
remained  behind  after  the  great  exodus,  had  only  about  one  hundred 
wdiite  inhabitants  in  1837.  If  there  is  any  connection  between  the 
voting  population  and  those  who  build  the  first  homes,  first  plow  the 
soil  and  fell  the  virgin  forest,  the  burden  of  pioneer  development  in 
Silver  Creek  must  largely  have  fallen  on  those  who  participated  in 
the  first  election  in  the  fall  O'f  1838,  whose  names  are  recorded  as  fol- 
lows :  E.  Shaw,  W.  W.  Barney,  Joseph  Spencer,  John  McDaniel,  Henry 
Dewxy,  John  Barney,  John  Woolman,  A.  Barney,  Samuel  Stockwell, 
Jacob  Suits,  P.  B.  Dunning,  William  Brooks,  James  Allen,  Timothy 
Treat,  James  Hall. 

The  first  entry  of  land  in  this  town  was  made  in  section  12,  by 
James  McDaniel,  December  16,  1834.  When  he  located  there  in  the 
following  spring  he  erected  the  first  house  and  plowed  the  first  furrow, 
the  initial  events  of  development.  He  also  began  the  construction  of  the 
sawmill  wdiich  subsequently  was  purchased  and  completed  by  John  Bar- 
ney, who  arrived  in  1836,  and  whose  connection  wnth  the  early  manu- 
facturing interests  gives  him  a  place  in  another  chapter  of  this  work. 

Jacob  A.  Suits  came  in  September,  1836,  and  built  the  fifth  house 
in  the  tOA\'nship.  The  next  year  there  came  Timothy  Treat  and  family ; 
James  Allen,  Joseph  and  William  Van  Horn,  Benj.  B.  Dunning,  Eli  W. 
Veach,  Patrick  Hamilton,  Harwood  Sellick,  James  McOmber,  Jabes 
Cady,  Israel  Sallee,  George  McCreary,  James  Hall,  William  Brooks, 
and  others.  In  the  same  year  the  township  was  cut  off  from  Pokagon 
and  organized. 

MASON. 

Once  more  directing  our  attention  to  the  south  side  of  the  county, 
we  will  mention  briefly  some  of  those  concerned  in  the  development  of 
the  small  township  of  Mason.  The  attractiveness  of  Breadsley's  prairie 
caused  the  first  tide  of  immigration  tO'  pass  over  Mason's  fertile  soil, 
and,  as  we  know,  it  was  not  until  1836  that  a  sufficient  population  had 
come  to  justify  organization  into  a  separate  township. 


116  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

The  first  settler  was  Elam  Beardsley,  who  moved  on  his  claim  in 
section  12  in  the  early  months  of  1830.  He  erected  the  first  cabin  and 
set  out  the  first  apple  trees.  He  was  a  member  of  the  noted  pioneer 
family  of  that  name,  and  another  was  Darius  Beardsley,  who  put  up  his 
cabin  in  1832.  The  fate  of  Darius  Beardsley  illustrates  another  sad 
feature  of  life  in  a  frontier  country.  One  day  in  the  winter  of  1833  he 
started  on  foot  for  Edwardsburg,  the  nearest  trading  point,  where  he 
bought  his  household  supplies.  The  snow  was  two  feet  deep  and  the 
entire  distance  was  a  trackless  waste  of  white.  He  was  detained  in  the 
village  until  well  towards  evening,  and  then  set  out  alone  in  the  gath- 
ering twilight  toward  his  home.  It  was  intensely  cold,  and  as  darkness 
came  on  he  was  unable  to  make  out  the  road  he  had  traveled  in  the 
morning.  He  was  soon  wandering  about  in  the  shelterless  forest,  and 
at  last  exhausted  by  the  cold  and  the  fatigue  of  struggling  through  the 
snow,  he  sat  dow^n  under  a  tree  to  rest.  Here,  within  half  a  mile  of 
home  and  family,  his  neighbors  found  him  frozen  to  death  and  carried 
him  home  to  his  grief-stricken  wife,  who,  unable  to  leave  her  small 
children,  had  been  compelled  to  await  the  results  of  the  search  which 
after  several  days  gave  her  the  lifeless  body  of  her  husband.  Such  was 
a  not  uncommon  tragedy  enacted  in  m.any  a  frontier  community. 

One  of  the  well  known  personages  during  the  early  years  of  Mason 
was  S.  C.  Gardner,  who,  in  1835,  found  a  home  in  Section  13.  Not 
long  after,  his  house  being  located  on  the  "territorial  road/'  an  important 
artery  of  early  immigration,  he  became  a  landlord  and  his  house  was 
filled  almost  nightly  with  the  tired  travelers  w^ho  in  those  days  asked 
nothing  better  than  the  simplest  victuals  to  eat  and  a  roof  to  shelter 
them  while  they  pillowed  their  heads  on  the  hard  floor. 

Others  who  were  identified  with  the  early  development  of  this  town- 
ship were  Jotham  Curtis,  at  whose  house  the  first  township  election  was 
held ;  the  Miller  family,  numbering  all  told  twenty  persons,  who  formed 
what  was  known  as  the  Miller  settlement ;  Henry  Thompson ;  J.  Hubbard 
Thomas;  Elijah  and  Daniel  Bishop,  who  came  about  1838. 

NEWBERG. 

The  first  land  selected  for  settlement  from  the  now  well  peopled 
Newberg  township  was  in  Section  34,  where  John  Bair  chose  his  home 
in  October,  1832.  Here  he  made  the  first  improvements  effected  in 
the  township,  built  a  cabin  in  which  he  dispensed  hospitality  to  all  who 
came,  whether  they  were  ministers  of  the  gospel,  land  viewers,  hunters 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  117 

and  trappers,  white  men  or  Indians ;  and  he  himself  divided  his  time  be- 
tween the  cultivation  of  a  pioneer  farm  and  the  avocation  of  hunting 
and  fishing,  which  he  loved  with  a  frontiersman's  devotion. 

He  soon  had  a  neighbor  in  the  person  of  Daniel  Driskel,  who  lo- 
cated on  Section  36  in  the  fall  of  1834.  In  1835  land  was  entered  by 
George  Poe,  Marvick  Rudd,  Thomas  Armstrong,  Samuel  Hutchings, 
Felix  Girton,  John  Grennell,  William  D.  Jones.  These  and  such  men 
as  Barker  F.  Rudd,  William  D.  Easton,  Alexander  Allen,  Spencer 
Nicholson,  Samuel  Eberhard,  Hiram  Harwood,  formed  the  nucleus 
around  which  larger  settlements  grew  up,  resulting  in  the  separate  or- 
ganization of  the  township  in  1838. 

MARCELLUS. 

And  finall}^  the  course  of  development  also  included  the  extreme 
northeast  corner  of  the  county,  where  the  dense  forests  and  heavy  timber, 
the  marshes  and  malaria,  had  seemed  uninviting  to  the  early  settlers. 
But  by  the  middle  thirties  the  tide  of  settlement  was  at  the  flood,  and 
there  was  no  considerable  area  of  the  county  that  was  not  overflowed  by 
eager  homeseekers.  All  the  prairie  lands  had  been  occupied,  and  now 
the  forests  must  also  yield  before  the  ax  and  be  replaced  with  the  wav- 
ing corn. 

Joseph  Haight,  from  Orleans  county,  New  York,  was  the  first  set- 
tler, arriving  in  the  summer  of  1836.  In  the  following  year  he  was 
joined  by  Frederick  Goff  and  Joseph  Bair.  Gofif  was  a  carpenter,  and  as 
it  was  possible  by  this  time  to  get  lumber  at  convenient  distance,  he 
built  for  himself,  instead  of  the  ordinary  log  cabin,  a  small  frame  house, 
which  was  the  first  in  the  township. 

Among  other  early  settlers  of  Marcellus  were  G.  R.  Beebe,  who 
came  in  1838,  Moses  P.  Blanchard,  Daniel  G.  Rouse,  who  has  already 
been  mentioned  as  taking  a  leading  part  in  township  organization.  These 
and  others  are  named  among  those  who  voted  at  the  first  township 
meeting  in  1843  and  in  the  general  election  of  the  same  year,  that  list 
being  as  follows:  John  Huyck,  Daniel  G.  Rouse,  Abijah  Huyck,  Will- 
iam Wolfe,  Joseph  Bair,  Cyrus  Goff,  Nathan  Udell,  Andrew  Scott,  G.  R. 
Beebe,  Joseph  Haight,  Moses  Blanchard,  Philo  McOmber,  John  Savage, 
E.  Hyatt,  Alfred  Paine,  Joseph  P.  Gilson,  Lewis  Thomas,  Samuel  Cory. 

In  describing  the  period  while  civilization  was  getting  a  foothold 
in  this  county,  while  the  wilderness  was  being  deposed  from  its  long 
reign  and  men's  habitations  and  social  institutions  were  springing  up  on 


118  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

nearly  every  section  of  land,  a  complete  sketch  would  include  the  open- 
ing of  roads,  the  building  of  schools,  the  establishment  of  postal  facil- 
ities, and  the  many  other  matters  that  necessarily  belong  to  an  advancing 
community.  But  with  the  limits  of  this  chapter  already  exceeded,  sev- 
eral of  these  subjects  will  be  reserved  for  later  treatment  under  separate 
titles.  In  the  following  chapter  we  will  consider  that  inevitable  cen- 
tralization of  society  that  results  in  the  formation  of  village  centers. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  119 


CHAPTER  Vm. 
CENTERS  OF  POPULATION. 

The  organization  of  the  townships,  which  has  l)een  j^revioiislv  de- 
scribed, was  an  artificial  process,  following  the  geometrical  lines  of 
government  survey.  But  the  grouping  of  population  and  the  formation 
of  village  centers  are  the  result  of  natural  growth.  In  the  following 
pages  it  is  our  purpose  to  continue  the  story  of  settlement  and  growth 
with  special  reference  to  the  grouping  of  people  into  communities  and 
villages. 

It  is  easy  to  indicate  in  a  general  way  the  beginning  of  such  a 
community.  A  fertile  and  arable  region  receives  a  large  proportion  of 
the  immigration.  Assuming  that  they  are  pioneers,  it  will  he  almost  a 
necessity  that  most  of  them  till  the  soil,  even  though  comliining  that  with 
another  occupation.  But  if  the  settlement  was  on  a  much-traveled  thor- 
oughfare, such  as  the  Chicago  road  on  the  south  side  of  the  county, 
one  or  ]>erhaps  more  of  the  pioneer  houses  would  be  opened  for  tlie  en- 
tertainment of  the  transient  public.  On  the  banks  of  a  stream  some  one 
constructs  a  saw  or  grist  mill.  At  some  convenient  and  central  point 
a  settler  A\ith  the  commercial  instincts  opens  a  stock  of  goods  sucli  as 
will  supply  the  needs  of  the  other  settlers  and  of  the  immigrants.  A 
postoffice  comes  next,  the  postmaster  very  likely  being  either  the  mer- 
chant or  the  tavern-keeper.  A  physician,  looking  for  a  location,  is 
pleased  with  the  conditions  and  occupies  a  caloin  near  the  store  or  inn. 
A  carpenter  or  other  mechanic  is  more  accessible  to  his  patronage  if  he 
lives  near  the  postoffice  or  other  common  gathering  point.  If  the  school- 
house  of  the  district  has  not  already  been  built,  it  is  probable  that  it 
will  be  placed  at  the  increasingly  central  site,  and  the  first  church  is  a 
natural  addition.  Already  this  nucleus  of  settlement  is  a  village  in 
embryo,  and  in  the  natural  course  of  development  a  variety  of  enterprises 
will  center  there,  the  mechanical,  the  manufacturing,  the  commercial  and 
professional  departments  of  human  later  will  be  grouped  together  for 
the  purpose  of  efficiency  and  convenience.  By  such  accretions  of  popu- 
lation, by  diversification  of  industry,  by  natural  advantages  of  location 
and  the   improvement   of  means   of   transportation,   this,  community   in 


120  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

time  becomes  organized  as  a  village  and  with  continued  prosperity,  as 
a  city.  Sometimes  the  development  is  arrested  at  a  particular  stage. 
The  village  remains  a  village,  the  hamlet  ceases  to  grow,  and  we  have 
a  center  of  population  without  special  business,  industrial  or  civic  de- 
velopment. Then  there  are  instances  in  this  county  of  retrogression.  A 
locality  that  could  once  be  dignified  with  the  name  of  village  has  dis 
integrated  under  stress  of  rivalry  from  other  centers  or  other  causes, 
and  is  now  little  more  than  a  place  and  a  name. 

Specific  illustrations  of  all  these  processes  are  to^  be  found  in  the 
history  of  the  centers  in  Cass  county.     But  in  general  it  may  be  stated 
that  during  the   early   years,   when   communication   was   primitive   and 
isolation  quite  complete  even  between  localities  separated  by  a  few  miles, 
the  tendency  was  toward  centralization  in  numerous  small  hamlets  and 
villages.     But  in  keeping  with  the  economic  development  for  which  the 
past  century  was  noted  and  especially  because  of  the  improvement  of  all 
forms  of  transportation,  the  barriers  against  easy  communication  with 
all  parts  of  the  county  were  thrown  down  and  the  best  situated  centers 
grew  and  flourished  at  the  expense  of  the  smaller  centers,  which  grad- 
ually dwindled  into  comparative  insignificance.     Nothing  has  done  more 
to  accelerate  movement  than  the  establishment  of  rural  free  delivery. 
The  postoffice  was  the  central  point  of  community  life  and  remoteness 
from  its  privileges  was  a  severe  drawback.     Rural  delivery  has  made 
every  house  a  iX)stoffice,  puts  each  home  in  daily  contact  with  the  world, 
and  while  it  is  destroying  provincialism  and  isolation,  it  is  effecting  a 
wholesome  distribution  of  population  rather  than  crowding  into  small 
villages.     And  the  very  recent  introduction  into  Michigan  of  the  sys- 
tem  of   public  transportation   of    school   children   to   and    from    school 
will    remove    another    powerful      incentive    to     village    life.        When 
weak  districts  may  be  consolidated  and  a  large,  well  graded  and  modern 
union  school  be  provided  convenient  and  accessible  to  every  child  in  the 
enlarged  school  area,  families  will  no  longer  find  it  necessary  ''to  move 
to  town  in  order  to  educate  their  children.'' 

These  are  the  principal  considerations  that  should  be  understood 
before  we  enter  on  the  description  of  the. various  centers  which  Cass 
county  has  produced  in  more  than  three  quarters  of  a  century  of  growth. 

EDWARDSBURG. 

Nowhere  can  the  processes  above  described  be  better  illustrated  than 
along  the  meandering  Chicago  road  that  passes  across  the  lowest  tier 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  121 

of  townships  on  the  south.  In  the  chapter  on  early  settlement  the  be- 
ginning of  community  life  on  Beardsley's  Prairie  has  already  been 
sketched.  It  will  be  remembered  that  Ezra  Beardsley,  in  order  to  ac- 
commodate the  increasing  host  of  immigrants,  converted  his  home  into 
a  tavern,  the  nearby  Meacham  cabin  being  used  as  an  annex.  On  the 
south  side  of  the  lake  Thomas  H.  Edwards  in  1828  began  selling  goods 
to  the  settlers,  and  thus  early  the  community  of  Beardsley's  Prairie  had 
a  center. 

With  the  Chicago  road  as  the  main  axis  of  village  life,  a  plat  of 
a  village  site,  named  ''Edwardsburgh,"  was  filed  on  record,  August  12, 
1 83 1,  by  Alexander  H.  Edwards,  who  appeared  before  Justice  of  the 
Peace  Ezra  Beardsley  and  "acknowledged  the  within  plat  to  be  his  free 
act  and  deed."  The  original  site  of  the  village  comprised  44  lots,  but 
Abiel  Silver  on  June  2,  1834,  laid  out  an  addition  of  86  lots  and  on 
March  25,  1836,  a  second  addition. 

Jacob  and  Abiel  Silver  figure  prominently  in  the  early  life  of  the 
village.  They  purchased  in  183 1  the  store  of  Thomas  H.  Edwards. 
Other  early  merchants  were  Henry  Vanderhoof  and  successors  Clifford 
Shaahan  and  Jesse  Smith;  the  late  H.  H.  Coolidge,  who  came  here 
in  1835  toi  take  charge  of  a  stock  of  goods  opened  here  by  a  Niles  mer- 
chant, and  who  later  was  engaged  in  business  in  partnership  wath  P.  P. 
Willard.  In  1839  A.  C.  Marsh  established  a  foundry  for  the  manufact- 
ure of  plow  castings  and  other  iron  work,  and  this  was  one  of  the  indus- 
tries which  gave  Edwardsburg  importance  as  a  business  center. 

During  the  thirties  and  early  forties  Edwardsburg  bid  fair  to  be- 
come the  business  metropolis  of  Cass  county.  It  is  easy  to  understand 
why  its  citizens  had  implicit  faith  in  such  a  future.  The  Detroit-Chi- 
cago road,  on  which  it  was  situated,  was  at  the  time  the  most  traveled 
route  between  the  east  and  the  west.  The  hosts  who  were  participating 
in  the  westward  expansion  movement  of  the  period,  traveling  up  the 
popular  Erie  Canal  and  thence  to  the  west  by  way  of  Lake  Erie  and  the 
Chicago  road,  all  passed  through  Edwardsburg.  The  mail  coaches, 
which  primitively  represented  the  mail  trains  of  to-day,  carried  the  mail 
bags  through  the  village  and  lent  the  cluster  of  houses  the  prestige  that 
comes  from  being  a  station  on  the  transcontinental  mail.  Furthermore, 
the  agitation  for  canals. which  then  disputed  honors  with  railroads  seemed 
to  indicate  Edwardsburg  as  a  probable  station  on  the  canal  from  St. 
Joseph  river  to  the  lake. 

All  conditions  seemed  favorable  for  the  growth  of  a  city  on   the 


122  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

south  side  of  the  county.  But  at  the  middle  of  the  century  the  mighty 
rearrange!'  of  civihzation,  the  railroad,  pushed  its  way  through  Mich- 
igan and  northern  Indiana.  The  villages  touched  by  the  railroad  in  its 
course  flourished  as  though  by  magic.  Those  left  to  one  side  languished 
as  if  the  stream  of  life,  diverted,  ceased  to  nourish  their  activities.  The 
Chicago  road  was  no  longer  the  artery  of  commerce  it  had  been.  The 
stage  coaches  ceased  their  dailv  visits.  A  few  miles  to  the  south  the 
Michigan  Southern,  having  left  the  route  of  original  survey  at  White 
Pigeon,  coursed  through  the  villages  and  cities  of  northern  Indiana,  giv- 
ing new  life  to  Bristol,  Elkhart  and  South  Bend,  and  depriving  Edwards- 
burg  of  its  equal  chance  in  the  struggle  of  existence.  To  the  west  Niles 
became  a  station  on  the  Michigan  Central  and  prospered  accordingly, 
while  Edwardsburg,  thus  placed  between  the  tw^o  great  routes,  suffered 
the  barrenness  of  almost  utter  isolation. 

It  is  said  that  just  before  the  period  of  decline  began  Edwardsburg 
had  a  population  of  three  hundred,  with  churches,  school  and  business 
houses.  The  permanent  institutions  of  course  remained  although  with 
little  vitality,  but  the  business  decreased  until  but  one  store  remained  in 
185 1.  For  twenty  years  Edwardsburg  had  practically  no  business  activ- 
ity, and  was  little  more  than  a  community  center  which  was  maintained 
by  custom  and  because  of  the  existence  of  its  institutions  of  church,  edu- 
cation and  society. 

The  same  power  that  took  aw^ay  gave  back  again.  The  Grand 
Trunk  Railroad  was  completed  through  Edwardsburg  in  1871,  and  with 
the  establishment  of  communication  with  the  world  and  with  facilities  at 
hand  for  transportation  there  followed  a  revival  of  village  life.  Ten 
years  later  the  population  had  increased  from  297  to  500.  There  were 
about  twenty  stores  and  shops  and  a  list  of  professional  and  business 
men. 

Since  then  Edw^ardsburg  has  held  her  own.  There  is  good  reason  in 
the  assertion  that  the  village  is  the  best  grain  market  that  the  farmers 
of  the  south  half  of  the  county  can  find.  The  large  grain  elevator  along- 
side the  tracks  is  of  the  most  modern  type,  replacing  the  one  burnt  down 
a  few  years  ago,  and  a  steam  grist  mill  is  a  very  popular  institution 
among  the  farmers  of  this  section.  Edwardsburg  has  never  organized 
as  a  village,  and  hence  is  still,  from  a  civic  point  of  view,  a  part  of  the 
township  of  Ontwa.  The  village  improvements  have  been  made  in  only 
a  small  degree.     The  bucket  brigade  still  protects  from  fire,  and  the  con- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  123 

veniences  and  utilities  which  are  only  possible  in  an  organized  community 
are  still  absent. 

A  review  of  the  present  status  of  the  village  would  include  men- 
tion of  the  Walter  Brothers'  store,  the  principal  commercial  enterprise 
of  the  village;  half  a  dozen  other  stores  and  shops;  and  two  physicians. 
The  Methodist,  Presbyterian  and  Baptist  churches  all  have  buildings, 
and  the  Methodists  have  a  strong  organization.  It  is  a  center  of  fraternal 
activity,  the  following  orders  being  represented  here :  Masons,  Odd 
Fellows,  Knights  of  the  Maccabees,  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  the 
Royal  Neighbors,  the  Ancient  Order  of  Gleaners,  a  farmers'  organiza- 
tion, and  the  Patricians. 

It  is  always  of  interest  to  record  the  names  of  those  who  have  been 
identified  wnth  a  locality  in  the  past  or  who  are  still  living  there  but  at 
the  close  of  active  service.  One  of  the  first  old-timers  to  be  mentioned 
is  Eli  Benjamin,  wdio  is  eighty-two  years  old  and  one  of  the  oldest  resi- 
dents of  Edwards1>urg.  Edward  Hirons,  from  whom  many  of  these  notes 
were  obtained,  was  born  in  Milton  township  seventy  years  ago  and  has 
been  in  Edwardsburg  thirty-seven  years.  John  C.  Carmichael  and 
Cassius  M.  Dennis  are  other  old-timers.  Dr.  Griffin,  who  died  recently, 
w^as  a  physician  practicing  here  for  many  years,  and  another  doctor,  John 
B.  Sweetland,  died  only  a  few  years  ago. 

The  Griffin  House,  on  the  north  side  of  Main  street,  west  of  the 
alley,  in  which  the  postoftice  was  for  so  many  years  and  at  different 
times  located,  is  said  to  be  the  oldest  Iniilding  in  the  village.  When 
Edwardsburg  was  a  flourishing  station  on  the  stage  lines  it  supported 
two  liotels,  one  situated  on  the  south  side  of  Main  street  on  the  site  of 
R.  J.  Flicks'  store,  the  other  on  the  north  side  of  Main  street  on  the 
site  of  Dr.  Criswell's  residence.  The  vacant  lot  at  the  north  end  of 
Walter  Brothers'  store  was  the  site  of  a  hotel  erected  by  John  Earl, 
its  first  landlord,  in  1856.  Immediately  preceding  the  building  of  the 
Grand  Trunk  the  village  was  in  communication  with  the  world  by  a 
daily  stage  between  Elkhart  and  Dowagiac. 

Edwardsburg  has  been  the  home  of  many  prominent  men  in  the 
county's  life.  Dr.  Israel  G.  Bugbee  is  well  entitled  to  a  place  among 
the  leaders  in  county  affairs.  Judge  A.  J.  Smith  was  an  early  resident 
of  this  place  and  taught  school  here,  and  Judge  H.  H.  Coolidge,  also 
teacher  and  lawyer,  and  his  son,  the  present  Judge  Coolidge  of  Niles, 
was  a  boy  among  Edwardsburg  boys  before  he  ever  dreamed  of  judicial 
honors.     George  F.  Silver,  who  has  lived  here  seventy  years,  is  a  son  of 


124  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Orrin  Silver,  a  pioneer.  Other  names  that  readily  occur  are  those  of 
Dr.  Henry  Lockwood,  Dr.  Edgar  Reading,  Dr.  Levi  Aldrich,  Dr.  Daniel 
Thomas,  J.  L.  Jacks,  J.  W.  Lee,  W.  K.  Hopkins,  who  served  as  super- 
visor several  times,  ''Squire"  Dethic  Hewitt,  and  his  two  sons,  Daniel 
A.  and  John  P.,  blacksmiths,  H.  B.  Mead,  J.  W.  Bean,  J.  H.  Williams, 
J.  D.  Bean,  postmaster,  Jacob  R.  Reese,  one  of  the  biggest  merchants  of 
the  village.  William  and  Isaiah  Walter  have  been  longest  in  the  mer- 
cantile business  among  the  present  merchants. 

ADAMSVILLE. 

Traveling  east  along  the  Chicago  road,  about  five  miles  east  of 
Edwardsburg  one  crosses  the  Christiann  creek  at  the  site  of  a  once  am- 
bitious village.  A  cluster  of  houses  on  either  side  of  the  road,  most  of 
them  weatherbeaten  and  old,  are  almost  the  sole  indication  of  village 
life.  However,  there  are  two  grocery  stores,  and  the  last  census  gave 
the  number  of  inhabitants  on  the  village  site  as  207. 

Adamsville,  or  Adamsport,  originated  in  the  water  power  of  Chris- 
tiann creek.  A  mill  very  often  is  the  nucleus  for  population  to  concen- 
trate. ''The  Sages  made  the  town,"  was  the  statement  of  one  who 
knew  the  past  history  of  the  place.  The  Sage  family,  of  which  Moses 
Sage  was  the  first  and  principal  member,  with  his  sons,  Martin  G.  and 
Norman,  has  for  three-quarters  of  a  century  been  prominent  in  manu- 
facturing, financial  and  business  affairs  of  this  part  of  the  country,  their 
interests  being  now  centered  in  Elkhart,  where  Norman  and  other  mem- 
bers of  the  family  reside.  The  water  power  at  Adamsville  is  now  owned 
by  Mr.  H.  E.  Bucklen,  formerly  of  FJkhart,  now  of  Chicago,  who  bought 
it  from  the  Sage  estate  and  who  owns  all  the  water  power  on  the  Chris- 
tiann from  Elkhart  up.  The  grist  mill  is  the  only  manufacturing  concern 
now  at  Adamsville,  though  formerly  there  were  a  stave  factory  and  a 
sawmill. 

The  first  plat  of  Adamsport  was  filed  for  record  March  21,  1833. 
"Appeared  before  Ezra  Beardsley,  justice  of  the  peace.  Sterling  Adams, 
who  acknowledged  that  he  had  laid  out  the  within  town  of  Adams  Port 
and  also  acknowledged  that  the  lots  and  streets  are  laid  out  as  described." 
The  platted  ground  was  on  the  east  side  of  the  creek  and  was  bisected 
by  the  Chicago  road,  the  other  streets  being  laid  out  at  right  angles  to 
this  main  thoroughfare.  On  May  5,  1835,  ^^^  P^^^  was  received  for 
record  of  the  village  of  Christiann,  laid  out  by  Moses  Sage  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  creek.     Within  a  year  plats  of  "Stevens'  addition" 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  125 

and  ''Johnson's  addition''  were  filed.  It  was  evidently  the  purpose  and 
the  hope  of  the  founders  to  make  Adamsville,  with  manufacturing  as  a 
basis,  the  foremost  center  of  south  Cass  county,  rivahng  Edwardsburg. 
Moses  Sage  built  the  first  grist  mill  in  1835,  and  with  the  mill 
running  night  and  day  for  several  years,  it  is  not  surprising  that  a  con- 
siderable community  soon  grew  up  at  this  point.  But  as  soon  as  the 
railroads  were  built  and  established  new  relations  between  centers, 
Adamsville  began  to  decline,  although  its  manufacturing  enterprise  has 
always  been  valuable.  A  postoffice  was  established  here  in  an  early  day 
and  continued  until  rural  free  delivery  made  it  no  longer  necessary. 
There  is  a  United  Brethren  church  in  the  village. 

In  describing  the  centers  of  population  in  this  chapter  we  make 
especial  mention  of  the  groups  of  population  which  take  the  forms 
of  hamlets  or  villages.  It  is  necessary  to  say  that  the  institutions  of  edu- 
cation and  religion  are  centralizing  influences  of  great  power,  and  a 
church  or  a  schoolhouse  is  often  the  heart  of  the  social  community.  But 
the  consideration  of  churches  and  schools  must  be  left  to  a  later  chapter, 
where  it  is  our  purpose  to  give  an  adequate  account  of  these  institu- 
tions in  their  relation  to  the  county. 

KESSINGTON    (sAILOR). 

Mason  township  has  many  churches  and  its  proportionate  share  of 
schools,  but  of  other  centers  it  is  practically  destitute.  In  the  register's 
office  will  be  found  a  plat,  recorded  July  23,  1872,  by  Moses  McKissick, 
of  a  village  site  in  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section  14.  To  this  he  gave 
the  name  Kessington  or  Sailor.  The  plat  comprised  nineteen  lots.  Al- 
though one  might  drive  over  this  site  and  notice  nothing  more  remark- 
able at  this  country  crossroads  than  a  church  and  a  school,  at  one  time 
Mr.  McKessick  kept  a  general  store  and  there  was  also  a  blacksmith 
shop. 

UNION. 

One  other  center  along  the  old  Chicago  road  remains  to  be  de- 
scribed. On  the  west  side  of  south  Porter  township  is  beautiful  Bald- 
win's prairie,  one  of  the  most  delightful  landscapes  in  Cass  county  and 
its  citizenship  among  the  most  prosperous.  Baldwin's  prairie,  ages  be- 
fore the  earliest  fact  of  history  recorded  in  this  book,  was  the  bed  of 
some  large  lake,  similar  to  many  in  this  county.  The  processes  of  nature 
finally  drained  the  waters  off  into  the  St.  Joseph  river;  the  swamp  in  time 
gave  place  to  prairie,  and  as  the  Indians  and  the  first  settlers  knew  the 


12t]  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

locality   tlie  grass   and   wild  flowers   spread   their  carpet  over   its   level 
area. 

A  plain  so  beautiful,  with  fertility  so  deep  and  so  prodigal  of  prod- 
ucts, did  not  escape  the  eye  of  the  practical  pioneer,  and  settlement  and 
development  were  naturally  followed  by  a  concentration  of  population. 
Sections  7  and  8  of  south  Porter  were  among  the  first  entered  in  this 
portion  of  the  county,  and  such  w^ell  known  pioneers  as  Elam  Beardsley, 
James  Hitchcox,  Othni  Beardsley,  John  Baldwin,  Chester  Sage,  Jacob 
Charles,  Nathan  and  William  Tibbits  had  taken  up  land  on  this  prairie, 
none  later  than  1831. 

John  Baldwin  kept  tavern  in  his  home  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
travelers  along  the  Chicago  road,  and  Othni  Beardsley  w^as  another 
pioneer  nni-keeper.  In  1831  Jacob  Charles  became  the  first  postmaster 
for  this  vicinity,  distributing  the  mail  at  his  house.  The  Beardsley  tav- 
ern, erected  in  1833,  was  one  of  the  regular  stations  on  the  stage  line 
and  hence  an  important  point.  This  house  was  burned  in  1836,  and 
Jarius  Hitchcox  then  opened  up  his  house  as  a  tavern  and  stage  station. 
The  Hitchcox  house  was  on  the  north  side  of  the  road  on  the  east  side 
of  Union  village.  The  brick  house  now  standing  there,  and  the  present 
residence  of  Mrs.  Montgomery,  w^as  built  over  sixty  years  ago  and  was 
the  tavern  until  the  traffic  of  the  road  ceased  with  the  beginning  of  the 
railroad  era.  This  house  is  accordingly  one  of  the  most  historic  places 
in  Cass  county,  having  sheltered  hundreds  of  emigrants  during  the 
pioneer  period.  When  the  stage  station  was  located  here  extensive  sheds 
in  the  rear  accommodated  the  vehicles  and  horses  of  the  stage  company. 
Mr.  S.  M.  Rinehart,  whose  pleasant  home  is  just  across  the  road,  lived 
here  wliile  the  stages  were  yet  running  and  many  a  time  heard  with 
Ijoyish  eagerness  the  blast  of  the  horn  which  announced  the  arrival  of 
the  stage. 

The  postoffice  and  stage  station  were  the  beginning  of  the  village  of 
Union.  Union  has  never  been  incorporated,  and  its  commercial  import- 
ance is  quite  overshadowed  by  Bristol  and  Elkhart,  and  yet  it  has  con- 
tinued from  pioneer  days  as  a  focus  for  the  interests  of  a  large  and  pros- 
perous surrounding  country. 

Situated  on  the  northwestern  edg^  of  Baldwin's  prairie,  with  its 
houses  at  the  foot  of  the  hills  which  encircle  the  plain  on  the  west  and 
north  and  from  w^hich  one  overlooks  the  village  and  beyond  to  the  blue 
haze  of  the  range  on  the  south  side  of  the  St.  Joseph  river.  Union  makes 
no  claims  to  metropolitan  features,  yet  is  a  supply  center  for  a  consid- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  127 

erable  area.  Two  stores,  a  blacksmith  and  repair  shop  and  implement 
house  comprise  the  business  enterprise.  The  rural  mail  wagons  bring 
the  mail  for  the  villagers,  but,  contrary  to  what  we  have  seen  happen  in 
many  such  centers,  the  postofhce  is  still  maintained  in  the  village.  The 
postmaster  is  William  Eby,  son  of  Gabriel  Eby,  who  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
seven  is  the  oldest  man  in  Union  and  by  reason  of  fifty  years'  residence 
one  of  the  oldest  citizens.  Nelson  Cleveland,  of  this  neigh1>orhoo(l,  is 
also  about  eighty-seven  years  old. 

Mr.  S.  M.  Rinehart,  who  contributed  much  of  the  information  con-, 
cerning  Union,  was  born  near  the  James  E.  Bonine  place  in  Penn  town- 
ship, near  Vandalia,  seventy-five  years  ago  and  has  lived  on  the  east  side 
of  Union  village  since  he  was  twelve  years  old,  so  that  he  is  the  longest 
resident.  He  is  at  this  time  president  of  the  Cass  County  Pioneer 
Society. 

Union  now  has  a  population  of  about  150.  Whether  the  future  holds 
grow^th  and  development  in  store  for  this  community,  must  be  left  to  a 
later  historian  to  record.  But  the  citizens  are  sanguine  over  the  pros- 
pects which  the  promised  early  completion  of  the  South  Bend-Kalamazoo 
electric  road  through  the  village  unfolds. 

W^ILLIAMSVILLE. 

July  5,  1849,  Josiah  Williams,  as  proprietor,  filed  a  plat  of  a  village 
to  be  known  as  Williamsville,  the  site  being  in  the  southeast  quarter  of 
Section  7  in  North  Porter  township.  An  addition  was  recorded  to  this 
plat  September  14,  1850.  Mr.  Williams  was  also  proprietor  of  the  first 
store.  The  ''Williamsville  neighborhood"  has  been  a  distinctive  name 
for  many  years,  and  as  the  center  of  this  locality  Williamsville  is  worthy 
of  a  brief  history.  Its  population  has  never  reached  much  beyond  the 
hundred  mark.  Twenty-five  years  ago  it  had  tw^o  stores,  tw^o  blacksmith 
shops,  a  grist  mill  and  a  sawmill,  and  one  pliysician.  At  the  present 
time  its  general  activity  consists  of  the  following:  A  telephone  ex- 
change of  an  independent  company.  It  may  be  remarked  that  there  are 
more  telephones  in  use  on  the  south  side  of  the  county  than  on  the  north 
side.  Here  in  1854  the  late  William  R.  Merritt  engaged  in  the  mercan- 
tile business  and  for  twenty  years  kept  one  of  the  best  stocked  country 
stores  to  be  found  anyw^here,  equaling,  if  not  excelling,  many  general 
stocks  kept  by  village  merchants.  His  store  was  the  trading  place  for 
miles  around  and  many  of  his  customers  were  found  among  those  who 
bought  on  their  promise  to  pay,  not  having  any  visible  property  to  make 


128  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

the  promise  good.  Few  indeed  were  the  people  who  could  not  obtain 
credit  with  him.  After  removing  to  Bristol,  Indiana,  the  business  was 
continued  for  a  number  of  years  by  his  son,  J.  Fred  Merritt. 

It  was  in  this  little  hamlet  that  Dr.  Greenberry  Cousins,  on  the 
1 6th  day  of  August,  1870,  came  to  his  death  at  the  hands  of  Andrew  J. 
Burns,  who,  after  being  tried  twice  on  the  charge  of  murder,  the  jury 
each  time  failing  to  agree  upon  a  verdict,  was  discharged  and  given  his 
liberty  after  being  confined  in  the  county  jail  for  about  one  year  await- 
ing these  trials. 

BROWNSVILLE. 

Calvin  township  has  had  numerous  centers,  such  as  churches,  schools, 
mills,  at  different  times  and  different  situations.  The  hamlet  of  Browns- 
ville alone  may  be  considered  in  this  part  of  the  history,  since  Calvin 
center  will  be  mentioned  in  connection  with  the  negro  settlement. 

Christiann  creek,  flowing  for  a  considerable  part  of  its  length  across 
this  township,  early  afforded  the  best  mill  sites  in  the  south  part  of 
Cass  county.  A  sawmill  was  built  in  section  19  about  1832  and  in  the 
following  year  a  distillery  at  that  point  began  the  manufacture  of  pure 
whiskey  which  was  sold  at  twenty-five  cents  a  gallon.  But  before  this, 
in  183 1,  Pleasant  Grubb  had  constructed  a  grist  mill  in  section  9.  This 
was  one  of  the  first  flour  mills  in  the  county  and  its  product  was  eagerly 
sought.  David  and  William  Brown,  brothers  who  had  come  from  Scot- 
land, soon  purchased  this  mill,  and  the  little  community  which  grew  up 
around  the  mill  honored  them  by  giving  the  name  Brownsville  to  the 
place.  No  plat  was  ever  made,  but  enough  village  activity  has  prevailed 
to  distinguish  the  locality  from  the  general  rural  district.  When  the 
former  history  of  the  county  was  published,  twenty-five  years  ago,  its 
enterprise  consisted  in  a  flour  mill,  a  general  store,  two  blacksmith  shops, 
a  cooper  and  a  shoe  shop,  a  millinery  store,  pump  factory,  harness  shop, 
two  carpenters  and  two  physicians.  At  the  present  time  there  are  the 
grist  mill,  run  by  water  power,  a  steam  sawmill,  a  blacksmith  shop,  and 
the  postofiice  has  been  discontinued  since  rural  free  delivery  was  estab- 
lished. The  population  has  remained  at  about  one  hundred.  Levi  Gar- 
wood, Williams  Adamson  and  James  Hybert  (colored)  are  named  as 
the  oldest  residents  of  this  community. 

DAILEY, 

Jefferson  township,  midway  between  the  county  seat  and  Edwards- 
burg,   although   traversed   by  two   railroads,   has   never  developed   any 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  129 

important  center.  Redfield's  mills  on  Christiann  creek  on  the  eastern 
edge  of  the  township  at  one  time  had  a  store  and  postoffice,  a  sawmill 
and  grist  mill,  the  latter  run  now  for  grinding  buckwheat  and  feed  only. 
It  still  has  a  general  store.  The  only  other  place  that  can  be  dignified 
by  distinct  reference  in  this  chapter  is  Dailey,  in  section  6.  The  citi- 
zens of  this  locality,  among  whom  was  Israel  A.  Shingledecker,  who 
proposed  the  name  of  Itasca,  desired  a  station  when  the  Air  Line  rail- 
road passed  through  that  part  of  the  township,  and  by  donating  three 
acres  of  land  to  the  company  secured  a  freight  and  passenger  house. 
There  being  opposition  to  Itasca,  the  station  was  given  the  name  of 
Dailey,  in  honor  of  A.  H.  Dailey,  roadmaster  of  the  railroad.  A  post- 
office  was  established  in  1872,  with  M.  T.  Garvey  as  first  postmaster, 
and  two  stores  with  a  blacksmith  shop  soon  supplemented  the  business 
activity  of  the  place.  In  March,  1880,  Levi  M.  Vail  filed  a  plat  of  lots 
laid  out  on  land  just  west  of  the  depot  site.  A  cornet  band  was  at  one 
time  an  institution  of  the  place.  The  population  at  the  last  census  was 
about  a  hundred. 

The  progress  of  our  narrative  brings  us  now  to  the  center  of  the 
county,  but  instead  of  describing  the  growth  and  present  status  of  Cass- 
opolis  it  seems  best  to  reserve  the  county  seat  village  for  a  separate 
chapter,  as  also  will  be  done  in  the  case  of  the  city  of  Dowagiac. 

GENEVA. 

In  the  story  of  the  county  seat  contest  the  founding  of  the  now  ex- 
tinct village  of  Geneva  has  been  described.  Some  additional  facts  are 
of  interest  in  preserving  to  memory  of  future  generations  the  site  of 
what  might  have  become  the  central  city  of  the  county.  The  plat  of 
Geneva,  which  was  recorded  May  i,  1832,  shows  that  the  village  was 
laid  out  on  the  north  side  of  Diamond  lake.  The  owners  of  the  site, 
whose  signatures  are  affixed  tO'  the  plat,  were  Colonel  E.  S.  Sibley,  H.  L. 
and  A.  C.  Stewart,  H.  H.  Fowler  and  Abner  Kelsey.  With  the  proviso 
that  Geneva  be  constituted  the  county  seat,  ''the  public  square  is  given 
to  the  county  on  which  to  erect  county  offices,"  besides  certain  other 
lots.  The  traveled  road  going  east  from  Cassopolis  passes  along  the 
main  street  of  Geneva  about  where  it  reaches  the  north  bank  of  Dia- 
mond lake.  Geneva  never  had  the  institutions  of  school  and  church, 
but  the  business  enterprise  was  considerable  until  Cassopolis  absorbed 
it  all.  A  store  was  established  in  1830.  Nathan  Baker  about  the  same 
time  established  a  blacksmith  shop,   and  several  years  later  a   furnace 


130  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

foir  the  manufacture  of  plow  castings,  this  being  the  first  industry  of 
the  kind  in  the  county,  and  the  ''Baker  plow"  gaining  a  reputation  far 
beyond  the  limits  of  the  county.  H.  H.  Fowler,  the  principal  promoter 
of  the  village,  did  not  relax  his  efforts  for  building  up  the  village  even 
after  the  county  seat  had  become  permanent,  as  is  evident  from  the  fact 
that  in  October,  1836,  he  recorded  the  plat  of  an  addition  to  the  original 
site.  Nothing  now  remains  of  Geneva,  and  only  those  who  delve  into 
matters  of  the  past  would  know,  as  they  passed  over  the  site,  how  m-uch 
enthusiasm  and  efifort  w^ere  once  expended  toward  making  a  village  rise 
on  the  high  shores  of  Diamond  lake.  The  village  site  and  vicinity  are 
now  known  as  "Shore  Acres." 

PENN    (jAMESTOWn). 

In  the  register's  office  is  a  plat  of  the  village  of  Jamestown,  which 
was  recorded  by  Isaac  P.  James,  November  12,  1869.  This  site  was 
located  on  the  east  side  of  section  16  in  Penn  township.  On  November 
25,  1884,  Jesse  Wright  recorded  an  addition,  taken  from  land  that  ad- 
joined in  section  15.  Jamestown  is  an  imfamiliar  name,  and  many  per- 
sons would  not  recognize  in  it  the  name  of  the  center  of  Penn  township. 

The  founder  of  the  village  bestowed  upon  it  the  name  of  Jamestown 
for  himself,  the  same  as  he  did  on  the  village  plat.  The  postoffice  depart- 
ment refused  to  adopt  that  name  for  the  proposed  postoffice  there,  as 
there  was  at  that  time  a  Jamestown  postoffice  in  Ottawa  county,  and  es- 
tablished the  office  under  the  name  of  Penn,  and  gradually  that  name 
loecame  the  common  designation  for  the  hamlet. 

There  were  hopes  in  the  minds  of  the  founders  that,  with  the  com- 
pletion of  the  line  of  the  Grand  Trunk  railroad  through  the  site,  a  con- 
siderable village  might  rise  at  this  point.  Parker  James,  a  son  of  Isaac 
P.  James,  established  a  store,  and  later  a  sawmill  was  built  and  one  or 
two  other  shops  opened.  It  now  has  a  resident  physician,  two  churches, 
a  school  house  with  two  departments.  Its  principal  enterprises  are  a 
sawmill,  two  general  stores  and  a  blacksmith  shop.  One  of  the  stores, 
in  addition  to  the  stock  usually  kept  in  country  stores,  keeps  on  hand 
agricultural  implements,  coal,  lime,  etc.  Penn  had,  according  to  the 
last  census,  a  population  of  two  hundred. 

VANDALIA. 

A  grist  mill  built  on  the  banks  of  Christiann  creek  along  the  state 
road  in  section  27  of  Penn  township  was  the  enterprise  which  served  as 
the  nucleus  for  the  village  of  Vandalia.     This  mill  was  built  in   1849 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  131 

by  Stephen  Bogue  and  C.  P.  Ball,  both  valiant  Quakers  and  notable 
pioneers  in  Penn  township.  February  21,  1851,  a  plat  of  the  village  of 
Vandalia  was  filed  by  these  two  men,  the  land  which  they  chose  for  the 
proposed  village  being  on  the  east  side  of  Christiann  creek,  and  com])ris- 
ing  a  portion  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  2y.  The  original  site 
has  been  expanded  by  eight  additions,  and  the  incorporated  limits  of  the 
village  now  extend  across  the  creek  on  the  west  side  and  the  larger  part 
of  the  plat  lies  in  section  26. 

In  the  days  of  beginnings  Abraham  Sigerfoos  was  the  village  black- 
smith, Asa  Kingsbtu'v  of  Cassopolis  the  first  merchant,  he  having  estab- 
lished a  branch  store  there  with  the  late  Judge  A.  J.  Smith  as  manager, 
and  T.  J.  Wilcox  the  first  postmaster.  The  principal  impetus  to  growth 
was,  of  course,  the  Air  Line  railroad,  which  placed  the  village  in  connec- 
tion with  the  outside  world  in  1871.  This  was  followed  by  incorporation 
in  1875,  and  Vandalia  is  now  one  of  the  three  incorporated  villages  in 
Cass  county. 

HOWARDVILLE. 

Few^  names  are  more  completely  lost  to  memory  than  the  above. 
The  proximity  of  Howard  township  to  Niles,  not  to  mention  other 
causes,  has  never  fostered  the  growth  of  villages  in  the  township.  But 
in  the  pioneer  years,  when  immigration  was  setting  in  at  full  tide, 
George  Fosdick,  an  enterprising  settler,  endeavored  to  found  a  village, 
to  which  he  gave  the  name  Howardville.  The  plat  was  recorded  Octo- 
ber 8,  1835,  the  site  being  in  section  21,  on  "the  north  bank  of  Lake 
Alone,"  the  plat  being  two  blocks  wide  and  running  north  from  the  lake 
shore  four  blocks.  To  the  present  generation  it  is  necessary  to  explain 
that  Lake  Alone  is  the  familiar  Barren  lake.  Its  remoteness  from  any 
other  body  of  water,  and  the  absence  of  surface  outlets,  gave  this  lake 
its  first  name.  Fosdick's  village  did  not  prosper,  and  in  a  short  time  the 
plow  furrows  passed  without  distinction  over  the  platted  as  the  unplat- 
ted land,  and  Howardville  was  forgotten. 

In  more  recent  years,  since  the  Air  Line  railroad  was  built,  a  sta- 
tion was  established,  called  Barren  Lake  station.  The  town  hall  is 
near  by,  also  a  school.  This  is  as  far  as  the  township  of  Howard  has 
gone  in  the  formation  of  a  central  community. 

LA  GRANGE  VILLAGE. 

The  road  leading  north  and  west  from  Cassopolis  toward  Dowa- 
giac  passes  for  the  first  few  miles  over  som6  of  the  most  rugged  land- 


132  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

scape  in  Cass  county.     This  is  the  highest  point  of  the  watershed  which 
interposes  a  barrier-Hke  group  of  hills  between  the  courses  of  the  Dowa- 
giac  creek  and  Christiann  creek.     But  on  arriving  at  the  crest  of  the 
last  hill  the  broad  valley  of  the  D'owagiac  creek  seems,  by  reason  of  the 
contrast,  as  level  as  a  chessboard  and  a  scene  of  quiet  and  gentle  beauty. 
One  is  not  surprised  that  this  fertile  and  reposeful  plain  was  early  sought 
as  a  habitation  and  place  of  activity  by  the  pioneers.     The  beauty  of  the 
natural  surroundings,  the  rich  and  productive  soil,  and  the  advantageous 
sites  for  mills  and  industries  were  recognized  by  the  first  settlers,  and 
were  the  chief  prerequisites  for  the  development  of  a  flourishing  city. 
And  yet  the  present  aspect  of  LaGrange  brings  up  the  picture  of 
the  ^'Deserted  Village."     The  main  street  leading  north  to  the  millpond 
is  lined  with  weatherbeaten  houses  which  bear  every  indication  of  iden- 
tity with  the  past.     Some  of  these  buildings  have  long  been  unoccupied, 
and,  uncared  for,  have  become  prey  to  the  wind  and  rain,     *^^rrested 
development"   seems   to   characterize  the  entire  place.      The   last   store 
building,  from  which  the  stock  of  goods  was  removed  several  years  ago, 
is  almost  the  only  reminder  of  commercial  activity.     Rural  free  deliv- 
ery  caused   the   disestablishment   of   the   postoffice   in   February,    1901. 
The  Methodist  church  is  the  only  active  religious  organization.     The 
two-story,  brick  district  school,  on  the  south  edge  of  the  village,  shows 
that  the  decline  of  commercial  prosperity  has  not  affected  the  progress 
of  education.     The  water  power,   on  the  opposite  side  of  the  village, 
which  once  turned  grist  mills  and  factories,  now  turns  a  turbine  wheel 
of  the  plant  that  partly  supplies  Dowagiac  with  electric  lights. 

This  diversion  of  the  only  remaining  permanent  resource  of  La- 
Grange  to  the  benefit  and  use  of  Dowagiac  is  the  final  fact  of  a  series  of 
similar  events  by  which  LaGrange  has  been  reduced  to  its  present  status 
among  the  centers  of  the  county.  With  all  the  natural  advantages  which 
gave  promise  of  a  thriving  city,  the  course  of  events  took  other  direc- 
tions. First,  LaGrange,  though  an  active  competitor  for  the  honor,  failed 
to  gain  the  county  seat.  Its  business  enterprise  was  at  the  time  superior 
to  that  of  Cassopolis  or  Geneva,  but  its  location  was  not  central  enough 
to  secure  the  decision  of  the  commissioners.  The  loss  of  the  county  seat 
might  not  have  prevented  LaGrange  becoming  what  its  promoters  ar- 
dently desired.  But  with  the  building  of  the  Michigan  Central  rail- 
road four  miles  to  the  northwest,  a  powerful  and  resourceful  rival  came 
into  action.  With  the  railroad  furnishing  transportation  as  a  basis  for 
unlimited  production  and  industry,  Dowagiac  rapidly  became  a  center 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  133 

of  business  and  manufacturing.  LaGrange  could  not  compete  on  equal 
terms,  its  manufactures  dwindled  and  were  moved  to  the  rival  town, 
and  with  the  diverting  of  the  water  powder  to  supply  Dowagiac  with 
electric  lighting,  the  last  chapter  has  been  written  in  the  decadence  of 
a  village  that  has  played  a  large  part  in  early  Cass  county  history.  La- 
Grange  might  now  well  be  considered  a  suburb  of  the  city  of  Dowagiac. 

Such  is  a  general  outline  of  the  rise  and  fall  of  this  village.  The 
details  may  be  briefly  recorded.  The  millsite  had  first  been  developed 
by  Job  Davis,  who  built  a  sawmill  there  in  1829.  This  mill  was  bought 
by  Martin  C.  Whitman  in  1831.  In  the  following  year  he  erected  a 
grist  mill  at  the  same  place,  this  being  one  of  the  first  mills  in  the  county 
for  supplying  the  pioneers  with  flour. 

August  4,  1834,  Mr.  Whitman,  as  ''proprietor  and  owner,"  filed 
the  first  plat  of  the  village  of  Whitmanville.  The  site  was  on  the  north 
side,  about  the  center,  of  section  15.  Erastus  H.  Spalding,  who  owned 
land  adjoining,  in  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  10,  platted  an  addi- 
tion April  16,  1836,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  LaGrange.  On  July  i, 
1836,  Mr.  Whitman  platted  a  part  of  his  land  on  the  southeast  quarter 
of  section  10  as  an  addition  to  LaGrange,  and  in  September  following 
platted  some  land  in  section  15  as  an  addition  to  Whitmanville.  It 
seems,  therefore,  that  the  site  that  lay  in  section  10  was  originally  des- 
ignated as  LaGrange,  and  that  in  section  15  as  Whitmanville.  The  lat- 
ter name  was  commonly  used  until  the  legislature,  by  an  act  approved 
February  12,  1838,  formally  changed  the  name  Whitmanville  to  La- 
Grange. 

In  the  meantime  E.  H.  Spalding  had  become  proprietor  of  the  grist 
mill,  and  the  business  activity  of  the  place  became  considerable.  There 
were  four  large  stores  in  the  place  besides  the  mills.  The  large,  shallow 
millpond,  however,  caused  much  malarial  sickness,  and  this,  with  the 
loss  of  county  seat  prospects  and  the  destruction  of  the  grist  mill  by 
fire,  caused  a  setback  to  the  prosperity  of  the  village. 

In  1856  there  was  a  revival.  Abram  Van  Riper  and  sons  Charles 
and  Garry  bought  the  millsite,  constructed  a  flour  mill  and  also  a  woolen 
mill.  The  latter  was  an  institution  of  great  importance  to  the  commu- 
nity. It  furnished  labor  to  many  persons,  both  women  and  men,  and 
also  children,  and  thus  attracted  a  considerable  population  to  settle  in 
the  vicinity.  Besides  the  Van  Ripers,  the  late  Daniel  Lyle  of  Dowagiac 
was  interested  in  the  woolen  mill.  In  1878  a  stock  company,  known  as 
the   LaGrange   Knitting   Mills   Company,   purchased   the   mill   property 


134  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

and  converted  it  into  a  knitting  factory,  principally  for  the  manufacture 
of  underwear. 

There  were  other  manufactures.  Hervey  Bigelow  had  begun  the 
manufacture  of  furniture  here  in  1836  and  continued  it  until  185 1, 
when  Dowagiac  offered  him  better  opportunities  and  he  moved  to  that 
village.  William  Van  Riper  established  a  basket  factory  in  1868.  There 
was  a  small  foundry  twenty-five  years  ago.  All  these  industries  have 
gone  out  of  existence  or  been  moved  away. 

MECHANICSBURG. 

On  the  north  side  of  the  public  road  that  passes  along  the  south 
side  of  section  30  in  LaGrange  township,  about  where  the  school  house 
stands  and  near  the  Pokagon  creek,  was  once  platted  a  village  called 
Mechanicsburg.  The  plat  of  this  village  was  filed  March  29,  1837,  by 
John  Petticrew,  the  proprietor  of  the  site.  wSeveral  years  later  he  built 
a  tannery  there,  but  aside  from  that  and  a  blacksmith  shop,  the  village 
had  nothing  to  justify  its  platting. 

SUMNERVILLE   AND    POKAGON. 

These  two  little  villages,  a  mile  and  a  half  apart,  belong,  the  one 
to  the  pioneer  period,  the  other  to  the  railroad  era.  We  have  taken 
pains  to  show  the  various  influences  at  work  in  the  development  of  the 
county,  how  localities  favored  by  nature  have  received  the  first  impulse 
of  settlement;  and  how'  roads,  streams,  railroads,  acts  of  the  legislature, 
and  personal  enterprise  have  all  been  pivotal  factors  in  the  history  of 
communities.  The  history  of  Sumnerviile  and  Pokagon  is  an  excel- 
lent study  in  these  shifting  processes. 

Sumnerviile  is  located  at  the  junction  of  the  Pokagon  creek  with 
Dowagiac  creek.  The  heavy  timber  growth  in  this  locality  favored  the 
improvement  of  the  water  power  at  this  point,  and  in  1835  Isaac  Sumner 
built  a  sawmill  here,  and  two'  years  later  a  grist  mill.  These  two  industries 
were  all-important  at  that  time,  and  were  a  substantial  basis  for  a  vil- 
lage. Mr.  Sumner  and  Junius  H.  Hatch  accordingly  platted  a  village 
here  in  August,  1836,  giving  it  the  name  of  Sumnerviile.  About  the 
same  time  Alexander  Davis  became  first  merchant  and  Peabody  Cook 
the  proprietor  of  the  first  hotel.  From  this  time  forward  the  village 
increased  slowly  in  population  and  business.  Its  population  by  the  last 
census  was  about  one  hundred  and  fifty.  In  1880,  according  tO'  a  gaz- 
etteer of  that  year,  it  had  a  population  of  184,  and  its  industries  were  a 
flouring  mill  and  a  woolen  mill. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  135 

Pokagon,  on  the  other  hand,  akhough  located  on  the  prairie  where 
the  first  settlement  was  made  in  Cass  county,  and  where  the  first  post- 
ofiice  was  established,  was,  as  respects  its  business  importance,  the  prod- 
uct of  the  railroad  which  was  constructed  through  in  1846.  William 
Baldwin,  the  noted  pioneer  whose  death  was  chronicled  in  August,  1904, 
laid  out  this  village  June  15,  1858.  The  original  site,  to  quote  the  rec- 
ord, was  ''situated  on  the  west  side  of  the  railroad,  in  the  southwest 
quarter  of  section  28/'  Three  additions  have  since  been  made,  expand- 
ing the  village  into  section  33  and  to  1x)th  sides  of  the  railroad.  A  grist 
mill  had  been  built  in  1856,  and  several  stores  and  shops  soon  gave  the 
business  activity  to  the  place  which  it  has  retained  ever  since.  The 
population  has  been  at  a1>out  two  hundred  for  thirty  years. 

SHAKESPEARE. 

Of  all  the  forgotten  village  sites  in  Cass  county  that  of  Shake- 
speare has  had  most  reason  to  be  remembered.  •  Situated  ''at  the  Long 
rapids  of  the  Dowagiac  river,"  as  the  record  reads,  Shakespeare  was 
platted  June  17,  1836,  by  Jonathan  Brow^n  and  Elias  B.  Sherman,  the 
latter  the  well  known  pioneer  of  Cass  county,  the  former  somewhat  of 
an  adventurer,  to  judge  from  this  transaction.  The  site  of  the  village 
was  on  the  Dowagiac,  including  land  in  sections  8,  9  and  17  of  Pokagon 
township.  Sherman  owned  forty  acres  at  this  point  and  Brown  a  sim- 
ilar tract.  They  decided  to  plat  and  promote  a  village.  The  \vater  powxr 
could  be  utilized  to  develop  splendid  industries,  and  the  eyes  of  the  pro- 
moters could  see  nothing  but  roseate  prospects  for  a  city  at  this  location. 
A  lithographed  prospectus  of  the  proposed  village  was  got  out  illustra- 
ting in  most  attractive  style  all  these  and  other  advantages,  and  was  cir- 
culated in  distant  cities.  The  prospectus  and  personal  representations 
of  Mr.  Brown  sold  a  number  of  village  lots.  Mr.  Sherman  w^ithdrew 
from  the  partnership  as  soon  as  he  saw  that  the  representations  were 
overdraw'U,  and  the  principal  promoter  soon  left  the  country  without 
ever  having  done  anything  to  develop  the  enterprise.  During  the  next 
few  years  -more  than  one  sanguine  investor  in  Shakespeare  lots,  after 
toiling  through  the  woods  and  brush  to  the  wilderness  that  covered  the 
"city,"  was  brought  to  realize  the  folly  of  speculation  in  unknow^n  quan- 
tities. But  now,  outside  of  the  office  of  register  of  deeds,  where  "Shake- 
speare" still  presents  tangles  in  the  records,  few  know  that  such  a  vil- 
lage ever  existed. 


136  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

NEWBERG. 

Another  village  that  was  platted  without  substantial  reason  for  an 
existence  and  which  belongs  in  history  because  of  the  plat  on  file  at  the 
register's  office,  was  Newberg.  Spencer  Nicholson,  an  early  settler  of 
Newberg  township,  was  the  proprietor,  and  the  village  plat  was  filed 
May  15,  1837.  The  site  w^as  on  the  south  shore  of  Lilly  lake,  its  ex- 
act location  being  the  north  end  of  the  east  half  of  the  iiorthw^est  quar- 
ter of  section  1,2. 

JONES   AND    COREY. 

Born  of  the  Air  Line  railroad  were  the  two  villages  above  named. 
Jones,  the  main  street  of  which  is  the  section  line  between  sections  34 
and  35  of  Newberg  township,  at  the  present  time  has  four  general 
stores,  one  grocery,  shoe  store,  two  hardware  stores,  one  saloon,  har- 
ness and  blacksmith  shop,  and  a  population  approximating  three  hun- 
dred. The  plat  of  the  village  w^as  recorded  October  19,  1897,  by  Alonzo 
P.  Beeman,  but  the  first  business  structure  at  this  point  of  the  newly 
built  Air  Line  railroad  was  a  store  put  up  in  187 1  by  H.  Micksel.  The 
p>ostoffice  for  this  immediate  vicinity  had  been  established  at  the  house 
of  Mr.  E.  H.  Jones,  on  section  34,  in  1870.  The  first  postoffice  in  the 
township  w^as  located  at  Lilly  lake  as  early  as  1838,  and  an  office  at 
different  points  in  the  township  had  existed  and  been  kept  in  farmers' 
houses  from  that  time,  with  different  postmasters,  until  the  founding 
of  the  village  of  Jones.  Other  early  business  men  were  David  Fairfield, 
hotelkeeper  and  merchant;  H.  B.  Doust,  and  A.  L.  Dunn.  Mr.  Frank 
Dunn,  present  supervisor  from  Newberg,  has  been  in  business  at  Jones 
since  1879.  Ed  H.  Jones,  founder  of  the  village  of  Jones,  is  still  liv- 
ing, and  other  old-timers  of  this  vicinity  are  William  Young,  perhaps 
the  oldest  man  in  the  town;  William  Harwood,  Myron  F.  Burney, 
Alonzo  P.  Beeman,  ex-supervisor  and  ex-county  treasurer,  and  Nelson 
Hutchins. 

Corey,  which  is  situated  on  the  county  line,  in  section  36  of  New- 
berg tow^nship,  was  surveyed  into  a  village  site  in  April,  1872.  Hazen 
W.  Brown  and  C.  R.  Crawford  were  the  first  merchants.  Its  popula- 
tion is  still  less  than  a  hundred,  and  its  business  interests  necessarily 
small. 

WAKELEE. 

In  the  south  part  of  the  county  the  building  of  the  Grand  Trunk 
railroad  revived   the  decadent  village  of  Edwardsburg  and   partly  re- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  137 

stored  the  commercial  prestige  which  it  had  known  in  the  days  when  the 
Chicago  road  was  the  great  trunk  hne  of  communication.  In- the  north- 
east corner  of  the  county  the  same  railroad  caused  the  founding  of  two 
villages. 

Wakelee,  which  is  situated,  like  Dowagiac,  on  the  corner  of  four 
townships,  Marcellus,  Volinia,  Newberg  and  Penn,  and  being  unincor- 
porated, divides  its  civic  functions  with  the  four  townships,  was  named 
in  honor  of  C.  Wakelee,  the  first  treasurer  of  the  Peninsular  or  Grand 
Trunk  railroad.  The  first  plat  of  the  village,  which  was  recorded  De- 
cember 12,  187 1,  was  made  by  Levi  Garwood,  on  land  in  section  36  of 
Volinia  township.  April  10,  1873,  George  W.  Jones  and  Orson  Rudd 
platted  an  addition  wdiich  extended  the  site  into  the  other  townships.  A 
steam  sawmill  at  this  point  converted  much  of  the  lumber  woods  of 
this  part  of  the  county  into  merchantable  lumber  and  the  station  be- 
came noted  as  a  lumber-shipping  point. 

MARCELLUS. 

While  the  Grand  Trunk  railroad  no  doubt  had  most  to  do  with 
the  founding  of  the  village  of  Marcellus,  now  one  of  the  three  incor- 
porated villages  of  the  county,  one  or  two  other  influences  working  to 
that  end  should  be  noticed.  Marcellus  township,  as  will  be  remem- 
bered, was  the  last  to  be  set  off  and  last  to  be  settled.  Its  inhabitants 
were  long  without  communication,  and  did  not  have  a  postoffice  until 
1857,  when  Harrison  Dykeman  began  carrying  the  mail,  at  irregular 
intervals,  from  Lawton,  on  the  main  Hne  of  the  Michigan  railroad  in 
Van  Buren  county,  to  his  home  on  section  14.  On  the  establishment  of 
a  regular  mail  route  in  i860,  the  postoffice  was  located  in  a  residence 
on  section  16,  and  was  transferred  from  place  to  place  until  Thomas 
Burney  built  and  opened  the  first  store  on  the  site  of  Marcellus  village, 
the  mail  then  teing  distributed  in  his  store.  The  first  permanent  post- 
office  of  the  tow^nship  was,  therefore,  one  of  the  institutions  that  served 
as  a  basis  for  the  village  of  Marcellus. 

To  the  private  enterprise  of  George  W.  Jones  is  due  in  large  meas- 
ure the  honor  of  founding  the  village.  In  1868,  knowing  that  the  rail- 
road would  be  completed  through  this  point  in  a  short  time,  and  confi- 
dent of  the  prospects  presented  for  village  growth  at  this  place,  he  bought 
over  two  hundred  acres  and  prepared  to  lay  out  a  village.  The  site  in 
sections  15  and  22  w^as  surveyed  and  the  plat  recorded  by  Mr.  Jones 
April  23,    1870,   he  adoptin^^  the  plan  of  Cassopolis  as  to  blocks  and 


138  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

ranges,  getting  the  idea,  no  doubt,  from  his  father-in-law,  E.  B.  Sher- 
man, one  of  the  founders  of  that  village.  Since  that  date  the  area  of 
the  village  has  been  increased  by  six  additions.  The  original  name  of 
the  village  was  Marcellus  Center.  • 

Regular  trains  began  running  about  the  same  time  with  the  plat- 
ting of  the  village,  and  the  business  beginnings  of  the  village  were  most 
auspicious.  Some  of  the  first  merchants  were  Thomas  Burney,  already 
mentioned,  John  Manning,  Daniel  Morrison,  Herman  Chapman  and 
Lewis  Arnold. 

Within  less  than  ten  years  from  the  founding  of  the  village  it  was 
incorporated  in  1879,  ^^^^^  ^'^^  citizens  who  first  took  control  of  the  village 
affairs  were  the  following:  David  Snyder,  president;  Leander  Bridge, 
Kenyon  Bly,  W.  O.  Matthews,  Byron  Beebe,  Alexander  Beebe,  trus- 
tees; L.  B.  Des  Voignes,  clerk,  now  judge  of  the  circuit  court;  Dr.  E. 
C.  Davis,  treasurer;  and  W.  R.  Snyder,  assesor.  The  list  of  subsequent 
officials  will  be  found  in  the  proper  place  on  other  pages. 

CENTERS   IN   VOLINIA    TOWNSHIP. 

V\:>linia  township  has  been  as  prolific  of  inland  village  sites  as  any 
other  township.  Charleston,  an  insignificant  little  place  on  the  cross 
roads  between  sections  3  and  10,  was  laid  out  and  the  plat  recorded 
June  25,  1836,  the  proprietors  whose  names  are  signed  to  the  plat  be- 
ing Jacob  Moreland,  Jacob  Charles,  Elijah  Goble,  Alexander  Fulton 
and  David  Fulton,  all  pioneers  of  the  township.  The  principal  encour- 
agement to  the  founding  of  this  village  was  the  stage  road  from  Niles 
to  Kalamazoo  that  passed  through  this  place,  and  Elijah  Goble  kept  a 
tavern  for  the  accommodation  of  passing  travelers.  After  the  build- 
ing of  the  Michigan  Central  in  the  forties  the  business  enterprise  of  the 
village  soon  failed.  Charleston  is  now  the  name  of  a  community  rather 
than  of  such  organization  as  the  word  village  implies.  Perhaps  time 
w^ill  entirely  obliterate  the  name,  except  as  a  historical  record. 

Only  two  miles  from  Charleston,  and  also  in  the  year  1836,  Levi 
Lawrence,  David  Hopkins,  Obed  Bunker  and  John  Shaw  platted  the 
village  of  Volinia  on  sections  11  and  12.  The  plat  was  recorded  Sep- 
tember 20,  1836.  Such  is  the  record  as  it  appears  in  the  register's  office. 
But  this  locality  has  had  a  variety  of  names.  The  name  of  the  post- 
office  as  it  appeared  in  the  Postal  Guide  is  Little  Prairie  Ronde,  and 
under  that  title  it  was  described  in  a  gazetteer  of  1880.  Jonathan  Nich- 
ols conducted  the  first  hotel  in  this  place,  and  from  him  the  name  Nich- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  139 

olsville  was  given  to  the  village.     But  the  only  plat  recorded  of  a  village 
at  this  site  was  the  above,  and  under  the  name  given. 

GLENWOOD. 

Glenwood,  in  section  lo  of  Wayne  township,  was  platted  and  re- 
corded in  December,  1874,  by  Craigie  Sharp,  Jr.,  Thaddeus  Hampton 
and  Edwin  Barnum.  Glenwood's  importance  originated  as  a  shipping- 
point,  and  that  is  its  sole  claim  to  prestige  at  the  present  time.  The 
Hampton  stock  farm  and  the  barrel-hoop  industry  are  the  principal  in- 
dustries of  the  place.  Several  years  after  the  building  of  the  Michigan 
Central  the  railroad  company  constructed  a  sidetrack  which  was  long 
known  as  Tietsort's  Sidetrack.  A  steam  sawmill  was  built  there  in 
1855,  ^^'^^  ^o  the  postoffice  that  was  soon  after  established  in  the  hamlet 
was  given  the  name  Model  City  postoffice.  Thus  it  remained  until  a 
village  plat  was  made  and  the  name  changed  to  Glenwood. 

GUSHING    CORNERS. 

The  Cushing  family,  among  whom  is  Dexter  Cushing  (see  sketch), 
came  to  Silver  Creek  township  in  the  early  fifties,  and  for  many  years 
have  lived  and  l^een  extensive  land  owners  on  the  west  side  of  the  town, 
especially  in  sections  19  and  20.  At  the  intersection  of  the  east  and  west 
road  through  the  center  of  these  sections  with  the  north  and  south  high- 
v\^ay  there  has  grown  up  a  focus  of  a  community  known  as  Cushing 
Corners.  There  is  a  store,  kept  by  William  Cushing,  son  of  Dexter 
Cushing.  The  school  house  is  located  at  that  point.  A  postoffice  was 
esta]>lished  there,  but  beyond  these  elemental  institutions  there  is  little 
to  justify  the  place  with  the  name  of  village. 

SUMMER.  RESORTS. 

The  many  beautiful  lakes  of  Cass  county  are  each  year  attracting 
an  increasing  number  of  sum.mer  visitors.  Cottages  are  built  around 
the  shore,  a  hotel  is  perhaps  the  central  structure,  the  social  community 
peculiar  to  the  summer  resort  is  formed,  and  we  have  one  form  of  cen- 
tralization, the  more  permanent  and  substantial  examples  of  which  have 
already  been  described.  The  summer  resort  is  a  development  of  the 
modern  age,  as  characteristic  of  it  as  the  log  house  was  of  the  pioneer 
epoch.  It  marks  the  reaction  from  the  extreme  concentration  of  so- 
ciety which  has  produced  the  crowded  cities;  it  is  made  possible  by  bet- 
ter facilities  of  transportation.     Thus  the  same  influence  which  in  earlier 


140  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

years  tended  to  concentrate  population,  now,  in  its  higher  development, 
diffuses  society  and  enables  it  to  enjoy  the  benefits  of  organization  with- 
out the  close  crowding  made  necessary  in  the  cities. 

Several  of  the  lake  resorts  in  Cass  county  are  well  known  to  the 
inhabitants  of  the  cities,  Magician  lake  and  Diamond  lake,  to  mention 
no  others,  being  familiar  names  to  thousand  of  persons  who  have  never 
been  permanent  residents  of  the  county.  Most  of  the  resorts  have  been 
platted  into  regular  village  lots,  and  without  noting  any  of  the  particular 
features  of  each  place  it  will  be  proper  in  this  historical  volume  to  give 
the  record  of  these  plats  as  they  are  found  in  the  register's  books. 

The  oldest  and  largest  of  these  resorts  is  Diamond  Lake  Park,  on 
the  west  side  of  Diamond  lake,  and  half  a  mile  from  each  railroad  sta- 
tion in  Cassopolis.  The  plat  was  filed  May  8,  189 1,  the  signers  being 
C.  S.  Jones,  Henly  Lamb,  LeRoy  Osborn,  proprietors.  Many  cottages 
have  been  built  on  this  plat,  the  northwest  shore  of  the  lake  for  the  dis- 
tance of  about  half  a  mile  presenting  the  appearance  in  summer  of  a 
well  populated  village.  A  number  of  the  cottages  are  owned  by  local 
people,  but  the  resorters  from  the  cities  and  distant  points  are  increas- 
ing every  year,  and  during  the  summer  season  the  presence  of  a  large 
number  of  strangers  gives  the  county  seat  village  an  air  of  gayety  and 
stir  that  is  not  found  in  the  quieter  months  of  the  year. 

Forest  Hall  Park,  situated  along  the  shore  of  the  lake  a  little  to 
the  east  of  Diamond  Lake  Park,  but  still  in  section  36  of  LaGrange 
township,  was  platted  in  June,  1898,  by  Barak  L.  Rudd,  proprietor.  The 
inception  of  this  resort  w^as  due  to  H.  E.  Sargent,  superintendent  of  the 
Michigan  Central  railroad;  Nathan  Corwith  and  J.  P.  Smith,  business 
men  of  Chicago,  who  in  1872  erected  a  large  club  house  on  the  high 
north  shore  of  the  lake  and  laid  out  the  grounds  with  a  design  of  mak- 
ing a  resort  for  club  purposes.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the  now  pop- 
ular resorts  on  the  shores  of  the  lake. 

The  most  recent  addition  to  Diamond  lake  platted  summer  villages 
is  Sandy  Beach,  on  the  north  shore  of  the  lake.  The  plat  was  recorded 
by  Mary  Shillaber  January  30,  1906.  These  plats  by  no  means  define 
the  limits  of  occupation .  for  resort  purposes.  The  island  in  the  center 
of  the  lake,  where  the  eccentric  Job  Wright  made  his  home  and  grudg- 
ingly watched  the  encroachment  of  the  settlers  on  his  wild  abode,  is 
now  well  filled  with  cottages.  Other  parts  of  the  shore  line  are  being 
taken,  and  the  extension  of  this  sort  of  settlement  finds  its  best 'example 
about  Diamond  lake. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  141 

Eagle  lake,  in  Ontwa  township  a  few  miles  east  of  Edwardsburg, 
has  also  become  popular  among  sportsmen  and  summer  residents.  Lake 
View  Park,  on  the  northwest  shore  of  the  lake,  has  been  frequented  for  a 
number  of  years.  A  plat  of  the  site  was  filed  February  24,  1899,  by 
Cora  M.  Stryker. 

Oak  Beach,  in  section  3  and  near  Lake  View,  was  platted  by  Henry 
J.  French  April  7,   1906. 

On  the  south  side  of  Eagle  lake  is  ''Brady,"  located  in  section  2 
of  Ontwa,  the  plat  being  filed  by  John  M.  Brady  August  7,  1895. 

Magician  lake,  up  in  the  northwest  corner  of  the  county,  in  Silver 
Creek  township,  though  remote  from  railroad  facilities,  presents  some 
of  the  best  pleasure  grounds  to  be  found  in  the  county.  The  first  plat 
to  be  laid  out  was  that  made  by  the  Maple  Island  Resort  Association, 
the  president  of  which  was  W.  F.  Hoyt,  and  the  plat  filed  January  14, 
1896.     Maple  Island  Resort  is  located  on  an  island  in  Magician  lake. 

Magician  Beach,  on  the  north  side  of  the  lake  and  in  section  3, 
though  used  for  resort  purposes  a  good  many  years  previous,  was  platted 
on  November  5,  19011,  the  proprietors  being  Albert  E.  Gregory  and  wife. 

Highland  Beach  is  a  resort  on  the  north  end  of  Indian  lake  in  Sil- 
ver Creek  township.  It  was  platted  into  lots  and  the  plat  recorded  May 
29,  1905,  Talmadge  Tice,  proprietor. 

Fish  lake  in  Marcellus  township  and  Barren  lake  in  Howard  town- 
ship are  becoming  popular  resort  places  and  are  being  utilized  by  city 
as  well  as  by  local  residents. 


142  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


CHAPTER  IX. 
CASSOPOLIS. 

The  genesis  of  every  village  should  be  an  interesting  story.  How 
one  section  of  an  erstwhile  wilderness  is  chosen,  almost  by  natural  laws, 
from  all  those  adjoining  and  becomes  the  seat  of  population  and  indus- 
try and  social  institutions  is  a  theme  lacking  none  of  the  interest  that 
attaches  to  the  development  of  a  great  human  character.  A  village  is 
an  achievement  which  the  combination,  of  circumstances  and  human 
purpose  has  evolved,  and  to  find  out  and  state  the  principal  steps  of  such 
accomplishment  is  a  labor  w^orthy  of  any  historian. 

The  description  on  the  foregoing  pages  of  the  many  village  sites 
of  the  county  is  proof  of  liow  easy  a  matter  it  was  in  pioneer  times  to 
found  a  village  on  paper,  yet  quite  beyond  the  bounds  of  human  fore- 
sight to  know  what  the  course  of  events  would  bring  as  destiny;  Some 
village  plats  never  had  inhabitants  and  long  since  reverted  to  the 
sectional  system  of  land  demarcation.  Others  experienced  early  growth 
and  later,  through  the  shifts  of  events  already  described,  stopped  grow- 
ing and  often  began  to  decline.  The  fates  of  the  various  villages  re- 
mind us  of  the  parable  of  the  seed  that  fell  on  different  soils,  some  to 
be  destroyed  before  germination  had  begun,  others  to  wither  after  a 
brief  time  of  growth,  and  a  few  to  live  and  flourish  and  produce 
abundantly. 

The  early  fortunes  of  Cassopolis  undoubtedly  hinged  on  the  loca- 
tion of  the  county  seat.  The  series  of  endeavors  which  were  necessary 
to  gain  that  point  found  some  strong  and  enterprising  men  ready  to 
carry  them  forward  to  success.  On  the  east  shore  of  Stone  lake  Abram 
Tietsort  had  built  his  cabin  in  1829,  and  among  the  original  land  en- 
trants his  name  appears  in  the  records  of  section  35  and  several  adjoin- 
ing ones.  A  little  east  of  Tietsort's  house,  in  section  36,  was  the  home 
of  the  Jewell  family,  so  conspicuous  in  the  history  of  this  part  of  the 
county  from  pioneer  times  to  the  present.  Two  others  whose  names 
deserve  mention  for  their  part  in  the  founding  of  Cassopolis  were 
Oliver  Johnson  in  section  25  and  Ephraim  McCIeary  in  section  26.  The 
most  conspicuous  workers  in  this  little  drama,  however,  were  Elias  B. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  143 

Sherman,  a  lawyer  settler  of  1830,  and  Alexander  H.  Redfield,  whose 
name  belongs  in  the  forefront  of  lawyers  and  public  men  of  Cass  county. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  at  the  time  of  the  events  now  narrated 
the  county  seat  had  already  been  located  at  Dr.  Fowler's  village  site  of 
Geneva.  By  fraud,  so  said  many  people,  and  the  dissatisfaction  with 
the  commissioners'  choice  of  location  was  strongly  expressed. 

It  seems  necessary  to  refer  to  the  exact  chronology  of  the  events 
comprising  this  initial  episode  of  Cassopolis'  history.  The  data  not 
being  complete  to  verify  and  classify  every  detail,  it  is  i30ssible  that  the 
location'  of  the  county  seat  and  the  founding  of  Cassopolis  may  have 
been  brought  about  with  some  slight  variation  from  the  usually  accepted 
account. 

Cass  county  was  organized  in  November,  1829,  but  the  act  author- 
izing the  location  of  a  county  seat  w^as  not  passed  until  July,  1830.  The 
citizens  did  not  proceed  immediately  after  organization  to  administer 
their  civil  functions,  since  the  first  courts  were  not  held  until  the  sum- 
mer of  183 1  and  the  first  lx)ard  of  supervisors  did  not  meet  until  Octo- 
ber, 1831,  and  the  place  of  both  official  gatherings  was  at  Edwardsburg, 
in  acordance  with  legislative  enactment.  The  first  set  of  commission- 
ers probably  located  the  court  house  site  during  the  summer  of  1830. 
As  already  related,  it  w^as  located  on  the  land  of  Dr.  H.  H.  Fowler,  on 
section  31  of  Penn  township,  this  land  having  been  entered  in  May, 
1830.  It  cannot  be  stated  with  certainty  that  Dr.  Fowler  had  already 
platted  a  village  at  this  point  which  the  commissioners  chose.  The 
plat  of  Geneva  was  filed  May  i,  1832,  several  m.onths  after  the  county 
seat  question  had  been  permanently  decided,  and  the  further  fact  that 
the  description  states  that  "the  public  square  is  given  to  the  county  on 
which  to  erect  a  courthouse"  provided  the  county  seat  w^as  located  there, 
makes  it  reasomably  certain  that  the  plat  was  made  while  the  decision  as 
to  the  county  seat  was  still  in  the  balance.  Yet  the  plat  must  have  been 
made  after  January,  1831,  since  Hart  L.  Stewart  was  one  of  the  pro- 
prietors whose  name  is  signed  to  the  plat  and  who  did  not  enter  his  land 
until  January,  183 1.  From  these  facts  and  figures  it  is  deducible  that 
Dr.  Fowler's  land  had  no  special  improvements  or  advantages  to  rec- 
ommend it  as  the  location  of  the  courthouse  site  in  preference  to  the 
similar  tracts  of  land  ow^ned  by  a  dozen  other  settlers  in  that  immediate 
locality.  And  each  settler  w^as  an  active  claimant  for  the  honor  of  hav- 
ing the  county  seat  located  on  his  land,  and  no  doubt  in  proportion  with 
the  degree  of  his  previous  desire  was  the  strength  of  his  disappoint- 


144  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

ment  and  dissatisfaction  after  the  decision  had  been  announced  in  favor 
of  Dr.  Fowler.  The  story  o-f  fraud  in.  connection  with  the  act  of  loca- 
tio'n  is  aside  from'  our  purpOvSe  here  except  as  it  added  strength  to  the  ar- 
guments for  change  of  the  site.  The  essential  fact  is  that  each  settler 
was  on  practically  an  equal  basis  with  his  neighbors  in  his  contest  for 
the  site  of  the  county  seat,  and  that  in  due  course  of  time  a  village 
would  have  been  platted  and  \vould  have  spmng  up  wherever  the  com- 
missioners had  ''stuck  the  stake''  for  the  county  buildings. 

It  is  not  known  how  the  settlers  individually  stood  with  reference 
to  the  first  location  of  the  county  seat.  But,  as  elsewhere  related,  the 
legislature,  in  response  to  the  request  of  what  must  have  been  an  in- 
fluential proportion  of  the  citizens,  passed  an  act,  approved  March  4, 
1 83 1,  for  the  relocation  of  the  county  seat.  This  restored  the  contest 
to  its  original  status,  and  every  group  of  settlers  in  the  central  part  of 
the  county  urged  the  advantages  of  their  favored  locality  upon  the  three 
commissioners. 

The  act  provided  that  the  commissioners  should  assemble  in  Cass- 
opolis  the  third  Monday  in  May,  1831,  to  consider  the  respective  claims, 
but  as  Governor  Mason  did  not  issue  his  proclamation  declaring  Cassopo- 
lis  to  have  received  the  choice  until  December  19,  183 1,  the  matter  must 
have  been  debated  and  undecided  until  the  late  fall  of  that  year.  This 
conclusion  is  forced  upon  us  if  we  are  to  accept  the  usual  account  of  the 
manner  in  which  Cassopolis  was  brought  into  active  competition  for  the 
honor. 

In  the  list  oif  original  land  entries  of  section  26,  LaGrange  town- 
ship, are  found  the  names  of  E.  B.  Sherman  and  A.  H.  Redfield  WMth 
the  date  September  22,  183 1.  The  story  of  how  these  young  lawyers 
came  into  possession  of  this  land  has  often  been  told.  Shermaai,  having 
arrived  in  the  midst  of  the  excitement  over  the  county  seat  affair, 
had  decided  that  he  too  might  enter  the  contest  and  in  pursuance  of  his 
plans  fixed  upon  the  southeast  corner  of  section  26  as  the  location  which 
he  would  urge  upon  the  attention  of  the  commissioners.  Before  start- 
ing to  the  land  office  at  White  Pigeon  he  learned  that  the  Jewells  also 
were  preparing  to  enter  that  particular  land,  and  in  consequence  he 
miade  all  haste  to  anticipate  his  rivals.  Arriving  in  Edwardsburg  he 
admitted  another  young  lawyer,  A.  H.  Redfield,  to  a  knowledge  and  co- 
operation in  his  plans,  and  by  pooling  their  utmost  cash  resources  and 
borrowing  ten  dollars  they  had  enough  to  make  the  entry  and  purchase 
the  desired  land  a  few  hours  in  advance  of  the  Jewells,  who  arrived 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  U5 

in  White  Pi§feon  just  as  Sherman  was  leaving  with  the  receipt  for  the 
land  safely  in  his  pocket. 

Sherman  and  Redfield,  on  their  return  to  the  banks  of  Stone  lake, 
began  an  ag^gressive  campaign.  They  knew  the  value  of  organization 
and  harmony,  and  associated  with  themselves  several  of  their  neigh- 
bors, namely :  Abram  Tietsort,  who  gave  to  the  village  site  forty  acres 
on  the  banks  of  Stone  lake  in  section  35;  Oliver  Johnson,  who  contrib- 
uted twenty  acres  from  section  25  ;  and  Ephraim  McCleary,  twenty  acres 
from  section  36.  These  five  men  were  the  proprietors  whose  names 
are  signed  to  the  village  plat,  which  vv^as  recorded  November  19,  1831. 
The  village  must  have  been  platted  and  all  the  circumstances  just  re- 
lated must  have  taken  place  between  September  22,  the  date  of  Sherman's 
entry  oi  the  land,  and  November  19.  In  this  interim  the  associates  had 
prosecuted  their  case  before  the  commissioners,  naming  three  streets 
in  their  honor  and  presenting  the  other  advantages  of  the  site,  and  it 
was  probably  in  the  month  of  November  that  the  decision  was  reached 
by  the  commissioners,  for,  as  will  be  recalled  from  a  ]M-evious  chapter, 
the  proclamation  of  the  governor  was  made  December  19th,  by  which 
Cassopolis  was  affirmed  the  county  seat. 

Cassopolis  w^as  now  secure  in  the  possession  of  the  seat  of  justice, 
and  any  further  details  with  reference  to  this  central  institution  must 
be  found  on  other  pages,  wdiile  here  we  proceed  with  the  tracing  of  the 
development  of  the  village  as  such.  And  here  it  may  be  mentioned  in 
passing  that  the  original  spelling  of  the  village  name,  as  found  on  old 
letters  and  the  first  plat,  was  '^Cassapolis,''  and  that  the  change  from  a 
to  0,  which  was  clearly  dictated  by  euphony,  took  place  gradually  in 
custom  and  was  finally  affirmed  by  the  postoffice  department. 

The  history  of  the  public  square  of  Cassopolis  is  none  the  less  im- 
portant because  few  people  of  this  generation  know  that  the  village  ever 
possessed  such  a  locality.  To  picture  early  Cassopolis  it  is  necessary  to 
reconstruct  mentally  a  public  square,  measuring  twenty-six  rods  north 
and  south  and  twenty  rods  east  and  west,  .around  which  were  grouped 
the  early  stores  and  taverns,  and  each  side  bisected  by  the  wide  streets 
of  State  and  Broadway.  To  comprehend  the  appearance  of  the  village 
as  it  would  be  had  the  original  plans  been  carried  out,  w^e  must  clear 
away,  in  imagination,  all  the  business  buildings  which  front  Broad- 
way on  the  west,  from  the  Goodwin  House  on  the  north  edge  of  the 
square,  to  the  alley  ten  rods  south  of  State  street,  and  alsoi  all  the  build- 
ings on  the  east  side  of  Broadway  north  of  the  same  alley.     In  other 


146  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

words,  a  person  standing  at  the  intersection  of  State  and  Broadway 
would  be  at  the  center  of  the  old  square,  with  a  clear  space  on  the  east 
to  the  jail  and  Baptist  church,  on  the  west  to  the  Newell  House  and  the 
Moon  supply  house,  both  buildings  that  belong  to  an  earlier  period. 
All  the  buildings  on  the  area  of  the  old  square  are  of  comparatively  re- 
cent date.  With  the  exception  of  the  old  court  house  and  jail  on  the 
northeast  quarter  of  the  sc|uare  and  the  ^'Old  Fort,"  containing  county 
offices,  on  the  northwest  quarter,  the  square  was  unoccupied  by  per- 
ma:nent  buildings  up  to  forty  years  ago-,  and  around  its  four  sides 
stood  some  of  the  structiuxs  which  were  landmarks  at  that  time  and 
which  have  now  nearly  all  disappeared  from  sight  and  memory.  Among 
such  buildings  of  that  time  we  recall  on  the  east  side  the  old  Cassopolis 
House,  a  wooden  building  oii  the  site  of  the  present  Baptist  church, 
south  of  which  was  a  blacksmith  shop,  and  across  State  street,  where 
the  jail  now  stands,  was  a  two-story  frame  building,  the  upper  story 
being  the  Odd  Fellows'  hall.  On  the  north  side  stood  the  brick  store 
building,  now  the  Shaw  hotel,  and  on  the  west  side  O'f  Broadway  was 
the  Union  hotel,  built  by  Eber  Root.  On  the  west  side  stood  the  first 
frame  building  built  on  the  plat,  elsewhere  mentioned,  and  on,  the 
south  side  of  the  street  the  old  building  above  mentioned  and  then  used 
as  a  tin  shop;  and  south  of  this  stood  a  frame  building  occupied  by 
Daniel  Blackman  as  a  law  office  and  by  Asa  Kingsbury  as  a  banking 
house.  The  south  side  of  the  square  was  bordered  by  a  frame  build- 
ing still  standing,  then  used  as  a  store,  and  on  the  east  side  of  Broad- 
way by  the  Eagle  hotel.  While  these  buildings  at  that  time  occupied 
the  most  eligible  and  conspicuous  sites  of  the  village,  subsequent  devel- 
opments have  placed  many  of  them  on  alleyways,  and  rows  of  brick 
business  blocks  have  shut  them  from  the  main  routes  of  business  traffic. 

With  this  understanding  of  the  situation  forty  years  ago,  we  may 
properly  introduce  the  story  of  how  the  public  square  became  absorbed 
for  business  purposes  and  was  lost  to*  the  county.  The  history  was 
given  in  detail  in  the  decision  of  the  supreme  court  in  1880,  which 
permanently  confirmed  the  defendants  in  the  ownership  of  all  the  pub- 
lic square  expect  that  ix)rtion  covered  by  the  court  house.  The  deci- 
sion is  interesting  as  the  most  authoritative  resume  of  the  circum- 
stances and  events  which  j>ertain  to  the  public  square  question. 

The  history  of  the  case  as  outlined  in  the  opinion  delivered  bv 
Judge  Cooley  is  as  follows:  When  the  three  commissioners  located 
the  county  seat  at  CassO'polis,  the  laying  out  of  a  village  plat  contain- 


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HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  117 

ing  a  block  of  land  marked  ''Cassopolis  public  square,"  ''designed  for 
buildings  for  public  uses/'  was  a  distinct  offer  on  the  part  of  the  propri- 
etors to  dedicate  the  whole  of  the  public  square  for  public  buiklings. 
''The  inference  is  very  strong,  if  not  concUisive,  that  if  the  county  had 
proceeded  to  appropriate  the  wdiole  square  to  its  needs  for  county  ])uild- 
ings  this  would  have  been  a  good  acceptance  of  the  offer  and  would 
have  perfected  the  dedication.'' 

But  the  supervisors  did  not  see  fit  to  employ  the  square  as  the 
site  of  the  first  pubh'c  buildings,  the  first  jail,  used  till  1852,  as 
also  the  first  court  house,  used  till  1841,  being  situated  on  lots 
not  the  public  square.  Furthermore,  when  the  county  commis- 
sioners, in  1839,  pl^iined  the  erection  of  a  new  court  house,  they  con- 
veyed to  Asa  Kingsbury  and  associates  of  the  "Court  House  Com- 
pany" a  deed  to  the  public  square  and  grounds,  reserving  only  the 
pri^'ilege  to  erect  a  court  house  on  the  northeast  quarter.  This  last 
reservation  is  the  first  and  only  distinct  act  of  acceptance  on  the  part 
of  the  county  of  the  grounds  originally  dedicated  for  public  purposes, 
and  though  the  conveyance  was  made  "with  the  privileges  and  appur- 
tenances for  the  uses  and  purposes  for  which  said  square  and  grounds 
were  conveyed  to  said  county,"  the  court  held  that,  as  the  conveyance 
was  made  by  a  deed  which  also  conveyed  a  large  number  of  village  lots 
to  the  grantees  for  their  own  use  and  benefit,  "it  seems  scarcely  open 
to  doubt  that  the  intent  was  that  all  right  of  control  on  the  part  of 
the  county  w^as  meant  to  be  conveyed  to  the  grantees." 

The  proprietors  of  the  village  plat  having  made  the  broad  oflfer  to 
donate  the  square  for  public  buildings  generally  and  the  county  having 
accepted  for  its  purposes  a  site  for  a  court  house  and  at  the  same  time 
transferred  to  trustees  any  power  of  co<ntrol  in  respect  toi  the  remainder, 
the  dedication  to  the  county  "must  be  deemed  to  have  been  restricted 
to  the  actual  acceptance  of  a  court  house  site,  as  being  adequate  to  the 
county  wants,  and  the  county  could  not,  therefore,  claim  as  of  right 
any  further  land  for  its  uses." 

After  the  erection  of  the  court  house  in  1841,  for  the  construction 
of  which  the  Court  House  Company  had  accepted  as  part  payment  a  deed 
to  certain  parcels  of  land,  including  presumptively  all  the  public  square 
not  covered  by  the  court  house,  the  question  of  ownership  of  the  vacant 
square  rested  until  the  county  built  a  jail,  in  1852,  on  the  same  corner 
with  the  court  house.  Kingsbury  disputed  the  right  to  do  this  and  the 
county  subsequently  purchased  the  land   of  him.     Then,   in    i860,   the 


148  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

county  office  building  was  erected  on  the  northwest  quarter,  and  this 
also  was  put  up  against  the  protest  of  Kingsbury  and  associates. 

The  other  two  quarters  of  the  square  were  not  occupied  by  the 
county  in  any  manner,  and  this  land  was  claimed  individually  on  the 
basis  of  the  deed  given  by  the  county  commissioners  tO'  the  parties 
who  had  erected  the  court  house.  The  history  of  the  appropriation  of 
this  land  for  commercial  purposes  is  thus  given  in  the  decision: 

In  1836  Kingsbury  commenced  business  as  a  merchant  in  a  store 
situated  immediately  south  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  the  square  and 
used  in  connection  therewith  a  part  of  that  quarter  for  the  storage 
of  lumber,  shingles,  barrels  and  boxes,  and  with  a  hitching  rack  for 
horses.  In  1856  he  built  a  new  store,  seventy-two  feet  in  length,  with 
stone  foundation,  one  foot  of  which  for  the  entire  length  was  upon  the 
square.  The  cellarways  for  the  store  wxre  on  the  square.  From^  1858 
to  1869  a  tenant  had  hay  scales  on  the  square,  set  over  a  walled  pit, 
near  the  center  of  the  quarter;  he  moved  them  in  the  year  last  men- 
tioned to  another  part  of  the  same  quarter,  where  he  continued  to  use 
tliem. 

In  1865  Joseph  Harper  and  Darius  Shaw  deeded  their  interest  in 
the  public  square  tO'  Daniel  Blackman.  Redfield  also  deeded  to  Black- 
man  in  1869.  In  1870  Blackman  deeded  to  Kingsbury;  the  heirs  of 
Tietsort  gave  liim  a  deed  in  the  same  year  and  Silvers  another  in 
1873.  Blackman,  it  seems,  had  set  up  some  claims  of  title  to  the  south- 
east quarter  of  the  square  in  1863;  a  building  had  been  moved  uj^on  it, 
w^hich  was  occupied  for  a  law  office  and  millinery  shop  until  1878,  when 
it  was  moved  away  and  a  brick  store  erected  in  its  place.  The  south- 
east quarter  is  now  (1880)  built  up  and  claimed  by  the  applicants.  In 
1868  Kingsbury  platted  the  southwest  quarter  of  the  square  into'  six 
lots  and  sold  five  of  them  to  persons  who  erected  two-story  brick  stores 
thereon,  which  they  now  occup)^  and  claim  as  o^wners.  Kingsbury  also 
erected  a  similar  building  for  a  banking  house.  The  buildings  were 
completed  in  1869  and  1870;  they  have  been  taxed  to*  the  occupants  and 
the  taxes  paid  ever  since  1868. 

Such  was  the  situation  when,  in  March,  1879,  the  board  of  super- 
visors brought  suit  in  the  circuit  court  to  eject  the  occupants  from  the 
public  square,  which  they  claimed  to  the  county  on  the  ground  that 
the  land  had  been  dedicated  by  the  original  proprietors  in  1831.  Judge 
John  B.  Shipman  of  the  St.  Joseph  circuit  decided  that  the  dedication 
had  not  been  perfected,  and  the  state  supreme  court,  in  October,  1880, 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  149 

affirmed  this  decision  in  an  opinion  the  substance  of  which  has  been 
given  above.  This  was  tlie  conclusion  of  a  rather  remarkable  case, 
involving  many  facts  of  history  that  have  become  quite  obscured  in 
later  years. 

The  original  plat  of  Cassopolis,  copies  of  which  are  still  extant,  is 
a  very  interesting  document,  from  which  the  subsequent  history  of  the 
village  may  be  computed.  The  platted  land  measured  one  hundred  and 
nineteen  and  one-half  by  one  hundred  and  ninety-one  rods,  the  rectangle 
being  broken  on  the  southwest  corner  by  the  lake.  The  north  and 
south  streets  named  on  the  plat  were :  *^West,"  which  has  never  been 
opened;  ^'Disbroiw,"  ^^Broadway,"  ^^Rowland,"  "O'Keefe,"  ^Timber" 
and  ''East."  On  the  north  side  of  the  plat  no  street  was  designated 
and  none  has  since  been  opened.  The  first  east  and  west  thoroughfare 
was  ''York"  street,  and  then  came  "State,"  "Jefferson,"  "Water"  and 
"South"  streets,  from  which  familiar  boundaries  the  limits  of  the  orig- 
inal village  may  be  easily  recalled.  Subsequent  additions  have  expanded 
the  village  mainly  to  the  south  and  east,  toward  the  railroads,  encircling 
the  entire  east  side  of  Stone  lake.  The  lake  occupied  the  principal 
natural  position  in  influencing  the  location  of  residence  and  business 
enterprises  at  the  early  period.  But  the  keystone  of  the  village  was  the 
public  square,  designedly  the  site  of  the  county's  business  institutions, 
around  which  the  first  business  houses  were  grouped. 

Around  the  public  square  the  first  business  and  residence  houses 
of  Cassopolis  began  building.  On  a  lot  facing  east  on  the  southwest 
comer  of  the  square  Ira  B.  Henderson  erected  a  double  log  cabin,  which 
became  the  first  hotel  or  tavern,  and  near  the  southwest  corner  of  the 
old  square  John  Parker  had  his  log  house.  As  stated  elsewhere,  the 
oldest  building  that  has  been  left  from  pioneer  times  is  the  east  front 
portion  of  the  Newell  House,  on  the  north  side  of  State  street,  one 
hundred  and  fifteen  feet  west  of  Broadway.  The  original  part  of  this 
building  was  put  up  in  1832  by  Sherman  and  Redfield,  the  promoters 
of  the  village,  and  its  first  lawyers.  This  was  the  first  frame  dwelling 
house  erected  on  the  plat,  and  after  several  additions  were  made  to  it, 
became  a  village  tavern. 

The  "old  red  store,"  kept  by  the  Silvers,  was  the  principal  mercan- 
tile institution  of  the  pioneer  village.  It  stood  the  first  lot  south  of  the 
southwest  quarter  of  the  square  and  now  stands  west  on  Disbrow  street 
and  is  used  as  a  dwelling  house.  In  this  store  A.  H.  Redfield  kept  the 
postoffice.      The  postoffice  was   established   in    1831,   about  coincident 


150 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


with  the  creation  of  the  county  seat.  The  office  was  first  kept  in  a 
small  building  that  stood  where  the  Goodwin  House  kitchen  now  stands, 
at  the  northwest  corner  of  the  square. 

The  distillery  of  the  Silvers  was  on  the  shore  of  the  lake,  just 
west  of  Disbrow  street,  and  Abram  Tietsort's  house  was  on  the  lake 
shore  outside  the  old  village  plat.  These  business  and  private  houses 
were  the  principal  ones  that  formed  the  nucleus  of  Cassopolis  village  in 
its  beginnings.  A  brief  retrospective  sketch  will  describe  the  import- 
ant improvements  and  events  which  have  developed  the  village  from 
that  time  to  the  present.  The  county  buildings,  the  schools  and  churches 
belong  to  other  chapters,  but  the  main  points,  the  ''high  lights,"  can 
be  detailed  here. 

As  a  civil  organization  Cassopolis  progressed  slowly  during  the 
first  forty  years.  The  village  was  first  incorporated  by  the  board  of 
supervisors  October  14,  1863.  The  census  taken  at  that  time  showed 
four  hundred  and  seventy-five  persons  residing  on  the  area  of  a  mile 
square  comprising  the  four  cornering  quarter  sections  of  sections  25, 
26,  35  and  36.  The  heads  of  the  families  represented  by  the  census 
and  whose  signatures  appear  on  the  petition  to  the  board  of  super- 
visors may  be  called  ''the  charter  citizens''  of  the  village  of  Cassopolis, 
and  deserve  naming  in  this  chapter.     They  are: 


Joseph  Smith, 
O.   S.  Custard, 
M.  Graham, 
David  Histed, 
A.  Smith, 
L.  H.  Glover, 
Isaac  Brown, 
Ira  Brownell, 
H.  K.  McManus, 
Charles  Hartfelter, 
Byron  Bradley, 
Charles  W.  Brown, 
Charles  W.  Clisbee, 
Peter  Sturr, 
A.  Garw^ood, 
G.  A.  Ely, 
L.  R.  Read, 
James  Norton, 
L. -D.  Tompkins, 
J.  B.  Chapman, 


Jacob  Silver, 
Isaiah  Inman, 
Ethan  Kelly, 
J.  P.  Osborn, 
Thomas  Sta])leton, 

D.  L.  French, 
Lewis  Clisbee 
Barak  Mead, 

I.  V.  Sherman, 
M.  J.  Baldwin, 
A.  E.  Cleveland, 

E.  B.  Sherwood 
Jeft^erson  Brown, 
J.  K.  Riter, 

W.  K.  Palmer, 
Geo.  W.  VanAntwerp, 
S.  Playford, 
Henry  Shafifer, 
Charles  A.  Hill, 
J.   Tietsort, 


John  McManus, 
M.  B.  Custard, 
Joseph  Harper, 
John  FI.  Powers, 
Bartholomew  Weaver, 

C.  C.  Allison, 
Heniy  Walton, 
M.  Baldwin, 
H.  L.  King, 

S.  S.  Chapman, 
Hiram  Brown, 
San  ford  Ash  croft, 

D.  Blackman, 
S.  T.  Read. 
Daniel  B.  Smith, 
R.  M.  Wilson, 
D.  S.  Jones, 
Joseph  Graham, 
James  Boyd. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  151 

Of  this  list  of  men,  many  of  whom  were  identified  in  a  prom- 
inent way  with  the  history  of  the  village,  only  a  few  are  still  living 
in  the  year  of  this  writing.  Those  living  and  still  residents  of  the 
village  are:  L.  H.  Glover,  Charles  Hartfelter,  J.  B.  Chapman,  D.  L. 
French,  Henry  Shaffer,  C.  C.  Allison,  Daniel  B.  Smith ;  others  resid- 
ing elsewhere,  Byron  Bradley,  Charles  W.  Brown,  Isaiah  Tnman,  I.  V. 
Sherman. 

From  a  population  of  less  than  five  hundred  Cassopolis  has  in- 
creased to  one  thousand  five  hundred.  Cassopolis  was  in  a  peculiarly 
adverse  position  during  the  early  years  of  its  history.  It  was  the  county 
seat,  the  official  center  of  the  coimty.  But  without  that  institution  it  is 
reasonable  to  believe  that  the  village  w^ould  have  experienced  mutations 
of  fortune  like  Edwardsburg  and  other  centers  of  the  county.  Before 
the  railroad  era,  Edwardsburg  on  the  south  held  the  commercial  su- 
premacy because  of  its  position  on  the  Chicago  road.  Then  in  the 
forties  the  Michigan  Central  established  the  main  transportation  route 
in  the  northwest  corner  of  the  county  and  gave  origin  to'  Dowagiac, 
\\diich  at  once  became  the  shipping  point  for  Cassopolis,  together  with 
the  northwestern  parts  of  the  county. 

Between  the  establishment  of  the  county  seat  in  183 1  and  the 
building  of  the  railroad  in  1871,  the  years  are  marked  by  no  event  of 
pregnant  meaning  for  the  development  of  the  village ;  the  community 
grew  slowly,  the  various  institutions  were  added  in  regular  course,  a 
few  factories  were  established,  civil  organization  followed  when  pop- 
ulation had  reached  the  necessary  limit,  and  at  the  close  of  the  period 
just  mentioned  the  county  seat  was  the  conspicuous  pillar  in  the  cor- 
porate existence  of  Cassopolis. 

In  1870-71  two  railroads  came  to  Cassopolis.  Theretofore  the 
merchants  had  hauled  their  goods  from  Dowagiac.  The  mail  had  come 
from  Dowagiac.  The  telegraph  was  at  Dowagiac.  All  the  surplus  pro- 
duction and  market  commodities  that  would  naturally  have  been  dis- 
posed of  at  Cassopolis  were  transported  to  the  railroad  for  shipment. 
But  with  the  building  of  these  railroads  the  world  was  opened,  as  it 
were,  to  Cassopolis.  The  court  house  on  the  public  square  for  the  first 
time  had  a  rival  institution  in  the  depot  on  the  south  line  of  the  village. 
Since  the  railroad  was  built  the  principal  growth  of  the  village  has  taken 
place. 

In  1863  the  population  was  less  than  five  hundred.     In  1870  it  was 


152  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

728  and  in  1880  it  was  912;  in  1890,  1,369;  at  the  census  of  igoo  it 
was  1,320,  and  according  to  the  state  census  of  1904  it  was  1,477. 

The  first  additions  to  tlie  village  site  began  to  be  platted  about 
the  same  time  as  the  railroads  were  built.  An  iron  foundry,  a  na- 
tional bank,  various  business  enterprises,  one  of  the  newspapers  and  other 
undertakings,  whose  inception  dates  from  the  first  years  of  the  rail- 
road period,  indicate  the  advance  along  all  lines  made  by  Cassopolis 
at  that  time. 

In  1875,  when  the  special  charter  was  granted  by  the  legislature, 
the  limits  of  the  village  were  extended  north  a  quarter  of  a  mile  and 
the  same  distance  south  to  the  railroad.  The  village  was  governed  by 
this  charter  for  twenty  years,  and  in  1895  the  blanket  charter  provided 
for  all  the  villages  of  Michigan  became  effective. 

In  recent  years  Cassopolis  has  made  commendable  progress  in  mu- 
nicipal improvements.  The  old  method  of  fighting  fire  with  buckets  has 
been  superseded  by  a  volunteer  fire  department,  consisting  of  a  chief  and 
twenty  members.  The  equipment  of  hose  cart  and  hose,  hook  and  lad- 
der truck  and  other  apparatus  are  kept  ready  for  immediate  use  at  the 
city  hall  building,  a  brick  two-story  structure  011  North  Broadway,  a 
short  distance  from  the  square  and  north  of  the  Goodwin  House.  The 
upper  story  of  the  house  is  used  for  council  rooms.  The  city  hall  was 
erected  in  1895. 

But  as  a  precedent  to  this  efficient  fire  protection  and  the  most 
important  of  all  the  village  improvements  is  the  water-works  system, 
which  was  established  in  1891  at  a  cost  of  $10,000.  The  village  was 
bonded  for  this  debt,  the  first  of  the  ten  annual  installments  being  paid 
in  1896.  The  water  is  pumped  into  the  mains  from  the  depths  of  Stone 
lake,  where  the  water  is  crystal  pure  and  ice  cold,  and  free  from  lime, 
or  "soft."  The  village  has  arrangements  with  the  Cassopolis  Mill- 
ing &  Power  Company  for  pumping  the  water  through  the  mains,  and 
the  same  company  furnishes  the  Grand  Trunk  Railroad  with  water. 
The  power  company  also  light  the  village  with  electricity. 

Those  who  have  been  most  prominently  identified  with  the  com- 
mercial activity  of  the  village  should  receive  mention.  The  dean  of 
them  all  is  Charles  E.  Voorhis,  who  began  in  the  grocery  business  in 
1865,  and  has  been  in  this  exclusive  line  of  trade  for  forty  years.  He 
was  the  first  to  embark  in  one  line  of  trade  as  distinct  from  the  ^'gen- 
eral store."  The  grocery  firm  of  S.  B.  Thomas  &  Son  stands  second 
in  point  of  time  to  Mr.  Voorhis.     S.  B.  Thomas  began  here  in  1876. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  153 

D.  L.  French,  who  went  out  of  business  in  the  late  nineties,  was  the 
first  to  engage  in  the  hardware  business  exclusively,  beginning  in  March, 
1862.  W.  B.  Hayden  has  been  in  the  hardware  business  since  1884. 
The  late  George  M.  Kingsbury  was  closely  interested  in  the  business 
life  of  the  community  for  a  quarter  of  a  century.  Others  whose  names 
should  be  recorded  are:  S.  S.  Flarrington  and  G.  L.  Smith,  who  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile  business  thirty  years  ago  as  partners  and  are 
now  individually  engaged  in  the  same  business;  J.  B.  Chapman,  who 
with  Henry  Shaffer  began  the  manufacturing  and  sale  of  boots  and  shoes 
in  1858.  After  seven  years  with  Mr.  Shaffer,  Mr.  Chapman  acquired  his 
interest  and  continued  the  business  with  different  partners  until  1885, 
when  he  again  became  sole  proprietor  and  continued  the  business  for 
eleven  years. 


154  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


CHAPTER  X. 
CITY   OF   DOWAGIAC. 

During  the  decade  of  the  thirties  the  few  settlers  who^  Hved  in  the 
vicinity  of  which  the  city  of  Dowagiac  is  now  the  center  had  to  go  to 
LaGrange  or  Cassopohs  or  Sumnerville  for  their  mail  and  supplies.  As 
related  on  a  previous  page,  LaGrange  was  the  manufacturing  metropo- 
lis of  the  county  during  that  decade  and  for  some  years  afterward.  The 
water  power  of  Dowagiac  creek  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  township 
corners  where  the  city  is  now  located  early  presented  itself  as  an  at- 
tractive site  for  industrial  and  village  purposes,  it  is  true.  In  the  regis- 
ter's office  is  found  a  plat  of  the  village  of  Venice,  filed  for  record  Aug- 
ust 6,  1836,  by  Orlando  Craine.  This  site  was  laid  out  on  the  north 
side  of  Dowagiac  creek,  and  in  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  31  of 
Wayne  township.  Nothing  came  of  this  attempt  toi  boom  the  loca- 
tion; not  a  lot  was  sold,  and  Venice  is  in  the  same  class  of  villages  as 
Shakespeare  and  Mechanicsburg  and  some  others  described  on  previous 
pages.  But  it  is  of  interest  to  know  that  all  that  part  of  the  city  of 
Dowagiac  bounded  on  the  south  and  west  respectively  by  Division  street 
and  North  Front  street  was' the  site  of  Orlando'  Craine's  Venice. 

Among  the  original  land  entries  of  LaGrange  township  is  that  of 
Renniston  and  Hunt  in  section  6,  dated  in  May,  1830.  William  Ren- 
niston  in  the  same  year  built  a  carding  mill  on  the  creek  just  east  of  the 
Colby  Milling  Company's  mill,  where  the  road  from  Cassopolis  crosses 
the  stream.  At  the  same  site  he  built,  a  few  years  later,  a  grist  mill. 
Successive  owners  of  this  property  were  Lyman  Spalding,  Jonathan 
Thorne  and  Erastus  H.  Spalding,  from  whom  it  passed  into  the  hands 
of  PI.  F.  Colby  in  1868  and  a  part  of  the  splendid  manufacturing  inter- 
ests now  controlled  under  the  Colby  name. 

The  Venice  enterprise  and  the  manufacturing  interests  show  that 
this  locality  had  some  advantages  as  a  village  site  even  in  the  pioneer 
period.  LaGrange,  however,  distant  only  a  few  miles,  Avas  still  in  the 
ascendant.  The  few  citizens  on  the  present  site  of  Dowag^iac  could  have 
had  no  prevision  of  what  the  future  would  do'  for  the  locality.  On 
the  authority  of  Mr.  A.  M.  Moon  of  Dowagiac,  the  sole  inhabitant  of 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  155 

the  site  of  Dowagiac  in  1835  ^'^^^^  Patrick  Hamilton,  and  of  course 
some  settlers  were  grouped  about  the  mills.  Certainly  the  prospects  of 
this  spot  becoming  the  home  of  trade  and  industry  had  not  appeared 
at  that  date.  LaGrange,  Edwardsburg,  Cassopolis,  Adamsville,  or  any 
of  several  other  incipient  villages  would  have  been  thought  at  that  time 
to  possess  better  outlook  for  the  future  than  the  wnlderness  on  the 
north  side  of  Dowagiac  creek  where  Orlando  Craine  had,  w^ith  the 
fatuity  of  visionary  enterprise,  platted  a  village  that,  except  as  a 
prophecy  of  the  city  of  today,  hardly  deserves  remembrance. 

But  the  railroad  came,  the  new  fulcrum  of  civilization,  and  changed 
and  rearranged  all  former  bases  of  industry  and  society.  The  seats  of 
manufacturing  at  LaGrange  were  transferred  to  the  mill  sites,  which 
had  formerly  been  in  the  wilderness,  but  because  of  the  presence  of  the 
iron  road  soon  became  the  center  of  Cass  county's  manufacturing  enter- 
prise. In  1847  Nicholas  Cheesebrough  was  engaged  in  buying  the  right 
of  way  through  Cass  county  for  the  Michigan  Central  railroad,  the  con- 
struction of  which  is  described  on  other  pages.  The  inception  of  the 
village  of  Dowagiac  was  due  to  him  and  Jacob  Beeson  of  Niles.  They 
bought  of  Patrick  Hamilton  eighty  acres  in  the  northeast  corner  of 
Pokagon  township,  and  on  this  land  was  laid  out  the  original  plat  of 
Dowagiac,  which  was  recorded  in  the  register's  office  February  16,  1848. 

Thus  the  original  area  of  Dowagiac  was  all  in  Pbkagon  township, 
diagonally  across  from  the  plat  of  Venice,  which  had  been  laid  in  Wayne 
township.  And  all  of  the  plat  was  located  on  the  north  side  of  the 
railroad.  At  the  time  the  plat  was  made,  the  railroad  had  not  been 
completed  for  operation,  but  no  doubt  the  grading  was  well  under 
way,  for  trains  began  running  into  Niles  the  following  October.  "  The 
original  village  was  in  the  area  that  lies  south  of  West  Division  street, 
and  bounded  on  the  east  by  the  railroad  to  the  point  where  the  town- 
ship line  intersects  the  same,  extending  w^est  to  the  intersection  of  Alain 
with  Division  street,  and  south  tO'  Dowagiac  creek. 

The  railroad  was  responsible  for  the  diagonal  directions  of  the 
streets  in  tlie  business  portion  of  the  city.  In  the  w^ords  of  the  plat, 
''Front  street  runs  parallel  to  the  track  of  the  Michigan  Central  rail- 
road." The  railroad  runs  at  an  angle  of  thirty-six  degrees  with  the 
north  and  south  line.  Hence,  to  get  north  bearings  w^hen  standing  on 
Front  street  it  is  necessary  to  face  about  twohfifths  of  a  right  angle.  The 
calculation  and  sense  of  direction  needed  to  perform'  this  feat  properly 
are  greater  than  most  citizens  wnll  practice,  and  only  the  oldest  residents 


156  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

can  figure  out  the  time  of  day  by  the  position  of  the  sun  and  reduce  the 
bizarre  directions  to  the  four  fundamentals  of  the  sign  post. 

At  right  angles  with  Front  street  the  founders  laid  out  Main  street, 
one  hundred  and  eight  feet  wide,  wider  than  any  other  street  on  the 
plat,  and  designed  as  the  business  thoroughfare.  But  a  village  is  not 
made  according  to  plat,  and  when  Dowagiac  began  to  grow  commer- 
cially the  business  men  preferred  to  locate  along  Front  street  rather  than 
on  Main  street,  which  today,  without  business  houses  except  at  the 
lower  end,  on  account  of  its  exceptional  width  seems  incongruous  and 
like  a  big  hiatus  separating  the  town.  The  other  streets,  as  first  laid  out, 
were  Ohio,  Indiana,  Michigan,  New  York  and  Pennsylvania,  parallel 
with  Front  street,  and  Pine,  Commercial,  High  and  Chestnut  streets 
parallel  with  Main  street.  In  all  there  were  one  hundred  and  eighty- 
four  lots  and  fractional  lots  in  the  original  plat. 

Since  the  original  plat  was  recorded  the  register  of  deeds  at  Cassopo- 
lis  has  received  plats  of  forty  additions,  showing  how  the  limits  of  the 
city  have  extended  in  all  directions  from  the  nucleus.  Except  along  the 
line  of  railroad  the  rectangular  system  of  platting  has  been  followed 
in  nearly  all  subsequent  additions.  The  first  addition  to  the  village  w^as 
made  in  April,  1849,  by  Patrick  Hamilton,  who  laid  out  some  of  his 
land  in  the  southeast  corner  of  Silver  Creek  township,  the  area  com- 
prising all  the  lots  bounded  by  North  Front,  Spruce,  Main  and  Division 
streets.  The  second  addition  was  made  by  Jacob  Beeson  from  land 
in  Pokagon  in  March,  1850.  In  185 1  Jay  W.  McOmber  platted  into 
lots  a  portion  of  land  in  the  southwest  corner  of  Wayne  township,  and 
in  the  same  year  Erastus  H.  Spalding  added  some  land  from^  northwest 
LaGrange,  so  that  in  three  years'  time  Dowagiac  had  expanded  its  area 
into  four  townships,  and  the  many  additions  since  that  time  have  mere*- 
ly  increased  this  civic  area,  although  LaGrange  township  has  given  less 
land  to  the  city  than  any  of  the  others,  owing  to  the  creek  and  mill' 
sites  presenting  obstructions  to  growth  in  this  direction. 

The  miunicipal  growth  and  improvement  of  Dowagiac  have  kept 
pace  widi  the  increase  in  its  area  and  population.  By  i860,  twelve  years 
after  the  founding,  the  number  of  inhabitants  was  1,181.  Two  years 
previously  the  village  had  been  incorporated  by  the  board  of  super- 
visors. The  petition  for  incorporation  was  granted  February  i,  1858, 
and  the  first  village  election  was  held  at  Nicholas  Bock's  American 
House,  now  the  Commercial  House,  on  Division  and  Front  streets.    The 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  157 

officers  chasen  at  this  election  and    for  the    subsequent  years    will   be 
found  in  the  official  lists. 

In  1870  population  had  increased  to  1,932.  During  the  next  dec- 
ade, which  witnessed  the  construction  of  two  other  raihx»ads  through 
the  county,  the  rate  of  increase  was  slower,  the  census  for  1880  show- 
ing 2,102  inhabitants.  In  the  meantime  Dowagiac  had  become  a  citv. 
The  last  village  election  was  held  in  March,  1877,  and  in  the  following 
April  the  first  election  of  city  officers  took  place.  From  1877  to  1892 
the  city  was  represented  in  the  county  board  by  one  supervisor,  and 
beginning  with  1893  one  supervisor  has  been  chosen  from  each  of  the 
three  wards.  Thus  in  the  civic  organization  of  the  county  Dowagiac 
stands  on  a  plane  with  the  townships.  The  population  has  more  than 
doubled  since  incorporation  as  a  city.  In  1890  the  enumeration  was 
2,806,  and  in  1900  it  was  4,151.     The  state  census  of  1904  gave  4,404. 

Dowagiac  is  progressive  as  regards  municipal  improvements  and  * 
conveniences.  Streets  and  sidewalks,  lighting  and  fire  protection  are 
the  first  matters  to  receive  the  attention  of  a  village  community.  As 
regards  the  first,  Dowagiac  was  very  deficient  in  the  first  years  of  its  his- 
tory, and  hence  the  more  to  be  proud  of  at  this  time.  Being  built  on  the 
banks  of  the  creek,  the  village  was  in  places  marshy,  and  it  is  said  that 
in  the  months  of  high  water  the  farmers  of  Silver  Creek  had  to  hitch 
their  teams  on  the  other  side  of  Dowagiac  swamp  and  come  across  as 
best  they  could  on  foot  to  do  their  trading.  Furthermore,  to  quote  the 
language  of  an  early  settler,  ''there  was  not  grass  enough  in  the  whole 
town  to  bleach  a  sheet  on."  Grace  Greenwood,  the  well  know^n  writer 
and  sister  of  Dr.  W.  E.  Clarke,  while  visiting  the  latter  in  1858,  wrote 
a  descriptive  article  tO'  an  eastern  paper,  in  which  she  complained  that 
the  people  did  not  plant  shade  trees  in  their  door  yards  or  in  the  streets, 
and  that  the  burning  sun  shone  down  pitilessly  on  the  grassless  ground 
and  unprotected  dwellings.  Of  course  these  deficiencies  have  long  since 
been  relieved,  not  by  organized  effort  so  much  as  by  the  individual  ac- 
tion of  many  citizens  moved  by  the  desire  to  beautify  and  adorn  their 
own  property.  The  paving  of  streets  and  laying  oi  substantial  side- 
walks has  been  going  on  for  years.  Board  walks  are  becoming  more 
and  more  rare,  brick  and  cement  being  the  popular  materials.  A  num- 
ber of  streets  are  improved  with  gravel  roadways,  and  in  1894  Front 
street  through  the  business  section  was  paved  with  brick,  that  being 
one  of  the  best  investments  the  city  has  made,  since  a  paved  street  is  at 


15^  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

the  very  basis  of  a  metropolitan  appearance,  which  prepossesses  the  fa- 
vor of  strangers  and  visitors. 

The  majority  of  the  citizens  have  personal  recollections  of  the 
time  w^hen  all  the  streets  were  dully  illuminated  with  kerosene  lamps. 
In  1887  the  Round  Oak  Gas  &  Fuel  company  drilled  two  thousand  feet 
belO'W  the  surface  in  search  for  gas,  but  found  none.  The  Dowagiac 
Gas  &  Fuel  Company  was  estaljlished  in  1892  and  supplies  light  and 
fuel  to  a  large  number  of  patrons. 

Nearly  every  village  and  city  has  had  its  disastrous  fires.  The 
first  one  in  Dowagiac  occurred  in  January,  1864,  wdien  the  business 
houses  on  Front  street  north  of  Commercial  were  burned.  In  January, 
1866,  a  $50,000  fire  destroyed  Front  street  south  of  Commercial,  and 
in  June,  1882,  the  block  south  of  Beeson  street  was  destroyed.  In  1854, 
six  years  after  the  founding  of  the  village,  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  was 
held  to  provide  for  fire  protection,  but  it  was  not  until  1858  that  any 
important  action  w^as  taken.  A  hand  fire  engine  was  purchased  and 
other  apparatus  procured ;  the  engine  continued  in  use  for  a  quarter  of 
a  century.  Hamilton  Hose  Co.  No.  i  was  also  formed  and  is  still 
in  existence,  having  been  reorganized  in  1880.  With  the  installation 
of  water-works  in  1887  the  efficiency  of  the  fire  department  was  increased 
several  fold.  The  pressure  in  the  mains  rendered  the  old  hand  engine 
unnecessary,  and  the  placing  of  electric  signal  apparatus  and  other  im- 
provements afford  a  fire  protection  which  is  equal  to'  that  of  any  other 
city  of  the  size  in  southern  Michigan.  The  volunteer  hose  company 
and  hook  and  ladder  company  of  the  city  are  reinforced  in  their  work 
by  the  independent  companies  of  the  Round  Oak  Stove  and  the  Dowa- 
giac Manufacturing  companies'  plants. 

Dowagiac's  schools  and  churches  and  library,  which  are  the  cor- 
nerstones of  its  institutional  life,  its  clubs  and  social  and  professional 
interests,  and  much  other  information  bearing  on  the  history  oi  the 
city  wall  be  treated  in  other  chapters,  for  w^hich  the  reader  is  referred  to 
the  index.  In  a  resume  of  the  main  features  of  Dowagiac's  growth, 
the  railroad  must,  of  course,  be  given  first  place  as  the  originating  cause. 
As  soon  as  the  trains  began  carrying  the  mail  through  this  point  in- 
stead of  the  stage  coach  or  horseback  carrier,  a  postoffice  was  estab- 
lished, in  November,  1848.  Arad  C.  Balch,  who  became  the  first  post- 
miaster,  at  the  time  sold  goods  in  the  Cataract  House,  the  name  that  had 
been  given  to  a  boarding  house  for  the  railroad  workmen,  which  stood 
on  the  bluff  east  of  the  track.     In  naming  the  successive  postmasters 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  159 

many  of  Dowagiac's  prominent  citizens  are  mentioned,  for  the  suc- 
cessor of  Mr.  Balch  was  M.  T.  Garvey,  whose  long  career  in  public 
affairs  made  him  one  of  the  best  known  men  in  Cass  county ;  following 
him  have  been  Noel  B.  Hollister,  James  A.  Lee,  William  H.  Campbell, 
William  M.  Heazlitt,  Henry  B.  Wells,  David  W.  Clemmer,  Clarence 
L.  Sherw^ood,  A.  M.  Moon,  H.  A.  Burch  and  Julius  O.  Becraft.  Mr. 
Becraft  is  serving  his  third,  though  not  successive,  term.  In  1899  free 
city  delivery  was  established,  and  this  event  is  another  milestone  in 
Dowagiac's  career. 

Dowagiac's  business  area  is  now  quite  solidly  concentrated  along 
Front  street  from  Park  Place  to  Division  and  for  some  distance  up  sev- 
eral of  the  intersecting  streets.  Going  back  half  a  century  in  our  en- 
deavor to  picture  the  commercial  status  of  the  young  village,  it  is  evi- 
dent that  the  business  center  at  that  time,  while  comparatively  large 
and  showing  excellent  growth  since  the  founding  of  the  village,  was 
only  a  nucleus  of  wdiat  it  is  now.  There  is  at  .hand  a  business  direc- 
tory of  Dow^agiac  as  it  appears  in  the  Cass  Cotmty  Advocate  of  January 
II,  185 1,  that  being  the  first  paper  established  in  Dowagiac,  its  founder 
being  Ezekiel  S.  Smith,  a  brother  of  Captain  Joel  H.  Smith,  a  long- 
time resident  of  Dowagiac. 

The  Dowagiac  House  is  first  named  in  this  directory.  It  stood 
on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Front  streets,  and  is  said  to  have  been  the 
first  hotel  built.  A.  J.  Wares  was  the  builder  and  was  landlord  at  the 
date  above  given.  The  house  received  various  additions,  and  was  later 
known  as  the  Continental.  Bock's  hotel,  at  Division  and  Front  streets, 
has  already  been  mentioned.  The  next  advertiser  is  Livingstoni  & 
Fargo's  American  Express,  names  very  suggestive  in  express  company 
history.     William  Bannard  w^as  local  agent  of  the  company. 

Under  the  head  of  ''dr>^  goods,  groceries,  etc.,"  are  named  four 
finns.  The  first  is  Lofland,  Lybrook  &  Jones,  whose  large  brick  store 
was  on  the  northwest  side  of  Front  street  facing  the  depot.  The  firm 
consisted  oif  Joshua  Lx»fland,  Henley  C.  Lybrook  and  Gilman  C.  Jones. 
G.  W.  Clark,  also  in  business  at  that  time,  had  a  store  on  the  corner 
of  Front  and  Commercial  streets. 

W.  H.  Atwood  was  then  in  business  in  succession  to  the  first  im- 
portant mercantile  enterprise  of  Dowagiac.  Before  the  founding  of 
Dowagiac  Joel  H.  Smith  and  brother,  Ezekiel  S.,  had  been  in  business 
at  Cassopolis,  but  at  the  beginning  oi  1848  they  moved  a  stock  of  goods 
by  team  from  Cassopolis,  passing  through  LaGrange,  then  a  thriving 


160  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

village  and  which  to  many  seemed  at  the  time  a  more  favorable  loca- 
tion for  business  than  Dowagiac.  The  Smith  brothers  built  their  one- 
story  fram.e  store  on  the  comer  of  Main  and  Front  streets,  it  being  the 
first  building  specially  erected  for  mercantile  purposes.  It  was  a  land- 
mark in  Dowagiac,  having  stood  at  the  corner  for  half  a  century,  until 
it  was  moved  out  to  Indian  lake  to  be  converted  into  a  barn.  The 
Smiths  sold  their  business  in  about  a  year  to  Mr.  Atwood,  who,  as  we 
see,  was  proprietor  in  January,  185 1. 

E..  H.  and  B.  F.  Spalding  were  also  proprietors  of  a  general  store 
at  that  time.  Turner  &  Rogers  dealt  in  groceries,  drugs  and  med- 
icines, S.  Sheridan  in  groceries  and  provisions,  vS.  Bowling  in  boots,  leath- 
er, etc.,  J.  C.  and  G.  W.  Andrews,  who  advertise  stoves  and  tinware, 
were  the  pioneer  hardware  firm,  G.  W.  Andrews  continuing  in  business 
until  1877.     Their  first  store  was  in  the  basement  of  Bock's  hotel. 

Others  w4io  advertised  in  the  Advocate  were  Parker  B.  Holmes, 
iron  worker  and  general  jobber;  George  Walker,  draper  and  tailor; 
Henry  Arnold,  carpenter  and  joiner;  J.  H.  Sharp,  carriage  and  wagon 
maker;  Thomas  Brayton,  physician  and  surgeon,  and  J.  T.  Keable, 
physician  and  surgeon. 

There  were  several  other  business  concerns  in  the  village  be- 
sides those  named  in  the  advertising  directory,  but  the  only  one  calling 
for  mention  is  the  clothing  house  of  Jacob  Hirsh,  who  began  business 
here  in  1850,  being  the  founder  of  the  business  which  is  still  carried  on 
by  Hirsh  &  Fhillipson. 

Other  business  men  whose  long  connection  with  commercial  life 
makes  them  deserving  of  mention  were  Benjamin  Cooper  and  Francis 
J.  Mosher,  the  first  exclusive  grocery  merchants.  Mr.  Mosher's  father, 
Ira  D.,  was  a  resident  on  the  site  of  Dowagiac  when  the  railroad  came. 

C.  L.  Sherwood,  who  has  been  in  the  drug  business  longer  than 
any  of  his  competitors,  came  to  Dowagiac  in  1868  and  purchased  the 
stocks  of  Asa  Huntington  and  N.  B.  Hollister,  pioneers  in  the  business, 
and  also  the  store  of  Howard  &  Halleck. 

In  the  line  of  groceries  George  D.  Jones,  who  has  lived  in  the 
county  since  1829  and  in  Dowagiac  since  1864,  has  conducted  his  store 
on  Commercial  street  for  more  than  twenty-five  years. 

F.  H.  Ross,  who  was  in  the  hardware  business  fromi  i860  to  1886 
and  then  a  real  estate  dealer  until  his  retirement  in  1901,  is  another 
who  contributed  to  the  commercial  enterprise  of  early  Dowagiac. 

The  proprietor  of  the  Daylight  Store  on  Front  street  is  one  of  the 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  161 

oldest  merchants  still  in  active  business.  Burget  L.  Dewey  came  to 
Dowagiac  in  1865  and  began  as  a  clerk,  and  since  1873  has  been  in  the 
drygoods  business,  building  up  one  of  the  leading  mercantile  concerns 
of  the  city. 

The  manufacturing  enterprises  of  Dowagiac  have  been  at  the  core 
of  her  prosperity  and  the  source  of  its  wealth  and  reputation  among  the 
cities  of  Michigan.     An  account  of  these  interests  is  reserved  for  the 
chapter  on  trades  and  manufacturing,  but  it  is  proper  to  mention  the 
dates  of  the  establishment  of  the  different  enterprises,  each  one  of  which 
marks  another  step  in  the  city's  progress,  and  also  the  men  who  have 
been  foremost  in  this  department  of  activity.     The  first  of  a  long  list 
of  subsequent  industrial  enterprises  was  the  basket  factory  established 
in   1857  by  Horace  and  Oilman  C.  Jones.     In  a  very  small  way,  such 
as  could  hardly  be  dignified  with  the  name  of  factory,  P.  D.  Beckwith 
was  already  casting  plows  and  doing  general  repair  work,  having  come  to 
the  village  in   1854,   and  soon  laid  the  basis  for  the  mammoth  enter- 
prise with  which  his  name  will  always  be  associated.     In   1859  Mark 
Judd  helped  to  establish  the  planing  mill  which  was  the  nucleus  for  the 
Judd  lumber  and  planing  mill  business,  which  is  not  least  among  Dowa- 
giac's  large  enterprises.     It  was  in  1868  that  H.  F.  Colby  became  iden- 
tified with  the  mill  interests  of  Dowagiac,  and  although,  as  we  know, 
milling  was  one  of  the  first  industries  at  this  locality,  the  energy  and  ex- 
ecutive ability  displayed  by  Mr.  Colby  in  expanding  and  organizing  the 
industry  are  reasons  for  considering  the  date  of  his  comings  to  Dowagiac 
as  marking  an  epoch  of  industry.     And  in  the  sixties  also  were  made 
the  beginnings  of  the  manufacture  which  has  since  developed  intO'  the 
large   Dowagiac   Manufacturing   Company's   plant.       Myron    Stark,   the 
veteran  manufacturer  and  inventor,  patented  his  sand  band  in  1876  and 
soon  after  made  Dowagiac  his  permanent  home.     Willis  M.  Farr,  the 
present  manufacturer  of  the  Common  Sense  sand  bands,  identified  him- 
self with   the  manufacturing  interests  of  the  city  in   the   seventies,   at 
first  as  one  of  the  partners  in  the  drill  works,  and  then  joined  with  Myron 
Stark  in  perfecting  and  ]>utting  on  the  market  the  latter's  excellent  in- 
vention.    The  Hedrick  sawmill  dates  back  to  its  foundation  in   i860, 
and  the  extensive  lumber  yard  and  planing  mill  of  John  A.  Lindsley  was 
established  in    1885.     This   summary  indicates  the  principal   events   in 
Dowagiac's  industrial  career. 

With  the  splendid  transportation  facilities  afforded  by  the  Michi- 
gan Central  Railroad,  with  some  of  the  most  important  manufacturing 


162  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

enterprises  of  Michigan,  with  good  mercantile  houses,  with  municipal 
improveinents  in  keeping  with  the  size  of  the  city,  with  excellent  schools^ 
and  churches  and  library,  Dowagiac  occupies  a  position  of  increasing 
influence  among  the  cities  of  southwestern  Michigan,  and  her  devel- 
opment fully  justifies  the  faith  which  Jacob  Beeson  evinced  in  this 
wilderness  locality  in  1848. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  163 


CHAPTER  XL 
COMMUNICATION    AND     TRANSPORTATION. 

Man  cannot  live  alone;  he  must  communicate  with  others.  We 
are  parts  of  a  great  organism.  So  it  is  with  communities.  The  time 
came  when  the  railroad  and  telegraph  brought  them  in  closer  relations 
with  each  other.  But  even  from  the  first  there  was  communication 
with  the  outside  world,  for  absolute  isolation  is  impossible.  At  first 
there  were  no  railroads  leading  out  from  the  eastern  cities  across  the 
great  valley  of  the  Mississippi.  The  mountain  ranges  and  dense  forests 
were  great  barriers  between  the  east  and  Michigan  territory.  There 
was  a  canal  from  Troy  to  Buflfalo,  there  were  a  few  steamers  on  the 
great  lakes,  and  there  was  a  short  horse-car  railroad  running  out  of 
Toledo.  There  were  no  wagon  roads,  but  in  place  of  them  were  Indian 
trails. 

In  all  lands,  however  primitive  and  barbarous,  even  in  the  dense 
forest  fastnesses  of  Africa  or  South  America,  there  are  passages  from 
one  locality  to  another.  The  word  l3est  descriptive  of  such  courses  of 
early  communication  is  ''trail."  Before  civilization  introduced  scientific 
road-making,  wild  animals  were  doubtless  the  markers  and  surveyors 
of  roads.  The  narrow,  deep-w^orn,  and  wavering  path  through  the 
woods,  indicating  the  route  of  the  deer  or  bear  between  its  lair  and  the 
spring  where  it  quenched  its  thirst  or  the  thicket  where  it  sought  its 
quarry,  was  the  course  which  the  Indian,  and  later  the  white  man,  took 
in  going  through  the  woods  or  across  the  prairie.  Trails  are  easily 
made,  as  anyone  may  know  who  observes  how  quickly  the  turf  of  a  park 
or  meadow  is  worn  down  by  the  regular  passage  of  human  feet.  And 
as  the  wild  animal  pushed  its  way  through  the  brush  and  trees,  pursuing 
the  easiest  and  therefore  a  winding  course  to  its  goal,  it  left  evidence 
of  its  progress  in  the  broken  twigs  and  bent  bushes  and  trampled  grass, 
so  that  the  next  creature  bound  in  the  same  direction  would  pursue  the 
same  way  and  better  define  it,  until  a  new  trail  was  marked  out.  Thus 
the  animals  were  the  first  road  makers,  and  blazed  the  way  for  their 
immediate  successors,  the  roving  Indian.  The  latter  would  naturally 
extend  and  connect  the  trails  of  animals  into  certain  long  avenues  of 


164  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

travel  across  the  country,  which  they  would  follow  in  making  their  pil- 
grimages from  one  hunting  ground  to  another  or  for  their  war  expe- 
ditions. 

Thus  it  happened  that  when  the  white  man  first  came  to  southern 
Michigan,  as  was  also  true  of  any  other  part  of  our  country,  he  found 
certain  courses  of  communication  already  marked  out.  These  were 
used  by  the  pioneers  until  better,  broader,  straighter  and  more  direct 
roads  could  be  made.  Oftentimes  these  old  trails  formed  the  most  prac- 
ticable and  convenient  route  of  travel,  and  were  consequently  the  basis 
of  a  highway  ordered  and  constructed  by  the  state  or  county. 

A  description  of  these  primitive  roads  in  Cass  county,  showing  how 
useful  they  were  to  the  early  settlers,  was  furnished  by  Mr.  Amos  Smith, 
the  county  surveyor  at  the  time,  for  the  History  of  1882,  and  being 
authoritative  information,  is  quoted  as  follows : 

"I  find  that  every  township,  in  the  olden  time,  had  its  highways 
and  its  byways.  Some  of  these  seem  to  have  been  of  great  importance, 
connecting  localities  widely  separated  from  each  other,  w^iile  others  of 
less  note  served  only  neighboring  settlements. 

^Tt  is  noticeable  that  the  principal  Indian  trails,  like  our  own  main 
thoroughfares,  ran  east  and  west,  while  others  tributary  to  these  came 
in  from  the  north  and  south.  The  Chicago  trail,  more  important  because 
more  used  than  any  of  the  others,  coming  from  the  east,  entered  the 
county  near  the  half-mile  post  on  the  east  side  of  section  i  in  South 
Porter,  and  ran  thence  w^esterly,  crossing  sections  i,  2,  3,  4,  5,  8,  7, 
and  18  in  South  Porter;  sections  13,  14,  15,  16,  21,  20,  17,  18,  and 
7  in  Mason;  sections  12,  11,  10,  3,  4,  5,  6,  and  7,  in  Ontwa;  and 
sections  12,  11,  10^,  15,  16,  17,  18  in  Milton.  The  Chicago  road,  as 
it  is  now^  traveled,  varies  but  little  from  the  trail  as  above  descri])ed. 

''Near  the  corner  of  sections  4,  5,  8,  9,  in  South  Porter,  the  Chi- 
cago trail  was  intersected  1)y  thie  Shavehead  trail,  a  branch  from  the 
north.  This  trail  or  rather  system  of  trails,  as  more  than  a  dozen  dif- 
ferent ones  united  to  form  it,  had  two  main  branches  which  came  to- 
gether on  section  29,  in  North  Porter,  near  the  lower  end  of  Shavehead 
lake.  The  west  branch,  which  commenced  near  the  north  line  of  Penn 
townshin,  led  southerly  across  Young's  prairie,  dividing  on  section  28 
in  Penn.  One  trail  continued  south  and  east  to  the  west,  and 
south  of  Mud  lake  in  Calvin,  the  other  running  between  Donell  and 
Mud  lakes,  the  two  uniting  near  Birch  lake  in  Porter.  The  last  men- 
tioned trail  was  of  great  service  to  the  early  white  settlers  in  procuring 
supplies  from  the  old  distillery  situated  on  the  East  Branch  of  Chris- 
tiann  creek,  a  little  south  of  Donell  lake.  The  east  branch,  coming-  from 
the  direction  of  Pig  Prairie  Ronde,  crossed  the  county  line  at  the  east 
line  of  section  12  in  Newberg,  just  north  of  Long  lake,  and  ran  south- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  165 

westerly  across  sections  12,  13,  2^,  26,  2y,  34,  and  ^^,  in  Newberg, 
and  sections  4,  9,  8,  17,,  and  20  in  North  Porter,  and  united  with  the 
west  branch  on  section  29,  as  before  stated.  Another  branch  of  the 
Shavehead  trail,  of  less  extent  than  either  of  those  just  described,  com- 
menced at  the  Indian  sugar  works,  near  the  half-mile  post  on  the  hne 
between  sections  10  and  11,  in  North  Porter,  and  ran  thence  south- 
westerly, crossing  Shavehead  prairie  in  its  course,  and  uniting  with  the 
main  branch  on  section  2^. 

''Besides  the  three  principal  branches  of  the  Shavehead  trail  aljove 
mentioned,  there  were  many  others.  In  fact,  the  whole  township  of 
Porter  was  a  perfect  network  of  trails  —  a  regular  ''stamping  ground" 
of  the  Inchans,  so  to  speak,  as  the  numerous  sugar  works,  Indian  fields 
and  villages  abundantly  attest. 

"The  second  branch  of  the  Cliicago  trail  commenced  on  section 
30,  in  Calvin,  running  thence  southeasterly,  crossing  sections  2  and  12, 
in  Mason,  very  nearly  where  the  wagon  road  now  runs,  intersecting  the 
Chicago  trail  at  an  Indian  village  a  few  rods  west  of  the  present  village 
of  Union. 

"The  third  branch  commenced  on  section  3,  in  Mason,  and  ran 
southwesterly,  entering  the  Chicago  trail  near  what  is  now  Adamsville. 

"The  fourth  and  last  branch  of  the  Chicago  trail,  coming  from 
Fort  Wayne,  Indiana,  intersected  the  county  and  state  line  near .  the 
southwest  corner  of  section  20,  in  Ontwa,  and  running  thence  north- 
westerly, united  with  the  main  trail  on  section  16  in  Milton. 

"The  trail  from  tlie  Carey  Mission  to  Grand  River  Mission,  some- 
times called  the  Grand  River  road,  crossed  the  county  line  near  the 
corner  of  sections  6  and  7,  in  Howard,  and  running  thence  angling 
across  Howard,  Pokagon,  Silver  Creek,  Wayne  and  Volinia  townships, 
left  the  county  at  the  north  line  of  section  2,  in  Volinia.  It  had 
no  branches.  The  present  angling  road  running  through  the  greater 
part  of  Pokagon  township,  the  northwest  corner  of  Howard  and  a  por- 
tion of  Wayne,  occupies  very  nearly  the  same  position.  In  fact,  we  are 
indebted  to  the  Indian,  or  it  may  be  to  his  predecessor,  for  some  of  our 
best  lines  of  communication,  and  as  many  of  these  old  routes  are  traveled 
today,  and  probably  will  be  for  all  time  to  come,  where  they  were 
marked  out  hundreds  and  possibly  thousands  of  years  ago,  it  shows  that 
remarkable  skill  must  have  been  exercised  in  their  location." 

Though  the  pioneers  entered  Cass  county  over  the  Indian  trails, 
the  settlement  of  the  county  had  hardly  progressed  beyond  the  initial 
stages  when  there  was  agitation  coupled  with  energetic  efifort  on  the 
part  of  the  settlers  and  government  alike  to  improve  these  trails  into 
highways  and  to  open  new  courses  of  travel. 

The  establishment  of  post-roads  is  a  power  granted  to  the  general 
government  by  the  Constitution.     In  pursuance  of  the  plan  of  internal 


166  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

improvements  thus  provided  for,  the  government  undertook  the  laying 
out  of  such  postal  highways  across  Michigan  territory  long  before  Cass 
county  w^as  settled.  As  incidentally  referred  to  in  a  previous  chapter, 
the  Chicago  treaty  with  the  Indians  in  182 1  contained  a  clause  espe- 
cially stipulating  that  the  United  States  should  have  the  privilege  of 
making  and  using  a  road  through  the  Indian  country  from  Detroit  and 
Fort  Wayne,  rCvSpectively,  to  Chicago. 

The  nrst  of  the  congressional  acts  which  led  toward  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Chicago  road  was  passed  in  1824.  It  authorized  the  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  ''to  cause  the  necessary  surveys,  plans  and 
estimates  to  be  made  of  the  routes  of  such  roads  and  canals  as  he  may 
deem  of  national  importance  in  a  commercial  or  military  point  of  view, 
or  necessary  for  the  transportation  of  the  public  mail."  The  sum  of 
thirty  thousand  dollars  was  appropriated  for  the  surveys  and  the  presi- 
dent was  authorized  to  appoint  two  competent  engineers. 

The  route  from  Detroit  to  Chicago  was  one  of  those  which  the 
executive  ''deemed  of  national  importance,"  and  the  sum  of  ten  thou- 
sand dollars  was  set  apart  from  the  appropriation  for  the  survey.  In 
1825  work  was  commenced  at  the  eastern  end  of  the  road.  The  sur- 
veyor began  on  the  plan  of  running  on  nearly  straight  lines,  but  had 
progressed  only  a  few  miles  when  he  came  to  the  conclusion  that  if  he 
carried  out  his  original  intention,  the  money  apportioned  for  the  work 
would  be  exhausted  long  before  he  could  reach  the  western  terminus. 
He  then  resolved  to  follow  the  old  path  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  and  the 
road  thus  marked  was  never  straightened.  The  trees  were  blazed  fifty 
feet  on  each  side  of  the  trails,-  the  requirement  being  that  the  road 
should  measure  one  hundred  feet  in  width. 

The  Chicago  road  was  surveyed  through  Cass  county  in  1832,  by 
Daniel  G.  Garnsey.  The  road  was  not  worked  through  St.  Joseph, 
Cass  and  Berrien  counties  by  the  government  until  after  the  Black  Hawk 
war.  Immigrants  made  such  improvements  as  they  found  necessary, 
and  the  stage  companies  worked  the  road  sufficiently  to  get  their  coaches 
through,  and  built  some  bridges.  In  1833  the  government  made  thor- 
ough work  of  building  the  road  through  Branch  county,  and  in  1834 
through  St.  Joseph  and  Cass  counties.  It  was  grubbed  out  and  leveled 
for  a  width  of  thirty  feet,  and  the  timber  was  cut  away  on  each  side. 
The  first  bridge  over  the  St.  Joseph  was  built  in  1834,  at  Mottville, 
which  crossing  was  designated  as  ''the  Grand  Traverse." 

The  Chicago  road,  which  follows  approximately  the  Chicago  Indian 


HISTQRY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  167 

I  rail  already  described,  was  the  great  thoroughfare  from  east  to  west 
until  the  advent  of  the  railroad  in  the  late  forties.  The  present  genera- 
tion has  difficulty  in  understanding  the  vital  relation  in  which  such  a 
road  stood  to  the  people  of  sixty  or  seventy-five  years  ago.  In  making 
the  journey  from  Cass  county  to  Chicago  hardly  any  one  would  think 
of  going  any  way  than  by  train,  and  to  drive  the  distance,  even  over 
modern  roadbeds,  would  be  considered  almost  foolhardy. 

Sixty  years  ago  there  was  no  other  means  of  reaching  any  of  the 
great  centers,  such  as  Chicago  or  Detroit,  except  by  wagon  road.  It 
was  a  seven  days'  trip  from  Niles  to  Detroit,  when  now  it  can  be  made 
in  as  many  hours.  A  traveler  was  fortunate  if  he  could  go  from 
Edwardsburg  to  Chicago  in  two  days. 

But  slow  and  difficult  though  this  route  was,  it  was  the  only  one  — 
the  only  certain  means  of  communication  and  travel  that  an  inland 
country  possessed.  Then  came  the  railroad.  It  was  the  successor,  or 
rather  superseded  this  long  inter-county,  inter-state  dirt  road,  and,  as 
the  trend  of  public  thought  is.  at  last  beginning  to  recognize,  the  rail- 
road is  the  national  highway,  the  public  thoroughfare,  of  the  present, 
just  as  the  Chicago  road  was  the  national  postal  and  commercial  route 
of  the  past. 

The  Chicago  road  was  also  known  as  the  ''Territorial  road,"  and 
its  course  from  east  to  west  along  the  southern  border  of  the  county  was 
as  much  of  an  impetus  toward  settlement  and  development  of  such 
centers  as  Edwardsburg  during  the  early  half  of  the  century,  as  the 
Michigan  Central  proved  a  fostering  cause  in  the  founding  and  growth 
of  Dowagiac  in  the  latter  half. 

The  establishment  of  continuous  and  definite  highways  from  place 
to  place  was  also  one  of  the  most  important  functions  of  the  early  terri- 
torial and  state  government,  and  continued  so  until  the  railroad  age 
changed  all  the  methods  and  means  of  long-distance  travel  and  trans- 
portation. In  the  early  history  of  the  state  it  was  not  to  be  expected 
that  the  various  and  often  widely  separated  settlements  could  undertake 
any  extensive  and  co-operative  plan  of  road-making.  The  settlers, 
busied  with  the  labor  of  clearing  the  forests,  of  making  their  first  crops, 
and  providing  for  immediate  wants  and  creature  comforts,  had  no  time 
for  road  building,  except  so  far  as  to  construct  a  temporary  way  to  the 
common  trading  point.  Certainly  without  some  larger  supervision 
most  of  the  roads  would  have  served  only  local  purposes  and  would  have 
been  short  and  disconnected,  and  many  years  would  have  been  suffered 


168  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

to  elapse  1)efore  anything  approaching  a  system  of  puhHc  highways  would 
have  lieen  estahlished. 

As  we  may  infer  from  the  foregoing,  few  of  the  early  roads  were 
laid  out  on  the  rectangular  plan  of  section  lines.  And  even  the  later 
introduction  of  this  method  did  not  cause  the  disuse  and  abandonment 
of  the  favorite  old-time  winding  and  diagonal  routes  that  had  been  laid 
out  Recording  to  the  needs  and  conveniences  of  the  pioneers.  In  the 
new  prairie  localities  of  the  west,  where  no  settlements  were  made  until 
after  the  land  had  been  blocked  out  into  regular  cjuadrangles  by  govern- 
ment engineers,  the  checker-board  system  of  roads  was  adopted  easily 
and  naturall3\  But  in  such  a  country  as  Cass  county,  covered  over  at 
the  time  of  settlement  with  forests  and  dotted  with  lakes  and  marshes, 
with  all  the  conditions  and  appliances  primitive  and  new,  the  settlers 
were  very  likely  to  disregard  geometrical  lines,  even  when  made  by  gov- 
ernment officials,   and  choose  the  ''short  cut"  Iietween  localities. 

During  the  thirties  and  forties  the  territorial  council  and  the  state 
legislature  passed  many  acts  ''authorizing  the  establishment"  of  high- 
ways within  or  entering  Cass  county.  Some  of  these  i^ecame  practicable 
thoroughfares,  others  never  were  constructed  except  officially. 

An  act  of  July  30,  1830,  authorized  the  laying  out  of  a  road  "com- 
mencing w^here  the  township  road  laid  out  1)y  the  commissioners  of 
Ontwa  township,  Cass  county,  from  Pleasant  lake  in  a  direction  to  Pulaski 
(Elkhart),  in  Indiana,  intersects  the  southern  boundary  line  between 
the  territory  of  Michigan  and  the  state  of  Indiana;  thence  on  the  road 
laid  out  as  aforesaid  until  it  intersects  the  Chicago  road  a  few  rods  west 
of  the  postoffice,  near  the  house  of  Ezra  Beardsley,  running  thence  on 
the  most  eligible  and  practicable  route  to  the  entrance  of  the  St.  Joseph 
river  into  Lake  Michigan."  George  Meacham,  John  Bogart  and  Squire 
Thompson  were  the  commissioners  appointed  to  lay  out  and  establish 
this  road. 

Similarly,  another  territorial  road  was  authorized  "commencing  at 
the  county  seat  of  Branch  county,  running  westerly  on  the  most  direct 
and  eligible  route  through  the  seats  of  justice  of  St.  Joseph  and  Cass 
counties  to  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Joseph  river.  Another  from  White 
Pigeon  by  Prairie  Ronde  and  Kalamazoo  to  Grand  Rapids.  "A  road 
from  Adamsville  on  the  most  direct  and  eligible  route  to  the  Paw  Paw 
river  at  or  near  the  center  of  Van  Buren  county,"  and  many  others. 

To  open  and  improve  these  roads  the  territorial  and  later  the  state 
government  made  liberal  appropriations  from  the  reserve  of  internal  im- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  109 

provement  lands.  For  example,  the  legislature  in  1848  appropriated 
three  thousand  acres  for  the  purpose  of  opening  and  improving  a  road 
(authorized  in  1840),  ''commencing  at  some  point  at  or  near  the  north 
bank  of  the  river  St.  Joseph,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  village  of  St.  Joseph, 
thence  running  in  an  easterly  direction  on  the  most  eligible  route  to  the 
village  of  La  Grange,   formerly  called  Whitmanville,  in  Cass  county." 

In  the  late  forties,  at  the  beginning  of  the  railroad  era  in  this  part 
of  the  west,  the  ''plank  road"  had  a  brief  reign  of  favor  as  a  means  of 
internal  communication.  Many  companies  were  incorporated  by  the 
state  to  construct  such  roads  with  the  privilege  of  operating  them  as 
toll  roads.  The  only  one  constructed  for  any  distance  in  Cass  county 
was  planned  to  connect  Niles  and  Mottville  via  Edwardsburg.  The 
company  was  incorporated  in  1849,  with  capital  stock  authorized  at 
$100,000.  Only  five  miles  of  the  proposed  road  was  built,  between 
Niles  and  Edwardsburg.  Such  a  road  was  a  great  improvement  for  the 
time.  Much  heavier  loads  could  be  hauled  over  the  plank  roads  than 
over  the  soil  roads,  and  they  helped  greatly  in  the  development  of  the 
country.  Had  not  the  railroads  at  about  the  same  time  begun  to  net- 
w^ork  the  country,  the  plank  road  would  have  been  no  doubt  adopted  as 
a  solution  of  the  transportation  problem.  After  the  railroads  came  all 
was  changed;  old  centers  were  abandoned,  new  centers  were  formed, 
the  markets  were  brought  nearer  the  farmer's  home,  distances  were 
shortened,  marketing  made  easier,  and  the  development  of  the  country 
was  wonderfully  accelerated. 

In  a  fair  consideration  of  the  means  of  communication  which  the 
county  has  employed,  the  stage  coach  must  be  included  —  the  old  "twice- 
a-week"  stage  coach.  It  was  a  slow  mode  of  travel,  but  the  passengers 
had  a  good  time.  The  rate  of  speed  in  pleasant  weather  and  with  good 
roads  was  perhaps  seven  or  eight  miles  an  hour,  and  the  average  cost 
was  perhaps  five  cents  a  mile.  These  vehicles  have  been  forgotten  as 
completely  as  the  days  they  represented.  When  the  steam  horse  which 
at  first  plowed  the  water  took  to  land  in  the  east,  the  finest  of  the  stages 
were  taken  west,  and  some  of  them  as  far  as  the  Rockies,  where  the  stage 
coach  is  even  yet  not  unknown.  But  the  coach  and  the  type  of  life  it 
represented  are  gone  forever  from  this  part  of  the  country. 

Sixty  years  ago,  however,  the  residents  of  Edwardsburg  and  other 
points  along  the  old  Chicago  road,  on  hearing  the  blast  of  the  driver's 
horn  as  the  stage  topped  the  hill  to  the  east  of  town,  hailed  the  event 
as  a  break  in  pioneer  monotony  and  with  one  accord  assembled  about 


170  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

the  stage  station  to  welcome  the  arrival.  No  one  who  ever  witnessed 
such  a  scene  would  forget  the  excitement  and  the  deep  interest  that 
attended  every  detail  of  this  little  drama.  The  stage  brought  the  latest 
news  from  the  outside  world,  brought  the  newspapers,  brought  the  mails. 
The  stage  put  the  people  in  connection  with  the  great  world,  and  when, 
the  horses  having  been  changed  and  the  passengers  again  embarked,  it 
disappeared  on  the  prairie  and  then  in  the  woods  to  the  west,  the  isola- 
tion of  the  community  was  again  complete  until  the  coach  came  again. 
All  this  gives  us  an  idea  of  the  life  of  those  days,  which  hardly  seems 
real  to  us  now  when  we  are  in  direct  and  constant  communication  with 
all  parts  of  the  world. 

This  i^  the  description  of  one  of  the  old  ^'Concord"  stage  coaches 
as  described  by  a  wTiter  in  the  former  history  of  Cass  county :  ''You 
can  fancy  this  ancient  vehicle  —  a  black  painted  and  deck-roofed  hulk 
—  starting  out  from  Detroit,  with  its  load  of  passengers,  swinging  on 
its  thorough-braces  attached  to  the  fore  and  hind  axles,  and  crowded 
to  its  fullest  capacity.  There  w^as  a  boot  projecting  three  or  four  feet 
behind  for  luggage;  an  iron  railing  ran  around  the  top  of  the  coach 
where  extra  baggage  or  passengers  were  stowed  as  occasion  required. 
The  driver  occupied  a  high  seat  in  front ;  under  his  feet  was  a  place  for 
his  traps  and  the  mail;  on  each  side  of  his  seat  was  a  lamp,  firmly  fixed, 
to  light  his  way  by  night;  inside  of  the  coach  were  three  seats  which 
would  accommodate  nine  passengers.  You  can  imagine  the  stage  coach, 
thus  loaded,  starting  out  at  the  'get  ape'  of  the  driver,  as  he  cracks  his 
whip  over  the  heads  of  the  leaders,  w4ien  all  four  horses  spring  to  their 
work,  and  away  goes  the  lumbering  vehicle,  soon  lost  to  sight  in  the 
woods,  struggling  along  the  road,  lurching  from  side  to  side  into  deep 
ruts  and  often  into  deeper  mud  holes."  ;  . ..  . 

Edwardsburg  was  a  junction  point  on  the  Chicago  road  at  which 
a  branch  line  of  stages  went  toward  Niles.  The  first  stage  coaches  in 
Cass  county  are  said  to  have  passed  through  in  1830  upon  the  Chicago 
road  and  this  branch.  At  first  two  stages  went  over  the  road  each  week, 
but  trips  were  being  made  tri-weekly  before  the  Black  Haw^k  war  sus- 
pended operations  entirely  in  1832.  In  1833  a  new  linie  of  stages  was 
established  between  Detroit  and  Chicago.  The  route  was  from  Detroit 
via  Ypsilanti,  Jonesville,  Coldwater  river,  White  Pigeon^  Edwardsburg 
and  Niles.  Teams  were  changed  about  every  twelve  miles..  By  subse- 
quent changes  in  ownership  this  line  became  the  "Western  Stage  Com- 
pany." 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  171 

In  1835,  on  account  of  the  great  increase  in  immigration  and  gen- 
eral travel,  it  was  found  necessary  to  put  on  daily  stages.  These  were 
almost  invariably  crowded,  and  the  company  was  compelled  to  put  on 
a  double  line  before  the  season  was  over.  Even  then  the  agents  were 
sometimes  obliged  to  hire  extra  teams  and  common  wagons  in  which 
to  convey  passengers.  The  most  desirable  seats  in  the  stages  were  fre- 
quently sold  at  a  heavy  premium  by  speculators.  The  stage  companies 
upon  this  direct  through  line  to  Chicago  were  very  liberally  patronized 
and  grew  rich.  They  flourished  until  the  railroad  superseded  the 
''Concord.'' 

RAILROAD  ERA. 

But  the  chief  developer  and  re-arranger  of  civilization  is  the  rail- 
road. At  a  time  when  the  relations  of  the  railroads  to  the  individual 
citizen,  the  civic  community  and  the  country  at  large  bulk  so  large  in 
public  attention  and  discussion,  it  is  needless  to  describe  the  importance 
of  the  railroad  as  an  institution  of  modern  life.  The  coming  of  the  rail- 
road to  this  part  of  the  west  marked  the  end  of  the  period  of  pioneer 
development  and  the  beginning  of  the  era  of  material  progress  in  which 
we  are  still  living. 

When  Cass  county  was  first  settled  the  pioneers  had  no  intimation 
of  the  revolutionar}'-  changes  in  transportation  and  consequently  all 
departmeiints  of  industry  and  methods  of  living  that  would  be  effected 
by  the  railroad.  It  will  be  remembered  that  the  first  railroad  in  the 
United  States  —  several  miles  in  length  only  —  was  constructed  in 
1826,  almost  coincidentally  with  the  first  settlement  in  Cass  county.  In 
1830,  after  the  tide  of  immigration  had  resulted  in  the  organization  of 
the  county,  there  were  only  twenty-three  miles  of  railroad  in  operation 
in  the  United  States.  Hence,  at  that  time  the  people  of  Cass  county 
could  hardly  have  looked  forward  to  any  time  in  the  near  future  when 
they  could  anticipate  using  railroad  transportation  as  a  common  facility. 

But  by  the  year  1835  ^^^^  railroad  age  in  the  United  States  had 
been  fairly  inaugurated,  with  over  a  thousand  miles  in  operation,  and 
the  lines  increasing  at  a  phenomenal  rate.  By  this  time  the  fever  of 
railroad  building  had  penetrated  the  middle  west,  and  the  subject  was 
thenceforth  one  of  increasing  importance  among  all  classes. 

It  was  a  long  while,  however,  before  the  railroad  actually  came 
this  far  west.  In  the  meantime  the  demands  of  the  people  for  improved 
trans^x^rtation  resulted  in  the  agitation  of  canal  construction  and    the 


172  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

opening  of  the  waterways  of  commerce.  Canal  building  in  the  middle 
west  reached  its  fullest  extent  during  the  late  thirties  and  the  forties, 
and  for  a  time  the  canal  and  the  railroad  competed  on  even  terms. 

The  only  convenient  water  way  ever  utilized  by  the  people  of  Cass 
county  for  transportation  was  the  St.  Joseph  river.  The  early  settlers 
were  compelled  to  haul  in  wagons  their  surplus  wheat  and  corn  and 
other  products  to  some  point  on  this  stream,  such  as  Niles,  and  thence 
''ark"  them  to  Lake  Michigan,  for  carriage  by  lake  vessels  to  the  mar- 
kets of  the  world.  Several  years  before  the  advent  of  the  railroad, 
the  first  steamboat  began  plying  on  the  St.  Joseph,  as  the  forerunner 
of  the  considerable  fleet  which  up  to  the  present  day  has  navigated  on 
the  low^er  courses  of  that  stream. 

The  only  serious  plan  for  bringing  this  waterway  into  more  useful 
relation  to  Cass  county  w^as  that  discussed  at  a  meeting  held  in  Ed- 
wardsburg,  February,  1836,  to  consider  the  project  of  constructing  a 
canal  from  Constantine  to  Niles.  Such  a  canal  would  have  crossed 
south  central  Cass  county,  and  would  have  been  a  short  cut  across  the 
great  arc  made  by  the  river  in  its  bend  into  Indiana.  Had  the  railroad 
era  not  been  so  near,  this  canal  w-ould  doubtless  have  been  constructed 
at  some  time,  and  would  have  been  of  inestimable  advantage  to  the 
development  of  Cass  county. 

But  a  majority  of  those  present  at  the  Edw^ardsburg  meeting  fav- 
ored, even  then,  the  idea  of  a  railroad  rather  than  a  canal.  The  result 
w'as  that  the  friends  of  the  enterprise  secured  the  passage  of  an  act 
by  the  legislature,  March  26,  1836,  incorporating  the  Constantine  and 
Niles  Canal  or  Railroad  Company,  with  a  capital  stock  fixed  at  $250,000. 
The  company  was  empowered  to  construct  either  a  canal  or  railroad 
betw^een  the  termini  mentioned  in  its  name  and  charter.  The  first  di- 
rectors were  William  Meek,  George  W.  Hoffman,  Wells  T.  House, 
Watson  Sumner,  John  G.  Cathcart,  Edward  N.  Bridge,  J.  C.  Lanman, 
Jacob  Beeson  and  Vincent  L.  Bradford.  This  enterprise  ended  in  the 
storm  of  financial  disaster  that  overtook  the  country  in  1837,  and  it  is 
not  certain  that  even  a  survey  of  the  route  of  the  proposed  canal  or 
railroad  was  made. 

Such  was  the  only  canal  building  ever  attempted  in  this  county. 
xMready  the  attention  of  the  people  was  directed  to  the  advance  of  the 
railroads  from  the  east.  In  1832  the  territorial  council  of  Michigan 
had  incorporated  the  Detroit  and  St.  Joseph  Railroad  Company.  The 
company  was  authoHzed  to  build  a  single  or  double  track  railroad  from 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  1T3 

Detroit  to  St.  Joseph  by  way  of  the  village  of  Ypsilanti  and  the  county 
seats  of  Washtenaw,  Jackson,  Calhoun  and  Kalamazooi  counties,  and 
to  run  cars  on  the  same  ''by  the  force  of  steam,  of  animals,  of  any 
mechanical  or  other  force,  or  of  any  combination  of  these  forces";  was 
bound  to  begin  work  within  two  years  from  the  passage  of  the  act,  to 
build  thirty  miles  of  track  within  six  years,  to  complete  half  of  the  road 
v/ithin  fifteen  years,  and  to  finish  the  whole  of  it  within  thirty  years, 
under  penalty  of  the  forfeiture  of  its  franchises. 

The  route  was  surveyed,  work  was  begim  at  the  eastern  end,  but 
before  the  set  period  of  six  years  had  expired  Michigan  had  become 
a  state.  With  its  new  dignity  of  statehood,  Michigan  was  most  zealous 
in  fostering  enterprises  of  internal  improvement,  not  merely  opening 
the  way  for  the  exertion  of  private  or  corporate  effort,  but  even  going 
to  the  extent  of  constructing  under  state  auspices  and  appropriations 
from  the  public  treasury  the  railroad  and  other  highways  and  public 
utilities. 

March  20,  1837,  an  act  of  the  legislature  was  approved  that  pro- 
vided for  the  construction  of  three  railroads  across  the  whole  breadth 
of  its  territor)^,  to  be  called  the  Northern,  Central  and  Southern  rail- 
roads. The  Central  was  to  run  from  Detroit  to  the  mouth  of  the  St. 
Joseph.  The  act  also  provided  for  the  purchase  of  the  rights  and  prop- 
erty of  companies  already  established,  and  especially  those  of  the  Detroit 
and  St.  Joseph  Company.  The  sum  of  $550,000  was  appropriated  for 
the  survey  and  making  of  the  three  roads,  $400,000  of  which  was  set 
apart  for  the  Central.  The  legislature  also  authorized  a  loan  of  five 
million  dollars  for  railroad  construction. 

The  commissioners  of  Internal  Improvements  were  thus  provided 
with  funds  for  the  carrying  out  of  this  stupendous  undertaking.  But 
the  buikling  began  in  a  period  of  industrial  depression,  unlooked  for 
obstacles  hindered  the  progress  of  the  work,  and  when  the  year  1846 
came  the  Central  had  been  completed  only  to  Kalamazoo,  while  the 
Southern's  western  operating  terminal  still  tarried  at  Hillsdale.  Public 
opinion  as  to  the  feasibility  of  railroad  construction  by  the  state  seems 
to  have  changed  in  the  meanwhile,  and  by  an  act  of  the  legislature  in 
the  early  part  of  1846  an  entire  change  of  policy  was  effected. 

By  this  act  of  1846  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  Company,  com- 
posed of  private  individuals,  was  incorporated.  At  the  same  time  a 
transfer  of  all  the  state's  equity  and  control  of  the  Central  Railroad 
was  made  to  the  new  corporation  for  the  consideration  of  two  miillion 


174  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

dollars.  The  charter  required  the  new  company  to  follow  substantially 
the  route  originally  decided  upon,  but  instead  of  specifying  that  the 
mouth  of  the  wSt.  Joseph  should  be  the  western  terminus,  allowed  the 
company  to  build  from  Kalamazoo  "to  some  point  in  the  state  of  Michi- 
gan on  or  near  Lake  Michigan  which  shall  be  accessible  tO'  steamboats 
on  said  lake,  and  thence  to  some  point  on  the  southern  boundary  line  of 
Michigan" ;  the  men  who  composed  the  company  insisting  on  the  latter 
provision  in  order  that  they  might  have  a  choice  of  destination. 

The  object  of  the  company  was  to  project  their  line  across  the 
northern  portion  of  Indiana  and  plant  its  western  terminus  at  Chicago. 
The  story  of  the  intense  rivalry  between  the  Michigan  Central  and  the 
Michigan  Southern  in  their  stniggle  to  be  the  first  to  accomplish  this 
end  is  not  pertinent  here.  But  the  change  of  the  objective  point  from 
St.  Joseph  to  Chicago  resulted  in  diverting  the  course  of  the  line  direct 
from  Kalamazoo  to  New  Buffalo  (the  terminus  of  the  Michigan  char- 
ter) and  thus  crossing  the  northwest  corner  of  Cass  county.  Had  the 
original  plan  been  carried  out,  Cass  county  would  have  been  without 
railroad  connection  for  a  number  of  years  longer. 

But  now,  in  the  haste  to  construct  the  line,  the  new  company,  as 
soon  as  the  transfer  had  been  effected,  surveyed  a  route  to  New  Buffalo 
and  at  once  pushed  the  work  of  construction  as  far  as  the  Michigan 
charter  would  cRvry  it.  The  road  was  completed  through  this  county 
as  far  as  Niles  by  October  7,  1848,  and  in  the  spring  of  the  foillowing 
year  New  Buffalo  was  reached.  The  conflicting  interests  of  the  two 
rival  railroads  and  the  legislatures  of  the  states  through  which  the  lines 
were  to  pass  delayed  the  completion  of  the  Michigan  Central  across 
Indiana.  But  the  line  was  opened  to  Michigan  City  in  the  winter  of 
1851-52,  and  in  the  following  spring  was  completed  to  Chicago. 

Had  the  plans  contemplated  by  the  state  been  carried  out,  the 
Michigan  Southern  would  have  been  constructed  along  the  southern 
border  of  the  state *and  hence  through  Cass  county.  But  it  was  seen  fit 
to  turn  this  line  south  from  White  Pigeon,  and  thence  was  constructed 
across  Northern  Indiana. 

The  first  constitution  of  Michigan  had  expressly  affirmed  the  pro- 
priety of  internal  improvements  being  undertaken  by  the  state  and  paid 
for  out  of  the  public  funds  or  public  lands.  The  unhappy  results  that 
followed  the  projection  and  partial  construction  of  the  Central  and 
Southern  railroads  under  state  auspices  worked  a  complete  reversal  of 
public  opinion  on   this  policy.      Accordingly   the  constitution  of   1850 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  l'^5 

contained  a  provision  prohibiting  the  state  from  contributing  to  or 
otherwise  engaging  in  any  such  forms  of  internal  improvements. 

Though  the  people  as  a  state  were  thus  forbidden  to  construct  rail- 
roads, it  was  understood  that  smaller  corporate  units  oif  towns  and  cities 
were  not  afifected  by  the  constitutional  provisions.  After  the  Civil  war 
for  several  years,  there  passed  over  the  country  a  wave  of  popular 
activity  and  participation  in  railroad  construction.  Towns,  villages  and 
counties,  not  to  mention  hundreds  of  private  citizens,  not  only  in  this 
state  but  in  many  states  of  the  mJddle  west,  voted  generous  subscrip- 
tions or  ''bonuses"  to  railroad  enterprises,  many  of  which  began  and 
ended  their  existence  in  the  fertile  brains  of  the  promoters.  This  move- 
ment had  a  vital  connection  with  Cass  county's  welfare,  and  its  ulti- 
mate results  may  be  said  to  have  given  the  county  two  of  its  railroad 
lines. 

By  the  beginning  of  the  seventies  the  towns  and  cities  of  the  state 
had  voted  to  various  railroad  companies  subscriptions  aggregating  sev- 
eral millions  of  dollars.  Individuals  had  given  perhaps  as  much  more. 
Now  followed  a  decision  of  the  state  supreme  court  declaring  that  the 
act  under  which  the  voting  had  taken  place  was  unconstitutional;  hence 
these  minor  civil  corporations  could  not  obligate  themselves  by  contri- 
butions to  railroad  construction  any  more  than  the  state  itself  could. 
This  was  the  final  phase  of  internal  improvements  under  public  direc- 
tion or  support.  So  much  history  of  the  matter  is  necessary  to  a  proper 
understanding  of  the  manner  in  which  the  ''Air  Line"  and  the  Penin- 
sular, now  Grand  Trunk,  railroads  were  constructed  through  Cass  county. 

LaGrange  township  alone,  with  the  prospective  benefits  of  two 
railroads  before  it,  had  voted  thirty  thousand  dollars  of  bonds  to  the 
two  projected  roads.  But  fortunately  these  bonds,  as  was  true  of  the 
bonds  of  other  townships  in  the  county,  were  still  in  the  keeping  of  the 
state  treasurer  at  the  time  the  decision  of  the  supreme  court  was  given. 
Soon  after  the  decision  was  made  known  a  majority  of  the  citizens  of 
the  various  townships  voted  to  recall  the  bonds  and  prevent  their  being 
surrendered  to  the  railroad  companies  and  hence  to  individual  purchas- 
ers. The  state  treasurer,  however,  refused  to  return  the  bonds  until 
the  supreme  court,  in  behalf  of  LaGrange  township,  issued  a  mandamus 
compelling  the  state  treasurer  to  restore  the  bonds.  In  the  case  of  some 
townships  of  the  state,  the  bonds  had  already  passed  into  the  financial 
markets,  and  in  such  instances  the  townships  were  obliged  to  pay  their 
subscriptions. 


176  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

The  Air  Line  branch  of  the  Michigan  Central  which  now  crosses 
Cass  county  nearly  centrally  from  west  to  east  was  projected  almost 
entirely  by  local  capital  and  enterprise,  the  corporate  name  being  the 
Michigan  Air  Line  Railroad  Company.  The  people  of  the  counties  of 
Cass,  St.  Joseph,  Calhoun  and  Jackson  were  the  ones  most  vitally  in- 
terested. Jackson  county  subscribed  nearly  two  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars to  the  undertaking  and  the  principal  officers  of  the  original  organi- 
zation were  citizens  of  Jackson.  The  line  was  opened  to  travel  from 
Jackson  to  Homer  in  the  summer  of  1870,  to  Three  Rivers  in  the  autumn 
of  the  same  year,  and  was  completed  to  Niles  in  February,  1871.  Almost 
coincident  with  the  completion  of  the  road  it  was  leased  to  the  Michigan 
Central  Railroad  Company,  and  soon  became  the  property  of  that  com- 
pany. The  first  regular  passenger  train  over  this  road  was  run  through 
Cass  county  on  January  16,  1871. 

The  late  Mr.  S.  T.  Read,  of  Cassopolis,  has  been  given  the  credit 
for  suggesting  to  the  president  of  the  Canadian  Railroad  the  scheme 
for  extending  that  line  from  its  western  Canadian  terminus  at  Port 
Huron  across  the  peninsula  of  Michigan  to  a  terminal  in  the  com- 
mercial metropolis  of  Chicago.  The  Grand  Trunk  Railroad  was  built, 
and  due  to  the  public-spirited  and  persistent  efforts  of  Mr.  Read  the 
line  passed  through  central  Cass  county  and  the  county  seat.  The 
people  of  the  county  liberally  supported  the  enterprise,  contributing  in 
cash  subscriptions  and  donations  of  rights  of  way  to  the  amount  of 
one  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

The  track  was  completed  to  Cassopohs  from  the  east  on  February 
9,  187 1,  and  in  the  course  of  the  same  year  the  line  was  extended  to 
Valparaiso,  Indiana,  and  subsequently  to  Chicago. 

The  Grand  Trunk  Railroad  in  the  United  States  is  a  patchwork  of 
smaller  lines  and  extensions  of  various  date.  The  first  line  was  con- 
structed under  a  charter  given  to  the  Port  Huron  and  Lake  Michigan 
Railroad  Company  in  1847.  ^^^  1^55  ^^^^  P^^^  Huron  and  Milwaukee 
Railroad  Company  was  chartered,  and  not  long  afterward  was  amal- 
gamated with  the  first-named  organization.  October  3,  1865,  the 
Peninsular  Railroad  Company  was  chartered  to  constiiict  a  railroad  be- 
tween Lansing  and  Battle  Creek.  January  3,  1868,  the  Peninsular  Rail- 
road Extension  Company  was  chartered  for  the  extension  of  a  line  from 
Battle  Creek  to  the  Indiana  state  line.  These  two  companies  were  con- 
solidated as  the  Peninsular  Railway  Company.     Numerous  other  con- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  177 

soliclations  and  changes  preceded  the  final  organization,  in  April,  1880, 
of  the  Chicago  and  Grand  Trunk  Railway  Company. 

In  the  early  eighties  the  Cincinnati,  Cleveland,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis, 
popularly  known  as  the  ''Big  Four,"  was  constructed  between  Niles  and 
Elkhart.  This  route  passed  through  the  southwestern  corner  of  Cass 
county,  in  Milton  township,  but  as  only  a  signal  station  called  Truitt 
has  been  established  on  that  section  of  the  line,  the  "Big  Four"  is  not  a 
Cass  county  road  in  the  same  relation  as  the  Michigan  Central,  with 
the  Air  Line  branch  and  the  Grand  Trunk. 

Although  at  the  date  of  this  compilation  Cass  county's  means  of 
communication  do  not  include  electric  lines,  the  course  of  development 
will  soon  reach  this  stage,  and  it  is  appropriate  to  describe  the  present 
status  of  this  subject. 

About  1901  the  "Eastern  and  Northwestern  Raihx>ad  Company" 
was  formed  by  a  group  of  capitalists  with  headquarters  in  Chicago.  They 
proposed  a  railroad  from  Benton  Harbor  to  Toledo,"  entering  Cass  county 
at  the  northwest  and  leaving  it  about  the  middle  of  Newberg  township 
on  the  east,  cuttmg  the  existing  lines  about  at  right  angles.  The  line 
of  original  survey  was  run  three  miles  to  the  north  of  Cassopolis. 

The  citizens  of  that  village,  alive  to  the  possible  loss  of  another 
railroad,  at  once  made  efforts  to  bring  the  road  through  the  county 
seat.  The  terms  asked  by  the  promoters  were  a  right  of  way  for  the 
distance  of  two  and  a  half  miles  and  land  for  depot  site.  The  Cass- 
opolis citizens  complied,  and  the  road  was  to  be  in  operation  as  far  as 
Dowagiac  by  May,  1902,  and  the  entire  line  completed  by  July,  1903. 
A  large  part  of  the  grading  was  done,  indeed  in  this  respect  the  line  is 
practically  complete  to  Jamestown  in  Penn  township,  Cass  county,  but 
the  financial  backing  failed  before  the  rest  of  the  construction  was 
finished,  and  the  grades  and  cuts  are  all  that  Cass  county  so  far  has  to 
show  for  the  enterprise. 

But  tentative  negotiations  are  in  progress,  according  to  a  plan  to 
utilize  this  route  for  an  electric  road.  The  network  of  interurban  elec- 
tric lines  is  certain  to  inclose  Cass  county  within  a  few  years.  To  the 
south  there  is  a  line  of  electric  communication  almost  continuous  be- 
tween Michigan  City  and  Toledo.  On  the  west  a  branch  of  the  same 
system  touches  Niles,  Berrien  Springs  and  Benton  Harbor,  Berrien 
county.  Kalamazoo  is  another  center  for  the  radiation  of  these  roads. 
As  this  form  of  intercommunication  in  the  middle  west  is  the  product 


178  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

of  little  more  than  a  decade,  it  is  not  unreasonable  to  expect  an  equally 
phenomenal  increase  with  the  succeeding  ten  years. 

POSTAL  SERVICE. 

No  phase  of  the  general  subject  of  communication  is  of  more  vital 
interest  to  the  people  than  postal  facilities.  The  desire  to  know^  what 
is  going  oh  in  the  world  outside  the  circle  of  immediate  acquaintance  is 
as  deep-seated  as  it  is  wholesome,  and  the  isolation  from  friends  and 
relatives  and  the  settled  parts  of  the  country  was  one  of  the  severest 
privations  connected  with  settlement  on  the  frontier.  In  truth  there  was 
a  time  in  most  such  communities  when  news — if  such  it  could  be  called 
when  it  often  was  very  old  when  it  reached  the  hearers — had  no  reg- 
ular lines  of  dissemination  and  was  carried  only  by  the  chance  trav- 
eler. All  pioneer  communities  have  experienced  such  a  situation  in 
some  degree,  and  the  early  settlers  of  Cass  county  had  little  definite 
connection  with  the  outside  world,  although  living  in  a  comparatively 
modern  age  and  only  a  few  years  before  the  invention  of  the  telegraph. 

Accordingly  one  of  the  first  improvements  sought  after  actual  home 
and  shelter  and  means  of  subsistence  were  provided  was  a  ]^x)stal  serv- 
ice, such  as  all  the  settlers  had  been  familiar  with  in  their  former  homes 
in  the  more  settled  regions.  We  have  seen  how  the  government  early 
made  provision  for  the  establishment  of  a  great  post  road  from  the  east 
to  the  west.  But  the  actual  transportation  and  distribution  of  mail  was 
a  very  uncertain  matter  for  many  years,  and  depended  largely  on  the 
provision  that  each  community  could  make  for  that  purpose.  In  the 
early  days  a  mail  route  was  established  between  Fort  Wayne  and  Niles. 
The  mail  was  at  first  carried  once  in  four  weeks,  then  once  every  two 
weeks.  This  mail  was  carried  by  a  character  known  as  ''Old  Hall," 
who  bestrode  one  horse  while  the  mail  bags  were  carried  on  a  horse  that 
he  led.  At  Niles  the  mail  for  all  the  surrounding  country  was  distrib- 
uted, the  various  communities  in  Cass  county  each  receiving  it  by 
special  carriers.  Some  convenient  settler's  cabin  was  selected  as  the 
postoffice,  and  there  the  neighbors  would  gather  to  receive  a  chance 
letter  or  hear  the  reading  of  a  newspaper  brought  in  by  the  last  mail. 
The  history  of  many  of  these  early  postoffices  is  told  in  the  chapter  on 
the  centers  of  population. 

Letters  were  a  luxury  in  pioneer  times.  They  were  written  on 
foolscap  paper  and  so  folded  that  one  side  was  left  blank,  so  as  to  form 
its  own  envelope,  it  being  sealed  with  wax  or  a  wafer.     This  latter  cus- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  179 

torn  was  followed  for  many  years,  and  some  of  these  sheets  folded  ac- 
cording to  the  usual  manner  and  with  some  of  the  wax  of  the  seal  still 
adhering  to  them,  are  still  to  be  found  in  the  county. 

It  was  perhaps  well  that  the  pioneer  could  not  foresee  the  con- 
veniences that  his  twentieth  century  descendant  enjoys  in  the  way  of 
postal  facilities;  he  might  have  felt  his  deprivations  more  severely  had 
he  known  that  in  1906  the  rural  mail  routes,  radiating  in  every  direction 
and  approaching  within  convenient  distance  of  every  home  in  the  county, 
would  be  delivering  packages,  letters  and  metropolitan  dailies  once  each 
day  and  with  greater  regularity  and  punctuality  than  was  the  case  in  the 
large  eastern  towns  of  his  time. 

TELEPHONES. 

To  understand  the  development  that  has  taken  place  in  the  means 
of  communication  it  is  not  necessary  to  go  back  beyond  the  memory 
of  the  present  generation.  As  the  result  of  successful  experiments  Mr. 
Alex.  Graham  Bell  exhibited  at  the  Centennial  exposition  in  Phil- 
adelphia in  1876  an  invention  which  was  described  by  a  standard  en- 
cyclopedia published  in  1877  as  an  instrument  for  the  ''telegraphic  trans- 
mission of  articulate  sounds."  The  article  further  goes  on  to  state  as 
the  climax  of  the  wonderful  discovery  that  'Sve  may  confidently  expect 
that  Mr.  Bell  will  give  us  the  means  of  making  voice  and  spoken  words 
audible  through  the  electric  wire  to  an  ear  hundreds  of  miles  distant." 
And  In  1906  there  is  probably  not  a  person  in  Cass  county  who  does  not 
at  least  know  of  the  telephone,  and  in  hundreds  of  rural  homes  and  in 
nearly  every  city  and  village  residence  and  business  house  will  be  found 
one  of  these  instruments,  so  necessary  to  modern  life.  Various  telephone 
and  telegraph  companies  are  now  operating  their  lines  in  and  through 
this  county,  and  the  news  of  the  Russian  crisis  comes  to  every  village  as 
soon  after  the  occurrence  as  in  former  days  a  report  concerning  a  trial  at 
Cassopolis  would  reach  the  outlying  districts  of  the  county. 

From  the  foregoing  it  appears  that  the  world  is  coming  to  be  all 
of  a  piece.  Once  every  little  community  could  live  by  itself,  make  its 
own  clothes,  wagons,  tools,  and  all  the  articles  necessary  for  its  exist- 
ence. But  this  view  of  self-dependence  and  isolation  either  in  man 
or  in  the  community  is  now  thoroughly  discredited.  With  the  coming 
of  railroad,  telegraph,  telephone,  etc.,  closer  relations  were  established, 
and  individuals,  communities  and  states  have  become  dependent  on 
each  other. 


180  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


CHAPTER    Xn. 
INDUSTRIES   AND    FINANCE. 

That  familiar  hero  of  juvenile  fiction,  Robinson  Crusoe,  after  being 
cast  upon  his  desert  island,  was  compelled  to  build  his  own  shelter,  to 
make  his  own  clothes,  to  fashion  many  of  his  implements  and  his  house- 
hold utensils,  to  cultivate  the  soil  and  raise  'and  prepare  all  things  need- 
ful for  his  bodily  sustenance,  to  enact  for  his  own  guidance  all  his  laws 
and  rules  of  conduct,  and  to  be  his  own  army  for  protection  against  the 
cannibals.  Such  a  type  of  all-around  man,  jack-of-all-trades,  self-suffi- 
cient and  prepared  for  all  the  uses  and  adversities  of  the  world,  was 
at  one  time  considered  the  proper  ideal  by  which  each  person  should 
fashion  his  life. 

But  such  individualism  is  now  seen  to  be  exceedingly  primitive, 
and  instead  of  making  man  more  independent  really  puts  him  more 
abjectly  in  dependence  on  all  the  humbler  wants  and  necessities  which 
are  at  the  base  of  the  higher  life.  Society  as  now  organized,  and  in  its 
general  tendencies  toward  the  working  out  of  the  prol:)lems  of  human 
destiny,  divides  into  numerous  occupations  the  work  of  the  world, 
specializing  it  for  each  class  of  workers,  and  thereby  leaves  each  of  us 
the  greater  liberty  to  work  out  our  individuality  to  its  highest  possi- 
]>ilities. 

The  men  and  women  who  settled  Cass  county  in  the  twenties  and 
thirties  of  the  last  century  were  in  a  measure  Crusoes,  in  that  most  of 
the  necessities  of  life,  whether  for  eating,  wearing  or  for  performing 
the  work  of  the  field  and  household,  were  home  products.  Planted  in 
the  depth  of  a  great  wilderness,  remote  from  mills  and  often  unattended 
by  craftsmen,  the  men  and  women  who  laid  here  the  foundations  of 
civilized  society  were,  of  necessity,  their  own  artisans  to  a  very  large 
extent,  and  every  home  was  a  factory.  A^Iany  a  farmer  or  farmer's  son, 
becoaning  skilled  in  some  particular  trade,  was  enabled  thereby  to  add 
substantially  to  the  family  income. 

The  conversion  of  raw  material  into  forms  suitable  for  the  uses 
of  mankind  was  undertaken  immediately  upon  the  arrival  of  the  first 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  181 

permanent  white  settlers,  who,  with  few  tools  but  an  ax,  hastily  con- 
structed a  rude  cabin  of  logs  and  fashioned  a  few  primitive  articles  for 
domestic  use,  such  as  tables,  benches,  beds,  and  other  furnishings  of 
immediate  necessity. 

Next  to  shelter  and  foodstuffs  clothing  was  the  issue  of  paramount 
importance  to  the  hardy  pioneers,  and  in  the  division  of  labor  this  in- 
dustry was  left  to  the  women.  P^very  cabin  was  flanked  by  its  patch  of 
flax,  and  the  planter  who  did  not  possess  a  few  sheep  had  to  trade  witli 
his  neighbor  for  wool.  From  these  raw  materials  the  old-fashioned 
housew^ife  w^as  expected  to  produce  clothing  for  the  family  and  linen  for 
the  bed  and  table.  The  full  grown  flax  was  pulled  up  and  spread  out  on 
the  ground  to  rot  in  the  rain  and  dew,  after  which  it  was  thoroughly 
broken,  l)y  the  older  boys,  if  there  were  any,  with  the  vi.o'orous  use  of 
the  flax-brake,  then  put  through  a  softening  process  called  ''scutching," 
and  a  separating  process  called  ''hackling,"  which  left  ready  for  the 
spinstress  tW'O  fabrics,  tow  and  thread  fiber. 

By  the  use  of  the  little  spinning  wheel,  proficiency  in  the  handling 
of  which  was  for  the  girls  a  test  of  advancing  womanhood,  the  fiber, 
or  lint,  was  made  into  a  fine,  strong  thread  called  warp,  and  the  tow 
into  a  coarser  thread  used  as  filling.  These  w-ere  woven  together  on  a 
hand  loom,  and  from  the  tow-linen  produced  was  made  the  summer 
wear  for  the  family,  the  females  usuall}^  preferring  to  color  theirs  with 
home-made  dyestuff  to  suit  their  taste,  while  the  less  pretentious  men 
folks  were  satisfied  to  take  it  as  it  came  from  the  loom.  AVhen  the 
wool  was  brought  in,  the  good  mother  and  her  daughters,  after  thor- 
oughly cleansing  or  scouring  it  by  washing,  shaped  it  into  convenient 
rolls  by  the  aid  of  a  pair  of  hand-cards  provided  for  that  purpose  and 
spun  on  the  big  wheel  into  yarn  filling  (sometimes  used  for  knitting 
stockings,  mittens  and  comforters),  wdiich,  when  woven  with  linen 
warp,  made  the  "linsey-woolsey"  of  the  good  old  days,  or,  if  woven 
with  cotton  warp,  resulted  in  the  fabric  known  as  "jeans."  The  former, 
suitably  dyed,  was  in  general  use  as  a  strong,  warm  and  handsome  text- 
ure for  feminine  apparel,  and  the  latter,  colored  with  butternut  juice, 
was  tailored  by  the  women  for  the  men's  wear. 

As  commerce  with  other  parts  of  the  United  States  increased, 
cotton  became  a  more  generally  used  material.  But  during  the  height 
of  the  abolition  movement,  which,  as  we  know,  had  some  very  strong 
advocates  in  Cass  county,  a  prejudice  arose  against  the  use  of  any 
material  made  by  slave  labor,  although  only  two  or  three  instances  are 


182  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

recorded   of    persons   who   absolute!}^   refused   to   wear  garments    that 
contained  any  part  cotton. 

For  footwear  the  wandering  cobbler,  who  traveled  from  house 
to  house,  was  relied  upon  to  fashion  boots  and  shoes  from  the  home- 
tanned  hides,  or  moccasins  were  procured  from  the  Indians.  Occa- 
sionally the  shoemakers  would  not  get  around  until  after  snowfall,  and 
many  a  venerable  grandsire  can  tell  of  going  barefooted  to  his  chores 
with  snow  on  the  ground.  A  well  prepared  coonskin  made  a  very 
warm  and  equally  unsightly  cap.  Coonskins  also  formed  a  kind  of 
currency  of  the  w^oods,  the  pelt  being  considered  as  good  as  gold  and 
accepted  in  exchange  for  all  commodities. 

Properly  selected  rye  straws  were  woven  by  the  women  into  bon- 
nets for  themselves  and  hats  for  their  masters.  The  women  also  fash- 
ioned for  themselves  curiously  wrought  sunbonnets  of  brightly-colored 
goods  shaped  over  pasteboard  strips  with  fluted  and  ruffled  capes  falling 
behind  over  the  shoulders.  The  manufacture  of  quilts  gave  oppor- 
tunity for  social  gatherings  when  there  were  neighbors  close  enough 
to  get  back  home  before  chore  time,  and  the  quilting  ranked  along 
with  the  huskings,  log-rollings  and  house-raisings  among  the  primitive 
society  functions  of  the  early  days.  The  industries  of  the  homestead 
did  not  include  the  preservation  of  fruits  and  vegetables,  save  to  a  small 
extent  by  drying,  but  meats  were  preserved  in  various  ways;  lye  hominy 
or  hulled  corn  was  a  regular  institution,  and  some  other  food  articles 
were  occasionally  laid  by  for  winter,  thus  forming  the  beginnings  of 
the  packing  and  canning  industries  of  later  times. 

Prior  to  the  advent  of  cabinet  makers  the  settlers,  perforce,  in- 
cluded that  trade  among  their  accomplishments,  and  made  their  own  bed- 
steads, tables,  cupboards  and  chairs.  For  bedsteads  an  oak  butt,  about 
eight  feet  long  and  of  sufficient  diameter,  was  split  into  rails  and  posts, 
a  shorter  log  was  split  up  for  slats,  and  the  pieces  selected  were  dressed 
down  with  the  drawknife  and  fitted  together  with  the  axe.  Two  rails 
were  used  for  each  side  and  three  for  each  end,  the  rounded  ends  of 
the  slats  being  driven  into  auger  holes  in  the  rails,  and  the  four  high 
corner-posts  were  tied  together  at  the  tops  with  strong  cords,  from 
which  curtains  might  be  suspended  if  desired.  Even  less  pretentious 
forms  have  been  described,  and,  of  course,  each  article  of  furniture 
would  be  likely  to-  vary  according  to  the  ingenuity  and  skill  of  the 
maker.  In  the  m.ore  fortunate  homes  were  bedsteads  with  turned  posts, 
square  rails  and  cords  in  place  of  slats,  a  feather  bed  surmounted  the 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  183 

''straw  tick/'  and  with  plenty  of  ''kiver,"  such  a  lodgment  was  com- 
fortable on  the  coldest  winter  night.  There  was  also  the  trundle  bed, 
a  low  bed  that  could  be  pushed  under  the  large  bed,  where  it  remained 
during  the  day,  and  was  pulled  out  for  the  smaller  children's  use  at 
night. 

With  equal  skill  a  table  was  constructed  by  pinning  two  thin  oak 
clapboards,  smoothed  with  a  sharp  ax  on  the  upper  side,  to  cross-pieces 
set  on  four  strong  legs,  the  surface  of  the  table  being  about  four  feet 
by  six.  This  type  also  varied.  Three-legged  stools  were  made  in  a 
similar  simple  manner.  Pegs  driven  in  auger  holes  in  the  logs  of  the 
wall  supported  shelves,  and  on  others  was  hung  the  limited  wardrobe 
of  the  family.  A  few  other  pegs,  or,  perhaps,  a  pair  of  deer  horns 
formed  a  rack  on  which  were  suspended  the  rifle  and  powder  horn,  al- 
ways found  in  every  pioneer  cabin. 

Fortunately,  among  the  early  settlers  there  was  here  and  there  a 
craftsman  who  could  be  called  upon  by  his  neighbors  to  perform  the 
special  form  of  labor  for  which  his  skill  fitted  him.  A  number  of  such 
persons  have  been  mentioned  in  former  chapters.  It  was  not  usual 
during  the  first  years  of  the  county's  history  for  an  artisan  to  depend 
entirely  on  his  trade.  There  was  not  sufficient  demand  for  his  services. 
He  had  his  claim  and  cultivated  the  ground  just  as  the  other  settlers, 
and  during  the  winter  season  or  the  interims  of  farm  labor,  he  was 
ready  to  ply  his  trade. 

As  we  have  seen,  certain  forms  of  manufacturing,  such  as  those 
represented  in  the  sawmill  and  the  grist  mill,  were  introduced  very  soon 
after  the  settlement  of  the  county  began.  These  two  particular  institu- 
tions supplied  the  immediate  necessities  of  life,  and  no  community  could 
progress  very  far  without  them.  Other  forms  of  manufacturing  soon 
came  in,  and  at  an  early  date  manufacturing  interests  formed  a  distinct 
part  of  the  industrial  affairs  of  the  county. 

At  Cassopolis,  the  name  of  Abram  Tietsort,  Jr.,  is  first  and  most 
prominently  associated  with  a  trade.  The  log  building  in  which  he  did 
cabinet  making  for  the  villagers  was  located  on  the  banks  of  Stone 
lake,  just  out  of  the  village  site.  He  made  various  articles  of  furniture 
for  the  pioneer  homes,  and  now  and  then  was  called  upon  to  furnish  a 
plain  and  simple  coffin;  for  death  was  not  an  unknown  visitor  to  the 
early  community. 

An  institution,  of  which  there  were  several  examples  in  early 
Cass   county,   was   the   distillery   for   the  manufacture   of  the  whiskey 


184  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

which,  according  to  general  knowledge,  was  a  more  universal  beverage 
and  consumed  in  more  copious  quantities  in  those  days  than  at  the 
present.  In  1833  Jacob,  Abiel  and  Benjamin  F.  Silvers  put  up  a  dis- 
tillery on  the  banks  of  Stone  lake,  the  first  manufacturing  institution 
of  Cassopolis.  The  frame  was  so  large  and  made  of  such  massive  tim- 
ber that  it  required  the  efiforts  of  a  great  force  of  men  to  raise  it.  Nearly 
all  the  male  population  of  the  central  portion  of  the  county  assisted  in 
the  work,  which  took  three  days'  time.  The  distillery  was  run  to  its 
utmost  capacity  for  a  number  of  years,  and  the  farmers  in  the  surround- 
ing country  received  a  great  deal  of  money  from  its  proprietors  for 
their  surplus  corn. 

Each  settler  learned  to  be  skilled  in  sharpening  his  own  tools,  and 
even  fashioned  out  by  homemade  process  some  of  the  iron  implements 
needed.  But  as  soon  as  possible  lie  resorted  for  the  more  important 
work  to  a  regular  blacksmith,  it  often  being  necessary  to  go  for  that 
purpose  many  miles.  For  instance,  it  is  related  that  a  settler  on  Beards- 
ley's  prairie  had  to  take  his  plowshare  to  be  sharpened  1>y  Israel  Mark- 
ham,  who  conducted  the  first  blacksmith  shop  in  the  county  on  Pokagon 
prairie. 

Over  near  the  present  Jamestown,  in  Penn  towaiship,  a  man  by  the 
name  of  Peck  established  a  blacksmith  shop  about  1828,  but  did  not 
remain  long. 

The  early  advent  of  carpenters  and  joiners  to  the  county  has  been 
spoken  of  in  an  earlier  chapter.  As  soon  as  the  people  advanced  beyond 
the  log  cabin  stage  it  became  quite  necessary  to  procure  the  services 
of  a  skilled  builder  in  the  construction  of  the  houses. 

With  the  art  of  clothes-making  delegated  so  completely  to  the 
pioneer  housewife,  early  Cass  county  would  hardly  seem  a  profitable 
location  for  a  tailor.  But  there  is  record  of  one  who  located  at  Geneva 
about  1834,  when  that  was  still  a  village  of  some  proportions.  He 
was  also  employed  in  the  same  line  for  a  time  at  Whitmanville. 

The  business  activity  of  Edwardsburg  was  increased,  in  1837,  by 
the  arrival  of  a  hat  maker  named  James  Boyd,  who  later  moved  to 
Cassopolis,  where  he  died.  The  business  of  hat-making  was  a  common 
pursuit  in  the  east  during  that  time,  but  few  found  their  way  to  the 
sparsely  settled  west.  Mr.  Boyd,  however,  made  hats  in  this  county 
tor  six  years,  as  the  only  representative  the  county  ever  had  in  that  in- 
dustry, and  he  sold  his  hats  in  all  parts  of  the  county. 

No  one  could  forget  the  old-time  sugar  box.     It  was  a  necessary 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  185 

article  in  every  liousehold,  and,  besides  holding  sugar,  it  often  served 
other  no  less  useful  purposes.  There  are  instances  on  record  where 
the  sugar  box  became  the  receptacle  for  the  pioneer  mail,  where  it  was 
kept  until  the  neighbors  had  time  to  call  for  it.  Did  the  housewife 
need  a  sugar  box,  it  was  quite  likely  that  she  sent  her  husband  to  Ed- 
wardsburg.  About  1837,  a  Mr.  Keeler  located  in  that  village,  and  be- 
sides making  these  indispensable  sugar  boxes,  he  split  out  and  softened 
and  wove  long  strips  of  wood  into  baskets  for  the  settlers'  use.  He 
was  a  character  in  the  neighborhood,  made  verses  as  well  as  Ijaskets, 
and  in  peddling  his  wares  about  the  county  he  drove  to  his  cart,  in 
lieu  of  a  horse,  a  patient  ox  named  ''Bright." 

Perhaps  not  a  month  passed  that  some  one  who  claimed  special 
skill  in  a  particular  craft  or  to  be  a  jack-of-all-trades — a  wandering 
tinker,  a  cobl)ler,  a  tinsmith,  etc. — did  not  pass  through  or  locate  more  or 
less  permanently  in  early  Cass  county.  Though  no  historical  record  is 
kept  of  such  mechanics,  they  are  worthy  of  our  attention  so  far  as  show- 
ing how  much  of  the  work  now^  done  by  a  regular  mechanic  was  attended 
to  at  that  time  1>y  the  well  known  ''tinker"  character. 

In  pioneer  days  the  same  spreading  tree  that  sheltered  the  village 
smithy  usually  cast  its  shade  also  upon  the  local  wagon  shop.  The  two 
industries  were  born  tw^ins  and  did  not  drift  apart  until  the  era  of  great 
factories  set  in  and  made  the  manufacture  of  vehicles  at  the  crossroads 
shop  an  economic  impossibility.  In  the  early  years  a  wheelwright  came 
to  the  county  in  the  person  of  Benjamin  Sweeney,  who  was  located  at 
Edwardsburg  a  number  of  years.  He  was  also  a  civil  engineer,  and 
laid  out  many  roads  through  the  county. 

We  have  alluded  to  the  existence  at  the  Carey  Mission  of  a  grist 
mill  as  early  as  1826.  At  that  time  there  was  not  another  within  a 
hundred  miles.  Hither  the  first  settlers  brought  their  meager  grist,  if 
they  did  not  pound  or  grind  it  with  some  rude  contrivance  at  home.  It 
is  hardly  possible  to  assign  an  exact  date  for  the  location  of  the  first 
mill  in  Cass  county.  But  the  Carpenter  mill,  on  Christiann  creek,  near 
the  site  of  Vandalia,  was  probably  built  about  1828.  All  the  burrs  and 
other  iron  parts  of  the  mill  were  brought  from  Ohio. 

A  few  years  later  this  mill  became  the  property  of  James  O'Dell, 
a  miller,  who  located  in  Penn  township  in  1832.  Mr.  O'Dell  was 
prominent  in  public  affairs  as  well,  serving  as  supervisor,  and  in  other 
township  offices,  in  the  state  legislature,  and  was  a  member  of  the  first 
constitutional  convention  in   1835. 


1S6  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

As  population  increased  other  grist  mills  were  established.  Moses 
Sage  built  one  in  Adamsville  in  1835,  and  such  was  the  demand  for 
flour  that  he  ran  it  night  and  day  for  several  years.  Grist  mills,  as 
well  as  saw  mills,  were  at  first  necessarily  located  by  convenient  water 
power.  After  the  introduction  of  steam  power  the  flour  mills,  as  a 
rule,  were  centered  in  the  villages,  and  where  the  best  transportation 
facilities   were  offered. 

Of  sawmills  there  were  a  great  number  throughout  the  county. 
Job  Davis  had  one  in  La  Grange  township  in  1829,  the  first  mechanical 
industry  in  the  township.  At  the  outlet  of  Jones  lake,  in  the  north- 
eastern part  of  the  township,  Henry  Jones  and  Hardy  Langston  built 
a  mill  in  1830.  Carding  machinery  was  afterwards  installed,  this  being 
one  of  the  early  attempts  at  the  woolen  industry  in  this  county. 

On  Dowagiac  creek,  on  the  north  border  of  I^  Grange  township, 
and  near  the  site  of  present  Dowagiac,  William  Renneston  built,  in 
1830,  a  woolen  mill,  bringing  the  machinery  from  southern  Indiana. 
Three  years  later  he  built  a  grist  mill  at  the  same  place.  This  was 
the  l^eginning  of  the  milling  industry  which  has  been  carried  on  at  that 
location  to  the  present  time. 

The  first  sawmill  in  Porter  was  commenced  on  section  32,  by 
Othni  Beardsley,  and  was  completed  in  183 1  by  Lewis,  Samuel  and 
Jacob  Rinehart,  who  ran  the  mill  fifteen  years.  The  lumber  which 
was  not  bought  and  hauled  from  the  mill  by  local  purchasers  was  hauled 
to  the  St.  Joseph  river  and  thence  rafted  down  to  Mishawaka  and  South 
Bend,  and  much  of  it  to  St.  Joseph. 

Another  early  mill,  erected  in  the  early  thirties,  was  built  on  the 
south  branch  of  Pokagon  creek,  in  section  6  of  Jefferson  township,  by 
John  Pettigrew,  Jr.  This  contained  an  old-fashioned  upright  saw. 
All  the  machinery  had  been  brought  by  wagon  from  Ohio.  Primitive 
as  it  was,  this  mill  supplied  material  for  building  many  of  the  houses 
of  the  surrounding  country,  and  some  of  its  product  was  sold  in  Niles, 
South  Bend  and  Elkhart. 

Various  sites  along  Christiann  creek  have  contained  mills  at  dif- 
ferent periods  of  history.  The  Shaft'er-Beardsley  mill  was  an  institu- 
tion known  for  a  number  of  years,  having  been  built  in  1836.  Near  by 
was  the  grist  mill  of  Robert  Painter,  built  in  1840,  close  to  Painter's 
lake.  Here  he  later  installed  a  sawmill  and  machinery  for  woolen 
manufacture,  but  the  vicissitudes  of  manufacture  finally  overtook  the 
enterprise  with  failure. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  187 

On  that  part  of  Christiann  creek  which  hes  in  section  19,  of  Cal- 
vin, Daniel  Mcintosh  and  Samuel  Crossen  built  the  first  sawmill  in 
that  township  in  1832.  It  soon  passed  into  the  hands  of  Joseph  Smith, 
who,  in  1833,  erected  a  distillery  and  manufactured  and  sold  pure 
whiskey  at  25  cents  a  gallon.  In  the  fifties  J.  C.  Fiero,  a  merchant  at 
Edwardsburg,  erected  and  operated  a  steam  grist  mill  in  that  place, 
near  the  site  of  the  present  creamery.  The  mill  was  destroyed  by  fire 
in  the  spring  of  1861. 

In  Peter  Shaffer's  mill,  near  this  location,  was  sawed  the  lumber 
for  the  first  court  house  at  Cassopolis.  The  year  183 1  is  the  date  of  the 
building  of  a  grist  mill  near  the  present  site  of  Brownsville. 

Several  tanneries  did  business  in  the  county  during  the  early  years. 
One  of  them  was  located  at  Brownsville.  It  is,  thus  seen  that  at  various 
periods  in  her  history  Cass  county  has  had  a  great  many  forms  of  man- 
ufacturing. As  a  country  develops,  certain  forms  of  industry  become 
profitable  in  certain  stages  of  that  development.  A  tannery  could  sup- 
ply a  very  evident  need  of  the  settlers,  and  might  be  operated  profitably 
as  a  local  institution  for  some  years.  But  as  soon  as  railroad  transpor- 
tation become  general  and  the  centralization  of  manufacturing  began, 
it  would  be  necessary  either  that  the  tannery  should  enlarge  tO'  more  than 
a  local  concern  or  go  out  of  business  entirely.  The  latter  was  more  often 
the  case.  This  process  of  industrial  growth  and  decay  is  found  every- 
where, and  in  itself  illustrates  the  historical  development  of  communi- 
ties. 

The  twenty-third  annual  report  of  the  Michigan  Bureau  of  Labor, 
giving  the  results  of  factory  inspection  made  in  Cass  county  in  April, 
1905,  names  the  following  industries,  with  the  year  of  establishment: 

At  Cassopolis: 

C.  W.  Bunn,  lumber,  1885. 

City  Steam  Laundry,  1900. 

Cassopolis  Steam  Laundry,  1902. 

Cassopolis  Manufacturing  Company,  1900. 

Cassopolis  Creamery,  1902. 

Cassopolis  Vigilant,  1872. 

Milling  Power  Company,   189 1. 

National  Democrat,  1850. 

R.  F.  Peck,  cigars,  1904. 

Rinehart  &  McCoy,  cigars,  1897. 

At  Dozvagiac: 

City  Steam  Laundry,  1903. 


188  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Colby  Milling  Company,  1857. 

Creamery  Package  Mfg.   Company,   1903. 

Dowagiac  Gas  &  Fuel  Company,  1892. 

Dowagiac  City  Water  Works,  1887. 

Daily  Nezt's,  1881. 

Dowagiac  Manufacturing  Company,   188 1. 

Geesey  Brothers  &  Cable,  hoops  and  staves,   1903. 

Wm.  Hislop,  lumber. 

Herald,  1892. 

J.  A.  Lindsley,  lumber,  1885. 

Byron  C.  Lee,  cigars,   1904. 

Round  Oak  Stove  Works,   1873. 

Republican  Printing  Company,  1857. 

Standard  Cabinet  Company,   1899. 

S.  F.  Snell,  cigars,  19011. 

At  MarceUus: 

Simon  Brady,  cigars,   1894. 

H.  S.  Chapman,  gasoline  engines,  1888. 

H.  J.  Hoover,  lumber,  1895. 

Willard  McDonald,  butter  tubs,  1900. 

Marcellus  Milling  Company,  1891. 

Marcel lus  Steam  Laundry,  1903. 

Municipal  Lighting  Station,   1902. 

Morcellus  Nen's,  1872. 

Reliance  Cigar  Company,  1905. 

At  Glcmvood,  the  Hampton  Stock  Farm  Company,  staves  and 
headings,  established  1902,  and  at  Pokagon,  J.  H.  Phillips,  lumber,  estab- 
lished 1888. 

As  will  be  seen,  the  inspection  did  not  include  the  villages  of  Ed- 
wardsburg,  Vandalia  and  Union,  where  factories  of  equal  importance 
with  some  of  those  mentioned  are  to  be  found.  But  from  the  figures 
given  some  interesting  summaries  are  drawn  relative  to  the  importance 
of  manufacturing  industries  in  the  county.  At  Dowagiac  sixteen  fac- 
tories and  workshops  were  inspected,  eleven  kinds  of  goods  were  made 
or  handled.  The  whole  number  of  employes  found  at  the  time  of  in- 
spection w\as  880,  indicating  that  in  a  city  of  less  than  five  thousand 
population,  one  person  out  of  five  depends  on  these  industries  for  means 
of  livelihood.  Of  course  the  Round  Oak  Stove  Works,  employing,  at 
the  date  of  inspection,  590,  and  the  Dowagiac  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, with  165  employes,  are  the  major  industries.  Taking  the  thirty- 
seven  industries  named  in  the  report,  it  is  seen  that  the  aggregate  num- 
ber of  employes  is  994.     This  approximates  five  per  cent  of  the  popula- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  189 

tion  of  Cass  county  depending  on  what  are  officially  designated  as  "fac- 
tory" industries.  Were  the  data  at  hand  for  all  the  handicrafts  and 
manufactories  of  the  county,  the  proportion  of  those  engaged  in  indus- 
trial pursuits  would  be  much  larger,  perhaps  at  least  ten  per  cent  of  the 
entire  population. 

With  this  general  survey  of  the  trades  and  factories  of  the  pioneer 
times  and  the  present,  this  chapter  may  appropriately  be  closed  with  some 
sketches  of  the  largest  and  oldest  of  Cass  county's  manufactures.  Many 
of  the  productive  enterprises  which  have  proved  the  industrial  core  of 
several  communities  in  the  county  have  been  mentioned  in  connection 
with  the  history  of  such  localities. 

Cassopolis  has  never  been  a  center  for  manufactures.  In  190O'  a 
large  plant  was  built  near  the  Grand  Trunk  depot  for  the  manufacture 
of  grain  drills,  the  concern  being  knowni  as  the  Cassopolis  Manufactur- 
ing Company.  At  this  w-riting  the  works  have  been  bought  by  the  Kel- 
logg Switchboard  &  Supply  Company,  who  propose  the  inauguration 
of  an  extensive  industry,  the  village  having  lent  its  support  to  the  prop- 
osition by  voting  a  subsidy  of  $7,000,  providing  the  company  expends 
$150,000  in  wages  within  a  certain  timie.  The  most  substantial  Cassopo- 
lis enterprise  is  the  Power  &  Milling  Company,  which,  as  elsewhere 
stated,  furnishes  electricity  and  pumps  water  for  the  village  and  also 
converts  large  quantities  of  grain  into  flour  and  food  products,  thus 
making  the  village  a  good  grain  market.  The  plant  of  the  Cassopolis 
Milling  Company  was  built  by  J.  Hopkins  &  Sons  in  1882,  and  for  a 
number  of  years  the  stone  process  of  milling  was  used.  W.  D.  Hop- 
kins &  Company  and  W.  D.  Hopkins  were  successively  proprietors,  and 
in  1889,  the  plant  having  come  into  the  hands  of  W.  D.  Hopkins  and 
A.  H.  Van  Riper,  it  was  changed  to  the  full  roller  system  and  incorpo- 
rated by  the  name  Cassopolis  Milling  Company.  The  plant  was  en- 
larged when  the  city  water  works  were  established  in  1891,  and  again 
enlarged  and  readapted  when  the  electric  light  plant  was  installed  in 
1895.  The  present  proprietors  are  W.  D.  Hopkins,  C.  W.  Daniels, 
Irving  Paul. 

Dowagiac  is  pre-eminently  the  industrial  center  of  the  county,  and 
because  of  their  importance  in  the  history  of  both  city  and  county  some 
special  account  should  be  made  of  the  Round  Oak  Stove  Works,  the  drill 
works,  the  Colby  mills  and  several  other  factories. 


190  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

ROUND  OAK  STOVE  WORKS. 

The  late  P.  D.  Beckwith  came  to  Dowagiac  in  1854  and  built  a 
small  foundry  and  machine  shop,  25x60  feet,  on  the  east  side  of 
Front  street  near  Park  Place.  The  machinery  was  run  by  horse  power, 
and  he  and  one  workman  were  then  sufficient  to  do  all  the  work.  At 
first  he  made  plow  castings  and  did  general  repair  work.  The  demand 
for  plows  was  still  light,  despite  the  great  improvement  in  agricultural 
methods  since  the  pioneer  period.  In  1858  Mr.  Beckwith  bought  a  new 
site  for  his  plant  at  the  foot  of  Front  street  on  the  south  side  of  the 
creek,  where  the  drill  works  are  now  located.  He  improved  the  water 
power,  and  continued  the  manufacture  of  plows  until  the  production  was 
greater  than  the  demand. 

In  the  meantime  John  S.  Gage,  of  Wayne  township,  had  designed 
and  patented  a  rude  form  of  the  roller  grain  drill  and  succeeded  in  get- 
ting Mr.  Beckwith  to  buy  an  interest  in  the  patent  and  to  begin  the  man- 
ufacture of  a  type  of  machine  which  has  been  developed  into  one  of  the 
most  useful  agricultural  implements  that  the  farmers  of  the  country 
have  adopted. 

In  1867  Mr.  Beckwith  made  his  first  stove,  fashioned  on  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  present  Round  Oak,  but  crude  in  workmanship  and  style. 
One  of  these  stoves  was  placed  in  the  Michigan  Central  depot,  and  be- 
cause of  its  excellent  heating  qualities  and  durability  the  company  had 
Mr.  Beckwith  make  several  others  for  their  use.  With  the  stove  and  the 
grain  drill  as  articles  for  manufacture,  Mr.  Beckwith  in  1868  trans- 
ferred his  location  to  a  plot  of  two  acres  just  across  the  section  line  in 
La  Grange  township  and  near  the  depot  grounds.  The  works  have  re- 
mained here  ever  since,  although  the  grounds  have  been  extended  to 
the  bank  of  the  creek.  Here  he  erected  a  brick  factory  and  installed 
machinery  for  the  manufacture  of  stoves  and  drills.  He  patented  his 
Round  Oak  stove  in  1870.  During  the  seventies  the  business  passed 
through  its  most  critical  period.  During  the  general  financial  stagna- 
tion over  the  entire  country  he  was  compelled  to  resort  to  personal  solic- 
itation to  dispose  of  his  product  and  in  meeting  his  obligations  his  abil- 
ity as  a  financier  was  tested  to  the  utmost.  But  in  a  few  years  the  bus- 
iness was  established  on  a  substantial  basis,  and  the  Round  Oak  stove 
works  is  not  only  the  largest  industrial  enterprise  of  Dowagiac,  but  has 
made  the  name  of  its  founder  and  the  name  of  the  city  household  words 
from  one  end  of  the  country  to  the  other.     The  name  ''Round  Oak" 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  191 

can  be  found  on  stoves  and  ranges  in  the  most  remote  localities,  and 
the  ''Round  Oak"  furnace  has  gained  an  enviable  reputation,  and  Dowa- 
giac  is  associated  with  no  other  fact  in  thousands  of  minds  that  know 
nothing  of  the  city  or  its  history. 

From  the  first  stages  of  the  manufacture  Mr.  Beckwith  built  up  his 
enterprise  to  splendid  proportions,  and  since  his  death  in  1889  the 
''Beckwith  Estate"  has  controlled  and  managed  the  business  with  in- 
creasing success  and  growth.  The  present  officers  of  the  Round  Oak 
Company  are :  Fred  E.  Lee,  general  manager ;  A.  B.  Gardner,  assistant 
general  manager;  J.  O.  Becraft,  secretary;  J.  A.  Howard,  manager  of 
sales;  A.  E.  Rudolphi,  assistant  manager  of  sales;  H.  L.  Mosher,  man- 
ager of  furnace  and  advertising  departments;  A.  K.  Beckwith,  super- 
intendent; and  O.  G.  Beach,  chairman. 

As  already  mentioned,  Mr.  Beckwith  began  his  Dowagiac  career 
in  manufacturing  in  a  shop  25x60  feet.  At  the  present  time  the 
floor  space  of  the  plant  is  250,000  square  feet  and  a  new  addition  being 
constructed  at  this  writing  will  bring  that  up  to  300,000  square  feet,  or 
about  fifteen  acres  of  floor  space.  Mr.  Beckwith  began  with  one  helper. 
At  the  time  of  his  death  about  one  hundred  employes  were  needed  to 
produce  and  sell  the  stoves,  which  by  that  time  had  become  the  sole  line 
of  manufacture.  At  this  writing  the  force  of  employes  is  not  far  from 
eight  hundred.  And  the  managers  are  proud  of  the  fact  that  the  works 
are  in  operation  practically  all  the  time,  the  only  shut-downs  being  at 
holidays  for  repairs.  As  is  evident,  such  a  force  of  employes  in  a  city 
of  five  thousand  forms  the  largest  part  of  the  population  that  could  be 
classified  in  one  group.  Perhaps  not  far  from  half  the  population  of 
Dowagiac  depend  on  the  Round  Oak  works  for  livelihood.  Strikes  and 
labor  troubles  have  been  unknown.  It  is  estimated  that  sixty-five  per 
cent  of  the  employes  have  their  own  homes,  and  their  character  as  cit- 
izens is  much  above  that  of  the  "factory  average." 

A  few  other  items  as  to  the  manufacture  may  prove  pertinent  to 
historical  inquiry.  Every  day  the  process  of  manufacture  requires  six- 
ty-five tons  of  pig-iron  melted  in  two  cupolas.  The  incoming  shipments 
of  pig-iron,  coal  and  coke  for  this  one  plant  are  as  large  as  the  freight 
shipments  for  the  entire  city  twenty-five  years  ago.  About  twenty  years 
ago  the  firm  decided  to  bring  out  a  furnace  to  supplement  their  line  of 
stoves  and  ranges.  It  took  ten  years  to  bring  this  type  of  furnace  to  the 
degree  of  perfection  wliich  satisfied  the  Round  Oak  people.  Every  item 
of  criticism  or  advice  from  the  purchasers  of  these  furnaces  was  care- 


192  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

fully  considered  and  often  became  the  ground  for  an  improvement. 
When  the  furnace  was  first  put  on  the  market  there  was  much  to  criticise ; 
after  ten  years  customers  entirely  ceased  to  suggest  improvements  or  to 
find  defects,  and  therefore  the  company  knew  they  had  at  last  made  a 
perfect  furnace.  The  twO'  points  of  superiority  first  produced  by  Mr. 
Beckwith  in  his  original  Round  Oak,  namely,  economy  in  consumption  of 
fuel  and  durability  through  all  the  tests  of  usage,  have  been  maintained 
throughout  the  existence  of  the  business.  The  latest  product  of  this  plant 
is  the  Round  Oak  Chief  steel  range,  which  was  brought  out  three  years 
ago,  and  the  present  addition  to  the  plant  is  a  building  for  the  manu- 
facture of  ranges.  The  steel  range  was  a  success  from  the  start,  has  never 
once  proved  a  failure,  and  remarkable  sales  indicate  its  popularity.  At 
first  only  five  or  six  were  made  each  day ;  now  the  number  is  eighty-five 
and  soon  it  will  be  a  hundred.  In  the  conduct  of  the  business  the  one-price 
principle  has  always  been  maintained;  no  jockeying  in  prices  has  been 
indulged  in,  all  customers  have  been  treated  alike,  and  a  solid  and  sub- 
stantial basis  underlies  the  Round  Oak  works  in  factory  and  counting 
rooms.  In  conclusion,  a  word  should  be  said  of  the  artistic  cata- 
logues and  literature  with  which  the  company  brings  their  goods  to  the 
attention  of  the  world.  The  best  in  the  art  of  chromatic  engraving  and 
printing  has  been  employed  to  produce  the  various  booklets.  The  adver- 
lising,  of  which  Mr.  H.  L.  Mosher  has  charge,  is  in  keeping  with  the 
class  of  goods  which  are  sold. 

DOWAGIAC   MANUFACTURING   COMPANY. 

According  to  the  statement  made  on  the  first  page  of  this  company's 
catalogue  for  1906,  Dowagiac  grain  drills  were  first  made  in  1866  and 
have  since  been  continuously  made  on  part  of  the  present  site — ''the 
largest  in  the  world  devoted  exclusively  to  the  manufacture  of  grain-, 
seeding  macliinery."  The  plant  has  grown  from  an  eight-horse  water- 
wheel  plant  to  its  present  immense  proportions. 

The  prototype  of  the  famous  Dowagiac  drill  was  a  shoe  drill  first 
brotight  into  practical  form  by  William  Tuttle,  a  farmer  of  this  section 
of  Michigan.  The  first  one  made,  in  1866,  as  stated,  had  wooden  shoes 
covered  with  tin,  and  Philo  D.  Beckwith  cast  the  first  iron  shoes.  The 
mode  of  covering  the  grain  by  a  chain,  the  second  part  of  the  invention, 
was  the  idea  of  Shepard  H.  Wheeler,  a  pioneer  of  Dowagiac.  The  first 
drill  was  put  up  and  made  ready  for  work  in  the  wood-working  and 
repair  shop  of  John  Crawford  and  Amos  Knapp,  and  in  February,  1867, 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  1D3 

the  two  inventors  secured  the  first  patent  on  the  machine.  A  part  of  the 
present  site  of  the  plant — ^just  south  of  Dowagiac  creek  on  the  west 
side  of  Front  street — was  purchased  of  Mr.  Beckwith  in  1868.  The 
factory  was  burned  down  in  1872,  but  was  soon  rebuiU,  and  the  plant 
has  been  increasing  in  size  and  amount  of  output  ever  since.  The  bus- 
iness was  in  the  hands  of  various  parties  during  the  first  few  years.  J. 
P.  Warner,  w^ho  invented  the  spring-tooth  harrow  in  1880,  was  the 
principal  partner  during  the  seventies  and  for  a  long  time  the  plant 
was  known  as  the  AVarner  Drill  Works.  In  November,  188 1,  a  stock 
company  was  formed  under  the  name  Dowagiac  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany. In  i8go  the  stock  was  bought  up  by  N.  F.  Choate,  F.  W.  Lyle, 
C.  E.  Lyle,  W.  F.  Hoyt  and  Charles  Fowle.  From  the  crude  begin- 
nings of  forty  years  ago  the  business  has  grown  to  what  its  owners 
claim  it  to  be — the  largest  plant  for  the  manufacture  of  seeding  machin- 
ery in  the  world.  At  ihe  date  of  the  factory  inspection  of  April,  1905, 
the  number  of  employes  given  was  165,  but  the  full  force  is  l3etween 
300  and  350,  the  output  naturally  varying  in  different  seasons  of  the 
year. 

COLBY    MILLING    COMPANY. 

As  elsewhere  stated,  the  milling  interests  are  the  oldest  institutions 
of  Dowagiac,  William  Renniston  having  built  a  carding  mill  in  1830, 
and  a  few  years  later  a  grist  mill  on  the  creek  near  the  Colby  Com- 
pany's present  mill,  on  the  northeast  corner  of  section  six  in  LaGrange 
township,  where  the  Cassopolis  and  Dowagiac  road  crosses  a  branch  of 
the  Dowagiac  creek  on  the  mill  dam.  x\fter  being  owned  by  several 
parties,  this  property  was  sold  by  Erastus  H.  Spalding  in  1868  to  Mr. 
H.  F.  Colby  and  became  the  nucleus  of  the  present  mills. 

In  1857  G.  A.  Colby,  a  brother  of  H.  F.,  had  built  a  merchant  mill 
at  the  head  of  Spalding  street,  and  this  was  known  as  "the  lower  mill," 
to  distinguish  it  from  ''the  upper  mill,"  which  was  the  original  Rennis- 
ton mill,  though  rebuilt  by  H.  F.  Colby  in  1868.  H.  F.  Colby  soon 
bought  the  lower  mill,  and  the  milling  interests  of  Dowagiac  have  since 
then  been  largely  identified  with  the  Colby  family.  The  Colby  Milling 
Company  was  organized  in  1891,  its  first  members  being  H.  F.  Colby, 
F.  L.  Colby  and  F.  H.  Baker.  It  is  a  copartnership,  and  in  1900  Mr. 
F.  L.  Colby  sold  his  interest  in  the  business  to  F.  W.  Richey.  The  firm 
is  now  made  up  of  H.  F.  Colby,  F.  H.  Baker  and  F.  W.  Richey.  The 
upper  mill  is  known  as  the  Crown  Roller  Mills  and  the  lower  mill  as  the 
State  Roller  Mills. 


194  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

SAND   BANDS. 

The  credit  for  producing  this  useful  invention  is  due  to  Myron 
Stark,  of  Dowagiac,  and  WilHam  M.  Farr  has  been  associated  in  its 
manufacture  for  thirty  years  and  is  now  tlie  sole  proprietor  of  the  plant.  ' 
Sketches  of  both  these  men  will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  volume  and 
it  is  sufficient  to  say  here  that  the  factory  has  grown  to  be  one  of  those 
that  increase  the  reputation  of  Dowagiac  as  a  substantial  manufactur- 
ing center  and  bring  outside  wealth  to  this  point. 

OTHER  MANUFACTURES. 

Among  the  plants  enumerated  in  the  inspector's  report,  mention 
should  also  be  made  of  the  Standard  Cabinet  Company,  which  was  estab- 
lislied  in  1899  ^"^1  employs  thirty  or  forty  men.  Its  output  is  sold 
throughout  the  middle  west. 

Banking  and  Finance. 

Cass  county  had  none  of  the  unfortunate  experiences  with  ''wild- 
cat" finance  which  are  part  of  the  record  of  some  Southern  Michigan 
counties.  Of  course  the  financial  panics  and  business  depression  of  the 
thirties  extended  their  baneful  influence  to  the  people  of  this  county,  but 
the  frenzy  of  speculation  and  inflated  currency  were  never  localized  here 
in  a  banking  institution  of  the  wild-cat  type. 

Cassopolis  has  the  honor  of  possessing  the  first  banking  institution. 
Asa  and  Charles  Kingsbury,  two  names  most  prominent  in  the  bank- 
ing history  of. the  county  seat,  began  a  private  banking  house  in  1855. 
This  was  a  quarter  of  a  century  after  the  settlement  of  the  county  and 
when  we  consider  how  important  and  necessary  the  bank  is  as  an  insti- 
tution in  this  age  the  question  might  naturally  be  asked,  Where  did  the 
people  put  their  money  and  transact  their  financial  affairs  during  those 
years?  In  the  first  place,  the  amount  of  money  in  circulation  was  very 
small  and  the  wealth  of  the  people  was  quite  fully  represented  in  labor 
and  tangible  property.  A  place  to  keep  the  cash  surplus  was  little  needed. 
Then,  the  financial  transactions  of  the  time  were  not  of  every-day  occur- 
rence, and  the  machinery  of  checks  and  drafts  and  organized  finance 
was  not  so  essential.  So  we  see  that  banks  were  not  so  much  needed  in 
the  early  days  as  grocery  stores  and  schools  and  churches,  and  were 
not  established  until  the  country  reached  a  fair  degree  of  development. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  195 

FIRST    NATIONAL   BANK    OF    CASSOPOLIS. 

The  Kingsburys  dissolved  partnership  in  1857,  and  diereafter  Asa 
Kingsbury  conducted  the  business  until  the  organization  of  the  First 
National  Bank.  Ihis  well  known  institution  has  had  an  existence  of 
thirty-five  years.  The  personnel  of  its  officials  and  stockholders  has 
always  l^een  maintained  at  a  high  standard,  and  the  organizers,  in  No- 
vember, 187c,  were  representative  of  the  best  business  interests  of  the 
village  and  county  at  that  time,  as  those  now  concerned  in  the  man- 
agement are  representative  of  the  business  ideals  of  this  epoch.  The 
incorporators  and  stockholders  were:  Asa  Kingsbury,  S.  T.  Read,  Jo- 
seph K.  Ritter,  Isaac  Z.  Edwards,  David  M.  Howell,  Charles  W.  Clis- 
bee,  Charles  H.  Kingsbury,  Joel  Cowgill,  E.  B.  Sherman,  Amanda  F. 
Ritter,  Daniel  Wilson,  all  of  Cassopolis;  also  David  Lilly,  of  LaGrange 
township;  James  E.  Bonine,  of  Penn  township,  and  N.  Boardman,  E. 
M.  Irvin,  D.  C.  Read  and  Henry  F.  Kellogg,  from  outside  the  county. 

The  first  directors  were:  Asa  Kingsbury,  Joseph  K.  Ritter,  David 
M.  Howell,  David  Lilly,  James  E.  Bonine  and  E.  B.  Sherman.  The 
present  directors  are:  M.  L.  Howell,  C.  A,  Ritter,  J.  H.  Johnson,  H. 
D.  Smith,  A.  M.  Kingsbury,  Ellen  R.  Funk,  W.  G.  Bonine,  all  of 
Cassopolis  excepting  J.  H.  Johnson,  a  resident  of  Penn  township.  Asa 
Kingsbury  was  president  from  the  date  of  the  first  charter  until  his 
death  in  1883,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  David  M.  Howell,  who  first 
held  the  office  of  vice-president,  and  served  until  his  death  the  same 
year.  His  successors  have  been  Joseph  K.  Ritter,  1884-91 ;  Sylvador  T. 
Read,  1893-98;  Marshal  L.  Howell,  since  1898.  The  first  cashier  was 
Charles  H.  Kingsbury,  who  w^as  succeeded  by  Charles  A.  Ritter,  the 
present  incumbent,  in  1891,  who  then  was  assistant  cashier  and  was 
succeeded  by  David  L.  Kingsbury,  assistant  at  this  time.  The  bank  has 
a  capital  of  $50,000;  surplus  and  profits,  $50,000. 

DOWAGIAC   BANKS. 

H.  B.  Denman  w^as  the  first  banker  of  Dowagiac,  establishing  a 
private  bank  in  1856,  and  w^as  the  leading  spirit  in  organizing  the  First 
National  Bank  in  1865.  This  for  six  years  was  the  only  national  bank 
in  the  county.  Also  in  1865  the  late  Daniel  Lyle  and  Joseph  Rogers 
established  a  private  banking  office.  In  1869,  Mr.  Denman  having  re- 
linquished the  controlling  interest  in  First  National  stock  and  Mr.  Lyle 
becoming  the  chief  stockholder,  the  two  institutions  merged  their  inter- 


196  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

ests,  with  Mr.  Lyle  as  president  of  the  First  National,  while  in  the  same 
year  Nelson  F.  Choate  became  cashier. 

When  the  charter  of  the  First  National  expired  in  1883  it  was 
not  renewed,  but  the  bank  was  reorganized  as  a  private  bank  under  the 
firm  name  of  D.  Lyle  &  Company,  Bankers.  On  the  death  of  Daniel 
Lyle — one  of  the  foremost  citizens,  a  man  whose  memory  deserves  per- 
manant  record  not  only  in  financial  affairs  of  his  city,  but  in  public- 
spirited  citizenship — another  reorganization  was  effected,  this  time  a 
state  charter  being  taken  out,  and  at  that  date  the  City  Bank  of  Dowa- 
giac  was  born.  Then  again,  in  1904,  the  state  bank  organization  was 
dissolved  and  since  then  the  bank  has  been  conducted  by  the  firm  of 
Lyle,  Gage  &  Company,  Bankers,  under  the  old  name. 

The  first  officers  of  the  bank  imder  the  state  organization  in  1887 
were:  John  Lyle,  president;  N.  F.  Choate,  vice  president;  F.  W.  Lyle, 
cashier;  I.  B.  Gage,  assistant  cashier.  At  the  next  change,  in  1904,  the 
officers  became :  F.  W.  Lyle,  president ;  N.  F.  Choate,  vice  president ; 
I.  B.  Gage,  cashier;  Leon  R.  Lyle,  assistant  cashier.  In  February,  1906, 
occurred  the  death  of  Nelson  F.  Choate,  who  had  been  identified  with 
banking  interests  in  the  city  nearly  forty  years.  The  official  director- 
ate then  became:  F.  W.  Lyle,  president;  I.  B.  Gage,  vice  president; 
L.  R.  Lyle,  cashier;  F.  J.  Phillips,  assistant  cashier.  The  flourishing 
condition  of  the  City  Bank  is  shown  in  the  statement  of  nearly  $350,- 
000  deposits  and  surplus,  indicating  the  creditable  management  since 
1865  and  also  the  financial  status  of  the  city  and  country. 

LEE   BROTHERS   COMPANY,   BANKERS. 

This  institution,  whose  offices  are  in  the  Beckwith  Theatre  block, 
had  its  origin  in  the  brokerage  business  begun  by  C.  T.  Lee  in  1867 
and  the  exchange  bank  established  by  him  in  1875.  The  present  firm 
was  established  in  1887,  its  personnel  being  C.  T.  Lee,  Henry  M.  Lee 
and  Fred  E.  Lee.  C.  A.  Hux  has  held  the  office  of  cashier  since  1896. 
This  bank  has  deposits  of  over  $300,000. 

The  Sage  brothers,  Martin  G.  and  Norman,  w^hile  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  and  milling  business  at  Adamsville,  received  money  and  is- 
sued certificates  of  deposit  and  sold  exchange  on  New  York. 

About  ten  years  ago  a  private  banking  concern,  backed  by  Chicago 
capita],  was  started  at  Edwardsburg.  A  failure  of  the  Chicago  enter- 
prise resulted  in  closing  the  Edwardsburg  branch.     The  citizens  there- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  197 

upon  organized  a  ''Citizens'   Bank,"  which  did  business  for  one  year, 
when  it  also  closed. 

farmers'  mutual  fire  insurance  company. 

This  company  has  had  a  loneer  continuous  career  than  any  other 
of  the  financial  concerns  of  the  county.  It  was  organized  May  8,  1863, 
its  object  being  the  insurance  of  farm  buildings  at  a  minimum  cost 
and  on  the  mutual  plan.  In  the  list  of  its  officials  during  more  than 
forty  years'  successful  business  have  been  numbered  some  of  the  most 
influential  and  substantial  agriculturists  of  the  county.  Its  first  of- 
ficers and  directors  were:  Jesse  G.  Beeson,  one  of  the  founders  of 
Dowagiac  city,  president;  A.  Jewell,  of  Wayne  township,  treasurer; 
A.  D.  Stocking,  of  Dowagiac,  secretary;  and  W.  G.  Beckw^ith,  of  Jef- 
ferson, Israel  Ball,  of  Wayne,  William  R.  Fletcher,  of  Wayne,  Frank 
Brown,  of  Pokagon,  Daniel  Blish,  of  Silver  Creek,  directors. 

The  present  ofikers  are  as  follows :  Sariiuel  Johnson,  president ; 
Frank  Atwood,  secretary;  J.  J.  Ritter,  treasurer;  James  H.  Graham,  C. 
H.  Scott,  Clint  Elsey,  Edson  Woodman,  Walter  N.  Sommers,  director. 


1^8  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


CHAPTER  Xni. 
AGRICULTURE. 

The  pioneer  farmers  of  Cass  county  were  probably  as  progressive 
as  those  of  any  other  part  of  the  country  at  that  time.  They  brought 
with  them  from  their  homes  in  the  older  states  the  methods  which  pre- 
vailed there.  And,  as  many  of  them  came  from  the  east,  which  was 
considered  the  most  progressive  section  of  the  country,  they  must  have 
known  the  best  methods  of  farming  which  were  practiced  in  their  day. 

But  the  first  farmers  of  this  county  were  confronted  wdth  a  task 
such  as  has  been  unknown  in  the  settlement  of  the  more  w^estern  prairie 
states.  The  obstacles  to  be  overcome  were  great,  the  implements  and 
means  were  primitive.  The  steel  plow  w^as  not  invented  until  after  Cass 
county  had  been  substantially  settled  and  improved.  Whereas  the  west- 
ern prairie  sod  is  turned  over  for  the  first  time  by  immense  gang  plows, 
draw'U  by  four  or  five  horses,  or  even  by  a  traction  engine,  the  farmer 
of  the  twenties  or  thirties  had  to  depend  on  a  wooden  moldboard  shod 
with  an  iron  share  roughly  made  at  a  local  blacksmith  shop. 

With  this  hint  at  pioneer  conditions  it  is  evident  that  agriculture 
has  Undergone  development  in  as  wonderful  degree  as  any  other  phase 
of  the  county's  history.  It  will  be  the  purpose  of  this  chapter  to  de- 
scribe as  far  as  possible  the  methods  and  circumstances  of  early  agricult- 
ure, and  from  the  point  of  view^  of  the  past  indicate  the  great  changes 
that  have  preceded  modern  agriculture. 

The  pioneer  farmer's  first  work,  after  a  rude  temporary  shelter  had 
been  provided,  was  to  prepare  a  little  spot  of  ground  for  the  first  crop. 
Those  who  located  on  Pokagon,  Beardsley's  and  other  well  known 
prairies — and,  as  we  know,  those  were  the  favorite  selections  of  the 
first  settlers — were  very  fortunate  in  this  respect.  Relieved  of  the  neces- 
sity to  clear  off  the  trees,  they  had  only  to  turn  over  the  prairie  sod. 
But  even  so,  the  undertaking  involved  labor  that  one  man  alone  could 
hardly  accomplish.  The  turf  on  the  prairies  was  very  tough,  and  the 
ground  in  most  places  was  filled  wnth  a  net-work  of  the  wire-like  red 
root.  If  the  location  w^as  in  the  oak  woods,  it  was  necessary  to  girdle 
the  trees,  clearing  away  the  underbrush  and  sweeping  the  surface  with 


fe 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  11)0 

fire.  The  dead  trunks  of  the  trees  were  sometimes  left  standing  the  first 
season,  and  the  corn  grew  up  among  the  aisles  of  the  blasted  forests. 

Although  the  surface  of  the  ground  had  been  cleared,  just  beneath 
there  rem.ained  the  roots  of  the  former  growth,  and  these,  formed  into 
massive  ''stools,"  w^ere  for  several  years  insuperable  obstacles  to  easy 
farming.  An  ordinary  plow  team  would  have  been  useless  among  the 
stools  and  grubs,  and  a  common  plow  would  have  been  quickly  demol- 
ished. The  plow  used  was  a  massive  construction  of  wood  and  iron, 
and  was  known  as  the  ''bull  plow.''  The  share  and  coulter  were  of  iron, 
and  made  very  heavy  and  strong.  The  beam  was  long  and  of  huge 
proportions,  to  resist  the  enormous  strain  brought  upon  it.  Usually  the 
weight  of  one  of  these  ponderous  bull  plows  was  about  three  hundred 
pounds,  and  occasionally  one  was  found  weighing  five  hundred  pounds. 
vSix  or  seven  yoke  of  oxen,  and  sometimes  more,  w^ere  required  to  pull 
this  implement  through  the  ground.  With  such  an  equipment,  the  ordin- 
ary roots  were  torn  from  the  ground  like  straws  and  subsequent  culti- 
vation was  made  easy.  It  usually  took  twO'  persons  to  do  the  plowing, 
a  man  to  hold  the  plow  and  either  a  man  or  a  boy  to  drive  the  team. 
This  process  of  "breaking"  new  land  was  made  a  regular  business  ])y 
some  of  the  pioneers,  just  as  threshing  is  at  the  present  time. 

In  a  few  years  plows  with  iron  moldboards  w^ere  introduced,  ])ut 
as  they  w^ould  not  scour  well  in  all  kinds  of  soil,  they  were  not  consid- 
ered a  success  at  first.  Besides,  as  the  ground  was  full  of  roots,  of  new 
stumps  and  standing  trees,  the  wooden  moldboard  was  less  liable  to 
break  than  one  of  iron,  so  it  was  better  adapted  to  the  conditions  than 
the  iron  one.  The  cultivation  was  done  w^ith  the  hoe  at  first,  then  came 
the  "fluke,"  a  V-shaped  w^ooden  frame  with  five  iron  flukes,  drawn  by  one 
horse,  then  the  single  shovel  plow,  then  the  double  shovel  plow,  which  was 
in  use  for  a  numl:ier  of  years.  Among  the  trees,  stumps  and  roots  both 
the  plowing  and  cultivation  were  tedious,  laborious  and  disagreeable 
work.  This  condition  continued  for  a  number  of  years,  until  the  stumps 
had  decayed  sufficiently  to  make  it  possible  to  remove  them. 

The  planting  was  likewise  primitive.  As  the  sod  was  turned  over, 
a  man  followed  about  every  third  furrow,  dug  into  the  top  of  the  fur- 
row with  his  foot  or  with  a  hoe  and  planted  corn,  covering  it  in  the 
same  w^ay.  In  some  instances  the  corn  w^as  dropped  in  the  furrow  very 
near  the  outside,  so  that  the  edge  of  the  next  furrow  when  turned  over 
would  be  directly  over  the  grain.  The  corn  would  then  come  through 
between  the  two  furrow^s.    Wheat  w^as  sown  among  the  stumps  and  trees. 


200  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

The  grain  was  harrowed  in  with  a  w^ooden-toothed  harrow.  The  farm- 
er who  did  not  have  even  one  of  those  rude  implements  w^ould  cut  a 
small  tree,  trim  off  part  of  the  limbs  so  as  to  leave  a  bushy  end,  weight 
it  with  a  log,  and,  hitching  his  team  to  it,  would  get  about  the  same 
results  as  from  a  tooth  harrow\ 

In  harvesting  the  corn  the  stalk  was  not  utilized,  as  is  done  at  the 
present  day.  The  prevailing  practice  was  to  pull  the  ear  from  the  stalk, 
husk  and  all,  haul  the  corn  to  a  pile  and  then  husk  it.  The  husk  was 
utilized  for  feed,  and  as  much  of  the  grain  as  was  not  needed  for  home 
consumption  w^as  hauled  away  to  market.  As  soon  as  large  crops  of 
corn  were  grown  husking  bees  became  the  fashion.  The  corn  was 
pulled  from  the  stalk  and  put  in  a  pile,  as  when  the  farmer  himself,  or 
he  and  his  family  did  the  husking.  Then  a  number  of  neighbors  assem- 
bled and  everybody  husked.  This  was  repeated  at  the  home  of  each 
farmer  until  all  had  their  crops  husked. 

Wheat  was  harvested  with  the  cradle,  such  an  implement  as  a 
reaper  or  harvesting  machine  of  any  kind  not  then  being  dreamed  of. 
Besides  the  cradle,  the  sickle  also  was  in  use  at  that  time.  But  that  was 
used  only  in  wheat  that  had  blown  down  or  grew  among  stumps  and 
trees,  making  it  difficult  and  sometimes  impossible  to  cradle.  And  for 
the  first  few^  years  that  was  a  large  portion  of  the  crop.  It  was  well 
that  only  a  limited  area  could  be  sown,  because  had  there  been  a  greater 
acreage  it  doubtless  would  not  have  been  harvested.  The  work  of  har- 
vesting with  those  old-time  implements  was  extremely  slow  in  compar- 
ison with  the  way  it  can  he  done  w^ith  our  improved  harvesting  machin- 
ery. The  threshing  was  done  either  with  a  flail  or  the  grain  was  tramped 
out  by  horses.  Both  processes  were  very  slow,  the  former  being  about 
as  slow  as  harvesting  with  the  sickle.  When  horses  were  used  a  thresh- 
ing floor  was  made  out-of-doors  by  smoothing  the  ground  or  beating 
it  until  it  was  as  solid  as  could  be  made.  The  horses  were  ridden  by 
boys,  while  tw^o  men  worked  the  grain  toward  the  center  of  the  floor 
and  threw  out  the  straw. 

In  the  early  forties  a  machine  came  into  use  which  threshed  out  the 
grain  and  dispensed  both  with  the  use  of  the  flail  and  the  tramping  of 
horses.  This  machine  consisted  only  of  a  cylinder,  and  was  operated 
by  horse  power.  When  the  threshing  was  done  by  any  of  these  methods 
the  grain  had  to  be  separated  from  the  chaff  by  fanning  with  a  sheet, 
the  wind  blowing  the  chaff  away.  There  were  no  fanning  mills  then, 
but  they  were  introduced  a  few^  years  later.     These  mills  were  in  the 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  201 

crudest  form,  but  were  considered  a  great  improvement  over  the  win- 
nowing sheet.  All  of  this  labor  had  to  be  done  in  order  that  the  farmer 
might  i^roduce  a  supply  of  wheat  sufficient  to  provide  bread  for  his 
family  and,  if  possible,  a  small  surplus  to  sell. 

Wheat  regularly  sold  for  fifty  cents  a  bushel  for  many  years,  which 
seems  a  small  remuneration  for  the  labor  bestowed  upon  the  raising. 
During  the  early  thirties,  however,  when  immigration  was  greater  than 
the  settled  population,  the  newcomers  took  all  the  surplus  wheat  at  ex- 
travagant prices.  This  stimulated  the  farmers  to  unusual  efforts  and 
the  following  year  everybody  had  wheat  to  sell,  and  prices  were  too 
low  to  pay  for  the  labor  of  raising.  George  Meacham,  in  his  capacity 
as  sheriff  of  the  county,  called  the  farmers  together  at  Cassopolis  to  take 
concerted  action  for  disposing  of  the  grain.  It  was  suggested  that  a 
warehouse  should  be  built  at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Joseph.  Abiel  Silver, 
one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  distillery  at  Cassopolis,  came  to  the  rescue 
by  agreeing  to  purchase  all  the  surplus.  It  was  not  long  after  that  the 
tide  of  immigration  increased  so  that  the  demand  once  more  took  all 
the  supply. 

Corn  and  wheat  were  the  two  leading  crops  grown  then,  as  they 
are  now.  Other. crops  that  were  grown  were  oats,  rye,  potatoes,  buck- 
wheat and  flax.  Oats  were  usually  fed  in  the  straw,  only  enough  be- 
ing threshed  out  for  the  next  year's  seed.  A  patch  of  potatoes  was 
planted  on  every  farm  for  home  use,  but  there  were  very  few,  if  any, 
grown  for  market.  The  crop  being  a  bulky  one  and  the  market  so  dis- 
tant made  the  growing  of  potatoes  as  a  market  crop  impracticable.  Flax 
was  raised  for  home  use,  the  product  being  manufactured  into  linen 
for  a  part  of  the  family's  wearing  apparel. 

No  attention  was  paid  to  the  rotation  of  crops.  Corn  was  planted 
after  corn,  and  wheat  after  wheat,  and  that  was  continued  year  after 
year.  Sometimes  these  crops  were  alternated,  but  only  as  a  matter  of 
convenience  and  not  to  prevent  exhaustion  of  the  soil.  It  was  not  nec- 
essary at  that  time  to  give  any  attention  to  this  matter,  which  has  come 
to  be  one  of  the  most  important  questions  the  farmer  of  the  present 
day  has  to  consider.  When  the  timber  was  first  cleared  away  the  land 
was  full  of  fertility,  and  the  possibility  of  the  soil  losing  its  substance 
had  not  yet  been  thought  of.  Had  the  same  care  been  exercised  in  con- 
serving fertility  then  as  the  farmers  are  compelled  to  exercise  now,  the 
soils  would  never  have  become  impoverished,  as  so  many  of  them  have. 

It  has  alreadv  been  told  how  some  of  the  first  settlers,  immediately 


202  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

on  arriving  in  the  county,  esj^ecially  if  they  came  in  the  fall  of  the 
year,  busied  themselves  with  cutting  and  stacking  a  sufficient  amount  of 
the  native  hay  to  feed  their  stock  for  the  winter.  Uzziel  Putnam  and 
Abram  Townsend  cut  their  first  winter's  supply  of  forage  on  the  prairie 
about  the  present  site  of  Edwardsburg. 

For  many  years  the  hay  crop  consisted  of  the  native  grasses. 
When  the  settlers  were  yet  few  in  number  the  prairie  and  marsh  land 
grasses  furnished  an  abundant  supply  of  hay  for  their  live  stock.  When 
the  prairie  lands  were  all  taken  up  each  farmer  on  those  lands  set  off 
a  portion  of  his  farm  for  a  meadow,  but  this  was  sufficient  only  for  the 
owner,  and  those  who  had  settled  in  the  timber  had  to  look  elsewhere 
for  a  supply.  There  was  an  abundant  growth  of  grass  on  what  were 
then  known  as  wet  prairies,  or  mowing  marshes,  which  after  being  cut 
and  cured  in  the  sun,  was  called  '^massauga"  hay  because  of  the  numer- 
ous snakes  by  that  name  on  the  marshes.  xA.t  first  every  settler  could 
find  a  sufficient  supply  of  this  marsh  grass  near  his  home  if  he  had  none 
on  his  farm.  This  hay  had  to  be  mowed  by  hand,  then  thrown  to- 
gether and  hauled  from  the  marsh  on  a  small  sled  drawn  l^y  a  yoke  of 
oxen.  The  ground  was  so  soft  that  a  team  of  horses  and  a  wagon  could 
not  be  driven  over  it.  Only  a  small  bit  could  be  hauled  out  at  a  time 
in  this  way,  and  it  took  a  number  of  these  sled  loads  to  make  a  wagon 
load.  The  same  method  of  making  hay  had  to  be  employed  on  all  of  the 
wet  prairies  of  those  days. 

With  this  view  of  the  status  of  agriculture  sixty  years  ago,  it  is 
not  'difficult  to  realize  the  broad  developments  that  have  taken  place 
since  then.  Farming  has  become  easier  with  every  year.  Its  condi- 
tions and  surroundings  are  no  longer  those  of  the  common  laborer. 
Several  things  have  contributed  to  this  change.  Some  claim  that  the 
invention  of  labor-saving  machinery  and  its  general  use  has  done  more 
to  elevate  agriculture  than  any  other  factor.  It  certainly  is  not  wnde 
of  the  mark  to  measure  the  progress  of  agriculture  by  the  distance  that 
separates  the  self-binder  from  the  cradle.  Yet  there  are  other  factors. 
The  working  and  hiring  of  help  has  been  quite  reformed  from  the 
methods  of  fifty  years  ago.  The  progressive  farmer  no  longer  depends 
on  transient  labor.  Not  so  many  years  ago,  when  harvest  time  or  other 
extra  press  of  work  arrived,  the  farmer  w^ould  start  out  into  the  sur- 
rounding country  and  hire  by  the  day  such  men  as  were  available. 
This  is  neither  practicable  nor  possible  now.  Improved  machinery  has 
done  much  to  relieve  the  farmer  of  the  necessity  of  hiring  day  laborers. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  203 

His  policy  now  is  to  hire  a  man  by  the  year,  and  often  a  man  of  family, 
who  will  live  on  the  farm  and  give  it  his  entire  attention. 

Transportation  has  also  effected  many  changes  in  farming  methods. 
In  place  of  marketing  by  the  bushel,  the  farmer  now  markets  ''on  the 
hoof,"  that  is,  feeds  his  grain  products  to  stock.  And  of  recent  years 
the  farmers  do  not  hesitate  to  import  stock  cattle  from  distant  ranges 
of  the  Dakotas  or  the  Southwest  and  feed  them  for  market  on  grain 
raised  in  Cass  county.  This  in  itself  is  one  of  the  most  important  de- 
velopments of  Cass  county  agriculture. 

In  the  general  upward  trend  of  property  values  land  is  the  last  thing 
to  appreciate.  At  a  distance  of  ten  years  from  the  beginning  of  the 
present  remarkable  era  of  prosperity,  the  farm  lands  of  the  county  show 
only  a  slight  increase  in  value.  But  now  more  than  ever  the  worth  of 
Cass  county  lands  is  being  understood.  Instead  of  passing  on  to  the 
western  lands,  where  climate  and  soil  are  uncertain,  the  farmers  of 
Ohio  and  other  states  in  the  east  and  middle  west,  after  selling  their 
farms  at  from  $60  to  $100  an  acre,  are  choosing  to  locate  on  moder- 
ately priced  lands  in  Cass  county  rather  than  investing  in  property  which 
not  for  many  years  will  have  the  environment  of  comfort  and  culture 
found  here. 

Much  of  Cass  county  is  situated  in  the  famous  Michigan  fruit  belt. 
The  northern  part  of  the  county  sliares  with  Van  Buren  county  a  repu- 
tation as  a  grape  growing  center.  The  shipping  points  of  Mattawan, 
Lawton  and  Decatur  draw  upon  northern  Cass  county  for  large  quan- 
tities of  grapes,  as  well  as  other  fruits.  There  is  a  large  acreage  in  the 
county  better  adapted  to  fruit  culture  than  any  other  crop,  and  fruit- 
growing is  increasing  at  the  expense  of  other  crops. 

Mention  should  be  made  of  the  mint  culture  which  has  become  a 
feature  of  C^ass  county  agriculture  during  the  past  few  years.  The 
muck  land  of  Volinia  and  Wayne  and  other  townships  is  well  adapted 
to  mint  growing.  Mint  is  cultivated  in  rows  like  corn,  and  is  cut  just 
before  it  blooms,  and  from  the  harvest  is  distilled  the  mint  oil.  A  still 
plant  can  be  built  for  about  $300.  As  an  example  of  the  crop's  value, 
it  is  claimed  that  eight  acres  in  Volinia  township  last  season  produced 
mint  oil  to  the  value  of  $1,050. 

One  of  the  conspicuous  methods  of  caring  for  crops  should  be 
mentioned.  Within  recent  years  progressive  farmers  have  built  silo 
plants  for  the  purpose  of  preserving  the  essential  qualities  of  ''roughen- 
ing" or  fodder  throughout  the  wnnter.     One  of  the  first  things  to  catch 


204  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

the  attention  on  many  farms  in  the  county  is  the  silo  plant,  and  often 
there  are  several  of  them.  In  these  huge  cylindrical,  air-tight  tanks, 
built  of  ''silo  lumber,"  and  some  of  the  recent, ones  of  cement,  the 
green  corn,  stalk  and  all,  after  being  cut  up  by  a  special  machine,  is 
stored  very  much  as  vegetables  are  canned.  While  in  the  reservoir  it 
undergoes  a  slight  fermentation  process,  but  with  the  exception  of  a 
small  portion  on  the  top,  which  rots  and  molds  just  as  the  top  of  a  can 
of  fruit  often  does,  and  which  is  thrown  out  before  the  rest  is  used, 
the  entire  contents  of  the  tank  are  preserved  with  original  sweetness 
and  wholesomeness  for  feeding  tO'  stock  during  the  severe  winter  sea- 
son. What  an  improvement  this  method  is  over  the  old  one  of  stacking 
the  dry  fodder  in  the  late  fall,  when  most  of  its  essential  qualities  have 
dried  out,  even  one  unfamiliar  with  agriculture  can  readily  realize. 

THE    GRANGE. 

The  Grange,  whose  basic  purposes  are  educational,  fraternal  and 
the  general  improvement  of  the  farmer  and  his  family  and  the  con- 
ditions under  which  he  works,  has  not  been  the  factor  in  agriculture  in 
this  county  which  it  has  proved  in  other  counties  of  Michigan,  and  yet 
its  influence  as  a  state  and  national  organization  for  the  uplift  and  im- 
provement of  agriculture  has  been  so  great  and  so  widely  distributed 
that  it  deserves  some  mention  in  this  chapter. 

The  National  Grange  organization  was  commenced  in  1867;  tiut 
it  was  during  the  middle  seventies  that  the  movement  reached  its  height 
in  southern  Michigan.  The  general  name  applicable  to  the  organization 
as  a  whole  is  '^Patrons  of  Husbandry,"  the  ''granges"  being  the  subor- 
dinate branches,  but  the  name  Grange  is  the  one  generally  used  in  re- 
ferring to  all  departments  of  the  organization.  The  Grange  was  the 
first  fraternal  organization  to  admit  the  wives  and  daughters  on  an 
equal  basis  in  every  way. 

A  few  words  should  be  said  about  the  work  of  the  Grange  in 
general.  The  Grange  was  one  of  the  most  active  forces  behind  pure 
food  legislation  in  Michigan,  and  to  its  efforts — to  give  only  one  ex- 
ample— is  due  the  fact  that  oleomargarine  must  be  labeled  with  its 
true  name,  and  not  as  butter.  The  Grange  has  more  or  less  actively 
entered  the  field  of  commerce.  In  some  counties  "Grange  Stores"  have 
been  established  and  successfully  conducted.  In  Cass  county  they  have 
not  been  so  successful. 

The  Grange  claims  to  be  the  father  of  rural  free  delivery.     Cer- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  205 

tainly  it  has  used  its  influence  nowhere  to  better  advantage,  for  free 
delivery  in  the  country  is  now  conceded  to  be  the  greatest  boon  that 
has  come  to  the  farmer.  It  has  brought  him  in  touch  with  the  world  and 
more  than  anything  else  has  made  obsolete  the  term  ''countrified"  as 
applied  to  the  tiller  of  the  soil.  And  this  is  in  direct  line  with  the  pur- 
poses of  the  Grange. 

Cx\SS   COUNTY  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 

With  the  celebration  of  the  Cass  county  fair  in  September  of  this 
year  (1906)  will  be  rounded  out  a  period  of  fifty-five  years  since  the 
first  fair  in  the  county  and  the  above  organization  came  into  existence. 
The  society  was  organized  in  the  spring  of  185 1,  and  the  first  fair 
held  in  the  following  fall.  Justus  Gage  was  president  and  George  B. 
Turner  secretary  during  the  first  year.  The  society  held  annual  fairs 
from  its  organization  up  to  1884.  Since  that  time  no  fairs  have  been 
held  by  the  society.  O'ne  year  ago  a  new  organization  w^as  effected 
and  held  a  successful  fair. 

The  Agricultural  Society  has  been  unfortunate  in  its  choice  of 
location,  which  three  times  has  been  changed  owing  to  the  exercise  of 
''the  right  of  eminent  domain.''  Until  1857  the  fairs  were  held  on 
Samuel  Graham's  land  at  Cassopolis.  Then  fair  grounds  w^ere  bought 
and  laid  out  near  where  the  Air  Line  depot  is.  The  Peninsular  (Grand 
Trunk)  railroad  had  the  right  of  w^ay,  ran  through  the  grounds  and  the 
society  was  compelled  to  move,  but  at  once  got  in  the  road  of  the  Air 
Line,  having  purchased  the  grounds  on  which  is  Forest  Hall  on  the 
shore  of  Diamond  lake,  and  had  to  abandon  its  second  location.  In 
187 1  the  society  bought  twenty  acres  of  land  of  Samuel  Graham  in  the 
north  part  of  the  village  at  a  cost  of  $3,000.  This  location  was  also 
interfered  with  a  few  years  ago  when  the  railroad  was  surveyed  and 
graded  in  a  northwesterly  direction  across  the  county. 

During  the  years  the  society  held  its  fairs  it  succeeded  in  paying 
off  all  its  indebtedness,  but  to  do  so  life  memberships  were  sold  to  many 
of  the  patrons.  This  cut  down  the  receipts  at  the  1884  fair,  so  that  there 
was  not  money  enough  to  pay  the  premiums.  Money  was  borrowed  for 
that  purpose,  and  a  mortgage  given  on  the  grounds  to  secure  the  loan. 
In  time  foreclosure  proceedings  were  begun  and  the  village  of  Cass- 
opolis bought  the  land  and  now  owns  it. 

VOLINIA     farmers'     CLUB. 

Most  notable,  in  many  respects,  of  all  the  farmers'  organizations 


206  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

was  the  Volinia  Fanners'  Club,  which  was  organized  in  1865  for  the 
purpose  of  increasing  "the  knowledge  of  agriculture  and  horticulture" 
among  its  members  and  which  held  annual  fairs  in  Volinia  that  were 
occasions  of  widespread  interest  and  yearly  anticipation,  and  of  in- 
estimable value  in  raising  the  agricultural  and  stock  standards  of  the 
locality.  The  first  officers  of  the  club  were  B.  G.  Buell,  president ;  A.  B. 
Copley  and  John  Struble,  vice  presidents;  F.  E.  Warner,  treasurer; 
H.  S.  Rogers,  secretary.  Of  the  older  and  original  members  John 
Huff  and  William  Erskin  are  probably  the  only  ones  now  living.  Prom- 
inent among  the  members  now  deceased  were  H.  S.  Rogers,  secretary 
for  many  years;  M.  J.  Card,  father  of  the  present  county  treasurer;  B. 
G.  Buell,  Levi  Lawrence,  Benjamin  Hathaway,  L  N.  Gard,  M.  B. 
Goodenough,  Dr.  Thomas,  J.  W.  Eaton  and  James  S.  Shaw. 

The  club  met  once  a  month,  and  the  annual  fair  was  held  in  the 
fall  on  the  L  N.  Gard  farm,  and  once  on  the  Buell  farm.  The  fair  was 
an  agricultural  and  stock  display,  at  which  no  premiums  except  ribbons 
were  offered,  and  everyone  had  a  right  to  exhibit.  The  expenses  were 
met  largely  by  a  small  individual  fee  upon  the  members  and  by  rental  of 
booths.  There  were  running  races,  but  the  horse  racing  feature  was 
not  developed  to  the  exclusion  of  all  other  interests.  A  big  tent  was 
used  to  shelter  some  of  the  displays  and  to  provide  quarters  for  other 
indoor  features.  The  fair  lasted  two  days  and  drew  its  attendance 
from  all  the  country  round. 

VOLINIA    AND    WAYNE  ANTI-HORSE    THIEF    SOCIETY. 

This  organization,  begun  in  1852,  and  still  maintained  among 
the  farmers  of  the  two  townships  named,  provides  the  effective  restraint 
upon  horse  thieves  with  which  nearly  every  agricultural  community 
has  at  some  time  been  troubled.  There  are  about  one  hundred  members 
of  the  society,  although  the  maintenance  of  the  organization  is  the  only 
business  of  importance  transacted.  The  society  has  always  succeeded 
in  recovering  captured  animals,  and  its  record  is  the  best  justification 
of  its  existence.  The  meetings  of  the  society  are  held  at  Crane's  school- 
house  in  Volinia.  At  organization  the  charter  membership  included 
eleven  men,  and  was  then  confined  to  Volinia  township,  but  member- 
ship was  later  extended  to  Wayne  township.  The  first  officers  were 
Isaac  Waldron,  chairman;  George  Newton,  secretary;  Jonathan  Gard, 
treasurer. 


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HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  207 


CHAPTER    XIV. 
THE  COURT  HOUSE  AND  OTHER  COUNTY  INSTITUTIONS. 

The  contest  between  Cassopolis  and  other  villages  for  the  location 
of  the  county  seat  has  been  elsewhere  described.  For  five  or  six  years 
after  the  organization  of  the  comity  there  was  no  fixed  home  for  the 
transaction  of  official  business.  The  first  courts  and  the  first  meetings 
of  the  boards  of  supervisors  were  held  at  Edwardsburg,  and  later  in 
private  houses  in  Cassopolis.  A  jail  was  the  first  consideration  with 
the  supervisors.  This  having  been  completed,  the  board,  in  the  fall  of 
1835,  provided  for  the  erection,  on  the  west  side  of  Broadway,  north 
of  York  street,  of  a  wooden  building,  34  by  24  feet  in  dimensions, 
costing  not  to  exceed  four  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  the  same  to  be 
used  for  a  court  house  and  ''to  contain  desks  for  judges  and  bar.'.'  The 
late  Joseph  Harper  took  the  contract  for  the  erection  of  this  court 
house,  and  it  was  ready  for  occupancy  May  i,  1835.  This  first  court 
house,  it  is  seen,  was  not  on  the  public  square  and  stood  well  to  the 
north  end  of  the  original  village. 

However,  the  court  house  with  which  most  of  the  old  inhabitants 
of  Cass  county  are  familiar  is  the  building  which  now  stands  on  the 
south  side  of  State  street,  west,  and  is  used  as  a  storage  house.  Its 
classic  lines,  its  solid  columns,  combining  the  effects  of  the  Greek  tem- 
ple with  Colonial  residences,  indicate  that  in  its  better  days  it  was  a 
more  pretentious  structure  and  sheltered  affairs  of  larger  importance 
than  it  now  does.  For  more  than  half  a  century  this  building,  which 
is  pictured  on  another  page,  stood  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  the 
public  square,  and  within  its  walls  transpired  the  official  actions  which 
accompanied  Cass  county's  progress  from  pioneer  times  to  the  close 
of  the  last  century. 

The  ''Court  House  Company"  constructed  this  court  house.  The 
members  of  that  company  were  the  well  known  citizens,  Darius  Shaw, 
Joseph  Harper,  Jacob  Silver,  Asa  Kingsbury  and  A.  H.  Redfield.  In 
August,  1839,  they  entered  into  a  contract  with  the  county  commis- 
sioners, David  Hopkins,  Henry  Jones  and  James  W.  Griffin  to  erect 
a  court  house  54  feet  in  length  and  46  feet  in  width  and  24  feet  high 


208  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

from  sills  to  eaves,  the  material  to  be  of  wood,  except  the  large  brick 
vault;  the  first  story  to  be  fitted  for  office  rooms  and  the  second  story 
to  form  the  court  and  jury  rooms.  Six  thousand  dollars  was  the  price 
agreed  upon  for  putting  up  such  a  building,  one-third  of  this  sum  to  be 
paid  in  cash  and  the  remainder  in  village  lots,  which  the  original  own- 
ers had  given  to  the  county  in  consideration  of  the  locating  of  the 
county  seat  at  Cassopolis. 

The  Court  House  Company  discharged  their  duties  in  strict  con- 
formance wuth  specifications,  and  the  building  w^as  ready  for  use  in  1841, 
according  to  contract.  Nearly  sixty  years  elapsed  from  this  date  until 
the  stone  building  now  in  use  was  completed  and  accepted  for  court 
house  purposes.  The  old  building  early  became  inadequate  for  the 
accommodation  of  all  the  county  officers,  and  in  i860  the  offices  of 
clerk,  judge  of  probate,  register  of  deeds  and  treasurer  were  trans- 
ferred to  a  brick  building  specially  erected  by  the  board  of  supervisors 
on  the  northwest  quarter  of  the  square,  where  they  remained  until 
the  completion  of  the  court  house  six  years  ago.  The  building,  com- 
monly called  the  'Tort,"  is  now  used  for  a  laundry.  It  was  built  by 
Maj.  Joseph  Smith. 

THE    PRESENT    COURT    HOUSE. 

The  building  of  the  court  house  w^hich  now  adorns  the  public 
square  in  Cassopolis  has  a  history  such  as  few  buildings  of  the  kind 
in  Michigan  possess,  and  in  a  permanent  record  of  the  county  it  is 
proper  to  prepare  an  adequate  and  accurate  account  of  the  events  and 
circumstances  connected  with  the  erection  of  this  building. 

October  19,  1897,  at  the  regular  session  of  the  board  of  super- 
visors, Mr.  C.  H.  Kimmerle  introduced  a  preamble  and  resolutions 
wliich  was  the  first  effective  move  toward  the  construction  of  a  suita- 
ble county  building.  After  reciting  the  facts  that  the  old  court  house 
was  "inadequate  for  the  accommodation  of  business  and  was  becoming 
old  and  dilapidated,"  and  that  the  records  of  the  county  were  ''crowded 
into  small  and  inconvenient  rooms  in  a  separate  building  unprotected 
from  fire  and  theft"  (referring  to  the  office  quarters  that  had  been  built 
in  i860),  it  was  resolved  to  construct  a  court  house  costing  not  to  ex- 
ceed forty  thousand  dollars,  ''such  building  to  be  fireproof  and  of  suffi- 
cient capacity  to  accommodate  all  the  county  officers,  the  board  of 
supervisors  and  the  circuit  court." 

The   board   deferred   the   consideration  of  the   original   resolution 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  209 

until  the  January  session,  and  on  January  6,  1898,  the  board  adopted, 
by  a  vote  of  14  to  4,  an  amended  motion  whose  sahent  provisions  were 
the  following:  The  sum  of  forty  thousand  dollars,  which  was  to  cover 
the  entire  cost  of  the  building,  including  furniture,  plumbing,  heating 
apparatus,  was  to  be  raised  by  loan  secured  and  evidenced  by  four 
hundred  bonds  of  the  county  of  one  hundred  dollars  each,  bearing  in- 
terest at  the  rate  of  four  per  cent  per  annum  and  payable  as  follows — 
the  first  eighty  on  January  15,  1899;  and  eighty  on  the  15th  of  January 
each  year  thereafter  until  all  were  paid. 

The  resolution  also  provided  that  the  proposition  should  be  re- 
ferred to  the  people  at  the  township  elections,  and  it  will  be  of  interest 
to  record  the  vote  as  cast  for  and  against  this  proposition  by  the  various 
tov/nships  of  the  county.  The  total  vote  was  501 1,  and  a  majority  of 
229  was  cast  in  favor  of  the  new  court  house.  The  tabulated  vote  is 
as  follows : 

Yes.  No. 

Marcellus   174  335 

Volinia , 59  222 

Wayne   44  153 

Silver  Creek , , 81  145 

Pokagon 112  1^7 

La  Grange .507  38 

Penn .  .  . 189  153 

Newberg ., 142  192 

Porter 130  151 

Calvin 177  104 

Jefferson    135  39 

Howard    83  125 

Milton 52  54 

Ontwa    108  yy 

Mason 92  74 

Dowagiac,  ist  ward 199  141 

Dowagiac,  2nd  ward 172  108 

Dowagiac,  3rd  ward 164  123 

2620       2391 

The  old  court  house  was  soon  sold  to  the  highest  bidder,  George 
M.  Kingsbury  being  awarded  the  sale  at  $25,  conditioned  on  his  re- 
moving the  building  from  the  court  house  site  and  giving  the  use  of  the 
building  for  county  purposes  until  the  new  structure  was  finished. 

The  committee  on  specifications,  consisting  of  six  supervisors  and 


210  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

one  outsider,  was  first  made  up  of  the  following :  Supervisors'^  Huntley, 
White,  Breece,  Phillips,  Beeman,  Lindsley  and  Mr.  David  L.  Kings- 
bury. 

The  building  committee  consisted  of  Supervisors  Kimmerle,  Hunt- 
ley, Lindsley,  Motley  and  Mr.  Kingsbury. 

The  finance  committee,  as  first  made  up,  were  Supervisors  White, 
Atwood  and  Card. 

D.  B.  Smith  was  elected  local  superintendent  of  construction,  and 
on  October  5,  1898,  the  corner  stone  of  the  building  was  laid  by  the 
local  lodge  of  Masons. 

In  the  meantime  the  committees  had  been  called  upon  to  consider 
the  bids  of  the  various  contractors^and  there  were  at  least  half  a 
dozen  applying  for  the  contract — and  on  July  15,  1898,  the  contract 
w^as  awarded  to  J.  E.  Gibson  of  Logansport,  Ind.,  on  the  basis  of  the 
following  letter :  "J,  the  undersigned,  propose  and  agree  to  furnish  all 
the  material  and  labor  necessary  to  erect  and  build  your  pro^xDsed  new 
court  house  according  to  revised  plans  for  and  in  consideration  of  the 
sum  of  $31,500. — J.  E.  Gibson." 

The  contract  was  let  to  Gibson  by  a  vote  of  11  to  5.  The  work 
then  proceeded.  The  superstructure  was  only  partly  completed  in  the 
rough  when  certain  differences  between  Gibson  and  the  committee  came 
to  a  crisis.  The  contractor  claimed  remuneration  for  extra  work,  while 
the  committee  charged  failure  to  follow  the  plans  and  the  use  of  improper 
material.  According  to  the  minutes  of  November  10,  ''Contractor  Gib- 
son announced  he  would  do  no  further  work  until  an  estimate  was 
made  and  not  then  unless  the  estimate  was  a  liberal  one,  he  to  be  the 
judge." 

Because  of  this  alleged  "unreasonable  neglect  and  suspension  of 
work  and  failure  to  follow  drawings  and  specifications"  and  various 
otlier  items  enumerated,  including  unauthorized  departures  from  the 
original  plans,  a  meeting  of  the  board  of  supervisors  was  called,  No- 
vember 17th,  at  which  it  was  resolved  that  the  contract  between  Gibson 
and  the  county  was  terminated.  In  February,  1899,  the  work  already 
done  on  the  court  house  was  estimated  at  the  value  of  ten  thousand 
dollars,  and  it  was  calculated  that  $25,000  was  needed  to  complete  the 
building  according  to  plans  and  specifications. 

February  21,,  1899,  the  board  made  a  contract  with  the  firm  of 
James  Rowson  and  August  Mohnke,  of  Grand  Rapids.     A  quotation 

♦For  full  names  of  supervisors,  see  official  lists  for  the  year. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  2il 

from  the  contract  will  show  the  position  of  the  board  with  reference 
to  the  matter.  After  reciting  the  original  contract  between  the  comity 
and  Gibson  and  the  status  of  the  w^ork  up  to  date,  it  continues^ — *'Where- 
as  said  Jordan  E.  Gilxson  so  disregarded  his  said  contract  and  the  plans, 
specifications  and  drawings  both  in  the  use  of  unfit  material  and  in  the 
manner  of  the  performance  of  his  work  and  so  delayed  and  neglected 
the  completion  of  said  building  that  much  of  the  work  done  by  him  has 
been  injured  and  damaged  by  the  frost,  so  that  the  said  county  through 
its  board  of  supervisors  acting  under  provisions  of  said  contract  de- 
clared his  employment  at  an  end  and  took  possession  of  said  building 
and  premises  and  all  and  singular  of  said  material,  and  to  the  end  that 
said  imperfect  w^ork  and  material  might  be  removed,  mended  and  re- 
placed and  said  building  constructed  according  to  plans  and  specifica- 
tions, this  contract  is  entered  into,  etc." 

Under  the  new  contract  the  w^ork  proceeded  rapidly.  January  8, 
1900,  the  building  committee  reported  that  ''the  court  house  is  now 
substantially  completed.  About  that  time  the  county  offices  were 
moved  to  their  new  home,  and  the  court  house  was  formally  accepted 
at  the  October  session  of  1900.  The  total  cost  of  the  building,  includ- 
ing all  extras,  was  as  follows : 

Amount  under  contract,  including  that  paid  Gibson $35,200.00 

Furniture,  including  lighting  fixtures    ,. 3^575-09 

Extra  work  on  building   1,922.79 

Heating  contract    3,100.00 

Total    $43,797.88 

The  excess  of  cost  over  the  first  contract  was  credited  to  the  failure 
of  Gibson  to  perform  his  contract.  ''Since  the  county  was  compelled 
to  re-let  the  contract  at  an  increased  price  and  re-build  a  considerable 
part  of  the  work  constructed  by  Gibson,  for  which  the  county  had 
actually  paid  him,  the  excess  apparent  from  this  report  was  created." 

The  finance  committee  managed  the  negotiation  of  the  bonds  admir- 
ably. The  first  series  of  $8,000,  payable  January  15,  1899,  was  not  sold, 
hut  levied  upon  the  taxable  property  of  the  county  for  the  year 
1898,  thus  effecting  a  saving  of  nearly  two  hundred  dollars  in  interest. 
The  remaining  thirty-two  thousand  w^ere  sold  to  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Cassopolis  and  delivered  in  sums  of  not  less  than  five  thousand 
dollars  as  the  work  on  the  court  house  required. 

In  the  meantime  J,  E.  Gibson  had  sued  the  county  for  the  value  of 


212  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

the  material  which  he  claimed  to  be  on  the  ground  at  the  time  the  contract 
was  terminated.  In  the  fall  of  1899  the  United  States  circuit  court, 
before  which  the  case  was  heard,  decided  adversely  to  the  county,  and  on 
March  9,  1901,  the  judgment  was  affirmed  in  the  United  States  court  of 
appeals,  to  which  the  county  had  taken  an  appeal  on  a  writ  of  error  and 
bill  of  exception.  As  there  were  no  available  funds  in  the  county  treas- 
ury to  meet  the  judgment,  it  was  resolved  by  the  board  of  supervisors 
to  issue  fifteen  bonds  of  $1,000  each,  at  four  per  cent,  the  first  seven  to 
mature  on  January  15,  1904,  and  the  remaining  eight  on  January  15, 
1905.  Supervisor  Kimmerle,  with  the  county  treasurer,  negotiated 
these  bonds  successfully  to  the  banks  of  the  county.  In  estimating  the 
cost  of  the  court  house  to  Cass  county,  the  amount  of  this  judgment 
must  be  added  to  the  other  estimate,  so  that  the  aggregate  cost  of  the 
court  house  was  nearly  sixty  thousand  dollars. 

JAILS. 

Cass  county's  first  public  building  was  a  jail.  The  board  of  super- 
visors, in  March,  1832,  voted  a  sum  not  to  exceed  $350  from  the 
amount  subscribed  for  the  location  of  the  county  seat  at  Cassopolis  to 
be  expended  on  a  ''gaol."  Alexander  H.  Redfield  let  the  contract,  which 
specified  that  the  structure  should  be  15  by  30  feet  in  ground  dimen- 
sions and  one  story  high,  of  hewn  logs  one  foot  square.  The  building 
w^as  not  completed  in  contract  time  and  was  not  ready  for  use  till  1834. 
Shortly  afterward  the  jail  was  floored  and  lined  with  plank,  the  logs 
being  driven  full  of  nails  and  covered  with  strap  iron  as  additional 
protection.  The  lock,  nearly  as  large  as  one  of  the  windows,  is  now 
a  relic  in  the  Pioneer  Society's  collection.  This  first  jail,  which  was 
torn  down  about  1870,  stood  on  the  northeast  corner  of  block  i  south, 
range  2  w^est,  on  the  south  side  of  State  street  and  west  of  Disbrow. 
The  jailer's  residence,  a  frame  building  erected  a  number  of  years  after 
the  jail,  is  still  standing,  having  been  converted  into,  a  paint  shop. 

The  first  jail  was  replaced  in  185 1  by  a  brick  structure  that  stood 
on  the  court  house  square  just  north  of  the  present  court  house.  It 
was  not  a  satisfactory  building  in  point  of  its  main  purpose,  the  secure 
confinement  of  prisoners. 

In  1878-79  was  erected  the  present  jail  and  sheriff's  residence  at 
a  cost  of  $17,770.  W.  H.  Myers,  of  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  was  the  con- 
tractor, and  Charles  G.'^  Banks,  Charles  L.  Morton  and  Joseph  Smith 
were  the  building  committee,  Daniel  B.  Smith  being  local  superintendent 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  213 

of  construction.  The  jail  was  completed  in  February,  1879,  the  first 
plans  for  its  erection  having  been  made  by  the  board  of  supervisors  in 
1877. 

When  the  jail  was  built  there  was  installed  what  was  then  a 
modern  heating  plant.  It  proved  unsatisfactory,  and  when  the  new 
court  house  was  built  a  brick  addition  to  house  the  furnace  plant  was 
erected  adjoining  the  jail,  and  a  model  steam  heating  plant  installed  for 
both  buildings. 

CASS  COUNTY  FOOR  FARM. 

The  Cass  County  Poor  Farm,  comprising  280  acres  in  sections  2, 
3  and  10,  of  Jefferson  township,  with  its  equipment  of  buildings,  is  the 
principal  public  charity  in  the  county.  Though  the  poor  and  unfortunate 
are  always  with  us,  the  provisions  for  their  care  change  to  greater  effi- 
ciency only  to  keep  pace  with  the  development  of  the  community,  and  the 
increase  of  comforts  with  society  at  large.  Hence  the  first  maintenance 
of  the  public  poor  was  as  crude  as  the  need  for  such  charity  was  limited. 

The  county  poor  were  first  provided  for  at  a  farm  near  Edwards- 
burg,  a  visit  of  the  county  commissioners  to  the  institution  being  re- 
corded in  the  later  thirties. 

The  county  officials  next  purchased  of  Asa  Kingsbury  the  land  in 
Jefferson  township  upon  which  the  present  institution  is  located,  but 
a  small  log  house  was  the  only  building  designed  for  shelter,  and  small 
as  was  the  number  of  inmates,  the  methods  and  means  of  caring  for 
them  was  completely  lacking  in  system.  In  view  of  this  situation  the 
board  of  supervisors,  in  October,  1853,  appropriated  the  sum  of  $2,000 
for  the  erection  of  a  suitable  building.  Pleasant  Norton  was  the  agent 
appointed  to  manage  the  construction,  and  W.  G.  Beckwith  and  Joshua 
Lofiand  w^ere  the  building  committee.  The  contract  for  a  brick  build- 
ing was  given  tO'  Lewis  Clisbee  and  son,  at  $1,795,  and  the  work  com- 
pleted and  accepted  in  November,  1854. 

Fourteen  years  later,  in  1868,  a  committee  from  the  board  of  super- 
visors reix)rted  that  the  poor  house  was  ''an  utterly  unfit  habitation  for 
the  paupers  of  the  county,"  consequently  the  board  recommended  the 
raising  of  $5,000  for  an  addition  to  the  building.  This  tax  levy  was 
approved  by  the  people  at  the  polls  in  April,  1869'.  The  money  could 
not  be  used,  however,  for  the  erection  of  a  new  building,  only  for 
''additions,"  and  the  appropriations  were  made  under  that  strict  con- 
struction, although  when  the  additions  were  completed  early  in  1871, 
the  institution  was  practically  new  throughout.     P.  W.  Silver  was  the 


214  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

contractor,  and  was  paid  in  all  nearly  $8,000  for  the  construction  work. 
D.  M.  Howell,  James  Boyd  and  Gideon  Gibbs,  superintendents  of  the 
poor  at  the  time,  were  also  the  building  committee  to  whom  the  credit 
of  erecting  the  buildings  belongs.  In  1871  the  asylum,  a  brick  addi- 
tion two  stories  high,  was  constructed,  its  cost  being  about  the  same  as 
the  outlay  for  the  other  buildings,  so  that  the  county  invested  about 
$15,000  in  this  institution  during  the  early  '70s. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  215 


CHAPTER    XV. 

EDUCATION  IN  THE  STATE  AND  COUNTY. 

By  William  H.  C.  Hale, 
County   Commissioner  of   Schools. 

In  giving  a  history  of  education  in  Cass  county,  it  is  necessary  to 
speak  briefly  of  education  in  the  state  of  Michigan,  as  the  educational 
affairs  have  always  been  nearly  uniform  throughout  the  state. 

Michigan  was  under  the  government  of  France  from  1634  until 
1760.  wSettlements  were  made  at  various  places  around  the  Great  Lakes 
by  the  Jesuit  missionaries,  but  the  most  important  French  settlement 
was  the  founding  of  Detroit  by  Cadillac  in   1701. 

Under  the  French  control  centralization  was  the  fundamental  prin- 
ciple in  all  affairs.  The  military  commandant  was  supreme  in  the  state, 
and  the  priest  or  bishop  in  the  church.  Education  was  the  function  of 
the  church.  The  initiative  in  everything  w^as  in  the  officials,  not  in 
the  people.  There  were  no  semi-independent  local  organizations,  like 
the  New  England  towns,  to  provide  for  the  management  and  support 
of  schools. 

Two  years  after  the  founding  of  Detroit,  Cadillac  recommended 
the  establishment  of  a  seminary  at  that  place  for  the  instruction  of  chil- 
dren of  the  savages  w^ith  those  of  the  French.  It  is  doubtful  if  this  rec- 
ommendation produced  any  immediate  results,  as  it  is  stated  that  no 
indication  of  schools  or  teachers  can  be  found  until  1755,  a  half  century 
later.  Private  schools  of  varying  degrees  of  excellence  are  reported 
to  have  existed  from  1755.  Most  of  these  were  short-lived  and  of  in- 
ferior character. 

Under  the  English  control  educational  affairs  remained  the  same 
as  under  the  French,  and  after  the  United  States  occupied  and  formed 
a  territorial  government  there  was  little  change  in  educational  affairs 
imtil  1827,  when  a  law  w^as  enacted  providing  for  the  establishment  of 
common  schools  throughout  the  territory.  This  act  required  every 
towmship  containing  fifty  families  to  support  a  school  in  which  ''read- 
ing,  writing,  orthography,   arithmetic  and  decent  behavior"   should  be 


216  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

taught.  This  was  the  first  legal  course  of  study  for  the  Michigan  pu- 
pils. The  period  of  centralization  had  now  passed,  and  local  democracy 
was  to  have  its  opportunity.  Emigration  from  the  eastern  states  had 
now  reversed  the  old  French  ideas. 

The  actual  state  of  elementary  education  and  of  educational  affairs 
as  late  as  1836  is  well  pictured  by  Justice  Thomas  M.  Cooley  of  the 
State  vSupreme  Court.  ''The  schools  at  the  time  state  government  was 
established  w^ere  still  very  primitive  affairs.  There  were  as  yet  no  pro- 
fessional teachers.  Some  farmer  or  mechanic,  or  perhaps  a  grown-up 
son  or  daugliter  who  had  had  the  advantages  of  the  common  schools 
of  New  York  or  New  England,  oft'ered  his  or  her  services  as  a  teacher 
during  the  dull  season  of  regular  employment,  and  consented  to  take 
as  wages  such  sum  as  the  district  could  afford  to  pay.  A  summer  school 
taught  by  a  woman,  who  would  be  paid  six  or  eight  dollars  a  month, 
and  a  winter  school  taught  by  a  man  whose  compensation  was  twice  as 
great  ^^•as  what  was  generally  provided  for.  But  in  addition  to  the 
wages  the  teacher  received  lier  board  'boarding  round'  among  the  pa- 
trons of  the  school  and  remaining  with  each  a  number  of  days  deter- 
mined by  the  number  of  pupils  sent  to  school.  If  we  shall  incline 
to  visit  one  of  these  schools  in  the  newer  portion  of  the  state  we  shall 
be  likely  to  find  it  housed  in  a  log  structure  covered  with  bark,  imper- 
fectly plastered  between  the  logs  to  exclude  the  cold,  and  still  more 
imperfectly  warmed  by  an  open  fireplace  or  by  a  box  stove,  for  which 
fuel  is  provided,  as  the  board  for  the  teacher  is,  by  proportional  con- 
tributors. The  seats  for  the  pupils  may  be  slabs  set  on  legs;  the  desks 
may  be  other  slabs  laid  upon  supports  fixed  to  the  logs  which  constitute 
the  sides  of  the  room.  The  school  books  are  miscellaneous  and  consist 
largely  of  those  brought  by  the  parents  when  emigrating  to  the  terri- 
tory. Those  who  write  must  rule  their  paper  with  pencils  of  their  own 
manufacture,  and  the  master  will  make. pens  for  them  from  the  goose 
quill.  For  the  most  part  the  ink  is  oi  home  manufacture.  There  are 
no  globes;  no  means  of  illustration;  not  even  a  blackboard.  Such  in 
many  cases  was  the  Michigan  school.  Better  school  buildings  were 
now  springing  up,  but  as  a  rule  nothing  could  seem  more  dreary  or  dis- 
piriting than  the  average  school  district.  Nevertheless,  many  an  intel- 
lect received  a  quickening  in  those  schools,  which  fitted  it  for  a  life  of 
useful  and  honorable  activity.  The  new  settlers  made  such  provision 
for  the  education  of  their  children  as  was  possible  under  the  circum- 
stances in  which  they  were  placed,  and  the  fruits  of  their  labors  and 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  217 

sacrifices  in  this  direction  were  in  many  cases  surprising."  Long  after 
the  formation  of  the  state  government  in  1837  ^he  schools  of  Cass 
county  fitted  very  closely  the  descriptions  given  by  Judge  Cooley  of 
the  territorial  schools. 

Michigan  owes  a  large  debt  of  gratitude  to  Isaac  C.  Crary  and 
John  D.  Pierce.  More  than  any  other  two  men,  they  were  instrumental 
in  laying  the  foundations  of  her  educational  system,  and  in  giving  direc- 
tion to  its  early  development. 

Mr.  Crary  was  a  member  of  the  constitutional  convention  of  1835, 
and  was  appointed  chairman  of  the  committee  on  education.  The  com- 
mittee reported  an  article  on  education  which  was  adopted  by  the  con- 
vention almost  without  debate.  This  article  provided  for  a  system  of 
education  very  similar  to  what  we  now  have. 

In  the  constitutional  convention  of  1850,  Mr.  Crary  and  Mr.  Pierce 
were  both  members  from  Calhoun  county.  Mr.  Pierce  was  a  member 
of  the  committee  on  education.  An  article  was  .finally  adopted  provid- 
ing for  our  present  system  of  education,  but  not  without  some  very  ex- 
tended and  serious  debates. 

The  question  of  free  schools  was  earnestly  debated,  and  the  de- 
bates revealed  a  wide  diversity  of  views.  The  discussions  upon  this 
topic  were  long  and  earnest,  and  resulted  in  the  compromise  which  pro- 
vided for  a  free  school  in  each  district  for  three  months  each  year.  The 
limit  of  three  months  w^as  unsatisfactory  to  the  friends  of  free  schools, 
but  they  accepted  it  on  the  principle  that  ''half  a  loaf  is  better  than  no 
bread  at  all." 

It  is  impossible  in  this  article  to  enter  into  a  full  discussion  of 
every  section  of  the  constitution  on  education.  Section  one  states  that 
''the  superintendent  of  public  instruction  shall  have  the  general  super- 
vision of  public  instruction,  and  his  duties  shall  be  prescribed  by  law." 

John  D.  Pierce  was  appointed  the  first  superintendent  of  public 
instruction  by  Governor  Mason  July  26,  1836.  At  the  session  of  the 
legislature  held  in  January,  1837,  he  reported  a  system  of  common 
schools,  and  a  plan  for  a  university  and  its  branches.  The  plan  has 
undergone  many  changes  since  then,  but  the  fundamental  principles 
remain  practically  the  same. 

Mr.  Pierce  gave  a  long  and  very  complete  report  to  the  first  legis- 
lature. As  a  basis  for  the  recommendations  which  he  proposed  to  make, 
he  began  by  calling  attention  to  the  vital  importance  of  knowledge  and 
virtue  as  the  "broad  and  permanent  foundations  of  a  free  state." 


218  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

In  regard  to  the  importance  of  education  he  said :  'Tn  an  educated 
and  virtuous  community  there  is  safety;  the  rights  of  individuals  are 
regarded  and  property  is  respected  and  secure.  It  may  be  assumed  as 
a  fundamental  principle  in  our  form  of  government  that  knowledge  is 
an  element  so  essential  to  its  existence  and  vigorous  action  that  we  can 
have  no  rational  hope  of  its  perpetuation  unless  it  is  generally  diffused." 
He  emphasized  especially  the  value  and  importance  of  elementary  edu- 
cation for  the  great  mass  of  the  people.  ''Universities  may  be  highly 
important  and  academies  of  great  utility,  but  primary  schools  are  the 
main  dependence.  National  liberty,  sound  morals  and  education  must 
stand  or  fall  together.  Common  schools  are  democratic  in  their  nature 
and  influence;  they  tend  to  unify  society;  in  them  the  rich  and  the  poor 
come  together  on  terms  of  perfect  equality. 

''Let  free  schools  be  established  and  maintained  in  perpetuity  and 
there  can  be  no  such  thing  as  a  permanent  aristocracy  in  our  land ;  for 
the  monopoly  of  wealth  is  powerless  where  mind  is  allowed  freely  to 
come  in  contact  with  mind.  We  need  wisdom,  and  prudence,  and  fore- 
sight in  our  councils;  fixedness  of  purpose,  integrity  and  uprightness  of 
heart  in  our  rulers;  unwavering  attachment  to  the  rights  of  men  among 
all  people ;  but  these  high  attributes  of  a  noble  patriotism,  these  essential 
elements  of  civilization  and  improvement  will  disappear  when  schools 
shall  cease  to  exert  an  all-pervading  influence  through  the  length  and 
breadth  of  our  land." 

A  primary  school  system  was  soon  organized.  The  unit  of  this 
system  was,  as  it  still  is,  the  subdivision  of  the  township  known  as  the 
school  district,  and  not  to  exceed  nine  sections  or  one- fourth  of  a  town- 
ship. This  limit  was  not  removed  until  1901.  The  school  district  was 
made  practically  almost  independent  in  the  management  of  its  educa- 
tional affairs.  As  the  law  now  stands,  the  officers  are  the  moderator, 
treasurer  and  director,  all  elected  for  three  years. 

In  the  upper  peninsula  an  entire  township  may  be  organized  into 
one  district,  with  a  board  of  education  consisting  of  five  members.  In 
the  township  districts  there  may  be  any  number  of  schools.  The  object 
of  the  township  unit  system  was  to  bring  all  lands  of  a  township  under 
taxation  for  school  purposes. 

School  districts  may  now  be  consolidated  into  one  district  by  the 
consent  of  a  majority  of  the  resident  taxpayers  of  each  district. 

School  districts  when  consolidated,  may  levy  taxes  for  the  pur- 
pose of  transporting  pupils  to  and  from  school  within  the  boundaries 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  219 

of  the  district  and  may  use  the  funds  arising  from  the  one  mill  tax 
for  the  same  purpose.  The  law  for  the  consolidation  of  school  dis- 
tricts was  enacted  in  1903.  Since  then  there  have  been  a  few  cases  of 
consolidation.  There  have  been  nine  cases  of  the  consolidation  of  two 
districts  and  four  cases  where  three  or  more  districts  have  been  con- 
solidated. The  counties  w^here  consolidation  has  been  tried  are  St. 
Clair,  Wayne,  Genesee,  Kent,  Isabella,  Marquette,  Emmet,  Macomb, 
Kalamazoo  and  Charlevoix. 

The  legislature  of  1901  enacted  a  law  by  which  township  high 
schools  may  be  organized.  Only  pupils  who  have  passed  the  eighth 
grade  can  be  admitted  to-  those  schools.  There  have  been  no  such 
schools  organized  up  to  this  time,  but  the  matter  has  been  under  con- 
sideration in  several  counties. 

One  of  the  provisions  with  which  the  early  settlers  became  un- 
willingly familiar  was  the  famous  ''rate  bill"  law,  passed  in  1843, 
which  provided  that  the  patrons  of  each  school. might  raise  the  funds 
necessary  to  continue  the  school  through  the  term.  The  parents  or 
guardians  of  the  children  were  assessed  a  tax  in  proportion  to  the  time 
such  children  attended  school.  This  rate  bill  was  made  out  by  the 
teacher  at  the  close  of  each  term,  and  the  amount  distributed  among 
the  patrons.  The  law  did  not  work  well,  for  the  poor  parents  or  those 
indifferent  to  education  would  send  to  school  as  long  as  the  public  funds 
lasted,  and  when  the  rate  bill  set  in  would  take  their  children  out. 
Primary  education  thus  became  a  question  of  ability  to  pay  for  it,  and 
the  fundamental  principle  of  popular  education  was  threatened.  Never- 
theless, despite  the  inequality,  the  rate  bill  law  was  not  repealed  until 
1869. 

CERTIFICATES   OF   TEACHERS. 

Under  the  provisions  of.  the  first  school  law  of  the  state  the  town- 
ship school  inspectors  were  the  examining  and  supervising  board  of  the 
township.  They  were  required  to  examine  all  persons  proposing  to 
teach  in  the  public  schools  ''in  regard  to  moral  character,  learning  and 
ability  to  teach  school."  At  first  the  certificates  were  valid  for  one  year. 
An  amendment  to  the  law  in  1859  allow^ed  the  inspectors,  in  their 
discretion,  to  grant  certificates  for  a  term  of  not  less  than  six  months 
nor  more  than  two  years.  Until  the  passage  of  the  act  creating  the 
office  of  county  superintendent  in  1867,  all  examinations  of  teachers 
of  all  grades,  and  all  supervision  of  the  common  schools  were  made 
by  the  township  boards  of  school  inspectors.     This  system  of  certifica- 


220  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

tion  and  supervision  continued  for  thirty  years.  It  had  many  weak 
points,  and  was  pronounced  a  failure  by  the  state  superintendent  in  his 
report  for  1866. 

In  1867  the  legislature  passed  an  act  creating  the  office  of  county 
superintendent  of  schools.  The  law  provided  for  the  election  of  the 
superintendents,  for  a  term  of  two  years,  by  vote  of  the  people  at  the 
April  election.  The  county  superintendents  held  examinations  in  each 
township  at  least  once  a  year,  and  granted  three  grades  of  certificates. 
The  first  grade  was  valid  for  two  years;  the  second  for  one  year;  and 
the  third  for  six  months. 

The  extent  of  the  examination  was  left  to  the  discretion  of  the 
superintendent,  with  only  the  proviso  that  it  must  include  orthography, 
reading,  writing,  grammar,  geography  and  arithmetic. 

In  1875  ^1'^^  legislature  repealed  the  county  superintendency  act  and 
submitted  a  system  of  township  superintendents,  differing  only  a  little 
from  the  discarded  and  worthless  plan  of  township  inspectors.  The 
township  superintendent's  duties  were  very  similar  to  those  of  the 
county  superintendent,  in  the  holding  of  examinations,  and  granting 
certificates. 

A  new  law,  enacted  in  1881,  attempted  to  combine  county  exami- 
nations with  township  supervision.  The  law  provided  for  a  county 
board  of  three  examiners  elected  by  the  chairman  of  the  boards  of 
school  inspectors,  for  a  term  of  three  years.  This  board  examined  the 
teachers  of  the  county  and  gave  three  grades  of  certificates,  the  first 
grade  valid  for  three  years ;  the  second  for  two  years ;  the  third  for  one 
year,  throughout  the  county.  The  chairman  of  the  board  of  school 
inspectors  was  made  supervisor  of  the  schools  of  his  township  with  the  - 
ordinarv^  duties  and  powers  pertaining  to  that  position. 

In  1887  this  law  was  revised  and  amended.  Under  this  new  law 
two  county  examiners  w^ere  chosen  for  a  term  of  two  years,  by  the 
chairman  of  the  township  boards  of  inspectors.  These  two  with  the 
judge  of  probate,  appointed  and  employed  a  secretary  for  the  term  of  one 
year.  The  secretary  examined  candidates  for  positions  as  teachers,  and 
the  other  members  of  the  toard  acted  with  him  in  granting  certificates. 
The  examination  questions  were  to  be  furnished  by  the  superintendent 
of  public  instruction.  In  1881  theory  and  art  of  teaching,  history  of  the 
United  States,  and  civil  government  had  been  added  to  the  studies 
in  which  examinations  must  be  made.  In  1887  physiology  and  hygiene 
were  also  included. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  221 

The  secretary  was  required  to  visit  each  school  in  the  county  at 
least  once  in  the  year,  and  to  perform  all  the  usual  duties  of  a  supervis- 
ing officer. 

In  189 1  an  act  was  passed  providing  for  county  commissioners  of 
schools  and  two  county  examiners. 

Until  1903  commissioners  were  elected  on  the  first  Monday  of 
April  for  a  term  of  two  years ;  since  then  they  are  elected  for  four  years. 
The  commissioner  is  a  county  superintendent  with  a  different  title,  and 
is  charged  with  the  duty  of  supervising  the  schools  of  the  county. 

Two  school  examiners  are  elected  by  the  county  board  of  super- 
visors for  a  term  of  two  years.  The  examiners  assist  the  commissioner 
in  conducting  examinations. 

Three  grades  of  certificates  are  granted.  The  first  grade  is  valid 
for  four  years,  the  second  grade  for  three  years,  and  the  third  grade 
for  one  year. 

All  questions  for  examination  are  prepared  •  and  furnished  by  the 
state  superintendent.  Certificates  may  be  renewed  without  examination 
under  certain  circumstances,  and  the  examiners  in  one  county  may 
accept  examination  papers  written  in  another  county  and  treat  them 
as  if  written  before  themselves. 

The  State  Board  of  Education  conducts  examinations  every  year 
and  grants  teachers'  certificates  vaHd  for  life,  or  until  revoked  by  the 
board. 

The  Normal  College  at  Ypsilanti,  and  the  normal  schools  at  Mt. 
Pleasant,  Marquette  and  Kalamazoo,  grant  limited  and  life  certificates 
to  their  respective  graduates. 

The  State  Board  of  Education  also  grants  limited  and  life  certifi- 
cates, without  examination,  to  graduates  of  such  colleges  of  the  state  as 
comply  with  certain  prescribed  conditions  in  respect  to  courses  of 
study  and  instruction. 

In  1891  authority  was  granted  by  the  legislature  to  the  faculty  of 
the  department  of  literature,  science  and  the  arts  of  the  University, 
to  give  a  legal  certificate  of  qualification  to  teach  in  any  of  the  schools 
of  the  state. 

In  incorporated  cities  the  superintendent  and  board  of  education 
are  emix)wered  to  examine  their  teachers  and  grant  certificates. 

Graduates  of  county  normal  training  classes  are  granted  certifi- 
cates, which  are  valid  for  three  years. 


222  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

SCHOOL    FUNDS. 

The  moneys  used  for  the  support  of  the  common  schools  are,  the 
interest  from  the  primary  interest  fund,  the  one-mill  tax,  the  unappro- 
priated dog  tax,  library  moneys  which  are  appropriated  by  the  township 
board  for  school  purposes,  the  tuition  of  non-resident  pupils  and  the 
voted  tax  in  the  district.  The  primary  money  can  be  used  for  no  other 
purpose  than  the  payment  of  the  wages  of  legally  qualified  teachers  and 
only  by  districts  in  which  five  months  of  school  were  maintained  during 
the  last  preceding  year. 

The  supervisor  assesses  upon  the  taxable  property  of  his  town- 
ship one  mill  upon  each  dollar  of  valuation.  This  tax  is  paid  over  to  the 
treasurers  of  the  several  school  districts. 

The  qualified  voters  may  levy  a  tax  for  general  school  purposes. 
When  a  tax  is  voted,  it  is  reported  to  the  supervisor  who  assesses  it  on 
the  taxable  property  of  the  district. 

Whenever  the  unappropriated  dog  tax  in  any  township  is  over  and 
above  the  sum  of  one  hundred  dollars,  it  is  apportioned  among  the 
several  school  districts  of  such  township  or  city  in  proportion  to  the 
number  of  children  of  school  age.  The  primary  money  in  1845  ^^^^ 
twenty-eight  cents  a  scholar.  There  was  a  slow  increase  per  capita  until 
1880,  when  it  was  forty-seven  cents  a  scholar.  After  1880  a  portion 
of  all  specific  state  taxes,  except  those  received  from  the  mining  com- 
panies of  the  upper  peninsula,  were  applied  in  paying  the  interest  uix)n 
the  primary  school  fund.  Since  then  there  has  been  a  steady  increase. 
In  1881  it  was  $1.06;  1890,  $1.33;  1900,  $2.15;  1905,  $3.30.  On 
account  of  the  back  taxes  on  railroads  paid  during  the  year  1906  the 
primary  money  for  the  October  semi-annual  apportionment  is  esti- 
mated at  $10  per  capita. 

SECONDARY    EDUCATION HIGH    SCHOOLS. 

In  the  first  school  law^  no  provision  was  made  for  the  union  of 
districts  or  for  the  grading  of  schools,  and  no  law  was  made  authorizing 
the  consolidation  of  districts  to  form  union  schools  until  1846.  The 
first  graded  school  was  established  at  Flint  in  1846.  From  1846  to 
i860  there  were  twenty-seven  graded  schools  established  in  the  state. 
Cassopolis  and  Dow^agiac  established  graded  schools  in  1857.  In  i860 
Detroit  reported  a  high  school  with  a  single  teacher  and  an  average 
attendance  of  thirty-seven  pupils. 

The  first  constitution  of  the  state  provided   for  the  establishment 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  223 

of  branches  of  the  university.  These  branches  were  to  serve  a  three- 
fold purpose,  provide  for  local  needs,  fit  students  for  the  university, 
and  prepare  teachers  for  the  primary  schools.  Branches  were  estab- 
lished at  Pontiac,  Monroe,  Niles,  Tecumseh,  Detroit,  Kalamazoo, 
Romeo  and  White  Pigeon.  These  branches  were  supported  by  appro- 
priations made  by  the  regents  of  the  university. 

After  graded  schools  began  to  be  established  in  1846,  the  Univer- 
sity branches  went  into  disfavor,  and  they  ceased  to  exist  after  1849. 
liigh  schools  then  became  the  connecting  link  between  the  university 
and  the  ordinary  common  schools. 

Cass  county  has  (ivt  graded  schools,  three  of  which  are  on  the 
university  list.  Dowagiac,  Cassopolis  and  Marcellus  high  school  grad- 
uates may  enter  the  state  university  without  entrance  examinations. 

The  Dowagiac  schools  employ  thirty  teachers,  Cassopolis  nine, 
Marcellus  seven,  Vandalia  four,   Edwardsburg  four. 

CASS    COUNTY    SCHOOLS. 

Schools  were  soon  established  in  Cass  county  by  the  early  set- 
tlers. Whenever  a  settlement  was  formed,  arrangements  were  soon 
made  for  the  education  of  the  children.  The  first  school  in  the  county 
was  taught  in  1828  in  the  western  part  of  what  is  now  Pokagon  town- 
ship. The  first  school  in  the  limits  of  La  Grange  township  was  taught 
in  1830,  Penn  1830,  Ontwa  1829  or  1830,  Volinia  1832  or  1833,  Por- 
ter 1838  or  1839,  Wayne  1835,  Howard  1833,  Milton  183 1  or  1832, 
Jefiferson  1833,  Calvin  1834,  Marcellus  1840,  Mason  1836.  The  date 
of  the  building  of  the  first  school  house  in  Silver  Creek  was  1838  or 
1839,  ^^^1  Newberg  1837.  Schools  may  have  been  taught  before  the 
school  houses  were  built,  but  if  so  the  fact  is  unobtainable  at  this  time. 

There  are  at  the  present  time  one  hundred  and  fourteen  organized 
school  districts  in  the  county,  in  which  are  employed  one  hundred  and 
fifty-seven  teachers.  The  total  wages  paid  to  teachers  in  1905  was 
$48,901.86,  of  which  men  teachers  received  $14,003.91  and  women 
teachers  received  $34,897.95. 

The  average  monthly  wages  paid  men  teachers  was  $46.83,  and 
women  teachers  received  an  average  wage  of  $33.43  ^  month. 

The  legislature  of  1903  enacted  a  law  permitting  the  establish- 
ment of  county  normal  training  classes  for  teachers  of  rural  schools. 
In  accordance  with  that  law  a  class  was  organized  and  conducted  in 
connection  with  the  Dowagiac  city  schools  during  the  year  1905-1906. 


224  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

A  class  of  fourteen  was  graduated  June  i8,  1906.  The  graduates  were: 
Fred  J.  H.  Fricke,  F.  Ethel  Wooster,  N.  Beryl  Van  Antwerp,  Lillie 
Elaine  Pray,  Mary  F.  Sweetland,  Bernice  E.  Williams,  Ethel  Eugenia 
Woodin,  Agnes  Straub,  Jennie  May  Easton,  Claribel  Morton,  Ray 
Murphy,  Grace  Aseneth  East,  John  Alfred  Norton,   Mabel  Cook. 

Graduates  of  county  normal  training  classes  are  granted  three- 
year  certificates  which  may  be  renewed  in  the  county  where  received, 
or  they  may  be  transferred  to  other  counties. 

The  pupils  of  the  eighth  grade  in  the  rural  schools  are  examined 
each  year  upon  questions  w^hich  are  furnished  by  the  state  superintend- 
ent. Those  who  pass  are  granted  diplomas  by  the  county  commissioner. 
These  diplomas  will  admit  those  who  hold  them  toliigh  schools  and  the 
Agricultural  College  without  examination. 

SUPERVISION    OF    SCHOOLS. 

From  1837  to  1867  the  common  schools  were  under  the  supervision 
and  management  of  the  township  boards  of  school  inspectors.  Then  the 
legislature  created  the  office  of  county  superintendent  of  schools.  The 
first  county  superintendent  of  schools  for  Cass  county  was  Chauncy 
L.  Whitney,  who  was  elected  April  i,  1867.  The  term  of  office  was  two 
years.  Mr.  Whitney  resigned  the  position  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year, 
and  Rev.  Albert  H.  Gaston  was  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy.  In  i86g 
Irving  Clendenen  was  elected,  and  in  1871  Lewis  P.  Rinehart.  Samuel 
Johnson  was  chosen  in  1873  and  filled  the  office  until  it  was  abolished 
in  1875. 

From  1875  to  1881  the  schools  were  under  the  supervision  of  town- 
ship superintendents.  In  188 1  the  legislature  enacted  a  law  which 
provided  for  a  county  board  of  school  examiners,  This  board  con- 
sisted of  three  members  and  were  elected  for  three  years  by  the  chair- 
man of  the  township  board  of  school  inspectors. 

The  county  board  of  school  examiners  on  organization  elected  one 
of  their  number  chairman  and  one  secretary.  The  secretary  was  the 
executive  officer  of  the  board.  The  following  are  the  boards  of  ex- 
aminers under  this  act: 

1881-1882:  E.  M.  Stephenson,  secretary,  i  year;  Michael  Pember- 
ton,  chairman,  2  years;  Daniel  B.  Ferris,  3  years. 

1882-1883:  Michael  Pemberton,  secretary,  i  year;  Daniel  B.  Fer- 
ris, chairman,  2  years;  Charles  A.  Mosher,  3  years. 

1883-1884:  Daniel  B.  Ferris,  secretary,  i  year;  Charles  A.  Mosher, 
chairman,  2  years;  Michael  Pemberton,  3  years. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  225 

1884-1885:  Charles  A.  Mosher,  secretary,  i  year;  Michael  Pember- 
ton,  chairman,  2  years;  Ralph  W.  Hain,  3  years. 

1885-1886:  Michael  Pemberton,  secretary,  i  year;  Ralph  W.  Hain, 
chairman,  2  years;  Charles  A.  Mosher,  3  years. 

1886-1887:  Ralph  W.  Hain,  secretary,  i  year;  Charles  A.  Mosher, 
chairman,  2  years;  Michael  Pemberton,  3  years. 

In  1887  the  law  was  revised  and  amended.  Two  county  examin- 
ers were  chosen  for  a  term  of  two  years,  by  the  chairmen  of  the 
township  boards  of  school  inspectors.  These  two  examiners  with  the 
judge  of  probate,  appointed  and  employed  a  secretary  for  the  term  of 
one  year,  who  became  ex-officio  a  member  of  the  county  board  and  its 
executive  officer.  The  secretary  visited  all  the  schools  in  the  county 
and  received  a  salary  of  $800  per  annum. 

The  following  are  the  boards  of  co'unty  examiners  under  this  act : 

1887-1888:  Frank  S.  Hall,  secretary,  i  year;  Charles  A.  Mosher, 
chairman,  i  year;  Michael  Pemberton,  2  years. 

1888-1889:  Daniel  B.  Ferris,  secretary,  1  year;  Michael  Pem- 
berton, chairman,  i  year;  William  W.  Chalmers,  2  years. 

March  i,  1889,  Daniel  B.  Ferris  resigned  and  George  W.  Card 
w^as  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy. 

1889-189O':  George  W:  Gard,  secretary,  i  year;  William  W.  Chal- 
mers, chairman,  i  year;  Edmund  Schoetzow,  2  years. 

1890^1891:  Michael  Pemberton,  secretary,  i  year;  Edmund 
Schoetzow,  chairman,   i  year;  Miss  Hattie  Graham,  2  years. 

In  the  year  1891  an  act  was  passed  providing  for  county  commis- 
sioners of  schools  and  two  county  examiners,  the  three  to  constitute 
a  county  board  for  the  examination  of  teachers.  The  county  com- 
missioner was  to  be  chosen  by  the  people  at  the  election  on  the  first 
Monday  in  April,  for  the  term  of  tw^o  years.  In  1903  the  act  was 
amended  and  thereafter  the  commissioner  was  to  be  elected  for  a  term 
of  four  years.  To  be  eligible  to  the  office  of  commissioner  a  person 
must  have  had  an  exjDerience  of  twelve  months  as  a  teacher  in  the 
public  schools  of  the  state,  must  be  a  graduate  of  the  literary  department 
of  some  reputable  college,  university  or  state  normal  school  having  a 
course  of  at  least  three  years,  or  hold  a  state  teacher's  certificate,  or 
be  the  holder  of  a  first  grade  county  certificate;  but  this  last  certificate 
qualifies  the  holder  only  in  the  county  where  it  is  granted.  In  counties 
having  less  than  fifty  districts  a  second  grade  certificate  qualifies  the 
holder. 

The  two  school  examiners  are  elected  by  the  county  board  of  super- 


226  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

visors  for  a  term  of  two  years.  Any  person  is  eligible  to  the  office  of 
examiner  who  has  the  qualifications  required  for  a  commissioner,  or 
who  has  taught  in  the  public  schools  nine  months  and  holds,  or  has 
held  within  three  years,  a  second  grade  certificate. 

The  law^  of  1891  provided  that  the  county  board  of  supervisors 
should  elect  a  commissioner  to  serve  from  June  2;^,  1891,  until  July, 
1893.  In  accordance  with  this  act  the  Cass  county  board  of  super- 
visors elected  Michael  Pemberton  commissioner. 

At  the  election  held  on  the  first  Monday  in  April,  1893,  Chester 
E.  Cone  was  chosen  commissioner  for  two  years.  Mr.  Cone  was  re- 
elected three  times,  thus  serving  eight  years. 

In  1901  William  H.  C.  Hale  was  elected  county  commissioner 
for  the  term  of  two  years,  and  in  1903,  the  law  having  been  changed,  he 
was  re-elected  for  a  term  of  four  years. 

The  following  are  the  county  boards  of  school  examiners  under 
the  act  of  1891  : 

1891-1892:  Michael  Pemberton,  commissioner,  2  years;  Hattie 
Graham,  examiner,  2  years;  Edmund  Schoetzow,  examiner,  i  year. 

1892-1893:  Michael  Pemberton,  commissioner,  i  year;  George  A. 
Shetterley,  examiner,  2  years;  Hattie  Graham,  examiner,  i  year. 

1893-1894:  Chester  E.  Cone,  commissioner,  2  years;  Hattie  Gra- 
ham, examiner,  2  years;  George  A.  Shetterley,  examiner,   i  year. 

1894-1895:  Chester  E.  Cone,  commissioner,  i  year;  Simon  E. 
Witwer,  examiner,  2  years;  Hattie  Graham,  examiner,  i  year. 

1895-1896:  Chester  E.  Cone,  commissioner,  2  years;  Lemuel  L. 
Coates,  examiner,  2  years;  Simon  E.  Witwer,  examiner,   i  year. 

1896-1897:  Chester  E.  Cone,  commissioner,  i  year;  Simon  E.  Wit- 
wer, examiner,  2  years;  Lemuel  L.  Coates,  examiner,  i  year. 

1897-1898:  Chester  E.  Cone,  commissioner,  2  years;  Lemuel  L. 
Coates,  examiner,  2  years;  Simon  E.  Witwer,  examiner,  i  year. 

1898-1899:  Chester  E.  Cone,  commissioner,  i  year;  Frank  E. 
Faulkner,  examiner,  2  years;  Lemuel  L.  Coates,  examiner,  i  year. 

1899-1900:  Chester  E.  Cone,  commissioner,  2  years;  John  Finley, 
examiner,  2  years;  Simon  E.  Witwer,  examiner,  i  year. 

1 900- 1 901  :  Chester  E.  Cone,  commissioner,  i  year;  Clififord  N. 
Brady,  examiner,  2  years ;  John  Finley,  examiner,  i  year. 

1901-1902:  William  H.  C.  Hale,  commissioner,  2  years;  John  Fin- 
ley, examiner,  2  years;  Clifford  N.  Brady,  examiner,  i  year. 

1902-1903:  William  H.  C.  Hale,  commissioner,  i  year;  Clifford  N. 
Brady,  examiner,  2  years ;  John  Finley,  examiner,  i  year. 

1903-1904:  William  H.  C.  Hale,  commissioner,  4  years;  Clifford 
N.  Bradv,  examiner,  i  year;  John  Finley,  examiner,  2  years. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  227 

1904-1905:  William  H.  C.  Hale,  commissioner,  3  years;  Herman 
S.  East,  examiner,  2  years;  John  Finiey,  examiner,  i  year. 

1905- J906:  William  H.  C.  Hale,  commissioner,  2  years;  Herman 
S.  East,  examiner,  i  year;  John  Finiey,  examiner,  2  years. 

Mr.  Hale's  term  expires  July  i,  1907. 

Mr.  East's  term  expires  October,  1906. 

Mr.  Finiey 's  term  expires  October,   1907. 

The  commissioner's  salary  was  $1,000  per  annum  until  October, 
1905,  when  it  was  increased  to  $1,200.  The  examiners  receive  four 
dollars  a  day  for  the  time  spent  upon  examination  work. 

In  closing  it  may  be  said  that  Cass  county  has  always  kept  pace 
with  the  progress  of  the  times  and  all  the  schools,  city,  village  and 
rural,  compare  most  favorably  with  those  of  the  other  counties  in  the 
state.  There  is  a  growing  sentiment  among  the  pupils  of  the  rural 
schools  to  enter  high  schools  and  high  school  graduates  are  becoming 
more  and  more  inclined  to  take  college  courses.  The  people  of  Cass 
county,  as  compared  with  other  counties,  have  always  been  very  liberal 
in  the  support  of  their  schools,  and  no  fears  need  be  entertained  in  re- 
gard to  our  future  educational  progress. 


228  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


CHAPTER   XVI. 
CITY  AND  VILLAGE  SCHOOLS. 

CASSOPOLIS   SCHOOLS. 

The  first  schoolhouse  in  this  village  was  a  log  cabin,  which  stood 
on  lot  5,  block  i  south,  range  i  west,  just  south  of  where  Fisk's  drug 
store  now  stands.  The  first  building  to  be  used  exclusively  as  a  school- 
house  and  erected  for  that  purpose  w^as  a  frame  building,  put  up  in 
1843,  on  land  donated  by  Joseph  Harper,  on  the  east  side  of  Rowland 
street  on  lot  8,  block  i  north,  range  2  east.  The  building  is  now  occu- 
pied by  John  D.  Williams  as  a  dwelling  house.  Tlie  ''union  school" 
movement,  described  on  previous  pages,  was  made  effective  in  Cass- 
opolis  in  1857  by  the  erection  of  a  ''Union"  schoolhouse  on  the  site 
of  the  present  school  building  at  a  cost  of  $1,500,  Daniel  S.  Jones  being 
the  builder.  April  29,  1878,  this,  a  wood  building,  as  it  then  stood 
with  certain  additions  and  modifications  from  the  original,  was  burned. 
vSchool  work  for  the  rest  of  the  term  and  for  several  months  in  the 
fall  was  carried  on  in  the  most  suitable  temporary  quarters  that  could 
be  found.  The  sum,  of  ten  thousand  dollars  was  voted  for  the  new 
brick  building,  and  the  completion  of  the  building  for  occupancy  in 
January,  1879,  gave  Cassopolis  the  central  school  which  has  .now  been 
in  use  over  a  quarter  of  a  century,  and  in  many  cases  has  sheltered  two 
generations  of  school  children.  The  building  committee  appointed  to 
supervise  the  construction  of  this  building  were  W.  P.  Bennett,  A. 
Garwood,  J.  K.  Ritter,  S.  C.  Van  Matre,  J.  R.  Carr,  W.  W.  Peck, 
the  six  school  trustees. 

As  originally  constructed  the  Cassopolis  school  was  the  most  mod- 
ern and  perfect  school  structure  in  the  county,  and  its  long  period  of 
use  shows  that  the  money  of  the  village  was  well  spent  in  its  construc- 
tion. The  dimensions  of  the  original  building  were  y2  by  62  feet,  two 
stories,  the  upper  being  used  for  high  school  purposes,  and  the  first  for 
the  grades.  In  1879  ^  two-story  addition  was  built  on  the  north  side 
of  the  building  and  connected  throughout  with  the  old  building.  This 
building  was  necessary  to  accommodate  the  increased  school  popula- 
tion and  the  extension  of  educational  work  that  has  taken  place  since 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  229 

the  old  building  was  constructed.     The  cost  of  the  addition  was  $3,000. 

Of  the  citizens  who  have  done  most  for  educational  interests  in 
Cassopolis,  special  mention  should  be  made  of  John  R.  Carr,  who  for 
many  years  served  as  a  member  of  the  board,  was  a  member  of  the 
building  committee  in  1878,  and  in  numberless  ways  has  shown  a  lively 
and  helpful  interest  in  the  growth  of  the  village's  educational  institu- 
tions. 

In  1876  the  school  was  graded  by  H.  C.  Rankin,  then  superintend- 
ent, and  the  first  class  was  graduated  three  years  later.  Since  Mr. 
Rankin,  who  remained  at  the  head  of  the  school  four  years,  the  fol- 
lowing superintendents  have  been  his  successors : 

1881-82,  G.  A.  Osinga.  1891-92,  George  M.  Fisk. 

1883,  C.  W.  Mickens.  1893-98,  Joseph   Biscomb. 

1884-86,  W.  C  Hewitt.  1899-1901,  R.  H.  Struble. 

1887-90,  W.  W.  Chalmers.  1902-05,  J.  M.  Geiser. 

At  this  writing  the  board  of  education  consists  of :  C.  C.  Allison, 
president;  C.  E.  Cone,  secretary;  C.  H.  Funk,  treasurer;  U.  S.  Eby, 
W.  L.  Jones.    The  faculty  for  1906-07  are: 

Superintendent — Paul  P.  Mason. 

Principal  of  High  School — Carrie  L.  Ranney. 

Sciences  and  Mathematics  H.  S. — Geo.  W.  Hess. 

Latin  in  H.  S.  and  8th  Grade — Elisabeth  Steere. 

7th  and  part  of  6th  Grade — Lee  Wolford. 

5th  and  part  of  6th  Grade^ — Daisy  Billings. 

4th  and  part  of  3d  Grades — Ella  Gardner. 

2d  and  part  of  3d  Grade — ^Grace  Decker. 

1st  and  Kindergarten — Maud  Eppley. 

In  1902  the  high  school  was  accredited  with  the  University  of 
Michigan.  This  means  that  the  course  of  study  and  the  grade  of  in- 
struction are  such  that  the  Cassopolis  high  school  is  on  a  par  with  the 
high  schools  of  Michigan.  The  high  school  is  noted  for  the  number 
of  its  graduates  who  have  gone  to  the  various  universities  and  colleges, 
and  at  this  writing  a  number  of  former  students  are  studying  within 
the  walls  of  higher  institutions  throughout  the  country. 

CASSOPOLIS    GRADUATES. 

1879^ — May  Smith,  Lottie  G.  Rankin. 

1880— Ellen  D.  Giffin,  Addie  M.  Kingsbury,  Charles  L.  Smith, 
Kirk  Reynolds,  Mary  Barnette,  Carrietta  Chapman,  Lois  Amsden,  Min- 


230  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

nie  B.  Smith,  Blanche  E.  Peck,  Ellen  N.  Tietsort,  Ellen  A.  Ritter,  Al- 
bert H.  Graham,  Nellie  M.  French. 

1 88 1 — Addie  Martin,  William  G.  Loomis,  Anna  Graham,  Melissa 
Beverley. 

1882 — Bertha  Lowella  Chapman,  Fanny  Eugenia  Glover,  W. 
James  Champion. 

1883— Ella  M.  Rogers,  Eva  M.  Colby,  Mabel  Patch,  Lemuel  L. 
Coates. 

1884 — Carrie  Goodwin,  Laura  Beverley,  Carrie  Woodruff. 

1885 — Georgiana  Kingsbury,  Myrta  Norton,  George  Shaffer,  Ber- 
tha Anderson,  Cora  M.  Banks,  Katie  Kingsbury. 

1886 — Perlia  B.  Ferris,  Glencora  Graham,  James  S.  Stapleton, 
Lora  M.  Curtis,  Rolfe  F.  Patrick,  Frank  H.  Green. 

1887 — Susan  R.  Webb,  Frances  Graham,  Rosa  Early,  David  L. 
Kingsbuiy,  Carrie  Higbee,  Mary  C.  Bosworth,  Belle  Norton. 

1888 — Eva  C.  Ditzell,  Bertha  Kingsbur}-,  Lora  Kingsbury,  Addie 
Graham,  Ada  Thomas. 

18891 — Charles  L.  Beckwith,  Fred  Patterson,  Carl  Bogue,  Emma 
Anderson,  Clara  Darling,  Harlan  P.  Bosworth,  William  T.  C.  Shaffer, 
Fanchon  Stockdale,  Jean  Powell,  E.  Mae  Carr. 

1890 — Otis  Beeson,  Wilber  G.  Bonine,  Walter  C.  Bogue,  Paul  A, 
Covvgill,  Belle  Bogue,  Nettie  Savage,  Maude  Mcllvain,  Ethel  Shurte, 
Charles  A.  Webb,  Edward  Reighard,  Paul  Savage,  William  Mansfield, 
Ella  Johnson,  Nellie  Wetmore,  Blanche  Giffin,  Dora  Norton. 

1 891 — Belle  Goodw'in,  Jessie  Cure,  Melville  J.  Shepard,  Delia  Wil- 
son, Edna  Stockdale,  Raymond  R.  Phelps,  J.  Paul  Hopkins,  Jay  C. 
Northrop,  Helen  French,  Jessie  Jones,  Mildred  Sherman. 

1892 — Grace  S.  Hall,  Ruby  C.  Abbott,  Charles  L.  Goodwin, 
George  F.  Bosworth,  Bernice  Merwin,  Eva  L.  Trowbridge,  Halford  E. 
Reynolds,  Mortimer  F.  Stapleton. 

1893 — Roy  Bond,  Walter  George,  Stanley  A.  Farnum,  Lura  Phelps, 
Winifred  Smith,  Flora  Wright,  Harry  Eggleston,  Stanford  J.  Farnum, 
True  Savage,  Winifred  Marr,  Ruth  Myers. 

1894 — Glenn  S.  Harrington,  Edith  Youngblood,  Frank  B.  French, 
May  Kingsbury,  Belle  Donough,  Blanche  Clark,  Carrie  Daniels,  Ona 
Kline,  Blanche  Mcintosh,  Blanche  Fulton. 

1895 — Gideon  W.  Tallerday,  Florence  Higgins,  Bert  Hayden, 
Robert  Pangtorn,  Ward  Shaw,  Mary  Miller,  Clare  Fletcher,  Lora  Mc- 
Cully,  Adella  Hartsell,  Lena  Deal,  Joseph  Churchill,  Glenn  Dunning. 

1896 — May  Alexander,  Blanche  Fisher,  Lutie  Longfellow,  Mary 
L.  Stamp,  Blanche  Shepard,  Bert  A.  Dool,  Ernest  Morse,  Jesse  L. 
Tallerday,  Stephen  Tallerday,  Phillip  Savage,  Grace  A.  Dixon,  Leona 
Fulton,  Lottie  L.  North,  Cora  Skinner,  George  Donough,  Glenn  Leach, 
John  P.  Norton,  LaMoine  A.  Tharp,  Fred  L.  Woods. 

1897 — Herbert  A.  Anderson,  Zora  Emmons,  Flora  Lawrence,  Mary 
Shurte,  Mary  Townsend,  Lottie  M.  Turner,  Bessie  S.  Carr,  Glennie  A. 


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HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  231 

Kingsbury,  Allan  W.  Reynolds,  George  Townsend,  Jessie  Bonine,  James 
H.  Kelsey,  Carroll  N.  Pollock,  Glennie  Tietsort,  Jessie  M.  Turner,  Bart- 
lett  Bonine,  Jessie  Howell,  Justin  Mechling,  Percy  F.  Thomas,  Grace 
Van  Riper. 

1898 — Lynn  B,  Boyd,  Frank  Mansfield,  Howard  D.  Shaw,  Jasper 
Otis  Haithcox,  Jessie  E.  Kingsbury,  Dora  L.  Messenger,  Ellen  S.  Rick- 
ert,  Asa  K.  Hayden,  Frederick  G.  Walter,  Herbert  Leroy  Smith,  Donald 
S.  Morse,  Josie  Kline,  Claudia  B.  McDonald,  Crete  Connelly. 

1899' — Florence  Ashcraft,  Bertha  Dacy,  Edna  Graham,  Nellie 
Jones,  Bertha  Myers,  Grace  Stearns,  Grace  L.  Voorhis,  Ray  K.  Holland, 
Leon  Beall,  Lilly  Brown,  Alma  Emmons,  Belle  Hayden,  Henrietta  Law- 
son,  Marie  Pollock,  Elnora  Thickstun,  Joseph  F.  Hayden,  Cyrus  Myers. 

1900 — Hattie  Wright,  Chloa  McDonald,  Mabel  F.  Moon,  Edith 
Ryon,  Vivian  Jerome,  trances  Glennette  Willsey,  Kate  Ditzell,  S.  Edna 
Cook,  Una  Jones,  Vera  Hayden. 

1901 — Helen  Anderson,  Alberta  Kingsbury,  Howard  K.  Holland, 
Fred  Wright,  Nellie  Dunning,  Hiram  Jewell,  J.  Howard  Mcintosh, 
Joseph  K.  Ritter. 

1902 — Charles  Condon,  Frank  Kelly,  Mayme  Dunbar,  Jay  Hay- 
den, Charles  Jones,  Fanchon  Mason,  Nellie  Stevens. 

1903 — Jules  Verne  Des  Voignes,  Eugene  Eby,  Vera  Ditzell,  Mary 
Sincleir,  Helen  Donough,  Newton  G.  VanNess,  Elizabeth  Jerome, 
Maude  Tharp.  Mahala  Reynolds,  Vesta  Pollock. 

1904 — Crystal  Thompson,  Stella  Hayden,  Ruth  Jones,  Leora 
Johnston,  Georgia  Van  Matre,  Arietta  Van  Ness,  Edna  Pollock,  Hazel 
Hayden. 

1905 — Mary  Kimmerle,  Read  Chambers,  Carl  Morse,  Fred  J.  Miller, 
Clarence  Timm,  Winfield  Leach. 

1906 — Mabel  Peck,  Robert  Wood,  Rebecca  Tones. 

DOWAGIAC     SCHOOLS. 

The  citizens  of  Dowagiac  take  great  pride  in  their  fine  schools, 
which,  with  a  history  of  development  covering  half  a  century,  are  now 
in  the  front  rank  of  schools  in  southern  Michigan.  To  describe  first 
the  material  equipment  and  school  property,  the  eleven  hundred  pupils 
who'  now  attend  school  in  the  city  are  accommodated  in  three  buildings, 
any  one  of  which  is  as  far  in  advance  of  the  pioneer  shelter  afforded 
by  the  log  schoolhouse  of  the  forties  as  is  possible  to  conceive.  The 
splendid  high  school  building,  which  was  completed  in  1903  at  a  cost 
of  forty  thousand  dollars,  presents  the  most  modern  features  of  school 
architecture.  It  was  built  on  the  site  of  what  was  known  as  ''the  ward 
school/'  on  James  and  Oak  streets,  and  the  old  building,  erected  in 
1864,  forms  the  rear  wing  of  the  structure  as  a  whole.     The  high  school 


232  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

occupies  the  second  floor  of  the  new  building,  while  the  first  contains 
eight  grade  rooms.  The  primary  and  kindergarten  grades  retain  the 
first  floor  of  the  old  building,  which  while  adjoining  the  high  school 
with  possibility  of  direct  communication,  is  nevertheless  entirely  separate 
so  far  as  movement  of  pupils  and  administration  are  concerned.  On  the 
second  floor  of  the  ward  building  are  located  the  rooms  set  apart  for  the 
use  of  the  Normal  Training  class,  a  new  educational  institution  to  be 
described  in  a  later  paragraph.  To  mention  only  a  few  of  the  features 
that  mark  the  new  high  school  building  as  a  model,  a  brief  description 
must  include  its  chaste  yet  simple  architecture,  devoid  of  the  tedious 
ornamentation  of  earlier  periods,  the  wide  and  ample  and  commodious 
effects  gained  without  introduction  of  bare  and  factory-like  exterior 
and  interior;  the  large  study  room  on  the  second  floor;  the  well  equipped 
laboratories ;  the  grouping  of  rooms  and  halls  for  the  purpose  of  effective 
disciphne:  the  fan  system  of  ventilation;  the  automatic  regulation  of 
furnace  heating;  and  many  other  conveniences  which  a  brief  inspection 
discloses. 

Besides  the  high  school  building,  which  is  the  general  name  for 
the  entire  structure  at  James  and  Oak  streets,  there  is  the  Central  build- 
ing or  Union  school  building,  on  Main  and  Parsonage  streets,  the 
central  portion  of  which,  built  in  i86t,  is  the  oldest  school  building  in 
the  city.  Until  the  erection  of  the  new  high  school  building,  the  high 
school  was  accommodated  there,  but  now  it  is  the  home  of  the  Seventh 
and  Eighth  grades  departmental  work,  aud  also  the  lower  grades  for 
that  section  of  the  city. 

The  McKinley  building,  a  four-room  brick  building  in  the  First 
ward  on  the  South  side,  erected  in  1903,  accommodates  six  grades 
with  four  teachers. 

The  institutions  of  education  above  described  have  developed  from 
the  district  school,  supported  at  first  by  private  contributions.  The 
settlers  of  this  vicinity  had  built  a  log  schoolhouse  and  employed  Miss 
Hannah  Compton  (afterward  Mrs.  Elias  Jewell)  as  teacher  in  1840. 
This  schoolhouse  stood  on  the  old  cemetery  grounds,  near  West  and 
Green  streets,  and  was  attended  by  the  children  of  the  Hamilton, 
McOmter  and  other  pioneer  families.  A  school  in  Wayne  township, 
near  the  present  city  limits,  next  afforded  educational  facilities,  as  also 
a  select  school  kept  by  Mrs.  Henry  Hills  out  on  the  State  road,  in  section 
25  of  Silver  Creek.  Several  select  schools  were  taught.  In  1850,  after 
the  founding  of  the  village,  a  schoolhouse  was  built  on  the  site  of  the 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  233 

present  Methodist  church.  The  church  society,  in  the  latter  50s,  bought 
and  removed  this  building. 

Such  was  the  situation  when  A.  D.  P.  Van  Buren  came  to  Dowa- 
giac  and  organized  the  schools  on  the  basis  of  permanent  growth.  To 
quote  his  own  words :  ''Miss  H.  Marie  Metcalf,  of  Battle  Creek,  had 
started  the  Young  Ladies'  school  at  Dowagiac,  but  soon  found  it  so 
large  that  she  sought  help,  consequently  I  was  requested  to  take  charge 
as  principal,  which  I  did,  October  4,  1856,  she  becoming  assistant.  The 
village  of  Dowagiac  was  then  some  seven  years  old,  had  some  1,200  in- 
habitants, had  two  churches,  four  taverns,  and  stores  enough  to  ac- 
commodate the  surrounding  country. 

''The  school  was  comjxDsed  of  girls  from  the  age  of  twenty  down 
to  the  child  of  seven  or  eight  years.  These,  with  some  ten  or  twelve 
boys,  to  favor  certain  parents,  constituted  our  charge.  After  we  had 
taught  a  quarter  of  the  term  the  directors  of  the  school  district  made 
arrangements  with  us  to  take  charge  of  the  Union  school,  which  the 
people  of  Dowagiac  were  about  to  organize.  Hence  our  program  was 
changed,  and  I  was  to  be  the  one  to  call  the  school  clans  together  here, 
as  I  had  done  six  years  before  in  Battle  Creek,  and  form  them  into  a 
union  school." 

So  Dowagiac  became  equipped  with  a  union  school,  so  far  as  the 
preliminary  organization  and  a  year's  trial  of  the  school  was  concerned, 
but  the  town  yet  lacked  a  suitable  school  building.  It  was  not  till  1861 
that  this  was  provided,  in  the  erection  of  a  portion  of  the  Central  school 
building  mentioned  above. 

The  instruction  and  care  of  the  eleven  hundred  pupils  in  attend- 
ance at  these  schools  is  the  work  of  Superintendent  W.  E.  Conkling, 
with  a  corps  of  instructors  consisting  of  one  principal  for  each  of  the 
three  buildings  and  twenty-seven  departmental  and  grade  teachers.  This 
large  teaching  force  in  itself  represents  the  progress  from  a  time  when 
one  teacher  could  care  for  the  school  children  of  the  village.  Mr.  Conk- 
ling, the  superintendent  of  the  schools  since  1896,  and  himself  a  gradu*- 
ate  of  the  high  school  w^th  the  class  of  1881,  is  an  enthusiastic  and  able 
educator  and  merits  much  of  the  credit  for  the  present  satisfactory  con- 
ditions of  education  in  Dowagiac.  The  building  committee  who  super- 
vised the  construction  of  the  high  school  building,  which,  perhaps,  for 
many  years  will  be  the  best  example  of  public  architecture  in  the  city, 
were  Dr.  F.  H.  Essig  and  Dr.  M.  P.  White,  who  are  still  members  of 
the  school  board.     The  other  members  of  the  1x>ard  at  this  writing  are : 


234  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

E.    Phillipson,  president;   Dr.   J.    H.   Jones,   treasurer;   and   Dr.   F.   H. 
Codding,  secretary. 

Dowagiac  high  school  is  naturally  the  scholastic  pride  of  the  city. 
Its  rank  as  an  institution  of  learning  of  secondary  grade  is  indicated 
by  its  being  accredited  for  the  fourth  time  with  the  University  of  Michi- 
gan, so  that  high  school  graduates  enter  without  examination  the  uni- 
versity or  any  of  the  colleges  and  normal  schools  of  the  state.  And  the 
high  school  is  also  accredited  with  the  North  Central  Association  of 
Colleges  and  Secondary  Schools,  which  includes  the  leading  colleges 
and  universities  of  the  north  central  states.  The  high  school  course  of 
study  adopted  at  the  middle  of  the  year  1906  is  that  reported  by  the 
state  superintendent  of  public  instruction  in  accordance  with  the  report 
of  the  Michigan  commission  on  high  school  curricula. 

At  the  present  writing  there  are  one  hundred  and  forty  pupils  in 
the  high  school.  Since  the  first  class  was  graduated  in  1864  the  gradu- 
ates up  to  April,  1906,  numbered  334.  The  graduating  class  in  1906 
contained  seventeen  members,  eleven  of  whom  had  signified  their  in- 
tention to  go  to  college.  The  average  age  of  graduates  is  now  about 
18  years  and  6  months. 

Many  successful  men  and  women  found  their  early  inspiration 
and  training  in  the  Dowagiac  Fligh  school.  In  this  sketch  of  the  school 
we  may  mention  specifically  some  of  the  graduates  in  the  various  years. 
Of  the  class  of  1870  was  Charles  W.  Foster,  now  a  lieutenant  in  the 
U.  S.  army.  Arthur  K.  Beckwith,  superintendent  of  the  Round  Oak 
shops,  graduated  in  1878,  and  a  classmate  was  Harry  B.  Tuthill,  judge 
of  Superior  Court  at  Michigan  City,  Ind.  The  class  of  1879  gave  Dowa- 
giac three  of  its  w^ell  known  men.  Dr.  F.  H.  Codding,  W.  F.  White, 
manager  of  the  drill  works,  and  Frank  W.  Lyle.  Fred  L.  Colby,  the 
mill  man,  now  of  Detroit,  was  in  the  class  of  1880,  and  Victor  M.  Tut- 
hill, of  Grand  Rapids,  came  out  in  1882.  Another  graduate  is  Dr.  Alice 
I.  Conklin,  of  Chicago.  Clyde  W.  Ketcham,  the  lawyer,  graduated  in 
1894,  and  Fred  E.  Phillipson,  also  of  Dowagiac,  in  1893.  Miss  Louie 
Colby,  of  the  Prang  Educational  Company,  W.  C.  Edwards,  of  the  Ed- 
wards Manufacturing  Company,  and  A.  B.  Gardner,  of  the  Round  Oak 
works,  all  graduated  in  1888.  The  class  of  '94  also  graduated  John  F. 
Murphy,  a  surgeon  in  the  U.  S.  navy;  Robert  L.  Hampton,  the  Glen- 
wood  stockman;  Earl  B.  Hawks,  a  law^yer  in  the  state  of  Washington, 
and  Bert  H.  Fleming,  a  Methodist  minister.  A.  P.  Oppenheim,  the 
merchant,  graduated  in  1895;  J.  Bernard  Onen,  the  Battle  Creek  law- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  235 

yer,  in  1896;  Fred  L.  Dewey,  the  merchant,  in  1897.  Classmates  of 
Mr.  Dewey,  were  Nels  N.  Stenberg,  dentist  at  Three  Rivers;  J.  Whit- 
field Scattergood,  local  editor  of  the  Daily  News;  and  F.  B.  Wedow, 
with  the  American  Express  Co.  at  Manistee.  Clifford  C.  Robinson,  a 
physician  at  Indiana  Harbor;  F.  E.  Phillipson,  the  merchant  in  Dowa- 
giac,  and  Hall  H.  King,  assistant  secretary  of  state  at  Lansing,  were 
members  of  the  class  of  1898.  From  the  class  of  '99  should  be  men- 
tioned I.  J.  Phillipson,  lieutenant  in  the  army;  Bessie  M.  Vrooman, 
teacher  at  Big  Rapids,  Mich. ;  E.  J.  Blackmore,  dentist  at  Hartford, 
Mich. ;  B.  S.  Gardner,  dentist  at  Dowagiac,  and  S.  P.  Savage,  principal 
of  the  Central  school  at  Dowagiac.  C.  J.  Brosan,  principal  of  the 
high  school  at  Ovid,  Mich.,  belonged  to  the  class  of  1901 ;  T.  J.  Brosan, 
now  practicing  law  in  Detroit,  came  out  in  1902,  and  Roy  Marshall, 
who  has  made  rapid  strides  in  newspaper  work  and  is  now  connected 
with  the  Detroit  Free  Press,  was  also  a  member  of  the  class  of  1902. 

GRADUATES     OF     DOWAGIAC     HIGH     SCHOOL. 

1864 — Isaac  R.  Dunning,  Lottie  Hills,  Hattie  Smead. 

1866^ — Jesse  P.  Borton,  J.  B.  Craw^ford,  Josie  Harris,  Lydia  He- 
bron, John  Rosevelt,  Daniel  E.  Thomas. 

1867 — Annis  Gage,  Fannie  Hebron,  Una  Hebron,  Frank  A.  Lar- 
zalere. 

1868^ — Delia  Beckwith,   Maggie  Cullom. 

1869 — Minnie  Arens,  Marcia  Buck,  Nellie  Cady. 

1870 — C.  Wilber  Bailev,  Charles  W.  Foster,  Frank  H.  Reshore, 
A.  N.  Woodruff. 

1872 — Florence  Cushman,   Carrie   Harwood,   Frank  McAlpine. 

1873 — Sarah  Andrus,  W.  H.  Hannan,  Etta  Henderson,  Nellie 
Hull,  Byron  McAlpine. 

1875 — Ella  Reshore. 

1876' — Hattie  Foster,  Augusta  Dopp,  Ida  Mosher,  Anna  Tuthill. 

1877 — Edward   Browne!  1,   Lola   Keatley,   Fannie  Starratt. 

1878 — Melva  Arnold,  Arthur  Beckwith,  Eva  Coney,  Harry  Tuthill. 

1879^ — 1<^'^  Arens,  Dora  Blachlev,  Lillian  Brownell,  Alice  Barney, 
F.  H.  Codding,  Allie  Clark.  W.  F.'Hoyt,  F.  W.  Lyle,  Belle  Mason, 
Susie  Rouse,  Ed.  Snyder,  Nellie  Stebbins,  Cora  Wheelock. 

1880 — Addie  Brasier,  F.  L.  Colbv,  Grace  Gustine,  Homer  D.  Nash, 
Kittie  E.  Starks. 

1 881 — ^Lottie  Andrews,  Stella  Coney,  W.  E.  Conkling,  Ina  Dopp, 
Stella  Powell,  May  Spencer,  Matilda  Stark,  Asa  P.  Wheelock. 

1882 — Kate  Bassett,  Emma  Brownell,  Ida  Howard,  Belle  Hu.ff. 
Carleton  S.  Roe,  Nora  Shepard,  Victor  M.  Tuthill. 


236  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

1883 — Addie   S.   Adams,    Cameron   C.    Clawson,   Ruth   E.   Coney, 
Lou  Keatley,  Maude  Martin,  Mabel  Rouse,  Rose  Snyder. 
1884 — Horace  G.  Conkling. 

1885 — Eva  Barker,  Eva  Barney,  Dixon  Churchill,  Will  Jessup. 
1886^ — Grace   Bilderback,    Stella    Bond,    Mary    E.    Conkling,    Lyle 
Fletcher,  Ella  Gray,  Grace  Mater,  Lena  Taylor,  May  Van  Riper. 

1887 — Harry  Bigelow,  Lula  Griswold,  Jessie  Howser,  Georgia 
Watson. 

1888 — Louie  Colby,  W.  C.  Edwards,  Lura  Defendorf,  Flora  Bron- 
ner,  A:  B.  Gardner,  Grace  Hardy,  Addie  Henderson,  Florence  Jones, 
Edith  Jones,  Ruth  Smith,  Mary  Taylor. 

1889 — Sylvia  Day,  Cora  Ferris,  Nellie  Flanders,  Lena  Judd, 
Minnie  Rice,  Lena  Starrett,  Hattie  Wiley. 

1890^ — Nellie  Boyd,  Alice  L  Conklin,  Clara  Griswold,  Mabel  C. 
Lee,  Hannah  G.  Stenberg,  Minta  M.  Wenner. 

1891 — Estella  Ackerman,  Edward   P.  Cook,  Arthur  W.  Griswold, 
Frank  C.  Hardy,  Lizzie  Hartsell,  Frances  M.  Merwin,  Maleta  Rudolphi. 
1892 — Jennie  Larkin,  Minnie  Steele,  Russell  Van  Antwerp. 
1893— W.   E.    Becker,   Jay   Boyd,   Eva  McNab,   Mabel  C.   Miller, 
Anna  E.  Rudolphi,  Kate  L.  Bigelow,  Harriet  F.  Dewey,  Fred  E.  Phillip- 
son. 

1894 — La  Verne  C.  Bilderback,  Blanche  A.  Flanders,  Bert  H.  Flem- 
ming.  Earl  B.  Hawks,  John  A.  Jarvis„  Glennie  E.  Reames,  Grace  E. 
Watson,  Robert  L.  Hampton,  Mabel  E.  Allen,  Ina  C.  Gage,  C.  W. 
Ketcham,  Parker  McMaster,  John  F.  Murphy,  Bessie  Stenberg. 

1895 — Hannah  L.  Ackerman,  'Letha  B.  Elkerton,  Guy  B.  Flem- 
ming,  Peter  M.  Halfert,  z\my  E.  Pegg,  Homer  S.  Reames,  La  Verne  E. 
wSearls,  Genevieve  Howser,  Gertrude  Dewey,  Bertha  Van  Riper,  Robert 
F.  Munger,  Leslie  C.  Sammons,  A.  P.  Oppenheim. 

1896^ — Leon  L.  Barney,  Phebe  Hunter,  Ralph  Wanamaker,  Myron 
Copley,  William  N.  Beach,  Maude  E.  Becker,  J.  Bernard  Onen. 

1897 — Eva  L.  Park,  Louise  J.  Reshore,  Margaret  Shigley,  Herbert 
P.  Curtis,  Fred  L.  Dewey,  Mabel  Smith,  Glenn  E.  True,  Martha  E. 
Luedtke,  Clarice  Bushnell,  Myrta  Mae  Clarke,  Bertha  Sprague,  Frank 
M.  Broadhurst,  Alice  L  Frost,  Ethel  Goble,  Nels  L.  Stenberg,  J.  W. 
Scattergood,  Ethel  Tice,  Mae  Williams,  Walter  Lang,  Thomas  P.  Leary, 
Verna  E.  Myers,  Frank  B.  Wedow. 

1898^ — Eva  Holloway,  Clara  Lyle,  Gertrude  Rix,  Eva  Copley, 
Maude  Miller,  Jere  Mosher,  Clifford  C.  Robinson,  Herbert  E.  Phillip- 
son,  Edith  Bishop,  Fred  Woods,  Bae  Lake,  Belle  Stewart  Gushing, 
Mabel  Shotwell,  Olive  Marsh,  Mabel  Carr,  Mary  A.  Murphy,  Maude 
Smith,  Ray  Fiero-,  Edith  Oppenheim,  Addie  Sisson,  Minnie  M.  Par- 
meter,  Paul  H.  King. 

1899' — Lving  J.  PhilHpson,  Bessie  Vrooman,  Zora  Denyes,  Lucile 
Gregory,  Harry  W.  Palmer,  Katie  Maier,  Frank  E.  McMichael,  Earl  J. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  237 

Blackmore,  Anna  Elliott,  Boyd  S.  Gardner,  Mabelle  Flewelling,  Milton 
Holloway,  James  Murphy,  Edna  Norton,  Laura  Nicol,  May  Reighard, 
Sarah  Parmeter,  Samuel  P.  Savage,  Verna  B.  True,  Irene  White. 

1900 — Mary  E.  Morse,  Earle  M.  Parker,  R.  N.  Gary,  Jessie  Gard- 
ner, Lena  Swisher,  Frank  Edwards,  Ezra  Rutherford,  Henry  Savage, 
Guy  Zelner,  Olive  Knapp,  Edward  O'Brien,  Ethel  Wooster,  Frank 
Stahl,  Eugene  Colgan,  Jessie  Smith. 

1 901 — Cornelius  J.  Brosnan,  Emma  Burk,  Jennie  Fisher,  Olive 
Gard,  Grace  Hampton,  Alice  Hawks,  Hazel  Hoyt,  Hilda  Hoover,  Mattie 
Jenkins,  Alice  Julian,  Burt  Patch,  Pearl  Rice,  Ina  Sommer,  Bernice 
Spencer,  Harry  Straub,  Beryl  Van  Antwerp. 

1902 — Frank  Benedict,  Robert  Bielby,  Frank  Born,  Thomas  J. 
Brosman,  Eva  E.  Brown,  Lilian  Byers,  Lloyd  Conkling,  Nellie  Curtis, 
Birdie  Eraser,  Verna  Hackett,  Myrle  Hopkins,  Lora  Leeder,  Roy 
Marshall,  Iva  Michael,  Ona  Michael,  Mary  Norton,  Ethel  Pitcher, 
Maude   Swisher. 

1903 — Pearl  Anderson,  DeZera  Araue,  Mabel  Atlee,  Earle  Brown, 
Eva  Burk,  Hazel  Caster,  Ida  Lee,  Verge  Lybrook,  Viola  Merwun,  Joseph 
R.  Mitchem,  Irene  Morton,  Maud  Preston,  Donald  B.  Reshore,  Louise 
Stebbins. 

T904 — Amy  Acton,  W.  T.  Alliger,  Lavina  Bryant,  Virginia  Chai>- 
man,  Beulah  Connine,  Winifred  Fiero,  Genevieve  Hopkins,  W.  H.  Lake, 
Anna  Lewis,  Edna  Mann,  Teresa  O'Brien,  Irene  Sprague,  Anita  Walker, 
Charles  Wilber,  Marion  Wilson,  Lyell  J.  Wooster,  Fred  D.  Wooster. 

1905 — Walter  Andrews,  Vivian  Blackmore,  Ethel  Conklin,  LaVina 
Defendorf,  Grace  East,  Minnie  Egmer,  Mable  E.  Engle,  Carrel  Flewell- 
ing, Olive  Kinsey,  Ray  Murphy,  Guy  Nef¥,  Edith  Ryder,  Edna  Ryder, 
Otis  G.  Shanafelt,  Charles  Stahl. 

1906 — Laverne  Argabright,  Carmeleta  Barton,  Lee  Benner,  Mamie 
Burk,  Orris  Gardner,  Cora  Green,  Ruth  Hendryx,  Thomas  Hackett, 
William  Hamilton,  Helen  Hoy,  Max  Ireland,  Nita  Kibler,  Marguerite 
Lewis,  Lois  Powell,  Fanny  Springsteen,  Elsie  Stahl,  Volney  Wells. 

EDWARDSBURG     SCHOOLS. 

Being  the  earliest  important  center  in  Cass  county,  it  is  natural 
that  we  find  in  Edw^ardsburg  a  school  record  going  back  to  the  pioneer 
days.  The  private  subscription  schools,  such  as  taught  in  those  days, 
and  described  on  previous  pages,  were  instituted  here  in  the  winter 
of  1829^30,  in  a  part  of  a  double  log  house,  Ann  Wood  .being  the 
first  teacher.  J.  C.  Olmsted,  who,  in  the  spring  of  1836,  when  eleven 
years  old,  reached  his  present  home  east  of  Edwardsburg,  says  that  his 
first  teacher  during  the  summer  of  1836  was  Angeline,  Bird,  who  taught 
in  a  private  house.     Then,  in  the  summer  of  1837,  the.  yillagers  built  a 


238  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

frame  schoolhouse  on  lot  112,  west  of  the  present  school  building,  the 
lot  being  donated  by  Abiel  Silver.  This  structure  served  until  the  ''old 
brick"  schoolhouse  was  erected  on  lot  132,  adjoining  the  M.  E.  church 
lot  on  the  east,  in  1847,  ^^^^  which  many  years  afterward  served  as 
a  private  residence.  Its  dimensions  were  24  by  30  feet,  with  a  parti- 
tion across  the  north  end,  leaving  the  room  24  by  24,  and  as  many  as 
115  scholars  attended  the  school  each  day  during  the  winter  O'f  1856-57, 
an  assistant  teacher  being  employed.  The  next  building  was  constructed 
in  1 861  at  a  cost  of  $3,000. 

In  1886  District  No.  3,  comprising  Edwardsburg,  was  made  a 
graded  school  by  Prof.  G.  W.  Loomis,  who  was  the  first  principal. 
Since  that  time  the  school  has  had  the  following  principals : 

1887-8 — William  Jessup. 

1889-90 — John  B.  Boyd  and  Michael  Pemberton. 

1890-1 — Edmund  Schoetzow\ 

1891-2 — Miss  Clare  Pemberton. 

1892-4 — H.   R.  Foster. 

1894-5 — F.  A.  Preston. 

1895-9 — Lemuel  L.  Coates. 

1899-190T — V.  D.  Hawkins. 

1901-2 — Luther   Ettinger  and  J.   G.   McMacken. 

1902-4 — J.  G.  McMacken. 

1904-6 — Clifford  N.  Brady. 

1906-7 — Claude  L.  Pemberton. 

The  course  of  study  through  the  regular  twelve  grades,  compares 
favorably  with  village  schools  of  similar  size  and  from  time  to  time  has 
been  revised  and  adjusted  to  local  needs  and  educational  progress 
throughout  the  county  and  state. 

The  board  of  education  at  this  writing  is :  Henry  Andrus,  director ; 
William  K.  Hopkins,  moderator;  J.  D.  Bean,  treasurer;  Marcus  S.  Olm- 
sted, trustee;  Edwin  Harris,  trustee. 

The  faculty  for  1906-07:  Claude  L.  Pemberton,  principal;  Miss 
Charlotte  Preble,  grammar;  Miss  Anna  Hafelt,  intermediate;  Miss 
Nellie  Williams,  primary. 

Informal  commencement  exercises  were  held  in  1887,  ^he  year  the 
school  was  fully  graded,  and  Lillian  Krome  was  then  graduated. 

Following  is  the  list  of  graduates,  dating  from  1888. 

1888 — Laura  Snyder,  Merta  Miller,  Ida  Harwood,  Genevieve 
Hanson,  Bertha  Thompson. 

1893 — Henrietta  Hadden,  Dora  Silver. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  239 

1894 — Lisle  vShanahan,  Hugh  Beauchamp,  Blanche  Williams,  Flor- 
ence Holdeman,  Letta  Lukenbach. 

1896^ — Cliflford  Brady,  Jessie  Thornton,  Mabel  Parsons,  Carrie 
Hadden,  Anna  Beauchamp,  Alice  Brady,  Grace  Hogmire,  Matie  Cobb, 
Mamie  Graham. 

1897 — Inez  Smith,  Andrew  Hadden,  Fred  Harwood. 

1898^ — Claude  Reed,  Robert  Hadden,  Verna  Paul,  Constance 
Brady,  Jessie  Rickert. 

1899' — Walter  Thompson,   Maxa  Cook,   William  Parish. 

1900 — ^Harley  J.  Carlisle,  Ida  Perkins,  Florence  Parsons,  Harry 
Kitchen,  Warren  Quimby,  Margaret  Hadden,  Marion  Brady,  Ida  Runkle, 
Lizzie  Runkle. 

1901 — Winnifred   Smith,  Arthur  Runkle,  John  Kitchen. 

1902 — George  Andrus,  Arthur  Brady,  Carl  Manchow,  Lloyd  Dun- 
ning, Harry  Meredith,  Eleanor  Bacon,  Martha  Hadden,  Ella  Truitt, 
Minnie  Rogers. 

1903 — Maude  E.  Kelsey,  Lewis  H.  Runkle,  Adah  B.  Curtis,  Gene- 
vieve Light,  George  L.  Hadden,  Winifred  Hanson. 

1904 — Zendella  Truitt,  Lottie  M.  Rose,  David  Bacon,  Charles  A. 
Bement,  Flora  E.  Martin. 

1905 — Leona  Bean,  Mary  Snyder.  Bessie  Oliver,  Lydia  Thornton, 
Belle  Harwood,  Blenn  Van  Antwerp. 

1906 — Elizabeth  Hadden,  Thomas  Head,  Leidy  Olmsted,  Harry 
George. 

MARCELLUS     SCHOOLS. 

The  founding  of  a  village  at  Marcellus  Center  soon  made  necessary 
the  formation  of  a  school  of  higher  grade  than  the  ordinary  district 
school,  the  children  of  the  villagers  at  first  attending  the  school  east  of 
town.  In  1874  district  No-.  9  w-as  organized  within  the  village,  the  first 
meeting  being  in  August.  The  first  school  board  were:  Levi  Bridge, 
W.  O.  Matthews,  David  Snyder.  Under  the  supervision  of  George  W. 
Jones,  Leander  Bridge  and  David  Hain,  as  building  committee,  $1,000 
w^as  expended  in  the  erection  of  a  one-story  brick  schoolhouse,  24  by  36 
feet  in  dimensions.  Joel  Booth  was  the  first  teacher.  In  1876  a  second 
story  was  added  at  a  cost  of  $844,  and  thereafter  two  teachers  employed. 
Miss  Kellogg  being  the  extra  teacher.  The  number  of  scholars  in- 
creased so  that  rooms  had  to  be  rented  in  Centennial  hall.  The  last 
teacher  in  the  old  building  was  Eugene  Bradt,  assisted  by  Estella  Hois- 
ington  and  Mrs.  John  Baent. 

It  was  not  until  1881  that  the  Marcellus  schools  attained  to  the  full 
possibilities  of  usefulness  and  classified  efficiency.  At  the  regular  school 
meeting  in  1880  it  was'  voted  to  raise  $7,000  by  issue  of  bonds  for  new 


240  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

buildings.  Twelve  lots  were  purchased  of  G.  W.  Jones,  located  in  the 
east  part  of  the  block  bounded  by  Arbor,  Center,  Woodland  and  Burney 
streets. 

In  the  fall  of  that  year  was  completed  the  two-story,  four-room 
brick  building  on  the  south  side  of  the  village,  at  an  expense  of  $8,000, 
and  in  the  following  spring  was  occupied.  The  building  committee 
who  had  charge  of  this  construction  were  George  W.  Jones,  David 
Snyder,  John  Manning,  Alex.  Taylor,  Manning  Taylor,  Dr.  A.  Carbine. 

At  the  regular  school  meeting  of  1882  it  was  voted  to  grade  the 
school.  The  board  of  trustees  at  that  date  were:  Dr.  Horace  Carbine, 
H.  M.  Nottingham,  Levi  Burney,  W.  O.  George,  Dr.  C.  E.  Davis,  L.  B. 
Des  Voignes, 

The  principals,  or  superintendents,  of  the  Marcellus  graded  school 
have  been,  R.  T.  Edwards,  who  published  the  first  catalogue  in  1882; 
George  DeLong,  Mr.  Montgomery,  J.  W.  Hazard,  C.  H.  Knapp,  Ed- 
mund Schoetzow,  W.  L.  Taylor,  Edmund  Schoetzow,  whoi,  with  the 
exception  of  two  years,  has  served  since  the  fall  of  1891.  C.  H.  Knapp, 
in  1887,  got  out  a  catalogue  for  a  ten-grade  course  of  study.  When 
Mr.  Schoetzow  took  charge,  in  1891,  he  organized  the  full  twelve  grades 
and  completed  the  regular  high  school  curriculum. 

The  school  was  so  crowded  that  in  June,  1892,  it  was  voted  to  bond 
the  district  for  $2,500'  to^  build  a  two-story  addition,  which  was  com- 
pleted about  January,   1893. 

For  1906-7  the  Board  of  Education  are :  Dr.  C.  E.  Davis,  presi- 
dent; E.  M.  Ketcham,  treasurer;  F.  S.  Hall,  secretary;  I.  S.  Smith,  G. 
W.  Kroll,  trustees.  Faculty :  Edmund  Schoetzow,  superintendent ; 
Grace  Templeton,  principal;  Leone  B.  Dennis,  assistant  principal;  Eva 
C.  Ditzell,  second  grammar;  Frances  Volkmer,  first  grammar;  Katherine 
Brennan,  second  primary;  Inez  Willard,  first  primary.  Inez  Willard  is 
teaching  her  seventeenth  year  in  the  first  primary  room,  having  taught 
nine  years  the  first  time.  The  total  number  of  graduates  is  119.  Of 
these  100  were  under  Edmund  Schoetzow's  administration. 

MARCELLUS     GRADUATES. 

1889 — Edwin  Drury,  Maude  Bogert,  Guy  Keene. 

1890 — Julius  Stern,  Charles  Giddings,  Homer  Kidney,  Pearle  An- 
derson. 

1891— Grace  Arnold,  Bertha  M.  Hartman,  Margaret  R.  Hutchin- 
son. 

1893 — Guy  Snyder. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  241 

1894 — Earle  R.  Clemens,  Mae  Manning,  Belle  Taylor,  Enoch  G. 
Bogert,  John  M.  Alexander. 

1895 — Harriet  L.  Vincent,  BeDee  M.  Poorman,  Helen  B.  Munger, 
Grace  E.  Taylor,  Jessie  I.  Mayhard. 

1896— William  C.  Hartman,  Edith  L.  Hall,  Mabel  A.  Vincent, 
Parthenia  M.  Stillwell,  Ola  M.  Nicholson,  Charles  R.  Welcher,  Maude 
M.  Palmer,  Mabel  C.  Easterbrook,  Pearle  E.  Swift,  *Barton  C.  Notting- 
ham, Bert  J.  Vought. 

1897 — Roy  E.  Goodspeed,  Mamie  V.  Sherman,  Willard  J.  Gunter, 
Annis  M.  Mikel,  Willard  C.  Davis,  Eliza  A.  Reynolds. 

1898— A.  Florence  Taylor,  Tacie  R.  Udell,  V.  Maude  Marr. 

1 8991 — Clyde  Clemens,  Vera  M.  Jones,  Carolyne  L.  Stern,  Margery 
I.  Kern,  Florence  McManigal,  Burt  L.  Loveridge. 

1900 — Bertha  Harris,  Elma  Mohney,  Mary  Remington,  Susie 
Lutes,  Georgia  H.  Hartman,  L.  Clare  Poorman,  Leroy  S.  Long,  Nellie 
Batchelor,  Earle  J.  Gould. 

1 901 — Carl  G.  Fulton,  Leona  Kent,  Lxne  Cropsey,  Harry  A.  Brad- 
ford, Louella  Apted,  Clella  E.  Davis,  Genevieve  Mumford,  Gay  A. 
Webb,  Merle  Mack,  Edna  R.  DeCou. 

1902 — Clair  Smith,  Sarah  M.  Hall,  Frances  C.  Streeter,  Mabel  S. 
Long,  Sarah  E.  Lutes,  Lura  Rosewarne,  Jennie  Lowry,  Anna  Bachelor, 
Mabel  S.  Fletcher,  Lulu  M.  Franklin,  Jennie  Cleckner,  Abby  R.  Munger, 
John  H.  Maxam. 

1903 — Neva  F.  Kent,  Birdie  Walker,  Hattie  R.  Potter,  Harry  P. 
Jones,  Albert  J.  Carpenter,  Helen  H.  Stern,  Ethel  Apted,  Hollister  H. 
Savage,  Deane  E.  Herbert,  Daisy  E.  Lewis,  Jennie  M.  Thompson. 

1904 — Rosa  Hartshorn,  Esther  George,  Mary  Long,  Alice  Street- 
er, Beulah  Potter,  Clark  Whitenight,  Bessie  Thurkow. 

1905 — Henriette  George,  Mary  DeForest,  Neva  L  Arnold,  Ethel 
M.  Holliday,  Emar  Hice.  Florence  Stern,  Vera  Thurkow,  Jessie  M. 
East. 

T906 — Vaughn  R.  LaBarre,  Jennie  M.  Spitler,  Leona  Mae  Moxley 
(colored),  Fanny  M.  Saulpaugh,  Mildred  L  Krise,  Cleta  Beatrice  Kern, 
Sarah  Orril  Mack,  Clarence  A.  Bradford,  C.  Blanche  Waldron,  Rena 
Hoisington,  Grace  M.  Lewis,  Kathryn  B.  Colburn,  V.  Kathryn  Taylor, 
Verna  B.  Siegel. 

VANDALIA   PUBIJC   SCHOOL. 

The  Vandal i a  Public  School  w^as  graded  by  Jesse  Borton,  the  prin- 
cipal, in  1873.  ^^-  Borton  had  been  at  the  head  of  the  school  some 
time  before  and  remained  there  until  1876.     His  successors  have  been: 

1877-8       J.  Handschue. 
1879-89     Michael  Pemberton. 


*  Killed  in  the  Spanish- American  war. 


242  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


1890 

Thomas  Chalmers. 

I89I-3 

Chester  E.  Cone. 

1894-5 

A.  F.  Probst. 

1896-8 

C.  L.  Pemberton. 

1899 

C.  L.  Catherman. 

1900 

S.  J.  Bole. 

I90I-3 

L.  0.  DeCamp. 

1905 

H.  S.  East. 

1906 

*R.  T.  Baldwin,  John  Myron. 

The  school  has  graduated  one  hundred  and  nine  students  notwith- 
standing there  were  no  graduating  classes  in  1884,  1886,  1896,  1899 
and  1904,  and  the  first  class  in  1883. 

GRADUATES. 

1883 — Rose  Bonine,  Minnetta  Thurston,  Robert  Coats,  Florence 
Thomas,  William  Shillings,  George  D.  Smith,  Ella  Carrier,  Elroy 
Alexander. 

1885 — Ida  Tinker,  PYed  Jefferson,  Herman  S.  East,  *Mattie  Cross, 
Henry  Lane,  *Dena  O'Dell. 

1887 — C.  H.  Bonine,  Erma  Faulkner,  Eva  O'Dell,  William  Oxen- 
ford. 

1888 — Samuel  Stephens,  Clare  Pemberton,  Leroy  E.  Deal,  G.  E,. 
Campbell,  Bertha  Bonine. 

1889' — Edna  Fellows,  Charles  Wetherbee,  Frank  Lewis,  J' Net 
O'Dell,  John  Setzler,  *Edith  Roys,  Loren  Miller. 

1890 — Pearl  Bump,  J.  C.  Faulkner,  M.  Lena  Lynch,  Carrie  Kirk, 
Minnie  Lambert,  *Cora  Thomas. 

1891 — Frank  E.  Faulkener,  "^'Charity  Mulrine,  Earl  Merritt,  Ralph 
Bogue. 

1892 — *Eva  Jefferson,  Bertha  Arnold,  Mary  Seager. 

1893 — Frank  Blood,  Nellie  Royer,  Cora  Arnold,  Blanche  Simpson, 
Lola  Thurston,  Iva  Cussans,  Clara  Whited. 

1894 — Ella  Symons,  Nellie  Kirk,  Ada  Phillips,  Guy  Van  Ant- 
werp, Charles  Setzler,  Bernice  McKinney,  Myrta  Shillings,  Mary  Smith, 
Albert  Roys,  Ethel  Orr,  Margaret  Pemberton,  Cora  Royer,  Odessa 
Seager,  William  Setzler. 

1895 — Belle  Lvnch,  Meda  Weikle,  Etta  Train,  Mary  Skinner,  Han- 
nah Bogue. 

i897^Leona  Hollister,  Ethel  Deal.  Blanche  McCabe,  John  Simp- 
son, Verna  Royer. 

1898 — Minnie  Wilson,  Vesta  Lewis,  Hattie  Mealoy,  Clarence 
Faulkner,  Edna  Barnum. 


*  Resigned. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  243 

1900 — Glennie  Heslet,  Flora  HoUister,  Ruby  M.  Johnston,  Anna 
Setzler,  Vera  Lynch,  Marie  Denison,  Mabel  Honeyman. 

1901 — Blanche  Wiltse,  Arlie  Bonine,  Blanche  Denison,  LuVada 
Copely. 

1902 — Leon  Alexander,  Ward  A.  Bump,  Florence  Doan,  Wayne 
Beardsley,  Mabel  A.  Bonine. 

1903 — Clara  Seidl,  Fancheon  Lewis,  *P.  Jay  Freer,  Carl  Johnson, 
G.  Belle  Freer. 

1905 — Sadie  Bonine,  Clara  Bonine,  Mabel  Curtis,  Deva  Brickell, 
Floyd  Keller. 

1896 — Georgiana  Longsduff,  Onear  Fisher,  Reta  Van  Antwerp, 
Burt  Pullin. 

The  faculty  for  1906  and  '07:  John  Myron,  principal;  Mrs.  Mae 
Dunning  and  Miss  Ruby  M.  Johnston,  assistants ;  Miss  Minnie  Wilson, 
intermediate;  Miss  Mabel  Bonine,  primary. 


*  Deceased. 


244  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


CHAPTER    XVn. 
LIBRARIES. 
ladies'  library  association  of  cassopolis. 

In  October,  1870,  an  organization  under  the  name  of  ''Cassopolis 
Reading  Room  and  Library  Association"  was  effected,  and  the  fol- 
lowing February  incorporated  with  the  following  named  incorporators : 
W.  W.  Peck,  W.  P.  Bennett,  C.  S.  Wheaton,  J.  T.  Stevens,  A.  Gar- 
wood, A.  B.  Morley,  A.  Maginnis,  H.  Norton,  O.  Rudd,  M.  L.  Howell, 
John  Tietsort,  J.  M.  Shepard,  L.  H.  Glover,  J.  B.  Boyd.  The  declared 
objects  of  the  organization  w-ere,  ''the  establishment  and  maintenance 
of  a  library  and  reading  room;  the  procuring  and  furnishing  of  lectures 
on  literary  and  scientific  subjects;  and  the  affording  of  such  other  means 
of  literary,  scientific  and  intellectual  improvement  as  the  association 
by  its  by-law^s  may  provide."  The  public  reading  room  feature  of  the 
organization  w^as  kept  up  less  than  a  year,  but  the  library  has  been 
maintained  to  the  present  time,  and  contains  about  fifteen  hundred 
volumes  of  choice  fiction,  history  and  travels,  sheltered  in  the  Pioneer 
Room  of  the  Court  House. 

A  few  of  the  ladies  of  Cassopolis  have  managed  the  library  since 
the  discontinuance  of  the  reading  room,  and  September  5th,  1905,  new 
articles  of  incorporation  were  executed  by  the  following  women,  who 
were  made  directors  under  the  new  organization — Ladies'  Library  As- 
sociation of  Cassopolis :  May  S.  Armstrong,  Lucy  E.  Smith,  Allie  M. 
DesVoignes,  Addie  S.  Tietsort,  Hattie  J.  Holland,  Maryette  H.  Glover, 
Sarah  B.  Price. 

Its  officers  are:  Sarah  B.  Price,  President;  Maryette  H.  Glover, 
Secretary:  Addie   S.   Tietsort,   Treasurer. 

Article  VII  of  the  articles  of  association  is  as  -follows:  The 
officers  shall  be  women  twenty-one  years  of  age  and  residents  of  Casso- 
polis, and  members  of  the  association.  Any  person  paying  the  mem- 
bership fee  provided  for  in  the  by-laws  may  become  a  member. 

The  membership  fee  is  one  dollar,  and  the  further  fee  of  seventy- 
five  cents  each  year  after  the  first  year.     This  payment  authorizes  the 


u 
o 

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o 

> 

n 

a 

bd 

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n 


> 


^^ 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  245 

member  to  draw  books  from  the  library,  which  is  open  to  its  members 
Saturday  afternoons,  and  in  charge  of  the  ladies. 

*THE    ladies'    library    ASSOCIATION. 

The  library  movement  in  Dowagiac  was  begun  by  the  ladies  of 
the  city  in  1872.  April  9th  a  meeting  was  called  and  a  constitution 
and  by-law^s  were  presented  and  adopted.  The  city  was  then  canvassed 
for  subscribers  to  the  capital  stock,  the  amount  of  which  was  fixed  at 
$1,000,  divided  into  500  shares  at  $2.00  each.  About  200  shares  were 
sold.  With  this  money  books  were  purchased  and  the  enterprise  was 
fairly  started.  Books  were  loaned  under  proper  regulations.  The  sign- 
ers of  the  constitution,  or  charter  members,  were:  Mesdames  Maria 
Palmer,  Amanda  W.  Jones,  Mary  E.  Lyle,  May  E.  Bowling,  Emma 
E.  Van  Riper,  Jerusha  E.  Bailey,  Lorraine  Dickson,  Caroline  J.  Mul- 
vane,  Lillie  A.  Curtis  and  Miss  Gertrude  ReShore.  A  room  w^as  rented 
for  the  library  until  1888,  when  P.  D.  Beckwith  became  interested  in 
the  cause  and  knowing  the  need  of  a  permanent  home  for  the  library, 
built  for  it  a  small  frame  building  and  fitted  it  up  with  cases  for  the 
books  and  all  necessary  furniture  and,  with  the  lot  on  which  the  building 
stood,  deeded  it  to  the  Association.  Until  his  death  Mr.  Beckwith  was 
ever  a  good  and  generous  friend  to  the  library  cause. 

By  the  will  of  Wm.  K.  Palmer,  an  old  and  respected  citizen,  the 
Association  received  $1,200,  the  only  gift  of  money  ever  received.  In 
1902  the  charter  of  the  Association  was  renewed  for  thirty  years. 

To  the  ladies  of  the  Association  who  worked  so  long  and  earnestly 
the  people  of  Dowagiac  are  indebted  for  the  splendid  Public  Library 
they  now  possess. 

Feeling  the  need  of  a  wider  influence  than  a  subscription  library 
could  have,  they  interested  their  friends  in  an  effort  to  secure  a  Carne- 
gie Library  for  the  city,  and  on  receipt  of  the  offer,  went  before  the 
city  council  and  pledged  their  books  and  income  to  the  support  of  a 
public  library.  The  money  from  the  Palmer  estate  furnished  the 
foundation  of  a  permanent  book  fund  for  the  library,  and  the  income 
from  the  rent  of  the  foi^mer  library  building  is  expended  quarterly  for 
books  for  the  Public  Library. 

The  Ladies'  Association,  while  co-operating  with  the  Public  Li- 
brary board  and  having  its  only  purpose  in  advancing  the  interests  of 
the  library,    is  still   maintained   as   an   independent   organization.      The 

*  Note — This  article  was  contributed  to  the  history  by  Grace  ReShore. 


246  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

ofticers  for  the  current  year  are :  Mrs.  Mable  Lee  Jones,  President ; 
Miss  Frances  M.  Ross,  Vice  President;  Mrs.  J.  O.  Becraft,  Treasurer; 
Mrs.  E.  N.  Rogers,  Secretary. 

DOWAGIAC     PUBLIC     LIBRARY. 

The  building-  is  the  gift  of  Andrew  Carnegie,  the  grounds  the  gift 
of  the  Beckwith  Estate.  The  PubHc  Library  and  Reading  Room  were 
estabHshed  by  a  resolution  adopted  March  i6th,  1903,  at  a  meeting  of 
the  common  council  of  the  city,  and  at  the  same  meeting  the  mayor 
appointed  as  the  first  board  of  trustees,  Mrs.  E.  N.  Rogers,  Mrs.  F.  J. 
Atwell,  Mrs.  A.  B.  Gardner,  Miss  N.  A.  Atwell,  Miss  Grace  ReShore, 
Messrs.  Wm.  F.  Hoyt,  C.  W.  Flendryx,  Rev.  L.  M.  Grant,  F.  L.  Be- 
craft. The  board  organized  and  elected  officers,  C.  W.  Hendryx,  presi- 
dent; Mrs.  A.  B.  Gardner,  vice  president;  Miss  Grace  ReShore,  secre- 
tary.    Building  committee :    W.  F.  Hoyt,  Mrs.  Gardner,  F.  L.  Becraft 

The  architect  selected  was  Berkeley  Brandt  of  Chicago.  The 
material  used  for  the  building  is  vitrified  brick  in  two  colors — with 
columns  and  trimmings  in  Bedford  stone.  The  interior  finish  is  in 
weathered  oak,  walls  tinted  terra  cotta  with  light  buff  ceilings.  At  the 
right  of  the  entrance  is  the  children's  room,  w^ith  low  shelves  on  three 
sides  of  the  room  for  books.  The  delivery  desk  is  in  the  center,  with 
the  steel  book-stacks  at  the  back ;  the  general  reading  room  at  the  left 
of  the  entrance.  At  the  right  from  the  stack  room'  is  the  librarian's 
room,  and  at  the  left  is  the  reference  and  trustees'  room. 

The  lighting  is  a  combination  of  electricity  and  gas.  The  furniture 
is  oak  in  Mission  style.  In  the  basement  is  an  assembly  room  seating 
about  250,  which  will  be  used  for  the  children's  league  and  other  small 
gatherings. 

The  Library  received  from  Mr.  Elias  Pardee,  an  old  resident  of 
the  city,  a  valuable  museum  consisting  of  stuffed  birds  and  small  ani- 
mals and  some  very  fine  deer  and  elk  heads ;  birds'  nests  and  eggs,  shells, 
etc.,  which  add  greatly  to  the  attractiveness  of  the  rooms  and  interest 
and  instruct  the  young  people. 

In  November,  1903,  the  cornerstone  of  the  building  was  laid  with 
appropriate  ceremonies  by  the  Michigan  Grand  Lodge  of  Masons.  No- 
vember loth,  1904,  the  library  was  opened  with  an  informal  reception 
in  the  evening,  and  the  next  day  began  issuing  books.  At  the  tinie 
of  opening  the  library  contained  3,535  volumes — 2,752  of  wliichi^  were 
from  the  Ladies'  Library  Association,  783  from  the  public  school  library, 


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HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  247 

1,026  volumes  have  been  added  since.  The  circulation  for  the  past  year 
was  21,198  volumes.  Readers'  cards  have  been  issued  to  1,703  persons. 
The  officers  of  the  library  board  for  the  current  year  (1906)  are: 
Wm.  F.  Hoyt,  President;  Frances  M.  Ross,  Vice  President;  Grace 
ReShore,   Secretary  and  Librarian. 

BECKWITH      MEMORIAL     THEATRE. 

The  Beckwith  Memorial  Theatre,  dedicated  by  Colonel  Robert  G. 
Ingersoll  in  January,  1893,  is  constructed  of  Lake  Superior  red  sand- 
stone with  backwalls  of  brick.  The  building  is  85x115  feet  in  dimen- 
sions, and  is  three  stories  in  height.  The  front  has  a  genuinely  monu- 
mental effect,  the  first  story  being  a  magnificent  arcade  of  four  great 
arches,  with  twenty  feet  to  each  span,  and  showing  the  depth  of  the 
walls.  On  each  pier  is  the  portrait  of  a  noted  woman  in  bold  relief, 
such  famous  women  as  George  Eliot,  George  Sands,  Mary  Anderson, 
Sarah  Bernhardt,  Rachael  and  Susan  B.  Anthony  being  represented. 
Above  this  space  smoothly  chiseled  stone  reduces  the  effect  again,  and 
the  top  story  front  consists  of  semi-circular  headed  arches  which  form 
another  arcade.  Upon  the  bay  directly  over  the  main  entrance  is  a 
large  medalion  portrait  of  Philo  D.  Beckwith,  beneath  which  a  mag- 
nificently carved  panel  bears  the  name  ^'Beckwith."  In  the  other  front 
bays  are  portraits  in  medahon  of  Beethoven,  Chopin,  Rossini,  Wagner, 
Verdi,  Liszt,  Voltaire,  Ingersoll,  Payne,  Hugo,  Emerson,  Whitman, 
Goethe  and  the  immortal   Shakespeare. 

The  main  entrance  to  the  building  is  in  the  middle  division  of 
the  ground  floor  front  and  is  eighteen  feet  in  width.  This  also  furnishes 
the  entrance  to  the  corner  ground  floor  room,  which  is  occupied  by  Lee 
Brothers  &  Company's  bank,  than  which  there  is  no  finer  banking  room 
in  the  country.  On  the  opposite  side  is  the  entrance  to  the  postoffice, 
which  is  fitted  up  with  the  latest  appliances  for  the  expeditious  handling 
of  the  mails.  From  off  the  arcade  a  magnificent  flight  of  stairs  leads 
to  the  second  floor,  the  front  portion  of  which  is  occupied  by  the  offices 
of  the  Beckwith  estate. 

The  stage  is  fifty  feet  wide  and  thirty-eight  feet  deep,  with  beauti- 
fully ornamented  boxes  on  either  side.  Everything  has  been  done  with 
a  lavish  hand.  There  are  fifteen  elegantly  furnished  dressing  rooms,  in 
which  are  all  the  conveniences  for  the  comfort  of  the  disciples  of  Thespis 
who  visit  this  house.  The  drop  curtain  is  a  composite  work  of  art. 
The  general  design  is  an  original  figure  composition  in  classic  Greek, 


248  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

and  is  monumental  and  decorative  in  contradistinction  to  the  realistic 
school  and  apparently  inspired  by  the  artist's  study  of  the  theatre  itself. 
The  figures  are  superbly  drawn  and  painted,  and  the  landscape  portion 
is  magnificent.  The  whole  presents  a  fitting  picture  by  the  greatest 
artists  of  the  time.  Each  has  done  well  his  part.  No  one  mind  could 
have  conceived  it;  nor  could  any  one  hand  have  executed  it.  It  will  live 
as  a  classic  work  of  art  wdien  its  makers  shall  have  passed  away. 

The  scenery  is  designed  for  the  cyclorama  effect  which  has  been 
found  so  effective,  and  which  was  first  used  in  the  Auditorium  in  Chi- 
cago. By  this  arrangement  a  scene  can  be  set  as  a  street  or  a  garden 
by  simply  moving  the  scenes,  which  are  profiled  on  both  sides  and  top, 
anywhere  desired.  Every  set  of  machinery  is  a  finished  piece  of  art. 
It  is,  after  the  latest  fashion,  lashed  together  with  ropes,  and  is  capable 
of  being  made  into  seventy-five  distinct  stage  dressings. 

All  the  ornamental  w^ork  in  the  house  is  after  the  fashion  of  the 
Grecian  school,  and  everything  possible  has  been  done  to  make  this,  the 
first  memorial  theatre  erected  in  the  country,  the  most  beautiful  play- 
house in  the  land.  There  are  499  over-stuffed  mohair  plush  chairs,  dyed 
in  a  light  fawn  and  flesh  colors,  329  of  which  are  in  the  parquette  and 
170  gracing  the  balcony.      The  gallery  seats  200  comfortably. 

The  problem  of  electric  lighting  of  theatres  has  been  solved  in  this 
house  by  the  use  of  a  large  switchboard,  in  which  there  are  twenty- 
five  levers  and  nine  ]>owerful  resistance  coils.  The  lighting  of  the  stage 
itself  is  exceptionally  complete,  four  hundred  electric  lamps  in  three 
colors  being  utilized  for  this  purpose.  The  heating  and  the  ventilation 
have  been  well  looked  to,  and  there  never  was  a  theatre  whose  air  was 
more  pure  and  whose  warmth  was  more  regular  and  comfortable. 

There  is  a  roomy  foyer  and  an  abundance  of  fire  escapes ;  in  fact 
nothing  has  been  left  undone  which  could  add  to  the  attractiveness  and 
completeness  of  this  house.  It  is  a  new^  and  splendid  model  which  time 
will  demonstrate  to  be  almost,  if  not  quite,  the  acme  of  human  skill  in 
architecture,   design  and  decoration. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  249 


CHAPTER    XVni. 
THE  CASS  COUNTY  PRESS. 

In  the  year  of  this  writing  there  are  eight  newspapers  pubhshed 
regularly  in  Cass  county.  Of  these  there  is  one  daily,  and  one  pub- 
lished twice  a  w^eek.  Outside  of  the  two  large  centers  Edwardsburg  and 
Marcellus  support  each  a  paper. 

In  one  respect,  at  least,  the  newspaper  history  of  Cass  county  is 
noteworthy.  All  but  one  of  the  eight  papers  have  had  a  continuous 
existence — though  not  all  under  continuous  proprietorship — for  at  least 
a  cjuarter  of  a  century.  The  newspaper  graveyard  of  Cass  county  is 
surprisingly  small.  The  live  ones  are*  not  so .  much  troubled  by  the 
ghosts  of  defunct  enterprises  as  in  many  other  counties  that  might  be 
named.  Not  that  journalism  has  been  without  the  usual  reefs  and 
shallows  in  this  county.  Not  that  there  are  no  wrecks  to  record.  Here, 
as  elsewdiere,  some  newspapers,  delivered  in  hope,  have  died  in  blameless 
infancy;  one  or  two,  having  served  their  ephemeral  purpose,  passed  out 
without  the  sting  of  failure ;  the  existence  of  one  or  two  others  was 
fitful  and  stressful  from  the  first,  and  the  end  w^as  the  happiest  part  of 
their  career. 

The  early  settlers  of  the  county  had  no  newspaper.  Perhaps  the 
most  familiar  paper  that  could  be  considered  a  ''home  paper"  was  the 
Niles  Herald,  which  was  publislied  by  A.  E.  Draper  from  1833  to  1838, 
being  suspended  at  the  latter  date.  In  its  columns,  no  doubt,  were  pub- 
lished the  legal  notices  from  Cass  county.  The  only  other  paper  in 
southwestern  Michigan  that  was  regularly  published  at  that  time,  so 
far  as  is  known  to  the  writer,  was  the  Kalamazoo  Gazette,  which  was 
established  in  1834,  and  is  now  in  its  73rd  volume. 

More  than  fifteen  years  elapsed  after  the  organization  of  Cass 
county  before  the  first  newspaper  enterprise  ventured  a  permanent  abode 
in  the  county.  The  Cass  County  Advocate  issued  its  first  number  March 
II,  1845.  T"h^  publishers  got  their  equipment  from  the  old  Niles  Ex- 
press. It  announced  a  regular  weekly  appearance,  but,  as  is  well  known, 
the  intentions  of  early  editors — ^often,  too,  of  those  still  with  us — did 
not  possess  the  breadth  and  height  and  irresistible  force  needed  to  over- 


250     .  HISTORY  OF  CASS  <:OUNTY 

come  the  insuperable  obstacles  that  beset  pioneer  publishing.  Very 
often  the  person  whose  name  conspicuously  appeared  as  ''editor  and 
proprietor,"  also  was  incumbent  of  the  long  list  of  positions  that  rank 
below  the  supreme  office  down  to  the  despised  "devil."  As  business 
manager,  as  news  gatherer,  as  typesetter,  as  foreman  of  the  press  room, 
and  power  man  for  the  hand  press,  the  old-time  publisher  had  no  sine- 
cure. Too  often  his  supply  of  paper  ran  out  before  the  means  of  trans- 
portation by  wagon  could  bring  him  his  next  invoice.  These  condi- 
tions, and  many  others  that  we  cannot  here  describe  in  detail,  might 
have  interfered  with  the  regular  editing  of  the  first  Cass  county  new^s- 
paper.     Certain  it  is,  that  its  career  was  fitful. 

Mr.  E.  A.  Graves  was  the  editor  and  proprietor;  a  Democrat  in 
politics  and  conducting  his  paper  accordingly.  Abram  Townsend  bought 
the  enterprise  in  1846,  but  he,  too,  failed  to  make  it  prosperous.  In 
1850  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  another  well  known  citizen,  Ezekiel  S. 
Smith.  He  evidently  believed  that  Cassopolis  was  not  a  good  field  for 
a  newspaper,  and  that  the  new  railroad-born  village  of  Dowagiac  offered 
a  better  location. 

The  removal  of  the  Cass  County  Advocate  to  Dowagiac  in  1850 
gave  that  village  its  first  newspaper.  Mr.  L.  P.  Williams  soon  bought 
the  plant  of  Mr.  Smith,  and  by  him  the  name  was  changed  to  the 
Dowagiac  Times  and  Cass  County  Republican.  In  1854,  while  the 
proprietor  w^as  away  on  a  business  trip,  the  office  and  the  entire  plant 
was  destroyed  by  fire."  Thus  perished  the  first  newspaper,  after  having 
lived  nearly  ten  years.  Its  history  was  closed,  for  no'  successor,  phoenix- 
like, ever  rose  from  its  ashes. 

The  contents  of  the  early  newspaper  call  for  brief  comment. 
Apropos  of  this  point,  Mr.  C.  C.  Allison  says :  'Tf  you  turn  over  the 
pages  of  the  early  paper  expecting  to  find  local  news  you  will  be  dis- 
appointed. Now  our  papers  exist ,  and  are  patronized  for  the  local  in- 
formation they  contain;  at  that  time  this,  idea  of  journalism  had  not 
arrived,  at  least  not  jn  this  part  of  the  country.  A  letter  from  a  foreign 
co'untry,  describing  alien  people  and  customs,  was  eagerly  seized  upon 
by  the  editor,  and  its  none  too  interesting  facts  spread  over  several  col- 
umns of  type.  At  the  same  time  local  improvements,  county  news,  and 
the  personal  items  which,  now  form  the  live  features  of  the  small  news- 
paper, were  usually  omitted  entirely  or  passed  over  with  scant  attention. 
Marriages  and  deaths  and  births  formed  the,  bulk  of  the  local  news  in  the 
newspaper  of  fifty  years  ago." 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  251 

After  the  departure  of  the  Cass  County  Advocate  the  citizens  of 
Cassopolis  evidently  felt  the  void  caused  by  no  local  newspaper.  A 
stock  company  was  organized,  George  B.  Turner  was  selected  as  editor, 
and  on  March  17,  1850,  the  first  number  of  the  National  Democrat 
was  given  to  the  public.  Fifty-six  years  have  passed  since  that  date, 
and  the  National  Democrat  still  flourishes.  H.  C.  Shurter  vv^as  the 
publisher  for  the  original  company. 

The  first  few  years  of  this  paper's  existence  were  not  unmarked 
by  vicissitudes,  at  least  in  ownership.  In  1854,  Mr.  G.  S.  Boughton 
bought  the  paper,  and  within  a  few  months  sold  it  to  W.  W.  Van  Ant- 
werp. During  the  latter's  proprietorship  the  late  Daniel  Blackman  was 
editor.  When  the  original  stock  company  resumed  control  of  the  en- 
terprise in  1858,  Mr.  Blackman  continued  as  editor,  with  Mr.  H.  B. 
Shurter  as  publisher.  But,  however  well  the  paper  may  have  served  its 
ostensible  ends,  its  financial  condition  remained  discouraging.  In  186 1 
the  plant  was  sold  at  sheriff's  sale.  The  purchasers  were  Pleasant  Nor- 
ton, D.  M.  Howell  and  Maj.  Joseph  Smith.  It  was  transferred  by  them 
to  L.  D.  Smith,  who  managed  it  two  years — the  first  two'  years  of  the 
war,  when  news  was  at  a  premium  everywhere.  In  March,  1863,  the 
paper  reverted  to  Messrs.  Norton,  Howell  and  Smith,  Major  Smith 
taking  the  editorial  end  of  the  business. 

In  1862  the  proprietors  had  employed  as  their  publisher  a  young 
man,  then  twenty-tvvO  years  old,  named  C.  C.  Allison.  Born  in  Illinois 
in  1840  and  coming  toi  Cassopolis  when  eight  years  old,  the  dean,  as 
he  now  is,  of  the  newspaper  profession  in  Cass  county  began  his  career, 
and  is  likely  to  end  it  in  the  National  Democrat  office.  He  entered  the 
office  as  an  apprentice  in  1855.  He  set  type,  wrote  news  items,  and  in 
a  few  years  was  master  of  the  business.  On  May  5,  1863,  he  bought 
the  paper,  and  from  that  date  to  this  he  has  owned,  managed  and  edited 
the  oldest  paper  in  Cass  county. 

The  Natio7ial  Democrat  is  published  weekly,  is  Democratic  in  poli- 
tics, and  it  has  been  the  steadfast  policy  of  its  proprietor  to  keep  it  in 
the  first  rank,  an  impartial  and  comprehensive  disseminator  of  news,  and 
at  the  same  time  an  advocate  of  progress  and  public  spirit  in  the  afifairs 
to  which  newspaper  influence  may  be  legitimately  directed. 

The  Republican  interests,  of  the  county  are  represented  at  Cassopolis 
by  the  Vigilant,,  which  is  also  far  more  than  a  partisan  journal;  it  is 
well  edited,  has  live,  clean  news,  and  its  standard  of  newspaper  enter- 
prise is  the  very  highest,     l^h^f  Vigilant  h^s  witnessed  an  entire  genera- 


252  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

tion  of  human  progress,  and  its  columns  have  contained  the  history  in 
epitome  of  Cass  county  since  the  i6th  of  May,  1872,  when  its  first  copy 
was  issued.  D.  B.  Harrington  and  M.  H.  Barber  were  the  founders 
of  the  paper.  It  went  through  several  changes  of  ownership  durin,^:  the 
first  years.  C.  L.  Morton  and  W.  H.  Mansfield  purchased  it  in  Febru- 
ary, 1873,  and  in  the  following  July  Mr.  Mansfield  became  sole  pro- 
prietor. 

In  1876  Mr.  Mansfield  associated  with  himself  Mr.  James  M. 
Shepard,  a  dentist  by  profession,  and  having  followed  from  1868  to  that 
date  the  practice  of  dentistry  in  Cassopolis.  Mr.  Shepard,  whose  subse- 
quent career  in  public  affairs  is  so  well  known,  became  the  sole  ow^ner 
of  the  Vigilant  in  1878,  and  has  conducted  the  paper  under  his  per- 
sonal supervision  except  w^hile  engaged  in  his  public  duties.  For  seven- 
teen years  Mr.  W.  FI.  Berkey  has  been  connected  with  the  office,  and 
for  about  ten  years  has  been  managing  editor  of  the  Vigilant.  He  is 
a  thorough  and  alert  new\spaper  man  and  shares  in  the  credit  for  the 
success  of  the  Vigilant. 

Although  the  plant  of  the  Times  and  Cass  County  Republican  was 
destroyed  by  fire  in  1854,  Dowagiac  did  not  long  remain  an  unoccupied 
field  for  newspaper  endeavor.  In  the  same  year  Mr.  James  L.  Gantt 
established  the  Dow^agiac  Tribune.  The  Tribune  held  undisputed  pos- 
session of  the  field  until  1858.  In  the  meantime  the  policy  of  its  editor 
was  bringing  upon  him  a  storm  of  disapproval  that  ended  in  a  small 
newspaper  war. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  the  newspapers  of  that  time  were 
more  of  political  ''organs"  than  even  the  strongest  of  modern  partisan 
journals.  To  advocate  the  success  of  its  party  and  to  give  much  the 
greater  part  of  its  news  and  editorial  space  to  that  cause  was  often  the 
sole  cause  of  a  country  newspaper's  existence.  And  the  change  from 
that  custom  to  the  later  ''news"  paper  is  recent  enough  to  be  remembered 
by  all.    ' 

Hence  it  came  about  that  when  the  course  of  the  Tribune  had  be- 
come distasteful  beyond  endurance  to  the  Republicans  of  the  county,  the 
officials  and  leaders  of  Cass  county  Republicanism  met  to  consider  and 
take  action  concerning  their  newspaper  "organ."  As  a  result  of  this 
meeting,  which  was  held  in  January,  1858,  overtures  were  made  to  Mr. 
Gantt  either  to  dispose  of  the  paper  or  to  allow  a  committee  to  select 
an  editor,  in  which  case  the  expense  would  be  borne  by  the  party  organi- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  253 

zation.  Mr.  Gantt  had  no  mind  to  surrender  his  prerogatives  or  poHcies, 
and  his  paper  was  issued  as  before. 

But  there  remained  another  method.  The  party  leaders  induced 
W.  H.  Campbell  and  N.  B.  Jones  to  establish  another  paper  in  Dowagiac. 
This  rival  was  called  the  Republican.  Mr.  Jones  retired  at  the  end  of 
three  months,  but  Mr.  Campbell  conducted  the  paper  with  such  energy 
and  was  so  well  supported  by  his  constituents  that  in  1859  ^^^-  Gantt 
sold  him  the  good  will  of  the  Tribune,  and  moved  the  plant  of  the  latter 
away.  Thus  the  Republican  was  left  master  of  the  situation,  and  con- 
tinued for  many  years  as  the  only  Dowagiac  paper.  The  names  of  the 
committee  who  were  responsible  for  the  establishment  of  the  Republican 
were  Justus  Gage,  Jesse  G.  Beeson,  W.  G.  Beckwith,  Joshua  Lofland 
and  William  Sprague. 

The  Republican,  like  other  Cass  county  papers,  has  passed  through 
a  series  of  ownerships.  Mr.  Campbell  continued  its  publication  until 
January,  1865.  At  that  date  Mr.  Charles  A.  Smith,  a  young  man  of 
only  twenty-one  years,  but  a  practical  printer  and  energetic  newspaper 
man,  took  control  and  conducted  the  business  successfully  for  two  years. 
Mr.  Jesse  G.  Roe  was  the  next  purchaser,  but  being  unacquainted  with 
the  practical  side  of  newspaper  business,  after  three  weeks  he  sold  the 
plant  to  its  founder,  Mr.  Campbell.  In  1868  Mr.  H.  C.  Buffington  was 
installed  as  proprietor  and  editor,  and  continued  the  publication  until 
September,  1875,  when  the  business  passed  to  Richard  Holmes  and  C.  J. 
Greenleaf.  These  partners  gave  much  space  to  purely  local  matters, 
and  their  management  throughout  was  quite  successful.  In  Septeml:)er, 
J 880,  another  transfer  was  made,  when  Mr.  R.  N.  Kellogg  bought  the 
Republican  plant.  Under  Mr.  Kellogg's  ownership  the  name  was 
changed  from  the  Cass  County  Republican  to  the  Dowagiac  Republican. 

Successive  owners  of  the  Republican  were  E.  H.  Spoor,  Becraft  & 
Amsden,  Becraft  alone,  then  a  Mr.  Rose,  Becraft  &  Son,  and  J.  O. 
Becraft.  Mr.  Becraft  was  publisher  of  the  Republican  until  1904,  when 
he  sold  it  to  Mr.  H.  E.  Agnew,  the  present  proprietor. 

In  1880  Mr.  W.  M.  Wooster  entered  the  lists  of  Cass  county 
journalism.  He  had  been  proprietor  of  the  Van  Buren  County  Repub- 
lican, which  he  sold  to  Mr.  Buffington,  the  former  Republican  editor. 
Buying  the  equipment  of  the  Lawrence  Advertiser,  he  removed  it  to 
Dowagiac,  and  on  September  i,  1880,  he  issued  the  first  number  of 
the  Dowagiac  Times,  as  an  independent  in  politics^ — an  unusual  course 
for  a  paper  to  take  at  that  time.     In  188 1  the  Times  w^as  sold  to  Mr. 


254  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

A.  M.  Moon,  who  has^  beeli  identified  with  Cass  county  journahsm 
nearly  thirty  years,  and  who  came  to  Dowagiac  from  Marcellus.  Mr. 
Moon  conducted  the  Times  until  1885,  when  he  sold  it  to  its  present 
proprietor,  James  Heddon.  In  1897  Charles  Heddon  established  the 
Daily  News,  which  was  issued  from  the  same  office  as  the  Times,  and 
the  two  papers  are  practically  under  one  management.  In  this  con- 
nection it  is  of  interest  that  Ward  Bros,  established  a  paper  called  the 
Daily  Nezvs  in  Dowagiac  about  1880,  although  its  existence  was  short.. 

The  third  paper  of  Dowagiac  is  the  Herald,  which  was  established 
in  1892  by  Mr.  N.  Klock  as  the  Standard.  R.  E.  Curtis  bought  this 
paper  in  1897,  and  it  later  became  the  property  of  J.  A.  Webster,  who 
changed  the  name  to  the  Herald,  In  April,  1903,  A.  M.  Moon  became 
the  proprietor  of  the  Herald  and  has  since  issued  it  every  week. 

Marcellus  has  a  somewhat  disconnected  newspaper  record,  but  the 
Neivs  has  a  record  of  nearly  thirty  years,  and  has  been  a  good  paper, 
ably  edited  and  well  patronized,  since  its  start.  The  Messenger  was  the 
first  paper  in  the  village,  established  by  S.  D.  Perry  in  1874.  The  Good- 
speed  brothers,  Volinia  farmers,  soon  came  into  possession  of  the  plant 
and  issued  a  paper  known  as  the  Standard  under  the  management  of 
Rufus  Nash.  The  last  issue  appeared  in  August,  1876,  and  in  1877 
Mr.  A.  M.  Moon  bought  the  plant  and  brought  out  the  first  number  of 
the  Marcellus  News,  When  Mr.  Moon  moved  to  Dowagiac  he  took 
part  of  the  equipment  of  the  News,  but  left  the  intangible  interests  and 
subscription  lists  of  the  News  tO'  his  successors,  C.  C.  Allison  and  J.  J. 
A.  Parker,  who  issued  the  first  number  under  their  management  on 
December  24,  1881.  Mr.  Parker  soon  bought  the  interest  of  Mr.  Alli- 
son, who  had  entered  the  newspaper  field  at  Marcellus  as  a  branch 
enterprise  to  his  Cassopolis  paper.  Following  Mr.  Parker,  the  pro- 
prietor of  the  Ne7Vs  was  Mr.  White,  then  Dr.  C.  E.  Davis,  who  sold  to 
the  present  proprietor,  A,  E.  Bailey. 

The  Vandalia  Journal  was  established  by  William  A.  DeGroot,  and 
the  first  number  was  dated  June  14,  1881.  The  paper  later  passed  to 
Jos.  L.  Stufr,  who,  after  a  short  time,  discontinued  its  publication  and 
moved  the  type  and  presses  to  Chicago. 

Several  years  ago  Mr.  F.  M.  Viall  established  a  small  news  sheet  at 
Vandalia,  but  after  about  six  rnotiths  gave  up  the  enterprise  without 
having  won  fame  for  himself  and  brought  the  paper  to  any  dignity  in 
tiewspaperdom. 

The  Edwardsburg  ^Arghis,  whose  presient  proprietor  is  Henry  Andrus 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  255 

(see  sketch),  was  established  in  1875,  its  first  issue  appearing  October 
5th.  William  A.  Shaw,  H.  B.  Davis,  F.  M.  Jerome  and  G.  F.  Bugbee 
were  connected  with  the  paper  until  1879.  In  February  of  this  year  Dr. 
John  B.  Sweetland  took  charge  of  the  paper,  which  he  thereafter  con- 
ducted in  his  vigorous  and  virile  way,  ''neutral  in  nothing,  independent 
in  everything,"  and  was  the  proprietor  for  twenty  years,  until  his  death 
in  1899.  Dr.  Sweetland,  in  conformity  with  his  principles,  kept  his  paper 
independent  in  politics,  and  if  he  favored  any  movement  especially  it 
was  the  Prohibition.  Mr.  Henry  Andrus  was  local  editor  of  the  Argus 
a  long  time  under  Dr.  Sweetland,  and  since  the  latter' s  death  has  con- 
ducted the  paper,  maintaining  it  at  the  high  standard  of  former  years. 
The  Argus  is  issued  regularly  every  Thursday. 

Illustrative  of  newspaper  politics  of  half  a  century  ago,  is  an  inci- 
dent related  by  C.  C.  Allison,  the  veteran  editor  of  the  Democrat,  In 
1840  Ezekiel  S.  Smith  had  been  appointed  by  Gov.  Woodbridge  to  the 
position  of  attorney  in  Cass  county.  Smith  was  a  Whig,  of  the  same 
brand  and  stripe  as  his  political  chief.  He  made  it  a  point  to  emphasize 
his  beliefs  and  aggrandize  his  party  whenever  possible  while  in  Cass 
county.  At  that  time  the  Democratic  party  was  dominant  in  this  sec- 
tion, its  official  organ  at  the  county  seat  being  the  Cass  County  Advo- 
cate,, with  its  pioneer  editor,  Abram  Townsend. 

Townsend  was  not  succeeding  in  making  his  paper  pay  dividends, 
however  successful  it  may  have  been  as  a  political  and  news  organ. 
One  day,  in  this  financial  stress,  he  applied  to  Attorney  Smith  for  a 
cash  loan.  ''No  more  loans  on  that  paper,"  replied  Smith,  who  was 
already  Townsend's  creditor;  "why  don't  you  go  to  Asa  Kingsbury?" 
Kingsbury  was  a  leader  in  Democratic  affairs  at  that  time,  and  his 
financial  support  to  the  Advocate  had  also  been  drawn  upon  to  the  limit. 
On  being  informed  of  Kingsbury's  unwillingness  to  extend  further 
credit.  Attorney  Smith,  acting  upon  a  sudden  idea,  asked,  "What  will 
you  take  for  that  newspa;per  over  there?"  "t)o  you  really  want  to 
buy  it,  Mr.  Smith  ?"  "Yes,  I  will  buy  the  equipment  and  you  can  con- 
tinue as  my  editor,"  was  the  decisive  manner  in  which  the  transaction 
was  closed.  "Now,"  continued  Smith,  after  counting  out  the  stipulated 
amount  less  what  Townsend  owed  him,  "let  us  go  over  and  get  out 
this  week's  paper."  The  make-up  was  about  ready  to  go  to  press,  and 
after  looking  it  over  the  only  change  that  the  new  proprietor  requested 
was  that  the  leading  editorial  l>e  withdrawn  and  one  written  by  himself 
substituted.     This  was  done,  and  the  Advocate  appeared  on  the  regular 


256  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

day  of  issue  without  any  delay  consequent  upon  the  change  of  owner- 
ship, which  took  place  quite  unheralded  to  the  citizens  of  the  county 
seat.  But  for  that  reason  the  consternation  was  all  the  greater  among 
the  stanch  Democracy  when,  on  the  first  page  of  their  loyal  paper,  they 
read  a  pungent  editorial  lauding  the  principles  of  Whiggism  to  the  skies 
and  holding  up  the  sacred  tenets  and  leaders  of  the  Van  Buren  party 
to  scorn  and  ridicule. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  257 


CHAPTER    XIX. 
MEDICINE    AND    SURGERY. 

The  early  followers  of  Aesculapius,  in  Cass  county  as  elsewhere, 
were  in  the  main  honest,  practical  and  sympathetic  men.  Such  is  the 
testimony  of  those  whose  personal  knowledge  connects  the  present  with 
the  past.  Without  the  advantages  of  broad  technical  training,  such  as 
are  within  reach  of  the  medical  student  now,  without  the  vast  heritage 
of  accumulated  experience,  analyzed  and  classified  for  application  t«^ 
every  morbid  condition  of  mankind,  the  pioneer  physician  had  to  com- 
pensate for  his  narrowness  of  professional  vision  and  skill  by  a  perva- 
sive sympathy  and  inspiring  cheerfulness. 

Much  of  the  practice  was  done  by  doctors  who  followed  their  pro- 
fession as  an  adjunct  to  the  more  necessary — to  their  own  welfare — 
occupation  of  tilling  the  new  soil  or  merchandising,  or  any  other  of  the 
trades  or  activities  by  which  the  early  settlers  gained  a  living.  There 
were,  proportionately,  fewer  "town  doctors."  Some  of  the  ''farmer 
doctors"  were  college  graduates  and  men  of  considerable  attainments, 
though  necessarily  rough  in  exterior,  and,  although  handicapped  for 
want  of  appliances,  were  perhaps  as  fully  competent  tO'  combat  the  dis- 
eases incident  to  those  conditions  as  our  more  modern  physicians  are 
to  combat  our  more  modern  diseases.  For  it  is  a  well  known  scientific 
truth  that  many  of  the  refinements  and  advantages  of  modern  civiliza- 
tion are  really  violations  of  the  natural  laws,  which  bring  about  their 
own  diseases  as  punishment. 

A  very  brief  record  is  left  of  those  physicians  who  came  to  Cass 
county  during  the  pioneer  period.  There  was  Dr.  Henry  H.  Fowler, 
who  seemed  possessed  .of  the  pioneer  spirit,  for  several  new  settlements 
in  this  part  of  the  country  knew  him  as  a  citizen  as  much  as  a  profes- 
sional man.  He  was  interested  in  the  formation  of  the. village  of  Geneva, 
on  Diamond  lake,  and  was  a  factor  in  having  that  place  designated  as  the 
seat  of  justice.     He  had  first  located  at  Edwardsburg  about  1830. 

There  seems  to  have  l^een  no  physician  during  the  thirties  who  left 
a  permanent  impress  on  the  life  and  affairs  of  the  county.  During  that 
decade  Cassopolis  and  vicinity  had,  for  varying  lengths  of  time,  doctors 


^^S  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

named  Isaac  Brown,  Charles  L.  Clows,  David  E,  Brown,  Benjamin  F. 
Gould,  who  was  a  college  graduate  and  practiced  in  Cassopolis  till  his 
death,  in  1844;  David  A.  Clows,  and  James  Bloodgood.  The  first  physi- 
cians in  the  county  seem  to  have  located  at  Edwardsburg.  Of  those 
early  practitioners  the  most  prominent  was  Henry  Lockwood.  Born 
in  New  York  in  1803,  a  graduate  of  a  medical  college  of  that  state,  he 
located  at  Edwardsburg  about  1837,  and  was  in  active  and  prosperous 
practice  there  till  1862.     He  died  in  December  of  the  following  year. 

The  old  town  of  Adamsville,  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county, 
had  a  notable  doctor  in  the  early  days  in  the  person  of  Henry  Follett. 
Born  in  New  York  in  1789,  he  studied  medicine  under  private  direc- 
tion, served  in  the  war  of  18 12  as  assistant  surgeon,  and  in  1836,  with 
his  family,  made  the  journey  in  pioneer  fashion  from  the  east  to  his 
new  home  at  Adamsville.  Two  years  later  he  moved  to  a  farm  near  the 
village,  and  in  a  combination  of  the  two  pursuits  passed  the  remainder 
of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  in  1849. 

There  were  other  physicians  in  the  county  during  this  period,  but 
little  record  other  than  their  names  is  preserved.  Those  earliest  physi- 
cians— as  well  as  their  successors  for  many  years — traveled  about  on 
horseback.  There  were  no  telephones  by  w^hich  medical  assistance  could 
be  summoned  to  remote  parts  of  the  rural  districts,  and  hence,  up  to 
recent  years,  the  sight  of  a  flying  horseman  hastening  to  town  was  a 
signal  to  the  neighbors  that  some  one  was  ill.  An  hour  or  so  later 
back  would  come  the  physician,  muffled  up  beyond  recognition  during 
the  severe  winter  season,  or  bespattered  with  mud  from  hard  riding  over 
the  miry  roads.  There  were  no  carriages.  If  there  had  been  they  would 
have  ]:)een  useless  because  of  the  rough  and  muddy  roads,  which  were 
scarcely  more  than  trails  cut  through  the  woods.  The  distances  traveled 
in  reaching  the  sufferers  w^ere  long,  because  the  roads  wound  around  so 
much,  and  often  the  patient  was  dead  before  the  doctor  could  arrive. 
Sometimes  after  heavy  rains  the  streams  w^ould  be  swollen  so  as  to 
render  the  fords  impassable,  or  the  bridges  w^ould  be  carried  away, 
necessitating  a  long  detour  in  order  to  reach  the  destination.  But  num- 
berless and  arduous  as  were  the  difficulties  which  beset  the  pioneer 
practitioner — and  only  a  few  have  been  alluded  to,  so  that  the  picture 
is  quite  inadequate  to  reveal  the  hard  life  of  our  first  doctors — it  is  to 
the  lasting  honor  of  the  rugged  character  and  faithful  devotion  to  duty 
of  those  men  that  no  call  for  help,  matter  not  w^here  it  was  or  what  its 
answ^ering  meant  in  the  way  of  personal  hardship,  was  refused. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  259 

But  the  times  and  conditions  of  practice  changed  rapidly.  Dr. 
H.  H.  Phiinps,  of  Cassoix)hs,  whose  professional  recollections  in  this 
county  go  back  nearly  forty  years,  states  that  when  he  began  to  practice 
the  physicians  no  longer  were  traveling  about  the  country  on  horse- 
back, with  their  medicine,  surgical  instruments,  etc.,  in  a  saddle-bag. 
Buggies  had  already  come  into  general  use  among  the  country  practi- 
tioners, and  the  hard  lot  of  the  early  doctor  was  in  many  other  respects 
relieved. 

The  diseases  of  those  times  were  principally  malaria,  caused  by 
lack  of  drainage  in  the  county ;  bronchitis  and  pneumonia,  due  tc^  ex- 
posure incident  to  their  mode  of  life,  and  diarrhoea  and  dysentery  in- 
duced by  their  coarse  fare.  Contagious  diseases,  on  account  of  the  iso- 
lation of  the  settlers,  had  little  opportunity  to  spread.  Heroic  treat- 
ment was  accorded  their  patients  by  old-time  doctors.  The  tale  is  told 
of  one  such  physician — not  of  Cass  county,  however — ^who  gave  a  pa- 
tient sufifering  from  a  ''blocked  bowel"  one  hundred  grains  oi  calomel 
at  a  single  dose,  and,  strangest  of  all,  there  was  complete  recovery  from 
both  the  ailment  and  the  dosage. 

But  malaria  is  no  longer  to  be  contended  w^ith.  The  marshes  have 
been  drained.  Whereas  the  early  settlers  fought  mosquitoes — now 
known  as  most  active  agents  in  the  spreading  of  contagious  diseases — 
by  means  of  smudges,  screen  doors  now  shut  out  the  i^ests  from  our 
homes.  This  use  of  wire  screening  is  one  of  many  improvements  that 
provided  wholesome  sanitary  conditions  and  guarded  against  disease. 
The  decrease  of  malaria  is  graphically  illustrated  in  the  statement  of 
Dr.  Phillips  that  not  one  lx)ttle  of  quinine  is  used  now  to  thirty  required 
when  he  began  practice.  Malaria  was  everywhere  then,  and  quinine 
was  the  sovereign  remedy  in  its  treatment. 

Passing  from  the  pioneer  period  of  medical  practice,  we  find  a 
number  of  men  of  more  than  ordinary  ability  who  adorned  the  pro- 
fession during  the  last  half  of  the  century.  Dr.  E.  J.  Bonine,  who 
practiced  in  Cassopolis  from  1844  ^^  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war, 
was  a  soldier  and  pohtician  as  well  as  doctor.  Born  in  Indiana  in  182 1, 
he  prepared  for  his  profession,  as  was  then  the  custom  more  than  now, 
under  a  private  preceptor  instead  of  within  college  walls.  He  was 
elected  to  represent  the  county  in  the  legislature  in  1852.  He  was,  in 
turn,  a  Whig,  a  Free-soiler,  and  then  helped  to  organize  the  Republican 
party.  He  enlisted  for  service  in  the  rebellion,  and  was  advanced  from 
the  ranks  to  surgeon  in  chief  of  the  Third  Division  of  the  Ninth  Army 


260  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Corps.     He  located  at  Niles  after  returning  from  the  war,   and  was 
prominent  professionally  and  in  public  life  until  his  death. 

In  the  death  of  Dr.  L.  D.  Tompkins  on  October  I,  1902,  there 
passed  away  the  oldest  medical  practitioner  in  the  county.  Arriving  in 
the  county  in  1848,  he  saw  and  experienced  the  conditions  of  pioneer 
practice.  Still  alive  a  half  century  later,  his  retrospect  covered  the  most 
important  period  in  the  development  of  medical  and  surgical  practice, 
and  he  could  appreciate  as  none  others  could  the  changes  that  a  life- 
time had  wrought. 

''But  perhaps  it  still  is  better  that  his  busy  life  is  done; 

He  has  seen  old  views  and  patients  disappearing  one  by  one." 

A  former  account  of  his  life  says :  ''During  the  first  eight  or  ten 
years  of  his  residence  in  the  county  he  almost  invariably  traveled  on 
horseback.  The  roads  were  not  then  as  numerous  as  now,  and  most 
of  those  which  had  been  cleared  and  improved  were  in  a  condition  in- 
ferior to  those  of  the  present.  Large  bodies  of  land  were  unfenced,  and 
it  was  the  universal  custom  among  those  persons  familiar  with  the 
country  when  traveling  in  the  saddle  to  save  time  by  'going  cross  lots' 
by  way  of  the  numerous  paths  leading  through  the  'openings'  and  heavy 
timber.  Dr.  Tompkins  rode  very  frequently  upon  these  paths  and  often 
in  the  darkness  of  night  was  obliged  to  lean  forward  upon  his  horse's 
neck  to  avoid  being  brushed  from  the  saddle  by  overhanging  limbs  of 
the  trees.  Sometimes,  wearied  with  travel  and  loss  of  rest,  he  would 
fall  asleep  in  the  saddle,  but  the  trusty  horse,  plodding  on  through  the 
darkness  along  the  winding  narrow  path,  would  bring  him'  safely  home." 
At  the  time  of  his  death  Dr.  Tompkins  was  more  than  eighty-five  years 
old,  a  remarkable  age  for  one  whose  earlier  experiences  had  been  so 
rugged.  Born  in  Oneida  county.  New  York,  in  1817,  he  moved  to  Ohio 
at  the  age  of  fifteen,  and  there  prepared  for  his  profession  and  practiced 
until  he  came  to  Cassopolis  in  May,  1S48.  In  1852  he  graduated  from 
the  well  known  Rush  Medical  College  of  Chicago.  More  than  one 
physician  now  or  formerly  of  Cass  county  ascribes  the  inspiration  of 
his  work  tO'  this  aged  doctor.  In  the  history  of  Cass  county  medicine 
he  will  always  be  a  venerable  figure. 

Only  five  years  younger  in  years  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  the 
late  Dr.  Alonzo  Garwood,  whose  professional  connection  with  Cass 
county  was  only  a  little  less  than  that  of  Dr.  Tompkins.  Coming  to 
Cass  county  in  1850,  the  close  of  a  long  life  came  July  i,  1903.     He 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  261 

was  born  October  15,  1824,  in  Logan  county,  Ohio,  pursued  his  studies 
under  the  direction  of  a  physician  in  his  native  county,  later  attended, 
under  the  preceptor  system,  the  well  known  Starling  Medical  College, 
and  on  his  graduation  came  directly  to  Cassopolis.  Dr.  Garwood  gave 
considerable  attention  to  public  affairs,  especially  local  school  interests, 
and  was  of  such  political  prominence  that  he  was  sent  to  the  state  senate 
in  1857.  He  was  surgeon  of  the  28th  regiment,  Michigan  infantry, 
during  the  Civil  war. 

The  list  of  Cassopolis  physicians,  past  and  present,  is  a  long  one. 
There  was  Richard  M.  Wilson,  an  early  representative  of  the  Eclectic 
school,  who  was  here  in  the  fifties.  Alonzo  B.  Treadwell,  well  remem- 
bered by  many  in  the  county,  began  practice  in  the  year  that  Dr.  Wilson 
left,  and  continued  for  ten  years,  until  his  death  in  1874.  He  had  a 
varied  career,  was  largely  self-educated,  served  in  the  army,  and  died 
in  the  prime  of  years.  For  awhile  he  was  partner  with  Drs.  Tompkins 
and  Kelsey.  The  latter,  William  J.  Kelsey,  father  of  the  present  Dr. 
J.  H.  Kelsey,  had  high  professional  connection  in  this  county,  and  was 
a  man  of  acknowledged  ability.  He  was  born  in  this  county  in  1839, 
and  was  a  graduate  of  Rush  Medical  College  in  1865. 

Other  names  that  occur  are  those  of  Drs.  Robert  Patterson,  Fred- 
erick F.  Sovereign,  F.  P.  Hoy,  J.  D.  Mater,  each  of  whom  remamed  but 
a  short  time. 

Dr.  James  S.  Stapleton,  born  in  Cassopolis  in  1867,  graduated  from 
Hahnemann  Medical  College,  in  Chicago,  and  located  in  his  native 
town,  where  he  remained  until  his  removal  to  Jones,  where  he  died 
August  13,   1898. 

Oliver  W.  Hatch,  born  in  Medina  county,  Ohio,  July  28,  1825, 
came  to  Mason  township,  Cass  county,  with  his  parents,  in  1837,  attended 
the  early  district  schools  and  also  a  select  school  taught  by  the  late 
Judge  H.  H.  Coolidge  at  Edwardsburg,  and  received  his  medical  edu- 
cation by  private  study,  at  the  LaPorte  Medical  College  and  at  Rush 
Medical  College  in  Chicago,  where  he  spent  his  last  term  in  1848.  He 
practiced  at  Georgetown,  III,  three  years,  then  at  Mishawaka,  Ind.,  six 
months,  after  which  he  located  in  Mason  township  and  was  a  practicing 
physician  there  until  1903,  when  he  retired  and  moved  to  Cassopolis, 
where  he  still  resides,  being  the  oldest  physician  in  the  county. 

Dr.  Bulhand,  who  died  at  Union  September  11,  1905,  was  noted 
for  his  sympathy  and  strength  of  character,  as  well  as  his  ability  as 
a  practitioner.     He  was  absolutely  frank,  and  never  used  his  profession 


262  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

except  according  to  its  own  ethics  and  the  standards  of  personal  integ- 
rity. He  retired  before  his  death,  having  practiced  about  twenty  years, 
and  hved  on  his  farm  in  Calvin. 

J>own  at  Edwardsburg  Dr.  Israel  G.  Bugbee  for  many  years  com- 
l}ined  his  professional  duties  with  business  and  official  affairs.  He  was 
born  in  Vermont  in  1814,  studied  medicine  in  Cass  county  and  in  a 
New  York  medical  college,  and  practiced  in  Edwardsburg  from  1840 
to  1869.     He  died  in  1878. 

Among  the  contemporaries  of  Dr.  Bugbee  were  Dr.  Alvord,  Dr. 
John  Treat,  Dr.  Enos  Pen  well,  and  several  others.  Within  the  last  four 
years  there  died  in  Edwardsluirg  Dr.  John  B.  Sweetland,  whose  con- 
nection wath  that  village  lasted  forty  years.  A  graduate^  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Buffalo  and  a  first-class  physician,  he  was  just  as  much  a 
man  of  affairs.  He  served  as  a  private  and  a  surgeon  during  the  war, 
was  politically  active  and  represented  this  county  in  the  legislature,  and 
his  versatile  character  also  led  him  into  journalism,  becoming  editor 
and  publisher  of  the  Edwardsburg  Argus.  Dr.  Sweetland  was  born  in 
New  York  in  1834. 

Another  Edwardsburg  physician,  now  deceased,  was  Levi  Aldrich. 
He  was  born  in  Erie  county.  New  York,  January  27,  1820,  and  gradu- 
ated in  medicine  in  1849.  ^^  located  in  Edwardsburg  in  the  early 
sixties,  and  remained  there  till  his  death. 

Dr.  Robert  S.  Griffin,  born  in  Erie  county,  New  York,  September 
25,  1828,  came  to  the  village,  and  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years  began 
the  study  of  medicine  witli  Dr.  Lockwood,  and  afterwards  attended 
the  Medical  college  at  LaPorte,  Ind.,  and  at  different  times  practiced 
a  number  of  years  in  Edwardsburg.     He  died  there  December  27,  1905. 

The  Cass  County  History  of  1882  states  that  fifty  physicians  had 
practiced  in  Dowagiac  from  the  time  of  its  establishment  as  a  village. 
Many  have  located  there  since  that  date.  Manifestly  no  complete  record 
of  these  could  be  here  compiled.  The  majority  remained  a  more  or  less 
brief  time,  and  of  these  only  the  names  are  preserved. 

The  first  Dowagiac  doctor  seems  to  have  been  somewhat  of  an 
original  character.  It  is  related  that,  in  a  case  of  fever  where  the 
patient  was  not  expected  to  live,  he  summoned  Fred  Werz,  the  village 
fiddler,  to  the  bedside  and  commanded  him  to  remain  there  day  and 
night  and  fiddle  his  most  inspiriting  tunes  when  the  patient  had  sink- 
ing spells.  The  doubly  afflicted  one  recovered.  This  story  notwithstand- 
ing.  Dr.    Thomas    Brayton  was   a  much   loved   physician.      He  began 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  263 

practice  in  the  village  about  the  middle  of  the  last  century  and  con- 
tinued until  his  death  in  a  railroad  accident  during  the  sixties. 

Another  eccentric  practitioner  was  a  Dr.  Jarvis,  whose  ability  as 
a  drayman  was  as  conspicuous  as  his  skill  in  setting  bones.  It  is  said 
that  for  some  time  he  drove  a  bull  or  steer  to  his  vehicle  instead  of  a 
horse. 

Dr.  C.  \V.  Morse,  now  deceased,  was  for  a  number  of  years  in 
practice  at  Dowagiac,  and  part  of  the  time  was  in  the  drug  business. 

Few  of  the  old-time  doctors  were  better  known  than  Dr.  C.  P. 
Prindle,  wdio  died  at  Dowagiac  August  2,  1876,  at  the  age  of  fifty-one 
years.  He  obtained  his  education  and  professional  training  in  his  native 
state  of  New  York,  and  came  to  Michigan  to  find  his  field  of  labor  about 
1850.  Finally,  in  1855,  he  located  at  Dow^agiac  and  practiced  there 
until  his  death.  He  was  a  rugged  and  forceful  character,  both  in  his 
profession  and  as  a  citizen.  Like  Dr.  Tompkins,  he  spent  much  of  his 
time  in  the  saddle,  and  wherever  and  whenever  duty  called  him  he  went 
wn'thout  thought  of  his  personal  convenience.  He  had  a  deep  dislike 
for  OvStentation  and  superficial  learning,  and  in  practice,  as  in  his  per- 
sonal relations,  w^as  direct,  earnest,  and  wnthal  sympathetic.  The  esteem 
in  which  he  w^as  held  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  during  his  funeral  the 
stores  and  business  houses  of  Dow^agiac  were  closed. 

A  physician  who  attained  high  rank  in  his  profession  was  William 
E.  Clarke,  now  deceased,  who  spent  some  of  the  younger  years  of  his 
career  in  Dowagiac.  He  went  to  the  army  from  this  town,  had  an 
eventful  record  as  a  surgeon,  and  after  the  war  moved  to  Chicago. 

The  first  representative  of  the  eclectic  school  of  medicine  in  Dowa- 
giac and  Cass  county  w^as  Cyrus  J.  Curtis.  Born  in  New  York  state  in 
1819,  he  died  at  Dowagiac  April  21,  1875.  He  studied  medicine  and 
was  a  graduate  of  the  Worthington  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  and  prac- 
ticed in  various  parts  of  the  country  until  December,  1864,  when  he 
located  at  Dowagiac.  Here  he  restricted  his  practice  to  the  treatment 
of  chronic  diseases.  The  names  of  those  who  were  associated  with  him 
in  practice  for  varying  lengths  of  time  indicate  several  other  well  knowm 
Dowagiac  physicians;  these  were  S.  T.  McCandless,  D.  B.  Sturgis, 
William  Flora,  Linus  Daniels,  H.  S.  McMaster,  and  his  son,  E.  A.  Cur- 
tis. 

The  medical  profession  of  the  early  days  had  few  regulations, 
either  imposed  by  the  state  or  inherent  in  the  fraternity.  The  strict 
code  of  professional  ethics  w^hich  now  governs  with  greater  power  than 


264  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

any  system  of  law  had  been  scarcely  formulated  at  that  time.  There 
were  no  requirements  as  to  length  and  extent  of  preparation.  Anyone 
who  had  enough  faith  in  his  own  knowledge  and  skill  could  set  himself 
up  in  practice.  Herbs  and  roots  supplied  the  materia  medica  which, 
according  to  certain  formulas,  were  decocted  by  certain  persons  for 
the  healing  of  man  or  beast,  and  several  of  these  so-called  ''herb  doctors" 
achieved  some  distinction  in  the  county.  One  of  these  was  Dr.  A.  J. 
lioughton,  whose  practice  extended  o^ver  a  large  territory.  "Dr." 
Whitehead,  an  Indian  ''medicine  man,"  who  located  at  Dowagiac  in  the 
sixties,  practiced  the  "herb  art"  among  such  persons  as  relied  on  that 
form  of  healing. 

James  D.  Taylor  was  a  homeopathic  practitioner  in  Dowagiac  from 
1858  until  his  death  in  1871.  Dr.  J.  H.  Wheeler,  who  practiced  in 
Dowagiac  from  1867  to  1877,  the  year  of  his  death,  was  an  early  settler 
of  the  county,  having  come  here  in  1835.  He  was  a  surveyor,  and 
began  the  study  of  medicine  during  his  leisure  hours.  Other  Dowagiac 
physicians  whose  work  here  has  been  closed  by  death  or  removal,  were 
L.  V.  Rouse,  deceased ;  E.  C.  Prindle,  son  of  Dr.  C.  P.  Prindle,  who 
has  located  elsewhere;  E.  A.  Curtis,  now  oi  Chicago,  besides  those  whose 
connection  with  the  city  was  transient.  Dr.  Edward  S.  Stebbins,  now 
deceased,  located  here  in  1868,  and  devoted  much  of  his  time  to  special- 
ties, particularly  the  then  new  science  of  electro-therapeutics. 

Each  of  the  smaller  villages  has  had  its  medical  representatives. 
In  Vandalia  the  first  physician  was  Dr.  A.  L.  Thorp,  who  settled  there 
in  1849,  ^^^1  whose  death  occurred  in  Mishawaka,  Indiana,  only  a  few 
years  ago.  The  doctor  who  was  longest  in  practice  in  Vandalia  was 
Leander  Osborn,  who  was  born  in  1825  and  who  died  in  June,  1901. 
He  taught  school  in  early  life,  received  his  impulse  to  study  medicine 
from  Dr.  E.  J.  Bonine,  and  completing  his  studies  in  Rush  Medical 
College,  he  began  practice  in  the  village  in  1853.  ^[^  ^^^^  ^^^^  interested 
in  politics,  being  in  several  local  offices,  and  in  1866  was  elected  to  the 
legislature. 

In  P'okagon  the  principal  former  representatives  were  John  Robert- 
son and  Charles  P.  Wells.  The  former  was  born  in  New  York  in  1825, 
and,  coming  to  the  county  in  1848,  practiced  at  Sumnerville  and  Pokagon 
until  failing  health  compelled  him  to  abandon  active  work.  Dr.  Wells 
was  born  in  New  York  in  1834,  and  his  father  was  one  of  the  first  set- 
tlers of  Howard  township  in  this  county.  He  was  a  graduate  of  a  Cin- 
cinnati medical  college,  and  in  1865  located  at  Pokagon,  where  he  had 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  265 

the  first  drug  store  in  the  village  and  carried  on  his  practice  for  many 
years. 

At  Jones  there  was  Dr.  Thomas  L.  Blakeley,  who,  after  three  years' 
service  in  the  war  of  the  rebellion,  took  up  the  study  of  medicine,  and 
in  1872  located  at  Jones,  being  the  first  physician  of  that  place.  He 
also  conducted  a  drug  store.  Otis  Moor,  deceased,  a  graduate  of  the 
Rush  Medical  College  in  1872,  was  for  some  years  located  at  Williams- 
ville. 

The  personnel  of  the  medical  profession  of  Cass  county  at  this 
writing  is  as  follows : 

Casso]X)lis — T.  W.  Anderson,  M.  H.  Criswell,  Fairfield  Goodwin, 
Marion  Holland,  G.  A.  Hughes,  J.  H.  Kelsey,  W.  C.  McCutcheon,  H. 
H.  Phillips,  and  Dr.  R.  H.  von  Kotsch. 

Dowagiac — William  W.  Easton,  George  W.  Green,  George  R. 
Herkimer,  J.  H.  Jones,  W.  J.  Ketcham,  S.  H.  McMaster,  C.  M.  Myers, 
William  E.  Parker,  Clarence  S.  Robinson,  M.  P.  White. 

Marcellus — C.  E.  Davis  and  Ernest  Shellito. 

Vandalia — S.  L.  Loupee,  E.  C.  Dunning,  Otis  E.  Newsom. 

Edwardsburg — E.  W.  Tonkin  and  E.  B.  Criswell. 

Pokagon — Charles  A.  Morgan  and  William  A.  Skeler. 

Jones — C  C.  Fenstermacher,  J.  V.  Blood. 

Union — Edgar  A.  Planck. 

Penn — J.  C.   Huntsinger. 

Wakelee^ — Edward  Wilson. 

Calvin^ohn  Harris,  U.  S.  Kirk. 

Adamsville — William  F.  Lockwood. 

In  Cassopolis  Dr.  Anderson  is  probably  the  ranking  physician  in 
point  of  seniority.  Dr.  Criswell  (see  sketch)  has  been  located  here  since 
1900,  although  he  has  practiced  in  the  county  much  longer.  Dr.  Good- 
win, now  retired  from  active  practice,  was  captain  of  a  company  of 
Michigan  cavalry  in  the  rebellion  and  did  not  complete  his  medical  edu- 
cation until  after  the  war.  He  began  his  practice  in  Cassopolis  in  1874, 
and  has  been  active  in  business,  especially  in  real  estate,  as  well  as  m 
his  profession.     He  built  Hotel  Goodwin  and  is  its  landlord. 

Dr.  Holland,  who  came  to  Cassopolis  from  Edwardsburg  in  1895, 
was  a  graduate  of  the  medical  department  of  the  State  University  in 
1875,  and  from  the  dental  department  in  1877.  He  located  in  Edwards- 
burg in  1880  and  conducted  a  drug  store  in  connection  with  a  general 
practice. 


266  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Dr.  G.  A.  Hughes,  who  has  practiced  here  for  the  past  thirty  years, 
was  reared  in  St.  Joseph  county,  this  state.  He  is  a  speciaHst  in  eye, 
nose  and  throat  diseases,  besides  a  general  practice. 

J.  H.  Kelsey,  the  successor  in  practice  of  his  father.  Dr.  W.  J.,  was 
born  in  Cassojxihs  October  3,  1878,  graduated  from  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  State  University  and  has  since  practiced  in  Cassopolis. 

W.  C.  McCutcheon,  whose  sketch  will  be  found  elsewhere,  has  been 
practicing  in  Cassopolis  since  1894.  He  w^as  prepared  at  the  Royal 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  at  Kingston,  Ontario,  and  gradu- 
ated from  Queen's  University.  On  coming  to  Cassopolis  he  was  a  part- 
ner of  Dr.  Goodwin  for  a  time,  and  has  also  served  twO'  years  as  county 
physician. 

Dr.  H.  H.  Phillips,  who  is  one  of  the  oldest  practicing  physicians 
in  the  county,  was  born  and  reared  in  New  York,  served  in  the  Civil 
war  from  Minnesota,  and  fromi  that  state  came  to  Cass  county  in  March, 
1866.  He  has  been  engaged  in  general  practice  since  the  spring  of  1868, 
and  until  ten  years  ago  was  located  at  Vandalia. 

Dr.  P.  H.  von  Kotsch  is  a  recent  addition  to  the  ranks  of  tlie  pro- 
fession in  Cass  county. 

Dr.  W.  W.  Easton,  who  has  been  a  resident  of  Cass  county  nearly 
all  his  life,  and  in  Dowagiac  since  1880,  was  born  in  Silver  Creek 
township  in  1853,  attended  Notre  Dame  University  and  graduated  from 
Bennett  Medical   College  in   1877. 

Dr.  George  R.  Herkimer,  homeopath  at  Dowagiac,  was  born  at 
Niles  in  1866,  attended  Albion  College  and  the  University  of  Michigan, 
and  since  graduation  from  the  Hahnemann  College  at  Chicago^  in  1890 
has  been  located  in  Dowagiac. 

Dr.  J.  H.  Jones,  who  was  born  in  New  York  in  1861  and  came 
to  this  state  at  twenty-one,  taught  school  and  graduated  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan  in  1893,  and  since  1894  has  been  practicing  in 
Dowagiac. 

Dr.  W.  J.  Ketcham,  born  in  New  York  City  in  1850,  came  to  this 
county  in  i860,  read  medicine  with  C.  P.  Prindle,  graduated  from  the 
medical  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan  in  1875,  ^^^1  after 
several  years'  practice  in  Volinia  located  permanently  at  Dowagiac. 

Dr.  H.  S.  McMaster  was  born  in  New  York  in  1842.  Served  in 
the  war,  studied  at  Albion  College,  prepared  for  his  profession  in  several 
schools,  finally  graduating  from  Bennett  Medical  College  of  Chicago, 
and  located  at  Dowagiac  in  1871,  being  the  first  city  physician  there. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  267 

Dr.  C.  M.  Myers,  who  was  born  in  Pokagon  township  in  1864, 
studied  at  Valparaiso,  taught  school  in  country  and  town,  and  followed 
a  year's  private  study  with  three  years  in  the  Chicago  Hahnemann  Med- 
ical College. 

Dr.  Clarence  S.  Robinson  is  another  Cass  county  alumnus  of  the 
Bennett  Medical  College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1880.  He 
then  located  at  Volinia  and  in  1894  in  Dowagiac.  Dr.  Robinson  was 
born  in  Wakarusa,  Indiana. 

Dr.  M.  P.  White,  who  has  practiced  at  Dowagiac  since  1886,  was 
born  near  Wakelee,  this  county,  was  a  student  at  the  Valparaiso  Nor- 
mal, and  graduated  at  the  medical  department  of  Northwestern  Univer- 
sity.    He  began  practice  at  Wakelee. 

Dr.  W.  E.  Parker  has  been  practicing  in  Dowagiac  for  nearly  twenty 
years.  Born  in  Jefferson  township  in  this  county  in  1854,  he  studied 
with  Tompkins  and  Kelsey,  and  in  1879  graduated  from  Rush  Medical 
College.  He  practiced  in  Cassopolis  four  years  and  in  Three  Rivers  five 
years,  and  since  then  has  been  in  Dowagiac  except  one  year.  In  1891  he 
graduated  from  the  Post-Graduate  Medical  School  of  Chicago,  where 
he  specialized  in  the  diseases  of  the  eye,  ear,  nose  and  throat,  and  gives 
attention  to  this  branch  besides  his  general  practice. 

At  Marcellus  Dr.  C.  E.  Davis  is  the  senior  physician.  He  was 
born  in  Ohio  in  1846,  came  to  Cass  county  in  1861,  served  in  the  Civil 
war,  and  in  1869  began  practice,  which  was  interrupted  by  two  years  of 
study  in  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1873.  ^^^  ^^^^  l^^^^'^  located  in  Marcellus 
since  1874. 

Dr.  Charles  A.  Morgan  of  Pokagon  has  been  established  in  that 
vicinity  since  his  graduation  from  the  medical  department  of  the  State 
University  in  187 1.  He  is  a  native  of  Wales,  came  to  Cass  coimty  wdien 
seven  years  old,  and  took  part  in  the  war  of  the  rebellion. 

Dr.  Donald  A.  Link,  whose  death  occurred  by  drowning  in  On- 
tario August  15,  1906,  was  born  in  that  province  of  Canada  October  22, 
1865,  studied  medicine  at  McGill  University  and  graduated  from  Detroit 
College  of  Medicine  in  1895,  after  which  he  came  tO'  Cassopolis.  He 
spent  two  years  in  the  Klondike,  and  on  his  return  in  1900,  located  in 
Volinia,  where  he  practiced  till  his  death. 

The  majority  of  the  physicians  in  the  smaller  centers  are  young  men 
who  have  recently  located  in  practice,  although  this  statement  in  nO'  way 
reflects  upon  their  ability  and  standing  in  the  profession.     As  indicated 


268  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

in  the  list  aboA^e  given,  all  portions  of  the  county  are  represented  by 
medical  men.  Calvin  tow^nship,  with  its  large  colored  population,  is 
served  by  tw^o  colored  physicians. 

The  practice  of  dentistry  is  no  longer  a  subordinate  branch  of  a 
regular  physician's  practice,  but  has  attained  the  rank  of  a  separate  pro- 
fession. Its  requirements  in  the  way  of  natural  ability  and  technical 
preparation  are  constantly  being  raised,  so  that  the  dentistry  of  today 
compares  with  that  of  twenty  years  ago  about  as  the  delicate  work  of 
the  watchmaker  compares  with  that  of  the  blacksmith.  Cass  county's 
representatives  in  this  profession  are  the  following  named :  Cyrus  H. 
Funk,  Farnum  Brothers  (S.  A.  and  S.  J.),  C.  W.  Martin,  of  Cassopolis. 

Physicians  of  this  day  acknowledge  and  appreciate  the  value  of  pro- 
fessional association.  The  bonds  of  common  interest  and  mutual  help- 
fulness are  being  drawn  more  closely  in  the  numerous  organizations 
whose  membership  is  drawn  exclusively  from  the  ranks  of  the  profession. 
The  Cass  County  Medical  Society  was  established  some  years  ago  as  an 
independent  body,  but  has  in  recent  times  been  affiliated  with  the  State 
Medical  Society  and,  thereby,  also  with  the  American  Medical  Associa- 
tion. Thus  it  has  the  same  constitution  and  by-laws  as  all  similar  so- 
cities  in  the  counties  of  the  state. 

Dr.  E.  A.  Planck  of  Union  is  the  president  of  the  Cass  County 
Medical  vSociety  for  1906;  the  secretary  is  Dr.  McCutcheon  of  Cassopo- 
lis. The  society  meets  once  each  three  months,  their  time  of  meeting 
being  technically  defined  as  the  last  Thursday  following  the  full  moon 
in  December,  March,  June  and  September.  It  is  the  general  practice 
to  have  papers  on  two  medical  subjects  read  at  each  meeting,  followed  by 
discussions.  Important  cases  are  often  brought  up  for  clinical  discus- 
sion. The  membership  of  the  society  includes  a  majority  of  the  active 
practitioners  in  the  county. 

Though  the  present  system  of  co-ordination  of  county  medical  so- 
cities  and  their  affiliation  with  the  state  and  national  central  bodies  is 
of  comparatively  recent  date,  the  history  of  medical  organization  in 
Cass  county  goes  back  more  than  half  a  century.  The  first  medical  so- 
ciety in  the  coimty  was  organized  in  August,  185 1.  Of  course,  similar 
objects  have  been  proposed  as  the  practical  purposes  of  such  societies, 
whatever  their  date,  namely,  the  advancement  of  the  professional  stand- 
ard, social  intercourse  and  the  establishment  of  a  schedule  of  charges 
for  services. 

The  officers  of  the  first  Cass  County  Medical  Society  were :     Pres- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  269 

ident,  Dr.  D.  E.  Brown;  vice  president,  Dr.  Henry  Lockwood;  secre- 
tary, Dr.  Alonzo  Garwood ;  treasurer,  Dr.  E.  Penwell ;  standing  commit- 
tee, Drs.  I.  G.  Bugbee,  J.  Allen  and  B.  Wells. 

This  first  organization  in  time  ceased  its  functional  activity.  More 
than  twenty-five  years  from  the  date  of  its  founding  another  society  was 
fornied.  The  first  officers  elected,  for  the  year  1877-78,  were:  Presi- 
dent, Dr.  W.  C.  Morse;  vice  presidents,  Drs.  A.  Garwood,.  L.  Osboi'n, 
R.  Patterson;  secretary.  Dr.  W.  J.  Kelsey;  treasurer,  J.  B.  Sweetland. 

The  charter  members  of  this  society,  besides  those  just  named,  were: 
Drs.  L.  D.  Tompkins,  F.  Goodwin,  J.  Robertson,  Edward  Prindle,  H. 
H.  Phillips,  Otis  Moor,  W.  J.  Ketcham,  O.  W.  Hatch. 


270  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


CHAPTER    XX. 
THE  CASS  COUNTY  BAR. 

The  bar  of  Cass  county  has  never  lacked  men  of  distinction  by 
reason  of  sound  abiHty,  depth  of  learning,  forensic  skill,  and  active,  virile 
character.  Such  men  have  honored  the  profession,  have  upheld  the  dig- 
nity of  law  and  its  institutions,  and  have  been  the  strongest  guarantee 
of  healthful  progress  in  all  the  lines  of  human  activity.  So  broad  is  the 
field  of  modern  jurisprudence,  so  peculiar  and  vital  its  expression  and 
practice,  that  its  ablest  representatives  are  by  no'  means  confined  to  one 
locality,  nor  any  one  locality  necessarily  without  several  leaders  in  coun- 
sel and  court  practice.  Tt  is  not  our  purpose  here  to  state  the  distinctive 
merits  of  the  various  representatives  of  the  county  bar,  both  past  and 
present,  but  rather  to  mention  briefly  those  who'  have  represented  their 
profession,  if  not  always  in  an  eminent  degree,  at  least  with  that  share  of 
success  and  honor  which  has  made  their  names  worthy  of  record  in  the 
history  of  the  county. 

While  the  pioneers  of  the  Cass  county  bar  have,  of  course,  passed 
away,  there  are  those  of  the  present  members  to  do  them  honor  because 
of  personal  and  professional  association  during  the  intermediate  genera- 
tion while  the  first  lawyers  were  going  to  their  decline  and  the  younger 
legal  aspirants  were  attaining  seasoned  and  successful  activity.  Two 
names  are  mentioned  as  the  ''first  lawyers"  of  Cass  county,  designating 
men  who  were  not  less  useful  in  civic  and  business  life  than  in  the  law. 

The  first  of  these,  Alexander  H.  Redfield,  was  born  in  Ontario  coun- 
ty. New  York,  October  24,  1805.  A  college-bred  man,  having  spent 
three  years  in  Hamilton  College  and  graduating  from  Union  College  in 
1829,  he  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  supreme  court 
of  New  York  in  July,  1831,  and  in  the  following  month  arrived  in 
Cass  county.  As  elsewhere  related,  he  was  one  of  the  original  propri- 
etors of  the  site  of  CassopoHs,  helped  lay  out  the  village  and  secure  the 
location  of  the  county  seat,  and  was  the  first  postmaster.  He  took  part  in 
the  Black  Hawk  war  as  a  colonel  in  the  Michigan  militia.  He  was  a 
business  man  as  much  as  a  lawyer,  and  his  operations  in  real  estate  took 
an  increasing  amount  of  his  tim€  and  attention.     He  was  also-  drawn 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  271 

into  the  swirl  of  politics.  In  1847,  after  sixteen  years  of  residence  in  Cass 
county,  he  was  elected  to  represent  the  fourteenth  district  in  the  Michi- 
gan senate,  and  his  subsecpient  removal  to  Detroit  deprived  Cass  county 
of  its  first  law'yer  and  one  of  its  ablest  pioneer  men  of  affairs.  There- 
after, until  his  death  in  1869,  ^"^^  ^^as  almost  continuously  devoted  to 
public  and  political  activity.  Mr.  Redfield  was  noted  for  his  method- 
ical business  and  professional  habits,  and  his  ability  to  pursue  a  rigid 
routine  of  details  was  given  as  a  chief  cause  of  his  success. 

Associated  with  A.  H.  Redfield  in  the  formative  events  of  Cassopo- 
lis'  early  history  w^as  another  native  of  New  York  state,  but  a  somewhat 
earlier  settler  of  Cass  county.  Born  in  Oneida  county  in  1803,  Elias  B. 
vSherman  came  to  the  territory  of  Michigan  in  1825,  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  Ann  Arbor  in  1829,  and  in  September  of  the  same  year  made  his 
first  accjuaintance  wnth  Cass  county.  He  and  Mr.  Redfield  were  attor- 
neys in  the  first  court  of  the  county.  He  was  the  only  prosecuting  at- 
torney the  county  had  during  the  territorial  period  of  Michigan.  He  was 
ap|X)inted  to  the  office  in  November,  1829,  and  at  the  first  popular  elec- 
tion after  the  granting  of  statehood  in  1836  was  chosen  to  the  office  by 
general  suffrage.  He  was  the  leading  county  official  during  the  first 
years.  He  held  the  office  of  district  surveyor  six  years,  from  1830,  and, 
dating  from  his  appointment  in  March,  183 1,  w^as  Cass  county's  probate 
judge  until  1840.  He  was  more  of  a  trusted  and  honored  public  official 
than  a  lawyer,  and  in  later  years  directed  much  of  his  attention  to  farm- 
ing.    His  death  occurred  November  14,  1890. 

In  those  years  of  historical  beginnings  the  judicial  circuit  of  which 
Cass  county  was  a  part  embraced  a  varying  number  of  counties,  at  one 
time  practically  all  of  southwestern  Michigan.  The  first  court  of  any 
kind  held  in  Cass  county  was  the  two  days'  session  of  the  circuit  court 
held  in  August,  1831,  at  the  house  of  Ezra  Beardsley  in  Edwardsburg. 
Those  were  the  days  when  the  lawyers  used  to  ride  on  horseback  from 
one  county  to  another  on  the  circuit,  put  up  at  the  hotel  and  attend  the 
session  of  court.  They  used  to  tell  stories  and  have  jolly  times.  These 
peregrinations  of  the  court  were  accompanied  by  a  large  force  of  lawyers, 
and  it  thus  happened  that  many  lawyers  from  adjoining  counties  were 
almost  as  w^ell  known  professionally  in  Cass  county  as  the  few  who'  had 
their  residence  in  the  county.  Naturally  the  Cass  county  bar  was  numer- 
ically very  small  during  the  decade  or  so  following  the  organization  of 
the  county  and  the  establishment  of  the  first  courts. 

Among  the  lawyers  resident  of  outside  counties  but  whose  practice 


272  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

made  them  familiar  figures  in  this  county  might  be  mentioned  Joseph  N. 
Chipman,  who  spent  a  short  time  in  Cass  county,  later  going  to  Niles, 
where  he  died  in  1870.  He  was  known  by  his  confreres  as  ''White 
Chip/'  to  distinguish  him  from  another  well  known  Berrien  county  law- 
yer of  that  time,  John  S.  Chipman,  whose  sobriquet  was  ''Black  Chip." 
Charles  Dana,  also  a  resident  of  Berrien,  was,  tO'  quote  the  words  of  one 
who  described  him  from  personal  knowledge,  "a  thin,  dried-up,  little 
man,  with  a  remarkable  feminine  voice,  but  by  all  odds  the  best  special 
pleader  at  the  bar.  Everybody  liked  Dana  both  for  his  goodness  of  heart 
and  his  unquestioned  ability  as  a  lawyer."  The  Cass  county  session  of 
the  circuit  court  was  often  attended  in  the  early  days  by  two  noted  Kal- 
amazoo lawyers,  Charles  E.  Stuart  and  Samuel  Clark.  The  former  was 
a  successful  jury  lawyer,  but  is  specially  remembered  for  his  later  prom- 
inence in  politics,  having  represented  his  district  in  Congress  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  house  and  afterwards  becoming  one  of  the  United  States  sen- 
ators from  Michigan.  Mr.  Clark  had  also  moved  in  the  larger  sphere 
of  politics,  and  as  a  lawyer  had  the  solid  ability  and  the  worth  of  per- 
sonal character  which  made  his  position  secure  among  friends  and  pro- 
fessional associates. 

Although  it  is  hardly  proper  to  class  his  name  among  those  of  the 
legal  pioneers,  the  career  of  James  Sullivan,  whose  forty  years  of  practice 
in  this  county  began  in  1838,  was  of  first  importance  in  the  history  of  the 
old-time  lawyers.  Born  in  New  Hampshire  December  6,  181 1,  member 
of  a  distinguished  New  England  family  of  Irish  origin,  he  graduated 
from  Dartmouth  College  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  studied  law  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar,  and. after  a  brief  period  of  practice  came  to  Niles  in 
1837.  He  soon  moved  to  Edwardsburg,  in  this  county,  and  from  there 
to  Cas$opolis,  and  from  1853  ^^1'  his  death  in  1878  lived  in  Dowagiac. 
For  a  long  time  he  was  prosecuting  attorney  of  the  county,  became  a 
state  senator,  and  was  a  member  of  the  constitutional  convention  in  1850 
which  formed  the  instrument  which  is  yet  the  basis  of  Michigan  govern- 
ment. It  is  said. that  Mr..  Sullivan's  success  as  a  lawyer  depended  more 
upon  his  powers  .as  a  logician  and  close  reasoner  than  as  an,  orator.  His 
high  legal  ability  gave  him  distinction  and  influence. in  spite  of  serious 
defects  of  personal  character  and  manner.  ,  He  has  been  described  as 
^'eccentric,  erratic,  nervous  and  intense,  and  yet  no  m^n  of  gentler  nature 
or  kinder  heart  has  been  known  to  the  old  residents  of  Cass,  county." 

Ezekiel  S.  Smithy  another  early  practitiorjerj  carn^  to  the  county  in 
1840,   beciring   a   cqiTimission    from    Gov.    Woodbridge  as  prosecuting 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  273 

attorney.  After  serving  his  term  he  practiced  in  the  county,  was  also  a 
merchant  and  one  of  the  early  editors.  In  1852  he  moved  to  Chicago, 
w^here  he  died  in  1880. 

Judge  Henry  H.  Coolidge,  well  remembered  for  his  connection  with 
the  profession  at  Niles,  where  he  died  some  years  ago,  was  a  resident 
lawyer  of  Cass  county  for  about  fifteen  years.  He  settled  at  Edwards- 
burg  in  1836,  when  twenty-five  years  old,  was  admitted  toi  the  bar  in 
1844,  was  elected  prosecuting  attorney  in  1850,  and  moved  from  the 
county  to  Niles  in  1859.  He  was  at  one  time  circuit  judge  of  the  dis- 
trict comprising  Cass  and  Berrien  counties. 

The  Cass  county  bar  of  today  is  strong  and  able,  and  no  disparag- 
ing word  is  intended  when  we  say,  in  view  of  an  earlier  time,  "There 
were  giants  on  the  earth  in  those  days.'*  The  early  lawyers  left  their 
impress  on  the  jurisprudence  of  the  state,  and  were  largely  influential 
for  good  in  different  phases  of  the  early  growth  and  development  of 
Michigan. 

Another  lawyer  who  belongs  to  the  past  in  life  and  active  career  but 
whose  influence  is  a  force  with  the  yet  living,  was  George  Brunt  Turner, 
who  was  born  in  Franklin  countv,  New  York,  March  i,  1822.     He  came 
to  Michigan  when  thirteen  years  old  and  already  entering  upon  serious 
work,  and  from  1836  till  his  death  was  a  resident  of  Cass  county.     Fie 
was  one  of  those  who  got  his  legal  knowledge  largely  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Alexander  H.  Redfield.    He  was  self-educated,  and  won  promotion 
through  the  first  grades  by  dint  of  ambitious  and  sustained  effort.     He 
w^as  successful  as  a  lawyer,  but  is  also  remembered  for  his  activity  in 
other  fields.     He  was  for  several  years  editor  of  the  first  paper  published 
in  Cass  county,  the  Cass  County  Advocate,  now  the  National  Democrat. 
His  party  aftlliation  alone  prevented  him  from  acquiring  distinction  in 
state  and  perhaps  national  political  affairs.     In   1848  he  was  elected  a 
meml^er  of  the  state  legislature  and  re-elected  in  1849,  ^^^  was  Dem- 
ocratic candidate  for  other  offices.     His  death  occurred  April  15,  I90'3. 
Clifford  Shanahan,  who  was  born  in  Delaware  in  1801  and  died  in 
Cass  county  in  1865,  after  a  residence  in  the  county  of  thirty-one  years, 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Cassopolis  about  1845.     He  was  best  known, 
however,  through  his  retention  of  the  office  of  probate  judge  for  the 
long  period  of  twenty-four  years,  from  1840  to  1864,  a  record  that  has 
been  equaled  since  that  time  only  by  William  P.  Bennett,  whose  term 
began  January  i,  1869,  and  continued  to  his  death,  June  16,   1896. 
Dowagiac's  first  resident  lawyer  was  Noel  B.  Hollister,  who  came 


274  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

to  the  county  in  1850.  He  remained  only  a  few  years,  and  in  connec- 
tion with  iiis  law  practice  conducted  a  drug  store.  He  served  as  cir- 
cuit court  commissioner. 

A  lawyer  of  unusual   ability  and  experience,   at  one  time  circuit 
judge,  and  a  man  of  affairs  in  the  best  sense,  the  late  Daniel  Black- 
man  was  a  member  of. the  Cass  county  bar  twenty-one  years  and  his 
influence  still  remains.     He  was  born  in   Newtown,   Connecticut,   De- 
cember 31,   182 1.     .At  the  age  of  twenty-four  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  of  his  native  state  and  after  five  years'  practice  in  Danbury  located 
in  Cassopolis  in  July,  1851.     He  was  elected  in  1869,  on  a  non-partisan 
ticket,  to  the  position  of  circuit  judge.     Resigning  in  November,  1872, 
he  moved  to   Chicago  and  became  a  member  of  the  bar  of  that  city. 
He  was  behind  several  movements  that  resulted  in  material  and  civic 
improvement  in  his  village,  and  should  be  remembered  in  particular  as 
one  of  the  men  who  did  much  to  make  Cassopolis  a  station  on  the  Pen- 
insular Railroad  (now  the  Grand  Trunk).    He  died  in  Chicago  in  1896. 
The  late  Judge  Andrew  J.  Smith  became  a  licensed  member  of  the 
Cass  county  bar  in  the  early  fifties,  and  from  that  time  to  his  death  was 
active  not  only  in  the  law  but  in  official  and  political  life,  the  horizon 
of  his  influence  being  extended  beyond  the  bounds  of  the  county  into 
the  state  at  large.     Through  youth  and  early  manhood  he  had  tO'  strug- 
gle to  reach  the  vantage  ground  on  which  he  would  pursue  his  chosen 
career.     Born  in  Ohio  September  2,  1818,  at  eight  years  of  age  he  went 
with  the  family  to  the  pioneer  district  of  Indiana,  where  circumstances 
would  not  permit  him  to  attend  the  full  measures  of  the  meager  winter 
terms  of  the  district  school.     He  had  to  work  his  way.     His  election  to 
the  office  of  constable  of  Valparaiso  at  the  age  of  twenty  shows  that 
he  early  gained  the  confidence  and  esteem^  of  his  fellow  citizens,  and 
from  that  time  on  he  was  much  in  public  life.     He  was  a  teacher  and 
pupil  alternately  for  a  number  of  years,  and  while  reading  law  he  sup- 
ported himself  by  teaching  or  clerking  in  a  store.     He  located  at  Ed- 
wardsburg  in   1840,   seven  years  later  moved  tO'  Cassopolis,   where  in 
1853  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  in  the  following  year  elected  pros- 
ecuting attorney.     He  served  altogether  twelve  years  in  this  office.     In 
1874  he  was  elected  attorney  general  of  the  state.     In  the  fall  of  1878, 
on  the  resignation  of  Judge  Henry  H.  Coolidge  from  the  judgeship  of 
the  second  judicial  district,  Mr.   Smith  was  elected  circuit  judge,  and 
re-elected  for  the  full  term  in  the  spring  of  1881.     His  private  life  was 
in  harmony  with  his  public  career,  and  there  are  many  testimonies  to 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  275 

his  public-spirited  and  wholesome  activity  to  be  found  among  the  rec- 
ords and  his  personal  associates  in  the  county. 

During  the  twelve  years  from  1853  to  1865  James  M.  Spencer  was 
an  attorney  in  the  county.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Cassopolis 
in  the  former  year,  being  at  the  time  only  twenty-one  years  old.  He 
held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  at  Dowagiac  in  Pokagon  township, 
was  circuit  court  commissioner  two  years  and  was  United  States 
assessor  of  internal  revenue  in  the  district  comprising  Cass  county. 
From  this  county  Mr.  Spencer  moved  to  Topeka,  Kansas. 

Prominent  among  the  lawyers  who  may  be  classed  as  the  inter- 
mediate generation  of  the  Cass  county  bar  was  the  late  Charles  W. 
Clisbee.  His  connection  with  the  Cass  county  bar  began  in  the  late 
fifties,  and  he  was  a  contemporary  of  a  group  some  of  whom  are  still 
active  in  their  profession.  Mr.  Clisbee  was  born  in  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
July  24,  1833,  and  came  to  Cassopolis  with  the  family  five  years  later. 
He  prepared  for  college  at  Oberlin,  Ohio,  entered  Oberlin  College,  but 
spent  the  greater  part  of  his  collegiate  career  in  Williams  College, 
Massachusetts.  He  graduated  from  Hamilton  College  (New  York), 
where  he  studied  in  the  law  school,  in  1856,  and  two  years  later  was 
admitted  to  the  bar.  By  election  in  1862  he  became  prosecuting  attor- 
ney of  Cass  county.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  convention  which  re- 
nominated Lincoln  in  1864.  In  1866  Cass  county  sent  him  to  the  state 
senate.  Mr.  Clisbee  had  a  remarkably  powerful  voice,  and  much  of 
his  public  career  pivoted  on  this  God-given  talent.  In  1869  he  was 
appointed  reading  clerk  of  the  national  house  of  representatives,  held 
the  office  without  interruption  until  1875,  and  in  December,  1881,  was 
again  appointed  to  that  ix)sition.  He  was  also  reading  secretary  of  the 
Republican  national  convention  in  Chicago  in  1880.  Upon  the  resig- 
nation of  Judge  Coolidge  he  was  appointed  tO'  the  vacancy  and  served 
until  Judge  Smith,  his  successor,  was  elected.  During  the  interims  of 
his  service  at  Washington  he  practiced  his  profession  in  Cassopolis, 
giving  special  attention  to  the  prosecution  of  pension  claims,  until  his 
death,  August  18,  1889. 

One  of  the  versatile  and  scholarly  men  who  have  represented  the 
Cass  county  bar  in  the  past  was  Joseph  B.  Clarke,  now  deceased.  He 
was  bom  in  Connecticut.  Graduating  from  the  Rensselaer  Scientific 
School  at  Troy,  New  York,  he  prepared  for  his  legal  career  at  Roches- 
ter, N.  Y.  The  capacity  of  his  intellectual  powers  may  be  judged 
from  the  fact  that  he  was  at  various  times  editor  of  daily  newspapers 


276  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

in  Rochester  and  Buffalo,  was  professor  of  chemistry  and  other  sciences 
in  the  Vermont  Medical  College  and  elsewhere,  as  well  as  incumbent 
of  various  civil  positions  under  the  general  government.  From  Cold- 
water,  Michigan,  he  moved  to  Dowagiac  in  1859.  He  was  a  circuit 
court  commissioner  in  this  county,  avS  well  as  in  Branch  county,  was 
prosecuting  attorney,  and  for  many  years  United  States  commissioner 
for  the  western  district  of  Michigan. 

For  a  number  of  years  between  1859  ^^^'  ^^^'^  George  Miller  w^as 
a  member  of  the  county  bar,  with  residence  at  Dowagiac.  He  served 
as  circuit  court  commissioner,  and  in  1868  was  elected  prosecuting  at- 
torney. He  moved  from  the  county  in  1871,  returned  in  1875,  and  in 
1881  again  left.     His  death  occurred  in  Benton  Harbor. 

During  the  sixties  the  county  bar  was  honored  by  the  membership 
of  Jacob  J.  Van  Riper,  w^ho  afterward  became  attorney  general  of  the 
state.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Cass  county  bar  in  January,  1863,  and 
remained  in  active  practice,  with  residence  at  Dowagiac,  Until  1872, 
when  he  moved  to  Buchanan  in  Berrien  county,  where  he  was  elected 
judge  of  probate  and  served  for  eight  years.  He  is  now  practicing 
law  at  Niles  in  that  county. 

Freeman  J.  Atwell,  deceased,  who  was  born  in  Orleans  county, 
New  York,  in  1831,  read  law  there,  and  during  the  course  of  the  Civil 
war,  in  which  he  took  a  soldier's  part,  admitted  to  the  bar,  located  in 
Dowagiac  in  1869,  "^^^^^  ^^Y  ^  successful  practice  made  his  career  a  part  of 
the  legal  history  of  the  county.  For  four  years  he  was  the  county's 
prosecuting  attorney,  and  died  March  18,  1904.  He  is  well  rememl^ered 
among  the  former  lawyers  of  the  county. 

Among  Cass  county's  native  sons  who  aspired  to^  legal  prominence 
was  John  A.  Talbot,  who  was  born  in  Penn  township  in  1847.  He  had 
an  army  career,  and  was  a  graduate  of  the  law  department  of  the  Uni- 
versity O'f  Michigan.  His  career  was  one  of  promise,  but  was  ended, 
after  ten  years'  practice,  by  death  in  December,  1878.  A  noteworthy 
effort  was  the  compilation  of  'Talbot's  Tables  of  Cases." 

Another  former  member  of  the  county  bar  and  a  native  of  Cass 
county  was  William  G.  Howard,  who  was  born  in  Milton  township  in 
1846.  He  was  a  college  graduate,  and  was  admitted,  to-  the  bar  at 
Kalamazoo  in  1869'.  In  the  following  year  he  began  practice  at  Dowa- 
giac in  partnership  with  James  Sullivan.  In.  the  same  year  he  was 
elected  prosecuting  attorney.     He  transferred  his  professional  connec- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  277 

tions  to  Kalamazoo  in  1873,  where  he  continued  the  practice  until  his 
death,  August  8,  1906. 

George  Ketcham,  whose  death  occurred  in  Minnesota,  was  born 
in  Mason  township  in  1850,  graduated  from  Hillsdale  College  in  1873, 
studied  law^  at  Niles  with  the  late  Judge  Coolidge,  and  was  admitted  at 
Cassopolis  in.  1874.     He  held  the  office  of  circuit  court  commissioner. 

Merritt  A.  Thompson,  who  practiced  here  during  the  eighties,  was 
a  product  of  Cass  county,  born  in  Penn  township  in  1847.  He  gradu- 
ated from  the  law  department  of  the  State  University  in  1872,  and  had 
his  office  at  Vanclalia  from  1874  to  1881,  when  he  removed  from  the 
county,  but  later  returned  and  died  at  the  infirmary  from  mental  afflic- 
tion November  21,  1901. 

Warner  J.  Sampson,  whO'  died  at  Coldwater  a  few  years  ago,  was 
admitted  to  practice  in  Cass  county  in  1880  and  for  some  time  was 
located  at  Marcellus,  when  he  went  tO'  Hillsdale,  where  he  died. 

Jason  Newton  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Cassopolis  and  practiced 
there  for  a  time. 

So  much  for  those  whose  active  connection  with  the  bar  of  Cass 
county  has  ceased.  Tt  is  an  impressive  list.  They  were  men  of  widely 
divergent  characters  and  intellectual  powers,  but  together  they  were 
worthy  representatives  of  a  noble  profession.  Comparisons  between 
the  past  and  the  present  personnel  of  the  profession  cannot  be  drawn 
here.  Methods  have  doubtless  changed  in  seventy  years,  the  old-time 
lawyer  might  feel  much  out  of  place  among  the  present  members  of  the 
profession.  The  lawyer  nowadays  is  often  a  business  man  and  does  not 
feel  the  professional  cleavage  which  was  quite  pronounced  forty  or 
fifty  years  ago,  when  he  was  perhaps  a  member  of  a  rather  distinct 
professional  class.  But  now,  as  then,  the  lawyers  ''comprise  a  large 
part  of  the  finest  intellect  of  the  nation,"  an  assertion  made  by  a  high 
authority  which  is,  of  course,  as  applicable  to  the  smaller  political 
divisions  as  to  the  nation  at  large. 

The  present  bar  of  Cass  county  is  to  be  described  separately  from 
those  already  mentioned  only  because  they  are  still  living;  not  that 
there  is  a  special  set  of  characteristics  to  be  assigned  to  each  of  the  two 
groups  thus  made.  As  already  stated,  some  of  those  yet  in  active  prac- 
tice were  contemporaries  or,  at  any  rate,  juniors  in  service  along  with 
those  who  have  passed  away.  The  associations  and  traditions,  as  well 
as  the  power  of  professional  and  personal  influence,  of  the  p^st,  are 
still  potent  with  the  living  members  of  the  Cass  county  bar. 


278  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

In  the  spring  of  1905  there  was  elected  to  the  office  of  circuit 
judge  of  the  thirty-sixth  judicial  district  a  Cass  county  lawyer  of  over 
twenty-five  years'  experience  in  the  courts  and  legal  affairs  of  the 
county.  L.  Burget  Des  Voignes  (see  sketch  elsewhere),  a  native  of 
Ohio  and  now  in  the  prime  of  life,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  St. 
Joseph  county,  this  state,  soon  after  he  had  arrived  at  his  majority,  and 
a  short  time  after  graduated  from  the  law  department  of  the  University 
of  Michigan.  He  practiced  in  Marcellus  from  October,  1878,  until 
the  death  of  the  Cass  county  probate  judge,  William  B.  Bennett,  when 
he  was  apjxiinted  by  the  governor  to  the  place  and  at  the  same  time 
took  up  his  residence  in  Cassopolis.  He  was  re-elected  to  that  office 
three  times,  and  passed  from  that  position  to  the  circuit  judgeship.  He 
has  also  served  as  circuit  court  commissioner  and  as  county  prosecuting 
attorney. 

The  office  of  judge  of  probate  is  filled  by  one  of  the  younger  mem- 
l>ers  of  the  Cass  county  bar.  Chester  E.  Cone  came  here  from  Indiana 
about  ten  years  ago,  became  principal  of  the  Vandalia  high  school,  was 
then  elected  commissioner  of  schools,  serving  until  succeeded  by  Mr. 
Hale,  the  present  commissioner.  While  in  the  office  of  commissioner 
he  was  industriously  reading  law,  and  after  a  successful  examination 
before  the  state  examining  board  opened  his  office  in  Cassopolis,  where 
he  practiced  until  the  resignation  of  Judge  Des  Voignes  from  the  office 
of  probate  judge.  He  has  also  served  as  circuit  court  commissioner  and 
is  a  member  of  the  school  board  and  the  board  of  village  trustees. 

The  composition  of  the  circuit  court  for  the  September  term, 
1906,  was  as  follows: 

L.  Burget  Des  Voignes,  circuit  judge;  George  M.  Fields,  prose- 
cuting attorney;  Carlton  W.  Rinehart,  clerk;  Edward  J.  Russey,  sher- 
iff; Jacob  Mcintosh,  undersheriff;  H.  A.  Sherman,  reporter;  Chester 
E.  Cone,  commissioner;  Joseph  R.  Edwards,  commissioner;  William 
H.  Hannon,  deputy  sheriff;  Marcus  S.  Olmstead,  deputy  sheriff;  George 
I.  Nash,  deputy  sheriff. 

An  active  attorney  for  tw^enty-eight  years  and  from  1899  until  re- 
cently judge  of  the  Cass- Van  Buren  circuit  court,  John  R.  Carr  is  in 
many  ways  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  his  county.  Born  on  Prince  Ed- 
ward's Island,  British  North  America,  May  18,  184 1,  about  the  close 
of  our  Civil  war  he  came  to  relatives  in  Van  Buren  county,  Michigan, 
where  he  made  his  start  by  teaching  district  schools.  In  1868  he  en- 
tered the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  where  two 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  279 

years  later  he  was  graduated  and  admitted  to  the  bar.  Mr.  Carr  then 
formed'  a  partnership,  which  was  to  continue  with  success  and  profit 
for  twenty-eight  years,  with  Mr.  M.  L.  Howell.  In  1899,  as  is  well 
known,  the  judicial  districts  of  southwestern  Michigan  were  recon- 
structed, and  whereas  theretofore  Cass  had  been  linked  with  Berrien, 
and  Van  Buren  with  Kalamazoo,  at  the  date  mentioned  each  of  the  more 
populous  counties  was  made  into  a  separate  district,  and  Cass  and  Van 
Buren  were  made  to  form  the  thirty-sixth  judicial  district.  An  election 
for  circuit  judge  was  then  in  order,  and,  contrary  to  the  general  trend 
of  political  matters  in  this  section  of  the  state  and  to  the  surprise,  i>er- 
haps,  of  both  parties,  a  Democrat  was  the  successful  candidate  in  the 
new  thirty-sixth.  Mr.  Carr  was  the  fortunate  gentleman  to  bring  suc- 
cess to  his  party,  and  his  service  on  the  circuit  bench  showed  that  the 
confidence  of  the  electors  was  not  misplaced.  On  his  election  he  dis- 
solved his  partnership  with  Mr.  Howell,  and  since  retiring  fi*om  office 
he  has  re-engaged  in  active  practice.  Mr.  Carr  served  as  prosecuting 
attorney  of  the  county  four  years,  also  two  years  as  circuit  court  com- 
missioner. He  is  a  ruling  elder  and  trustee  and  active  worker  in  the 
Presbyterian  church  of  Cassoix)lis,  his  home  town. 

Joseph  R.  Edwards,  circuit  court  commissioner,  and  who  served 
as  county  clerk  two  years,  is  one  of  Dowagiac's  young  lawyers  and  a 
justice  of  the  peace  in  that  city. 

A  Cassopolis  attorney  who  has  also  been  in  the  official  life  of  the 
county  is  Ulysses  S.  Eby.  He  was  bom  in  Porter  township  of  this 
county  August  7,  1864.  An  alumnus  of  the  famous  Valparaiso  Nor- 
mal, after  finishing  his  studies  there  he  began  teaching  school  in  Cass 
county  and  continued  that  until  elected  county  clerk  in  1896.  He  held 
the  office  two  years.  Returning  to  Valparaiso-,  he  graduated  from  the 
law  school  and  was  admitted  before  the  Michigan  supreme  court.  He 
was  elected  prosecuting  attorney  of  the  county,  and  was  associated  in 
practice  with  Clarence  M.  Lyle.  At  present  he  practices  alone.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Cassopolis  school  board. 

George  M.  Fields,  prosecuting  attorney  of  Cass  county,  who'  is  a 
resident  lawyer  of  Dowagiac,  has  been  an-  active  member  of  the  county 
bar  for  over  ten  years,  and  has  held  his  present  office  since  1902.  A 
more  complete  sketch  of  Mr.  Fields  will  be  found  on  other  pages. 

The  oldest  practicing  lawyer,  both  in  point  of  age  and  of  years 
since  admission  to  the  bar,  is  Lowell  H.  Glover  of  Cassopolis.  He 
began  his  studies  privately  at  Edwardsburg,  later  with  Daniel  Black- 


280  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

man  in  Cassopolis,  and  since  admission  to  the  bar  in  October,  1862,  has 
been  in  continuous  practice.  He  has  held  the  office  of  circuit  court  com- 
missioner; was  ten  years  deputy  county  clerk;  elected  justice  of  the  peace 
in  April,  1862,  he  has  held  the  office  to  the  present  date,  less  one  year; 
has  held  various  village  offices,  and  was  postmaster  during  Cleveland's 
first  term.  Under  the  only  Democratic  administration  that  Michigan 
has  had  in  the  last  forty  years  he  was  deputy  commissioner  of  the  state 
land  office. 

Coy  W.  Hendryx  of  Dowagiac  (see  sketch  elsewhere)  studied 
law  with  his  uncle,  the  late  Spafford  Tryon,  one  of  the  able  men  of  the 
past,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1882.  Appointed  in  1886,  for 
twelve  years  he  held  the  office  of  United  States  commissioner  of  the 
western  district  of  Michigan.  He  has  also  been  a  circuit  court  com- 
missioner and  city  attorney  of  Dowagiac. 

Marshall  L.  Howell  of  Cassopolis  is  an  example  of  ''the  success- 
ful lawyer  in  business,"  a  combination  which  has  been  noted  as  one  of 
the  tendencies  of  the  modern  American  bar.  Besides  caring  for  a  large 
practice  in  the  local,  state  and  United  States  courts,  he  is  president  of 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Cassopolis.  He  was  txirn  in  Cassopolis 
January  25,  1847,  ^^^^^  ^^^^  ^^^^  educational  opportunities,  graduating 
from  Kalamazoo  College  at  the  age  of  twenty  and  from  the  law  de- 
partment of  the  University  of  Michigan  in  1870,  and  since  that  date  has 
been  in  continuous  practice.  He  served  as  prosecuting  attorney  one 
term,  beginning  in  1874,  and  in  1876  was  candidate  for  presidential 
elector  on  the  Democratic  ticket. 

Charles  O.  Harmon  is  one  of  the  younger  Cassopolis  lawyers. 
Born  in  Porter  township,  he  has  a  long  record  of  public  service.  After 
serving  four  years  in  the  office  oi  register  of  deeds,  he  took  a  place 
in  the  office  of  the  secretary  of  state  at  Lansing.  During  his  three 
years  in  the  state  capital  he  studied  law,  was  admitted  tO'  the  bar,  and 
on  returning  to  this  county  opened  his  office  in  Dowagiac  and  soon  after 
at  Marcellus.  He  then  bought  a  set  of  abstract  books  and  located  at 
Cassopolis.  His  father,  the  late  John  B.  Harmon,  having  died  a  few 
days  after  entering  upon  his  second  term  as  county  clerk,  the  son, 
Charles  O.,  was  elected  to  the  vacancy  and  completed  his  father's  term 
with  credit. 

Another  new  member  of  the  Cass  county  bar  is  Clyde  W.  Ketcham 
of  Dowagiac,  whoi  is  rapidly  coming  into  prominence  in  his  practice. 
Born   in  this  county  thirty  years  ago,   he  attended   the  local   schools, 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  281 

was  in  newspaper  work  awhile,  and  began  studying  law  with  Mr.  C.  E. 
Sweet.  In  1897  he  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  in  Dowagiac,  serv- 
ing one  term.  He  completed  his  law  studies  in  the  University  of  Mich- 
igan, and  after  admission  formed  a  partnership  with  Charles  E.  Sweet, 
but  is  now  practicing  alone. 

James  H.  Kinnane,  the  only  president  the  Cass  County  Bar  Asso- 
ciation has  ever  had,  was  born  in  Kalamazoo^  county  in  1859,  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  some  twenty  years  ago,  and  has  practiced  in  Dowa- 
giac since  1898.  He  has  held  several  positions  under  the  federal  and 
state  as  well  as  local  authority,  and  is  at  present  city  attorney  of  Dowa- 
giac.     (See  more  extended  sketch  elsewhere.) 

Asa  Kingsbury  Hayden,  son  of  the  postmaster  of  Cassopolis,  a 
native  of  the  county  and  a  graduate  of  the  Cassopolis  high  school,  is 
an  active  member  of  the  bar  and  representative  of  various  insurance 
companies.  An  interesting  fact  about  Mr.  Hayden's  career  is  that  he 
graduated  from  the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan  be- 
fore attaining  his  majority.  Consequently  he  was  unable  to  obtain  his 
diploma — equivalent  to  admission  to  the  bar — and  had  to^  wait  till 
time  could  confer  upon  him  the  full  prerogatives  for  legal  practice  in 
the  state  of  Michigan. 

Clarence  M.  Lyle,  in  practice  at  Cassopolis  since  1900,  first  in 
partnership  with  U.  S.  Eby  and  since  December,  1905,  with  H.  D. 
Smith,  was  born  in  Van  Buren  county  in  1874,  was  educated  in  this 
state  and  in  South  Dakota,  where  he  lived  from  the  age  of  eight  years, 
being  a  student-  at  Dakota  University.  Returning  east,  he  studied  in 
the  literary  and  law  departments  at  Valparaiso,  about  1898  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  South  Dakota  bar,  but  in  the  same  year  came  to  Cassopo- 
lis, where  he  studied  in  the  office  of  Howell  &  Carr  and  in  1900  was 
graduated  from  the  law  department  at  Ann  Arbor. 

Frank  Reshore,  at  one  time  connected  with  the  legal  profession  in 
this  county,  gave  up  the  law  for  other  vocations,  which  he  still  pursues 
in  Dowagiac.  Born  in  Ohio  in  1853  and  brought  to  this  county  a  year 
later,  he  graduated  from  the  Dowagiac  schools  in  1870,  and  while  clerk- 
ing in  his  father's  store,  read  law,  completing  his  studies  by  gradua- 
tion from  the  law  department  of  the  State  University  in  1875. 

It  is  a  fact  worthy  of  mention  that  a  group  of  half  a  dozen  law- 
yers whose  professional  careers  identified  them  with  Cass  county  were 
all  born  in  Orleans  county,  New  York.  From  that  portion  of  the 
Empire    state,    by    various'  routes    and    influenced   by   different   causes 


282  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

and  circumstances,  they  foregathered  in  Cass  county.  One  of  these 
is  Harsen  D.  Smith,  the  well  known  attorney  of  Cassopolis.  Born  in 
the  county  mentioned  March  17,  1842,  he  was  a  teacher  in  early  life, 
and  in  1867  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Coldwater,  this  state.  After 
several  years'  practice  in  Jackson  he  came  tO'  Cassopolis  in  1870  and 
formed  a  partnership  with  th€  late  Charles  W.  Clisbee;  was  with  the 
late  A.  J.  Smith  until  the  election  of  the  latter  as  circuit  judge.  He  is 
now  senior  memter  of  the  firm  of  Smith  &  Lyle.  When  the  thirty- 
sixth  judicial  district  was  created  he  was  apix>inted  circuit  judge  to 
serve  till  the  regular  election.  He  was  prosecuting  attorney  four  years 
and  a  number  of  years  a  member  of  the  state  board  of  pardons.  (See 
sketch.) 

Charles  E.  Sweet  of  Dowagiac,  of  whom  more  extended  mention 
is  made  elsewhere,  has  been  engaged  in  successful  practice  in  the  county 
for  twenty  years.  He  is  another  Cass  county  lawyer  who  came  under 
the  influence  and  tutelage  of  the  late  Spafford  Tryon.  Mr.  Sweet 
served  one  term  as  justice  of  the  peace,  twice  as  circuit  court  commis- 
sioner and  twice  as  prosecuting  attorney. 

John  Wooster  of  Dowagiac  was  born  in  Hillsdale  county,  Mich- 
igan, in  1847,  taught  school  as  a  means  to  an  end,  graduated  from 
Hillsdale  College  in  1873,  and  after  reading  law  two  years  in  Kalama- 
zoo was  admitted  to  the  bar.  His  first  office  was  at  Constantine,  but 
the  same  year  he  located  in  Dowagiac.  He  has  served  as  city  attorney 
four  times. 

Other  attorneys  whose  names  appear  as  active  members  of  the 
Cass  county  bar  are  two  young  lawyers  at  Marcellus,  Walter  C.  Jones 
and  Otis  Huff,  and  Fred  Phillipson  of  Dowagiac. 

From  the  preceding  it  will  be  seen  that  many  changes  have  taken 
place  in  the  personnel  of  the  county  bar  in  these  years.  Many  new 
names  have  come  into  prominence,  of  men  fitted  to  maintain  and  advance 
yet  higher  the  standard  of  the  past,  whose  talents,  whose  industry,  whose 
devotion  to  the  best  ideals  of  the  profession  are  not  less  worthy  of  ad- 
miration and  honor  than  those  same  qualities  in  their  predecessors. 
Perhaps  the  most  conspicuous  fact  for  comparison  is  that  a  larger  pro- 
portion of  the  present  members  seem  to  have  received  collegiate  train- 
ing, and  an  increasingly  fewer  number  are  being  introduced  to  the  pro- 
fession by  the  old-time  method  of  rough  and  tumble  experience  and 
diligent  thumbing  the  pages  of  Blackstone  under  the  inspiration  of  indi- 
vidual ambition.     No  doubt  those  whose  experience  covers  both  the  old 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  283 

and  the  new  would  assert  that  the  period  of  preparation  has  been  re- 
Heved  of  many  difficulties  that  characterized  it  in  their  time;  but  on  the 
other  hand,  the  novitiate — while  the  aspirant  waits  for  his  clients — 
would  seem  to  be  as  trying  and  as  uncertain  now  as  ever. 

A  few  years  ago  a  movement  was  made  to  organize  the  Cass 
County  Bar  Association.  The  preliminary  meetings  were  held,  consti- 
tution and  by-laws  were  adopted,  officers  elected,  and  the  first  dues 
were  paid  in  by  some  of  the  members,  but  since  the  first  flush  of  organ- 
ization the  association  has  lapsed  from  activity,  and  now  exists  more 
by  grace  of  its  origin  than  by  any  manifestations  of  active  energy.  Its 
officers,  who  continue  in  office  because  their  successors  have  never  been 
elected,  are:  J.  H.  Kinnane,  president;  H.  D.  Smith,  vice  president; 
A.  K.  Hayden,  secretary,  and  L.  H.  Glover,  treasurer. 


284  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


CHAPTER    XXL 
CASS  COUNTY  THE  HOME  OF  THE  RACES. 

Cass  county  presents  a  peculiar  field  for  the  study  of  American 
ability  to  assimilate  races.  Of  the  salient  American  stock  the  popula- 
tion of  the  county  is  typical  in  a  high  degree.  The  county  is  still  rural. 
The  distracting  features  of  metropolitan  life  have  not  been  introduced 
and  with  them  the  European  racial  elements  which  we  find  in  manu- 
facturing centers.  Its  settlers,  as  we  know,  were  drawn  largely  from  the 
best  stocks  of  the  east,  many  from  the  New  England  states.  Cass  county 
citizens  may  truly  be  called  representative  American  stock,  a  com- 
mingling of  the  best  social  elements  and  traditions. 

So  much  as  regards  the  white  Americans,  and  the  ethnic  varia 
tions  presented  by  the  Teuton  and  Slav,  the  Gaul  and  Saxon,  who  in 
varying  proportions  constitute  the  bulk  of  the  population,  are  not  to  be 
discriminated  in  this  article.  But  among  this  dominant  race  in  Cass 
county  are  to  be  found  two  other  races,  and  to  what  extent  these  are 
integrated  with  the  bodies  politic,  industrial  and  social  of  the  county 
it  is  the  purpose  of  this  article  to  inquire,  at  the  same  time  recording 
the  historical  connection  of  these  two  peoples  with  Cass  county.  Cass 
county's  history  becomes  unique  because  of  the  presence  of  these  three 
heterogeneous  racial  groups  within  its  borders,  and  a  chapter  may  prop- 
erly be  devoted  to  this  phase  of  its  history. 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  the  epochs  of  American  domestic  his- 
tory have  turned  upon  the  two  races  whose  representatives  are  now 
living  side  by  side  with  the  white  citizens  of  this  county.  The  annals 
of  settlement  and  expansion  in  America  from  the  landing  of  the  May- 
flower immigrants  to  the  final  winning  of  the  great  west  from  the 
wilderness  were  marked  with  conflict  with  the  red  men,  who  were  the 
aboriginal  possessors  of  the  land.  And  the  introduction  of  the  black 
race  from  Africa  at  about  the  same  time  with  the  landing  of  the  Pil- 
grims sowed  the  seed  which  more  than  two  centuries  later  bore  fruit  in 
the  Civil  war,  the  crisis  of  the  nation's  existence.  And  now,  in  the 
peace  and  prosperity  of  the  twentieth  century,  the  destinies  of  the  three 
racially  distinct  people  are  being  wrought  to  the  infinite  purpose  while 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  285 

dwelling  side  by  side  in  Cass  county.  It  is  from  this  higher  historical 
viewpoint  that  the  history  of  the  Indian  remnant  and  the  negro  colony 
of  Cass  county  should  be  considered. 

At  an  earlier  point  in  this  narrative  we  have  related  how  Pokagon 
and  his  followers  would  not  sign  the  Chicago  treaty  until  they  had 
been  exempted  from  the  clause  providing  that  they  leave  their  ances- 
tral home.  Old  Chief  Pokagon  was  an  Indian  above  the  average  in 
character  and  intelligence,  understood  the  advantages  to  his  race  of 
civilization  and  was  devoted  to  the  Catholic  religion,  which  the  mis- 
sionaries had  taught  him.  It  was  his  purpose  to  settle  his  people  in  their 
old  home  and  as  far  as  necessary  conform  to  the  institutions  and  laws 
of  the  white  people.  In  effecting  this  he  first  directed  his  efforts  to 
securing  title  to  sufficient  land  for  his  tribe,  and  used  his  influence  to 
invest  the  cash  apportionment  of  his  followers  in  a  tract  of  land  in 
Silver  Creek  township,  which,  though  entered  in  the  name  of  Pokagon, 
was  really  owned  in  severalty.  In  the  original  land  entries  Pbkagon's 
entries,  which  were  nearly  all  made  in  the  winter  of  1836-37,  con- 
sisted of  the  following  tracts  in  Silver  Creek:  Section  11,  296  acres; 
section  14,  258  acres;  section  21,  160  acres;  section  22,  160  acres — in 
all  874  acres  in  his  name,  all  located  in  adjacent  sections  of  the  town- 
ship and  in  the  vicinity  where  the  present  Indian  community  lives. 

On  this  land  Pokagon's  people  lived,  maintaining  in  part  their 
tri1:)a1  organization  and  in  part  the  relations  of  American  citizens.  The 
church  which  they  built  and  which  became  the  center  of  Catholic  in- 
fluence in  the  county  is  elsewhere  described.  While  Pokagon  lived  all 
went  well.  After  his  deatli  in  1841  his  son  Pete  became  chief  and  dis- 
sensions arose  that  did  much  to  disintegrate  the  tribe.  The  last  cen- 
sus shows  only  eight  or  nine  Indian  families  in  Silver  Creek.  The 
last  government  annuity  was  given  them  in  1865  ^^d  with  the  cessa- 
tion of  this  allowance  all  reason  for  the  tribal  organization  passed.  And 
yet  the  Indians  clung  to  this  form  of  social  organization,  and  when 
Simon  Pokagon  died  about  six  years  ago,  being  the  last  of  the  Pokagon 
line  and  thus  ending  the  chiefhood  in  the  family  inheritance,  the  rernain- 
ing  number,  following  the  custom  of  generations,  came  together  and 
proceeded  to  elect  Lexis,  one  of  their  nurnber,  as  chief,  thus  tenacious- 
ly holding  on  to  old  forms  and  customs.  Further,  a  petition  was  made 
to  the  Indian  commissioner  that  Tom  Topash  be  appointed  interpreter 
betw^een  the  government  and  the  Indians.  But  the  reply  came  that  an 
interpreter  was  no  longer  needed,  that  the  relations  between  the  gov- 


286  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

ernment  at  Washington  and  this  remnant  of  Pottawottomies  had  ceased, 
and  that  with  the  discharging  of  the  last  debt  a  few  years  ago  the  de- 
scendants of  Pokagon's  band  were  placed  upon  the  same  individual 
basis  with  all  other  American  citizens.  For  these  Indians  in  northwest 
Cass  county  are  citizens.  They  attend  the  town  meeting  and  vote,  are 
safeguarded  and  restrained  by  the  same  laws,  churches  and  schools  are 
open  to  them,  and  the  Indian  community  of  Cass  county  has  nothing  in 
common  with  the  picture  that  usually  rises  in  the  mind  at  the  mention 
of  America's  aboriginal  race,  dwelling  in  wigwams,  the  men  lying  at 
indolent  ease  on  the  ground  and  the  women  scratching  the  soil  with  a 
stick,  and  such  other  illusions  as  will  always  be  associated  with  the  In- 
dian race. 

In  general  reputation  for  thriftiness  and  substantial  character,  the 
Boziel  family,  residing  northeast  of  Silver  Creek  church,  are  the  lead- 
ers of  the  settlement.  They  own  about  a  hundred  acres  and  are  well 
liked  in  the  country.  Thomas  Topash  is  chairman  of  the  business  com- 
mittee of  the  Catholic  church,  and  his  uncle,  Steve  Topash,  near  the* 
town  hall,  is  another  well  known  Indian. 

The  veteran  of  the  community  is  Alexander  Bushman,  a  half- 
breed  Shawnee,  whose  maternal  grandfather  was  a  white  man,  made 
a  prisoner  by  the  Shawnees  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  continued  to 
live  with  them  and  act  as  interpreter  when  this  tribe  was  removed  to 
the  Osage  river  west  of  St.  Louis,  and  became  a  well-to-do  farmer  and 
fruit  grower.  The  latter's  daughter  moved  with  the  Shawnees  to  Kan- 
sas and  married  a  white  man  named  Bushman,  one  of  their  children  be- 
ing Alexander,  who  is  now  seventy-eight  years  old  and  has  lived  with 
the  Pottawottomies  since  he  was  ten  years  old.  He  is  a  shrewd  and 
intelligent  old  man,  and  having  been  placed  in  positions  of  responsibil- 
ity in  acting  for  his  people  in  their  relation  with  the  government  at 
various  times,  he  has  had  opportunities  tO'  observe  and  compare  and 
judge  his  people  from  a  larger  point  of  view.  He  speaks  of  his  family 
with  pride  evidently  born  of  his  white  blood  as  ''working  people.''  He 
himself  was  trained  in  a  manual  labor  school  and  learned  how  to  work. 
He  married  in  Kansas,  and  after  the  war  he  came  to  Michigan  on  ac- 
count of  relatives  of  his  wife  who  lived  here.  Bushman  was  pleased 
with  this  country,  and,  having  money,  he  bought  land  near  the  town 
hall  in  Silver  Creek  and  there  has  lived  to  the  present  time. 

''The  Indian  is  spoiled  by  giving  him  toO'  much  money''  is  one  of 
the  facts  of  Indian  character  that  he  states  from  his  observation  and 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  287 

experience.  'The  Indians  are  good  workers,  but  are  without  steadi- 
ness and  continuity  of  purpose;  they  take  httle  interest  in  their  homes 
and  farms  as  compared  with  the  white  people,  and  seem,  as  it  were, 
stranded  on  the  shores  of  civihzation,  ahke  unable  to  revert  to  their 
former  condition  or  to  possess  and  become  a  part  of  the  life  in  which 
they  live.  The  love  of  personal  display  is  strong  among  our  people. 
They  will,  when  money  comes  to  them,  buy  top  buggies  and  other 
luxuries  to  the  neglect  of  home  comforts  and  personal  necessities.  Their 
social  diversions  are  refined  from  the  old  customs.  They  have  dances 
for  which  the  music  is  often  furnished  by  Indian  fiddlers,  and  big  din- 
ners follow  these  routs,  w^iich  are  often  the  aftermath  to  wood-cutting 
bees.  But  the  bane  of  my  people,  as  it  has  been  for  generations,  is 
drink,  and  the  Indian  character  seems  powerless  against  this  tempta- 
tion." 

Such  was  his  estimate  of  his  own  people,  and  in  the  main  it  seems 
just.  The  judgment  of  a  white  citizen  who  has  had  close  relations  with 
these  people  was  much  more  severe,  but  it  was  directed  mainly  against 
the  Indian  lack  of  thrift  and  inability  to  perform  the  duties  and  re- 
sponsibilities which  are  the  lot  of  white  citizens.  To  measure  the  In- 
dian strictly  by  the  commonest  standards  of  white  people  seems  unfair. 
In  point  of  intelligence  the  comparisons  result  more  favorably.  The 
Indian  children  who  attend  the  district  schools  are  not  rated  inferior 
in  this  respect  to  their  white  mates,  and  the  teachers  who  have  had  such 
children  under  their  direction  find  little  cause  of  disparagement. 

THE   CALVIN   NEGRO   COLONY. 

In  1836  a  fugitive  slave  named  Lawson  came  to  Calvin  township 
with  a  Quaker  preacher  named  Way.  Lawson  was  the  first  negro  set- 
tler of  Calvin  township  and  Cass  county,  so  far  as  known,  and  was  the 
pioneer  of  the  movement  wdiich  in  a  few  years  made  Cass  county  a  ref- 
uge and  secure  retreat  for  the  black  race.  But  the  first  comers  of  this 
race  were  accidental  settlers,  and  nothing  in  the  nature  of  a  definite 
movement  of  the  unfortunate  people  began  until  the  later  forties. 

It  was  the  Quaker  settlement,  elsewhere  described,  which  undoubt- 
edly was  the  first  cause  of  Cass  county's  colored  settlement..  Due  to 
the  uncompromising  anti-slavery  attitude  of  the  Friends,  it  was  among 
the  settlements  and  following  th-eir  general  line  of  direction  that  the 
institution  of  the  "underground  railroad"  flourished.  The  "under- 
ground railroad"    for   the   transportation   of    fugitive  slaves   from   the 


288  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

south  to  free  Canada  is  so  closely  identified  with  the  slavery  period  and 
hence  so  familiar  a  topic  of  American  history  that  no  description  is 
needed  here.  But  it  should  be  stated  that  Cass  county  was  on  the  direct 
route  of  this  ''railroad,"  and  according  to  some  writers  was  the  junc- 
tion point  for  the  lines  from  Illinois  and  from  Indiana,  which  con- 
verged here.  As  the  slaves  were  hurried  along  this  route  it  happened 
that  some  of  them  stopped  in  Cass  county,  finding  homes  and  protec- 
tion among  the  abolitionists  and  their  own  people.  For  already  a  col- 
ony of  freed  negroes  had  located  in  the  county.  The  majority  of  these 
were  originally  from  North  Carolina,  having  first  taken  up  their  homes 
in  the  north  in  Logan  county,  Ohio,  and  about  1845  ^^  1846,  owing  to 
the  cheapness  of  land  in  this  county,  as  well  as  to  the  settlement  of  their 
white  friends  and  sympathizers  from  the  same  part  of  Ohio,  came  in 
considerable  numbers  to  Cass  county.  Many  of  these  freed  negroes 
purchased  small  farms  and  became,  as  it  were,  the  backbone  of  the  col- 
ored settlement.  Among  these  early  settlers  were  Harvey  Wade,  Neu- 
som  Tann,  Nathaniel  Boon,  Turner  and  Crawford  Byrd,  Kitchen  Artis 
and  Harrison  Ash.  A  little  later  the  colony  was  augmented  through 
the  provisions  of  the  will  of  a  Cable  county,  Virginia,  planter  named 
Sampson  Saunders,  who  left  $15,000  with  his  administrators  for  the 
purcliase  of  land  and  the  settlement  of  his  liberated  slaves  in  a  free 
state.  Calvin  township,  with  its  cheap  lands  and  friendly  abolitionists, 
was  selected  as  the  site  of  this  colony,  and  the  Saunders  colony,  con- 
sisting of  four  brothers  and  their  families  and  others,  was  a  very  im- 
portant addition  to  the  negro  population  of  the  county. 

The  extent  of  the  migration  and  the  distribution  of  the  colored 
people  can  be  very  well  understood  from  the  census  of  1850.  At  that 
date  there  were  10,518  white  persons  of  the  county  and  389  negroes. 
Equally  distributed,  the  colored  people  would  have  been  a  mere 
sprinkling  in  the  county.  But  two  townships  contained  two-thirds  of 
the  entire  number,  so  that  they  were  already  a  very  noticeable  element 
among  the  population.  Calvin  township  had  the  largest  number  then 
as  today,  there  being  158  negroes  to  466  w^hites.  In  Porter  township 
there  were  105  colored  to  1,154  whites,  and  the  other  townships  rep- 
resented by  this  race  were  Howard  with  y2  colored  persons,  Penn  with 
31,  LaGrange  and  Cassopolis  with  15,  Jefferson  with  5,  and  Silver 
Creek  with  3. 

With  such  a  considerable  colored  population,  among  whom  was  a 
number  of  fugitive  slaves,  it  was  inevitable  that  Cass  county  should 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  289 

attract  considerable  attention  in  the  south,  not  only  among  the  slaves, 
but  from  the  whites  whose  blacks  had  escaped  them.  The  planters  of 
Bourbon  county,  Kentucky,  had  sufifered  especial  loss  from  escaping 
slaves,  many  of  whom  had  taken  refuge  in  Cass  and  Calhoun  counties. 
The  presence  of  the  slaves  in  this  county  led  to  a  concerted  movement 
on  the  part  of  Kentuckians  for  their  recapture,  an  event  which  has 
come  down  through  history  under  the  familiar  name  of  the  ''Kentucky 
Raid."  It  is  not  to  be  understood  that  the  raid  was  made  against  a 
single  locality  and  by  one  party  of  slave  hunters.  The  Kentuckians  di- 
rected their  efforts  to  a  broad  field  and  carried  on  their  operations  for 
a  considerable  period  of  time,  involving  many  separate  expeditions, 
each  with  its  own  account.  Hence  the  many  versions  of  the  raid  are  not 
contradictory,  but  describe  the  movement  of  different  parties.  Also, 
diese  raids  extended  over  a  period  of  several  years,  beginning  with  1847. 

One  of  the  chief  parties  of  raiders  from  Kentucky  came  to  this 
county  in  August,  1847.  Although  they  maintained  secrecy  in  their 
intentions  and  directed  their  movements  in  the  same  manner  that  woukl 
characterize  a  gang  of  horse  thieves,  it  is  noteworthy  that  they  clearly 
had  the  laws  of  the  United  States  to  support  them  in  recovering  their 
fugitive  slaves  and  were  compelled  to  act  covertly  only  because  of  the 
hostility  of  the  citizens  to  the  institution  of  slavery.  It  was  humane 
anarchy  set  against  legalized  oppression. 

The  Kentuckians  first  liad  their  headquarters  at  Battle  Creek,  Init 
opposition  to  their  plans  was  so  determined  that  they  moved  south  to 
Bristol,  Ind.,  whence  they  directed  their  movements  into  Cass  county. 
Setting  out  at  night,  in  several  detached  parties,  they  endeavored  t(^ 
round  up  all  the  slaves  that  belonged  to  them  and  of  which  they  had 
been  furnished  information.  In  the  course  of  the  night  they  paid  visits 
to  Josiah  Osl:)orn,  the  East  settlement,  in  Calvin  township,  Zachariah 
Shugart  near  Vandalia  and  Stephen  Bogue,  names  of  the  most  influen- 
tial Quakers  and  abolitionists  in  the  county.  At  each  of  these  houses 
one  or  more  negroes  were  captured  and  carried  away  by  their  former 
owners. 

But  before  the  southerners  could  collect  the  slaves  and  get  away 
from  the  county  the  alarm  had  been  spread  by  Bogue  and  Shugart,  and 
a  large  party  of  citizens  armed  with  guns  and  clubs  stopped  the  progress 
of  the  Kentuckians  and  compelled  them  to  go  to  Cassopolis,  where  they 
might  prove  their  ownership  of  the  blacks  before  a  regular  justice 
court.     Excitement  ran  high  that  morning,  and  as  the  crowd  of  slave- 


290  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

owners,  negroes  and  citizens  pressed  on  from  near  Vandalia  to  the 
county  seat  the  news  spread  to  all  parts  of  the  county,  and  when  the 
strange  procession  arrived  an  immense  throng  had  gathered  about  the 
court  house. 

The  legal  proceedings  turned  upon  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus,  requir- 
ing the  Kentuckians  to  show  cause  why  the  negroes  should  not  be  released 
from  custody.  George  B.  Turner  was  retained  as  attorney  for  the 
Kentuckians  and  James  Sullivan  and  Ezekiel  S.  Smith  acted  in  be- 
half of  the  fugitives.  The  case  was  tried  before  Circuit  Court  Commis- 
sioner Mcllvain  from  Berrien  county,  who,  illegally,  soi  it  was  later 
decided,  had  come  from  that  county  to  hear  the  case  in  the  absence 
of  A.  H.  Redfield,  of  Cass  county.  The  commissioner  decided  ad- 
versely to  the  Kentuckians,  and  at  once  the  nine  slaves  were  liberated 
and  the  same  night  were  hurried  out  of  the  county  by  way  of  the 
underground  railroad. 

The  slave  owners — whose  names,  so  far  as  preserved,  were  Rev. 
A.  Stevens,  Hubbard  Buckner,  C.  B.  Rust,  John  L.  Graves  (sheriff  of 
Bourbon  county),  James  Scott,  G.  W.  Brazier,  Thornton  Timberlake, 
and  Messrs.  Bristow  and  Lemon — were  thus  deprived  of  any  recourse 
so  far  as  local  courts  were  concerned,  and  in  February,  1848,  brought 
suit  to  recover  the  value  of  their  lost  slaves  in  the  United  States  Cir- 
cuit Court  for  the  District  of  Michigan.  Thornton  Timberlake  was 
the  plaintiff  named,  and  the  defendants  were  Josiah  Osborn,  Jefferson 
Osborn,  Ellison  Osborn,  David  T.  Nicholson,  Ishmael  Lee,  William 
Jones  and  Elienezer  Mcllvain — all  prominent  men  of  this  county  except 
Mr.  Mcllvain,  who,  acting  as  circuit  court  commissioner,  had  liberated 
the  slaves.  Tlie  case  w^as  not  heard  until  January,  185 1,  when  the 
jury  stood  eight  to  four  in  favor  of  the  plaintiff.  The  case  was  then 
compromised  by  the  defendants  paying  a  thousand  dollars  and  costs, 
which  amounted  to  about  $3,000.  Thus  nominally  the  Kentuckians 
got  justice,  but  their  slaves  were  gone  and  it  is  said  that  their  attorneys 
took  as  fees  all  the  money  paid  over  by  the  defendants,  so  that  virtually 
the  Cass  county  abolitionists  had  triumphed  in  their  sturdy  opposition 
to  slavery  whether  sanctioned  by  law  or  not. 

The  history  of  the  Kentucky  raid  has  been  briefly  sketched  since 
the  two  previous  histories  of  the  county  have  described  the  circum- 
stances with  considerable  detail  at  a  time  when  some  of  the  prin- 
cipal actors  were  yet  living  and  nothing  could  be  added  to  their  ac- 
counts..   The  incidents  are  notable  in  themselves  and  form  a  very  im- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  2i)l 

portant  chapter  in  the  history  of  th^  county  and  nation,  while  the 
movement  against  slavery  was  gaining  strength.  Of  its  effects  on  the 
negro  colony  in  the  county,  it  is  probable  that  it  increased  rather  than 
retarded  the  flight  of  fugitives  to  this  vicinity.  It  advertised  the 
county  more  broadly  as  a  safe  retreat  for  slaves  and  also  caused  the 
slave  owners  to  hesitate  before  taking  forcible  means  of  recovering  their 
chattels. 

Thus  the  negro  population  of  the  county  continued  on  the  in- 
crease during  the  fifties.  The  free  negroes  continued  to  come  here 
from  Ohio  and  other  northern  states,  and  during  that  decade  some  of 
the  men  settled  who  became  the  leaders  of  their  race.  Isaac  P.  Stew- 
art came  from  Ohio  in  1854,  and  beginning  with  eighty  acres  in  Calvin 
township  became  a  man  of  substance  as  years  passed  on  until  he  owned 
betw^een  two  and  three  hundred  acres.  Samuel  Hawks,  now  one  of  the 
wealthiest  and  most  influential  men  of  Calvin  township,  settled  here 
before  the  war  and  by  industry  and  good  management  found  the  key 
to  success.  Green  Allen,  now  deceased,  at  one  time  paid  the  largest 
tax  of  any  man  in  Calvin.  Eaton  Newsom,  grandfather  of  Dr.  New- 
som,  of  Calvin  Center,  and  James  A.  Mitchell,  all  from  Ohio,  were 
good  reliable  citizens  and  respected  throughout  the  community.  Tur- 
ner Byrd,  who  came  from  North  Carolina  by  way  of  Logan  county, 
Ohio,  and  who  was  an  early  settler  about  Chain  lakes  and  founder  and 
pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  there,  was  a  successful  man  and  though 
uneducated  was  thoroughly  respected  by  both  white  and  black.  Har- 
rison Ash  was  another  whose  promises  were  relied  upon  with  the 
surety  that  indicates  strength  of  character.  Williami  Lawson  came  into 
the  county  in  1853  and  was  the  first  merchant  among  his  race,  and  also 
a  good  farmer.  Some  of  the  older  citizens  still  living,  besides  Mr. 
Hawks,  already  mentioned,  are  William  Allen,  a  son  of  Joseph  Allen 
and  nephew  of  Green  Allen,  who'  is  admittedly  one  of  the  ablest  busi- 
ness farmers  in  Cass  county,  and  who  made  his  money  by  hard  work 
and  economy ;  Jesse  W.  Madrey,  of  Cassopolis,  who  came  to  the  county 
in  1852  as  a  boy,  and  has  won  a  home  and  substantial  place  in  the 
regard  of  his  fellow  citizens;  and  C.  W.  Bunn,  who  years  ago  began 
a  sawmill  business  in  Calvin  after  the  timber  had  supposedly  been 
used  up,  later  establishing  himself  in  the  lumber  business  at  Cassopolis, 
and  owns  property  both  here  and  at  South  Bend. 

What  estimate  shall  be  placed  upon  this  unique  colored  settle- 
ment, which  at  the  present  tirne  in  Calvin  township  possesses  the  ma- 


292  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

jority  (60  per  cent)  of  the  population  and  a  large  proportion  of  the 
land  and  wealth,  besides  exercising  a  controlling  influence  in  politics, 
religion  and  education?  Let  the  foremost  representative  of  the  colored 
ranee  answer  this  c[uestion  in  his  own  words.  In  1903  Booker  T. 
Washington  contributed  to  the  Outlook  an  article  entitled  ''Two  Gen- 
erations Under  Freedom/'  in  which  he  described  at  length  this  interest- 
ing colony  in  Cass  county.  The  article  is  one  of  the  documents  of 
Cass  county  history,  and  this  chapter  may  be  concluded  with  the  quo- 
tation of  its  salient  points  together  with  a  very  few  comments  on  the 
part  of  the  present  writer: 

''When  I  visited  Calvin  township  recently,"  says  Mr.  Washington, 
"I  found  that  it  contained  a  pgpulation  of  759  negroes  and  512  whites. 
In  addition  to  these  a  large  negro  population  had  overflowed  into  the 
adjoining  township  of  Porter,  and  to  some  extent  intO'  all  but  two  of  the 
towns  in  the  county.  As  I  drove  from  Cassopolis  in  the  direction 
of  Calvin  township,  we  soon  began  going  through  wiell  cultivated 
farms  and  past  comfortable-looking  farm  houses.  The  farms  for  the 
most  part  in  their  general  appearance  compared  favorably  with  the  aver- 
age farms  we  saw  in  Michigan.  Many  of  the  houses  were  large,  at- 
tractive and  well  built.  The  yards  were  made  beautiful  with  grass, 
shrubbery  and  flowers.  The  barns,  stock,  poultry  and  other  farm  at- 
tachments were  in  keeping  with  everything  else  we  saw.  In  our  drive 
of  nearly  ten  hours,  in  which  we  covered  nearly  thirty  miles  of  terri- 
tory, through  Calvin  township  and  a  part  of  Porter,  we  saw  little  to  in- 
dicate that  we  were  in  a  negro  town  except  the  color  of  the  faces  of  the 
people.     They  were  up  to  the  average  of  their  white  neighbors. 

*'In  a  few  cases  it  was  interesting  to  see  standing  on  the  same 
premises  the  small  ca1:)in  in  which  the  i)eople  began  life  years  ago, 
and  then  to  see  near  it  a  modern  frame  cottage  containing  six  or  seven 
rooms.  To  me  it  was  interesting  and  encouraging  to  note  to  what 
extent  these  people  'lived  at  home,'  that  is,  produced  what  they  con- 
sumed. My  visit  took  me  through  the  community  during  the  harvest- 
ing season,  and  at  that  time  most  of  the  farmers  were  engaged  in 
threshing  wheat  and  oats.  On  one  farm  we  saw  a  large  modern  steam 
thresher  at  work,  operated  wholly  by  negroes  and  owned  by  a  negro, 
Mr.  Henry  L.  Archer.  Mr.  Archer  not  only  threshed  grain  for  the 
negro  farmers  in  the  tpwnship,  but  for  the  white  farmers  as  well." 

Mr.  Washington  spoke  highly,  but  in  terms  which  all  citizens 
would  approve,  of  the  successful  colored  men  above  mentioned,  namely, 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  293 

William  Allen,  Samuel  Hawks,  Cornelius  Lawson,  Jesse  W.  Madrey, 
and  C.  W.  Bunn.  Continuing  his  description,  he  states  that  ''a  con- 
siderable number  of  the  colored  people  of  Calvin  township  own  their 
homes,  and  many  of  those  who  are  renting  are  doing  so  from  negro 
landowners.  In  a  few  cases  w'hite  people  in  the  county  are  renting 
property  owned  by  negroes.'' 

With  respect  to  political  relations  and  civic  performance  Air. 
Washington  could  find  no  evidence  that  ''there  was  any  friction  be- 
tween the  two  races.  The  county  officials  informed  me  that  there 
wxre  no  reports  of  cheating  at  the  ballot  boxes,  and  that  the  affairs  of 
the  township  w^ere  conducted  as  well  politically  as  any  in  the  county. 
For  some  years  it  had  been  the  boast  of  the  negro  tax  collector  of 
Calvin  county  that  he  w^as  one  of  the  first  collectors  to  secure  and  pay 
into  the  county  treasury  all  of  the  township  taxes.  *  '''  *  Each 
township  in  the  county  is  entitled  to  one  representative  on  the  county 
board  of  supervisors  which  has  the  control  of"  the  affairs  of  the  entire 
county.  The  representative  of  Calvin  is  a  black  man,  and  I  was  told  by 
several  w^iite  people  of  the  county  that  the  negro  supervisor  voted  in- 
telligently and  conservatively.  >k  >k  *  j  ^y^g  informed  by  several 
reliable  white  men  of  the  county  that  there  had  never  been  any  trouble 
worth  mentioning  growing  out  of  political  differences.  When  the  war 
between  the  states  broke  out,  as  soon  as  colored  soldiers  were  permitted 
to  enlist,  practically  every  negro  man  in  the  township  who'  w^as  eligible 
enlisted  and  w^ent  to  the  front.  As  a  result  there  is  a  Grand  Army  ix)st 
in  Calvin  named  Matthew  Artis  Post,  in  honor  of  one  of  the  old  set- 
tlers and  soldiers.  ^'  h^  *  jj^  j^-jy  inspection  of  their  church  houses 
there  w^ere  tw^o  things  that  specially  pleased  me.  One  was  the  fine  and 
neat  appearing  parsonage  which  stood  near  the  Chain  Lake  Baptist 
church ;  the  other  was  the  appearance  of  the  graveyard  near  the  same 
building.  The  church  house,  the  parsonage  and  the  graveyard  gave  one 
a  picture  which  made  him  feel  he  was  in  a  Massachusetts  village.  The 
graveyard  was  laid  out  in  family  plots,  and  most  of  the  graves  had 
marble  slabs  or  headstones.  There  W'Cre  evidences  that  the  burial  place 
received  systematic  care." 

Since  the  enfranchisement  of  the  negro  no  distinction  is  made 
between  the  white  and  colored  men  for  jury  service  in  the  courts  of 
the  county,  and  among  the  jurors  on  the  regular  panel  at  each  term  of 
the  circuit  court  are  found  colored  men,  both  members  from^  Calvin 
at  the  September  (1906)  term  belonging  to  that  race.     Reuben  Bever- 


294  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

ley,  now  deceased,  then  of  Cassopolis,  was  the  first  colored  man  to  be 
summoned  and  accepted  as  a  juror  in  Cass  county.  His  son  later  served 
four  years  as  register  of  deeds  of  the  county. 

While  on  his  visit  to  the  county  Mr.  Washington  took  opportunity 
to  gain  the  opinion  of  some  of  the  white  men  whose  positions  made 
their  judgment  concerning  the  race  valuable.  Judge  L.  B.  Des  Voignes 
spoke  with  convicition  of  the  improvement  of  the  material  condition 
of  the  negroes  during  the  preceding  twenty  years,  and  of  the  decrease 
of  crime  among  them.  *T  do  not  recall  any  instance  where  white  resi- 
dents of  the  township  have  objected  to  colored  people  buying  land 
there.  I  do  not  think  there  is  any  depreciation  in  the  price  of  land. 
To  a  stranger  buying  land  the  colored  residents  might  be  an  objection; 
but  I  do  not  think  it  would  be  to  those  who  know  the  colored  people 
of  Calvin.  The  colored  residents  have  helped  to  contribute  to  the 
prosperity  of  the  county,  considering  the  opportunities  they  have  had. 
There  is  a  prosperous  colored  community  in  Volinia,  of  not  more  than 
a  hundred  persons,  and  there  are  colored  residents  in  several  of  the 
townships  of  Cass  county." 

Mr.  C.  O.  Harmon,  then  county  clerk,  corroborated  the  testimony 
of  Judge  Des  Voignes,  adding  that  the  colored  people  were  ''quick  to 
take  advantage  of  improvements,  such  as  the  telephone  and  improved 
machinery.  The  merchants  of  Cassopolis  find  these  people  extra  good 
customers.  That  may  be  one  criticism  to  make — that  they  buy  too 
freely  for  their  own  good."  Mr.  C.  C.  Nelson  gave  as  his  opinion  that 
whereas  the  people  of  Calvin  w^ere  once  haphazard  and  lawless,  the 
tow^nship  at  one  time  furnishing  two-thirds  oif  the  court  business  of  the 
county,  that  condition  was  now  past  and  the  colored  people  had  im- 
proved more,  proportionately,  than  the  whites. 

The  editor  of  this  history  was  c[uoted  by  Mr.  Washington  as 
saying  that  "the  first  generation  of  negro  settlers  were  fine  men — none 
better.  The  second  generation  w^as  bad.  The  third  shows  a  marked 
improvement  But  through  it  all  the  best  men  have  supported  the  law 
unfailingly.  There  is  no  social  mingling,  but  otherwise  the  relations 
of  the  races  are  entirely  friendly.  I  do  not  know  of  more  than  a 
dozen  marriages  between  the  whites  and  the  blacks  in  the  entire 
county." 

The  observations  and  inferences  of  Mr.  Washington,  though  the 
result  of  a  brief  visit  to  his  people,  must  stand  in  the  main  as  correct 
and  judicious.     The  settlement  will  long  deserve  serious  consideration 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  295 

and  study  as  one  of  the  notable  experiments  in  the  development  of  a 
racial  community  in  mastering  and  adapting  the  principles  of  American 
democracy.  Evidences  of  clannishness  among  the  colored  people  are 
to  be  considered  in  a  favorable  light,  since  it  seems  that  a  wholesome 
integration  of  the  race,  independent,  yet  harmonious,  is  the  true  solu- 
tion of  the  ''negro  problem."  The  ideas  of  these  people  certainly  tend 
to  good  citizenship  and  a  desire  for  homes,  schools  and  morality.  Yet 
the  struggles  of  the  settlement  in  this  direction  have  some  pathetic 
shadows.  It  is  confessed  that  the  disturbing  element  in  this  colony 
comes  from  the  injection  of  a  lower  type  from  communities  which 
have  not  had  the  advantages  of  that  in  Cass  county.  As  long,  then, 
as  the  older  settlers  remain  predominant,  with  the  training  in  self-con- 
trol and  civic  strength  which  ''two  generations  of  freedom"  give  them, 
the  welfare  of  the  community  seems  to  be  assured.  But  what  if  the 
stock  be  weakened  by  the  withdrawal  to  the  cities — which  is  certainly 
taking  place  among  the  younger  people — and. the  infusion  of  inferior 
classes  among  those  that  remain?  Can  this  small  colony,  enterprising 
and  high-minded  though  it  is,  become  the  leaven  for  the  whole  lump 
and  succeed  in  communicating  its  inheritance  to  all  those  who  come? 
These  questions  need  cause  no  immediate  alarm,  since  all  conditions 
point  to  progress  rather  than  retrogression. 

Education  and  schools  received  little  mention  by  Mr.  Washing- 
ton because  his  visit  to  the  county  was  during  the  summer  vacation. 
The  school  at  Calvin  Center  is  entirely  attended  by  negro  children  and 
taught  by  a  colored  man,  and  several  other  schools  have  negro  teachers 
and  colored  children  in  the  majority.  Comparing  these  with  other 
schools  for  the  race,  especially  those  tO'  be  found  in  the  south,  there  is 
afiforded  ground  for  the  highest  satisfaction  with  the  progress  these 
people  are  making  in  education.  A  comparison  with  one  of  the  schools 
in  the  same  county  supported  and  attended  by  the  whites  results  to  the 
advantage  of  the  latter,  as  should  be  natural.  The  colored  people 
believe  thoroughly  in  schools  and  send  their  children  to  them  as  a  mat- 
ter of  course,  but  it  is  confessed  that  they  are  not  so  strict  in  keeping 
them  in  school  as  their  white  neighbors,  although  the  recent  compulsory 
attendance  law  will  leave  little  latitude  in  that  direction  for  either 
race. 

There  is  a  difference  of  opinion  regarding  the  power  of  the 
churches,  some  maintaining  that  their  hold  on  the  people  is  not  so 
strong  as  formerly  and  that  the  ministers  are  not  broadening  as  rapidly 


296  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

as  the  people  in  their  conceptions  of  moral  duties  and  the  relations  ot 
the  church  to  society.  The  modern  era  has  certainly  brought  many  new 
interests  which  the  older  and  less  educated  negroes  did  not  have.  Read- 
ing is  more  general  and  it  is  probable  that  not  a  family  with  a  settled 
home  goes  without  a  w^eekly  perusal  of  the  local  paper,  and  many 
metropolitan  papers  go  out  daily  over  the  rural  routes  to  these  homes 
in  Calvin  and  Porter.  Literary  societies,  fraternities  and  bands  and 
other  musical  interests  are  not  uncommon  and  indicate  the  widening 
scope  of  the  people's  training  and  progress. 

To  the  general  observer  it  seems  that  there  is  a  tendency  to  seg- 
regation of  the  race.  This  is  encouraging  rather  than  to  be  considered 
wnth  delicate  tact  in  conversation.  As  the  colored  people  are  becom- 
ing more  independent  and  better  adapted  to  American  ideals,  it  seems 
that  the  bonds  of  race  will  bring  them  closer  in  their  own  social  rela- 
tions and  at  the  same  time  strengthen  those  relations  in  business,  edu- 
cation, politics  and  activity  for  the  general  w^elfare  which  do  not  recog- 
nize racial  lines.  By  all  means  the  planting  of  a  negro  colony  in  Cass 
county  two  generations  ago  has  redounded  to  the  credit  of  the  w^orld 
and  advanced  society  one  step  further  toward  the  goal  of  aspiration 
and  striving  on  the  part  of  this  age.  And  for  Cass  county  it  is  no 
small  distinction  that  it  has  been  the  arena  on  which  some  of  the  most 
interesting  and  pressing  problems  of  race  assimilation  and  adaptation 
have  been  advanced  to  solution. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  297 


CHAPTER  XXH. 
MILITARY    RECORDS. 

The  military  history  of  Cass  county  has  already  been  written  in  de- 
tail in  the  work  of  1882.  Fortunately  the  crises  which  demand  almost 
unanimous  outpouring  of  life  and  property  in  defense  of  country  occur 
but  rarely.  The  Sauk  and  Black  Hawk  war  was  the  first  martial  event 
that  concerned  this  county  and,  as  we  know,  was  too  distant  to  cause 
more  than  an  alarm  and  militia  muster.  The  war  with  Mexico  made 
comparatively  small  demand  on  the  volunteer  forces  of  the  country,  and 
no  organization  and  perhaps  no  individuals  from  Cass  county  partic- 
ipated in  that  war.  But  the  Civil  war  called  for  the  county's  best  and 
bravest,  and  the  call  was  not  made  in  vain.  The  manhood  of  the  state 
w^as  drained  off  to  fight  in  the  south,  and  Cass  county  may  never  cease 
to  be  proud  of  the  record  her  soldiers  made  in  the  rebellion.  As  stated, 
the  history  of  our  soldiers  in  that  war  has  been  fully  written,  not  only 
in  the  Cass  county  history  but  forms  a  part  of  the  annals  of  the  state 
and  nation.  The  detailed  description  of  the  movements  of  the  regiments 
and  divisions  to  which  Cass  county  soldiers  belonged  does  not,  there- 
fore, seem  to  require  repetition  on  these  pages.  But  the  names  of  those 
who  enlisted  from  this  county  to  fight  on  the  battlefields  of  the  south 
deserve  space  in  every  history  of  the  county,  and  for  this  reason  the 
individual  records  of  Cass  county  soldiers  in  the  Civil  war  are  appended 
in  full  to  this  chapter. 

No  regular  organization  was  formed  in  this  county  for  service  in 
the  Spanish-xA^merican  war.  Some  individuals  enlisted  in  the  regiments 
formed  in  the  state  to  fill  out  Michigan's  quota,  but  so  far  as  known  none 
of  these  reached  the  field  of  action,  most  of  the  volunteers  for  that  war 
getting  their  military  experience  in  camp  on  American  shores. 

Cass  county  has  several  representatives  in  the  regular  army  and 
navy.  In  the  list  of  Dowagiac  high  school  alumni  will  be  found  brief 
mention  of  several  who  have  attained  rank  in  the  army.  Cassopolis 
is  also  proud  of  three  young  men  now  in  the  regular  service  of  their 
country  each  with  the  rank  of  lieutenant,  they  being  Frank  M.  Bennett 
and  Steven  V.  Graham,  in  the  navy,  and  Jay  Paul  Hopkins  in  the  army. 


298 


.  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


CASS    COUNTY   SOLDIERS   IN    THE   CIVIL   WAR. 

The  following  records  represent  the  enlistments  and  service  of  Cass 
county  men  in  the  various  regiments  of  the  northern  armies.  In  a  few 
cases  an  entire  company  of  a  regiment  would  be  composed  of  Cass  county 
boys,  but  as  a  rule  the  roster  of  the  regiments  show  those  from  this 
county  distributed  through  the  companies,  occasionally  only  one  Cass 
county  soldier  being  found  in  a  company.  But  the  compilation  is  thought 
to  contain  the  names  of  all  those  who  went  from  this  county. 

The  individual  record  consists  generally  of  the  dates  of  enlistment 
and  of  the  muster  out  or  discharge,  or  of  the  sadder  chronicle  of  death 
on  the  field  or  in  hospital.  The  abbreviations  used  to  convey  these 
and  other  facts  are  self-explanatory. 


FORTY-SECOND    ILLINOIS    VOLUNTEER    INFANTRY. 


Company  E. 
Capt.  Daniel  McOmber,  Dowagiac. 
Capt.  William  H.  Colburn,  Silver  Creek ; 

com.  April  ii,  1865;  m.  o.  Dec.  16,  1865; 

1st  Lieut.  May  17,  1864;  Sergt.  vet.  Jan. 

I,  1864;  Corp.,  July  26,  1861. 
First  Lieut.  William  H.  Clark,  Dowagiac, 

May  17,   1864;  declined  com. 
Second   Lieut.    Nathan   H.    DeFoe,    Dow- 
agiac, Jan.  22,  1861 ;  res.  May  11,  1862. 
First   Sergt.   William    T.    Codding,   Dow- 
agiac,  July  22,    1861 ;    m.    o.     Sept.     16, 

1864. 
Sergt.    Jehiel    Hall,    Dowagiac,     July    23, 

1861 ;    killed    at    Stone    River    Dec.    31, 

1862. 
Sergt.  Cyrus  Phillips,  DowagiaC,  July  22, 

1861 ;  vet.  Jan.  i,  1864;  prom,  ist  Lieut. 

Co.  F.  •'"' 

Sergt.    Leonard    H.    Norton,    La  .Grange, 

Aug.  10,  1861 ;  vet.  Jan.  i,  1864;  died  of 

wounds  March  5,  1864. 
Corp.  William  H.  Colburn,  Silver  Creek, 

July  26,   1861 ;   vet.   Jan.   i,   1864;  prom. 

1st  Lieut,  from  Sergt. 
Corp.    Asher    Huff,    Dowagiac,    July    26, 

1861 ;  dis.  for  disability  March  12,  1863. 
Corp.   Comfort   P.   Estes,  Dowagfa<:,  July 

26,    1861 ;    vet.    Jan.    i,    1864;    killed    at 

Kenesaw  June  18,  1864. 
Corp.     Christopher     Harmon,,    Dowagiac. 

July  26,   1861 ;  vet.  Jan.   i,  1864;  m.  o. 

Sergt.  Dec.  16,  1865.  ' 

Corp.  Theo.  De  Camp,  Silver  Creek,  July 

26,    1861 ;   dis.   for   disability  March    11, 

1863. 
Corp.  William  H.   Clark,  Dowagiac,  July 

26,    1861 ;    vet.   Jan.    i,    1864;    m.    oXt^it 

Sergt.  May  28,  1865.  .        .     .  •    -' 

Corp.  Victor  Wallace,  Dowagiac,  July  26, 


1861 ;  vet.  Jan.   i,   1864;  m.  o.  as  Sergt. 

Dec.   16,   1865. 
Arnold,    Desire,    Silver    Creek,     July     26, 

1861 ;    killed    at    Stone    River    Dec.    31, 

1862. 
Brownell,  Lorenzo  D.,  Dowagiac,  July  26, 

1861 ;  dis.  for  disability  Nov.  18,  1862. 
Barrack,    Jonathan    A.,    Calvin,    Aug.    i, 

1861 ;   dis.   for  disability   Aug.    17.    1862. 
Burling,    Robert    G.,    Pokagon,    July    26, 

1861 ;  dis.  for  disability  Oct.  24,  1862. 
Bragg,  Gustavus,  Pokagon,  Aug.  7,  1861  ; 

died   of  wounds  at  Trenton,   Ga.,   Sept. 

10,   1863. 
Caston,   Hiram,,   Jefferson,   July  26,   1861  ; 

m.  o.,  wounded,  Sept.  16,  1864. 
Cone,    Hulett,    Dowagiac,   Aug.    31,    1861  ; 

died    at    Park    Barracks,    Ky.,    Nov.    5, 

1862. 
Calhoun,   Albert,   Aug.   30,    1861 ;    died   in 

rebel  hosp.,  Wilmington,   N.   C,  March 

5,  1865. 
Day,  Lucius  C,  Dowagiac,  July  26,  1861 ; 

vet.  Jan.  I,  1864;  m.  o.  July  15,  1865. 
Finehart,    Daniel    P.,    Pokagon,    July    26, 

1861;  died  Feb.  8,  1862. 
Fleming,    James    H.,    Volinia,    Aug.    — , 

1861 ;    died  of  wounds  at  Atlanta,   Ga., 

Dec.  25,   1863. 
Heath,    Edward    C,    Pokagon,     July     26, 

1861;  Corp.;  died  Aug.  23,  1862. 
Hill,  James,  Dowagiac,  July  26,  1861 ;  vet. 

Jan.  I,  1864;  m.  o.  Dec.  1.6,  1865. 
'  Hanrta,  Nathaniel  L.,  Dowagiac,  Aug.   10, 

1861;  dis.  for  disability  March  27,  1863. 
Hover,   John   B.,   Calvin,   Aug.   21,    1861; 

vet:  Jan.  I,  1864;  prom.  Prin.  Mus. 
Higgin^,   George  W.,  Dowagiac,  July  26, 

186 i';  dis.  for  disability  March  27,  1862. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


299 


Henderson,  George  H.,  Dowagiac,  July  26, 

1861 ;  m.  o.  July  15,  1865. 
Hitsman,  Sidney,  Dowagiac,  July  26,  1861 ; 

vet.  Jan.  i,  1864;  m.  o.  Dec.  16,  1865. 
Higgins,  Daniel,  Dowagiac,  Aug.  i,  1861 ; 

dis.  Dec.  5,  1862. 
Krisher,  John,  Jr.,   Calvin,  Sept.  9,   1861 ; 

vet.  Jan.  i,  1864;  m.  o.  Dec.  16,  1865. 
Leonard,    William,     Cassopolis,    July    26, 

1861 ;  vet.  Jan.    i,  1864;  m.  o.  Dec.   16, 

1865. 
Lucas,    Henry,    Newberg,    July   31,    1861 ; 

vet.  Jan.   i,   1864;   detached  at  m.  o. 
Lewis,    Edwin    H.,    Cassopolis,    July    26, 

1861 ;  vet.  Jan.  I,   1864;  dis.  for  disabil- 
ity April  18,  1862. 
Miller,   William   H.    H.,    Calvin,   July   26, 

1861 ;  vet.  Jan.  i,  1864;  killed  at  Frank- 
lin, Tenn.,  Nov.  30.  1864. 
Munger,   Charles   A.,   Dowagiac,  July  26, 

1861 ;  vet.  Jan.  i,  1864;  prom,  ist  Lieut. 

from  Sergt. 
Momany,    Oliver    F.,    Dowagiac,   July   26, 

1861 ;  wounded ;  transferred  to  Vet.  Res. 

Corps  Feb.  16,  1864. 
McDonald,  Alva,   Pokagon,  Aug.  i,  1864; 

m.  o.  Oct.  3,   1864. 
Northrup,     Adoniram,     Calvin,     Aug.     i, 

1864;    killed    at    Stone    River    Dec.    31, 

1862. 
Nevill,  John  G.,  Dowagiac,  Aug.  i,  1864; 

wounded ;     transferred     to     Vet.     Res. 

Corps  April   16,  1864. 
Orange,     Andrew,     Dowagiac,     Aug.     10, 

1861  ;  dis.  Dec.  5,  1862. 
Peters,   John,    Calvin,   Aug.    i,    1861 ;    dis. 

for  disabilitv  Mav  26,  1862. 


Pierson,    Bartley,    Calvin,   Aug.     i,     1861 ; 

dis.  for  disability  May  3,  1862. 
Corp.  Peter  Rummels,  Silver  Creek,  July 

26,   1861 ;   vet.   Jan.   i,   1864;  m.  o.  Dec. 

16,  1865. 
Rea,  Albert  W.,  Calvin,  Aug.  i,  1861 ;  vet. 

Jan.   I,    1864;   died  of  wounds   Dec.   15, 

1864. 
Spicer,    George    G.,    Dowagiac,    July    26, 

1861 ;   vet.  Jan.   i,   1864;  m.   o.   Dec.   16, 

1865. 
Shanafelt,   x\lbert  A.,   Dowagiac,  July  26, 

1861 ;  m.  o.   Sept.  28,  1864. 
Shanafelt,  Herbert  R.,  Dowagiac,  July  26, 

1861 ;  died  of  wounds  Columbia,  S.  C. 
Shearer,    James    H.,    Dowagiac,    Aug.    i, 

1861 ;    died   at    Smithton,    Mo.,   Jan.   29, 

1862. 
Stevens,    Joseph    H.,    Dowagiac,    Aug.    i, 

1861 ;  died  of  wounds  July  7,  1864. 
Stevenson,   Zimri,    Calvin,    Aug.    i,    1861 ; 

vet.  Jan.   i,  1864;  m.  o.  Dec.  16,  1865. 
Sturr,   Joseph   L.,    Calvin,    Aug.    i,    1861  ; 

m.  o.  Sept.  18,  1864. 
Tillotson,  John  D.,  Calvin,  Aug.  I,  1861 ; 

m.  o.  Dec.  16,  1865. 
Trenholm,     Benjamin,     Calvin,     Sept.     9, 

1861 ;  m.  o.  Sept.  16,  1864. 
Worden,  Amasa  P.  R.,  Dowagiac,  July  26, 

1861  ;  died  of  wounds  April  7,  1864. 

RECRUITS. 

Morse,  Abel  S.,  Silver  Creek,  dis.  for  dis- 
ability Aug.  15,  1861. 

Row,  Fred.  P.,  Silver  Creek ;  dis.  for  dis- 
ability Sept.  10,  1861. 

Stage,  William,  transferred  to  Sappers 
and  Miners  Sept.  5,  1861. 


SIXTH  MICHIGAN  INFANTRY. 


Field  and  Staff. 
Col.  Chas.  E.  Clarke,  Dowagiac,  com.  Oc- 
tober 16,  1864;  m.  o.  as  Lieut.  Col. 
Sept.  7,  1865;  com.  Lieut.  Col.  Feb.  i, 
1864;  Maj.  June  21,  1862;  Capt.  U.  S. 
Army  July  28,  1866;  Brevet  Major 
March  7,  1867,  ^oi*  gallant  and  meritor- 
ious services  in  the  siege  of  Port  Huron, 
La. ;  retired  June  28,  1878. 

NoN-COM  MISSIONED    StAFF. 

Sergt.  Maj.  Henry  W.  Ellis,  Pokagon, 
com.    May    13,    1865;    m.    o.    Aug.    20, 

Principal  Musician  Geo.  L.  Hazen,  Calvin, 
e.  Jan.  i,  1862;  vet.  Feb.  i,  1864;  m.  o. 
Aug.  20,  1865. 

Musician  John  R.  Lee,  e.  Aug.  20,  1861 ; 
dis.  by  order  Sept.  20,  1862. 

Company  A. 
Briggs,  George,  Porter,  e.  Aug.  30,  1862; 
dis.  by  order  July  22,  1865. 


Woodard,  Alvah,  Porter,  e.  Aug.  30,  1862; 
died  of  disease  at  Ft.  Morgan,  Ala., 
Sept.  24,   1864. 

Company   C. 

First  Lieut.  Jas.  A.  Ellis,  Dowagiac,  com. 

Dec.  T,  1862;  trans,  ist  Lieut,  to  Co.  D, 

July  20,   1863. 
Anderson,  Andrew  J.,  Calvin,  e.   Jan.    11, 

1864;  trans,  to  7th  U.   S.  Heavy  Artil- 
lery June  I,  1864. 
Freeman,    Henry   W.,   Porter,   e.   Jan.   20, 

1864;  trans,  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps. 
Gilbert,  Anson,  Wayne,  e.  Dec.  21,   1863; 

died   of   disease   at    New    Orleans,    La., 

Oct.  12,  1864. 
Hawks,   Henry,  Mason,  e.  Jan.   11,   1864; 

trans,    to    7th    U.    S.    Heavy    Artillery 

June   I,   1864. 
Turnley,  Hiram  M.,  e.  Aug.  20,  1861 ;  dis. 

for  disability  March  28,  1864. 


300 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


Company  D. 

Capt.  Charles  E.  Clarke,  Dowagiac,  com. 
Aug.  20,  1861 ;  prom.  Major. 

Capt.  James  A.  Ellis,  Dowagiac,  com. 
Sept.  I,  1863;  resigned  July  19,  1864; 
trans,  ist  Lieut,  from  Co.  C,  July  20, 
1863;  2d  Lieut.  Co.  D,  Aug.  20,  1861. 

First  Lieut.  Frederick  J.  Clarke,  Dow- 
agiac, com.  Aug.  19,  1861 ;  killed  in  bat- 
tle at  Port  Hudson,  La.,  May  27,  1862. 

First  Lieut.  William  W.  Mcllvaine,  Cass- 
opolis,  com.  Sept.  i,  1863 ;  com.  2d 
Lieut,  Dec.  i,  1862;  Sergt.  Aug.  20, 
1861 ;  resigned  as  ist  Lieut.  July  20, 
1864. 

First  Lieut.  Charles  St.  John,  Dowagiac. 
com.  March  7,  1865 ;  m.  o.  July  20, 
1865;  2d  Lieut.  Co.  F;  Sergt.  Co.  D; 
vet.  Feb.  i,  1864. 

Second  Lieut.  John  G.  Allison,  Porter,  e. 
Sergt.  Aug.  20,  1861 ;  vet.  Feb.  i,  1864; 
m.   o.  as   Sergt.  July  20,   1865. 

Sergt.  Hiram  Meacham,  e.  Aug.  20,  1861 ; 
dis.  for  disability  Oct.  14,  1862. 

Sergt.  William  O.  Kellam,  e.  Aug.  20, 
i86t  :   dis    for  disability  April  30,   1864. 

Sergt.  Ira  Coe,  e.  Aug.  20,  1861 ;  prom.  2d 
Lieut.  U.  S.  C  T. 

Corp.  Charles  K.  Weil,  e.  Aug.  20,  1861  ; 
prom.  1st  Lieut,  ist  La.  Battery,  Nov. 
29,   1862. 

Corp.  Ira  Coe,  e.  Aug.  20,  1861 ;  dis.  at 
end  of  service  Aug.  23,  1864. 

Corp.  Thomas  M.  Sears,  La  Grange,  e. 
Nov.  21,  1862;  vet.  March  2,  1864;  dis. 
by  order  Aug.  20,  1865. 

Corp.  James  K.  Train,  e.  Dec.  16,  1863 ; 
m.   o.  Aug.  20,  1865. 

Corp.  Theodore  Perarie,  Ontwa,  e.  Dec. 
2,  1864;  m.  o.  Aug.  20,  1865. 

PRIVATES. 

Aikins,  Alexander,  Calvin,  e.  Oct.  7,  1863  ; 

m.  o.  Aug.  20,   1865. 
Baker,  Ferdinand,  m.  o.  Aug.  20,  1865. 
Bell,    James    M.,    Jefferson,    e.    Aug.    20, 

1861 ;    vet.    Feb.    i,    1864;    dis.    for   dis- 
ability Aug.  I,  1865. 
Brown,  Francis  D.,  e.  Aug.  20,  1861 ;  dis. 

at  end  of  service  Aug.  23,  1864. 
Carter,    Elijah    H.,    Porter,    e.     Aug.     12, 

1862;    died    at    Port    Hudson,    La.,    of 

wounds  May  27,  1863. 
Carter,  John  M.,  Calvin,  e.  Aug.  12,  1862; 

died  of  disease  at  Port  Hudson,   Sept. 

2,  1863. 
Christie,    Willard,   e.   Aug.   20,    1861 ;    dis. 

at  end  of  service  Aug.  23,  1864. 
Curtis,    Edward,    e.    Aug.   20,    1861 ;    died 

of  disease  at  New  Orleans,  La.,  Nov.  30, 

1862. 
Gushing,  James  H.,  Silver  Creek,  e.  April 

12,  1864;  dis.  by  order  Sept.  5,  1865. 


Dorr,  Peter,  Penn,  e.  Aug.  20,  1861 ;  vet. 

Feb.   I,   1864;  ni.   o.  Aug.  20,   1865. 
Estabrook,  Aaron  L.,  e.  Aug.  20,  1861 ;  dis. 

at  end  of  service  Aug.  23,  1864. 
Estabrook,   George  R.,   e.   Aug.   20,   1861 ; 

dis.   for  disability  Oct.   14,   1862. 
Fraker,    Oliver    P.,    Porter,    e.    Aug.    20, 

1861 ;    vet.    Feb.    i,    1864;    dis.    for    dis- 
ability May  18,  1865. 
Gannett,   Lewis,   e.   Aug.  20,   1861 ;   dis.  at 

end  of  service  Aug.  2^,  1864. 
Grennell,  Oliver  C,  e.  Aug.  20,  1861 ;  dis. 
^  for  disability  Oct.   14,  1862. 
Gates,  Jefferson,  e.  Aug.  20,  1861 ;  died  of 

disease  at  Baltimore  Oct.  8,  1861. 
Gilbert,    Allison    J.,    Wayne,    e.    Dec.    21, 

1863;  dis.   for  disability  June  2,  1865. 
Goodrich,    Noah,    e.    Aug.    20,    1861 ;    dis. 

for  disability  Oct.   12,  1864. 
Gregg,  James   H.,   e.   Aug.   20,    1861 ;   dis. 

at  end  of  service  Aug.  23,   1864. 
Greenman,   James  J.,   Porter,   e.   Aug.    12, 

1862;   m.   o.  July  21,   1865. 
Hall,    George   M.,   e.   Aug.   20,    1861 ;    dis. 

for  disability  Oct.  6,   1863. 
Hall,    Philander    W.,    e.    Aug.    20,    1861 ; 

vet.  Feb.  i,  1864;  m.  o.  Aug.  20,  1865. 
Harmon,  Benjamin  H.,  died  at  Port  Hud- 
son, La.,  of  wounds  May  27,  1863. 
Harmon,    James,    e.    Aug.    20,    1861 ;    dis. 

by  order  March  28,  1864. 
Harmon,  Sylvester,  e.  Aug.  20,  1861 ;  died 

of   disease   at    Port    Hudson,   La.,   Aug. 

13,   1863. 
Herrod.    Francis    M.,    Porter,    e.    Jan.    2, 

1864;  m.  o.  Aug.  20,  1865. 
Horr,  Calvin  L.,  Calvin,  e.  Aug.  14,  1862; 

m.   o.  July  21,   1865. 
Hover,  Evart,  Silver  Creek,  e.  March  31, 

1864;  m-  o.  Aug.  20,  1865. 
Jackson,  J.   J.,   Porter,   e.   Aug.   27,    1862; 

dis.  for  disability  March  10,  1863. 
Johnston,  Albert,  e.  Aug.  20,  1861 ;  dis.  by 

order  Feb.    10,   18^3. 
King,   Edward,   e.   Aug.  20,   1861 ;   dis.  at 

end  of  service  Aug.  23,  1864. 
King,  John,   e.  Jan.   i,   1862;  vet.   Feb.   i, 

1864. 
Kidder,  Norman  C,  e.  Aug.  12,  1862;  m. 

o.  July  21,  1865. 
Kirk,  George  W.,  e.  Aug.  20,   1861  ;   died 

of  disease  at  Camp  Williams   Nov.  21, 

1862. 
Lake,  William  H.,  e.  Aug.  20,   1861 ;   dis. 

at  end  of  service  Aug.  23,  1864. 
Lewis,    Peter,   e.    Aug.   20,    1861 ;    died   of 

disease  at  Port  Hudson,  La.,  Aug.    12, 

1863. 
Mcintosh,    Jacob    M.,    e.    Aug.    20,    1861 ; 

dis.  at  end  of  service  Aug.  23,  1864. 
Mecham,    Cyrus,    e.    Aug.    20,    1861 ;    dis. 

for  disability  Oct.  14.  1862. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


301 


Meacham,  William  J.,  e.  Jan.  i,  1862;  dis. 

for  disability  Oct.  14,  1862. 
Miller,  James  M. ;  dis.  for  disability  Sept. 

18,   1863. 
Montgomery,    Milton,    e.    Aug.    20,    1861 ; 

died    of   disease    at    Baton    Rouge,    La., 

Aug.  3,  1862. 
Montgomery,    Samuel,    e.   Aug.   20,    1861 ; 

died   of    disease   at    Port   Hudson,    La., 

July  18,   1863. 
Myers,  George  R.,  e.  Aug.  20,  1861 ;  died 

of   disease   at    New   Orleans,   La,,   Aug. 

12,  1862. 
Nesbitt,   William,    e.    Aug.   20,    1861 ;    dis. 

for  disability  Oct.  14,  1862. 
Neville,   Jerry,    Silver   Creek,    e.    Dec.   22, 

1863;  m.  o.  Aug.  20,  1865. 
Osborn,    Allen     S.,    Calvin,    e.    Aug.     11, 

1862;  m.  o.  July  21,   1865. 
Osborn,   Arthur,   e.   Nov.   10,    1862;   m.   o. 

Aug.  20,  1865. 
Osborn,  Job  E.,  Calvin,  e.  Aug.  14,   1862  ; 

died   of    disease    at    Port    Hudson,    La., 

Oct.  4,  1863. 
O'Neil,    Timothy,    Silver    Creek,    e.    Nov 

21,   1863;   m.  o.   Aug.  20,   1865. 
Overmeyer,  Thomas  J.,  e.  Aug.  20,   1861 ; 

dis.  at  end  of  service  Aug.  23,  1864. 
Owen,   Andrew  J.,  e.  Aug.   20,   i86r ;   dis. 

at  end  of  service  Aug.  23,   1864. 
Patrick,  Levi  W.,  died  of  disease  at  Baton 

Rouge,   La.,   July  3,   1862. 
Randall,    Lorenzo    D.,    e.    Aug.    20,    1861 ; 

dis.  at  end  of  service  Aug.  23,  1864. 
Reynolds,   George,   e.   Aug.   20,    1861 ;    dis. 

at  end  of  service  Aug.  23,  1864. 
Reynolds,   Paul   S.,  e.   Aug.  20,   1861 ;  dis. 

at  end  of  service  Aug.  2^,  1864. 
Rinehart,  Henry,  e.  Aug.   18,   1862;   m.  o. 

July  21,   T865. 
Ring.  John,  e.  Aug.  20,  1861 ;  dis.  for  dis- 
ability Oct.   14,   1862. 
Robb,  John,  e.  Aug.  20,  1861 ;  dis.  for  dis- 
ability Jan.  20,   1862. 
Rogers,   Lcroy,   e.   Aug.   20,   1861 ;    dis.   at 

end   of   service   Aug.   23,    1864. 
Sickles,  George  W.,  e.  Aug.  20,  1861 ;  died 

in  action  at  Port  Hudson,  La.,  June  30, 

1863. 
Starks,  William,  Silver  Creek,  e.  April  12, 

1864;  m.  o.  Aug.  20,  1865. 
Shawl,  Merrin,  Silver  Creek,  e.  April  12, 

1864;  m.  o.  Aug.  20,   1865. 
Stockwell,    John,    e.    Aug.    20,    1861 ;    dis. 

for  disability  Oct.  14,  1862. 
Stone,    Edmund,    e.    Aug.    20,    1861 ;    died 

of  disease  at  New  Orleans,  La.,  Aug.  12, 

1862. 
St.  John,   Charles,   Silver   Creek,   e.   Aug. 

20,    1861  ;    vet.    Feb.    i,    1864;    dis.    for 

prom.  2d  Lieut.,  this  regt.,  Co.  J,  Nov. 

I,   1864. 
Swinehart,    Lewis,    Porter,    e.    Aug.     18, 


1862;  died  of  disease  at  Port  Hudson, 

La.,   Aug.  29,   1863. 
Tracy,  Spencer,  e.  Aug.  20,  1861 ;  died  of 

disease   at   Port   Hudson,   La.,   Sept.   22, 

1863. 
Wallace,  William,  e.  Dec.   19,  1863 ;  m.  o. 

July  21,   1865. 
Wheeler,  Thomas,  Penn,  e.  Aug.  25,  1864; 

m.  o.  Aug.  20,   1865. 
Wieting,  John,  Silver  Creek,  e.  March  31, 

1864;    dis     for   disability   Dec.    15,    1864. 
Wilsey,  William  H.,  e.  Aug.  20,  1861 ;  died 

of   disease   at   Carrolton,   La.,   March  6, 

1863. 

Company  E. 

Second  Lieut.  Charles  St.  John,  Dowagiac, 
prom,  from  Serg.  Co.  D,  July  18,  1864; 
prom.  1st  Lieut.,  Co.  D,  March  7,  1865. 

Company  F. 

PRIVATE. 

Corselman,  Levi,  Marcellus,  e.  March  i, 
1862;    dis.   by   order    Sept.    14,    1865. 

Company  G. 

privates. 

Clark,    George    H.,    Wayne,    e.    Dec.    19, 

1863 ;  m.  o.  Aug.  20,  1865. 
Dewey,    Enoch,    Silver   Creek,   e.   Dec.   21, 

1863;  m.  o.  Aug.  20,  1865. 
Stevens,    Isaac   R.,    Silver    Creek,    e.    Oct. 

20,  1864;  m.  o.  Aug.  20,  1865. 

Company  K. 

P1rst  Lieut.  John  Jacks,  Edwardsburg, 
com.  Sept.  I,  1862;  dis.  for  disability 
Oct.  27,   1863. 

First.  Lieut.  Edward  C.  Beardsley,  Dow- 
agiac, com.  Nov.  25,  1864. 

Second  Lieut.  John  Jacks,  Ontwa,  com. 
Aug.  20,   1863 ;   prom.  First  Lieut. 

Second  Lieut.  Edward  C.  Beardsley,  Dow- 
agiac, com.  June  3,  1864;  prom.  First 
Lieut. 

Sergt.  Charles  Morgan,  e.  Aug.  20,  1861 ; 
dis.  at  end  of  service  Aug.  23,  1864. 

Sergt.  E.  C.  Beardsley,  e.  Aug.  20,  1861 ; 
prom.   Second  Lieut. 

Sergt.  John  P.  Carr,  Jefiferson,  e.  Aug. 
20,  1861 ;  vet.  Feb.  i,  1864;  m.  o.  Aug. 
26,    1865. 

Corp.  John  R.  Lee,  e.  Aug.  20,  1861  ;  trans, 
to  regimental  band. 

Corp.  Alonzo  Benedict,  e.  Aug.  20,  1861 ; 
dis.  for  disability  Oct.  26,  1862. 

Corp.  Leonard  Sweet,  e.  Aug.  20,  1861 ; 
dis.   for  disability  Oct.  26,  1862. 

Corp.  David  Ogden,  e.  Aug.  20,  i86t  ; 
vet.  Feb.  i,   1864;   m.  o.  Aug.  20,  1865. 

Corp.  James  H.  Smith,  e.  Aug.  20,  1861  ; 
dis.  for  disability  Jan.  20,  1862. 

Corp.  John  Chatterdon,  Howard,  e.  Aug. 


302 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


20,   1861 ;  vet.  Feb.  i,  1864;  m.  o.  Aug. 
II,  1865. 

PRIVATES. 

Barrett,   Ransom,   e.   Aug.  20,   1861 ;    died 

of   disease   at   Port   Hudson,   La.,   June 

25,  1862. 
Bramhall,   Nathan  W.,  e.  Aug.  20,   1861 ; 

died   of   disease    at    Port   Hudson,    La., 

Feb.  6,  1864. 
Brunson,    Perry,    e.    Aug.    20,    1861 ;    dis. 

to  enter  Regular  Army  Dec.  23,  1862. 
Bump,    Adolphus,    Jefferson,    e.    Aug.    20, 

1861 ;  vet.  Feb.  i,   1864;  m.  o.  Aug.  20, 

1865. 
Coder,   Willett  G.,  e.  Aug.  20,   1861 ;   dis. 

for  disability  Oct.  26,  i8(5i. 
Cole,  Johnson   B.,   e.   Aug.  20,    1861 ;   dis. 

for  disability  Oct.  29,  1862. 
Eby,  George  W.  N.,  e.  Aug.  20,  1861 ;  dis. 

for  disability  Jan.  5,  1863. 
Hanson,  Benjamin,  e.  Aug.  20,  1861 ;  died 

of   disease   at   Ship   Island,   La.,   March 

18,    1862. 
Haskins,    Calvin,    Jefferson,    e.    Aug.    20, 

1861 ;  vet.  Feb.  i,  1864;  m.  o.  Aug.  20, 

1865. 
Heyde,   Henry,   e.   Aug.   20,    1861 ;    dis.   at 

end  of  service  Aug.  22,,  1864. 
Joy,  Elias  W.,  Jefferson,  e.  Aug.  20,  1861 ; 

vet.  Feb.  i,  1864;  m.  o.  Aug.  20,  1865. 
Kieffer,   Jacob,   e.   Aug.   20,    1861 ;   dis.   at 

end  of  service  Aug.  23,  1864. 


Lamson,    Horace,    dis.    at   end    of    service 

Aug.  22,,  1864. 
Lockwood,   Henry    P.,    e.   Aug.    20,    1861 ; 

died   of   disease   at    Baton   Rouge,    La., 

July  24,   1863. 
McKinstry,  Albert,  e.   Aug.  20,   1861  ;  dis. 

by  order  March  9,  1864. 
Mott,    Sylvester,    e.    Aug.    20,    1861  ;    died 

of    disease    at    Camp    Williams    Oct.    8, 

1862. 
Putnam,    Uzziel,    Pokagon,    e.    Aug.    20, 

1861 ;  dis.   for  disability  Jan.  26,  1864. 
^   ^    Niles,   vet.    Feb.    i,    1864; 

m.   o.  Aug.  20,   1865. 
Rourke,    Patrick,    e.    Aug.    20,    1861  ;    vet. 

Feb.  I,  1864;  m.  o.  Aug.  20,   1865. 
Shiry,  William,  Baton  Rogue,  e.  Aug.  20, 

1861 ;  died  of  disease  New  Orleans,  La., 

Sept.    II,    1862. 
Smith,   Mathew,   e.    Aug.   20,     1862 ;    died 

of    disease    at    New    Orleans    Aug.    2Q, 

1863. 
Sweet,  Leonard,  re-e.  Dec.  5,  1863;  m.  o. 

Aug.  20,  1865. 
Thayer,  Ezra,  Jefferson,  e.  Aug.  20,  1861 ; 

vet.   Feb.   i,   1864;  m.  o.  Aug.  20,   1865. 
Westfall,    Marvin    F.,    Jefferson,    e.    Aug. 

20,  1861 ;  vet.  Feb.  i,  1864;  dis.  for  dis- 
ability June  4,   1865. 
Williams,   George  W.,   e.   Aug.   20,    1861 ; 

dis.  at  end  of  service  Aug.  23,   1864. 


THE  TWELFTH   MTCHIGAN   VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY. 


Company  A. 
Capt.    Joseph    Harper,     Cassopolis,     com. 

Sept.  26,  1861 ;  resigned  May  7,  1862. 
First    Lieut.    Charles    A.    Van    Riper,    La 

Grange,  com.  Oct.  4,  1861 ;  resigned  Feb. 

28,  1863. 
First  Lieut.   Austin  L.   Abbott,   Pokagon, 

com.    Feb.    23,    1863;    resigned   July    3, 

1864. 
Second  Lieut.  David  M.  McLelland,  Dow- 

agiac,  com.  Oct.  14,  1861 ;  resigned  Nov. 

16,  1862. 
Second  Lieut.  Robert  S.  M.  Fox,  Howard, 

com.    April    8,    1864;    prom,    ist   Lieut. 

Co.  G. 
Sergt.    Austin    L.    Abbott,     Pokagon,     e. 

Sept.  2S,  1861 ;  prom,  ist  Lieut.  Go.  A. 
Sergt.  George  B.  Crane,  Pokagon,  e.  Oct. 

4,  1861 ;  died  of  disease  at  Little  Rock, 

Ark.,  July  23,   1864. 
Sergt.   Benjamin  F.  Dunham,   Cassopolis, 

e.  Oct.  4,  1861 ;  prom.  Com.  Sergt.  April 

I,   1862;   died  of  disease   at   St.   Louis, 

Mo.,  May  24,  1862. 
Sergt.  James   Hill,   Cassopolis,  e.  Oct.  9, 

1861 ;  dis.  for  disability  May  31,  1864. 
Sergt.   Joseph   R.   Edwards,   Pokagon,   e. 


Sept.   28,    1861 ;    dis.   at   end   of  service 

Jan.  9,  1865. 
Sergt.  Robert  S.  M.  Fox,  Howard,  e.  Oct. 

2,    1861 ;    vet.   Dec.   25,    1863 ;   prom.   2d 

Lieut.  Co.  A. 
Sergt.    Isaac    D.    Harrison,    Pokagon,    e. 

Sept.   28,    1861 ;   vet.   Dec.  25,   1863 ;   m. 

o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Corp.  Isaac  D.  Harrison. 
Corp.  William  E.  Stevens,  Mason,  e.  Oct. 

22,  1861 ;  prom.  2d  Lieut.  Co.  K. 
Corp.    Lewis    Van   Riper,    La    Grange,    e. 

Oct.  4,  1861 ;  dis.  for  disability  Jan.  21, 

1862. 
Corp.  William  Lingual,  Pokagon,  e.  Sept. 

30,  1861 ;  dis.  at  end  of  service  Feb.  14, 

1865. 
Corp.  Almon  W.  Eck,  Wayne,  e.  May  18, 

1863;    vet.    Feb.    29,    1864;    m.    o.    Feb. 

15,  1866. 

Musician  Wellman  Blanchard,  Pokagon, 
e.  Oct.  15,  1861 ;  dis.  for  disability  Aug. 

16,  1862. 

PRIVATES. 

Allen,  Alonzo  W.,  Pokagon,  e.  Sept.  28, 
1861 ;  died  of  disease  at  Memphis,  Tenn.^ 
Oct.  25,  1863. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


303 


Allen,  Nelson  K.,  Porter,  e.  Jan.  30,  1864; 

m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Barker,  George  R,  e.  Dec.  15,  1861 ;  vet. 

Dec.  5,  1863;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Bilderback,    Peter,    Silver    Creek,    e.    Oct. 

31,   1861;    died  of  wounds   at  Pittsburg 

Landing,  June  5,  1862. 
Bilderback,    Wesley    B.,    Silver    Creek,    e. 

Oct.   31,    1861 ;   dis.   for   disability   Nov. 

14,  1863. 
Bronner,   David,    Penn,   e.    Oct.    18,    1861 ; 

died  of  disease  April  — ,  1862. 
Brown,    Albert    E.,    Ontwa,    e.    March    2, 

1865;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Brown,  Charles  G.,  Dowagiac,  e.  Sept.  5, 

1862;    dis.    at    end    of    service    Sept.    9, 

1865. 
Buckley,    Peter,    Pokagon,    e.    March    18, 

1863;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Bucklin,    George    S.,   Wayne,   e.   Nov.    12, 

1861 ;  dis.  for  disability  Sept.  9,  1862. 
Bush,  Asa  L.,  Dowagiac,  e.  Feb.  18,  1862 ; 

died  of  disease  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  Oct. 

20,  1863. 
Byers,  Charles  F.,  La  Grange,  e.  Aug.  19, 

1864;  dis.  at  end  of  service  Sept.  9,  1865. 
Carr,  Allen  M.,  Ontwa,  e.   Feb.  25,   1864; 

dis.   for  disability  May  22,   1865. 
Caves,   Samuel,   died  of  disease  at   Niles, 

Mich.,  March  23,  1862. 
Clasby,    James,    La    Grange,    e.    Feb.    18, 

1862;    dis.    at    end    of    service   Feb.    17, 

Campbell,  Daniel,  Pokagon,  e.  March  18, 
1863;  died  of  wounds  at  Camden,  Ark., 
Oct.  6,  1865.  ^  o^      A- 

Cleveland,  Charles  E.,  e.  Jan.  27,  1862 ;  dis. 
at  end  of  service  Jan.  27,  1865. 

Colby,  James  E.,  e.  Oct.  14,  1861 ;  died  in 
action  at  Shiloh  April  6,  1862. 

Colvin,  James  M.,  e.  Oct.  29,  1861 ;  vet. 
Dec.  25,   1863;  accidentally  killed   Sept. 

5,  1864. 
Curtis,   Franklin   P.,    Mason,    e.    Feb.    14, 

1864;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Davis,  Edson,  Dowagiac,  e.  Oct.  5,  1861 ; 

vet.  Dec.  25,  1863;  m,.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Delaney,    Thomas,    Cassopolis,    e.    Oct.   g, 

1861 ;  vet.  Dec.  25,  1863 ;  dis.  by  order 

Aug.  14,  1865. 
Denison,  Franklin,   Cassopolis,   e.   Oct.   9, 

1861 ;  vet.  Dec.  28,  1863 ;  dis.  for  disabil- 
ity May  II,  1865. 
Eggleston,  William  J.,  Mason,  e.  Feb.  16, 

1865;   dis.  by  order  May  22,  1865. 
Emmons,    Darius,   Dowagiac,    e.   Feb.   22, 

1864;  dis.  by  order  May  22,  iS6^. 
Emmons,    Jonathan,    Dowagiac,    e.    Feb. 

22,  1864;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  t^S66.        ~         , 
Emmons,  William  A.,  Dowagiac,  e.  Feb. 

22,  1864;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Foster,    Francis    M.,    P^nn.,    e.    Feb.    23, 

1864;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 


Gallagher,    James,    Jefferson,    e.    Dec.    8, 

1863;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  i866. 
Gilbert,  Samuel,  Mason,  e.  Oct.  25,  1861 ; 

dis.  by  order  Sept.   7,   1862. 
Gillespie,    George,    Dowagiac,    e.    Dec.    28, 

1861 ;  dis.  by  order  April  25,  1863. 
Goodrich,    James,    Jefferson,    e.    Feb.    22, 

1864;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Goft*,  Hiram,  Wayne,  e.  Nov.  9,  1861  ;  died 

at  home. 

Graham,    Edward   R.,    Cassopolis,   e.    Feb. 

21,  1862;  dis.  at  end  of  service  Feb.  21, 

1865. 

Graham,  Henry  C,  LaGrange,  e.  Sept.  7, 

1864;  dis.  at  end  of  service  Sept.  9,  1865. 

Haas,  Jacob,   Howard,   c.   Sept.  2;^,   1864; 

dis.  at  end  of  service  Sept.  9,  1865. 
Haines,   Thomas   L.,   Ontwa,   e.   March  2, 

1865;  m.  o.  Feb.   15,  1866. 
Hartsel,    Edward,    Dowagiac,    e.    Oct.    5, 
1861 ;  died  of  disease  at  Columbus,  Ohio. 
Hatfield,  Andrew  V.,  dis.  by  order  Jan  24, 

1866. 
Hauser,  Michael  B.,  Pokagon,  e.  Oct.  15, 
1861  ;  dis.   for  disability  Aug.  28,   1862. 
Heaton,   Abfam,   Porter,  e.   Dec.   5,   1863; 

m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Heaton,    Lester    M.,    Porter,    e.    Dec.    29, 

1863;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Higgins,   Benjamin   F.,   Newberg,   e.    Oct. 

12.  1861  ;  dis.  by  order  April  21,  1863. 
Higgins,  James  P.,  e.  Dec.   10,   1861 ;  vet. 
Dec.  25,  1863 ;  dis.  for  disability  July  8, 
1864. 
Higgins,  John,  Newberg,  e.  Dec.  11,  1861 ; 

vet.  Dec.  25,  1863;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Higley,    Solomon   G.,   Ontwa,   e.   Dec.   29, 

1863;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Higley,    William,     Ontwa,     e.    March    2, 

1865;  m.  o.  Feb.   15,  1866. 
Hill,    Henry    T.,    Cassopolis,    e.    Feb.    18, 
1862;    dis.    at    end    of    service    Feb.    17, 
1865. 
Hibray,    Jacob    P.,    Newberg,    e.    Oct.    3, 
1861 ;    died   of   disease   at    Montgomery, 
Ala.,  May  i,  1862. 
Hitchcock,   Lucius   P.,   Porter,   e.    Feb.   5, 

1864;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Holmes,    Henry,    Pokagon,    e.    March    18, 
1863 ;  died  of  disease  at  Dowagiac  Oct. 
20,  1863. 
Holmes,   William,    Silver   Creek,    e.    Nov. 
19,   1861 ;   died  of  disease  at  Dowagiac 
June  10,  1863. 
Homer,    James,    LaGrange,    e.    Oct.    18, 
1861 ;  vet.  Dec.  28,  1863 ;  m.  o.  Feb.  15, 
1866. 
Hudson,  James,  Jefferson,  e.  Dec.  15,  1863; 

tn.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866, 
Huff,   Charles   H.,  .iJaQrange,   e.  Jan.    17, 

186S;  'dis.  by  order  Jan.  24,  1866. 
Hunt,    John    H.,    Jefferson,    e.    Nov.    11, 


304 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


1861 ;  vet.  Dec.  25,  1863 ;  m.  o.  Feb.  15, 

1866. 
Ireland,  Elon  M.,  rti.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Jackson,    Erastiis    M.,    Porter,    e.    Feb.    7, 

1864;  m.  o.  Feb.   15,   1866. 
Jackson,  George,  Mason,  e.  Feb.  14,  1865; 

m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Jackson,  John  S.,  Porter,  e.  Feb.  7,  1864; 

m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Jennings,    Abrami,    Dowagiac,   e.    Oct.    15, 

1861 ;  dis.  by  order  July  23,  1862. 
Johns,   Aaron,    Mason,    e.    Oct.    18,    1861 ; 

m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Kugan,    Edward,    Jefiferson,    e.    Feb.    28, 

1862;    captured    at    Little    Rock,    Ark., 

Sept.  3,  1864;  exchanged  May  27,  1865; 

dis.  at  end  of  service  July  8,  1865. 
Kelley,  John  H.,   Calvin,  e.   Feb.  7,   1865; 

died    of    disease    at    Washington,    Ark., 

July  2,  1865. 
Kelley,  Joseph,   Calvin,   e.   Feb.   26,   1864; 

dis.  by  order  May  22,  1865. 
Keyes,  John,  Wayne,  e.  Nov.  9,  1861 ;  dis. 

by  order  July  16,  1862. 
Landon,  Edward,  Mason,  e.  Feb.  16,  1865; 

m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Langley,   Zachariah    B.,   Pokagon,   e.   Oct. 

13,   1861 ;   dis.  at  end  of  service  Jan.  7, 

1865. 
Lillie.  John,  LaGrange,  e.  Dec.  28,  1861 ; 

dis.  at  end  of  service  Jan.  7,  1865. 
Liphart,  George  M.,  LaGrange,  e.  Oct.  31, 

1861 ;    died   at   Indianapolis,   Ind.,   April 

17,   1865.^ 
Lewman,    Simon,    LaGrange,    e.    Feb.    22, 

1864;   died  of  disease  at  Duvall's  Bluff, 

Ark.,  Dec.  16,  1864. 
Maloney,    Lawrence,    Pokagon,   e.    Feb.   3, 

1864;  died  of  disease  at  Camden,  Ark., 

Dec.  9,  1865. 
Marsh,    Benjamin,    LaGrange,    e.    Dec.    7, 

1863;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,   1866. 
Marsh,    Nathan,   LaGrange,   e.   March    16, 

1865;  m-  o-  Feb.   15,   1866. 
]\Iiner,  William  A.,  LaGrange,   e.   Oct.   5, 

1861  ;  vet.  Dec.  25,  1863;  m.  o.  Feb.  15, 

1866. 
Munson,    Allen    C,    Volinia,    e.    Sept.    2, 

1864;    dis.    at    end    of   service    Sept.    9, 
1865. 
Myers,  George,  Volinia,  e.  Feb.  18,  1864; 

died   of  disease  at   Camden,   Ark.,   Dec. 

9,   1865. 
Neff,  Aaron,  Jefferson,   e.   Feb.  22,   1S64 ; 

m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Niblett,    James,    Mason,   e.    Feb.   8,    i«64; 

dis.  by  order  May  22,  1865. 
Nichols,  Arthur,   Penn,  e.  Dec.   11,   1861 ; 

dis.  for  disability  July  17,  1862. 
Norton,    Bela   A.,    LaGrange,    e.   Jan.   27, 
1862;    dis.    at    end    of   service   Jan.    27, 
1865. 


Odell,  Victor  M,,  e,  Feb.  i,  1862;  missing 

in  battle  at  Shiloh  April  7,  1862. 
Pratt,    Henry    D.,    Pokagon,    e.    Nov.    17, 

1861 ;  died  of  disease  at  St.  Louis,  Mo., 

June  5,  1862. 
Pratt,   James    E.,   La   Grange,   e.   Oct.   21, 

1861 ;   vet.   Jan.  2,   1864;   m.   o.   Feb.   15, 

1866. 
Philips,    William    J.,    Mason,    e.    Jan.    18, 

1864;  died  of  disease  at  Duvall's  Bluff, 

Ark.,  Nov.  26,  1864. 
Post,  John  H.,  Pokagon,  e.  Oct.  8,  1861 ; 

dis.  at  end  of  service  Jan.  2y,  1865, 
Reams,  Peter,  Jefferson,  e.  Feb.  23,  1864; 

dis.   for  disability  May  26,   1865. 
Roberts.    James    H.,    Mason,    e.    Feb.    15, 

1865;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Robinson,  Levi,  Pokagon,  e.  Oct.  15,  1861  ; 

vet.  Dec.  25,  1863;  dis.  by  order  March 

I,  1864. 
Rogers,  Jesse,  Porter,  e.  Dec.  5,  1863;  m. 

o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Root,  Charles,  La  Grange,  e.  Feb.  22,  1864; 

died    of    disease    at    Little   Rock,    Ark., 

Aug.  8,  1864. 
Root,   Josiah    C,    La    Grange,   e.   Oct.    31, 

1861 ;  dis.  for  disability  July  17,  1862. 
Rosburgh,     Enos,    Jefferson,    e.    Feb.    26, 

1862;  dis.  by  order  Nov.  16,  1862. 
Rost,    John    A.,    La    Grange,    e.    Feb.    18, 

1862;  dis.  for  disability  June  4,  1862. 
Russey,  John   M.,  La  Grange,  e.  Feb.  21, 

1862;  vet.   Feb.  29,  1864;  m.  o.  Feb.   15, 

1866. 
Sergt.   James    M.    Savage,   La    Grange,    e. 

Oct.  31,  t86i  ;  vet.  Dec.  25,  1863;  m.  o. 

Feb.  15,  1866. 
Scotten,    William,    Ontwa,    e.    March    2, 

1865;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Secor,  Isaac,  La  Grange,  e.  Oct.  28,  i86t  ; 

died   at   Jackson,   Tenn.    (railroad   acci- 
dent), Sept.  24,  1862. 
Secor,  Joseph  W.,  La  Grange,  e.  Oct.  24, 

t86i  ;  dis.  by  order  Sept.  I,  1862. 
Shanafelt,   William   H.,   e.   Oct.   31,   1861  ; 

vet.  Dec.  25,   1863;  m.  o.  Feb.   15,  1866. 
Shepard,  Charles,  Calvin,  e.  Feb.  25,  1864; 

died  of  disease  at  Niles,  Mich. 
Shuste,    Thomas    P.,    LaGrange,    e.    Nov. 

IT,    i86t  ;    dis.    for    disability    Sept.    20, 

1862. 
Simpson,  Thomas,  La  Grange,  e.  Oct.  20, 

1861 ;  vet.  Dec.  25,  1863 ;  m.  o.  Feb.  15, 

1866. 
Soules,  Peter,  Pokagon,  e.  Oct.   15,  1861 ; 

vet.  Dec.  28,  1863;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Stanage,   Benton,   La   Grange,   e.   Feb.   20, 

1864;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Stephenson,   James    B.,   Jefferson,   e.   Feb. 

22,  1864 ;  died  of  disease  at  Little  Rock, 

Ark:,  June  28,  1864. 
Steere,   William   H.,   Wayne,   e.   Nov.    19, 
1861 ;  dis.   for  disability  Aug.  2,  1862. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


305 


Stevens,  Samuel,  Mason,  e.  Feb.  15,  1865; 

m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Smith,  Nelson  A.,  Porter,  e.  Oct.  13,  1861 ; 

dis.  at  end  of  service  Jan.  7,  1865. 
Temple,    Franklin,    Ontwa,    e.    March    2, 

1865;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Thomas.    Noble    O.,    La    Grange,    e.    Oct. 

31,    1861 ;    dis.    at    end    of    service    Jan. 

7,  1865. 
Thomas,    Sherwood,    La    Grange,    e.    Oct. 

^T,   1861 ;   dis.  at  end  of  service  Jan.  7, 

1865. 
Thompson,    Smith,   Marcellus,   e.   Oct.   20, 

1861 ;    dis.    at    end    of    service    Jan.    7, 

1865. 
Townsend,    William,    La    Grange,    e.    Oct. 

31,   1861 ;    died  of   disease  at   St.   Louis, 

Mo.,  Nov.  II,  1863. 
Tubbs,  Lester,  Porter,  e.  Dec.  5,  1863;  m. 

o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Upham.    George,    La   Grange,    e.    Feb.    23, 

1864;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Van    Tuyl,    Richard,    Mason,    e.    Feb.    27, 

1864;  m.  o.  Feb.   15,  1866. 
White,    Seth,    Wayne,    e.    Nov.    12,    1861 ; 

vet.  Dec.  25,  1863;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Wilcox,   Henry,    Pennsylvania,   e.    Feb.   4, 

1862 ;  killed  in  railroad  accident  at  Jack- 
son, Tenn.,  Sept.  24,  1862. 
Willard,  John,   e.   March  3,  1864;  died  of 

disease  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Oct.  20,  1863. 
Williams,    Samuel,    Jcfiferson,    e.    Feb.    23, 

1864;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Winfrey,    George,    Dowagiac,    e.    Dec.    15, 

t86i  ;  dis.  by  order  July  24,  1862. 
Wing,  Orlando,  Jefferson,  e.  Dec.  2,  1862 ; 

m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Wolfe,    Franklin,    e.    Feb.    26,    1862;    vet. 

Feb.  29,  1864;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
W^oolsey,    Lewis,    La    Grange,    e.    Oct.    4, 

1861  ;   died   of  disease   at   Camp   Logan, 

Tenn.,  Alay  21,  1862. 

Company  B. 

Baldwin,   Edwin  K..   La     Grange,  e.  Dec. 

T,  1863;  m.  o.  Feb.   15,  1866. 
Bell,   Richard   H.,   Howard,   e.   March  29, 

1862 :   vet.   March  22,   1864 ;   m.   o.   Feb. 

15,  1866. 
Bryant,   Thomas   G.,   Mason,   e.   March   i 

i86s;    dis.    at    end    of    service    Sept.    9. 

1865. 
Dennis,  John,   Milton,   e.   March    i,    1865 

m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Driscoll,   Noah,   Porter,   e.   Feb.   13,   1864 

m.  o.  Feb.  15,   1866. 
Dunn,    Ambrose,    Cassopolis,    e.    Feb.    15 

1864;  m-  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Haas,  George,  La  Grange,  e.  Dec.  i,  1863 

m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Haas,  John,  La  Grange,  e.   Dec.   i,  1863 

m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 


Haas,    John    A.,    La    Grange,    e.  Dec.  i, 

1863;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 

Higby,    Calvin    J.,    Newberg,    e.  Sept.  5, 

1864;    dis.    at    end    of    service  Sept.  9, 

1865. 
Huyck,    William    D.,    dis.    for    disability 

Nov.  9,   1865. 
Mosher,  Lsaac,  Pokagon,  e.  Feb.  16,  1863 ; 

m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1865. 
Palmer,  Charles  H.,  vet.  Jan.  2,  1864. 
Parkerton,    William,     Dowagiac,    e.     Feb. 

19,   1862;  vet.  Feb.  27,  1864;  m.  o.  Feb. 

15,  1866. 
Pettus,    Luther,    La    Grange,    e.    Dec.    i, 

1863 ;  died  of  disease  at  Camden,  Ark., 

Sept.  I,  1865. 
Rose,  John,  Pokagon,  e.  Sept.  3,  1864;  dis. 

at  end  of  service  Sept.  9,  1865. 
Wheeler,    Edwin,    Marcellus,    e.    Feb.    29, 

1864;  m-  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 

Company  C. 

Ashley,  Horace,  e.  Dec.  31,  1861  ;  dis.  for 

disability  July  19,  1862. 
Barmore,   John    E.,   e.    Dec.    5,    1861 ;    vet. 

Dec.  29,  1863. 
Cobb,    Albert   T.,    Dowagiac,    e.    Dec.    25, 

1861  ;  dis.  for  disability  Feb.  25,  1862. 
Doty,  James  H.,  Porter,  e.   Feb.  22,  1864; 

vet.  Dec.  24,   1863. 
Doty,    William    J.,    c.    Dec.    7,    1861  ;    vet. 

Dec.  24,  1863;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Griffith,  Samuel,  Milton,  e.  Oct.  25,  i86t  ; 

vet.- Dec.  24,   1863;   m.  o.  Feb.  15,   1866. 
Corp.    Charles   Hungerford,    Dowagiac,   e. 

Oct.    25,    1861 ;    dis.   by    order   June    30, 

1862. 
Kappelman,   John,    Pokagon,    e.    March    i, 

1865;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
King,  Samuel  P.,  Porter,  e.  Feb.  22,  1864; 

m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Kirk,    William    H.,     Porter,    e.    Feb.    22, 

1864;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Marks,  Isaac,  Dowagiac,  e.  Feb.  15,  1862; 

vet.  Feb.  25,  1864. 
McGee,    Lemuel    S.,   Dowagiac,   e.   Jan.   4. 

1862:   vet.    Jan.  2,   1864;  m.  o.   Feb.   15, 

t866. 
Olmstead,   John,   e.   Feb.  8,   1862;   dis.  by 

order  March  18,  1862. 
Sergt.    John    H.    Patterson,    e.    Nov.    25, 

1861;    vet.    Dec.    24,    1863;    m.    o.    Feb. 

15,  1866. 
Sanders.    Daniel,    Pokagon,    e.    Feb.    21, 

1865;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Stillwell,  Edwin   C,   Dowagiac,  e.  Jan.   5, 

1862;  vet.  Dec.  31,  1863. 
Thompson,    Reason,    Porter,    e.    Feb.    23, 

1864;  died  of  disease  at  Camden,  Ark., 

Sept.  8,  1865. 
Welch,    John    C,    Dowagiac,    e.    Dec.    25, 

1861;    vet.    Dec.  31,    1863;    prom.    2d. 

Lieut.  Co.  I  July  3,  1864. 


306 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


Company  D. 

Simmons,   Peter  W.,   Mason,   e.  Aug.  31, 

1864;    dis.    at    end    of   service    Sept.    9, 

1865. 
Sirrine,    Henry    F.,    Volinia,    e.    Sept.    2, 

1864;    dis.    at    end    of   service    Sept.    9, 

1865. 
Springsteen,  John  W.,  Volinia,  e.  Sept.  6, 

1864;  dis.  at  end  of  service  Sept.  9,  1865. 

Company  E. 

Barton,    Reuben,    Pokagon,    e.    S^pt.    3, 

1864;   dis.  by  order  Sept.   14,  1865. 
Beebe,  William  H.,  died  of  disease  at  St. 

Louis,  Mo.,  June   i,   1862. 
Leach,    James    M.,    Pokagon,    e.    Sept.    3, 

1864 ;  dis.  by  order  June  20,  1865. 
Odell,  Joseph,  Pokagon,  e.   Sept.  3,   1864; 

dis.  by  order  Sept.  14,   1865. 
Perkins,  Harvey  W.,  Howard,  e.  Oct.  18, 

1864;  dis.  by  order  Oct.  24,  1865. 
Walz,    John,    Silver    Creek,    e.    Feb.    29, 

1864;  died  of  disease  at  Grand  Rapids, 

Mich. 

Company  F. 

Second  Lieut.  William  Horton,  Jr.,  Dowa- 
giac  (Sergt.  Co.  I),  resigned  June  12, 
1865. 

Sergt.  Philo  H.  Simmons,  dis.  for  disabil- 
ity March  16,  1862. 

Sergt.  Robert.  A.  Walton,  Howard,  e. 
Oct.  12,  186 1 ;  vet.  Jan.  i,  1864;  m.  o. 
Feb.  5,   1866. 


Albrecht,  Jacob  G.,  Porter,  e.  Feb.  22, 
1864;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 

Bellows,  Job.  S.,  Ontwa,  e.  Sept.  2,  1864; 
dis.  at  end  of  service  Sept.  9,  1865. 

Brown,  Luman,  Jefferson,  e.  Nov.  25, 
1861 ;  died  May  i,  1862,  of  wounds  re- 
ceived at  Shiloh  April  6,  1862. 

Butler,   Henry  M.,  m.  o.  Feb.   15,   1866. 

Dean,  Thomas,  Ontwa,  e.  Nov.  8,  1861 ; 
dis.  at  end  of  service  Jan.  7,  1865. 

Durstern,  Michael,  e.  March  16,  1862;  dis- 
charged by  order  July  15,   1862. 

Hawkins,  Charles,  Pokagon,  e.  Dec.  30, 
1863;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 

Hawkins,  Benjamin,  vet.  Dec.  y:>,  1863; 
m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 

Hawkins,  Charles,  discharged  by  order 
June  17,  1865. 

Inman,  Isaiah,  La  Grange,  e.  Aug.  31, 
1864;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 

Leich,  Elias,  Milton,  e.  Dec.  5,  1861 ;  trans, 
to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps  Jan.  15,  1864. 

Lewis,  George  W.,  Jefferson,  e.  Nov.  22, 
1861 ;  vet.  Dec.  30,  1863;  m.  o.  Feb.  15, 
1866. 

Lynch,  William  J.,  Milton,  e.  Oct.  15, 
1861 ;  died  on  hospital  boat  May,  1862. 


Markle,   John,    Milton,   e.    Feb.   22,    1862; 

vet.  Feb.  24.  1864;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
McNitt,    Charles    W.,    Porter,   e.   Feb.   2(), 

1864;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Mitchell.    Robert,    Pokagon,    e.     Feb.    21, 

1865;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Moran,  James,  Jefferson,  e.  Dec.  2,  1861 ; 

vet.   Dec.  30,  1863;   m.  o.   Feb.  15,  1866. 
Morgan,    Charles    A.,    Milton,    e.    Oct.    15, 

1861 ;   vet.  Jan.   i,   1864;   m.  o.  Feb.   1=;, 

1866. 
Noble,  James  M.,  Milton,  e.  Dec.  3,  1861  ; 

dis.  by  order  June  25,  1862 ;  re-e.  March 

8,  1864;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
O'Keefe,  Eugene,  Silver  Creek,  e.  Oct.  30, 

1861 ;  dis.  at  end  of  service  Jan.  7,  1865. 
Parks,   Almenon,   e.    March   7,    1862;    vet. 

March  8,  1864;  m-  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Reigle,    George    W.,    Porter,    e.    Feb.    22, 

1864;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Reynolds,   Henry  C,  La   Grange,  e.   Sept. 

23,    1864;    dis.    at   end   of    service    Sept. 

29,  1865. 
Rogers,  Charles  F.,  Pokagon,  e.  Nov.  19, 

1861 ;  trans,  to  Vet.  Res.  Corps  Jan.  15, 

1864. 
Rogers,  Hiram,  Ontwa,  e.  Nov.  21,  1861  ; 

dis.  for  disability  March  16,  1862. 
Rogers,    Hiram  L.,    Pokagon,    e.   Oct.    14, 

1861 ;  died  of  disease  at  Keokuk,  Iowa, 

May  6,  1862. 
Simmons,    Joseph,    Jefferson,    e.    Dec.    2, 

1861 ;  dis.  for  disability  March  16,  1862. 
Snow,  William  H.,  Jefferson,  e.   Nov.  22, 

1861 ;  dis.  at  end  of  service  Jan.  7,  1865. 
Tuttle,  Jacob,  Milton,  e.  Oct.  15,  1861 ;  dis. 

for  disability  March  16,  1862. 
Whitmore,     George    A.,    La    Grange,    e. 

March  15,  1865;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Wilson,  James,  Ontwa,  e.  Dec.  13,   i86r ; 

vet.  Dec.  3,  1863;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Wilson,    Joseph    S.,    Ontwa,    e.    Dec.    14, 

1861 ;  vet.  Dec.  3,  1863 ;  m.  o.  Feb.   15, 

1866. 
Warden,  George  R.,  Jefferson,  e.  Dec.  5, 

1861 ;  dis.  by  order  July  25,  1862. 
Wyant,  James,  Ontwa,  e.   Nov.  21,    1861 ; 

dis.  by  order  July  8,  1862. 
Zeek,  William  F.,  Ontwa,  e.  Sept.  2,  1864; 

dis.  by  order  Oct.  31,  1865. 

Company  G. 

First  Lieut.  Robert  S.  M.  Fox.  Howard, 
com.  Oct.  19,  1864;  resigned  Sept.  18, 
1865. 

PRIVATES. 

Lawrence,   Joseph.    Silver   Creek,   e.    Dec. 

IQ,  1863 ;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Nichols.   Warren   W.,  Marcellus,  e.   Sept. 

27,   1864:   dis.  by  order  Sept.  30,   1865. 
Schuh,    Nicholas,    La    Grange,    e.    Dec.   3, 

1863;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


807 


Shawl,    Alexander,    Pokagon,    e.    Sept.    3, 

1864;    dis.    at    end    of    service    Sept.    9, 

1865. 
Shiver,  Walter,   Ontwa,  e.   Dec.  24,   1863; 

m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Stamp,  David,  Porter,  e.  Dec.  5,  1863;  m. 

o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Ties,  Anton,  La  Grange,  e.  Dec.  3,   1863; 

m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 

Company  H. 

Bailey,  James  E.,  Silver  Creek,  e.  Feb.  14, 

1864 ;  dis.  by  order  May  22,  1865. 
Born,  Henry,  Mason,  e.  Sept.  3,  1864;  dis. 

at  end  of  service  Sept.  9,  1865. 
Conrad,  Jacob,  Volinia,  e.  Feb.  20,  1864; 

m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Eggleston,    Harvey,    Porter,    e.    Aug.    11, 

1862;  vet.  Dec.  26,   1863;  dis.  by  order 

Sept.  30,  1865. 
Franklin,   Samuel  W.,  Mason,  e.  Jan.  29, 

1864;  died  of  disease  at  Duvall's  Bluff, 

Ark.,  Oct.  21,  1864. 
Salyer,  James,  Mason,  e;   died  of  disease 

at  Duvairs  Bluff,  Ark.,  Sept.  24,  1864. 

Company  I. 

Second  Lieut.  John  C.  Welch,  Dowagiac, 

com.  July  3,  1864;  prom.  1st  Lieut.  Co 

A.  Jan.  7,  1865. 
Allen,  Israel  M.,  Pokagon,  e.  Sept.  2,  1864 

dis.  at  end  of  service  Sept.  9,  1865. 
Aumack,  Jacob,  Pokagon,  e.  Sept.  2,  1864 

dis.  at  end  of  service  Sept.  9,  1865. 
Cole,  William  L.,  La  Grange,  e.  Jan.   17, 

1864;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Corin,   Robert,   Ontwa,    e.    Sept.   2,    1864 

trans,    to    5th    U.    S.    Colored    Infantry 

April  I,  1865. 
Curtis,    Thomas    J.,    Mason,    e.    Aug.    31 

1864;  died  of  disease  at  Duvall's  Bluff, 

Ark.,   Nov.   I,   1864. 
Fisher,  John,  Pokagon,  e.  Feb.  21,   1865 

m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Hayden,  Edward  W.,  e.  Dec.  25,  1861  ;  dis, 

for  disability  July  26,  1862. 
Hoyt,    Henry,   Mason,   e.    Aug.   31,    1864 

dis.  at  end  of  service  Sept.  9,  1865. 
Johnson,  Uriah,  died  of  disease  at  Deca- 
tur, Mich.,  June  i,  1862. 
Johnson,  Egbert,  Mason,  e.  Aug.  31,  1864; 

died    of    disease   at    Washington,    Ark., 

July  I,  1865. 
Leader,  Nathan  H.,  Pokagon,  e.   Sept.  2, 

1864;  dis.  by  order  May  6,  1865. 
Horton,  William,  Jr.,   Dowagiac,   e.   Dec. 

II,  1861 ;  vet.  Dec.  25,  1863;   Sergeant, 

prom.  2d  Lieut.  Co.  I. 
Knapp,   Bruce,   Silver  Creek,   e.   Feb.  24, 
1864;  dis.  far  disability  Aug.  23,  1864. 


Tuttle,    Royal    J.,    Silver    Creek,    e.    Feb., 

1864;  died  of  disease  at  Duvall's  Bluff, 

Ark.,  Aug.   12,  1864. 
McMichael,    Albert,    Ontwa,    e.    Feb.    24, 

1862;  vet.  Feb.  26,  1864;  m.  o.  Feb.  15, 

1866. 
Nye,  Isaac,  Jefferson,  e.  Sept.  i,  1864;  dis. 

at  end  of  service  Sept.  9,  1865. 
Ort,  Adam,  Mason,  e.  Aug.  20,  1864;  dis. 

at  end  of  service  Sept.  9,  1865. 
Searles,    Henry    M.,    Mason,    e.    Feb.    24, 

1861 ;  vet.  Feb.  26,  1864;  m.  o.  Feb.  15, 

1866. 
Smith,    Hiram,    La    Grange,    e.    Aug.    29, 

1864;    dis.    at    end    of    service    Sept.    9, 

1865. 
Stephenson,  Harvey,   Pokagon,  e.  Sept.   i, 

1864 :    dis.    at    end    of    service    Sept.    9, 

1865. 
St.  John,  John,  Pokagon,  e.  Sept.  3,  1864; 

dis.  at  end  of  service  Sept.  9,  1865. 
Tibbits,  Nathan,  Porter,  e.  Dec.  15,  1863; 

died    of    disease    at    Huntersville,    Ark., 

July  2,  1864. 
Treat,  Horace  J.,  Silver  Creek,  e.  Oct.  10, 

1861 ;  died  in  action  at  Pittsburg  Land- 
ing April  6,  1862. 
Yawkey,    Amos,    Howard,    e.    March    7, 

1864;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Vetter,  Joshua  T.,  vet.  Dec.  29,  1863. 
W^illard,    William,    Jefferson,    e.    Dec.    3. 

1863;   died  of  disease  at  Duvall's  Bluff, 

Ark.,  Jan.  6,  1865. 

Company  K. 

Second  Lieut.  William  E.  Stevens,  Mason, 

e.    Oct.    22,    1861;    vet.    Dec.    25,    1863; 

Sergeant  Co.  A.  com.  April  2,  1865;  m. 

o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Bidlack,    Charles    E.,    Porter,   e.    Oct.    14, 

1864;  dis.  by  order  Oct.  27,  1865. 
Crandall,  Lewis,  Wayne,  e.  Feb.  22,  1864; 

m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 
Drake,    Lorenzo,   dis.   by    order   Aug.    12, 

1865. 
Farnham,  Erastus  S.,  e.  Dec.  9,  1861 ;  dis. 

at  end  of  service  Sept.  7,  1865. 
French,  Noah,  Sergeant,  e.  Oct.  10,  1861 ; 

dis.  by  order  July  19,  1862. 
Hardy,  Robert,  Milton,  e..Oct.  21,   1861 ; 

dis.  by  order  Oct.  17,  1862. 
Nostrand,  John  J.,   Silver  Creek,  e.  Nov. 

II,  1861;  dis.  at  end  of  service  Jan.  7, 

1865. 
Rawson,  Charles  W.,  Volinia,  e.  Sept.  7, 
1864;    dis.    at    end   of    service    Sept.    9, 

1865. 
Sayers,  James,  Pokagon,  e.  Feb.  24,  1863; 

dis.  by  order  June  i,  1865. 
Shepard,  Caleb,  Howard,  e.  Dec.  28,  1861 ; 


308 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


vet.   Dec.  29,   1863;   dis.  by  order  Aug.  1864;    died   of   disease   at   Little   Rock, 

12,  1865.  Ark.,  June  13,  1864. 

Tappan,    Harlow,    Marcellus,    e.    Feb.    25,  Webber,    Geo.    W.,    Ontwa,    e.    Feb.    29, 

1864;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866.  1864;  m.  o.  Feb.  15,  1866. 

Weatherwax,  John  G.,  Porter,  e.  Feb.  13, 


THE   NINETEENTH    MICHIGAN    VOLUNTEER    INFANTRY. 


FIELD    AND    STAFF. 

Surgeon    William    E.    Clarke,    Dowagiac, 

Surgeon     4th     Mich.     Infantry,     trans. 

Surgeon  to  19th  Infantry  Aug.  12,  1862; 

resigned  July  18,  1863. 
Asst.     Surgeon     Leander     D.     Tompkins, 

Cassopolis,  com.  Aug.  12,  1862;  resigned 

for  disability   Sept.   7,   1863. 

NON-COMMISSIONED   STAFF. 

Quartermaster  Sergt.  John  M.  Myers, 
Cassopolis,  e.  Aug.  9,  1862;  appointed 
ist  Lieut,  and  Quartermaster;  m,  o. 
June  10,  1865. 

Commissary  Sergt.  George  S.  Larzelere, 
Silver  Creek,  com.  Jan.  14,  1863;  m.  o. 
June  15,  1865. 

Principal  Musician  Ezekiel  O'wen,  La 
Grange,  e.  Aug.  9,  1862;  m.  o.  June  10, 

1865. 

Company  A. 

Capt.  Joel  H.  Smith,  Dowagiac,  com.  July 
22,  1862;  resigned  July  11,  1864. 

Capt.  George  T.  Shaffer,  Calvin,  com.  May 
15,  1864;  promoted  Maj.  28th  Mich.  Inf.; 
wounded   in   action   June  22,    1864. 

First  Lieut.  George  T.  Shafifer,  Calvin, 
com.  August  2,  1861 ;  promoted  Capt. 

First  Lieut.  Henry  J.  Ohls,  Marcellus, 
com.  May  8,  1865 ;  Sergt.  Aug.  8,  1862 ; 
m.  o.  June  10,  1865. 

Second  Lieut.  Reuben  B.  Larzelere,  Dowa- 
giac, com.  July  28,   1862;  resigned  Aug. 

7,  1863. 

Sergt.  Isaac  Z.  Edwards,  Pokagon,  e.  Aug. 

6,  1862;  promoted  2d.  Lieut.  Co.  E. 
Sergt.     Norman     B.     Farnsworth,     Silver 

Creek,  e.  Aug.  2,   1864;  dis.  for  disabil- 

itv  Sept.  2,  1863. 
Sergt.  John  S.  Griffis,  Wayne,  e.  Aug.  11, 

1862;  killed  at  Resaca,  Ga.,  May  5.  1864. 
Sergt.  Barker  F.  Rudd,  Newberg,  e.  Aug. 

8,  1862;  dis.  for  wound  Oct.  23,  1863. 
Sergt.  George  S.  Larzelere,  Silver  Creek, 

e.  Aug.  9,  1862;  appointed  Commissary 

Sergt. 
Corp.  George  H.  Batten,  Penn,  e.  Aug.  9. 

1862;   died  of  disease  at  Murfreesboro, 

Tenn.,  Aug.  29,  1863. 
Corp.  Zach  Aldrich,  Newberg,  e.  Aug.  g, 

1862 ;  prom,   sergt. ;   dis.   for  loss  of  an 

eye  Feb.  9,  1864. 
Corp.  John   Manning,   Marcellus,  e.  Aug. 

13,  1862 ;  dis.  for  wound,  lost  hand.  May 

9/1863. 


Corp.    Alexander    Kirkwood,    Wayne,    e. 

Aug.  9,  1862;  prom,  ist  Lieut.  Co.  I. 
Corp.  Amos  D.  Stocking,  Pokagon,  e.  Aug. 

2,   1862;   dis.  for  disability  Feb.  i,  1863. 
Corp.  Albert  T.  Cobb,  Wayne,  e.  Aug.  5, 

1862;  dis.  for  disability  Feb.  8,  1863. 
Corp.   William   Slipper,   Penn,   e.   Aug.   2, 

1862;  m.  o.  Sergt.  June  10,  1865. 
Corp.    James    S.    Crego,    Silver    Creek,    e. 

Aug.  7,  1862;  m.  o.  Sergt.  June. 
Musician    Ezekiel    Owen,    La    Grange,    e. 

Aug.  9,   1862;  prom.  Principal  Musician 

Sept.  I,  1863. 
Musician  Franklin  R.  Sherman,  Pokagon, 

e.  July  31,  1862;  m.  o.  June  22,  1865. 
Wagoner,  Isaac  Hamlin,  Pokagon,  e.  July 

20,  1862 ;  died  of  disease  at  Washington, 

D.   C,   Feb.    17,   1863. 

PRIVATES. 

Allen,    Loren    A.,    Pokagon,    e.    Aug.    16, 

1862;  m.  o.  June  10,  1865. 
AlHson,   George  W.,   Pokagon,  e.  Aug.   7, 

1862;  m.  o.  June  10,  1865. 
Allison,  Henry  C,  La  Grange,  e.  Aug.  3, 

1864;  m.  o.  ?vlay  19,  1865. 
Anderson,    Jacob    M.,    Newberg,    e.    Aug. 

22,  1863 ;  trans,  to  Vet.  Res.  Corps. 
Baker,    Albert,    Mason,    e.    Aug.    5,    1862; 

died    of    disease    at    Nicholasville,    Ky., 

Dec.  5,  1862. 
Bell,  Samuel   D.,  Silver  Creek,  e.  Aug.  8, 

1862;  m.  o.  June  10,  1865. 
Benton,    Flic,    Pokagon,   e.   ;   m.   o. 

June  10,  1865. 
Bend,  11iomas  F,,  Wayne,  e.  Aug.  6,  1862 ; 

dis.  for  wound  April  28,  1865. 
Bowerman,    Addison,    Newberg,    e.    Aug. 

27,   1863 ;   died   of   disease   at   Nashville, 

Tenn.,  Sept.  25,   1864. 
Bridge,   Daniel   G.,    Marcellus,   e.   Aug.   8, 

1862;  m.  o.  June  10,  1865. 
Corbit,    James,    Penn,    e.    Aug.    8,    1862; 

killed  on  picket  before  Atlanta,  Ga.,  July 

23,  1864. 

Corwin.  Amos  B.,  Penn,  e.  Aug.  8,  1862; 

m.  o.  June  10,  1865. 
Cooper,   Harley  R.,   Jefferson,  e.  Dec.   15, 

1863;  m.  o.  May  26,  1865. 
Crawford,    George,    Pokagon,    e.    Aug.    8, 

1862;  Sergt.;  m.  o.  June  10,  1865. 
Crocker,    Milford,    Silver    Creek,    e.    Dec. 

16,  1864;  m.  o.  June  10,  1865. 
Fosdick.    Franklin   H.,    Penn,    e.    Feb.    27, 

1864;    dis.   for  disability  June  27,    1865. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


309 


Danahy,  Timothy,  Silver  Creek,  e.  Aug.  9, 
1862;    died   of   wounds   at  Resaca,   Ga., 

May  25,  1864. 
Davis,  Norman,  Pokagon,  e.  Aug.  7,  1862; 

dis.  for  disability  Feb.  8,  1863. 
Davis,    Reason,     Nevvberg,     e.     Aug.     13, 

1862;  m.  o,  June  10,  1865. 
Davis,    William,    Penn,    e.    Aug.   9,    1862; 

m.  o.  June  10,  1865. 
Edwards,    Henry,     Pokagon,    e.    Aug.   .9, 

1862;  m.  o.  June  10,  1865. 
Evans,   John,   Pokagon,   e.    Aug.   9,    1862; 

m.  o.  June.  10,  1865. 
Freeman,   Adin,   Silver   Creek,   e.   Aug.  2, 

1862;    killed    in    action    at    Thompson's 

Station,  Tenn.,  March  5,  1863. 
Fuller,   Oren  A.,   Penn,   e.   Aug.   7,   1862; 

dis.  for  wounds  May  20,  1863. 
Fuller,    William    R.,    Wayne,    e.    Aug.    6, 

1862;  m.  o.  June  10,  1865. 
Garwood,  Levi,   Volinia,  e.  Aug.  8,   1862; 

dis.  for  disability  Aug.  21,  1863. 
George,  Stephen  L.,  Silver  Creek,  e.  Aug. 

Q,   1862;  dis.  for  disability  Jan.  14,  1864. 
Gilbert,    Jeremiah    B.,    Penn,    e.    Feb.    27, 

1864;  m.  o.  June  10,  1865. 
Gillon,    Patrick    I.,    Pokagon,    e.    Aug.    9, 

1862 ;   m.  o.  June   10,   1865. 
Gleason,  Charles  H.,  Pokagon,  e.  Aug.  9, 

1862;   m.   o.  June   10,   1865. 
Grinnell,   Sylvester  M.,   Penn,   e.   Feb.  2^, 

1864;  m.  o.  June  10,  1865. 
Hagerman,    Noah    D.,    Penn,    e.    Aug.    9, 

1862 ;  m.  o.  June  10,  1865. 
Hamilton,   John    P.,    Wayne,   e.    Aug.    11, 

1862 ;  died  in  action  at  Thompson's  Sta- 
tion, 7>nn.,  March  5,  1863. 
Hannah,  James  A.,  La  Grange,  e.  Aug.  9, 

1862;  died  in  action  at  lliompson's  Sta- 
tion, Tenn.,  March  3,  1863. 
Hawes,  Jerome  B.,   Pokagon,  e.  Aug.   11, 

1862;  m.  o.  June  10,  1865. 
Hoover,    Calvin,    La    Grange,    e.    Aug.   8. 

1862 ;  m.  o.  June  10,  1865. 
Hungerford,   Homer  M.,   Wayne,  e.   Aug. 

9,   1862 ;  missing  in  action  near  Dalton, 

Ga.,   1864. 
Laylin,  Oren,  Wayne,  e.  Aug.  6,  1862 ;  m. 

o.  June  10,  1865. 
Lilly,  Aaron,  Wayne,  e.  Aug.  8,  1862;  m. 

o.  June  10,  1865. 
Lundy,  Ira  C,  Penn,  e.  Aug.  8,  1862;  m. 

o.  June  10,   1865. 
Lundy,   Robert,    Penn,   e.    Aug.    11,    1862; 

dis.   for  disability  Feb.  8,   1863. 
Lundy,   Thomas,    Penn,   e.    Aug.   8,    1862; 

died  of  disease  at  Annapolis,  Md.,  April 

13,  1863. 
Lytle,   William    M.,    Marccllus,   e.   Jan.    i, 

1863;  dis.  for  wound  Nov.  12,  1864. 
Mead,    Smith,    Silver    Creek,    e.    Aug.    2, 

1862;  m.  o.  June  10.   1865. 


Means,  Andrew,  Pokagon,  e.  Aug.  8,  1862; 

dis.  for  disability  Aug.  18,  1863. 
Muncy,  Nimrod,  Wayne,  e.  Aug.  2,  1862; 

m.  o.  June  10,  1863. 
Nicholas,  Ezra     W.,  Marcellus,  e.  Aug.  9, 

1862;   died  of  wounds  at  Vinirig's  Sta- 
tion, Ga.,  Sept.  4,  1864. 
Nichols,    William    H.,    Marcellus,    e.    Jan. 

I,  1863;  died  of  wounds  at  Chattanooga, 

Tenn.,  June  20,  1864. 
Parker,    Haynes    G.,    Calvin,    e.    Aug.    8, 
1862;     died    of    disease    at     Nashville, 

Tenn.,  July  13,   1864. 
Parker,    Romaine,    Pokagon,    e.    Aug.    4, 

1862 ;  m.  o.  June  10,  1865. 
Parker,    Thomas    S.,    Calvin,    e.    Aug.    8, 

1862;  m.  o.  June  10,  1865. 
Peters,    John,    Silver    Creek,    e.    Dec.    22, 

1863;    died   of   wounds   at   Chattanooga, 

Tenn.,  June  20,  1864. 
Potter,     Thomas,    Jefiferson,     e.     Aug.     7, 

1862 ;  died  of  disease  at  Lexington,  Ky., 

Nov.   13,   1862. 
Reams,  Caleb  M.,  Penn,  e.  Aug.  26,  1862; 

m.  o.  July  19,   1865. 
Reams,  Isaiah  G.,  Penn,  e.  Sept.  12,  1862; 

m.  o.  July  19,  1865. 
Reams,   Silas  G.,   Penn,  e.  Aug.  31,   1863; 

m.   o.   May  24,   1865. 
Savage,  Henry  B.,   Marcellus,  e.  Aug.   12, 

1862;  died  in  action  at  Thompson's  Sta- 
tion, Tenn.,  March  5,  1863. 
Schideler,   John,   Silver  Creek,  e.   Aug.  7, 

1862 ;  died  in  rebel  prison  at  Richmond, 

Va.,  March  — ,   1863. 
Schideler,    Robert,    Silver    Creek,   e.    Aug. 

7,   1862 ;   dis.   for  disability. 
Shawl.   Madison,  Silver  Creek,  e.  July  25, 

1862 ;  m.  o.  June  10,  1865. 
Shepard,   Purley,   Silver  Creek,  e.   Aug.  2, 

1862 ;  died  of  disease  at  Lookout  Mount- 
ain, Tenn.,  Oct.  26,  1864. 
Sherman,  C.  C,  Pokagon,  e.  July  22),  1862 ; 

m.  o.  June  16,  1865. 
Spaulding,    Joel,     Newberg,     e.     Aug.     9, 

1862 ;  m.  o.  May  10,  1865. 
Spencer,  Edward,  Wayne,  e.  Aug.  9,  1862 ; 

m.  o.  June  to,  1865. 
Stedman,  Livingston,  Pokagon,  e.  Aug.  8, 

1862;  m.  o.  June  10,  1865. 
Stuart,    Salmon,   Silver   Creek,   e.   Aug.  9, 

1862;  m.  o.  June  10,  1865. 
Suits,  Jacob,  Wayne,  e.  Aug.  9,  1862 ;   m. 

o.  June  10,   1865. 
Suits,   Solomon  A.,  Silver  Creek,  e.  Aug. 

9,  1862 ;  m.  o.  June  10,  1865. 
Sullivan,   Solomon  A.,  Wayne,  e.  Aug.  4, 

1862;  m.  o.  June  10,  T865. 
Taylor,  John.    Pokaeon,   e.   Aug.  4,   1862; 

m.   o.  June   10,   1865. 
Thompson,    Francis    M.,   Wayne,   e.    Aug. 

Ti,  1862;  m.  o.  June  to,  T865. 


310 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


Underwood,    Enos,    Newberg,   e.    Aug.   9, 

1862;  m.  o.  June  10,  1865. 
Underwood.  Stephen  W.,  Penn,  e.  Aug.  9, 

1862;  m.  o.  July  II,  1865. 
Wickham,    William    C,    Silver    Creek,    e. 

Aug.   13,   1862;   died  of  disease  at  Dan- 
ville, Ky.,   Dec.  — ,   1862. 
Wiggins,   George   E.,   Wayne,  e.   Aug.   11, 

1862;  died  of  wounds  at  Richmond,  Va., 

March  — ,   1863. 
Wiggins,   Lorenzo  R.,  Wayne,  e.  Aug.   7, 

1862;    died    in    rebel   prison,   Richmond, 

Va.,  March  — ,  1863. 
Winchell,  Seneca  W.,  Pokagon,  e.  Aug.  2, 

1862;  m.  o.  June  10,  1865. 

Company  C. 

Phillips,  John  H.,  Newberg,  e.  Jan.  17, 
1864;  !"•  o.  July  19,  1865. 

Company  D. 

Second  Lieut.  Isaac  Z.  Edwards,  Pokagon, 

trans,  from  Co.  E.  July  27,  1863 ;  prom. 

1st  Lieut.  June   i,  1864;   resigned  as  2d 

Lieut.  Aug.  6,  1864. 
Plarrigan,    William,    Marcellus,    e.     Sept. 
,     15,  1864;  m.  o.  June  23  1865. 
Wright,  Giles,  Newberg,  e.  Sept.  5,   1863; 

m.  o.  July  19,  1865. 

Company  E. 

Second  Lieut.  Isaac  Z.  Edwards,  Pokagon, 
com.  May  i,  1863;  trans.  2d.  Lieut,  to 
Co.  D. 

Ashley,  William  H.,  e.  Aug.  — ,  1862; 
confined  in  Libby  Prison ;  died  at  An- 
napolis, Md.,  April  11,  1863. 

Basley,    Hiram   E.,   Jefferson,    e.   Dec.    15, 

1863,  in  loth  Infantry. 

Hollister,    Albert    E.,    Penn,    e.    Sept.    29, 

1864,  in   loth   Infantry. 

Mahey,     Martin,     Silver    Creek,    e.     Dec. 

22,  1863,  in  loth  Infantry;  trans,  to  loth 

Mich.  Infantry. 
Martin,  George  H.,  m.  o.  Aug.  3,  1865. 
Miller,  Charles  Z.,  e.  Aug.  — ,  1862;  died 

at  Nicholasville,  Ky.,  Dec.  13,  1862. 
Quay,   William   H.,   Newberg,   e.   Jan.   23, 

1864;     died     of    disease     at    Nashville, 

Tenn.,  March  21,  1864. 
Quay,   Edward  L.,    Newberg,  e.   Dec.   21, 

1863;   m.   o.  July   19,  1865. 


Welch,  Thomas  C,  Jefferson,  e.  Dec.   15, 

1863;  m.  o.  July  19,  1865. 
White,    Enos    H.,    Pokagon,    e.    Nov.    18, 

1864;  ni.  o.  July  19,  1865. 

Company  G. 

Beaman,   Alonzo   P.,   Newberg,   e.  Jan.   5, 

1864;  m.  o.  July  19,   1865. 
Boghart,    Peter    C,    Newberg,    e.    Jan.    5, 

1864,  in   Toth   Infantry;   died  of  disease 

March  3,   1864. 
Madden,    Michael,    Silver    Creek,    e.    Dec. 

2S,  1863;  m.  o.  July  19,  1865. 
McCoy,   John,    Silver    Creek,    e.    Dec.    23, 

1863;  m-  o.  July  19,  1865. 
Reams,    Erastus,    Dowagiac,    e.    Sept.    12, 

1862;   m.   o.   June   10,    1865. 
Reed,  Henry  S.,  Newberg,  e.  Jan.  5,  1864; 

died  of   disease  at   Chattanooga,   Tenn., 

June  30,  1864. 
Reed,    William    T.,    Newberg,    e.    Jan.    5, 

1864;    died   of   disease    at    Chattanooga, 

Tenn.,  Aug.  7,  1864. 
Trattles,     Daniel,     Newberg,   e.    Aug.     11, 

1862:  m.  o.  June  10,  1865. 

Company  H. 

Bair,  Myron  M.,  Newberg,  e.  Jan.  20, 
1864;  ni.  o.  June  10,  1865. 

Hawkins,  Isaac,  Dowagiac,  e.  Aug.  13, 
1862;  m.  o.  June  10,  1865. 

Musician  George  N.  Rosebrock,  Ontwa,  e. 
Aug.  13,  1862;  died  of  disease  at  Cov- 
ington,  Ky.,  Oct.  21,  1862. 

Teagen,  Samuel.  Porter,  e.  Aug.  13,  1862; 
dis.  for  disability  July  6,   1863. 

Company  I. 

First  Lieut.  Alexander  Kirkwood,  Wayne, 

com.    Nov.    II,    1864;    m.    o.    June    10, 

1865. 
Buttrick,  William,  Wayne,  e.  Jan.  4,  1864; 

m.  o.  June  24,  1865. 
Carroll,  Thomas,  Wayne,  e.  Dec.  17,  1863 ; 

m.  o.  July  19,  1865. 
Cooper,    Asbury,    Jefferson,    e.    Dec.     15, 

1863,    in    loth    Infantry;    trans,    to    loth 

Michigan  Infantry. 
Havens,  Adam,  Wayne,  e.  Jan.  4,  1864,  in 

TOth  Infantry;   trans,  to   loth  Michigan 

Infantry. 
White,    William    L.,    Wayne,    e.    Dec.    4. 

1863 ;  trans,  to  Vet.  Res.  Corps. 


THE    FIRST   REGIMENT    MICHIGAN    CAVALRY. 
non-commissioned  staff.  Company  A. 


Sergt.  Maj.  James  S.  McElheny,  Dowa- 
giac, e.  Aug.  15,  1861 ;  prom.  2d  Lieut. 
Co.  G. 

Hosp.  Steward  James  R.  Leader,  Poka- 
gon; m.  o.  Oct.,  1862. 


First  Lieut.  Sidney  G.  Morse,  CassopoHs, 
com.  June,  1862;  ist  Sergt.  Co.  M,  May 
12,  1862 ;  killed  in  battle  at  Second  Bull 
Run,  Aug.  30,  1862. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


311 


First  Lieut.  John  H.  Simmons,  Dowagiac, 
com.  March  7,  1865 ;  m.  o.  Nov.  7,  1865. 

Private  Richard  L.  Crawford,  Penn,  e. 
Feb.  4,  1864;  m.  o.  Jan.  23,  1866. 

Company  B. 

Capt.  Rollin  C.  Denison,  Dowagiac,  trans. 

from   Co.   M,   Oct.,   1861 ;   trans,  to  Co. 

M,  Nov.,  1861. 
Capt.   William  Heazelit,   Dowagiac,  trans. 

from  Co.  K,  July  18,   1862;  m.  o.  Oct. 

30,  1864. 
Second   Lieut.   John   Simmons,   Dowagiac, 

prom.  1st  Lieut.  Co.  A,  March  7,  1865. 

Company  C. 
Randall,   Wesley    C,   Jefferson,   e.   March 
13,  1865;  m.  o.  May  19,  1866. 

Company  E. 
Bugler  George   Krupp,   Pokagon,   e.   Dec. 

30,  1863;  m.  o.  March  25,  1866. 
Shanafels,     George,     Calvin,     e.     Feb.     6, 

1865;  m.  o.  Dec.  5,  1865. 

Company  D. 

First  Lieut.  John  Munson,  Volinia,  com. 
March  7,  1865;  2d  Lieut.  Dec.  4,  1864; 
m.  o.  trans,  to  Co.  G,  March  10,   1865. 

Company  G. 

First  Lieut.  James  S.  McElheny,  Dowa- 
giac, com.  May  18,  1863;  2d  Lieut.  Nov. 
12.  1862;  killed  in  action  at  Monterey, 
Md.,  July  4,   1863. 

First  Lieut.  John  Munson,  Volinia,  trans, 
from  Co.  D,  ist  Lieut.  March  10,  1865; 
m.  o.  March  10,  1866. 

Private  Warren  Simpson,  Jefferson,  e. 
Feb.  8,  1865 ;  m.  o.  Dec.  5,  1865. 

Company  K. 
Capt.  William  M.  Hazelet,  Dowagiac,  com. 
Nov.  12,  1862 ;  2d  Lieut.  Co.  M ;  wound- 
ed in  action  at  Gettysburg  July  3,  1863 ; 
and  at  Cold  Harbor  June  i,  1864;  trans. 
Capt.  to  Co.  B;  m.  o.  Oct.  30,  1864. 

PRIVATES. 

Apted,  William,  Volinia,  e.  Feb.  15,  1865 ; 

m.  o.  Dec.  5,  1865. 
Conner,    Isaac    B.,    Volinia,    e.    Feb.    17, 

1865;  trans,  to  Co.  G. 
Fonger,  William,  La  Grange,  e.  Nov.  30* 

1863. 
Hanna,    Hezekiah,    Vohnia,    e.    Nov.    26, 

1863;   died  at  Washington,  D.  C,  July 

II,  1864. 
Herbert,    William    P.,    Corp.,    Volinia,    e. 

Dec.  15,  1863;  m.  o.  March  10,  1865. 
James,   Lewis,   Volinia,   e.   Dec.   16,    1863; 

m.  o.  March  10,  1866. 
Kenny,     James,     blacksmith,     Volinia,     e. 

Nov.  30,   1863;   m.  0.  Jan.   10,   1865. 


Munson,   John,   saddler,   Volinia,   e.    Nov. 

30,   1863 ;  prom.  2d   Lieut.   Co.  D,  Dec. 

4,   1864. 
Myers,    James    W.,    Jefferson,    e.    Feb.    7, 

1865 ;  m.  o.  Dec.  8,  1865. 
Sweet,    George    W.,    Volinia,    e.    Dec.    16, 

1863 ;  m.  o.  July  16,  1865. 
Welcher,    Nelson,    Volinia,    e.    Nov.    30, 

1863;    died   at    Detroit,    ]\Iich.,    Oct.   27, 

1864. 
Winegarden,  Abram   S.,   Volinia,  e.   Nov. 

30,  1863;  dis.  by  order  July  7,  1865. 

Company  L. 

Corp.  Albert  Vincent,  Volinia,  e.  Aug,  20, 
1861 ;  died  in  rebel  prison. 

PRIVATES. 

Koonse,  Herbert,  Mason,  e.  Jan.  26,  1864; 

m.  o.  Sept.  25,  1865. 
Redman,  J.  W.,  Mason,   e.  Feb.  26,  1865; 

m.  o.  Dec.  5,  1865. 

Company  M. 

Capt.  Rollin  C.  Denison,  Dowagiac,  com. 
Aug.   12,   1861 ;   resigned  April  23,  1863. 

Capt.  David  W.  Clemmer,  Dowagiac,  com. 
May  2,  1863 ;  wounded  in  action  at 
Gettysburg,  Penn.,  July  3,  1863;  m.  o. 
Dec.  14,  1864. 

First  Lieut.  Charles  H.  Sprague,  Dowa- 
giac, com.  Aug.  12.  1861  ;  prom.  Capt. 
Co.  A. 

First  Lieut.  David  W.  Clemmer,  Dowa- 
giac, com.  Aug.  12,  i86t  ;  prom.  Capt. 
May  2,   1863. 

Second  Lieut.  David  W.  Clemmer,  Dowa- 
giac, com.  May  12,  1862;  prom,  ist 
Lieut.   Nov.    12,   1862. 

Second  Lieut.  William  M.  Heazlit,  Dowa- 
giac, com.  Aug.  12,  T86i;'prom.  Capt. 
Co.  K,  Nov.  12,  1862. 

First  Sergt.  David  W.  Clemmer,  Dowa- 
giac, e.  Aug.  12,  1861 ;  prom.  2d  Lieut. 
May  T2,  1862. 

Sergt.  Sidney  G.  Morse,  Cassopolis ;  ist 
Sergt.  May  12,  1862;  Commissary  Sergt. 
Aug.  16,  1861 ;  prom,   ist  Lieut.  Co.  A. 

Sergt.  William  Dickson,  Dowagiac,  e. 
Aug.  12,  t86i  ;  prom.  2d  Lieut.  May  12, 
1862:    dis.    for   disability   January,   1864. 

Sergt.  Joseph  L.  Tice,  Dowagiac,  e.  Aug. 
22,  1861;  vet.  Dec.  21,  1863;  dis.  by 
order  Aug.  i,  1865. 

Sergt.     John     H.     Simmons,     Dowagiac; 

prom.   2d  Lieut.    Co.  B. 
Sergt.    Matthew    B.    Dopp,    Dowagiac,    e. 
Aug.    la   t86i;   vet.   Dec.   21,   1863;   m. 
o.  March  2^,  1866. 
Sergt.    Gilbert   Vincent,    Volinia,   e.    Aug. 
20,     1861;    dis.    for    disability    Nov.    i, 
1862. 
Sergt.   John   W.    Robinson,   Dowagiac,   e. 


312 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


Aug.  22,  1861  ;  vet.  Dec.  21,   1863;  m.  o. 

March  25,  1866. 
Corp.  James    S.   McElheny,   Dowagiac,   e. 

Aug.    15.    1861 ;    prom.    Sergt.    January, 

1862;   Sergeant  Maj.  October,   1862. 
Corp.    Charles    Allen,    Dowagiac,   e.    Aug. 

16,    1861  ;    prom.    Sergt.    October,    1862 ; 

died    in   rebel   prison   at    Florence,    Ala. 
Musician  John  H.  Simmons,  Dowagiac,  e. 

Aug.   16,   1861 ;  vet.   Dec.  21,  1863;  pro- 
moted. 
Musician   George   W.   Pierson,   Dowagiac, 

e.    Aug.    16,    i86t  ;    vet.    Dec.   29,    1863; 

m.  o.  July  29,  1865. 
Farrier    Abram    R.    Sigerfoos.    Dowagiac, 

e.    Aug.    19,    1861 ;    vet.    Dec.    21,    1863; 

m.  o.  July  31,  1865. 
Wagoner    Daniel   Rummell,   Dowagiac,    e. 

Aug.  16,  1861 ;  vet.  Dec.  21,  1863 ;  m.  o. 

Aug.  8,  1865. 


James    R.    Leader,    Pokagon,    e.   Aug.    20, 

i86t  ;   promoted  Hospital   Steward. 
Henry   W.    Ellis,    Dowagiac.    e.    Aug.    16, 

1861 ;  dis.   for  disability  Nov.   i,  1862. 
Charles    C.    Wilcox,    Dowagiac,    e.    Aug. 

16,    1861 ;   prom.    Sergt. ;   dis.   at  end   of 

service. 
John  H.  Simmons,  Dowagiac.  e.  Aug.   16, 

t86t  ;  prom.  Sergt. 
Albert   H.   Lewis,   Dowagiac,   e.   Aug.    16, 

1861 ;  vet.   Dec.  21,    1863;   m.   o.  March 

25.  1866. 

Company  M. 

Angle,   Philip,   Wayne,   e.   Aug.   19,    1861 ; 

vet.    Dec.    21,    1863 ;    m.    o.    March    25, 

1866. 
Barnaby,    Alvin    P.,    Volinia,    e.    Jan.    23, 

1864;  dis.  by  order  May  3,  1865. 
Barney,   William  W.,   La   Granfre,  e.   Feb. 

15,  1864;  flied  of  disease  April  5,  1864. 
Becraft,    William    F.,    Dowagiac,    e.    Aug. 

20,    i86t  ;    vet.    Dec.    21,    1863;    dis.    by 

order  May  31,  1865. 
Bentley,  Pardon  F.,  Pokagon,  e.  Aug.  13, 

1861 ;  vet.   Dec.  21,  1863;   died  at  Alex- 
andria, Va.,  Nov.  22,  1864. 
Bilderback,    John,    Silver   Creek,    e.    Aug. 

20,    1861 ;    vet.    Dec.    21,     1863;    prom. 

Sergt. ;  trans,  to  Co.  D. 
Bulhand,  Joseph  L.,  Edwardsburg,  e.  Aug. 

22,  1861 ;  vet.  Dec.  21,  1863 ;  rn.  o.  March 

2q,  1866. 
Cables,    Jerome    L,    Volinia,    e.    Aug.    17, 

1861 ;  vet.  Dec.  21,  1863 ;  m.  o.  Aug.  7, 

1865. 
Chatterson,  Joseph,   Silver  Creek,  e.  Aug. 

16,  1861 ;  vet.  Dec.  21,  1863;  m.  o.  Nov. 
24,  1865. 

Clock,  Miles  A.,  Porter,  e. ;  m.  o. 

Aug.  7,  1865. 


Colby,  Frank,  Penn,  e.   Feb.  2,   1864;  vet. 

Dec.  21,  1863;   m-  o.  July  10,  1865. 
Cook,   Albert    H.,   Dowagiac,    e.    Aug.   21, 

1861 ;    dis.    at   end    of    service    Sept.   24, 
^  1864. 
Crawford,   Charles    C,    Penn,   e.    Feb.    16, 

1864;    died    in    action    Wilderness,    Va., 

May  6,  1864. 
Day,   James   E.,    Porter,   e.    Feb.   9,    1864; 

m.  o.  March  25,  1866. 
Dewitt,    Lsaac   A.,    Dowagiac,   e.   Aug.    19, 

1861  ;   vet.    Dec.   21,   1863;   m.   o.   ALarch 

25,   1866. 
Drummond,     Alcius,    Dowagiac,    e.    Aug. 

22,    1861 ;    dis.    for    disability   April    10, 

1863. 
Ellsworth,    Andrew   J.;   m.    o.    March   25, 

1866. 
Ensign,    Leroy,     Pokagon,     e.     Aug.     13, 

1861 ;  died  in  battle  at  Winchester,  Va., 

May  24,   1862. 
Gates,    Henry    C,    Dowagiac,    e.    Sept.    5, 

1861 ;    died    of    disease    at    Alexandria, 

Va.,  Sept.  24,  1862. 
Crush,   John,   Volinia,    e.    Aug.    t6,    1861 ; 

vet.    Dec.    21,    1863;    m.    o.    March    25, 

1866. 
Hutson,    Edward    R.,    Dowagiac,   e.    Aug. 

12,  t86t  ;  dis.  for  disability. 
LIuff,    Franklin,    Dowagiac,    e.     Aug.     22, 

i86t  ;  vet.   Dec.  21.   1863;   dis.  at  end  of 

service  Aug.  22,  1864. 
King,  John   R.,  e.   Oct.   10,   1862;   died  in 

rebel    prison,    Richmond,    Va.,    Feb.    3, 

1864. 
Labadie,    A.    C,    Dowagiac,    e.    Aug.    16, 

1861  ;  dis.  for  disability  April  3,  1863. 
Lamphere,    Elias,    Dowagiac,    e.    Aug.    12, 

1861 ;     dis.    for    disability    April,     1862, 

wounded. 
Lillie,    George,    Dowagiac,     e.     Aug.     17, 

1861 ;    dis.    for   disability   Jan.    13,    1863, 

wounded. 
Lyons,  John,  Dowagiac,  e.  Aug.  16,  1861 ; 

dis.  for  disability  September,   1862. 
McCreevy,  Hiram,  Dowagiac,  e.  Aug.   17, 

i86t  ;   vet.   Dec.  21,   1863;   dis.  by  order 

July  31,   T865. 
Meacham,   Charles,  Dowagiac,  e.  Aug.  16, 

1861 ;   vet.   Dec.   21,   1863;   m.   o.   March 

25,  1866. 
Morland.  Joseph,  Volinia,  e.  Jan.  16,  1864; 

m.  o.  March  25,  1866. 
Norton,    Cassius    M.,    Dowagiac,    e.    Oct. 

21,  1862;   dis.  by  order  June  19,  1865. 
Niver,    William    C,    Ontw^a,    e.    Aug.    22, 

i86t  ;  died  of  disease  at  Annapolis,  Md., 

Oct.  X  1862. 
Ornt,    Eli,    Dowagiac,    e.    Aug.    22,    1861 ; 

dis.  at  end  of  service. 
Olney,    Darwin,    Dowagiac;     e.     Aug.     19, 

t86t  ;  vet.  Dec.  21,  1863;  killed  in  battle 

at  Gettysburg,   Penn.,  July  3,   1863. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


313 


Oyler,  John,  Dowagiac,  e.  Aug.  22,  1861 ; 

dis.  for  disability  July,  1862. 
Peck,  Coleman  C,  Cassopolis,  e.  Aug.  19, 

1861 ;  dis.  at  end  of  service. 
Pettigrew,  William  M.,  Dowagiac,  e.  Aug. 

22,  1861;  vet.  Dec.  21,  1863;  m.  o.  May 

II,   1866. 
Pierce.    Thomas    P.,    Dowagiac,    e.    Aug. 

16,   1861 ;   died   of  disease  at  Richmond, 

Va. 
Reimer,    Henry,    Dowagiac,    e.     Aug.     16, 

1861  ;  dis.  for  disability  Nov.  29,  1862. 
Robinson,  Richard  M.,  Dowagiac,  e.  Aug. 

22,  1861;  vet.  Dec.  21,  1863:  m.  o.  Aug. 

22,   1864.  ^  ^ 

Roberts,  Luman  C,  Dowagiac,  e.  Aug.  12, 

1861;    vet.    Dec.    21,    1863;    m.   o.    Nov. 

24,  1865. 
Rose,   Alexander,   La   Grange,  e.   Dec.  21, 

1863 ;  m.  o.  Aug.  8,  1865. 
Rutter,    Benjamin   H.,   Dowagiac,  e.   Aug. 

20,    1861;    dis.   at    end   of   service    Sept. 

6,    1864. 
Rutter,  Henry   C,   Dowagiac,   e.  Aug.   17, 

1861 ;  died  of  disease  April,  1862. 
Serrine,    Ezra,    Dowagiac,     e.     Aug.      16, 

1861 ;  dis.  for  disability  May,  1862. 
Stults,    Seth    S.,    Dowagiac,    e.    Aug.    26, 

1861  ;  vet.   Dec.   21,   1863;   Sergt. ;  trans. 

to  Co.  F. 
Shrackengast,    George   W.,    Dowagiac,    e. 

Aug.  22,  1861  ;  vet.  Dec.  21,   1863. 


Shaw,  John  N.,  Corp.,  Dowagiac,  e.  Aug. 

16,  1861 ;  dis.  at  end  of  service. 
Simons,  Joseph  R.  C,  Dowagiac,  e.  Aug. 

22,  1861 ;  vet.  Dec.  21,  1863 ;  died  at  Ft. 

Bridger,  Utah,  Nov.  18,  1865. 
Smyth,    Daniel,    Dowagiac,    e.     Aug.     2'^^ 

1861 ;  dis.  for  disability  Jan.  14,  1863. 
Spillman,    Jacob,    Dowagiac,    e.    Aug.    26, 

1861  ;   dis.   by  order. 
Stone,  George,  Corp.,  Jefferson,  e.  Feb.  7, 

1865;   m.   o.   March  25,   1866. 
Suydam,    William    H.,     Silver    Creek,    e. 

Dec.    26,    1863;    dis.    by   order    Aug.    3, 

1865. 
Taylor,    Halbert    R.,    Wayne,    e.    Dec.   28, 

1863 ;  m.  o.  March  25,  1866. 
Thomas,  Cassius,  Porter,  e.  Feb.  19,  1864; 

died  of  yellow  fever  May  6,  1864. 
Tinkler,    George    W^..    Dowagiac,    e.    Aug. 

16,  1861  ;  dis.  at  end  of  service. 
Tice,    Myron    C,    Dowagiac,    e.    Aug.    19, 

1861  ;  m.  o.  July  13,  1865. 
Watson,  Joseph  H.,  Dowagiac,  e.  Aug.  21, 

1861 ;  taken  prisoner  in  action  at  Robb's 

Tavern,  Va. 
Wilber,    Oscar,    Dowagiac,    e.     Aug.     22, 

1861 ;    died   of  disease   Aug.   29,    1862. 
Wiley,   James   P.,    Dowagiac,   e.   Aug.    17, 
1861 ;   vet.    Dec.  21,    1863;   m.  o.   March 
25,  t866. 


SECOND    REGIMENT    MICHIGAN    VOLUNTEER    CAVALRY. 


Company  D. 
Fellows,  Austin  P.,  Milton,  Nov.  8,  1863; 
m.  o.  Aug.  17,  1865. 

Company  I. 
Farrier  John  H.   Ashley,   Mason,  e.   Aug. 

24,   1864;  dis.  by  order  June  20,  1865. 
Rix,    Alfred,    Mason,    e.    Aug.    24,    1864; 

taken    prisoner    at    Shoal    Creek,     Ala., 

Nov.   5,    1864. 
Stephens,    George,    Mason,    e.     Aug.     24, 

1861 ;  dis.  by  order  June  20,  1865. 

Company  L. 
officers. 

First  Lieut.  Andrew  J.  Foster,  com.  Aug. 
24,   1861 ;   resigned  Aug.  31,  1862. 

First  Lieut.  John  H.  Hutton,  com.  Sept. 
9;  1862:  2d  Lieut.  Aug.  24,  1861 ;  re- 
signed for  disability  April  9,  1864. 

Quartermaster  Sergt.  William  P.  Thomas, 
e.  Sept.  12,  1861 ;  died  of  disease  at  Cor- 
mth,  Miss.,  June  25,  1862. 

Sergt.  Jay  Blodgett,  e.  Sept.  16,  1861 ;  dis. 
for  disability   Sept.  9,   1862. 

Corp.  John  K.  Stark,  e.  Sept.  17,  1861  ; 
dis.  for  disability  Aug.  14,  1862. 


Corp.  Harvey  L.  Drew,  e.  Sept.  16,  1861 ; 

trans,  to  3d  Cav.  Nov.  2,  1861. 
Corp.    Albert    P.    Anderson,    e.    Sept.    14, 

t86i  ;    died    of   wounds   near   Boonville, 

Miss.,  July  3,  1862. 
Corp.  William  H.  Todd,  e.  Sept.  16,  1861 ; 

dis.  for  disability  Dec.  9,  1862. 
Corp.  Samuel  Maxham,  e.  Sept.  18,  i86t  ; 

dis.  for  disability  Dec.  6,  1862. 
Corp.    Abner    P.    Stimpson,    e.    Sept.    14, 

1861 ;  vet.  Jan.  5,  1864;   m.  o.  Aug.  30, 

1865. 
Wagoner  Robert  Lingrell,  e.  Sept.  8,  1861 ; 

vet.   Jan.   5,    1864;   prom.    Sergt.;   m.   o. 

Aug.   17,  1865. 
Quartermaster    Sergt.    S.    J.   W.   Thomas, 

e.  1862;  killed  at  battle  of  Bear  River, 

Feb.  29,  1863. 


Andrews,  James  H.,   Mason,   e.   Aug.   27, 

1864;  dis.  bv  order  June  3,  1865. 
Barker,  John  C,  e.  Oct.  i,  t86i  ;  vet.  Jan. 

5,  1864;  m.  o.  Aug.  17.  1865. 
Biirns,   Lawrence,   e.   Sept.    14,    1861 ;   vet. 

Jan.  5,  1864;  died  in  action  in  Alabama 

Oct.  7,  1864. 


314 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


Burns,  Roger,  e.  Sept.  14,  1861 ;  vet.  Jan. 

5,   1864;  m.  o.  Aug.  17,  1865. 
Carlisle,  William,  e.  Sept.  14,  1861 ;  trans. 

to  Vet.   Res.  Corps. 
Dailey,  Hiram,  e.  Nov.  14,  1861 ;  vet.  Jan. 

5,  1864;  m.  o.  Aug.  17,  1865. 
Eisele,   Felix,    e.    Sept.  24,    1861 ;   died   in 

action  at  Mossy  Creek,  Dec.  2y,  1863. 
Eisele,  Martin,  e.  Sept.  24,  1861 ;  vet.  Jan. 

5,  1864;  m.  o.  Aug.  17,  1865. 
Goodrich,  J  T.,  e.  Nov.  i,  1861 ;  vet.  Jan. 

5,  1864;  m.  o.  Aug.  17,  1865. 
Griffith,  John   W.,   e.    Sept.   7,    1861 ;    vet. 

Jan.  5,  1864;  m.  o.  Aug.  17,  1865. 
Hanson,   John,  e.    Sept.    16,   1861 ;   dis.  at 

end  of  service  Oct.  22,  1864. 
Hewitt,  Henry  W.,  e.  Sept.  16,  1861 ;  dis. 

for  disability  May  30,  1863. 
Ketcham,   Alonzo,   e.   Sept.    14,   1861 ;   vet. 

Jan.  5,   1864;  iTi-  o.  Aug.   17,  1865. 
Layton,  James   L.,   Newberg,  "m.  o.   Aug. 

17,  1865. 
Loveland,   Andrew   J.,   e.    Sept.  21,    1861 ; 

vet.  Jan.  5,  1864. 
Lowry,  William  S.,  e.  Sept.  13,  1861 ;  vet. 

Jan.    5,    1864;    dis.    by    order    June    4, 

1865. 
Lybacher,    Porter,    Mason,    e.     Aug.     14, 

1861 ;  m.  o.  July  5,  1865. 
Mallory,  Marquis  D.,  e.  Oct.  i,  1861 ;  dis. 

at  end  of  service  Oct.  22,  i8i54. 
Manco,  Theo.,  e.  Sept.  13,  1861 ;  vet.  Jan. 

5,  1864;  m.  o.  Aug.  17,  1865. 
Mann,    George    H.,    Mason,    e.    Aug.    14, 

1862;  m.  o.  Aug.   17,  1865. 


Mannering,  W.  H.,  e.  Oct.   10,   1861 ;  dis. 

for  disability  Aug.  16,  1862. 
Marshall,  James   M.,   Mason,   e.  Aug.    19, 

1862;  dis.  for  disability  Dec.  6,  1862. 
Moore,  Lorenzo  D.,  e.  Sept.  24,  1861 ;  vet. 

Jan.  5,   1864;   died  of  wounds  at  Shoal 

Creek,  Ala.,  Dec.  i,  1864. 
Nelson,  Edgar,  e.  Sept.  16,  1861 ;  vet.  Jan. 

5,  1864;  dis.  by  order  May   19,   1865. 
Parker,    Chandler,    e.    Nov.    i,    1861 ;    vet. 

Jan.  5,  1864;  ^^'  o-  Aug.  17,  1865. 
Shockley,   Alfred,    e.    Sept.    14,    1861 ;   vet. 

Jan.  5,  1864;  m.  o.  Aug.  17,  1865. 
Smith,   Henry,  e.    Sept.    16,    1861 ;    dis.   at 

end  of  service  Oct.  22,  1864. 
Smjth,   Walter,  e.   Sept.    17,   1861 ;   dis.  at 

end  of  service  Oct.  22,   1864. 
Stark,  Edward,  e.  Sept.  24,  1861 ;  dis.  for 

disability  Oct.  20,   1862. 
Stilson,  Hiram,   Mason,  e.  Aug.  14,   1862; 

trans,  to  Vet.  Res.  Corps  Feb.  15,   1865. 
Stilson,    John,    Mason,    e.    Sept.    i,    1864; 

m.  o.  Aug.  17,  1865. 
Stilson,    William    C,    ]Mason,   e.   Aug.   24, 

1864;  m.  o.  Aug.   17,  1865. 
Welting,   Jacob,   dis.   for  disability   March 

25,  1863! 
Williams,    Richard   J.,   e.    Sept.    14,    1861 ; 

vet.    Jan.    5,    1864;    dis.    for    promotion 

Sept.  20,  1864. 
Williams,    Theodore,    e.    Sept.    18,    1861 ; 

killed     by     guerrillas     at     Madisonville, 

l^enn.,  March  7,  1864. 
Wooden,  Timothy,  e.  Sept.  16,  1861  ;  died 

of   disease   at   St.   Louis,    Mo.,   Jan.   31, 

1862. 


THIRD   REGIMENT   MICHIGAN    VOLUNTEER    CAVALRY. 


Company  A. 
Smith,  George  W.,  Penn,  e.  Feb.  15,  1864; 
m,   o.   Feb.   12,   1866. 

Company  F. 
Second  Lieut.   Morrel  Wells,  La  Grange, 

e.    Sept.   30,    1861,   Corp.;    vet.   Jan.    19, 

1864;    Sergt. ;   prom.   2d   Lieut.    Co.    F; 

prom.   1st  Lieut.   Co.  I,   Nov.   17,  1864; 

m.  o.  Feb.  12,  1866. 
Second  Lieut.  Robert  H.  Carr,  Dowagiac, 

e.  Sept.  2(i,  1861 ;  Corp.,  Sergt.,  2d  Lieut. 

July  4,   1864;   m.  o.  as   Sergt.,  Feb.   12, 

1866. 

PRIVATES. 

Beebe,   Benjamin  F.,   Volinia,  e.  Feb.  24, 


1864;    died    of    disease    Duvall's    Bluff, 

Ark.,  July  29,    1864. 
Vance,    William    J.,    Volinia,    e.    Jan.    19, 

1864;  m.  o.  Feb.  12,  1866. 
Wallace,   John  I.,   Dowagiac,  e.   Sept.   30, 

1861 ;  dis.  for  prom.  June  20,  1863. 

Company  L 

First    Lieut.    Morrel    Wells,    La    Grange, 
com.  Nov.  17,  1864;  m.  o.  Feb.  12,  1866. 

Company  M. 

Foster,  David,  Pokagon,  e.  Dec.  29,  1863; 
m.  o.  Feb.  12,  1866. 


,F01JRTH    REGIMENT    MICHIGAN    VOLUNTEER    CAVALRY. 

Company  A.  Company  C. 

McManus,   John,   La   Grange,   e.    Nov.   3,       McCoy,  William,  D.  P.  R.,  Aug.  i,  1862; 
1863;  m.  o.  Aug.  15,  1865.  m-  o-  J"ly  l»  1865. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


315 


Partridge,  Edwin  D.,   Pokagon,  e.  Dec.  5, 

1863;  m.  o.  Aug.  15,  1865. 
Riggs,    Rensselaer,    Porter,    e.    Aug.    18; 

1864;  m.  o.  July  I,  1865. 
Shoemaker,   John    H.,    Marcellus,    e.   July 

15,  1862;  ni>  o.  July  I,  1865. 

Company  G. 
Covvles,    David    B.,    Howard,    e.    Nov.    3, 
1863;   trans,  to  Veteran   Reserve   Corps 
Aug.  17,  1864. 

Company  I. 
Bedwell,   George   W.,   Dowagiac,   e.    Aug. 

II,  1862;  m.  o.  July  I,  1865. 
Corp.   Brown,    Preston  W.,   Dowagiac,   e. 

July  29,    1862;   m.   o.  July  i,   1865. 
Driskel,   Noah,   Porter,   e.  Aug.    11,    1862; 

dis.   for  disability  April  2,  1863. 
Eaton,    Frank  P.,   Dowagiac,   e.   Aug.    11, 

1862;   dis.    for  disability  March  3,   1863. 
Fetterly,    Charles,    Dowagiac,    e.    Aug.    2, 

1862;  m.  o.  July  I,  1865. 
Joy,   Fraklin  D.,   Penn,  e.   Aug.    11,   1862; 

m.  o.  May  3,  1865. 
Kennedy,    David    A.,    Penn,    e.    Aug.    11, 

1862;  m.  o.  July  I,  1865. 
Powers,  Samuel  H.,  Dowagiac,  e.  Aug.  11, 

1862;    died    of    disease     at     Nashville, 

Tenn.,  Jan.  12,  1863. 
Roberson,   Jonathan   S.,   Corp.,   e.   Aug.  2, 

1862;  trans,  to  Vet.  Res.  Corps  Sept.  i, 

1863. 
Matthews,    William,    Penn,    e.     Aug.     11, 

1862;   sick   at    Nashville  at  m.   o. 
Morton,    Charles    L.,    Porter,   e.    Aug.    11, 

1862;  dis.  for  disability  Feb.  27,   1863. 
Sigerfoos.    Albertus,    Porter,    e.    Aug.    11, 

1862;  sick  at  Nashville  at  m.  o. 
Scrgt.   Witherell,   Henry   A.,    Pokagon,   e. 

Aug.  II,  1862;  died  of  disease  at  Nash- 
ville, Tenn.,  April  9,  1864. 
Lewis,  James,  Newberg,  e.  Aug.  11,  1862; 

killed   in   action   at   Stone   River. 
Lewis,  FVanklin  B.,  e.  Aug.  ii,  1862;  died 
of  disease  at  Nashville. 

Company  M. 
officers. 

First   Lieut.    Hiram    F.    Beals,    Dowagiac, 

com.  Aug.  13,  1862. 
Quartermaster   Sergt.   William   H.    Davis, 

Dowagiac,    e.    July    26,    1862;    dis.    by 

order  May  19,  1865. 
Commissary    Sergt.    James    W.    Argo,    e. 

July  24,  1862;  m.  o.  July  i,  1865, 
Sergt.    James    D.    Dawson,    e.    Aug.     11, 

1862;  dis.  for  disability  July  8,  1863. 
Sergt.    Edward    Pearce,    Wayne,    e.    Aug. 

15,  1862;  m.  o.  July  I,  1865. 
Corp.   Truman  Pond,  Wayne,   e.   Aug.   2, 

1862;  died  of  disease  at  Louisville,  Kv., 

Oct.  27,  1862. 


Corp.    George   Scott,   Volinia,   e.   Aug.    5, 

1862;  dis.  for  disability  Jan.  i,  1863. 
Corp.  John  Fox,  Milton,  e.  Aug.  7,  1862; 

dis.  by  order  May  19,  1865. 
Corp.    Elias    Ingling,    Dowagiac,    e.    Aug. 

6,  1862;  m.  o.  July  i,  1865. 
Corp.  John  W.  Bowles,  Volinia,  e.  Aug.  7, 

1862;  absent  sick  at  m.  o. 
Farrier  Henry  Cooper,  Dowagiac,  e.  Aug. 

13,  1862;  m.  o.  July  I,  1865. 
Teamster  Charles  D.  Northrup,  Dowagiac. 

e.  Aug.  5,  1862;  m.  o.  July  i,  1865. 
Wagoner  Josiah  Ipes,  e.  Aug.  2,  1862;  m. 

o.  July  I,  1865. 


Abbott,  Hiram,   Milton,  e.  Aug.  16,  1862; 

m.  o.  July   I,  1865. 
Aldrich,  James  M.,  e.  Aug.  12,  1862;  died 
of    disease    at    Lebanon,    Ky.,    Nov.    18, 
T862. 
Arnold,  Alvin,  Newberg,  e.  Aug.  13,  1862; 

trans,  to  Vet.  Res.  Corps. 
Arnold,  Robert,  Volinia,  e.  Aug.  11,  1862; 

m.  o.  July  I,  1865. 
Baldwin,    Thomas,   Dowagiac,   e.    Aug.    5, 

1862;  m.  o.  July  I,  1865. 
Dunbar.   George   W,,   Milton,   e.   Aug.    13, 

1862;   m.   o.  July   T,   1865. 
Finch,  Mathew,  Volinia,  e.  Aug.  10,  1862; 

dis.  for  disability  May  i,  1863. 
Ferris,    Albert    P,    Volinia,    e.    Aug.    11, 

1862;  dis.  by  order  May  3,  1865. 
Garwood,    Levi    J.,    Volinia,    e.    Aug.    2, 

1862 ;  dis.  by  order  June  29,   1865. 
Higgins,    George    W.,    Dowagiac,    e.    July 

26,   1862;   m.  o.  July  I,   1865. 
Haight,    Horatio,    Marcellus,    e.    Aug.     7, 

1862:  m.  o.  July  T,  1865. 
Hoyt,  Henry.  Dowagiac,  e.  Aug.  2,   1862; 
died   of   disease    at    Nashville,    Dec.   26, 
1862. 
Huff,   Simon.    Volinia,   e.   Aug.    15,    1862; 

m.  o.  July  T,  1865. 
Humiston,   Perry,  e.  Aug.  8,   1862 ;  m.  o. 

July  I,  1865. 
Jaquays,    William,    Volinia,    e.     Aug.-     15, 
1862;    transferred    to    Vet.    Res.    Corps 
Jan.   15,   1864. 
Little,  John  H.,  Volinia,  e.  Aug.  6,  1862; 

dis.  fof  disability  Feb.  ii,  1863. 
Northrup,  Freeman  G.,  Dowagiac,  e.  Aug. 
6,  1862;  died  of  disease  at  Mitchellville, 
Tenn.,  Nov.  22,  1862. 
Parks,  James,  Dowagiac,  e.  Aug.  6,  1862; 

dis.  by  order  April  28,  1865. 
Pond,    Wesley   D.,    Dowagiac,   e.   Aug.   9, 

1862;  m.  o.  July  I,  1865. 
Quick,    Robert    L,   Dowagiac,   e.    Aug.   6, 

1862;  dis.  for  disability  Feb.  4,  1863. 
Rankin,   John   E.,   Dowagiac,   e.   Aug.   12, 
1862;  m.  o.  July  I,  1865. 


316 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


Shanahan,  Henry,  e.  Aug.  12,  1862;  m.  o. 

July  I,  1865. 
Southworth,  George  M.,  Volinia,  e.  Aug. 

11,  1862;   m.  o.  July   I,   1865. 
Sweetland,  James   M.,   Dowagiac,  e.   Aug. 

7,   1862;  dis.  for  disability  Jan.  7,   1863. 
Sweetland,  John  B.,  Edwardsburg,  e.  Aug. 

12,  1862;  dis.  by  order  to  appointment 
as  United  States  Medical  Cadet  Sept. 
20,  1863. 

Taylor,  Nelson,  m.  o.  July  i,  1865. 

Thompson,  Benjamin  R,  Milton,  e.  Aug. 
15,  1862;  prom,  to  Corp.  1863,  after  the 
battle  of  Stone  River;  dis.  for  disabil- 
ity Nov.  II,  1864. 

Tharp,  John  L.,  Penn,  e.  Aug.  9,  1862; 
dis.   for  disability  March  25,   1864. 

Van  Tuyl,  John,  Dowagiac,  e.  Aug.  8, 
.  1862 ;  m.  o.  July  i,  1865. 

Vaughn,  Dewitt  C,  Calvin,  e.  Aug.  6, 
1862;  died  of  disease  in  Indiana  March 
18,   1863. 


Welch,    Michael,    La    Grange,    e.    Aug.    5, 

1862;    died    in    rebel   prison    Richmond, 

Va.,  Dec.   18,   1862. 
Welcher,    Sherman    B.,    Volinia,    e.    Aug. 

6,    1862;    died   of   disease   at    Woodson- 

ville,  Ky.,  Dec.  — ,   1862. 
Wilson,    Samuel,    Dowagiac,    e.    Aug.    6, 

1862;  m.  o.  July  I,  1865. 

RECRUITS — UNASSIGNED. 

Brown,  Simeon,  Wayne,  e.  Nov.  18,   1863. 
Day,  Robert  B.,  Wayne,  e.  Dec.  21,   1863. 
Rigin,  Thomas,  Mason,  e.  Nov.  3,  1863. 
Ross,   William,   Silver   Creek,    e.   Dec.   23, 

1863. 
Randall,  Charles,  Silver  Creek,  e.  Aug.  30, 

1864. 
Shoemaker,    Franklin    C,    Penn,    e.    Dec. 

2S,  1863. 
Williams,   Leonard  W.,   Penn,   e.    Nov.   3, 

1863. 


FIFTH    REGIMENT    MICHIGAN    VOLUNTEER    CAVALRY 


FIELD    AND    STAFF. 

Surg.  Sylvester  L.  Morris,  Dowagiac, 
Oct.  23,  1863 ;  Assistant  Surgeon  Sept. 
3,  1863;  resigned  July  28,  1864. 

Company  D. 

Dean,  Edward,  La  Grange,  e,  Jan.  23, 
1865;  transferred  to  ist  Michigan  Cav- 
alry. 

Randall,  Wesley  C,  Jefferson,  e.  March 
T3,   1865;  m.  o.  May  19,  1866. 

Shilling,  Lemuel  C,  Volinia,  e.  March  15, 
1865;  m.  o.  Jan.  9,  1866. 


Company  H. 
King,   Franklin  T.,   La  Grange,  e.  Jan.  6, 
1865;   transferred  to   ist  Michigan  Cav- 
alry. 

Company  K. 
Huyck,    Alva    H.,    Volinia,    e.    March    15, 
1865 ;  transferred  to  7th  Michigan  Cav- 
alry. 

Company  M. 
Harrington,    Silas,    Silver   Creek,    e.    Feb. 
17,    1865 ;    transferred   to   7th    Michigan 
Cavalry. 


SIXTH    REGIMENT    MICHIGAN    VOLUNTEER    CAVALRY. 


Company  E. 
Savage,    Frank,    Marcellus,    e.    March   31, 
1865 ;  m.  o.  Feb.  16,  1866. 

Company  G. 
Branch,  Arthur  R.,  Silver  Creek,  e.  March 

r,  1865 ;  m.  o.  Feb.  16,  1866. 
Nearpass,  Ira  N.,  Newberg,  e.  March  31, 

1865;  m.  o.  May  16,   1866. 

Company  K. 
Potts,  James   H.,   Silver  Creek,  e.   March 
ID,  1865;  m.  o.  March  31,  1866. 

Company  L. 
Bliss,    Edwin    S.,    Newberg,    e.    Jan.    26, 
1864;  m.  o.  May  30,  1865. 


Dewey,  Orlando,  Marcellus ;   m.  o.  March 

25,  1866. 
Kilmer,    George    R,    Penn,    e.     Feb.     11, 

1864;  m.  o.  June  24,  1865. 
Mathers,    William,    Silver    Creek,   e.    Feb. 

17,  1865;  m.  o.  March  10,  1866. 

Company  M. 

Cole,  Hiram  G.,  Jefferson,  e.  Feb.  6,  1865 ; 

m.  o.  Feb.  8,  1866. 
Deline,  Frank  H.,  Calvin,  e.  Feb.  6,  1865  I 

died  of  disease  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  June 

24,  1865. 


SEVENTH    REGIMENT    MICHIGAN    VOLUNTEER     CAVALRY. 


Company  A. 
Alexander,   Samuel,  Jefferson,   e.   Sept.   9, 
1862 ;  missing  in  action. 


Crocker,    William    A.,   Jefferson,   e.    Sept. 

9,  1862;    trans,    to   Invalid    Corps    Sept. 

10,  1863. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


317 


Collins,  Joseph  E.,  Pokagon,  e.   Sept.   12, 

1862;   died  at  Alexandria,  Va.,  Jan.   12, 

1864. 
Foster,  Zach. ;  trans,  to  ist  Mich.  Cav. 
Harrison,    Jesse,    Jefferson,    e.     Sept.     9, 

1862;    trans,  to   Vet.   Res.    Corps  April 

10,  1864. 
Henderson,   William,    Milton,    e.   Dec.   29, 

1862;   m.   o.  June  7,   1865. 
Hu3^ck,  John. 
Maloy,    Thomas,    Pokagon,    e.    Sept.    29, 

1862;  m.  o.  Dec.   15,   1865. 
Milliman,    Samuel,    Pokagon,   e.    Sept.    18, 

1862. 
Nelson,    Walter,    Pokagon,    e.    Sept.    29, 


1862;   died  in  battle  at  Gettysburg,  Pa., 

July  3,  1863. 
Peck,    George    P.,    Jefferson,    e.    Sept.    9, 

1862 ;  dis.  for  disability  Nov.  25,  1862. 
Richardson,    Varnum,    Pokagon,    e.    Sept. 

15,    1862;    dis.    for   disability   March   28, 

1863. 
Smith,    Thomas    J.,    Milton,    e.    Dec.    25, 

1862;  m.  o.  July  6,  1865. 
Stout,  John,  Milton;  m.   o.  Dec.   15,   1865. 
Wortler,   George    A.,    Milton,   e.    Dec.   27, 

1862. 

Company  I. 
Irwin,  Andrew;  m.  o.  Dec.  15,  1865. 


NINTH     REGIMENT    MICHIGAN    VOLUNTEER    CAVALRY. 


FIELD    AND    STAFF. 

Chaplain  John  Fletcher,  Edwardsburg, 
Aug.  23,  1864;  m.  o.  July  21,  1865. 

Company  L. 

Capt.  George  Miller,  Pokagon,  Nov.  3, 
1862 ;   resigned  March  12,   1864. 

Commissary  Sergt.  James  F.  Prater, 
Wayne,  e.  Dec.  12,  1862 ;  prom.  Regi- 
mental Commissary  Sergt.  May  i,  1864; 
m.  o.  July  21,   1865. 

Sergt.  Henry  L.  Barney,  Wayne,  e.  Dec.  i, 
1862;   prom,   in   U.    S.   Cav.  Troops. 

Sergt.  Clagon  Dunham,  Volinia,  e.  Dec. 
28,  1862;  m.  o.  June  30,  1863. 

Corp.  Martin  Quinlan,  VoHnia,  e.  Jan.  10, 
1863;  m.  o.  July  21,  1865. 

Teamster  John  Oyler,  Pokagon,  e.  Nov. 
12,   1862;  m.  o.  Dec.  5,  1865. 

Barrett,  George,  Wayne,  e.  Dec.  28,  1862 ; 
m.  o.  June  13,  1865. 

Blackman,  Jerome,  Dowagiac,  e.  March 
24,   T863;  m.  o.  July  21,  1865. 

Brownell,  William,  Wayne,  e.  Dec.  27, 
1862 ;  m.  o.  May  27,  1865. 


Ellsworth,    Daniel,    Howard,    e.    Jan.     i, 

1863;  dis.  for  disability  June  9,  1865. 
Elliott,  PTanklin,  Jefferson,  e.  Jan.  i,  1863; 

died   in  rebel  prison  at  Richmond,  Va., 

Feb.  17,  1864. 
Garrigan,  John,  Volinia,  e.   Dec.   18,  1862; 

died  in  rebel  prison  pen,  Andersonville, 

Ga.,  June   19,  1864. 
Kelly,  Edgar  D.,  Wayne,  e.  Dec.  13,  1862; 

m.   o.   July  21,   1865. 
Rose,    John    H.,    Dowagiac,    e.    April    23, 

1863;  dis.  for  disability  June  9,  1865. 
Smith,   Judson,   Wayne,   e.   Jan.    12,    1863; 

m.  o.  July  21,  1865. 
Smith,    Henry,    Silver    Creek,    e.    Jan.    12, 

1863 ;  died  of  disease  in  Tennessee,  Dec. 

2y.  1863. 
Travis,  Ezekicl,  W\ayne,  e.   Nov.  11,  1862; 

m.  o.  Dec.  5,   1865. 
Overbeck,    Augustus,    VoHnia,    e.    Jan.    8, 

1863 ;     died     at    Dandridge,    Tennessee, 

Dec.  15,   1863. 
Williams,  James  A.,   Corp.,  Penn,  e.   Dec. 

29.   1862;  m.  o.  July  21,  1865. 
Davis,  M.  Barney. 
Willis   I-)arney. 


ELEVENTH    REGIMENT    MICHIGAN    VOLUNTEER    CAVALRY. 


Company   G. 
Canning,    George,    Marcellus,    e.    Nov.    5, 
1863;  m.  o.  Nov.  2,   1865. 

Company  I. 
Allen,    William    H.,    Penn,    e.    Sept.     19, 

1863;  m.  o.  May  T7,  1865. 
Canning,  Thomas,  Marcellus,   e.   Sept.   19, 

1863;   m-  o.   Aug.  24,  1865. 
Lettick,   Williami,    La   Grange,    e.    Dec.    7, 

1863;  m.  o.  Sept.  22,  1865. 

Company  K. 
Sergt.  Horace  R.  Brown,  Ontwa,  e.  Sept. 
22,  1863 ;  died  of  disease  at  Lexington, 
Ky.,  July  8,  1864. 


Blackburn,    Thomas,    Ontwa,    e.    Nov.    2, 

1863;  m-  o.  Sept.  22,  1865. 
Blue,    Erwin,    Ontwa,    e.    Nov.    2,    1863; 

killed   by    accident    at    Shelbyville,    Ky., 

July    17,    T864. 
Brown,  Carlton,  Ontwa,  e.  Sept.  30,  1863 ; 

m.   o.   July   18,   1865. 
Lofand,  Joshua,   Ontwa,  e.   Sept.   i,  1863; 

m.  o.   Sept.  22,  1865. 
Farrier    William    W.     Marr,     Ontwa,    e. 

Sept.  22,  1863;  m.  o.  Sept.  22,  1865. 
Saddler   Albert    R.    Raymond,    Ontwa,    e. 

Oct.  9,  1863 ;  m.  o.  Sept.  22,  1865. 
Shideler,     George,     Ontwa,     e.     Oct.     26, 

1863;  m.  o.  Sept.  22,  1865. 
Shiar,  Alonzo  S.,  Ontwa,  e.  Sept.  22,  1863 ; 


318 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


died   of   disease   at    Ashland,    Ky.,   July  Steele,  John   S.,  Ontwa,  e.  Oct.   14,   1863; 

II,   1864.  m.  o.  Sept.  22,   1865. 

Stark,  Edward,  Silver  Creek,  e.   Sept.  10,  Farrier  Wieling,   Jacob   H.,   Silver   Creek, 

1863 ;  m.  o.  Oct.  9,  1865.  e.   Sept.   to,  1863 ;  i'".  o.   Sept.  22,   1865. 


FIRST    MICHIGAN    LIGHT   ARTILLERY. 


Battery   A. 

Second   Lieut.    George   J.    Nash,    Volinia, 

e.  March  6,  1865;  m.  o.  July  28,  1865. 
Hanning,  Samuel ;  m.  o.  July  28,  1865. 
Hickox,  William  H.,  La  Grange,  e.  Dec. 

30,  1863;  m.  o.  July  28,  1865. 
Mesler,  William,   La   Grange,   e.  Dec.   25, 

1863;  m.  o.  July  28,   1865. 
Williams,  Levi  P.,  Porter,  e.  Feb.  9,  1863; 

m.  o.  July  28,  1865. 


Battery    E. 
Abbott,    Seneca    W.,    Ontwa,    e.    Sept.    5, 
1864;  m.  o.  Aug.  30,  1865. 

Battery  F. 
Norris,  Webb;  m.  o.  May  6,  1865. 

Battery  G. 
Smith,  Horace,  Sergt.,  Adamsville,  e.  Nov. 
23,    1861  ;    dis.    for    disability    Aug.    25, 
1863. 
Wickerly,    David,    e.    Dec.    15,    1861  ;    dis. 
for   disability   July   28,    1862. 


FOURTEENTH    BATTERY. 


privates. 
Armstrong,     Benjamin     F.,     Pokagon,     e. 

Sept.    17,    1863;   dis.    for  disability   May 

15,  1865. 
Arnold,  Edward  R.,  Corp.,  Volinia,  e.  Oct. 

9,  1863;  m.  o.  July  I,  1865. 
Barney,   Myron   F.,   Newberg,   e.   Sept.  7, 

1863;  m.  o.  July  I,  1865. 
Blanchard,   George  L.,   Pokagon,  e.   Sept. 

5,    1864;   m.  o.  July  I,   1865. 
Burnham,   Charles   M.,  Jefferson,   e.   Dec. 

31,   1863;  m.  o.  July  I,  1865. 
Canfield,    Washington    B.,    Marcellus,    e. 

Sept.    17,   1863;    dis.    for   disability  Jan. 

12,  1865. 
Crane,    Judson    J.,    Pokagon,    e.    Sept.    3, 

1864;  m.  o.  July  I,  1865. 
Day,    Alexander   P.,    Volinia,   e.    Sept.    3, 

1864;  m.  o.  July  I,   1865. 
Davis,    Charles   J.,    Newberg,    e.    Sept.    7, 

1863;  m.  o.  July  I,  1865. 
Drake,    George    S.,    Newberg,    e.    Oct.    3, 

1863;  m.  o.  July  I,  1865. 
Goff,  William  H.,  Penn,  e.  Sept.  4,  1863; 

m.  o.  July  I,  1865. 
Goff,  Stephen  C,   Penn,  e.   Sept.  3,  1864; 

m.  o.  July  I,  1865. . 
Goff,    Sylvester    J.,    Volinia,    e.    Sept.    3, 

1864;  'm.  o.  July  I,  1865. 
Goodrich,    George,    Pokagon,    e.    Sept.    5, 

1864;  m.  o.  July  I,  1865. 
Harwood,  William  M.,  Penn,  e.  Aug.  29, 

1864;  m.  o.  July  I,  1865. 
Holloway,  Charles,  Newberg,  e.  Sept.   12, 

1863;  m.  o.  July  r,  1865. 


Holloway,    William.     Penn,    e.    Aug.    25, 

1864;   m.   o.  July  I,   1865. 
Hutchings,  William  W.,  Newberg,  e.  Sept. 

26,  1863 ;  died  of  disease  at  Washington, 

D.  C,  March  21,  1864. 
Lemon,  John  F.,   Penn,  e.   Sept.   i,   1864; 

m.  o.  July  I,  1865. 
Martin,    Robert    N.,     Penn,    e.    Sept.    5, 

1863;   dis.   for   disability   Nov.   23,   1864. 
Murphy,    William,    Jefferson,    e.    Jan,    2, 

1864;   m.   o.  July  I,   1865. 
Patrick,  Christopher,   Corp.,   Marcellus,  e. 

Sept.  7,  1863;  m.  o.  July  i,  1865. 
Pemberton,  Eliphalet,  Marcellus,  e.  Oct.  3, 

1863;  m.  o.  July  I,  1865. 
Pound,    Isaac    S.,    Pokagon,    e.    Sept.    i, 

1864;  m.  o.  July  I,  1865. 
Rudd,    Baruk    L.,    Newberg,    e.    Sept.    9, 

1863;  m.  o.  July  I,  1865. 
Shoemaker,   Frank   C.,    Pokagon,   e.   Aug. 

30,  1864;  m.  o.  July  I,  1865. 
Skinner,   James  R.,    Marcellus,  e.   Oct.   2, 

1863;  ni.  o.  July  I,  1865. 
Skinner.  Harrison  H.,  Marcellus,  dis.  for 

disability  Dec.  6,  1864. 
Tompkins,   Melvin  R.,  Newberg,   e.   Sept. 

26,  1863;  m.  o.  July  I,  1865. 
Turengo,    Andrew,    Jefferson,    e.    Jan.    4, 

1864;  m.  o.  July  I,  1865. 
Vincent,  Henry,  Volinia,  e.  Oct.  2,   1863; 

m.  o.  July  I,  1865. 
Wetherell,    Smith   D.,    Corp.,    Volinia,    e. 

Nov.  5,  1863;  m.  o.  July  i,  1865. 
Wilsey,   Erasmus,   Marcellus,   e.   Sept.   10, 

1864;  m.  o.  July  I,  1865. 


FIRST    REGIMENT    MICHIGAN    VOLUNTEER    INFANTRY. 


Company  F. 
Sergt.  Frank  Upson,  Howard,  e.  July  17, 


1861 ;    died   in   action   at    Gaines'   Mills 
June  27,  1862. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


319 


SECOND   REGIMENT    MICHIGAN   VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY. 


Company  E. 
Corp.   Joel    Cowgill,    Calvin,    e.    May    25, 

1861 ;  trans,  to  Vet.  Res.  Corps  July  i, 

1863. 
Sergt.  John  S.  Gliddon,  e.  May  21,  1861 ; 

vet.  Dec.  31,   1863;   dis.  by  order   Sept. 

15,   1864. 
Private    William    Jackson,    Jefferson,     e. 

May  25,  1861 ;  vet.  Dec.  31,  1863;  m.  o. 

July  28,  1865. 


Sergt.   Benjamin   F.  Lee,   Ontwa,  e.   May 

25,  1861 ;  died  May  18,  1862,  of  wounds 

received  at  Williamsburg. 
Corp.    Henry    Meacham,    Ontwa,    e.    May 

25,  1861 ;  trans,  to  Vet.  Res.  Corps  Feb. 

I5>  1864. 

Company  L 

Coleman,   Francis  A.,  Wayne,   e.   Feb.  21, 
1865;   dis.  by  order  June  15,  1865. 


FIFTH    REGIMENT    MICHIGAN    VOLUNTEER    INFANTRY. 

Company  A.  Company  D. 

Haigh,    William,    e.    Aug.    28,    1861 ;    vet.       Stamp,   E.   M.,   Porter,  e.   Sept.   18,   1862; 


Dec.  15,  1863. 


m.  o.  June  3,  1865. 


SEVENTH   REGIMENT  MICHIGAN  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY. 


Assistant  Surgeon  Cyrus  Bacon,  Ontwa, 
enrolled  June  19,  1861,  at  Fort  Wayne 
(near     Detroit),     Mich.;     mustered     in 


Aug.  22,  1861 ;  resigned  May  6,  1862 ; 
appointed  Ass't  Surgeon  of  Regular 
Army  July  3,  1862;   died  Sept.  i,  1868. 


EIGHTH    REGIMENT    MICHIGAN    VOLUNTEER    INFANTRY. 


Company  A. 
Grant,    William,     Pokagon,     e.     Dec.     21, 
1863;    died    in    action    near    Petersburg, 


Va.,  June  2y,  1864. 
Lane,   Thomas,   Milton,  e.   Dec.  22,   1863 ; 
m.  o.  July  30,   1865. 


NINTH     REGIMENT    MICHIGAN    VOLUNTEER    INFANTRY. 


Company  A. 
Ayres,   Sylvester   B.,   Howard,   e.   Oct.    i, 
1864;  dis.  by  order  June  20,  1865. 

Company  B. 
Dougherty,  Thomas,  Howard,  e.  Sept.  29, 

1864;  dis.  by  order  June  20,  1865. 
Hedger,  Charles  W.,  Pokagon,  e.  Feb.  9, 

1865;  m-  o-  Sept.  15,  1865. 
Kelly,    Ethan,    La   Grange,    e.    March    17, 

1865;  dis.  by  order  Aug.  10,  1865. 
Mater,  John,   e.   1861 ;   dis.   1862 ;   re-e.  in . 

same  company,  and  finally  dis.  Sept.  26, 

1863. 

Company  C. 

Fisher,  Francis,  Porter,  e.  Oct.  i,  1864;  m. 
o.  June  20,  1865. 

Company  D. 
Bender,  Joseph  D.,   Newberg,   e.  April  5, 
1865;  m.  o.  Sept.  15,  1865. 


Hendricks,    Clark,    Pokagon,    e.    Sept.    3, 

1864;  m.  o.  June  20,  1865. 
Higgins,   Charles  J.,   Pokagon,  e.   Sept.  3, 

1864;  rn.  o.  June  20,  1865. 

Company  G. 

Cole,   Brayton   M.,   La   Grange,   e.   March 

25,  1865;  m.  o.  Sept.  15,  1865. 
Myers,  William,  Silver  Creek,  e.  October 

4,  1864;  absent  sick  at  m.  o. 

Company  H. 

Saltsgiver,  Henry,  Porter,  e.  Oct.  3,  1864; 
m.  o.  Sept.  15,  1865. 

Company  I. 

Thompson,  John  B.,  Howard,  e.  Sept.  30, 
1864 ;  m.  o.  June  20,  1865. 


TENTH    REGIMENT    MICHIGAN   VOLUNTEER   INFANTRY. 


Company  E. 
Baer,  Westell,  Marcellus,  e.  Oct.  20,  1864; 
m.  o.  July  19,  1865. 


Company  C. 
Ayers,    Thomas    B.,    Porter,    e.    Oct.    27, 

1864;  m.  o.  July  19,  1865. 
Barker,  Peter,  Marcellus,  e.  Oct.  31,  1864;  _  _._ 

m.  o.  July  19,  1865.  Company  K. 

Brown,    William   A.,    Calvin,    e.    Nov.    2,       Philips,  John,  Newberg,  e.  Jan.  17,  1864; 

1864 ;  m-  o-  JwJy  19,  1865.  m.  o.  July  19,  1865. 


320 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


ELEVENTH    REGIMENT    MICHIGAN    VOLUNTEER    INFANTRY    (oLD). 


i86i; 


Company  C. 
Angle,  John  A.,  Wayne,  e.  Aug.  24,  1861 ; 

died    of    disease    at    Bardstown,     Ky., 

March  20,  1862. 
Beardsley,    Elisha    L.,    e.    Nov.   22,    1861 ; 

died  of  disease  at  Bardstown,  Ky.,  June 

31,  1862. 
Birdgett,  John,  e.  Aug.  24,   1861 ;  dis.  for 

disability   Sept.   15,   1862. 
Farnham,    John    B.,    Ontwa,    e.    Aug.    24, 

1861 ;  died  of  disease  at  Bardstown,  Ky., 

Feb.  6,  1862. 

Company  D. 
Hathaway,    Henry   C,    e.    Aug.    24,    1861 ; 

absent  sick  at  m.  o. 
Lucas,  William  H.,  e.  Aug.  24,  1861 ;  killed 

at   Stone  River. 
O'Connor,    Cyrus   W.,    e.    Aug.   24, 

dis.  at  end  of  service  Sept.  30,  1864. 
Philips,  William  J.,  e.  Aug.  24,  1861 ;  dis. 

at  end  of  service  Sept.  30,  1864. 

Company  E. 
Corp.  David  Klase. 

PRIVATES. 

Baldwin,  Daniel,  e.  Aug.  24,  1861 ;  died  of 
wounds  near  Atlanta,  Ga.,  Aug.  /,  1864. 

Blakely,  l^homas  L.,  e.  Aug.  24,  1861  ; 
dis.  for  disability  Aug.  4,  1862. 

Booth,  Zeivala,  e.  Aug.  24,  1861 ;  dis.  at 
end  of  service  Sept.  30,  1864. 

Chamberlain,  William  L.,  e.  Aug.  24, 
1861 ;  dis.  at  end  of  service  Sept.  30, 
1864. 

Haines,  James  L.,  dis.  at  end  of  service. 

Latham,  Kneeland,  e.  Aug.  24,  1861 ;  dis. 
by  order  July  i,   1863. 

Milliman,  Bryant,  dis.  at  end  of  service. 

Mullen,  Sidney  S.,  e.  Aug.  24,  1861 ;  dis. 
at  end  of  service  Sept.  30,  1864. 

Nottingham,  Judson,  dis.  at  end  of  serv- 
ice Sept.  30,  1864. 

Poorman,  John,  e.  Aug.  24,  1861 ;  dis. 
at  end  of  service  Sept.  30,  1864. 


Quay,  George  W.,  e.  Aug.  24,  1861 ;  died 

near   Atlanta,    Ga.,    of   wounds    Aug   7, 

1864. 
Ryan,  James  N.  C,  e.  Aug.  24,  1861 ;  dis. 

at  end  of  service  Sept.  30,  1864. 
Schug,    Emanuel,    e.    Aug.   24,    1861 ;    dis. 

at.  end  of  service  Sept.  30,  1864. 
Schug,  William  F.,  e.  Aug.  24,  1861 ;  trans. 

to  Vet.  Res.  Corps  Nov.  15,  1863. 
Shoemaker,   Samuel  S..  dis.  for  disability. 
Smith,    Cyrus,    e.    Aug.   24,    1861 ;    dis.    at 

end  of  service  Sept.  30,  1864. 
Tayler,  George,  e.  Aug.  24,   1861 ;  died  of 

disease     at     Bardstown,     Ky.,     Feb.     5, 

1862. 
Thompson,   Smith,   e.   Aug.  24,   1861  ;   dis. 

for  disability   Sept.,   1861. 
Vanordstrand,  John,  e.  Aug.  24,  1861 ;  dis. 

at  end  of  service  Sept.  30,  1864. 
Van  Valkenburg,  Benjamin,  e.     Aug.   24, 

1861 ;    dis.    at    end    of   service    Sept.    30, 

1864. 
Vanordstrand,  Jerome  P.,   Sergt.,  e.  Aug. 

24,  1861 ;  dis.  at  end  of  service  Sept.  30, 

1864. 

Company  G. 
Bryan,  James,  dis.  at  end  of  service  Sept. 

30,  1864. 
Bryan,   Moses,   died   of   wounds   at   Chat- 
tanooga, Tenn.,  Sept.  15,  1863. 
Granger,  Chauncey,  dis.  for  disability  June 

8,  1864. 
Haines,   James   L.,    dis.  at  end  of   service 

Sept.  26,  1864. 
Higgins,    Thomas    W.,    died    of    disease 

March  18,  1862. 
Nichols,  Charles  N.,  dis.  at  end  of  service 

Sept.   30,    1864. 
Nichols,  James  O.,  died  at  Chickamauga, 

Tenn.,  Sept.  20,  1863. 
Scott,   Lorenzo  H.,   dis.  at  end  of  service 

Sept.   30,    1864. 
Skinner,  Llarrison  H.,  Corp.,  dis.  for  dis- 
ability Feb.   15,  1862. 

ELEVENTH    REGIMENT    MICHIGAN    VOLUNTEER    INFANTRY     (nEW.) 

Company  E.  F.,  e.  March , ;  m.  o.  Sept. 

Sergt.   Joel    Cowgill,   Calvin,   e.   March   9, 

1865;  m.  O'.  Sept.  16,  1865. 
Musician  Charles  E.  Deal,  La  Grange,  Co. 


16,  1865. 

Musician  Elam  Dacy,  La  Grange;  Co.  F., 
e. ;  m.  o.  Sept.  16,  1865. 


THIRTEENTH    REGIMENT    MICLIIGAN    VOLUNTEER    INFANTRY. 


Company  A. 
Beaman,    Marvin    D.,    Penn,    e.    Feb.    29, 

1864;  m.  o.  July  25,  1865. 
Woliver,   Philander  J.,  Marcellus,  e.  Dec. 

3,  1863 ;  Corp. ;  m.  o.  July  25,  1865. 


Company  C. 
Blood,    Charles    H.,    Volinia,    e.    Feb.    26, 

1864 ;  m.  o.  July  25,  1865. 
Blood,    George    A.,    Volinia,    e.    Jan.    2, 

1862;  vet.  Jan.   18,  1864;  m;.  o.  July  25, 

1865. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


321 


Dailey,    William    S.,    Porter,    e.    Dec.    13, 

1861;  vet.  Jan.  18,  1864;  m.  o.  July  25, 

1865. 
Haefner,  Christian  G.,  Volinia,  e.  Feb.  27, 

1864;  m.  o.  July  25,  1865. 
Jacquays,    Smith   C,   Volinia,   e.   Feb.   26^ 

1864;    died    of    disease    at    Philadelphia 

May  20,  1865. 
Johnson,    Henry   M.,    Porter,    e.    Dec.    13, 

1861 ;   died  of  disease  at  Danville,  Ky., 

Nov.  20,  1862. 

Company  E. 
Brown,  William  H.,   Pokagon,  e.  Feb.  29, 

1864;  rn.  o. 
Caldwell,   William   W.,    Pokagon,   e.   Oct. 

22,  1861 ;  vet.  Jan.  18,  1864;  m.  o.  July 

25,  1865. 
Crego,    Hilance   J.,    Pokagon,   e.    Oct.   22, 

1861 ;  dis.  by  order  April  16,  1863. 
Fluallen,   Simon  E.,  Corp.   Sergt.,  e.  Oct. 

22,   1861 ;  vet.  Jan.   18,  1864;  m.  o.  July 

25,   1865. 
Hazen,    Charles,    Dowagiac,    e.    Oct.    27, 

1861 ;   dis.  for  disability  Sept.  20,   1862. 
Hungerford,  Calvin  A.,  Dowagiac,  e.  Oct. 

22.  1861 ;  vet.  Jan.  18,  1864 ;  m.  o.  July 

25,   1865. 
Hungerford,  Mason,  Dowagiac,  e.  Oct.  22, 

i86t  ;   m.   o.   at  end   of   service  Jan.   16, 

1865. 
Hutson,    Edward   R.,    Dowagiac,    e.    Oct. 

22,   1861 ;  vet.  Jan.  18,  1864;  m.  o.  July 

25,  1865. 


Kegley,    William,    Dowagiac,    e.    Oct.    22, 

1861;  vet.  Jan.   18,  1864;  m.  o.  July  25, 

1865. 
Lewis,    Ephraim,    Dowagiac,    e.    Oct.    22, 

1861 ;  vet.  Jan.   18,   1864;  m.  o.  July  25, 

1865. 
Moody,    Loren,    Dowagiac,    e.     Oct.    22, 

1861 ;  vet.  Jan.   18,   1864;  m.  o.  July  25, 

1865. 

Company  G. 

Clendenning,  James,  e.  Dec.  13,  1861 ;  dis. 

for  disability  Oct.  29,  1863. 
Roy,  William  G.,   Penn,  e.  Dec.   12,  1861 ; 

vet.   Jan.    18,    1864 ;    Sergt. ;    m.   o.   July 

25,   1865.- 
Salter,  James,  e.  Dec.   12,  1861 ;  vet.  Feb. 

13,  1864;  dis.  by  order  June  20,  1865. 
Salter,    Silas,    e.    Dec.    12,    1861 ;    dis.    for 

disability  Sept.  12,  1862. 
Weist,  William  F..   Dowagiac,   e.   Oct.  22, 

1861 ;  dis.  for  disability  Nov.  23,'  1863. 


Company  H. 


Feb. 


Campbell,    Seth   R.,   Silver   Creek,  e. 

27,  1865 ;  m.  o.  July  25,  1865. 
Wright,  Gilbert,  Silver  Creek,  e.  Feb.  27, 

1865 ;  m.  o.  July  25,  1865. 

Company  K. 

Wait,  Byron,  Jefferson,  e.  Feb.  3,  1865 ; 
died  of  disease  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  July 
T,  1865. 


FOURTEENTH   REGIMENT   MICHIGAN   VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY. 


Company  B. 

Austin,  Harvey  H.,  e.  Nov.  25,  1861 ;  vet. 

Jan.  4,  1864. 
Cope,  Jacob,  e.  Oct.   5,   1861 ;  dis.  at  end 

of  service. 
Eaton,  Abner,   e.   Dec.    18,   1861 ;    dis.  for 

disability  Jan.  10,   1863. 
Garner,  Henry,  Porter,  e.  Nov.  28,  1861 ; 

vet.  Jan.  4,  1864;  m.  o.  July  18,  1865. 
Moore,  Jared   C,  m.  o.  July  18,  1865. 
Morse,  Albert  J.,  e.  Jan.  2,  1862;  vet.  Jan. 

4,  1864;  m.  o.  July  18,  1865. 
Stewart,  James  A.,  vet.  Jan.  4,  1864;  m.  o. 

July  18,  1865. 


Company  E. 

Calkins,   Thomas  J.,    Porter,    e.    Sept.   27, 
1864;  m.  o.  July  18,  1865. 

Company  F. 

Wilson,  John,  m.  o.  July  18,   1865. 
Zimmerman,  Michael,   Porter,  e.  Sept.  27, 
1865;  m.  o.  July  18,  1865. 

Company  I. 

Rogers,  George,  Porter,  e.    Sept.  27,  1864; 
m.  o.  July  18,  1865. 


FIFTEENTH    REGIMENT    MICHIGAN    VOLUNTEER    INFANTRY. 
Company  A. 


Fields,  Alonzo,  Porter,  e.  Sept.  27,  1864; 
dis.  by  order  May  30,  1865. 

Company  B. 
Bovet,    Leon,    Volinia,   e.    May   27,    1865; 

m.  o.  Aug.  13,  1865. 
Leitz.    Joel     B.,    Marcellus,    e.    Oct.    22, 

1864 ;  died  of  disease  at  Alexandria,  Va., 

June  3,  1865. 


Mowry,  Jacob,  Marcellus,  e.  Oct.  22,  1864 ; 
dis.  by  order  Sept.  11,  1865. 

Company  C. 
Hice.  John,   Volinia,   e.   March   18,    1865 ; 

m.  o.  Aug.  13,  1865. 
Park,  John,  Calvin,  e.  Nov.  30,  1864;  dis. 

by  order  Aug.  2,  1865. 
Parsons,    Ezra,    Calvin,   e.   Oct.   22,    1864; 

m.  o.  Aug.  13,  1865. 


322 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


Racey,  Robert,   Milton,   e.   Oct.  22,    1864; 

(lis.  by  order  June  25,  1865. 
Sampson,  John,  Calvin,  e.   Oct.  21,   1864; 

m.  o.  Aug.  13,  1865. 

Company  D. 

Adams,  John,  Porter,  e.  Oct.  22,  1864;  m. 

o.  Aug.  13,  1865. 
Daniels,  John,  Volinia,  e.  March  18,  1865; 

m.  o.  Aug.  13,  1865. 
Dunn,    Anson    L.,    Newberg,    e.    Nov.    4, 

1864;  m.  o.  Aug.  13,  1865.  \ 

Wagner,  John,  Calvin,  e.  Dec.  5,  1864;  m. 

o.  Aug.  13,  1865. 

Company  E. 

Descartes,    Peter,    dis.    at   end   of   service 

Jan.  28,  J865. 
De    Witt,    James,    Dowagiac,    e.    Dec.    23, 

1861 ;    dis.    for   disability   May   19,    1862. 
Doherty,   Charles,    dis.    at   end  of   service 

Jan.  28,  1865. 
Ducat,  Dufify,  dis.  by  order  July  21,  1865. 
Gee,  Alexander,  m.  o.  Aug.  9,  1865. 
Girardin,   Richard,    dis.   by  order   Sept.  9, 

1865. 
Greenwood,    Anthony,    dis.    for    disabilit)* 

July  9,   1862. 
Johnson,     Fred,    Dowagiac,    e.    Dec.    21, 

186 1 ;   vet.   Jan.  25,   1864;   dis.   by  order 

Aug.  5,  1865. 
Kelly,  John,  m.  o.  Aug.  13,  1865. 
Littlejohn,     William,     dis.     for     disability 

Aug.  3,  1862. 
Logan,    John,    dis.    for    disability   Aug.   3, 

1862. 


McTaggart,  Archibald,   dis.    for   disability 

Aug.  3,  1862. 
Nephew,  Anthony,  dis.  for  disability  Aug 

II,  1862. 
Nye,    Theo.,   dis.    at    end    of   service   Jan, 

28,  1865. 
Walustrand,  Julius,  Marcellus,  e.  Oct.  22, 

1864;  m.  o.  Aug.  13,  1865. 

Company  G. 
East,  Alva,  Porter,  e.  Oct.   10,  1864;   died 

of  disease  at   Baltimore,    Md.,   Feb.   21, 

1865. 

Company  H. 
Harder,  Jan^es   E.,  Howard,  e.  March  18, 

1865;  m.  o.  Aug.  13,  1865. 
Honeywell,    Newell,    Howard,    e.    Oct.    6, 

1864;  m.  o.  Aug.  13,  1865. 
Howard,    John    F.,    Howard,    e.    April    i, 

1865;  m.  o.  Aug.  13,  1865. 
Hudson,    William,    Howard,    e.    April    i, 

1865;  m.  o.  Aug.  13,  1865. 
Johnson,  John  S.,  m.  o.  Aug.  13,  1865. 
Root,    John    W.,    Volinia,    e.    March    18, 

1865;  dis.  by  order  Sept.  20,  1865. 

Company  I. 
Bell,  Edward  B.,  e.  Feb.  5,  1862;  died  of 

disease  at  Griffith's  Landing,  Miss.,  Oct. 

3,  ^^Z- 
Joslin,  Hiram,  Newberg,  e.  Feb.  16,  1862; 

dis.   for  disability  Aug.  25,  1862. 

Company  K. 
Hogeboom,   Cornelius   P.,   m.  o.   Aug.   13, 
1865. 


SIXTEENTH    REGIMENT    MICHIGAN    VOLUNTEER    INFANTRY. 
Company  C.  Company  K. 

Rapp,  George,  Volinia,  e.  Jan.,  1865 ;  m.  o.       Prebamsky,  Frank,  Volinia,  e.   March  30, 
July  8,    1865.  1865;  m.  o.  July  8,  1865. 

SEVENTEENTH   REGIMENT  MICHIGAN  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY. 


Company  B. 

Dick,  William  M.,  Howard,  e.  July  2, 
1862;  m.  o.  June  3,  1865. 

Doan,  Thomas  R.,  Howard,  e.  Aug.  3, 
1862 ;  killed  on  Mississippi  River  by  ex- 
plosion April  28,  1865. 

Earl,  Levi  F.,  Howard,  e.  Aug.  2,  1862. 

Foote,  John  M.,  Howard,  e.  Aug.  5,  1862; 
trans,  to  Vet.  Res.  Corps  Dec.  15, 
1863. 

Harder,  Tunis  J.,  Howard,  e.  Aug.  5, 
1862;  m.  o.  June  3,  1865. 

TWENTY-FOURTH    REGIMENT   MICHIGAN    VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY. 

Company  A.  Hunt,    Henry    H.,    Porter,    e.    March    9, 

Bowen,    Henry    H.,    Porter,    e.    Feb.    2^,  1865 ;  m.  o.  June  30,  1865. 

1865;  m.  o.  June  30,  1865.  Lubbow,    Wilham,    Porter,    e.    March    7, 

Goldsmith,    Henry,    Porter,    e.    Feb.    27,  1865;  m.  o.  June  30.  1865. 

1865;  m.  o.  June  30,  1865. 


Kenyon,    Varnum,    Howard,    e.    Aug.    6, 

1862;  died  of  disease  at  Fredericksburg, 

Va.,  Feb.  5,  1863. 
Kenyon,    Jesse    A.,    Howard,    e.    Aug.    6, 

1862;    died    of    wounds   at    Washington 

Dec.  16,  1862. 
Schell,    George    D.,    Howard,    e.    Aug.    i, 

1862 ;  dis.  by  order  June  16,  1865. 
Taylor,   Fred,    Howard,   e.    Aug.   7,    1862; 

dis.    for   disability   Dec.   8,    1862. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


^23 


Powers,    William,    Porter,    e.    March    i, 

1865;  m.  o.  June  30,  1865. 
Preston,   Winlield  S.,   Porter,  e.  March  5, 

1865;  m.  o.  June  30,  1865. 
Rinehart,     Nathan,     Porter,    e.     Feb.    27, 

1865;  1^^-  ^-  June  30,  1865. 
Stearns,    Warren   S.,    Porter,    e.    Feb.   27, 

1865;  m.  o.  June  30,  1865. 
Story,    Milton,    Porter,   e.    Feb.   2^,    1865 ; 

m.  o.  June  30,  1865. 
Story,    William    A.,    Porter,    e.    Feb.    27, 

18O5;  ni.  o.  June  30,  1865. 
Stout,    Stephen    S.,    Porter,    e.    March    9, 

1865;   m.  o.  June  30,   1865. 
Sutton,  John  W.,  Porter,  e.  Feb.  28,  1865 ; 

m.  o.  June  30,   1865. 
Sutton,    Joshua    L.,    Porter,    e.    F'eb.    27, 

1865 ;  m.  o.  June  30,  1865. 
Weaver,  William  H.,  Milton,  e.  March  15, 

1865;  m.  o.  June  30,  1865. 
Williams,  Charles  H.,   Porter,  e.  Feb.  27, 

1865;   m-  o.  June  30,   1865. 

Company  B. 
Bell,  John   P.,   Milton,  e.   Aug.  25,   1864; 
m.  o.  June  30,  1865. 

Company  C. 
Avery,  Charles,  Porter,  e.  March  5,  1865; 

m.  o.  June  30,  1865. 
Calkins,    Henry    H.,    Porter,    e.    Feb.    21, 

1865 ;  m.  o.  June  30,  1865. 
Hilton,  Hiram,   Porter,  e.   Feb.  27,   1865; 

m.  o.  June  30,  1865. 
Jessup,  A.  H.,  Porter,  m.  o.  June  30,  1865. 
Kyle,  J.  C,  Porter,  m.  o.  June  30,  1865. 
Kyle,  A.  R.,  Porter,  m.  o.  June  30,  1865. 

Company  E. 
Averill,    Pliny    T.,    Penn,    e.    March    16, 
1865;  m-  o.  June  30,  1865. 


Blanchard,   Bradford,    Pokagon,   e.   March 

7,  1^05;  m.  o.  June  30,  i«D5. 
Curtis,   George,   untua,   e.   Sept.   5,    1864; 

died  ot  disease  at  Chicago,  111.,  March 

15,  1865. 
Kenyon,    Hiram,    Pokagon,    e.    March    10, 

1605;  m.  o.  June  30,  1865. 
McKinstry,  Charles,  Pokagon,  e.  March  7, 

1005;  m-  o.  June  30,  18O5. 
Parker,  Augustus  i\.,  Pokagon,  e.  Alarch 

U,  1^05;  m.  o.  June  30,  1865. 
Parker,    VViliiam   H.,    ±^okagon,   e.   March 

7,  1805;  n^.  o.  June  30,  18O5. 
Penrod,  Nathan,  Penn,  e.  March  16,  1865; 

m.  o.  June  30,  1865. 
Steinbeck,    Morgan,    Milton,    e.    Aug.    16, 

1864;  m.  o.  June  30,  1865. 
Witherell,   Duane,    Pokagon,   e.   March  7, 

1865;  m.  o.  June  30,  1865. 

Company  F. 
Van  Tuyl,  George,  m.  o.  June  30,  1865. 

Company  H. 
Hodges,    Benjamin,    Penn,    e.    March    16, 

1865;  m-  o.  June  30,  1865. 
Rea,   John,   Penn,   e.   March   16,   1865;   m. 

o.  Jujie  30,  1865. 
Share,   Edwin,   Milton,   e.   Sept.   12,   1864; 
m.  o.  June  30,  1865. 

Company  K. 
Ames,  Bela,  m.  o.  June  30,  1865. 
Meacham,   Oliver   G.,   Porter,   e.   Feb.   27, 

1865;  m.  o.  June  30,  1865. 
Nickerson,   Evert   B.^   Mason,  e.   Feb.   2^^^ 

1865;  m.  o.  June  30,  1865. 
Reed,  Otis,  m.  o.  June  30,  1865. 
Reese,  John  M.,  Milton,  e.  Aug.  24,  1864; 

m.  o.  June  30,  1865. 


TWENTY-FIFTH   REGIMENT   MICHIGAN   VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY. 


Company  D. 

Sergt.  Amos  W.  Poorman,  Marcellus,  e. 
Aug.  9,  1862;  died  of  disease  at  Nash- 
ville, Tenn.,  June  13,  1864. 

Corp.  Roswell  Beebe,  Marcellus,  e.  Aug. 
II,  1862;  killed  at  Tebbs'  Bend,  Ky., 
July  4,  1863. 

PRIVATES. 

Babe,  Bruce,  Marcellus,  e.  Aug.  11,  1862; 

m.  o.  June  24,   1865. 
Musician  Joseph  Beck,  Newberg,  e.  Aug. 

15,  1862;  m.  o.  June  24,  1865. 
Musician    Samuel    P.    Beck,    Newberg,    e. 

Aug.    15,    1862;    dis.    for   disability  Jan. 

6,   1863. 
Beebe,    Gideon,    Marcellus,    e.    Aug.       11, 

1862;  dis.  for  disability  March  4,  1865. 
Butler,  Ransom  L.,  Marcellus,  e.  Aug.  11, 

1862;  dis.  by  order  July  26,  1863. 


Kent,  Daniel,  Marcellus,  e.  Aug.  11,  1862; 

dis.  by  order  March  19,  1863. 
McKibby,   Daniel,   Marcellus,   e.   Aug.    11, 

1862;  m.  o.  June  24,  1865. 
Messenger,    Edward,    Marcellus,    e.    Aug. 

II,  1864;  dis.  for  disability  Feb.  5,  1863. 
Nottingham,     Horace    M.,     Marcellus,    e. 

Aug.  8,  1862;  m.  o. 
Nottingham,  Oscar  H.,  Marcellus,  e.  Aug. 

8,    1862;    died    of    disease    at    Bowling 

Green,  Ky.,  March  14,  1863. 
Poorman,  John  A.,  Marcellus,  e.  Aug.  ii, 

1862 ;  m.  o.  June  24,  1865. 
Root,  Jacob,  Marcellus,  e.  Aug.  12,  1862; 

m.  o.  June  24,   1865. 
Shears,  Martin  V.,  Marcellus,  e.  Aug.  11, 

1862;  m.  o.  June  24,  1865. 
Shoemaker,    Samuel,    Marcellus,    e.    Aug. 

II,  1862;  m.  o.  June  28,  1865. 


324 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


Taylor,  Charles  A.,  Marcellus,  e.  Aug.  ii, 

1862;  m.  o.  June  24,  1865. 
Taylor,    Timothy   A.,   Marcellus,    e.    Aug. 

II,  1862;  m.  o.  May  13,  1865. 
Young,    Simon,    Marcellus,    e.    Aug.    11, 

1862;  trans,  to  Vet.  Res.  Corps  Fed.  15, 

1864. 

Company  E. 

Bristol,   Luther,  Milton,  e.   Sept.  6,   1864; 
m.  o.  June  24,  1865. 

Company  F. 

Bement,  George,  Ontwa,  e.  Aug.  13,  1862; 

m.  o.  June  24,   1865. 
Bradbury,  Benjamin  F.,  Dowagiac,  e.  Aug. 

13,    1862;    died   of    disease    at    Bedford, 

Ky.,  June  7,  1863. 
Colby,   Ira   O.,  Ontwa,  e.   Aug.   13,   1862; 

died  of  disease  at  Mumfordsville,   Ky., 

Jan.  I,  1863. 
Day,    Perry    U.,    Dowagiac,    e.    Aug.    9, 

1862;   died  of  wounds   at  Tunnel   Hill, 

Ga.,  May  12,  1864. 
Goodrich,  Levi  C,  Dowagiac,  m.  o.  June 

24,  1865. 
Hastings,  Justus   H.,   Ontwa,   e.   Aug.   11, 

1862;  m.  o.  June  24,   1865. 
Loux,  Edwin  G.,  Ontwa,  e.  Aug.  13,  1862; 

m.  o.  June  24,  1865. 
Mears,  John,  Dowagiac,  e.  Aug.  11,  1862; 

trans,  to  Vet.  Res.  Corps  Feb.  15,  1864. 


Meredith,    Nathaniel,  Ontwa,   e.   Aug.    13, 

1862;  m.  o.  June  14,  1865. 
McFaren,  Henry,  Ontwa,  e.  Aug.  13,  1862; 

mi.  o.  June  24,  1865. 
Niblett,    William    E.,   Ontwa,   e.   Aug.   19, 

1862;  m.  o.  June  24,  1865. 
Rozelle,    Joshua   C,    Ontwa,    e.    Aug.    13, 

1862;  died  of  disease  at  Bowling  Green, 

Ky.,  Feb.  25,  1863. 

Company  G. 
Bows,    William,    Newberg,    e.     Aug.     21, 

1862 ;  trans,  to  Vet.  Res.  Corps  June  9, 

1865. 
Benman,   William    H.,    Newberg,    e.   Aug. 

22,  1862;  m.  o.  June  24,  1865. 
Bennett,  John  J.,  Porter,  e.  Aug.  12,  1862 ; 

m.  o.  June  24,  1865. 
Bird,  William,  Newberg,  e.  Aug.  21,  1862; 

m.  o.  June  24,  1865. 
Cook,    Orlan    P.,    Newberg,    e.    Aug.    22, 

1862;  dis.  for  disability  Sept.  23,   1863. 
Crump,    William,    Marcellus,    e.    Aug.   22, 

1862;   died  of  disease  at  Lebanon,  Ky., 

April  24,  1863. 
Kenney,  Fernando,   Newberg,   e.   Aug.  22, 

1862;   m.  o.  June  24,   1865. 
Neumann,    Louis,    Newberg,    e.    Aug.    13, 

1862;  m.  o.  June  24,  1865. 
Stickney,    Sidney   M.,    Marcellus,    e.   Aug. 

22,   1862;   died   of  disease  at  Louisville, 

Ky.,  Oct.  30,  1862. 


TWENTY-EIGHTH    REGIMENT    MICHIGAN    VOLUNTEER   INFANTRY. 


FIELD   AND    STAFF. 

Lieut.  Col.  George  T.  Shaffer,  Calvin, 
com.  Dec.  10,  1864;  Maj.  com.  Aug.  15, 
1864;  Brevet  Col.  and  Brevet  Brig.  Gen. 
U.  S.  Volunteers,  March  13,  1865,  for 
gallant  and  meritorious  services  at  bat- 
tles before  Atlanta,  Ga.,  and  at  Wise 
Fork,  N.  C;  m.  o.  June  5,  1866. 

Surg.  Alonzo  Garwood,  Cassopolis,  com. 
Aug.  15,  1864;  m.  o.  June  5,  1866. 

Company  A. 
Sergt.    Thomas    J.    Baunder,    Volinia,    e. 

Sept.  I,  1864;  m.  o.  June  7,  1865. 
Schooley,  Henry,  Volinia,  e.  Sept.  8,  1864; 

m.  o.  June  5,  1866. 

Company  E. 
Avery,  David  C,  Volinia,  e.  Sept.  7,  1864; 

m.  o.  May  4,  1865. 
Baird,   John,   Howard,    e.   Oct.    18,    1864; 

m.  o.  June  5,  1866. 
Baird,   William    S.,    Howard,   e.    Oct.    17, 

1864;  m.  o.  June  5,  1866. 
Davis,  Lowell,  Pokagon,  e.  Sept.  3,  1864; 

m.  o.  June  7,  1865. 
Ernery,  Robert,  Volinia,  e.  Sept.  12,  1864; 

dis.  for  wounds  June  30,  1865. 


Pope,  Lyman,  A.,  m.  o.  Aug.  16,  1865. 
Randall,  William,  Milton,  e.  Sept.  3,  1864; 
m.  o.  May  22,  1865. 

Company  G. 

Blackman,  David  R.,  Volinia,  e.   Sept.  15, 

1864;  m.  o.  June  5,  1866. 
Delong,  Henry,  Pokagon,  e.  Sept.  3,  1864; 

m.  o.  June  5,  1866. 
Hill,    Charles    A.,    Jefferson,    e.    Sept.    29, 

1864;  m.  o.  May  31.  1865. 
Nichols,  Tyler,   Volinia,  e.   Sept.   5,   1864; 

m.  o.  June  19,  1865. 

Company  H. 

Bates,  Buel   H.,   Penn,   e.  Aug.   22,   1864; 

m.  o.  May  29,   1865. 
Bogert,  Cornelius,  Penn,  e.  Aug.  20,  1864; 

dis.  by  order  May  2^,  1865. 
Clendenning,  H.  M.  T.,  Penn,  e.  Aug.  10, 

1864;  m.  o.  June  8,  1865. 
Deacon,  Isaac,  Volinia,  e.  Sept.  20,  1864 -; 

m.  o.  June  5,  1866. 
Kinney,  Nelson,  Corp.,  Penn,  e.  Aug.  20, 

1864;  m.  o.  June  5,  1866. 
North,  Nathaniel,  La  Grange,  e.  Aug.  30, 

1864;  died  of  disease  at  Charlotte,  N.  C. 

June  7,  1865. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


325 


North,  Norman,  La  Grange,   e.   Aug.   30, 

1864;  m.  o.  June  5,  1866. 
Patterson,  James,  2d  Lieut.,  Penn,  e.  Aug. 

2S,  1864;  died  of  disease  at  Alexandria, 

Va.,  Feb.  21,  1865. 
Pemberton,    Nathan,    Penn,    e.    Aug.    28, 

1864;  m^  o.  June  5,   1866. 
Robinson,  Edmund,  died  of  disease  at  Da- 
vids Island,   N.  Y.,  April  16,  1865. 
Tappan,    William    E.,    Penn,    e.    Aug.    29, 

1864;    died    of    disease    at    Alexandria, 

Va.,  Feb.  4,  1865. 
Trill,  George,   Pokagon,  e.  Sept.  i,   1864; 

died  of  disease  at  Alexandria,  Va.,  Feb. 

12,  1865. 


Company  L 

Bryant,  James,  Milton,  e.   Sept.   16,   1864; 

m.  o.  June  5,  1866. 
Freeman,    Miles,    Howard,    e.    Oct.     18I, 

1864;  m.  o.  May  30,  1865. 
Mitchell,    Alonzo  J.,    Milton,   e.    Sept.    14, 

1864;  m.  o.  Jan.  9,  1866. 

Company  K. 

Harris,  Benjamin  S.,  Pokagon,  e.  Feb.  16, 

1865 ;  m.  o.  May  30,  1865. 
Smith,  Carlton,  Pokagon,  e.  Feb.  16,  1865 ; 

m.   o.   Feb.    19,   1866. 


THIRTIETH    REGIMENT    MICHIGAN    VOLUNTEER    INFANTRY. 


Company  H. 

Harwood,    Henry   W.,    Ontwa,   e.   Dec.   2, 

1864;  m.  o.  June  30,  1865. 
Harwood,  Jacob  W.,  Jefferson,  e.  Dec.  6, 

1864;  m.  o.  June  30,  1865. 
Plirons,    Oliver    C,   Jefferson,    e.    Dec.    2, 

1864;  m.  o.  June  30,  1865. 


Massey,  Robert  D.,  Sergt.,  Ontwa,  e.  Nov. 

28,  1864;  m.  o.  June  30,  1865. 
Massey,  Peter,  Corp.,   Ontwa,  e.   Nov.  28, 

1864;  m-  o.  June  30,  1865. 
Shaw,   Edwin  O.,  Corp.,   Ontwa,  e.   Nov. 

30,  1864;  m..o.  June  30,  1865. 
Smith,   Frank   A.,   Corp.,   Ontwa,   e.   Dec. 

2,  1864;  m.  o.  June  30,  1865. 


FIRST   REGIMENT    MICHIGAN   SHARPSHOOTERS. 


Company  B. 
Allen,  Nathan  S.,  Penn,  e.  Aug.  19,  1864; 
m.  o.  July  28,  1865. 

Company  E. 

Second  Lieut.  Winfield  S.  Shanahan, 
Cassopolis,  e.  March  7,  1865 ;  Corp. 
March  6,  1863;  m.  o.  July  28,  1865. 

PRIVATES. 

Bibbins,  Charles,  Ontwa,  e.  April  13,  1863 ; 

missing  in  action  at  Cold  Harbor  June 

12,  1864. 
Nichols,   Alexander,    Ontwa,    e.   April    12, 

1863;  m.  o.  July  25,  1865. 
Wyant,  George,  Ontwa,  e.  March  6,  1863 ; 

m.  o.  Aug.  7,  1865. 

Company  F. 

Reigar,  Daniel  H.,  Sergt.,  Ontwa,  e.  May 
4,  1863;  m.  o.  July  28,  1865. 

Company  G. 
Jackson,  Henry  H.,  Pokagon,  e.  Aug.  12, 

1863;    died   of  disease  at    Chicago,    111., 

Oct.  3,  1863. 
McNeil,  William   B.,  Ontwa,   e.  Aug.    12, 

1863 ;  dis.  for  disability  March  22,  1864. 
Smith,    Wight    D.,    Dowagiac,    e.    July   4, 

1863;  m.  o.  July  28,  1865. 

Company  H. 
Northrop,  William  B.,  Calvin,  e.  Feb.  26, 


1864;  died  of  wounds  in  General  Hos- 
pital. 
Northrop,    Marion    A.,    Penn,   e.    Feb.   26, 
1864;    died    of  disease   at   Chicago,    111., 
April  17,  1864. 

Company  I. 
Beach,    Myron    W.,    Volinia,    e.    Sept.    7, 

1863;  dis.  for  disability. 
Bedford,    William,    Pokagon,    e.    Aug.    3, 

1863;  m.  o.  July  28,   1865. 
Fessenden,   Qlement,   Volinia,  e.   Sept.   21, 

T863;    dis.    for   disability    April   7,    1865. 
George,   David   L.,   Silver  Creek,   e.    Aug. 

2^.    1863 ;    died    of   wounds    received   at 

Wilderness  May  6,   1864. 
Huff,    Asher,    Silver    Creek,    e.    Aug.    24, 

1863;   dis.  by  order  Dec.  28,  1864. 
Huff,  Isaac,  Volinia,  e.  Sept.  7,  1863 ;  miss- 
ing   in    action   before    Petersburg,    Va., 

June  17,   1864. 
Nash,  Charles,  Volinia.  e.   Sept.  21,  1863; 

m.  o.  July  28,  1865. 
Nash,    Theodore,    Volinia,    e.    Sept.    21, 

1863 ;    died   near   Petersburg,   Va.,   June 

20,  1864. 
Waterman,  Charles,  Silver  Creek,  e.  July 

28,    1863;    died    near    Petersburg,    Va., 

June  28,  1864. 

Company  K. 
Johns,  David,  La  Grange,  e.  Jan.  27,  1865 ; 
m.  o.  July  28,  1865. 


326 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


FIRST    MICHIGAN     (l02    U. 

Company  A. 
Hood,    Philander,    Pokagon,    e.    Aug.    17, 
1864;  m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 

Company  B. 
Alexander,    Jacob,    Howard,    e.    Oct.    i, 

1864;  m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Brown,    John,    Calvni,    e.    Oct.    20,    1863; 

m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Brown,   Stuart,    Calvin,   e.   Oct.   20,    1863; 

m.  o.  Sept.  30,   1865. 
Butcher,   David,   Calvin,  e.   Oct.  21,  1863; 

m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Callaway,   Giles,   Porter,  e.  O'ct.  21,   1863; 

m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Coker,    James,    Calvin,    e.    Oct.    16,    1863; 

m.  o.  Sept.  30,   1865. 
Coker,   Michael,    Calvin,  e.   Oct.   18,    1863; 

m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Curtis,  George  H.,  Calvin,  e.  Dec.  4,  1863; 

m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Dungie,  John,  Calvin,  e.  Oct.  7,  1863;  m. 

o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Gibbins,    William,    Jefferson,    e.    Aug.   24, 

1864;  m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Harris,    Charles   W.,   Howard,   e.    Oct.    i, 

1864;  m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Hawl^y,  William,  Calvin,  e.  Oct.  22,  1863; 

dis.  for  disability  May  26,  1864. 
Howard,  William,  Calvin,  e.  Oct.  5,  1864; 

m.  o.   Sept.  30,   1865. 
Limus,  John,   Pokagon,  e.   Oct.   10,   1863; 

m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Little,   Stewart,  Calvin,  e.   Sept.  2S,  1864; 

m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Mathews,  Allison   L.,   Calvin,  e.  Sept.  23, 

1864;  died  of  disease  at  Orangeburg,  S. 

C,  Aug.  6,  1865. 
Newman,   William   H.,    Calvin,   e.    Oct.   7, 

1863;  m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Seton.    Joseph,    La    Grange,    e.    Oct.    18, 

1863;  m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Stewart,    George   W.,   Calvin,  e.   Nov.   20, 

1863;  died  of  disease  at  Beaufort,  S.  C, 

July  27,  1864. 
Stewart,    James    M.,    Calvin,    e.    Oct.    18, 

1863;   m.   o.    Sept.   30,   1865. 
Stewart,  John  T.,  Calvin,  e.  Oct.  21,  1863; 

m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Wade,    Berry,    Corp.,    Calvin,    e.    Oct.    7, 

1863 ;  died  of  disease  at  Beaufort,  S.  C, 

Aug.  22,  1864. 
Williams,  George  W.,  Calvin,  e.   Oct.  21, 

1863 ;   died   of   disease  at   Columbia,    S. 

C,  Aug.  12,  1865. 
Wood,  John  W.,  Calvin,  e.  Oct.  19,  1863; 

m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 

Company  C. 
Ford,    William,    La    Grange,    e.    Feb.    17, 
1865;  m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 


S.)     COLORED   INFANTRY. 

Hill,  Dennis  R.,  Howard,  e.  Oct.  i,  1864; 

m.  o.  Sept.  30,   1865. 
Redman,  Vvillis,  Howard,  e.  Oct.  i,  1864; 

m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Wallace,    James    H.,    Ontwa,    e.    Sept.    5, 

1864;   m.  o.  bept.  30,  1865. 
Wilson,    Nathaniel,     Calvin,    e.    Oct.     18, 

1863;  m-  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 

Company  D. 

Artis,    George,    Calvin,    e.    Nov.    5,    1863; 

m.   o.   Sept.  30,   1865. 
Barrister,    Gustavus,    Howard,    e.    Oct.    i, 

1864;  ni.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Calloway,  Creed,  Porter,  e.  Nov.  18,  1863; 

m.  o.  Sept.  30,   1865. 
Hunt,  Jordan  P.,  Calvin,  e.  Oct.  23,  1863; 

m.  o.   Sept.  30,   1865. 
Mattock,    Henry,    Pokagon,    e.    Feb.     16, 

1865;  m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Simons,   William   H.,   Calvm,   e.   Nov.   17, 

1863;   m.  o.   Sept.  30,   1865. 
Vaughn,  James,  Calvm,  e.  Sept.  23,  1864; 

m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 

Company  F. 

Brown,  John,   Howard,   e.   Dec.    19,   1863; 

died  of  disease  Jan.  17,  1864. 
Bowden,    John,    La    Grange,    e.    Nov.   28, 

1863 ;  died  of  disease  at  Beaufort,  S.  C, 

Nov.  14,  1864. 
Boyd,    Anderson,     Howard,    e.    Dec.     12, 

1863;   m.  o.  Sept.  30,   1865. 
Conner,  William  F.,  Sergt.,  Penn,  e.  Dec. 

II,  1863;  m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Dungil,   Wright,    Penn,  e.   Aug.  22,   1864; 

m.  o.   Sept.  30,   1865. 
Ford,  Edward,  Milton,  e. ;  died  of  disease 

at  Beaufort,  S.  C,  Jan.  14,  1865, 
Harrison,    Milford,    Howard,    e.    Dec.    12 

1863 ;  m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Hays,  Arick,  Penn,  e.  Aug.  24,  1864;  m.  o. 

Sept.  30,  1865. 
Hays,  William  H.,  Calvin,  e.  Oct.  4,  1864 

absent  sick  at  m.  o. 
Henry,  Martin  V.,  Penn,  e.  Dec.  2,  1863: 

m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Hill,  Anthony,   Penn,  e.  Sept.  i,   1864;  m 

o.  Sept.  30,   1865. 
Howard,  Ezekiel,  Porter,  e.  Oct.  3,  1864 

m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Lett,  Zach.,  Corp.,  Penn,  e.  Dec.  14,  1863 

m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Mathews,   Henry  A.,  La  Grange,  e.  Sept 

5,  1864;  m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Plowden,    William    P.,    Howard,    e.    Dec 

19,  1863;  m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Ramsay,  Joseph,   Penn,  e.  Dec.   11,   1863 

m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


327 


Roberts,   John,    Penn,    e.    Aug.    i8,    1864; 

m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Van   Dyke,    Lewis,    Sergt.,   Penn,   e.   Dec. 

II,  1863;  m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 

Company  G. 

Ashe,  Joseph  C,  Calvin,  e.  Sept.  23,  1864; 

m.  o.   Sept.  30,   1865. 
Bricey,  George,  Howard,  e.  Dec.  19,  1863 ; 

dis.  for  disability  May  26,  1864. 
Boyd,   Lawson,   Calvin,   e.   Dec.  29,    1863 ; 

m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Bird,  James  M.,  Calvin,  e.  Sept.  23,  1864; 

m.  o.   Sept.  30,   1865. 
Bird,   Turner,     Calvin,   e.   Sept.  23,   1864; 

m.  o.  Sept.  30,   1865. 
Farrar,   Alfred,    Corp.,   e.    Dec.   21,    1863; 

absent  sick  at  m.  o. 
Heathcock,    Bartlett,    Porter,    e.    Dec.    29, 

1863 ;  died  of  disease  in  Michigan  April 

5,   1864. 
Heathcock,    Berry,     Porter,    e.    Dec.    29, 

1863;  dis.   for   disability  May  28,   1865. 
Hill,  Jackson,   Penn,  e.   Sept.   i,   1864;   m. 

o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Huston,   John,    Silver    Creek,   e.    Dec.   26, 

1863;   m.   o.   Sept.  30,    1865. 
Jefferson,   Thomas,    Pokagon,   e.    Dec.   30, 

1863;  m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Lawrence,    Alfred,    Howard,    e.    Dec.    12, 

1863;  m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Russell,  Henderson,   Pokagon,   e.   Dec.  30, 

1863;  m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Russell,  Jacob,  Pokagon,  e.  Dec.  30,  1863; 

dis.  for  disability  June  8,  1865. 
Russell,  John,  Pokagon,  e.  Dec.  30,  1863; 

dis.  for  wounds  June  8,  1865. 
Stewart,  John  E.,  Calvin,  e.  Feb.  28,  1864; 

m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Stewart,    Sylvester,    Ontwa,    e.    Dec.    28, 

1863 ;  dis.  for  disability  May  30,  1865. 
Thornton,     Henry,    Calvin,    e.     Sept.    29, 

1864;  ni.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Windburn.   George,   Howard,   e.   Sept.   23, 

1864;  m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Wines,    Ebenezer,    Howard,    e.    Sept.    23, 

1864;  "1-  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 

Company  H. 

Corp.  Aquilla  R.  Corey,  Howard,  e.  Dec. 
24,  1864;  m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 


PRIVATES. 

Cousins,  Ely,  Porter,  e.  Dec.  26,  1863;  m. 

o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Cousins,    David,    Penn,    e.    Dec.   4,    1863; 

absent  sick. 
Dorsey,   James   W.,   Howard,   e.   Dec.   24, 

1863 ;  m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Gibson,  Marquis,  Penn,  e.  Aug.   19,  1864; 

m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Griffin,  Solomon,   Penn,  e.  Dec.  21,   1863; 

m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Hill,  Allen,   Penn,  e.  Sept.  i,  1864;  m.   o. 

Sept.  30,  1865. 
Sanders,    Peter,    Porter,    e.   Dec.   9,    1863; 

m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
White,   Henry,    Calvin,   e.   Dec.    13,    1863; 

died  of  disease  at  Beaufort,  S.  C.,  Aug. 

7,  1864. 
White,    Wright,    La    Grange,   e.    Feb.    17, 

1865 ;  m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Washington,    George,    Dowagiac,    e.    Dec. 

18,  1863 ;  m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Sergt.  James  Wheeler,  Wayne,  e.  Dec.  29, 

1863;  m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 

Company  L 

Anderson,    Amos,    Porter,     e.     Sept.     17, 

1864;  m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Anderson,  Jefferson  B.,  Porter,  e.  Jan.  11, 

1864;  m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Gillan,    Andrew,    La    Grange,   e.    Dec.    31, 

1863 ;  m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Morton,  Henry,  Calvin,  e.   Sept.  23,  1864; 

m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Sharpe,  Joseph,  Silver  Creek,  e.  March  15, 

1865 ;  dis.  by  order  Oct.  28,  1865. 
Wilson,  Joel,   Howard,   e.   Dec.   24,    1863; 

m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 

Company  K. 

Sergt.  Abner  R.   Bird.   Calvin,  e.  Jan.   16, 

1864;  m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Harris,  William,  Calvin,  e.  Sept.  23.  1864; 

m.  o.  Sept.  30,   1865. 
iNIurphy,  Percival,  Calvin,  e.  Jan.  15,  1864; 

dis.  by  order  Nov.  13,  1865. 
Stafford,    James    K.,    Porter,    e.    Aug.    24, 

1864;  m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
I^albot,    William    H.,    Porter,    e.    Oct.    5, 

1864;  m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 
Wilson,  Giles  i^.,  Calvin,  e.  Sept.  23,  1864; 

m.  o.  Sept.  30,  1865. 


FIRST    REGIMENT    ENGINEERS    AND    MECHANICS. 


Company  C. 
Dickerson,    Albert,    died     of     disease     at 

Louisville,  Ky.,  Feb.  24,  1864. 
Peachey,    Aaron,    Marcellus,    e.    Aug.    23, 

1864;    (^ied    of     disease     at     Nashville, 

Tenn.,  Nov.  21,  1864. 


Company  D. 
Gaines,    Franklin,    Pokagon,    e.    Dec, 

1863 ;  m.  o.  Sept.  22,  1865. 
Little',   John    H.,   Marcellus,   e.    Aug. 

1864;   dis.  by  order  June  6,  1865. 


29, 


23, 


328  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Company  R  Stanley,  James  S.,  Ontwa,  e.  Jan.  4,  1864; 

Williams,    Isaac    N.,    Penn,    e.    Aug.  21,           m-  o.  Sept.  22,  1865. 

1864;  dis.  by  order  June  6,  1865.  ^^"    Tassel),    David,    Ontwa,    e.    Jan.    4, 

Company  G.  ^^^^i  died  of  disease  Feb.  16,  1864. 

Crampton,    Abel,    Pokagon,     e.     Dec.  15,                                 Company  K. 

1863;  m.  o.  Sept.  22,  1865.  i3i,^^,,^  ^viiii,,^    S-1^,^^  Creek,  e.  Dec.  21, 

x«k.   TT%^-    P^^TS-  '•   ^f  V'^'  1863;  m.  o.  Sept.  22,  1865. 

Au^'  .    tL  "''        Rn^ggold,  Ga.,       ^j^i^      ^^^y^^^^^   ^j      Silver  Creek;   m.  o. 

Aug.    5,    I«()4.  ^       '  o^ 

Rogers,    Lucius,    Ontwa,  e.   Jan.  4,    1864;  ^^P^'  ^^'  ^^^^• 

dis.  by  order  June  6,  1865. 

MICHIGAN   PROVOST  GUARD. 

Mershon,   Andrew,   dis.   by  order  July   2,   1863. 

FIRST  UNITED  STATES  SHARPSHOOTERS. 

Company  K.  McClelland,  William. 

First  Lieut.  Charles  W.  Thorp,  Nicholas-  l^^^oop.   Sylvester  A. 

yille,  Nov.  27,  1863;  Second  Lieut.  Oct.  Company  I. 

II,   1862;   Corp.  Aug.  12,   1861 ;  dis.  for 

disability  May  24,   1864.  Lieut.  William  Stewart,  Sept.  i,  1862;  m. 

Christie,    Walter   T.,    Marcellus;    died    of  o.  at  end  of  service  at  end  of  war,  Jan. 

wounds  at  Washington,  D.  C,  May  12,  i,  1865. 

1863.  Corp.    Samuel    Inling,    Newberg,   e.    Sept. 

Goodspeed,  Edwin  C.  i,  1862;  trans,  to  5th  Mich.  Inft. ;  m.  o. 
Beebe,  George  S. 

SIXTY-SIXTH     ILLINOIS    VOLUNTEER     INFANTRY. 

Company  D. 
Beckwith,  Henry  L.,  e.  Feb.  22,  1864,;  vet.  recruit ;  m.  o.  July  7,  1865. 

TWENTY-FIRST    REGIMENT    OHIO   VOLUNTEER    INFANTRY. 

Company  H. 
Graham,  S.  J.,  Mason,  e.  April,  1861 ;  dis.   for  disability  1861. 

FORTY-NINTH    REGIMENT  OHIO  VOLUNTEER   INFANTRY. 

Company  E.  1865 ;    w-ounded    in    left   arm    at   Rocky 

Graham,   Sidney  J.,   Mason,    re-enl.   Sept.,  Ridge,  May  9,  1865. 

1861 ;    vet.    Feb.    1864;    m.    o.    May   20, 

FORTY-EIGHTH    REGIMENT   INDIANA  VOLUNTEER   INFANTRY. 

Company  F. 
Williams,  Henry,  Mason. 

OHIO    INFANTRY. 
Tompkins,  Newberg. 

TWENTY-FIRST  OHIO   VOLUNTEER   INFANTRY. 

Graham,   Sidney  J.,  e.   April   17,    1861,  in  Co.  H. ;  re-e.  in  Co.  E,  49th  Ohio  Vol. 
Inft.     (See  above.) 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  329 


CHAPTER  XXni. 
MILITARY    ORGANIZATIONS. 

W.    J.    MAY    POST,    G.    A.    R. 

W.  J.  May  Post,  No.  65,  G.  A.  R.,  was  organized  at  Jones  July 
24th,   1882,  with  the  following  charter  members: 

^Thomas  L.  Blakely,  nth  Mich.  Infantry;  Isaac  S.  Pound,  14th 
Mich.  Battery;  *Jabez  S.  Tompkins;  Alonzo  B.  Congden,  88th  Indiana 
Infantry;  James  L.  Haine,  nth  Mich.  Infantry;  *Anson  L.  Dtmn, 
14th  Mich.  Infantry;  '''Hugh  Ferguson,  nth  Mich.  Infantry;  "^Cyrus 
W.  O'Conner,  nth  Mich.  Infantry;  Samuel  P.  King,  12th  Mich.  In- 
fantry; Daniel  Prattles,  19th  Mich.  Infantry;  ^Stephen  A.  Gardner, 
124th  Ohio  Infant-i'y;  Joseph  H.  Dunworth;  *Horton  M.  Squires, 
Sharp  Shooters;  '''Henry  Seigle;  William  Alexander,  12th  Mich.  In- 
fantry. 

THOMAS    MANNING    POST,    G.    A.    R. 

Thomas  Manning  Post,  No.  57,  G.  A.  R.,  at  Marcellus,  was 
chartered  May  19,  1882.  The  Post's  charter  members  were  the  fol- 
lowing : 

H.  J.  Kellogg,  Wm.  Bedford,  H.  J.  Ohls,  Frank  Shonhower, 
H.  M.  Nottingham,  Wm.  Schugg,  G.  I.  Nash,  Oren  Holden,  H.  E. 
Giddings,  R.  Harvell,  C.  E.  Davis,  B.  F.  Groner,  W.  R.  Snider,  Samuel 
Kidney,  John  Littell,  George  Heckleman,  Jas.  Boner,  H.  H.  Hartman, 
J.  B.  Fortner,  George  Eggleston,  W.  H.  Vincent,  E.  Schugg,  George 
Savage,  Chas.  Guich,  William  Casselman,  J.  T.  Van  Sickle,  Robt. 
McDonald,  Clarence  Lomison,  Asa  Sheldon,  E.  S.  Weaver,  Chas.  Souls, 
Asa  Sheldon,  Wm.  McKeeby,  A.  H.  Lewis,  Chauncey  Drury,  S.  P. 
Hartshorn,  Noah  Kunes,  Beneville  De  Long,  James  Youngs,  Isaac 
Snyder,  L.  P.  Raymond,  Joseph  Gearhart,  Carr  Finch,  Wm.  Collier, 
H.  Sheldon,  James  Wagner,  W.  H.  Waugh,  Sr.,  S.  Eberhart,  Zenas 
Kidney,  B.  F.  Harrington,  W.  J.  Herbert,  M.  F.  Burney,  Lewis  Timm, 
George  Reynolds,  George  Scott,  Henry  Whitney,  J.  G.  Harper,  J.  J. 
Hinchey,    Robt.    Lundy. 

*  Dead. 


330  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

The  present  membership  of  this  Post  is  as  follows: 
H.  J.  Kellogg,  H.  M.  Nottingham,  W.  R.  Snider,  C.  E.  Davis, 
John  Littell,  J.  B.  Fortner,  W.  H.  Waugh,  Sr.,  W.  J.  Herbert,  W.  H. 
Vincent,  Wm.  Bradford,  Clarence  Lomison,  Bemer  Lewis,  Richard 
Harvell,  Noah  Kunes,  H.  L.  Cooper,  Carr  Finch,  Chas.  Tutton,  G.  I. 
Nash,  V.  W.  Spigelmeyer,  B.  F.  Adams,  R,  T.  Streeter,  W.  H.  Burch, 
Jos.  Romig,  John  Crockett,  F.  C.  Brown,  R.  D.  Snyder,  A.  J.  Maxan, 
Clark  H.  Beardslee,  N.  W.  Holcomb,  H.  J.  Ikes,  E.  W.  La  Barre,  I. 
W.  Steininger,  John  Smith,  Julius  Waterstradt,  Robt.  Smith,  W.  G. 
Walters,  E.  S.  Mack,  Levi  Dennis,  George  F.  Bowersox,  Isaac  Long, 
Daniel  Emery,  S.  M.  Reigle,  Franklin  T.  Wolf,  B.  H.  Hodges,  Isaac 
De  Con,  Wm.  Mclntyre,  P.  S.  Youells,  Pomeroy  Castle,  Peter  Bowers, 
C.  P.  Bradford,  H.  C.  Lambert,  C.  W.  Graham,  J.  S.  Brown,  Wm. 
Holloway. 

The  office  of  Post  Commander  has  l^een  held  in  succession  by 
the  following  named :  H.  J.  Ohls,  G.  G.  Woodmansee,  George  Hunger, 
Ray  T.  Streeter,  one  term  each ;  H.  J.  Kellogg,  Peter  Schall,  Clarence 
Lomison,  W.  R.  Snider,  Levi  Dennis,  B.  F.  Groner,  two  terms  each ; 
George  I.  Nash,  five  terms;  J.  B.  Fortner,  three  terms. 

J.    B.    SWEETI.AND    POST,    G.    A.    R. 

J.  B.  Sweetland  Post,  No.  448,  at  Edwardsburg,  was  chartered 
July  21,    1899,  with  the  following  members: 

William  W.  Sweetland,  Edward  Beach,  John  James,  Enoch  F. 
Newell,  Jonas  Sassaman,  Charles  R.  Kingsley,  George  O.  Bates,  Theo- 
dore Manchow,  John  Jacks,  Emanuel  Rhinehart,  James  H.  Andrus, 
Charles   E.  Gardner,   George  Bement,   Covingtou  Way. 

The  present  members  are : 

Benajmin  F.  Thompson,  Jonas  Sassaman,  Aaron  Dever,  Wm.  W. 
Sweetland,  John  James,  James  H.  Andrus,  George  Williams,  Calvin 
Steuben,  Covington  Way,  Theodore  Manchow,  William  Funk,  Roger 
Burns,    John   Jones. 

MATTHEW    ARTIS    POST,    G.    A.    R. 

Matthew  Artis  Post,  No.  341,  was  organized  at  Day  March  10, 
1866,  with  twenty-one  members,  as  follows : 

Commander,  Bishop  E.  Curtis;  Senior  Vice  Commander,  Henry  D. 
Stewart;  Junior  Vice  Commander,  James  Monroe;  Adjutant,  Abner  R. 
Byrd ;  Quartermaster,  Solomon  Griffin ;  Surgeon,  Harrison  Griffin ;  Chap- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  331 

lain,  George  Scott ;  Officer  of  Day,  Zachariah  Pompey ;  Officer  of  Guard, 
John  Copley;  Sergeant  Major,  James  M.  Stewart;  Quartermaster  Ser- 
geant, James  H.  Ford.  Members:  Peter  Saunders,  Caswell  Oxendine, 
Berry  Haithcock,  John  Curry,  Samuel  Wells,  John  Brown,  Martin 
Harris,  Andrew  Gillum,  George  Broaidy,  L.  B.  Stewart. 

The  officers  and  members  in  August,   1906,  are  as  follows : 

Commander,  Abner  R.  Byrd ;  Senior  Vice  Commander,  James 
Monroe;  Junior  Vice  Commander,  Caswell  Oxendine;  Adjutant,  Bishop 
E.  Curtis;  Quartermaster,  Geo.  H.  Curtis;  Surgeon,  John  A.  Harris; 
Chaplain,  Zachariah  Pompey;  Officer  of  the  Day,  James  M.  Stewart; 
Officer  of  the  Guard,  John  Copley;  Quartermaster  Sergeant,  L.  B. 
Stewart ;  Sergeant  Major,  Solomon  Griffin.  Comrades :  Wm.  S. 
Copley,  Hiram  Smith,  A.  B.  Anderson,  Bennett  Allen. 

Matthew  Artis  W.  R.  C,  No.  164,  auxiliary  to  Matthew  Artis 
Post,  No.  341,  was  organized  November  7,  1888,  with  the  following 
ten  members : 

Mary  Copley,  Cora  Copley,  Amelia  Copley,  Marinda  Johnson, 
Anna  Eliza  Griff.n,  Eva  Dungey,  Eva  O.  Byrd,  Sarah  E.  Curtis,  Eliza 
Oxendine,    Elizabeth    Stewart. 

ALBERT    ANDERSON     POST,     G.    A.     R. 

Albert  Anderson  Post,  No.  157,  was  organized  at  Cassopolis  July 
7,    1883,   and  the  following  members   mustered: 

Zacheus  iVldrich,  William  G.  Watts,  Fairfield  Goodwin,  Thomas 
M.  Scares,  James  Patterson,  Samuel  V.  Pangborn,  William  T.  Dilts, 
Jacob  Mcintosh,  Maro  A.  Abbott,  John  Pangborn,  John  Jackson,  Joel 
Cowgill,  Isaiah  Plarris,  James  M.  Roberts,  Edmond  Landon,  William 
Wallace  Marr,  Owen  L.  Allen,  'Marvin  E.  Westfall,  Marcellus  K. 
Whetsell,  Jos.   T.  Bangham. 

Since  the  first  muster  the  following  comrades  have  been  added 
to  the  membership: 

July  21,   1883 — Fred  A.  Beckwith,  John  L.  Tharp,  John  Glass. 

July  28,  1883 — Francis  Coon,  Alonzo  Garwood,  George  B. 
Crandell,   Benjamin  F.  Hogue. 

August  4,  1883 — Samuel  Williams,  James  M.  Cowin,  Henry  C. 
Walker,  E.  W.  Cornell  Wm.  G.  Roberts. 

August  II,  1883 — Henry  James,  John  A.  Bronner,  Jonathan  H. 
Breed,   I.   M.   Harris. 


332  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

August  i8,  1883— Vincent  Reames,  Lewis  Crandall,  E.  G.  Loux, 
Charles  Hedger,  Reuben  Beverly. 

August  9,  1884 — ^James  M.  Shephard,  Francis  Squires,  Levi  J. 
Garwood,  William  Clark,  George  T.  Shaffer,  Leander  D.  Tompkins, 
James  M.  Noble,  Jesse  W.  Madrey. 

August  16,  1884 — Daniel  L.  Closson,  John  H.  Keene,  James  H. 
Byrd,  Edward  P.  Boyd. 

August  4,  1886,  and  since  that  time — Norris  Richardson,  Robert 
Toas,  Michael  Grimm,  Erastus  Saunders,  John  Rodman,  S.  M.  Gren- 
nell,  William  Matthews,  Abram  Heaton,  William  Berkey,  Moses  F. 
Paisley,  Henry  Morton,  Marion  Garrison,  Henry  C.  Westfall,  John  D. 
Williams,   Edgar  F.   Hays,   William  H.   Owen. 

soldiers'  and  sailors'  monument  association. 

To  commemorate  the  bravery  and  patriotism  of  the  many  soldiers 
who  have  gone  from  this  county  to  the  wars  of  the  country,  and  to 
stimulate  the  interest  and  veneration  of  the  present  and  future  genera- 
tions for  the  deeds  of  war  which  were  necessary  for  the  establishment 
of  the  repubhc,  a  movement  has  been  set  on  foot  to  raise  funds  and 
erect  a  soldiers'  monument  to  the  soldiers  and  sailors  of  Cass  county. 

The  movement  had  its  inception  in  the  rooms  of  the  H.  C.  Gilbert 
Post,  No.  49,  at  Dowagiac,  in  April,  1905,  when  it  was  first  proposed 
to  raise  the  modest  sum  of  five  hundred  dollars  and  locate  such  a  monu- 
ment as  that  would  provide  on  a  soldiers'  lot  in  Riverside  cemetery. 
Willis  M.  Farr  and  Lewis  J.  Carr  were  appointed  from  the  post  to 
solicit  funds,  and  these  two  later 'appointed  a  third  G.  A.  R.  member, 
John  Bilderback,  and  Burgette  L.  Dewey,  the  merchant,  and  Clyde 
W.  Ketcham,  the  lawyer,  were  afterward  added.  On  the  motion  of 
Mr.  Farr  the  committee  proceeded  to  raise  a  fund  of  five  thousand 
dollars  or  more,  instead  of  five  hundred,  and  amplify  the  plans  and  ob- 
jects accordingly.  Individual  donations  have  been  mainly  relied  upon, 
a  canvass  was  made  among  the  citizens  of  Dowagiac  and  the  county, 
and  also  outside,  nearly  one  thousand  dollars  being  contributed  to  the 
fund  by  what  were  considered  outside  parties.  The  pupils  of  the  public 
schools  were  also  given  an  opportunity  to  give  small  sums.  A  benefit 
was  given  by  a  baseball  team,  several  clubs  donated  sums,  the  proceeds 
of  a  lecture  and  a  legerdemain  entertainment  swelled  the  fund.  The 
largest  sum  was  given  by  the  P.  D.  Beckwith  Estate,  five  hundred 
dollars,  and  other  large  contributors  have  been  Willis  M.  Farr,   Bur- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  333 

gette  L.  Dewey,  Hon.  William  Alden  Smith,  Hon.  Edward  L.  Hamil- 
ton, Charles  R.  Hannan  of  Boston,  Mrs.  Ellen  T.  Atwell,  E.  H.  Spoor 

of  Redlands,  Cal.,  Mrs.  Jerome  Wares  of  Chicago,  C.  L.  Sherwood, 

Burlingame,  H.  R.  Spencer,  Otis  Bigelow,  the  City  Bank,  J.  O.  Becraft. 

The  exectitive  committee,  on  whom  has  fallen  the  chief  burden 
in  promoting  this  cause,  consists  of  Willis  M.  Farr,  Lewis  J.  Carr, 
John  Bilderback,  Burgette  L.  Dewey  and  Clyde  W.  Ketcham.  By  his 
enthusiasm  and  untiring  efforts  in  behalf  of  the  monument  Mr.  Farr 
has  rendered  most  signal  service,  and  that  the  large  sum  has  been 
raised  and  the  monument  become  a  fact  is  due  to  the  unselfish  work 
on  the  part  of  its  principal  promoters. 

In  addition  to  the  above  fund  the  city  council  of  Dowagiac  do- 
nated five  hundred  dollars,  and  the  Board  of  Supervisors  of  Cass  county 
one  thousand  dollars,  making  a  sum  total  of  $6,500.00. 


3:^4  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

SOCIAL  ORGANIZATION. 

The  vsocial  tie  was  as  strong,  if  not  stronger,  in  the  early  days  as 
in  modern  life.  Job  Wright,  the  hermit  and  recluse,  whom  we  have 
elsewhere  mentioned  as  seeking  solitude  on  the  island  of  Diamond  lake, 
was  an  abnormal  character.  Such  aversion  to  the  society  of  fellow 
man  is  so  uncommon  as  to  mark  its  possessor  with  the  interest  of  a  phe- 
nomenon in  human  existence.  His  course  w^as  like  a  soldier  trying  to 
live  by  himself  during  the  Civil  war.  As  there  were  ties  which  drew 
the  soldiers  together,  ties  which  exist  even  today,  so  there  were  ties  which 
drew  the  early  settlers  together.  They  had  common  interests,  had  a 
common  work  to  do,  and  were  threatened  by  common  dangers.  Their 
very  circumstances  made  it  necessary  that  they  stand  together,  min- 
ister to  each  other  in  sickness,  and  weep  with  those  that  wept;  and  this 
made  them  rejoice  with  those  who'  rejoiced.  There  are  bonds  in  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  which  do  not  exist  in  any  other  society  of 
men.  And  so  it  is  with  the  early  settlers  of  this  county.  We  see  this 
when  they  get  together.  They  have  no  grips  nor  secret  words,  and  yet 
one  who  is  not  an  early  settler  is  as  effectually  debarred  from  entering 
into  their  experiences  as  though  he  were  on  the  outside  of  lodge-room 
doors. 

Of  course,  the  pleasurable  occasions  of  the  early  days  were  in  the 
main  quite  different  from  those  of  the  present.  They  were  also  less 
frequent,  and  for  that  reason  enjoyed  with  more  zest.  Some  of  those 
pleasures  accompanied  the  tasks  that  had  to  be  performed — in  fact,  w^ere 
a  part  of  them.  The  work  was  of  such  a  nature  that  neighbors  often 
assisted  one  another.  Without  particularly  intending  it,  each  neigh- 
borhood was  a  co-operative  society.  The  clearing  of  the  land,  getting 
rid  of  large  timber,  necessitated  what  were  known  as  log  rollings.  No 
one  individual  could  dispose  of  the  great  trees  of  those  primeval  for- 
ests. If  he  had  undertaken  it  his  progress  would  have  been  so  slow  and 
the  w^ork  so  difficult  that  he  would  have  given  up  in  despair  long  before 
his  task  was  completed.  Necessity  compelled  co-operation  in  this  work, 
and  that  principle  w^as  carried  into  much  of  the  other  labor  that  had  to 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  335 

be  performed.  A  man  who  was  so  selfish  or  so  mean  as  tO'  refuse  his 
assistance  to  a  neighbor  who  needed  help  was  regarded  with  disfavor 
by  the  other  settlers.  In  fact,  he  became  almost  an  outcast.  In  more 
ways  than  one  he  was  a  greater  loser  than  the  one  whom  he  refused  to^ 
assist. 

After  the  settlers  had  been  here  for  a  number  of  years  and  were 
raising  large  crops  of  corn,  husking  bees  began  to  take  the  place  of  the 
log  rollings  of  the  earliest  days.  This  does  not  mean  that  the  log  roll- 
ings ceased  when  the  corn  huskings  began,  for  both  were  kept  up  at  the 
same  time  throughout  a  number  of  years.  But  after  each  farmer  had 
a  comparatively  large  acreage  cleared  the  log  rollings  became  less  fre- 
quent and  the  corn  huskings  more  frequent. 

The  women,  too,  had  their  methods  of  co-operation  as  well  as  the 
men,  and  they  also  made  opportunities  by  this  means  for  social  gather- 
ings. Wool  pickings  and  quiltings  were  among  their  frolics,  and  those 
occasions  were  not  less  enjoyable  to  them  than  the  log  rollings,  house 
raisings  and  corn  huskings  were  to  the  men.  Manv  of  the  women  knew 
as  much  about  outdoor  work  as  the  men.  Often  they  assisted  their  hus- 
bands in  the  fields  in  order  that  the  farm  work  might  be  done  at  the 
proper  time  and  the  necessaries  of  life  provided  for  the  family.  And 
their  household  duties  were  more  arduous  than  those  of  the  farmers' 
wives  of  the  present  day.  Besides,  on  account  of  living  sO'  far  apart, 
their  isolation  was  more  complete.  The  occasions  on  which  the  women 
of  the  neighborhood  would  get  together  to  help  one  another  with  a  por- 
tion of  their  work  afforded  a  pleasant  relief  from  the  toilsome  labor  at 
home,  whether  it  was  the  labor  of  the  field  or  the  household.  Besides 
the  diversions  already  mentioned  there  were  evening  apple-parings,  in 
which  both  young  men  and  young  women  took  part,  and  taffy-pullings 
for  the  younger  people  in  the  season  of  maple-sugar  making.  These 
gatherings  closed  by  guessing  contests,  ''spatting  out,"  and,  frequently, 
by  dancing. 

There  was  but  little  social  diversion  for  that  purpose  alone,  but  it 
was  associated  with  the  usual  labor  in  one  form  or  another.  This  was 
not  because  the  people  of  those  days  would  not  have  enjoyed  pleasure 
for  pleasure's  sake  as  well  as  the  people  of  this  generation,  but  rather 
because  stern  necessity  decreed  otherwise.  Thus  the  social  life  of  the 
pioneers  became  a  part  of  their  industrial  life,  and  it  is  impossible  to  sep- 
arate the  two  in  description.  A  few  years  later,  when  the  people  did  not 
have  to  devote  to  labor  every  hour  not  spent  in  sleep,  they  found  other 


336  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

methods  for  employing  the  time  when  they  could  come  together.  Sing- 
ing schools,  spelling  schools,  debating  clubs  and  literary  societies  began 
to  take  the  place  of  corn  huskings,  apple-parings  and  taffy-pullings.  But 
even  these,  like  the  other  gatherings  which  preceded  them,  had  their 
double  purpose.  The  opportunity  they  afforded  for  mingling  socially 
was  not  the  only  reason  they  came  into  existence.  The  cultivation  of 
the  musical  talent,  the  mastery  of  the  art  of  spelling  or  training  for  talk- 
ing in  public  were  the  paramount  objects. 

What  event — except  the  contrastingly  sad  one  of  death — would 
stir  pioneer  sentiment  more  than  a  wedding?  The  union  of  families 
that  had  perhaps  met  here  after  leaving  homes  in  widely  diverse  parts 
of  the  country  was  an  occurrence  worthy  of  social  happiness  and  one 
to  be  celebrated  with  jubilation.  Marriages  and  births  were  the  events 
most  in  keeping  with  the  spirit  of  hope  and  progress  that  animated 
every  new  community.  Tlierefore,  let  us  recall  one  of  the  early  wed- 
dings, a  celebration  of  great  interest  tO'  the  county,  eagerly  looked  for- 
ward to  and  long  remembered  among  pioneer  happenings. 

Though  not  the  first  wedding  in  the  county,  the  marriage  of  Elias 
B.  Sherman  and  Sarah,  the  daughter  of  Jacob  Silver,  on  New  Year's 
day  of  1833,  was  the  first  in  the  county  seat  and  perhaps  the  most  nota- 
ble of  the  early  weddings.  At  that  time  Mr.  Sherman,  though  a  young 
man  of  about  thirty,  had  attained  the  prominence  befitting  the  incimi- 
bent  of  the  offices  of  prosecuting  attorney,  probate  judge  and  district 
surveyor  of  Cass  county,  and  who  was  also  one  o^f  the  founders  of  the 
village  of  Cassopolis.  There  was  no  minister  in  Cassopolis  at  that  time, 
and  as  the  bride  desired  the  ceremony  to  be  performed  according  to  the 
Episcopal  rites,  the  matter  of  finding  the  proper  minister  threatened  to 
be  a  serious  obstacle.  Happily,  it  was  learned  that  Bishop  Philander 
Chase  had  recently  located  at  Gilead  in  Branch  county,  and  thither  Mr. 
Sherman  went  and  made  known  to  the  bishop  his  need.  Although  no 
railroad  afforded  the  bishop  a  quick  and  comfortable  ride  to  the  place  of 
ceremony  and  it  was  necessary  for  him  to-  undergo  a  long  drive  over  the 
frozen  roads,  such  difficulties  wxre  made  nothing  of  by  pioneer  minis- 
ters. On  the  appointed  morning  the  bishop  was  on  hand,  and  the  peo- 
ple of  the  village  and  the  surrounding  country  were  all  alive  to  the 
festive  importance  of  the  day.  The  guests  assembled  in  the  second  story 
of  the  building  in  which  Jacob  Silver  sold  goods,  where  elaborate 
preparations  had  been  made  in  anticipation,  and  in  the  presence  of  many 
whose  names  have  been  mentioned  in  connection  with  the  early  history 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  337 

of  the  county  the  marriage  was  performed,  the  first  of  the  many  that  have 
occurred  in  the  village  during  the  subsequent  three-quarters  of  a  cen- 
tury. 

One  other  occasion  may  be  described  before  proceeding  with  the 
special  social  and  fraternal  history.  In  1837  Elijah  Goble  built  a  tav- 
ern at  the  little  center  called  Charleston,  in  Volinia  township.  Having 
completed  the  structure,  he  resolved  to  have  a  house  warming,  to  which 
he  invited  all  his  fellow  pioneers.  This  was,  therefore,  perhaps  the  first 
gathering  specially  designed  to  include  early  settlers.  It  is  stated  that 
from  seventy-five  to  one  hundred  people,  mostly  from  the  north  part 
of  the  county,  assembled  at  the  Goble  tavern  on  the  designated  day. 
The  features  of  the  meeting  which  we  would  most  like  to  reproduce  were 
unfortunately  lost  with  the  passing  of  the  day  itself,  for  the  experiences 
those  old  settlers  exchanged  can  never  be  retold ;  the  melody  of  the  songs 
they  sang  has  gone  with  the  breath  that  made  it. 

At  this  meeting  in  Volinia,  as  on  other  social  occasions,  music  and 
dancing  were  features  of  the  entertainment.  It  must  not  be  supposed 
that  the  muse  of  song  and  harmony  was  a  stranger  tO'  the  pioneer  set- 
tlements. Of  instrumental  music  there  was  little,  but  the  quietness  and 
isolation  of  life  in  the  wilderness  was  favorable  to  the  expression  of 
feeling  by  song.  The  earnest  intoning  of  the  old  hymns  in  the  first 
churches,  the  old-time  melodies  that  were  flung  to  the  air  at  the  social 
gatherings  and  the  eager  interest  taken  in  the  singing  schools,  all  show 
that  the  love  of  harmony  was  as  fundamental  here  as  among  older  civ- 
ilization. 

And  although  there  were  no  pianos  and  organs,  an  occasional  settler 
possessed  a  more  portable  instrument  and  with  this  he  softened  some  of 
the  asperities  of  frontier  life.  Among  the  settlers  who  came  to  Milton 
township  in  1829,  was  a  Mr.  Morris,  who  delighted  to  play  on  a  fife. 
Surely,  as  its  shrill  notes  sounded  through  the  forest  aisles,  the  birds 
must  have  realized  the  presence  of  a  new  form  of  existence  competing 
with  them  in  their  solitudes. 

Peter  Barnhart,  who  settled  in  Howard  in  1830,  was  a  fiddler,  and 
it  was  his  presence  that  lent  the  spirit  of  rhythm  to  many  a  pioneer  dance. 
Isaiah  Carberry,  an  early  settler  in  the  same  township,  was  also  skillful 
with  the  bow  and  was  in  demand  at  the  dances.  These  dances  were 
usually  held  in  the  evening  after  logging,  husking  or  quilting  bees.  The 
democratic  character  of  pioneer  society  prevented  their  being  exclusive, 
and  the  fact  that  they  were  held  after  a  day  of  hard  labor  is  evidence 


338  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

that  there  was  httle  brihiance  of  costume  or  house  decoration.  The 
dyed  homespun  dresses  of  the  girls  and  the  home-tailored  garments  and 
rough,  coarse  boots  of  the  men  detracted  nothing  from  the  wholesome 
pleasure  of  the  occasion. 

It  w^ould  not  be  out  of  place  in  a  history  of  this  kind  to  describe  all 
the  events  and  institutions  of  social  living  which  have  been  strong  and 
enduring  enough  to  give  permanence  to  the  organizations  which  men 
and  women  form  in  promoting  their  community  life.  But  in  reality  this 
entire  history  is  given  to  the  description  of  the  forms  and  institutions 
wdiich  have  grown  up  in  Cass  county  because  of  the  introduction  of  civil- 
ization and  the  increasingly  close  contact  betw-een  the  social  units.  Civil 
government  has  been  described.  The  organization  of  communities  for 
civil,  business  and  other  purposes  has  taken  many  pages  of  this  volume. 
Business  and  industry  have  been  described  mainly  in  their  relation  to 
the  people  at  large.  When  civil  war  was  raging  it  called  for  citizens  in 
the  most  perfected  form  of  disciplined  organization.  Schools,  as  else- 
where described,  have  always  l:)een  the  center  O'f  the  social  community, 
and  churches  are  the  very  essence  of  the  social  life.  These  subjects 
finding  exposition  on  other  pages,  it  remains  for  this  chapter  to  group 
together  some  of  the  social  organizations  w^hich  have  positive  influence 
and  definite  purpose  and  form  a  recognized  part  in  the  life  of  Cass 
county's  people. 

women's  clubs. 

The  Cassopolis  Woman's  Club,  now^  a  member  of  the  great  fed- 
eration of  w^omen's  clubs,  w^as  organized  in  1898.  Among  those  who 
assisted  in  the  organization  and  became  charter  members  may  be  men- 
tioned Mesdames  Coulter,  Goodwin,  Sate  Smith,  Funk,  Biscomb,  Lodor, 
Mcintosh,  Nell  Smith,  Armstrong,  Cowgill  (now  deceased),  Reynolds 
and  Allison.     The  club  w^as  brought  into  the  federation  in  1901. 

The  Cassopolis  Woman's  Club  holds  w^eekly  sessions  from  October 
to  April  inclusive.  Its  w-ork  is  mainly  literary,  although  it  has  taken  a 
beneficial  interest  in  certain  matters  of  civic  improvement  and  in  beau- 
tifying the  village.  In  its  regular  sessions  topics  of  current  and  gen- 
eral importance  are  taken  up  according  to  a  program  that  is  arranged 
before  the  beginning  of  each  season's  work. 

The  follown'ng  are  the  officers  of  the  club  for  the  season  of  1905-06 
just  closed:  President,  Mrs.  Addie  S.  Coulter;  first  vice  president, 
Mrs.  Catherine  Criswell;  second  vice  president,  l\1rs.  Helen  Reynolds; 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  339 

recording  secretary,  Mrs.  Clara  Eby ;  corresponding  secretary,  Mrs. 
Emma  Coljb;  treasurer.   Mrs.  Jennie  Carman. 

Calendar  committee — Mrs.  Hattie  M.  Thickstum  (chairman),  Mrs. 
Rebecca  B.  Woods,  :\Irs.  Allie  M.  L)es  Voignes,  Mrs.  May  S.  Arm- 
strong. 

Meml)ers: — Mrs.  May  S.  Armstrong.  jNIiss  Katherine  Armstrong, 
Mrs.  May  F.  Allison,  Mrs.  Thnrsy  A.  Boyd,  Mrs.  May  Bowen,  Mrs. 
Addie  S.  Coulter,  Mrs.  Emma  Co1)b,  Mrs.  Katherine  Criswell,  Mrs. 
Jane  Crosby,  Mrs.  Jane  Carman,  Mrs.  Allie  M.  Des  Voignes,  Mrs.  Clara 
Eby,  Mrs.  Maude  W.  Eppley,  Mrs.  Ellen  R.  Funk,  Mrs.  Ina  M.  Fisk, 
Mrs.  Helen  Francis,  Mrs.  Lida  R.  Goodwin,  Mrs.  Lola  Geiser,  Mrs. 
Grace  Hain,  Mrs.  Myra  Hughes,  Mrs.  Ruth  T.  Hayden,  Mrs.  Katherine 
Harmon,  Mrs.  Hattie  J.  Holland,  Mrs.  Helen  Johnston,  Mrs.  Blanche 
Link,  Mrs.  Emily  Mcintosh,  Mrs.  Helen  Reynolds,  Miss  Nellie  Rudd, 
Mrs.  Grace  Rinehart,  Mrs.  Nellie  Stemm,  Mrs.  Leni  M.  Smith,  Mrs. 
Sate  R.  Smith,  Mrs.  Lucy  E.  Smith,  Mrs.  Ocenia  Sears,  Mrs.  Hattie 
Thickstun,  Mrs.  Alice  Voorhis,  Mrs.  Ida  Warren,  Mrs.  Ella  Waldo 
Gardner,  Mrs.  Rebecca  B.  Woods,  Mrs.  Clara  Zeller. 

Honorary  members: — Mrs.   Jennie  Lodor,   Mrs.   Amelia   Biscomb. 

THE   AMBER  CLUB. 

The  Amber  Club  is  composed  of  some  of  the  most  intellectual  wo- 
men in  Cassopolis.  It  is  unique  in  its  organization,  or  rather  in  its  lack 
of  organization,  having  neither  governing  rules  nor  officers,  and  keep- 
ing no  records. 

It  sprung  into  existence  in  December,  1895,  ^'^^^^''^  ^^'^^  following 
members :  Mrs.  Henrietta  Bennett,  Mrs.  Maryette  H.  Glover,  Mrs. 
Ocenia  B.  Harrington,  Mrs.  Augusta  E.  Higbee,  Mrs.  Stella  Kingsbury, 
Mrs.  Elma  A.  Patrick,  Miss  Sarah  B.  Price,  Mrs.  Addie  S.  Tietsort, 
Mrs.  Ida  M.  Yost,  all  of  whom  are  living  and  retain  their  membership 
in  the  club,  excepting  the  last  named  lady,  who  died  December  5,  1899. 
Before  the  death  of  Mrs.  Yost  the  club  had  held  annual  banquets,  and 
that  year  arrangements  were  completed  for  the  banquet  to  be  held  at 
her  home  the  day  she  died.  Neither  that  nor  subsequent  banquets  have 
been  held. 

Since  the  beginning  of  the  club  three  of  the  members  have  moved 
from  Cassopolis,  but  are  still  recognized  as  members.  The  member- 
ship has  been  increased  to  seventeen  by  the  addition  of  the  following 
ladies :     Mrs.  Carrie  L.  Carr,  Mrs.  Carrie  W.  Fitzsimons,  Mrs.  Calista 


340  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Kelsey,  Mrs.  Grace  M.  0''Leary,  Mrs.  Cora  L.  Osmer,  Mrs.  May  E. 
Ritter,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  H.  Sharpe,  Mrs.  Maria  F.  Thomas,  Mrs.  Lulu 
Yost. 

The  meetings  of  the  club  are  held  weekly  Monday  afternoons  in 
rotation  at  the  homes  of  its  members.  It  is  purely  a  reading  club. 
While  their  reading  has  been  along  general  lines  in  history,  books  of 
travel  and  other  literary  works,  thev  have  made  a  study  of  Shakespeare 
a  specialty. 

NINETEENTH    CENTURY  CLUB. 

The  Nineteenth  Century  Club  of  Dowagiac  was  organized  in  1889, 
the  first  meeting  being  held  September  5th  of  that  year.  It  joined  the 
state  federation  in  1892,  being  a  charter  member  of  the  federation.  It 
joined  the  county  federation  in  1902.  The  club,  whose  membership  is 
limited  to  fifty,  meets  on  Thursday  of  each  week  from  October  to  June. 
With  its  motto,  ''A  workman  is  made  by  working,"  the  club  has  pursued 
at  various  times  the  study  of  history,  literature  and  art  of  European 
countries  and  America  and  has  contributed  to  civic  betterment  by  plant- 
ing trees  and  ivy  about  the  public  schools  and  library  grounds;  has  do- 
nated paintings  to  the  high  school  and  books  to  the  library,  maintains 
a  life  membership  in  the  Children's  Home  at  St.  Joseph,  has  contributed 
to  the  Stone  Memorial  Scholarship  Fund  at  Ann  Arbor;  has  sent  maga- 
zines to  the  state  prison  at  Jackson,  the  asylum^  at  Kalamazoo,  the  hospi- 
tal at  Ann  Arbor  and  the  Old  People's  Home  at  South  Haven ;  has  sent 
Christmas  boxes  to  the  county  poor-house  and  in  many  ways  directed  its 
efforts  toward  practical  philanthropy.  The  club  has  secured  literary  and 
musical  talent  for  home  entertainments  and  once  a  year  gives  an  open  pro- 
gram of  its  own  to  the  public.  In  local  and  state  legislation  the  club  has 
secured  the  passage  by  the  city  council  of  an  ordinance  preventing  ex- 
pectoration in  streets  and  one  prohibiting  bicycle  riders  from  cutting 
corners  and  riding  across  private  property ;  has  sent  petitions  to  the 
legislature  in  regard  to  placing  women  on  boards  of  control,  concerning 
cigarette  and  juvenile  court  laws;  and  has  sent  petitions  to  the  United 
States  Congress  asking  the  passage  of  the  lately  enacted  Heyburn  pure- 
food  bill,  and  also  concerning  the  industrial  condition  of  women,  which 
was  the  first  federal  measure  to  which  the  women's  clubs  gave  their 
attention. 

The  following  are  the  names  of  the  charter  members  of  the  club: 
Mrs.  H.  W.  Richards,  Mrs.  Susan  Van  Uxem,  Mrs.  E.  L.  Knapp,  Mrs. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  341 

Henry  Porter,  Mrs.  B.  L.  Dewey,  Mrs.  Theodore  Wilbur,  Mrs.  Willis 
Farr,  Mrs.  H.  F.  Colby,  Mrs.  R.  B.  Marsh,  Mrs.  F.  W.  Lyle,  Mrs. 
Aiigustius  Jewell,  Mrs.  William  M.  Vrooman,  Mrs.  H.  B.  Burch,  Mrs. 
John  Gimper,  Miss  Frances  M.  Ross. 

The  first  officers  were :  President,  Mrs.  R.  B.  Marsh ;  vice  pres- 
ident, Miss  Ross  (Frances)  ;  secretary  and  treasurer,  Mrs.  E.  L.  Knapp. 

The  present  officers  are:  President,  Miss  Frances  M.  Rose;  vice 
president,  Mrs.  T.  J.  Edwards;  recording  secretary,  Miss  Edith  Oppen- 
heim;  corresponding  secretary.  Miss  Olive  M.  Marsh;  treasurer,   Mrs. 

A.  E.  Jew^ell ;  custodian,  Mrs.  J.  H.  Jones. 

The  present  members  are :  Mrs.  C.  E.  Avery,  Mrs.  S.  M.  Baits, 
Mrs.  Otis  Bigelow,  Mrs.  Eugene  Gilbert,  Mrs.  B.  A.  Cromie,  Mrs. 
James  Harley,  Mrs.  F.  H.  Essig,  Mrs.  C.  B.  Harris,  Mrs.  Thomas 
Harley,  Mrs.  C.  W.  Ketcham,  Mrs.  Roy  Jones,  Mrs.  E.  P.  McMaster, 
Miss  Edith  Oppenheim,  Miss  Frances  M.  Ross,  Mrs.  Grace  Sweet, 
Mrs.  W.  M.  Vrooman,  Mrs.  E.  E.  Alliger,  Miss  Irene  Buskirk,  Mrs. 
C  L.  Fowle,  Mrs.  H.  J.  Bock,  Mrs.  A.  E.  Gregory,  Mrs.  W.  C.  Ed- 
wards, Mrs.  W.  F.  Hoyt,  Mrs.  Carrie  Frost  Herkimer,  Miss  Elma  Kin- 
zie,  Mrs.  A.  E.  Jewell,  Miss  Olive  M.  Marsh,  Mrs.  J.  H.  Kinnane,  Mrs. 
H.  W.  Palmer,  Mrs.  Fannie  Wares,  Mrs.  Ira  Gage,  Mrs.  M.  P.  White, 
Miss  Mary  Andrew,  Mrs.  Roy  Burlingame,  Mrs.  F.  H.  Baker,  Mrs.  A. 

B.  Gardner,  Mrs.  F.  H.  Codding,  Mrs.  W.  E.  Conkling,  Mrs.  T.  J. 
Edwards,  Mrs.  A.  E.  Rudolphi,  Mrs.  E.  B.  Jewell,  Mrs.  John  Warren, 
Mrs.  J.  H.  Jones,  Mrs.  J.  L.  Parker,  Mrs.  E.  N.  Rogers,  Mrs.  C.  W. 
Southworth,  Mrs.  D.  W.  Van  Antwerp. 

The  Tourists'  Club  of  Dowagiac  was  organized  January  30,  1896. 
There  were,  at  first,  no-  dues.  The  only  requirements  for  membership 
w^ere  a  common  knowledge  of  English  and  a  genuine  desire  to  learn  by 
study.  College  and  high  school  graduates,  former  teachers  and  those 
whose  education  depended  mostly  on  reading,  all  met  on  an  equal  foot- 
ing and  enjoyed  together  what  are  called  "tours."  A  country  being  se- 
lected for  a  visit  and  a  wall  map  perhaps  manufactured,  its  geography 
and  then  its  history  to  the  present  time  is  given  in  topics,  next  its  cities 
visited  as  realistically  as  possible,  the  motto  and  flag  if  a  country,  shield 
if  a  state,  noted,  and  information  and  pleasure  second  only  to  a  bona  fide 
visit  gained.  Beginning  at  home,  the  United  States  was  thoroughly  ex- 
plored, then  England  and  France,  the  countries  of  southern  Europe,  this 
year  Holland,  Belgium  and  Switzerland,  the  next  year  Denmark,  Nor- 


342  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

way  and  Sweden,  and  after  Europe  is  thoroughly  ''done,"  probably 
South  America  will  be  "visited." 

A  supplementary  exercise  at  each  meeting  is  called  "Current 
Events,"  and  consists  of  anything  in  the  line  of  discovery,  invention,  re- 
search of  any  kind  as  found  in  the  daily  papers,  "queer,  quaint  and  curi- 
ous," often  amusing,  always  interesting.  The  program  opens  with  quo- 
tations from  some  author  of  the  country  studied,  or  upon  some  given 
topic,  as  "love,"  "hope,"  "anger."  Good  local  musical  talent,  vocal  solos 
and  piano'  numbers  by  members  or  visitors  (especially  young  players 
needing  a  kindly  audience),  a  little  original  music  and  some  mild  poetry 
have  brightened  the  programs.  The  educating  influence  of  the  study, 
the  "travel,"  is  plainly  seen  in  many  instances  and  no  mother  has  neg- 
lected her  children!  Though  the  majority  are  grandmothers,  all  are 
not,  and  that  haq)-string  of  "neglected  families"  is  evidently  broken. 
If  housekeeping  and  other  woman's  work  will  not  allow  two  hours  of 
recreation  and  mental  uplifting  in  a  week,  it  is  sad  indeed  for  woman! 
Lodges  are  beneficial  and  so  are  clubs.  The  Tourists'  Club  is  pleased 
to  note  that  while  the  city  press  at  first  accepted  reports  of  their  meet- 
ings on  sufferance,  they  are  now  sought  as  an  appreciated  part  of  the 
news.  Thus  the  assurance  that  the  club  has  been  nO'  drawback  to-  the 
city,  but  a  source  of  interest  and  enjoyment  to  many  is  a  matter  for 
gratulation. 

The  season  begins  with  the  first  Thursday  in  October  and  closes 
with  the  last  Thursday  in  May.  Some  years  a  reading  club  of  those  who 
had  time  to  spare  has  met  every  Thursday  during  the  vacation  and  has 
become  acquainted  with  the  Iliad,  the  Odyssey,  part  of  the  Anabasis  and 
other  gems  of  the  classics.  The  plan  of  "free-for-all"  has  been  changed 
to  dues  of  one  dollar  a  3^ear,  as  the  club  has  joined  the  co-unty  federation 
and  has  also  local  expenses  in  the  way  of  printed  programs,  flowers  for 
funerals  of  members  and  often  for  the  sick  or  "shut-in,"  and  other  dues. 
A  committee,  changed  every  year,  arranges  the  program  and  material 
for  the  same  is  obtained  from  the  city  public  library  and  from  private  li- 
braries— often  from  illustrated  leaflets  from  agents  for  railroad  excur- 
sions in  various  directions  and  from  Baedecker's  guide  books.  Most  of 
the  presidents  have  served  two  successive  years  and  there  is  probably  not 
a  member  who  would  not  make  a  good  president  if  other  duties  might 
allow.  An  average  of  four  topics  a  year  is  prepared  by  each  member 
and  if  one  drops  out  volunteers  take  her  work.  "Work,  not  style"  seems 
to  be  the  motto  of  this  club.     The  membership  is  limited  to  twenty-five, 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  343 

but  a  few  more  are  equally  welcome.  There  is  a  committee  on  music 
and  a  committee  on  program,  the  first  appointed  by  the  president,  the 
second  elected. 

The  first  program  from  January  to  June,  1896,  reads :  President, 
Mrs.  F.  J.  Atwell;  vice  president.  Mrs.  C.  H.  Bigelow;  secretary,  Mrs. 
E.  R.  Spencer. 

Members: — Mrs.  Will  Andrews,  Mrs.  H.  Arthur,  Mrs.  F.  J.  At- 
well, Mrs.  O.  S.  Beach,  Mrs.  J.  O.  Becraft,  Mrs.  M.  Hungerford,  Mrs. 
William  Larzelere,  Mrs.  G.  B.  Moore,  Mrs.  M.  E.  Morse,  Mrs.  R.  E. 
Morse,  Mrs.  A.  Benedict,  Mrs.  C.  H.  Bigelow,  Mrs.  Otis  Bigelow,  Mrs. 
H.  Defendorf,  Mrs.  T.  J.  Edwards,  Mrs.  B.  Elkerton,  Mrs.  M.  Flan- 
ders, Mrs.  Will  Henwood,  Mrs.  H.  FL  Porter,  Miss  Grace  Reshore, 
Mrs.  T.  J.  Rice,  Mrs.  John  A.  Root,  Mrs.  C,  L.  Sherwood,  Mrs.  E.  R. 
Spencer,  Mrs.  Susan  Thomas,  Mrs.  S.  Tryon,  Mrs.  T.  F.  Wilbur. 

A  few  have  resigned,  a  few  removed  from  the  city  and  a  few 
passed  on  to  the  better  country.  In  memoriam : — Mrs.  M.  E.  Morse, 
Mrs.  C.  L.  Sherwood,  Mrs.  S.  Thomas,  Mrs.'  S.  Tryon,  Mrs.  W.  H. 
Palmer. 

Officers  elected  for  1906-07  are:  President,  Mrs.  J.  O.  Becraft; 
vice  president,  Mrs.  A.  Hardy ;  secretary.  Miss  Julia  Michael ;  treasur- 
er, Mrs.  R.  Van  Antwerp. 

Present  members : — Mrs.  Jennie  Allen,  Miss  Julia  Alston,  Mrs.  C. 
Amsden.  Mrs.  F.  J.  Atwell,  Mrs.  C.  H.  Bigelow,  Mrs.  J.  O.  Becraft, 
Mrs.  I.  Buchanan,  Mrs.  M.  Campbell,  Mrs.  L.  J.  Carr,  Mrs.  W.  W. 
Easton,  Mrs.  A.  Hardy,  Miss  Julia  Michael,  Mrs.  G.  B.  Moore,  Mrs. 
G.  W.  Moore,  Mrs.  R.  E.  Morse,  Mrs.  F.  FL  Reshore,  Mrs.  J.  A.  Root, 
Mrs.  C.  Schmitt,  Miss  Nettie  Tryon,  Mrs.  R.  Van  Antwerp,  Mrs.  Will 
Wells. 

i/allegro  club  of  marcellus. 

The  idea  of  a  ladies'  literary  club  in  Marcellus  originated  with  Mrs. 
Dora  Scott  and  Mrs.  Anna  Walters,  who  consulted  with  several  others 
and  as  a  result  the  following  notice  appeared  in  the  Maixclhis  Nezvs  for 
September  30,  1892:  ''All  the  ladies  interested  in  a  literary  club  will 
meet  at  the  home  of  Mrs.  A.  Taylor  Tuesday  afternoon,  October  4,  at 
half-past  two  o'clock  to  organize."  Fifteen  ladies  were  present  and  an 
organization  was  formed  under  the  temporary  name  of  the  ''Ladies'  Lit- 
erally Club,"  with  the  following  charter  members: 

Mrs.  Lydia  Taylor,  Mrs.  Allie  Des  Voignes,  Mrs.  Lizzie  Jones, 
Mrs.   Susan  Jones,  Mrs.   Cora    White,  Mrs.    Lena    White,  Mrs.    Effie 


344  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Grant,  Mrs.  Allie  Hudson,  Mrs.  Delia  Hall,  Mrs.  Laura  Hoffman,  Mrs. 
Lena  Flanders,  Mrs.  Anna  Walter,  Mrs.  Dora  Scott,  Mrs.  Fannie  Mc- 
Manigal,  Mrs.  Anna  Davis,  Mrs.  Pearl  Arnold,  Mrs.  Laura  Tanner, 
Mrs.  Mary  Cooley,  Mrs.  Mae  vSchoetzow. 

The  first  officers  were:  President,  Mrs.  Lydia  Taylor;  vice  pres- 
ident, Mrs.  Allie  M.  Des"  Voignes;  secretary  and  treasurer,  Mrs.  Dora 
Scott;  critic,  Mrs.  Mae  R.  Schoetzow. 

It  was  decided  to  read  the  play,  ''The  Merchant  of  Venice;"  to 
hold  the  meetings  at  the  houses  of  the  members  and  on  the  Monday 
evenings  from  October  i  to  May  i  of  each  year.  The  time  and  man- 
ner of  holding  the  meetings  has  never  been  changed. 

The  first  year  several  Shakespearean  plays  were  read,  as  well  as 
some  of  ]\Iihon's  poems.  The  title  of  ''L' Allegro,"  at  the  suggestion  of 
Mrs.  Cora  White,  was  adopted  as  the  permanent  name  of  the  club.  The 
first  year's  work  was  brought  to  a  close  with  a  banquet  at  the  home  of 
Mrs.  Lizzie  Jones,  given  in  honor  of  the  ''martyred  husbands,"  and  at 
which  about  thirty-six  guests  were  present. 

The  officers  for  1906-7  are:  President,  Lydia  Taylor;  vice  presi- 
dent, Louise  Sill ;  secretary,  Eva  Ditzell ;  treasurer,  Amanda  Harring- 
ton ;  corresponding  secretary  and  librarian,  Anna  Walter ;  critic,  Luvia 
Lukenbach ;  par.,  Edna  Davis. 

Members  October,  1906 : — Mrs.  Pearl  Arnold,  Mrs.  Fanchon  Bailey, 
Miss  Alice  Bailey,  Mrs.  Hester  Bayley,  Mrs.  Josephine  Beebe,  Mrs. 
Merle  Burlingtou,  Miss  Ethel  Cowling,  Mrs.  Edna  Davis,  Miss  Leone 
Dennis,  Miss  Eva  Ditzell,  Mrs.  Nellie  Goodes,  Mrs.  Amanda  Harrington, 
Miss  Pearl  Hartman,  Mrs.  Allie  Hudson,  Airs.  Lizzie  Jones,  Mrs.  Bessie 
Jones,  Mrs.  Georgia  Jones,  Mrs,  Elida  Kroll,  Mrs.  Luvia  Lukenbach, 
Mrs.  Emma  McManigal,  Mrs.  Fannie  McManigal,  Mrs.  Edna  Patch, 
Mrs.  Mae  R.  Schoetzow,  Mrs.  Louise  Sill,  Mrs,  Florence  Sill,  Mrs.  Lydia 
Taylor,  Miss  -Frances  Volkmer,  Mrs.  Anna  Walter,  Miss  Inez  Willard, 
Miss  Lulu  Weaver,  Mrs.  Kate  Worden,  Mrs.  Dora  Scott  (honorary 
member) . 

The  club  work  for  the  first  few  years  was  entirely  of  a  literary 
nature  and  was  confined  for  some  time  to  a  study  of  the  leading  English 
authors,  especially  Shakespeare,  but  the  scope  of  the  study  gradually 
widened  and  other  departments  have  been  added,  including  charitable 
work.  The  various  committees  for  the  year  (1906-07)  are  Sunshine, 
Philanthropic,  Civic  Improvement  and  Forestry,  and  Audobon. 

The  first  printed  programs  w^re  arranged  for  the  year  beginning 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  345 

October  5,  1896.  The  club  joined  the  state  federation  in  1900  and  has 
been  regularly  represented  by  delegates  at  all  succeeding  meetings.  The 
organization  of  the  County  Federation  of  Women's  Clubs  was  the  direct 
result  of  the  issuance  of  invitations  by  L'Allegro  Club  to  those  of  Dowa- 
giac  and  Cassopolis  to  join  with  it  in  the  matter.  Twoi  clubs  in  Dowa- 
giac  and  one  in  Cassopolis,  also  the  New  Century  of  Marcellus  re- 
sponded by  sending  delegates  and  the  federation  was  formed  in  1902. 

THE   NEW    CENTURY   CLUB   OF   MARCELLUS. 

By  the  persistent  efforts  and  earnest  endeavors  of  twO'  sagacious 
townswomen,  Mrs.  Parmelia  Munger  and  Mrs.  Inez  Nottingham,  who 
felt  the  need  of  mental  improvement  and  foresaw  the  benefits  to  be  de- 
rived by  the  mothers  and  housewives  of  Marcellus  by  special  literary 
training  and  an  interchange  of  ideas  and  experiences  concerning  the 
home  and  home-making,  the  rearing  and  education  of  children,  the  help 
that  might  be  gained  by  an  organized  body  to  those  around  them;  and 
having  a  deep  desire  to  better  know^  our  own  country,  its  history,  laws, 
government  and  resources,  its  neighbors  and  its  relation  to  them,  the 
Isabella  Club  of  Marcellus  was  organized  October  23,  1895,  with  the 
following  officers  and  members:  President,  Mrs.  Parmelia  Munger; 
A^ce  president,  Mrs.  Lovinia  Ridgeley;  secretary  and  treasurer,  Mrs.  AI- 
mira  Welcher. 

Charter  members : — Mrs.  Libbie  Emery,  Mrs.  Frances  Huber,  Mrs. 
Kate  Loveridge,  Miss  Florence  Munger,  Mrs.  Theresa  Poorman,  Mrs. 
Eunice  Lomison,  Mrs.  Jane  Shannon,  Miss  Pearl  Poorman,  Mrs.  Inez 
Nottingham,  Mrs.  Sabrina  Groner,  Mrs.  Alice  Walker,  Miss  Edna 
Welcher.  After  a  lapse  of  eleven  years  the  names  of  only  six  of  the 
charter  members  remain  upon  the  roll.  Parmelia  Munger  and  Lovinia 
Ridgley  are  deceased,  while  others  have  found  new  homes  and  moved 
from  Marcellus. 

The  club  membership  is  limited  to  fifteen  and  the  club  is  barred 
from  joining  the  State  Federation  of  Women's  Clubs,  twenty-one  mem- 
bers being  required.  It  is  a  member  of  the  county  federation.  Early 
in  the  club  year  of  1900  the  name  Isabella  was  dropped  and  ''New  Cen- 
tury" adopted,  which  name  the  oreanization  now  bears. 

The  meetings  are  held  Wednesday,  fortnightly,  at  2  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon.  The  motto  of  the  club  is,  "We  plan  our  work  and  work  our 
plan."  The  programs  are  of  a  miscellaneous  nature,  the  club  maintain- 
ing the  determination  to^  study  such  subjects  as  are  practical  and  bene- 


346  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

ficial.  For  three  years  the  club  has  had  the  benefit  of  the  State  Travel- 
ing Library.  It  has  also  taken  a  four  years'  Bay  View  reading  course 
in  connection  with  the  program.  It  has  a  small  library  of  its  own. 
There  is  a  social  feature  of  the  program  appreciated  by  the  members,  an 
annual  social  day,  to  which  the  husbands  and  friends  of  the  members 
are  invited.  In  1904  the  club  held  its  first  annual  ''Pioneer  Day,"  and 
gave  a  reception  to  the  pioneers  of  the  town  and  surrounding  country. 
This  day  of  reminiscences  was  fully  enjoyed  by  the  gray-haired  guests, 
and  at  their  recpiest  the  club  determined  to  give  them  one  day  in  each 
year,  and  set  Wednesday  nearest  the  middle  of  October  as  their  day, 
which  is  to  be  known  and  observed  as  'Tioneer  Day.'' 

In  philanthropic  work  the  New  Century  Club  has  kept  apace  with  its 
sister  clubs  of  larger  membership.  The  club  has  made  a  home  among 
its  members  for  a  friendless  child,  which  has  been  provided  with  cloth- 
ing and  books ;  it  has  also  provided  needy  children  with  necessaries,  that 
they  might  attend  church  and  school ;  it  has  cared  for  sick  friends,  and 
sent  tokens  and  remembrances  to  the  aged.  It  joined  with  the  other 
clubs  of  the  county  in  sending  relief  to  the  Children's  Home  of  St.  Jo- 
seph, Michigan. 

With  the  L'Allegro  Club  last  year  the  school  children  of  Marcellus 
were  incited  to  the  removing  of  old  rubbish  and  rank  weeds  detrimental 
to  public  health,  from  the  back  yards  and  alleys,  and  beautifying  the 
grounds  with  summer  flow^ers  and  pretty  vines.  Thus  many  children 
were  kept  from  the  streets,  and  their  minds  from  thoughts  which  lead 
to  vice  and  crime.  To  keep  the  children's  minds  filled  with  healthful 
thoughts  small  prizes  w^ere  offered,  which  made  them  zealous  and  anxious 
to  repeat  their  efforts. 

The  club  year  of  1906-7  opened  September  19th,  with  the  following 
officers:  President,  Mrs.  Frances  Huber;  vice  president.  Airs.  Almira 
Welcher;  secretary  and  treasurer,  Mrs.  Ida  A.  Parker. 

The  other  members  are:  Mrs.  Kate  Loveridge,  Mrs.  Ada  Bucklin, 
Mrs.  Inez  Nottingham,  Mrs.  Bertha  Palmer,  Mrs.  Jane  Shannon,  Mrs. 
Georgia  Jones,  Mrs.  Edna  Davis,  Mrs.  Alice  Streeter,  Mrs.  Jessie  Hill, 
Mrs.  Nellie  Seigel,  Mrs.  Alice  Mack,  Mrs.  Sadie  ShillitO'. 

MONDAY    EVENING    CLUB    OF    EDWARDSBURG. 

A  number  of  Edwardsburg's  literary  women  met  at  Mrs.  Mary 
Latson's  November  19,  1894,  for  the  purpose  of  organization  for  a  sys- 
tematic study  of  literature  and  current  events,  and  for  social  improve- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  347 

nient.  The  organization  was  effected  by  the  adoption  of  rules,  among 
which  was  one  hniiting  the  membership  of  the  chib  tO'  twenty  members, 
and  the  election  of  officers,  who  were :  President,  Mrs.  Mary  Latson ; 
secretary,  Mrs.  Frances  E.  Sweetland ;  critic,  Mrs.  Lucy  Reed ;  assistant 
critic,  Miss  Lydia  Blair. 

The  following  ladies  became  charter  members :  Mrs.  Emma  Aikin, 
Mrs.  Mary  Carlisle,  Miss  Eva  C.  Ditzell,  Mrs.  Ella  Haynes,  Mrs.  M. 
Amelia  May,  Mrs.  Frances  E.  Sweetland,  Mrs.  Alice  Shanahan,  Miss 
Lydia  Blair,  Mrs.  Kate  Criswell,  Mrs.  Hattie  J.  Holland,  Miss  Minnie 
Jacks,  Mrs.  Lizzie  Parsons,  Miss  Jennie  Sweetland,  Mrs.  Addie  Thomp- 
son, Miss  Bell  Blair,  Mrs.  Lenora  Dennis,  Mrs.  Addie  Harwood,  Mrs. 
Mary  Latson,  Mrs.  Lucy  Reed,  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Schoch. 

The  club  meets  every  Monday  evening  from  October  ist  to  April 
301th.    A  different  program  is  arranged  at  the  beginning  of  the  season  for 
each  of  the  meetings,  that  for  October  1,  1906,  being: 
Roll  Call — Vacation  Happenings. 
Our  Beginnings. 

Appointing  Program  Committee  for  1907-8. 
Club  Song. 

vSocial  Hour,  led  by  Miss  Jacks. 

During  the  year,  among  other  subjects,  the  following  will  be  con- 
sidered :  Pilgrim  Mothers,  Musical  Composers,  The  Lidian,  Men  Who 
Have  Achie\ed  Eminence,  The  New  U.  S.  Navy,  American  Bridge 
Building,  Why  Give  Thanks,  Women's  Organizations,  The  Immigra- 
tion Problem,  The  Salvation  Army,  The  Cotton  Industry,  The  Origin 
of  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  The  South,  Old  and  New,  Journalism,  Early 
and  Late,  Inauguration  Day,  Why  March  4th,  Cuba,  Opening  Up  of 
Oklahoma,  The  American  Desert  and  Its  Secrets,  San  Francisco,  Old 
and  New. 

At  this  writing  the  membership  is  as  follows:  Miss  Alfreda  Al- 
len, Mrs.  Frances  Case,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  M.  Gosling,  Mrs.  Mary  L.  Har- 
mon, Mrs.  Martha  Parsons,  Mrs.  Helen  Rinehart,  Mrs.  Addie  Thoni])- 
son,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Bean,  Mrs.  Irene  Dunning,  Mrs.  Addie  Harwood, 
Miss  Minnie  Jacks,  Mrs.  Julia  Redfield,  Mrs.  Laura  Snyder,  Mrs.  Bertha 
Van  Antwerp,  Miss  Bell  Blair,  Mrs.  Lenora  Dennis,  Mrs.  Ella  Haynes, 
Mrs.  Mary  Latson,  Mrs.  Myrta  Reese,  Mrs.  Alice  Shanahan. 

The  present  officers  are:  President,  Mrs.  Alice  Shanahan;  vice 
president,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  M.  Gosling;  secretary,  Mrs.  Addie  Harwood; 
assistant  secretary,  Miss  Minnie  Jacks;  treasurer,  Mrs.  Helen  Rinehart. 


348  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Fraternities  of  various  kinds  and  for  various  purposes  have  such 
vogue  among  the  people  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  name  all  the  organ- 
izations of  that  nature  which  can  be  found  in  a  single  county,  and  any- 
thing like  a  history  of  each  one  would  be  quite  impossible.  Of  the  old 
orders,  the  Odd  Fellows  were  the  first  to  get  a  hold  in  this  county. 
Cass  County  Lodge  No.  21,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  was  organized  February  18, 
1847,  ^^d  has  been  in  continuous  existence  nearly  sixty  years.  The 
vihage  of  Edwardsburg  obtained  a  lodge  of  the  same  order  in  1850  by 
the  institution  of  Ontwa  Lodge  No.  49  on  July  i8th.  The  Odd  Fellows 
were  also  the  first  secret  order  to  be  established  in  Dowagiac.  Dowagi- 
ac  Lodge  No.  57,  L  O.  O.  F.,  was  instituted  September  12,  1851.  Fol- 
lowing these  three  pioneer  lodges  the  Odd  Fellows  have  been  organized 
in  various  other  centers  in  the  county,  and  both  encampments  and 
auxiliary  Rebekah  lodges  have  been  formed. 

The  Masons  were  not  far  behind  the  Odd  Fellows.  The  first  meet- 
ing of  members  of  this  fraternity  was  held  at  the  old  Union  hotel  in 
Cassopolis  June  12,  1852,  and  soon  afterward  Backus  Lodge  No.  55,  F. 
&  A.  M.,  was  organized.  Dowagiac  Lodge  No.  10  was  organized  Jan- 
uary II,  1855,  and  at  Edwardsburg,  St.  Peter's  Lodge  No.  106,  F.  & 
A.  M.,  was  instituted  January  14,  1858.  The  Masons  have  also  increased 
in  power  and  number,  and  both  Cassopolis  and  Dowagiac  have  chapters 
of  the  Royal  Arch,  while  there  are  several  lodges  in  other  parts  of  the 
county,  there  being  one  in  Calvin  whose  membership  is  of  the  colored 
men. 

These  two  orders  are  the  oldest  and  perhaps  the  strongest  in  total 
membership  in  the  county.  The  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen 
has  been  active  in  the  county  for  thirty  years  or  more.  The  Maccabees 
are  probably  as  energetic  in  fraternal  work  as  any  other  order,  and  their 
numbers  are  steadily  increasing.  There  are  both  Knights  and  Lady  Mac- 
cabees in  the  two  principal  towns  of  the  county.  Besides  these  there 
are  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Foresters,  the  Tribe  of  Ben  Hur,  the  Catholic 
Knights  and  Ladies  of  America,  the  Royal  Arcanum,  and  various  lesser 
known  orders. 

Dowagiac  is  the  home  office  of  the  International  Congress,  a  purely 
fraternal  beneficial  order,  which  has  several  branches  in  other  villages 
of  the  county. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  349 


CHAPTER  XXV. 
CASS    COUNTY    PIONEER    SOCIETY. 

October  9,  1873,  about  two  hundred  early  settlers  of  the  county 
met  at  the  Court  House  in  Cassopolis,  for  the  purpose  of  organizing 
a  society.  Hon.  George  Newton  was  called  to  temporarily  preside,  and 
Hon.  A.  B.  Copley  was  chosen  as  secretary.  All  the  townships,  ex- 
cepting Howard,  were  represented.  The  chairman  appointed  a  com- 
mittee consisting  of  one  from  each  township  on  organization.  A  recess 
was  then  taken  until  afternoon. 

Upon  reassembling,  Uzziel  Putnam,  Sr.,  the  first  white  settler  in 
the  county,  was  elected  permanent  chairman,  and  C.  C.  Allison  and 
W.  H.  Mansfield,  editors  of  the  local  papers,  appointed  secretaries.  A 
constitution  was  adopted  and  the  following  officers  elected : 

Uzziel  Putnam,  Sr.,  President. 

George  Meacham,  Vice  President. 

A.  B.  Copley,  Secretary. 

John  Tietsort,  Assistant  Secretary,  and  an  executive  committee 
of  one  from  each  township  elected.  Forty-one  pioneers  signed  the 
constitution  at  this  meeting. 

The  executive  committee  met  at  Cassopolis  January  21,  1874,  and 
adopted  the  by-laws  and  adjourned  to  May  22nd,  when  Daniel  S.  Jones, 
G.  B.  Turner,  John  Nixon,  George  T.  Shaffer  and  Joseph  Smith  were 
appointed  a  committee  to  make  arrangements  for  the  first  annual  re- 
union and  picnic,  to  be  held  on  the  Fair  grounds  in  Cassopolis,  June  17. 

Since  that  time  the  society  has  held  its  annual  reunion  on  the  third 
Wednesday  of  June,  with  a  single  exception  of  one  year.  The  last 
was  the  thirty-third  reunion.  These  meetings  have  been  largely  attended, 
there  being  present  from  four  to  seven  thousand  people. 

Following  is  a  list  of  principal  officers : 
Year.  President.  Secretary.  Treasurer. 

1873 — Uzziel  Putnam,  Sr.  A.  B.  Copley  Joseph   Smith 

1874 — Uzziel  Putnam,  Sr.  A.  B.  Copley  Joseph   Smith 

1875 — Uzziel  Putnam,  Jr.    John  T.  Enos  Asa  Kingsbury 

1876— Uzziel  Putnam,  Jr.  John  T.  Enos  Jno.  Tietsort 

1877— Uzziel  Putnam,  Jr.    L.  H.  Glover  Jno.  Tietsort 

1878 — Uzziel  Putnam,  Jr.   L.  H.  Glover  Jno.  Tietsort 


350 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


1879 — CjCO.  I).  Turner 
1880 — Geo.  B.  Turner 
1881 — Joseph  Harper 
1882 — Jesse  G.  Beeson 
1883 — Gillman  C.  Jones 
1884 — Gillman  C.  Jones 
1885— M.  T.  Garvev 
1886— S.  T.  Read 
1887— Jos.   N.   Marshall 
1888 — Henry   Kimmerle 
1889-^Ezekiel  Smith 
1890 — Geo.  T.  Shaffer 
1891 — Chester  Morton 
1 892 — Abi j  ah  Huy ck 
1893 — Geo.  Longsduff 
1894— M.  J.  Card 
1895 — David  R.  Stevens 
1896 — Henry  Michael 
1897 — Elias  Morris 
1898— James   M.    Truitt 
1899 — Levi  J.  Reynolds 
1900 — J.    Boyd   Thomas 
1901 — Isaac  Wells 
1902 — Jon'n  C.  Olmsted 
1903 — John  Huff 
1904 — Geo.  J.  Tow^nsend 
1905 — Henry  A.  Crego 
1906 — S.  M.  Rinehart 


L.  H.  Glover 
L.  H.  Glover 
L.  H.  Glover 
L.  H.  Glover 
S.   S.  Harrington 
C.  W.  Clisbee 
C.  W.  Clisbee 
C.  W.  Clisbee 
C.  W.  Clisbee 
C.  W.  Clisbee 
C.  W.  Clisbee 
L.  H.  Glover. 
A.  M.  Moon 
A.  M.  Moon 
R.  Sloan 
R.  C.  Sloan 
L.  H.  Glover 
L.  H.  Glover 
L.  H.  Glover 
L.  H.  Glover 
L.  H.  Glover 
L.  H.  Glover 
L.  H.  Glover 
L.  H.  Glover 
L.  H.  Glover 
L.  H.  Glover 
L.  H.  Glover 
L.  H.  Glover 


Jno.  Tietsort 
Jno.  Tietsort 
Jno.  Tietsort 
C.  H.  Kingsbury 
C.  H.  Kingsbury 
Jas.  H.  Stamp 
Joel  Cowgill 
Joel  Cowgill 
C.  C.  Nelson 
C.  C.  Nelson 
C.  C.  Nelson 
C  C.  Nelson 
C.  C.  Nelson 
C.  C.  Nelson 
C.  C.  Nelson 
C.  C.  Nelson 
C.  C.  Nelson 
C.  C.  Nelson 
C.  C.  Nelson 
C.  C.  Nelson 
C.  C.  Nelson 
C.  C.  Nelson 
C.  C.  Nelson 
C.  C.  Nelson 
C.  C.  Nelson 
C.  C.  Nelson 
C.  C.  Nelson 
C.  C.  Nelson 


The  principal  speakers  have  been  prominent  men  in  the  state.     For 
the  \'arious  years  the  speakers  have  been  as  follows : 

1874 — Rev.  James  Ashley. 
1875 — J^i<^l§'^  F-  J-  Littlejohn. 
1876 — Governor  John  J.  Bagley. 
1877 — Hon.  E.  W.  Keightlev. 
1878— Hon.  S.  C.  Coffinbury. 
1879 — Hon.  Levi  Bishop. 
1880 — Local  Pioneers. 
1 88 1 — Governor  David  H.  Jerome. 
1882 — Hon.  Thomas  W.  Palmer. 
1883 — Governor  Josiah  W.  Begole. 
1884 — Ex-Governor  Austin  Blair. 
188=; — Emorv  A.  Storrs. 
x886— Rev.  A.  J.  Eldred. 
1887 — Governor  Cyrus  G.  Luce. 
1888 — General  L.  S.  Trowbridge. 
1889' — Hon.  George  L.  Yaple. 
1890 — Judge  Thomas  R.  Sherwood. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


Sol 


1891 — Local  Pioneers. 

1892 — Governor  Edwin  D.   Winans. 

1893 — Governor  John  T.  Rich. 

1894 — Hon.  R.  R.  Pealer. 

1895 — Local   Pioneers. 

1896 — Lion.  Thomas  Alarrs. 

1897— Rev.  A.  J.  Eldred. 

1898 — Rev.  Reason  Davis. 

1899— Hon.  William  Alden  Smith,  M.  C. 

1900^ — Rev.  A.  J.  Eldred. 

1901 — Hon.  E.  L.  Hamilton. 

igo2 — Hon.  Thomas  O'Hara. 

1903 — Hon.  Henry  Chamljerlin. 

1904 — Rev.  Nimrod  F.  Jenkins. 

1905 — Governor  Fred  M.  Warner,  Judge  O.  W.  Coolidge. 

1906 — Hon.  William  Alden  Smith,  M.  C. 


The  membership  of  the  Pioneer  Society,  from  date  of  organization 
to  the  present,  with  place  of  residence  at  time  of  joining  the  Society, 
and   date  of  settlement  and  place  of  birth,   is  given   in  the  following 


columns : 


Name. 


George  Redfield 

Uzziel  Putnam,  Jr. 

George  Meacham 

Peter  Shaffer 

Henry  Tietsort 

John  Tietsort 

William  Jones 

Elias  B.  Sherman 

John  Nixon 

Reuben  Henshaw 

Abijah  Henshaw 

Mrs.  C.   Messenger 

George  T.  Shaffer 

E.  Shanahan 

Joseph   Smith 

L.  D.  Smith 

D.  S.  Jones 

G.  B.  Turner 

Julia    Fisher     (wife    of 

Henry  Tietsort) 
H.  Meacham 
J.  R.  Grenell 
Correl  Messenger 
A.  J.  Carmichael  (wife 

of  Geo.  T.  Shaffer 


Residence. 
Ontwa 
Pokagon 
Porter 
Calvin 
La  Grange 
Cassopolis 
Penn 

Cassopolis 
Penn 
Volinia 
Penn 

La  Grange 
Calvin 
Jefferson 
Cassopolis 
Cassopolis 
La  Grange 
Jefferson 

La  Grange 
Porter 
Newberg 
La  Grange 

Calvin 


Date  of 

coming 

Birth  Place.         to 

county. 

Connecticut 

1834 

Pokagon 

1826 

New  York 

1826 

Virginia 

1828 

Ohio 

1828 

Ohio 

1828 

Ohio 

1829 

New  York 

1829 

North  Carolina 

1830 

North  Carolina 

1830 

North  Carolina 

1830 

Indiana 

1831 

Ohio 

1832 

Delaware 

1832 

Virginia 

1832 

Cass  County 

1832 

Ohio 

1833 

New  York 

1836 

Ohio 

1835 

Cass  County 

1834 

New  York 

1834 

Connecticut 

1833 

Ohio 


1836 


352 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


Charlotte  Turner 
Esther  Nixon 
Miss  Hannah  Ritter 
James  Boyd 
Lafayette  Atwood 
Sarah    Miller    (wife   of 

Chas.  Kingsbury) 
Charles  W.  Clisbee 
R.  V.  Hicks 
Philo  B.  White 
A.  D.  Northrup 
Amos  Northrup 
Moses  H.  Lee 
Henry  L.  Barney 
James  E.  Bonine 
Maria  C.  Jones 
Samuel  Graham 
John  Struble 
James  H.  Graham 
Silas  Harwood 
A.  B.  Copley 
Joseph  Harper 
D.   M.   Howell 
Ichabod  Pierson 
G.  W.  Jones 
Lucinda  Atwood 
Abijah  Huyck 
Sila  Huyck 
T.  M.  Tinkler 
Robert  Watson 
N.  Bock 
Arthur  Graham 
Silas  A.  Pitcher 
Adam  Suite 
Justus  Gage 
Jacob  Hurtle 
y.  A.  Barney 
S.  T.  Read 
Orson  Rudd 
William  Sears 
James  Oren 
Pleasant  Norton 
Rachel  Norton 
Richard  B.  Norton 
James  Townsend 
Ezra  B.  Warner 
S.  D.  Wright 
Nathan  Jones 
Isaac  Bonine 
Lowell  H.  Glover 
Thos.  J.  Casterline 


Jefferson 

Penn 

La  Grange 

La  Grange 

Wayne 

Cassopolis 

Cassopolis 

Milton 

Wayne 

Calvin 

Calvin 

Ontwa 

Cassopolis 

Penn 

Penn 

Cassopolis 

Volinia 

Mason 

Newberg 

Volinia 

Cassopolis 

Penn 

Jefferson 

Marcellus 

Wayne 

Marcellus 

Marcellus 

Wayne 

Dowagiac 

Dowagiac 

Dowagiac 

Wayne 

Silver  Creek 

Dowagiac 

Dowagiac 

Dowagiac 

Cassopolis 

Cassopolis 

Cassopolis 

Calvin 

Jefferson 

Jefferson 

Jefferson 

Penn 

La  Grange 

La  Grange 

Penn 

Penn 

Cassopolis 

Penn 


Taunton,  Eng.  1843 

Ohio  1830 

Indiana  1828 

New  York  1836 

New  York  1836 

Ohio  1830 

Ohio  1838 

England  1835 

New  York  1837 

Vermont  1838 

Vermont  1838 
New  Hampshire       1836 

Ohio  1838 

Indiana  1841 

New  York  1841 

Pennsylvania  1838 

Pennsylvania  1846 

Ohio  1846 

New  York  1837 

New  York  1833 

Pennsylvania  183  5 

Ohio  1834 

Ohio  1840 

Ohio  1830 

Michigan  1832 

New  York  1835 

Pennsvlvania  1845 

New  York  183Q 

Ohio  1838 

Belgium  1832 

Scotland  1839 

Ohio  1836 

New  York  1836 

New  York  1837 

On  the  ocean  1833 

Pennsylvania  1837 

New  York  1832 

Vermont  1836 

Pennsylvania  1836 

Ohio  1848 

Virginia  1832 

Tennessee  1832 

Ohio  1830 

Ohio  1829 

New  York  1846 

Ohio  1827 

Ohio  1829 

Indiana  1842 

New  York  1839 

New  York  1844 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


353 


Asa  Kingsbury  La  Grange 

Eli   Green  Dowagiac 

Samuel  Squires  Wayne ^ 

Leonard  Haskins  Dowagiac 

^faria  M.  White  Dowagiac 

L.  S.  Henderson  Dowagiac 

Theodore  Stebbins  Dowagiac 

Mrs.  Theo.   Stebbins  Dowagiac 

John  S.  Gage  Wayne 

Mrs.  John  S.  Gage  Wayne 

Mrs.  Lucretia  Gage  Wayne 

Mrs.  Thomas  Tinkler  Wayne 

Chester  C.  Morton  Wayne 

Mrs.  C.  C.  Morton  Wayne 

E.  O.  Tavlor  Wayne 

Mrs.  E.  6.  Taylor  Wayne 

E1)enezer  Copley  Wayne 

George  Whitbeck  Wayne 

Mrs.  Geo.  Whitbeck  W^ayne 

]\Trs.  Ebenezer  Copley  Wayne 

William  G.  r>lair  Ontwa 

Jonathan   Olmsted  Ontwa 

Horace  Vaughn  Ontwa 

Chaunccv  Kennedy  Ontwa 

John  S.  Jacks  Ontwa 

Horace  Cooper  Jefferson 

David  Bemcnt  Ontwa 

Charles  Haney  Ontwa 

P).  F.  Wilkinson  Ontwa 

Charles  IMorqan  Ontwa 

William  R.  Sheldon  Ontwa 

H.  H.  Ridwell  Ontwa 

R.  D.  ^lay  Ontwa 

Samuel  IT.  Lee  Ontwa 

John  M.  Brady  Ontwa 

Noah  S.  Brady  Ontwa 

John   Gill  Ontwa 

\'alentine  Noyes  Ontwa 

L   G.   Bugbee  Ontwa 

Elizabeth  IL  Bugbee  Ontwa 

Aaron   Shcllhammer  Porter 

John  Shellhammer  Porter 

James  PL  Hitchcox  Porter 

Horace  Thompson  Porter 
Mrs.  TTorace  Thompson      Porter 

Joshua  Brown  Porter 

Lucius  Keeler  Porter 

William  Trattles  Porter 

Mrs.  William  Trattles  Porter 

Abel  Beebe  Porter 

Mrs.  Abel  Beebe  Porter 


Massachusetts  1835 

Cass  Co.,  Mich.  1834 

Kentucky  1836 

New  York  1834 

Ohio  1837 

New  York  1850 

New  York  1835 

New  York  1833 

New  York  1839 

New  York  1844 

New  York  1848 

New  York  1839 

New  York  1844 

Ohio  1837 

New  York  1844 

New  York  1845 

New^  York  1844 

New  York  1845 

New  York  1835 

New^  York  1844 

New  York  1836 

New  ^^ork  1836 

New  York  1844 

:\Iassachusetts  1840 

Cass  Co.,  :^iich.  1831 

Ohio  1835 

Connecticut  1838 

Baden,  (K^rmany  1833 

New  York  1844 

Ohio  1842 

Connecticut  1835 

New  York  1836 

New  York  1837 

New  Hampshire  1836 

New  York  1835 

^lichio-an  1839 

Tsle  of  ]\Tan  1835 

New  York  1835 

Vermont  1835 
Dartmouth,  Eng.  1839 
Pennsylvania  1828 

Pennsylvania  1828 

New  York  1831 

Massachusetts  1831 

New  York  1835 

Indiana  1835 

New  York  1836 

Encrland  1838 

Canada  East  1836 

New  York  1840 

Pennsylvania  1840 


354 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


James  Motley  Porter 

Mrs.  James  Motley  Porter 

George  Whited  Porter 

Mrs.  George  Whited  Porter 

Mrs.  Betsey   Whited  Po-rter 

Hall  l)eardsley  Porter 

Mrs.  Hall  r)eardsley  Porter 

Henry  Long  I^ortcr 

Edward  Long  Porter 

Oscar  Long  Porter 

Mrs.  Oscar  Long  Porter 

A.  H.  Long  l^rter 

Mrs.  A.  H.  Long  Porter 

Jacob  Rinehart  Porter 

IMrs.  Jacob  Rinehart  Porter 

Albert  Thompson  Porter 

Samuel  Rinehart  l^orter 

Mrs.  Samuel  Rinehart  l^orter 

Al)ram  Rinehart  Porter 

iMrs.  A])ram  Rinehart  Porter 

T.  A.  Hitchcox  Porter 

Gideon  Hebron  Porter 

'^\vs.  Gideon  Hebron  Porter 

Marcus  McHuran  Porter 
Mrs.    ]\rarcus   INFcHuran      Porter 

John  M.  Fellows  Calvin 

Amos  Pluflf  Vol  in  i  a 

Tames  INT.  Wright  Volinia 

Mrs.  J.  ]\T.  W^right  Volinia 

Elizabeth  vSquires  Volinia 

George  Spicer  A'^olinia 

Wrs.  George  Spicer  A^olinia 

George  Newton  Volinia 

Esther  Newton  Volinia 

Milton  J.  Gard  Volinia 

Jay  Rudd  Penn 

J.  K.  Ritter  Cassopolis 

Henry  Shanafelt  La  Grange 

Mrs.  PL  Shanafelt  La  Grange 

Mrs.  D.  M.  Warner  Cassopolis 

C.  Z.  Terwilleger  Volinia 

Tames  M.  Truitt  Milton 

Margaret  P.  Truitt  Milton 

Charlotte  Morris  Volinia 

Hattie  C.  Buell  Volinia 

G.  J.  Townsend  Penn 

E.  H.  Townsend  Penn 

John  H.  Rich  Volinia 

George  Lyon  Penn 

Selina  Green  Penn 

Tobias  Riddle  Berrien  Co. 


England 

1836 

New  York 

1836 

Michigan 

1842 

Cass  Co.,  Mich. 

18  so 

Cass.  Co.,  Mich. 

1834 

Cass  Co.,  Mich. 

1838 

Ohio 

1840 

^klassachusetts 

1844 

Cass  Co.,   Mich. 

1843 

AFassachusetts 

1844 

New  York 

1837 

IMassachusetts 

1838 

New  York 

1837 

Virginia 

1829 

Germany 

1842 

Indiana 

1850 

Virginia 

1829 

Ohio 

1830 

Virginia 

1829 

New  York 

1836 

New  York 

1831 

England 

1833 

England 

Cass  Co.,  ]\rich. 

184T 

Cass  Co.,   ]\Iich. 

Pennsylvania 

1829 

New  York 

1833 

Ohio 

1831 

Ohio 

T828 

Pennsylvania 

1831 

England 

1847 

Ohio 

1837 

Ohio 

183 1 

Ohio 

183T 

Ohio 

1829 

A^ermont 

1836 

Berrien  Countv 

1829 

Ohio 

1835 

Pennsylvania 

1844 

Ohio 

t8s2 

Cass  Co.,  Mich. 

1837 

Berrien  County 

1838 

Pennsvlvania 

1836 

Cass  Co.,  Mich. 

1836 

Cass  Co.,  Mich. 

1831 

Cass  Co.,  Mich. 

1833 

Cass  Co.,  Mich. 

1829 

Ohio 

1833 

North  Carolina 

1831 

Virginia 

1832 

HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


355 


Asahel  Z.  Copley 

Leonard  Goodrich 

John  Squiers 

John  R inch  art 

Daniel  Vantnyl 

James  East 

E.  C.  Smith 

Mrs.  E.  C.  Smith 

David  Histed 

Charles  Smith 

Harriet  Smith 

James  vShaw 

Peter  Stnrr 

William  Bilderl)eck 

Sarah  r)ilder1:)eck 

lliram  Rollers 

S.   M  Grinnell 

Jane  A.  Grinnell 

J.  Fred  Aferritt 

]\Tary  A.  Merritt 

i\!artha  Warren 

Nelson  A.  Hntchings 

George  Evans 

James  M.  l^ver 

Phehe  C.  Dyer 

Rehecca  Jones 

:\[arv  Driskell 

J>ennis  Driskell 

I^dward  IT.  Jones 

wSamnel  Everhart 

j\lary  Everhart 
Tliomas  W.  Eudwick 
Jnlia  A.  T^ndwick 
Amo»s  Cowgill 
iVIrs.  E.  E.  Cow£^ill 
Mrs.  M.  A.  Pncklin 
Laura  L.  Flenderson 
Lewis  Rinehart 
Anna  Rinehart 
Le  Roy  Curtis 
Hardy  Langston 
Mary  Lan^^ston 
Washhurn  Benedict 
Loann  Curtis 
Albert  Jones 
H.  D.   Shellenbarger 
Sarah  Shellenbarger 
William  Renesten 
C.  C.  Grant 
Mars^aret  Davidson 
Sarah  Hebron 


Volinia 

New^  A^ork 

1834 

Jefferson 

New  A^ork 

1835 

Volinia 

Ohio 

1831 

I^orter 

Virginia 

1829 

Jefferson 

New^  Jersey 

1835 

Calvin 

Virginia 

1833 

tloward 

New  York 

1835 

Lloward 

New  A^ork 

1835 

Cassopolis 

New  York 

1842 

Mason 

New  "S^ork 

1845 

]\rason 

New  York- 

1845 

J-loward 

New  York 

1840 

Volinia 

New  Jersey 

i845 

Silver  Creek 

New   Jersey 

1845 

Silver  Creek 

Ohio  ' 

1845 

Milton 

New  Jersey 

1831 

Calvin 

New  York 

1834 

Newherg 

New  York 

1833 

Porter 

Cass  Co.,  Mich. 

1846 

J\:)rter 

Cass  Co.,  Mich. 

1845 

Newl)erg 

•     New  York 

i8s6 

Newberg 

Ohio 

1836 

....  En^^land 

1846 
1834 

Newherg 

•       •       •       •       L  .^  I    t  «^  1  tl  1   1  V  i 

New  York 

Newberg 

Xcw  "S^5rk 

1849 

Newberg 

Xtnv  York- 

J  837 

Newberg 

Oliio 

1828 

Newberg 

Ohio 

1829 

Newberg 

Xew  York 

1837 

New]>erg 

Pennsylvania 

1836 

New1)erg 

Xew  S^ork 

1837 

Newberg 

Pennsvlvania 

1845 

Newberg 

Ohio  ' 

1835 

J^a  Grange 

Ohio 

1830 

La  Grange 

Xew  York 

1836 

I_.a  Grange 

Ohio 

1836 

Wayne 

Vermont 

1834 

Porter 

Virsjinia 

1829 

l^orter 

Ohio 

1830 

Penn 

Xew  York 

1837 

Berrien  County 

X'orth  Carolina 

1830 

Berrien  County 

A^irginia 

1830 

La  Grange 

Massachusetts 

1846 

Penn 

XTew  York 

1837 

Newberg 

New  York 

1837 

Porter 

Ohio 

1845 

Porter 

Michigan 

1839 

La  Grange 

Pennsylvania 

1830 

Mason 

New  York 

1831 

La  Grange 

England 

1832 

Penn 

Ncrth  Carolina 

1830 

356 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


Nathaniel  Blackmore 

Ontwa 

John  Hain,  Jr. 

La  Grange 

Jesse  G.  Beeson 

La  Grange 

Mary  Beeson 

La  Grange 

Isaac  A.  Huff 

La  Grange 

Isaac  N.  Gard 

X^olinia 

David  Hain 

La  Grange 

Leander  Osborne 

Penn 

Harrison  Strong 

Mason 

Fideha  A.  Strong 

]\Iason 

Margaret  Stevenson 

Mason 

Samuel  Patrick 

Jefferson 

Moses  N.  Adams 

Ontwa 

Elenora  E.  Stephens 

JMason 

Wesley  Hunt 

Calvin 

H.  A.  Wiley 

Ontwa 

S.  C.  Olmsted 

Ontwa 

W.  H.  Hain 

La  Grange 

Elmira  Gilbert 

Porter 

E.  Dickson 

Dowagiac 

Calesta  Stratton 

Dowagiac 

Eucinda  Davis 

Pennsylvani; 

David  R.  Stephens 

]\Iason 

Elias  Jewell 

Wa}'ne 

I.  A.  Shingledecker 

La  Grange 

Barbara  Shingledecker 

La  Grange 

William  Weaver 

Jefferson 

Elizabeth  Weaver 

Jefferson 

S.  H.  Gilbert 

Porter 

John  C.  Clark 

La  Grange 

James  P.  Doty 

La  Grange 

R.  J.  Dickson 

Pokagon 

Hannah  B.  Dickson 

Pokagon 

Elizabeth  Gard 

Volinia  . 

John  Ilain 

La  Grange 

Elizabeth   Gilbert 

Porter 

William  Saulsbury 

Jefferson 

Peter  Huff 

Wayne 

Cool  Runkle 

Milton 

]\Targaret  Runkle 

Milton 

Merritt  A.  Thompson 

Vandalia 

J.  B.  Thomas 

Ontwa 

]\Irs.  J.  B.  Thomas 

Ontwa 

B.  K.  Jones 

Niles 

Isaac  Wells 

La  Grange 

William  J.  Hall 

Volinia 

B.  F.  Rudd 

Newberg 

Loomis  H.  Warren 

Volinia 

Orley  Ann  Warren 

Volinia 

Susanah  Davis 

Jefferson 

Reuben  B.  Davis 

Jefferson 

New  York 

1828 

Michigan 

1833 

Indiana 

1830 

Pennsylvania 

1830 

Kentucky 

1830 

Indiana 

1829 

North  Carolina 

1831 

Indiana 

1835 

New  York 

1844 

New  York 

1844 

New  York 

1849 

Ohio 

1845 

Vermont 

1837 

New  York 

1841 

Vermont 

1836 

Ohio 

1836 

Connecticut 

1836 

La  Grange,  Mich. 

1840 

Vermont 

1835 

New  York 

1828 

Ohio 

1832 

Ohio 

1829 

New  York 

1835 

New  Jersey 

1837 

Ohio 

1846 

Ohio 

1846 

New  York 

1841 

Michigan 

1835 

New  York 

1835 

Ohio 

1838 

New  York 

1843 

Maryland 

1828 

New  York 

1847 

Ohio 

1829 

North  Carolina 

1829 

England 

1836 

Ohio 

1833 

Kentucky 

1831 

New  York 

1841- 

Pennsylvania 

1844 

Michigan 

1847 

Pennsylvania 

1843 

Ontwa,  Mich. 

1840 

Ohio 

1833 

Ohio 

1832 

Ohio 

1833 

Vermont 

1834 

New  York 

1837 

Cass  County 

1833 

Ohio 

1834 

Virginia 

1840 

HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


357 


John  Barber 

Milton 

Mrs.  Kate  E.  Barber 

Milton 

Leonard  Keene 

Calvin 

Alsey  Keene 

Calvin 

Ebenezer  Anderson 

Penn 

George  Laporte 

Wayne 

Peter  Youngblood 

La  Grange 

John  Rosebroiigh 

Jefferson 

James  W.  Robinson 

Niles 

Alex.  L.  Tharp 

Vandalia 

J.  H.  Thomas 

Mason 

G.  A.  Meacham 

Mason 

WilHam  Clark 

Calvin 

Edwin  T.  Dickson 

Berrien  County 

Laban  Tharp 

Jefferson 

Lydia  Tharp 

Jefferson 

Sanford  Ashcraft 

Penn 

Abigail  Ashcraft 

Penn 

R.  Russell 

Penn 

E.  Russell 

Penn 

B.  Lincoln 

Penn 

Acacha  Lincoln 

Penn 

WilHam  D.  Brownell 

Ontwa 

Janies  L.  Glenn 

Niles 

Henry  Kimmerle 

La  Grange 

M.  J.  Kimmerle 

La  Grange 

D.  A.  Squier 

Decatur 

R.  H.  Wiley 

La  Grange 

H.  S.  Rodgers 

Volinia 

M.  A.  Folmer 

Milton 

Spencer  Williams 

Milton 

J.  AVood 

PToward 

A.  C.  Ellis 

Wayne 

H.  i\[.  Osborn 

Penn 

Stephen  Jones 

La  Grange 

Elias  Pardee 

Pokagon 

C.  C.  Allison 

La  Grange 

Josiah  Kinnison 

Howard 

Henry  Michael 

Silver  Creek 

Hiram  Lee 

Calvin 

David  B.  Copley 

Penn 

Mrs.  Abbey  H.  Copley 

Penn 

H.  A.  Chapin 

Niles 

P.  W.  Southworth 

Volinia 

Mrs.  J.  A.  Southworth 

Volinia 

Asa  Huntington 

W^avne 

Zera  A.  Tyler 

Wayne 

William  Allen 

Porter 

Lyman  B.  Spalding 

La  Grange 

Mrs.  M.  S.  Robinson 

Niles 

David  Gawthrop 

La  Grange 

Pennsylvania 

1861 

Michigan 

1840 

North  Carolina 

1832 

Ohio 

1832 

New  Jersey 

1833 

Virginia 

1833 

Virginia 

1832 

Ohio 

1832 

Ohio 

1833 

Ohio 

1837 

Vermont 

1838 

New  York 

1854 

North  Carolina 

1840 

Indiana 

1828 

Ohio 

1828 

Ohio 

1830 

New  York 

1837 

New  York 

1837 

New  York 

1863 

Vermont 

1863 

New  York 

1834 

Ohio 

1845 

New  York 

1854 

Pennsylvania 

1835 

Ohio  ' 

1833 

Michigan 

1837 

Michigan 

1834 

Michigan 

1840 

Ohio 

1833 

Pennsylvania 

1836 

Delaware 

1831 

New  York 

1836 

New  York 

1837 

Indiana 

1847 

Ohio 

1829 

Ohio 

1844 

Ilhnois 

1848 

INIaine 

1828 

Ohio 

1830 

Tennessee 

1835 

New  York 

1835 

New^  York 

1835 

Massachusetts 

1836 

Vermont 

1837 

Vermont 

1836 

Vermont 

1842 

New  York 

1846 

Ohio 

1848 

La  Grange 

1839 

Vermont 

1835 

Michigan 

1833 

358 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


Henry  W.  Smith 
Mrs.  Nancy  J.  Smith 
Eh  Benjamin 


John  M.  Truitt 
Ann  E.  Truitt 
Z.  Tinkham 
John  T.  Miller 
W.   H.   Smith 
Robert  D.   Merritt 
Mrs.  Robert  Merritt 
Nathan  Skinner 
I\[rs.  Nathan  Skinner 
W.  G.  Beckwith 
J.   M.  Jewell 
Julias  Jewell 
James  S.  Odell 
Mrs.  J.  S.  Odell 
:^lrs.  W.  H.  Smith 
John  Williams 
Emmett  Dunning 

B.  A.  Tharp 
Dyer  Dunning 
Emily  Tyler 

C.  M.  Doane 
Emory  Doane 
Green  Allen 
Isaac  Johnson 
Russell  Cook 
Mrs.  Russell  Cook 
M.  Carpenter 

Mrs.   Eliza  Carpenter 
Peter  Truitt 
J.  S.  wShaw 
W.  W.  Smith 
H.  C.  Parker 
C.  P.  Wells 
James  P.  Smith 
Susan  C.  Smith 
J.  E.  Garwood 
Mrs.  J.  E.  Garwood 
Joseph  Kirkwood 
Harrison  Adams 
Mrs.  Harrison  Adams 
Solomon  Curtis 
Mrs.  I^uisa  Curtis 
Ann  Coulter 
Ann  H.  Hopkins 
Mrs.   Norton   Bucklin 


Volinia 
Volinia 
Ontwa 

NAMES  ADDED  IN    1877. 

Milton 

Milton 

Pokagon 

Jefferson 

Volinia 

Porter 

Porter 

Porter 

Porter 

Jefferson 

Wayne 

Wayne 

Porter 

Porter 

Volinia 

Jeff'erson 

Howard 

Calvin 

Milton 

Wayne 

Howard 

Porter 

Calvin 

La  Grange 

Pokagon 

Pokagon 

Milton 

Milton 

Milton 

Volinia 

La  Grange 

Pokagon 

Pokagon 

Ontwa 

Ontwa 

Pokagon 

Pokagon 

Wayne 

Jefferson 

Jefferson 

Penn 

Penn 

Howard 

Ontwa 

Marcellus 


Ohio 

1832 

Ohio 

1836 

Massachusetts 

1854 

Delaware 

1831 

Delaware 

1835 

New  York 

1852 

Pennsylvania 

1830 

Ohio 

1832 

Michigan 

1838 

Michigan 

1837 

Ohio 

1845 

Ohio 

1845 

New  York 

1836 

Ohio 

1836 

New  Jersey 

1837 

Michigan 

1837 

Ohio 

1842 

Ohio 

1836 

Michigan 

1835 

Pennsvlvania 

1835 

Ohio  ^ 

1843 

Pennsylvania 

1834 

New  York 

1846 

Michigan 

1847 

Michigan 

1845 

North  Carolina 

1848 

Virginia 

1837 

New  York 

1837 

New  Hampshire 

1837 

Delaware 

1837 

Delaw^are 

1837 

Delaware 

1831 

Ohio 

1831 

Michigan 

1837 

Ohio 

1851 

New  York 

1835 

New  York 

1840 

New  York 

1840 

Michigan 

1832 

Ohio 

1839 

wS  cot  land 

1836 

Maine 

1836 

Michigan 

1836 

New  York 

1839 

New  York 

T833 

Ohio 

1836 

Delaware 

1842 

Pennsylvania 

1847 

HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


Mrs.  J.  J.  Ritter 
William  R.  Merritt,  Jr. 
William  Robbiiis 
Matilda  P.  Griffith 
Lizzie  E.  Tewksbury 
W.  I.  Griffith 
Mrs.  W.  I.  Griffith 
Thomas  J.  Foster 


Amos  Smith 
William  Condon 
]\lrs.  L.  Goodspeed 
Daniel   Blish 
Mrs.  Julia  Blish 
Catherine  Roof 
Hugh  C.  McNeil 
Joseph  Spencer 
Laura  Spencer 
Samuel  DeCou 
Isabella  Batchelor 
A.  A.  Goddard 
C.  W.  Morse 
L.  B.  Patterson 
Hannah  j\L  Patterson 
W'illiam  Flicks 

Jacob  Tittle 

Henry   Fredricks 

Henry  Harmon 

Henrv  Bloodgood 

Asa  B.  Wetherbee 

Abram  Fiero 

Hannah  Henshaw 

Eli  Bump 

James  Pollock 

Leander  Bridge 

Harriet  A.  Bridge* 

Tra  J.  Putnam 

John  E.  Dodge 

Avril  Earl 

Gamaliel  Townsend 

John  Hain,  Sr. 

P.  P.  Perkins 

E.  P.  Clisbee 

Orlean  Putnam 

Amelia   Putnam 

James  A.  Lee 
Patience  Lee 
John  Bedford 


La  Grange 

Porter 

Porter 

Milton 

Ontwa 

Alilton 

Milton 

St.  Joseph  Co.,  Ind. 

NAMES  ADDED  IN    1 878. 

Penn 

Jefferson 

Volinia 

Dowagiac 

Dowagiac 

Porter 

]Mason 

Wayne 

Wayne 

Penn 

IMilton 

Mason 

Dowagiac 

Pokagon 

Pokagon 

Milton 

Milton 

Porter 

Porter 

Cassopolis 

Newberg 

La  Grange 

Volinia 

Penn 

Penn 

jMarcellus 

xVewberg 

Pokagon 

Newberg 

La  Grange 

La  Grange 

La  Grange 

Howard 

Oberlin 

La  Grange 

La  Grange 

Dowagiac 

Dow^agiac 

Dowagiac 


Michigan 
Ohio 
jMichigan 
Delaware 
New  York 
Indiana 
"  Michigan 
Michigan 


Pennsylvania 
Ireland 
New  York 
New  Hampshire 
New  York 
Pennsylvania 
New  York 
New  York 
New  York 
New  Jersey 
New  York 
Connecticut 
\>rmont 
Michigan 
Cass  County 
England 
Ohio 
Pennsvlvania 

Ohio  ' 
New  York 
New  York 
New  York 
Indiana 
Ohio 
Ohio 

New  York 
New  York 
Cass  County 

New  York 

New  York 

Canada  West 

North  Carolina 

New  York 

Ohio 

New  York 

New  York 

New  York 

New  York 

England 


859 

1849 
1834 

1837 
1832 

i845 
1846 
1842 


1848 
1838 
1836 
1839 
1839 
1836 

1835 
1837 
1837 
1849 
1835 
1836 

1851 
1838 

1845 
1836 
1830 
1836 
1840 
1838 
1833 
1853 
1830 
1836 
1830 
1845 
1835 
1827 

1835 
1836 
1826 
1831 
1834 
1838 
1825 
1828 
1838 
1838 
1852 


*  The  first  white  child  born  in  Newberg  township. 


360 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


Nathan  Phillips 
George  Rogers 
Abraham  Rinehart 
Hannah  E.  Rinehart 
John   Lybrook 
Josepli  Lvbrook 
Ellen  P.  'Hibrey 
Adelia  T.  Merritt 
Daniel  Mcintosh 
Plugh  P.  Garrett 
John  Mcpherson 
•William  Young 
John  A.  Jones 
Zora  E.  Jones 
Roderick  L.  Van  Ness 
Julia  E.  Van  Ness 
Joseph  L.  Jacks 
JDr.  A.  J.  Boughton 
Matthew  T.  Garvey 
Sarah  E.  Garvev 


Amos  Jones 
William  Reames 
Charles  R.  Poe 
John  C.  Carmichael 
Samuel  Morris 
David  Reardsley 
Mrs.  Mary  Dewey 
Valentine  Noyes 
I'ricl  Enos 

Polly  M.   Shellhammer 
James  W.  East 
Frank  Savage 
Archibald  Dunn 
Henry  Aldrich 
George  Smith 
Milton  Hull 
William  Lawson 
Ephraim  Hanson 
Jonathan  Colyer 
Sarah  Atwood 
Catherine  Colyer 
Arthur  Smith 
Mary  Jane  Smith 
Salicia  Emmons 
Uzziel  Putnam 
James  B.  Treat 
Elizabeth  Grubb 
Martha  Norton 


Pokagon 

Ontwa 

Porter 

Porter 

La  Grange 

La  Grange 

Cassopolis 

Bristol,  Ind. 

Penn 

La  Grange 

Jefferson 

Flo  ward 

Cassopolis 

Cassopolis 

Cassopolis 

Cassopolis 

Edwardsburg 

Wakelce 

Jefferson 

Jefferson 

NAMES  ADDED  IN   1879. 

La  Grange 

Jefferson 

Newberg 

Edwardsburg 

\^olinia 

iNFason 

Pokagon 

Edwardsburg 

Milton 

Porter 

Calvin 

Marcellus 

Newberg 

Milton 

Milton 

Calvin 

Ontwa 

Jefferson 

Dowagiac 

Jefferson 

Dowagiac 

Dowagiac 

Howard 

Pokagon 

Silver  Creek 

Calvin 

Calvin 


New  York 

1844 

New  York 

1849 

Virginia 

1829 

New  York 

1836 

Virginia 

1823 

Cass  Count v 

1846 

Wales 

1835 

New  York 

1830 

Marvland 

1829 

Ohio 

1848 

Ohio 

1829 

Vermont 

1831 

Pennsylvania 

1846 

Cass  County 

1853 

Ploward 

1845 

Vol  in  i  a 

1852 

Pennsylvania 

1829 

1836 

Ohio 

1846 

Massachusetts 

1848 

Ohio 

1830 

North  Carolina 

1828 

Ohio 

1835 

Ohio 

1836 

Ohio 

1828 

Ohio 

1832 

Indiana 

1829 

New  York 

1835 

Vermont 

1835 

Ohio 

1834 

Indiana 

1832 

Marcellus 

1846 

New  York 

1835 

Rhode  Island 

1834 

Delaware 

1828 

North  Carolina 

1853 

New  York 

1835 

North  Carolina 

1831 

Pennsvlvania 

1 83 1 

Ohio  ' 

1832 

Pennsvlvania 

1858 

New  York 

1837 

New  York 

1822 

New  York 

1825 

New  York 

1834 

Ohio 

1830 

Ohio 

1832 

HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


iOl 


John  A.  Reynolds 
Laura  J.  Reynolds 
Joshua  Leach 
A.  F.  Northrup 
Charity  Rich 
N.  B.  Goodenough 
(jcorge  Longsduff 
Margaret  Scares 
George  L.  Stevens 
Flias  Morris 
Charlotte  Morris 
Elijah  Goble 
Eliza  Goble 
Levi  Springsteen 
Braddock  Carter 
Caroline  Carter 
Anselm  Jessup 
Richard  C.  Ross 
Mehitable  Ross 
William  Hitchcox 
Elizabeth  Hitchcox 
George  Benient 
Mrs.   Betsy  Gardner 
David  T.  Truitt 
A.  J.  Gardner 
David  Beardslev 
Mrs.  Belinda  Miller 
Ann  C.  Miller 
Lewis  FL  jXIiller 
Virgil  Turner 
Arietta  Van  Ness 
Elizabeth  D.  Keeler 
Joshua  Richardson 
Eveline  E.   Richardson 
Thomas   Stapleton 
Mrs.  C.  J.  Grecnleaf 
ATaryette  H.  Glover 
Thomas  Odell 
Henry  J.  Brown 
Sadie  Huyck 
Jacob  B.  B recce 
Sarah  M.  Breece 
Aaron  J.  Nash 
Marc^aret  R.  Nash 


William  H.  Olmstead 
Sarah  A.  Olmstead 
Jacob  Suits 
Mary  Reames 
John  E.  Reames 


Jellerson 

Jefferson 

Penn 

Calvin 

Volinia 

Volinia 

Vandalia 

La  Grange 

Mason 

Volinia 

Volinia 

Dowagiac 

Dowagiac 

Wayne 

I'orter 

Porter 

Calvin 

?\Iason 

Mason 

]\Iason 

Mason 

Ontwa 

iNlason 

:\Iilton 

Mason 

Mason 

Mason 

Mason 

^Tason 

Ontwa 

Howard 

Porter 

Porter 

Porter 

Cassopolis 

Dowagiac 

CassopoHs 

Porter 

Porter 

Marcellus 

Jefferson 

Jefferson 


NAMES  ADDED  IN 

Milton 
Milton 

Jefferson 
Jefferson 


1880. 


New  York 

1848 

New   York 

1849 

Vermont 

1833 

Vermont 

1838 

Ohio 

1829 

New  Y^ork 

1846 

Pennsylvania 

1847 

Pennsylvania 

1840 

Mason 

1847 

Van  Buren  Co. 

1832 

Pennsylvania 

1832 

Ohio 

1828 

Ohio 

1831 

New  York 

1836 

New  York 

1844 

Yermont 

1844 

Indiana 

1833 

Ohio 

1832 

New  York 

1829 

Michigan 

1835 

Indiana 

1848 

JMason 

1841 

New   York 

1832 

Delaware 

1831 

New  York 

1832 

Ohio 

1833 

New  York- 

1835 

New   York 

1835 

New  York 

1835 

New   York 

1854 

New  York 

1845 

New  York 

1835 

Ohio 

1846 

Michigan 

1830 

Ireland 

1851 

Dowagiac 

.... 

Cassopolis 

1846 

Porter 

1831 

Michigan 

1830 

Michigan 

1839 

Pennsylvania 

1838 

Pennsvlvania 

1838 

New  York 

1854 

New  York 

1854 

New  York 

1846 

New  York 

1835 

New  York 

1835 

Ohio 

1828 

Ohio 

1833 

302 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


Lovinia  Reames 

Jefferson 

Kentucky 

1833 

Samuel    Ingling 

Dowagiac 

Kentucky 

1845 

Jane  D.   Ingling 

Dowagiac 

New  York 

1845 

Jos.  H.  Burns 

Ala son 

New  York 

1847 

Ann  E.  Burns 

Mason 

New  York 

1854 

John  Bilderback 

Silver  Creek 

Ohio 

1845 

Cynthia    Bilderback 

Silver  Creek 

Michigan 

1843 

Eleazer  Hammond 

Milton 

New  York 

1844 

Reason  S.   Pemberton 

Vandalia 

Indiana 

1836 

Margaret  Pemberton 

Vandalia 

Germany 

1842 

Erastus  Z.  Morse 

Porter 

Vermont 

1845 

Israel  P.  Hutton 

Berrien  County 

Pennsylvania 

1846 

John  H.  Hutton 

Porter 

Pennsvlvania 

1846 

Anne  Moorlag 

Penn 

Holland 

1844 

Sarah  xA.nn  Moorlag 

Penn 

Indiana 

1870 

William  Loupe 

Porter 

Pennsylvania 

1833 

Mary  Loupe 

Porter 

Michigan 

1843 

lantha  Wood 

Howard 

New  York 

1841 

William  H.  Doane 

Howard 

New  York 

1835 

Lois  A.   Doane 

Howard 

NAMES   ADDED   IN    1881. 

New  York 

1837 

Gabriel  Eby 

Porter 

Ohio 

1837 

Caroline   Eby 

Porter 

Germany 

1848 

Hiram  N.  Woodin 

Mason 

New  York 

1846 

Martha  C.  Woodin 

Mason 

New  York 

1847 

H.  H.  Poorman 

Marcellus 

Pennsylvania 

1858 

Plenrv  E.  Hain 

Edwardsburg 

Alichigan 

1836 

William  M.  Hass 

La  Grange 

Illinois 

1853 

Nancv  Simpson 

Pokagon 

Virginia 

1827 

J.  M:  Huff 

Volinia 

Ohio 

>834 

Josephine  B.  Smith 

Milton 

Delaware 

1834 

Perrv  Curtiss 

Silver  Creek 

Michigan 

1838 

G.  W.  Smith 

Milton 

Delaware 

1854 

Alfred  Shockley 

Milton 

Delaware 

1833 

H.  B.  Shurter 

Jefferson 

New  York 

1856 

Martin  Stamp 

Penn 

Michigan 

1845 

A.  D.  Thompson 

Milton 

Delaware 

1836 

C  M.  Odell 

Howard 

Michigan 

1837 

Kimmey  Shanahan 

Ontwa 

Michigan 

1854 

Samuel  W.  Breece 

Newberg 

Alichiean 

1842 

Jacob  Reese 

Milton 

New  York 

1834 

Marcus  Sherrell 

lefferson 

Jefferson 

1840 

H.  D.  Bowling 

Pokagon 

Ohio 

1847 

Mrs.  ATarv  Childs 

California 

Indiana 

1847 

A.  I.  Ditz 

Mason 

New  York 

1847 

William  W.  Carpenter 

Milton 

Delaware 

T830 

Georee  W.  Williams 

Howard 

Delaware 

1838 

lasper  K.  Aldrich 

Milton 

Michigan 

T849 

Mrs.  Emily  Curtis 

Newberg 

HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


363 


Enos  Rosebrough 
George  Tharp 
Peter  Fox 
John  Hess 
Henrv  D.  Goodrich 
John  O.  Pohock 
Wilham  D.  Fox 
Ehas  B.  Lowman 
John  A.  Parsons 
Nathaniel  B.  Crawford 
Byron   H.  Casterhne 
George  S.  Bassett 
David  D.  Brady 
Horace  Warren 
Harvey  Depuy 
George  B.  Crawford 
Asher  J.   Shaw 
Robert  N.  Martin 
John  R.  Everhart 
Sarah  Driscol  Everhart 
John  Manning 
Richard  M.  WilUams 


Cyrus  Tuthill 
Nicholas  Haller 
Catherine   Haller 
Samuel  Stevens 
John  F.  Burnett 
Marcus  L.  Morton 
Moses  Crosby 
Sarah   Stanard 
James  M.  Chapman 
Mary  Chapman 
Simon  B.  Poor 
Henry  B.  Wilson 
Ira  Stephenson 
J.  H.  Beauchamp 


James  G.  Havden 
Jacob  Allen,  M.  D. 
Henrv  Thompson 
Edmund  D.  Bement 
Sarah  11.  Simpson 
Harriet  Benedict 
William  H.  Smith 
Melissa  J.   Smith 
Hannah  L.  Hall 
Charles  Ferrell 


Jefferson 

Jefferson 

Howard 

Jefferson 

Jefferson 

Penn 

Howard 

Jefferson 

Milton 

Wayne 

Penn 

Dowagiac 

Penn 

Newberg 

Penn 

La  Grange 

Howard 

Penn 

Porter 

Porter 

Porter  Co.,  Ind. 

La  Grange 

NAMES   ADDED  IN    1 882. 

Dowagiac 

Volinia 

Volinia 

]\Iason 

Pokagon 

Wayne 

Vandalia 

Dowagiac 

Newberg 

Newberg 

Cassopolis 

Calvin 

Jeiferson 

Alilton 

NAMES    ADDED  IN    1 883. 

La  Grange 

Riverside,  Calif. 

Mason 

Ontwa 

Pokagon 

La  Grange 

Howard 

Howard 

Cass  Co. 

Wavne 


Michigan 

1839 

Michigan 

1842 

Delaware 

1839 

Ohio 

1841 

niinois 

1843 

Ohio 

1830 

Delaware 

1846 

Ohio 

1854 

Michigan 

1848 

New  Jersey 

1855 

Michigan 

1847 

Ohio  ^ 

1842 

Ohio 

1835 

Michigan 

1837 

New  Vork 

1851 

Ohio 

1855 

Michigan 

1847 

Ohio 

1861 

Pennsylvania 

1832 

Ohio  ^ 

1829 

Michigan 

1834 

Ohio  ' 

1851 

New  York 

1855 

Prussia 

1857 

Ohio 

1851 

New  York 

1830 

New  Jersey 

1853 

Wayne 

i8so 

New  York 

1837 

New  York 

1845 

Ohio 

1844 

New  York 

1844 

New  York 

1827 

North  Carolina 

1854 

Ohio 

1834 

Milton 

1847 

*  Calvin 

1854 

New  York 

1834 

Vermont 

1838 

Ontwa 

i8s2 

New  Hampshire 

1836 

New  York 

1857 

Howard 

1837 

Howard 

1844 

New  York 

1841 

Ohio 

1833 

864 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


NAMES   ADDED    IN    1 884   AND    1 885. 


Lenguel   Smith 
Hiram  Jewell 
y\lonzo  Garwood 
Scwcll  Hull 
Edward   Chatterdon 
Benj.  F.  Beeson 
Nancy  O shorn 
Ellen  Jackson 
Turner  Byrd 
Jonathan  Hill 
Tacoh  Elill 
William  J.  Abbott 
Elias  M.  Ingling 
Alice  E.  Shanahan 
Damarius  Allen 
Riifiis  W.  Landon 
Jaritis  Avers 
James  A.  Williams 
Eliza  M.  Weatherby 
Sarah  Fox 


Pleasant  Arnick 
Ahram  Hiitchins 
Roxana  Bement 
Jane  Jenkins 
Harriet  Patterson 
]\Tary  A.  Hoiightaling 
Henrv  S.  Quick 
Eliza  Smith 


John  Keegan 
Thomas  Kirkw^ood 
Melissa   Kirkwood 
Micajah  P.  Grennell 
Margaret  Pearson 
Anna  INT.  Shiirter 
]\Trs.  Curtis 


Milton 

Cassopolis 

Cassopolis 

Pipestone 

Howard 

Calvin 

Penn 

Calvin 

Calvin 

Elkhart,  Ind. 

Fayette  Co.,  la. 

Milton 

Dow^agiac 

Ontwa 

]\Tason 

Niles 

Penn 

Edwardsburg 

Newberg 

How^ard 

NAMES   ADDED   IN    1 886. 

Chicago 

Newberg 

Ontw^a 

Pokagon. 

Newberg 

Newberg 

La  Grange 

Milton 

NAMES  ADDED   IN    1 887. 

Jefferson 

Wavne 

Wayne 

Vandalia 

Cassopolis 

Jefferson 

Cassopolis 


Delaware 

1833 

New  Jersev 

1832 

Ohio 

1850 

Vermont 

1836 

New  York 

1836 

Indiana 

1833 

New  York 

1837 

Calvin 

1835 

North   Carolina 

1847 

Cass  Co. 

1832 

Pennsylvania 

1839 

Delaware 

1843 

Ohio 

1848 

Ontwa 

i8si 

Massachusetts 

183s 

Connecticut 

1832 

New  York 

1837 

Milton 

1845 

New  York 

1845 

1844 

Diamond  Lake 

1834 

New  York 

1835 

New  York 

1837 

Ohio 

T848 

Pennsylvania 

i8s8 

Ohio  ' 

i8s8 

New^  Jersey 

T833 

Delaw^are 

1828 

Ontwa 

1845 

Ohio 

1836 

Ohio 

T849 

New  Tersev 

T834 

Ohio  * 

T828 

NAMES  ADDED   IN    1 888. 


Henrv  Stevenson 
Henriette    Stevenson 
S.  H.  Morse 
Tames  L.  Simpson 
David  Thomas 


Penn 
Penn 


Pokagon 
Indiana 


1849 
1842 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


^66 


James  Griffis 
Parmelia  N.  Griffis 
Eliza  F,  Hunt 
Phineas  Nixon 
Grace  S.  Pound 
]\Iary  A.  Dunn 
Harriet  A.  Root 
Henry  D.  Arnold 
Mary  Dunn  Arnold 
Joseph  W.  Sturr 
Levisa  Sturr 
Stephen  A.  Nichols 
Mary  A.  Nichols 
Nelson  Hedger 
Samuel  McKee 


NAMES  ADDED  IN    1 889. 

Wayne 

Wayne 

Calvin 

Penn 

Newberg 

Newberg 

La  Grange 

Newberg 

Newberg 

Wayne 

Wayne 

Newberg 

Newberg 

JeiTerson 

Newberg 


Joudan  P.  Osborn 

Rhoda  M.  Huey 

Smyra  Spencer 

Abner  Brown 

Betsey  J.   Stephenson  ]\[ason 


NAMES    ADDED    FROM    1 889    TO     1 895 

Cassopolis 
Penn 
Cass  Co. 
Volinia 


NAMES   ADDED  IN    1 896. 


Lovina  Allen  Flaithcock 

Calvin 

Bcnnet  Allen 

Calvin 

H.  ^Tarquis  Gibson 

Calvin 

Percilla  Casey  Ford 

Calvin 

Richmond  Lake 

Penn 

Fred  A.  Hadsell 

Jefferson 

Henry  A.  Crego 

A^olinia 

Henry  W.  Harwood 

Ontwa 

Joseph  Foresman 

La  Grange 

William  H.  Owen 

Calvin 

Robert  C.   Sloan 

Cassopolis 

Byron  Fiero 

La  Grange 

Tva  Wrio'ht  Fiero 

La  Grange 

W^:iliam  R.  Sheldon 

Edwardsburg 

iNFilton  WVight 

La  Grange 

Flizabeth  Myers  Wright 

La  Grange 

NAMES   ADDED 

L^lvsses  S.  Eby 

Porter 

Willis  Haithcock 

Calvin 

George  H.  Curtis 

Calvin 

Mercv  Wood  Zelner 

Dowagiac 

E,  W.  V/agor 

Jones 

Pokagon 

1831 

Geneva 

1831 

Calvin 

1833 

Penn 

1839 

Volinia 

1839 

Mason 

1840 

Cassopolis 

1841 

Mason 

1837 

Flillsdale 

1840 

New  Jersey 

1840 

Ontario 

1840 

Ohio 

1835 

England 

1843 

New  York 

1823 

Newberg 

1848 

1895. 

Jndiana 

1842 

New  York 

1844 

1852 

New  York 

1837 

Mason 

1844 

Ohio 

1848 

Ohio 

1847 

North  Carolina 

1854 

North  Carolina 

i8so 

New  York 

1844 

]\[assachusetts 

t8s5 

Newberg 

1842 

Milton 

1846 

Pennsylvania 

1844 

Mason 

1838 

New  York 

1842 

La  Grange 

1853 

Volinia 

1868 

Michigan 

1833 

Wayne 

1833 

Volinia 

1837 

Porter 

1865 

North  Carolina 

1846 

Indiana 

1856 

Kent  Co.,  Mich. 

1878 

New  York 

1844 

360 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


Rachel  Shanafelt  Um- 

berfield 
Andrew   C.   Foster 
Reason  Freer 
J.  H.  Warner 
James  Moreland 
William  Laporte 
Flmore  F.  Lewis 
William  Pegg 
J.  J.  Cables 
Cynthia  Allen    Cables 
William  IT.  Beeson 
Nimrod  Aluncy 


^lary  A.  Hass 
Daniel  M.  Fisher 
James  11.  Abl)ott 
lohn  Bedford 
Pliillip   Ware 


La  Grange 

Volinia 

Cassopolis 

Volinia 

Volinia 

La  Grange 

Newberg 

I^enn 

A^olinia 

A'olinia 

La  (irange 

Do'Wagiac 

NAMES    ADDED   IN    1 898. 

La  Grange 

Howard 

Milton 

Howard 

Calvin 

NAMES    ADDED    IN    1899. 


Ohio 


1838 


Hiram   Col^b  Ontwa 

Nellie  lieardsley  Cobb  Ontwa 

William  Butts  '  ^lilton 

Leverett  E.  Mather  Howard 

Nathan   G.   Stanard  Porter 

Lora  Beardsley  Stanard  Porter 
Ida   Springsteen   Benedict  La  Grange 

Timothy  B.  Benddict  La  Grange 

Silas  H.  Thomas  Penn 

William  J.  Primrose  Tefferson 

David  Judie  Volinia 

John  D.  Williams  Cassopolis 

Henrv  L.  Case  Mason 

Cvnthia  Tyler  Case  Mason     . 

Clara  Mead  Zeller  Cassopolis 


Thomas  M.  Scares 
Perry  A.  Cays 
Elwood  East 
Mortimer  O.  Hadden 
Susan  Eoresman 
Harriet  Stephens 
Emily  Wheeler 
George  Scott 
Olive  Parmenter  Scott 
Samuel  Hawks 


NAMES   ADDED   IN    I9OO. 

La  Grange 

La  Grange 

Calvin 

Volinia 

La  Grange 

Calvin 

Dowagiac 

Volinia 

Volinia 

Calvin 


Ohio 

1845 

New  York 

1866 

New  York 

1837 

Volinia 

1840 

La  Grange 

1834 

Newberg 

1847 

New    i^ork 

1832 

New  York 

1850 

Penn 

1849 

Indiana 

1832 

La  Grange 

1833 

Indiana 

i860 

Howard 

1837 

Delaware 

1844 

England 

1862 

Ohio 

1866 

Ohio 

1844 

Michigan 

1891 

Michigan 

1854 

Connecticut 

1856 

Porter 

1847 

Porter 

i8so 

La   Grange 

1864 

La  Grange 

T859 

Indiana 

1842 

Delaware 

1844 

Pennsylvania 

1867 

lefFerson 

T837 

Ohio 

1856 

New  York 

1848 

Ontwa 

i860 

La  Grange 

1840 

La  Grange 

1836 

Calvin 

1843 

New  York 

1842 

New  York 

1847 

New  York 

1866 

Virginia 

i860 

New  York 

T837 

Ohio 

i860 

Virginia 

1859 

HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


:-i67 


NAMES   ADDED   IN    I9OI. 


Margaret  Hedger  Olmsted  Jefferson 

Ro)al  Salisbury  Howard 

Edmund  Landen  Jefferson 

l\aulina  Allen  Landen  Jefferson 

Al^ram  ii.  llaff  X'olinia 

\V.  C.  Griffith  ^lilton 

Wm.  H.  C.  Hale  Calvin 

Thomas  j\I.  Areux  Jefferson 

Lucy  Regnall  Areux  Jefferson 

Elizabeth  LIulse  Stevens  Mason 


Luther  J.  Pray 
liruce   r>eel)e 
Jose])h  Parker 
George  Green 
IT-anidin  T.  Wolfe 
David  A.   Squire 
Myron  V.  Burney 
Ivobert  Patterson 
Calvin  A.  Collev 


NAMES    ADDED   IN    I9O2. 

Dowagiac 

Marcellus 

La  Grange 

X'andalia 

Wakelee 

Decatur 

Newberg 

Holl}' 

Mason 

NAMES   ADDED   IN    I9O3. 


Philo  Brown  Calvin 

Herl^ert  E.   Moon  Cassopolis 

Lsrael  Ilartsell  Penn 

Charles   B.  Zeller  Cassopolis 

John  R.  Carr  Casso])olis 

Edwin  White  Porter 

George  F.  Holliway  Cassopolis 

Edwin   W.   Beckwith  Jefferson 

Warren  W.  Reynolds  Cassopolis 

George  B.  McNiel  Cassopolis 

George  M.   Rivers  Cassoi)olis 

Harsen  D.  Smith  Cassopolis 

Charles   Harlfelter  Cassopolis 

Allen    M.    Kingsbury  La  Grange 

William  Hartsell  Penn 

Franc  A.  Lamb  Cassopolis 

John  J.  Fisher  Cassopolis 

Eber  Reynolds  Cassopolis 

Edward  Keegan  Jefferson 

Timothy  B.  Kingsbury  La   Grange 
Gertrude  Ferris  Kingsbury  La  Grange 

Qiarles  Tietsort  La   Grange 

Charles  A.  Ritter  Cassopolis 

Joseph  Graham  Cassopolis 

Charles  E.  Voorhis  Cassopolis 
Em.eline  Crandall  Voorhis  Cassopolis 


Ohio 

1844 

Howard 

1852 

Vermont 

1851 

New   York 

183s 

\'olinia 

1831 

Indiana 

1839 

Indiana 

1864 

Canada 

1867 

JMigland 

1867 

A I  ason 

1843 

Kalamazoo  Co. 

1852 

Ohio 

1848 

left'erson 

1853 

Ohio 

1833 

Germany 

1854 

A'olinia 

1834 

Ohio 

1841 

Lenawee  Co. 

1865 

ATason 

1845 

New  York 

i860 

Penn 

1852 

lV)kagon 

1850 

Ohio^ 

1866 

Nova  Scotia 

1865 

Porter 

1854 

Ohio 

1850 

Cassopolis 

1848 

Jefferson 

185 1 

New  York 

1835 

New  York 

1864 

New  York 

1870 

Ohio 

i860 

Cassopolis 

1856 

Ohio 

1845 

Indiana 

1868 

Pokagon 

1870 

La  Grange 

1841 

New  Jersey 

1840 

Georgia 

1852 

Berrien  Co. 

1868 

Cassopolis 

1843 

Cassopolis 

1858 

Pennsylvania 

1844 

Pennsvlvania 

1853 

New  York 

1853 

368 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


Wilbur  F.  Pollock 
Julia  Hice  Pollock 
Marshall  L.  Howell 
David  L.  Kingsbury 
Samuel  Anderson 
Alamandal  J.   Tallerday 
vSterling  B.  Turner 
Jacob  H.  Osborn 
Lewis   Freer 
William  Green 
Omar  J.  East 
David  Long 
Frank  W.  Lambert 
Alice  Osborne  Lambert 
Fred  G.  Pollock 
William  Heaton 
Wm.  H.  H.  Pemberton 
Delancie    Pemberton 
Narcissus  Lewis 
Jennie  Alulrine  Keene 
Harry  J.  Keene 
FFerman  S.  East 
Fiora  James  East 
Charles  W.  East 
Ellen    Curtis    East 
Charles  W^   Chapman 
Clarence  L.  Sherwood 
loseph  R.  Edwards 
Frank  W.  Lvle 
Barak  L.  Rudd 
Bert  Clasky 
Tra  Tietsort 
Orville  W.  Coolidge 
Perry  A.  Tietsort 
Charles  C.  Philbrick 
Andrew  F.  Caul 
Robert  H.  Wilev 
Clitus  W.  Martin 
Isabel   Grimm   Martin 
Sarah  Bunberry  Shaw 
Asher  J.  Shaw 
Maria  Shaw  Kennedy 
Catherine  Cullen 
Marsfaret  Runkle  Kingsley 
William  A.  Wright 
Clara  M.  Wright 
Charles  O.  Haefner 
John  H.  Root 
Simeon  Huff 
Benjamin  F.  Graham 
Lincoln  P.  Gard 


Cassopolis 

Cassopolis 

1854 

Cassopolis 

St.  Joseph  Co. 

1868 

Cassopolis 

Cassopolis 

1847 

Cassopolis 

La  Grange 

1867 

Cassopolis 

Berrien  Co. 

1841 

Jefferson 

Elkhart  Co. 

1845 

Cassopolis 

Cassopolis 

1851 

Van  d  alia 

Cass  County 

1857 

Vandalia 

New  York 

1867 

Vandalia 

Ohio 

1832 

Vandalia 

Calvin 

1867 

Vandalia 

Indiana 

1867 

Vandalia 

Rhode  Island 

1868 

Vandalia 

Cass  Co. 

1853 

Vandalia 

Penn 

1868 

Vandalia 

Indiana 

1857 

Vandalia 

Indiana 

1841 

\^andalia 

Cass  Co. 

i8si 

Vandalia 

Cass  Co. 

i8so 

\^andalia 

Vandalia 

1864 

Vandalia 

Kalannazoo  Co. 

A^andalia 

Cass   Co. 

^868 

Vandalia 

Calvin 

1868 

Vandalia 

Calvin 

1842 

Vandalia 

Penn 

i8ST 

Vandalia 

Ohio 

1 8  so 

Dowagiac 

Pennsylvania 

1868 

Dowagiac 

New   Jersey 

i8s6 

Dowagiac 

Dowagiac 

i86t 

"Forest  Hall" 

Newberg 

1846 

Dowagiac 

La  Grange 

1878 

Detroit 

Cassopolis 

1835 

Niles 

Edwardsburg 

1839 

Detroit 

Cassopolis 

1832 

Grand  Rapids 

Cassopolis 

1844 

Marcellus 

Pennsylvania 

1856 

Dowagiac 

Cassopolis 

Cassopolis 

1853 

Cassopolis 

Brownsville 

1857 

Howard 

Berrien  Co. 

Howard 

Howard 

1846 

Howard 

Howard 

1869 

Howard 

Howard 

1854 

Ontwa 

^Milton 

T849 

Volinia 

A^O'linia 

i860 

A^olinia 

A^olinia 

1864 

Volinia 

A^olinia 

187T 

Volinia 

Volinia 

1870 

Volinia 

Pennsylvania 

1849 

Volinia 

Cass  Co. 

1868 

Volinia 

Volinia 

1861 

HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


369 


M.  Blanche  Mcintosh  Link  VoHnia 


Charles  E.  Osborn 

James  H.  Leach 

Nathan   Marsh 

Sarah  Hunt  Marsh 

Adaline  Robinson  Tietso 

Florence  M.  Tietsort 

Adaline  M.   Philbrick 

C.  Fred  Hoover 

Hiram  R.  Schutt 

Ezra  Pearson 

Lydia  Langsduff  Carter 

Joseph  H.  Wetherbee 

Nancy  Honts  Wetherbee 

Abel  Hamilton 

Adelbert  M.  Smith 

Justin  A.  Dunning 

John  Bedford 

Keziah  Ingling  McOmbe 

Sarah  Ingling  Parker 

Allison   B.  Thompson 

Charles  C.  Aikin 
Emma  Sprague  Aikin 
Mary  E.  Solomon  Schoch 

John  C.  Schoch 

Daniel  S.  Stryker 
Kate  iNIilliman 
Richard  J.  Hicks 
Marcus  S.  Qlmstead 
Mary  Ketcham  Qlmstead 
George  A.  Tuesley 
Cassius  M.  Dennis 
Andrew  J.  Tuesley 
George  A.  Shetterly 
Jesse  Title 
Henry  Andrus 
James  H.  Andrus 
Edward  Hirons 
Julia  Tietsort  Gates 
Charles   W.   Tietsort 
Abraham  L.  Clendenen 
Thomas  J.  Mealoy 
Cvnthia  Fisher  Mealoy 
Alfred  J.  East 
William  T.  Oxenford 
Dema  Brody  Oxenford 
lacob  Mcintosh 
W.  W.  Hollister 
Frank   Swinehart 
Silas  H.  Thomas 
Elvira  Bogue  Thomas 


Cassopolis 

Penn 

Cassopolis 

Cassopolis 

rt  Cassopolis 

Cassopolis 

Grand  Rapids 

Porter 

Jefferson 

Calvin 

Penn 

Newberg 

Newberg 

Dowagiac 

Milton 

Milton 

Howard 

r  Dowagiac 

Three  Rivers 

Milton 

Edwardsburg 

Edwardsburg 

Edwardsburg 

Edwardsburg 

Edwardsburg 

Edwardsl)urg 

Edwardsburg 

Edwardsburg 

Edwardsburg 

Edwardsburg 

Edwardsburg 

Edwardsburg 

Edwardsburg 

Edwardsburg 

Edwardsburg 

Edwardsburg 

Edwardsburg 


Detroit 

Mendora, 

Vandalia 

Yandalia 

Yandalia 

Yandalia 

Yandalia 

Yandalia 

Penn 

Yandalia 

A^andalia 

Penn 

Penn 


Ills. 


Penn 

1875 

Cassopolis 

1849 

Penn 

1847 

Ohio 

1854 

Ohio 

1854 

Vermont 

1864 

Cassopolis 

i8^8 

Cassopolis 

1839 

Elkhart,  Ind. 

1877 

New  York 

1843 

Ohio 

1862 

New  York 

1876 

Pennsylvania 

1876 

Pennsylvania 

1836 

Milton 

1859 

Milton 

1847 

England 

1852 

New  York 

1856 

New  York 

1836 

Delaware 

1836 

Ohio 

1856 

Indiana 

i8s6 

Ontwa 

1842 

Pennsylvania 

1861 

Pennsylvania 

1863 

Pennsylvania 

1863 

Milton 

1847 

Ontwa 

1857 

Pennsylvania 

1877 

Howard 

1866 

St.  Jos.  Co.,  Ind. 

1847 

Jefferson 

1862 

Ontwa 

1865 

Yan  Buren  Co. 

1857 

Kansas 

1863 

Ontwa 

1837 

Milton 

1836 

Cassopolis 

1830 

Cassopolis 

1837 

Newberg 

1861 

Cass  Co. 

1838 

Cass  'Co. 

1843 

Calvin 

1836 

Penn 

1867 

Penn 

1870 

Penn 

1840 

Penn 

1855 

Indiana 

1872 

Indiana 

1842 

Penn 

1836 

370 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


NAMES  ADDED  IN    I904. 


Emily  A.  Smith  Owen 
Tames  H.  Beauchamp 
Samuel  B.  Had  den 
Davis  A¥.  liall 
Edwin  G.  Loux 
Mary  E.   Shanafelt-Wol 
Josephine    Shanafelt-Me 
Adelbert  Kram 
Bishop  E.  Curtis 
John  Hildebridle 
Sarah  Lutz  Hildebridle 


Herbert  Solomon 
Vincent  Reames 
Eliza  Grubb  Harmon 
Tohn  C.  Harmon 
Fred  B.  Wells 
Hannah  Crane  Dibble 


C.  H.  Kimmerle 
Gorden  G.  Huntley 
C  E.  Lyle 

Alarquis  D.  Witherell 
Elmer  W.  Griffis 
Jerman  S.  Draper 
Henry  Springsteen 


Calvin 

Calviri 

1840 

Milton 

Edward  si  )urg 

1847 

Ontwa 

New   Vork 

1867 

^/oiinia 

Ohio 

1835 

X'andalia 

Jefferson 

1842 

cott  La  Grange 

La  Grange 

i8so 

rwin  La  Grange 

La  Grange 

1857 

Edwardsburg 

Edwards])urg 

1855 

Calvin 

Indiana 

i8s8 

Pam 

Pennsylvania 

i86s 

Pcun 

Pennsylvania 

1865 

NAMES   ADDED 

IN 

1905. 

Jones 

La  Porte  Co.,  Lid. 

i8so 

Penn 

Jefferson 

T832 

Cassopolis 

Brownsville 

T837 

Casso])olis 

Porter 

1847 

La  Grange 

Wayne 

1861 

Thiward 

New  York 

iBS4 

NAMES  ADDED 

IN 

1906. 

Cassopolis 

LaGrange 

1859 

Howard 

Howard 

1850 

Dowagiac 

Dowagiac 

i8SS 

Volinia 

Volinia 

1845 

Volinia 

Wayne 

1861 

Volinia 

New  York 

Wavne 

New  York 

1837 

HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  ;^»7i 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 
RELKilON    AND    THE   CHURCIH^S. 

In  tlie  preceding  cliapters  we  haxe  clescri])C(l  many  phcises  of  Cass 
county's  history,  and  ]ia\'e  endea\'ore(l  so  far  a.s  possililc  to  oi\-e  a 
comprehensi\'e  account  of  its  institutions  and  its  ])coplc  ivrm  tlie  first 
settlement  to  tlie  present  date,  l^^n*  tlie  last  we  ha\e  reserx'cd  an  ac- 
cotmt  of  religious  influences  and  church  organizations  and  ])ersona]ities. 
It  concludes  the  historical  narrative  with  a  certain  ha])py  ])r()priety. 
hY)r  religion  has  well  ))een  called  the  capstone  of  the  arch  of  life,  liind- 
ing  together  and  giving  stahilit\'  to  the  other  ])arts — the  culmination 
of  the  hopes  and  experiences  of  the  human  race. 

Though  last  to  1)e  descrihed,  religion  was  .hy  no  means  last  among 
the  stages  of  development  in  the  civilized  life  of  Cass  county.  The 
jMoneers  did  not  leave  their  religion  hehind  when  they  settled  here,  hut 
brought  it  with  them.  In  the  first  settlements  that  were  formed  there 
were  probably  not  a  sufficient  number  of  any  one  sect  to  form  a  church 
by  themselves,  and  so  they  worshi])ed  together.  The  points  of  doctrine 
or  practice  which  divided  them  were  h.eld  in  abeyance,  persons  of  each 
sect  yielded  a  little  for  the  good  of  the  whole,  and  in  a  spirit  of  union 
and  Christian  toleration  they  came  together  and  each  one  tried  to 
derive  all  the  good  he  could  from  the  meetings,  exercises  and  discourses. 
For  a  time  there  were  no  church  biuldings,  but  schoolhouses  were  soon 
erected,  or  private  houses  ser\'ed  for  the  purpose,  and  there  in  the 
winter,  or  in  tbe  open  air  in  summer,  the  people  assembled.  The  pioneer 
religious  meeting  was  spontaneous,  necessarily  had  little  formalism, 
and  the  first  meetings,  unrecorded  in  history,  were  of  the  kind  told 
about  in  the  Bible,  wdiere  ''two  or  three  met  together"  to  give  expression 
to  the  rich  and  sincere  feeling  within  them.  This  kind  of  w^orship  w^as 
largely  individual,  w^as  inherent  in  the  nature  of  the  pioneer  man  and 
woman  wherever  he  w^as,  and  w^as  not  necessarily  dependent  on  the 
organized  religion  known  as  the  church. 

CATHOLIC      CHURCHES. 

Of  the  first  representatives  of  organized  religion  in  this  county 
there  is,  unfortunately,  no  definite  record.  As  we  have  made  clear  in 
an  earlier  chapter,  the  first  Christian  influence  to  penetrate  the  wilder- 


372  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

ness  of  southern  Michigan  was  that  emanating  from  the  devoted  priests 
who,  of  their  own  initiative,  or  close  in  the  train  of  those  who  conquered 
the  land  for  the  King  of  France,  sought  to  win  to  their  religion  the 
souls  of  the  heathen  red  men.  The  names  of  the  early  fathers  who 
may  have  passed  over  this  region  are  not  accessible,  and  the  only  monu- 
ment they  have  left  is  the  zeal  and  self-sacrifice  with  which  they  under- 
took their  cause.  From  the  letters  of  the  Jesuit  Father,  Joseph  Marest, 
w^e  get  some  of  the  earliest  descriptions  of  the  St.  Joseph  country  and 
its  Indian  inhabitants.  It  is  known  that  the  Jesuits  had  a  mission  on 
the  banks  of  the  St.  Joseph  at  the  present  site  of  Niles,  established  in 
the  early  years  of  the  eighteenth  century.  But  this  disappeared  years 
before  the  permanent  settlement  of  this  region. 

The  work  of  the  P>ench  Catholic  missionaries  left  a  permanent 
record  for  the  historical  times  of  Cass  county.  When  McCoy  and  his 
associates  founded  the  Carey  Mission  they  found  that  many  of  the 
Pottawottomies  still  clung  to  the  Catholic  ritual  and  mode  of  worship. 
A  knowledge  of  some  of  the  religious  holidays,  such  as  Christmas,  was 
found  among  them.  After  the  removal  of  the  Indians  from  this  coun- 
try, Pokagon  and  his  band  of  Roman  Catholics  located,  as  we  know, 
in  Silver  Creek,  and  there  formed  the  first  organized  Catholic  com- 
munity in  the  county.  Forty  acres  of  the  lands  purchased  by  them  was 
deeded  to  the  church,  and  on  this  tract,  in  1838,  was  built  the  first 
church  in  the  township.  Pokagon,  it  is  related,  met  with  some  difli- 
culties  in  the  construction  of  tliis  edifice.  His  white  neighbors  were 
rather  opposed  to  the  rehgion  espoused  by  the  Indians.  The  Indians 
were  unequal  to  the  task  of  raising  and  joining  the  building  which 
they  had  planned,  and  without  the  assistance  of  the  white  man's  skill 
they  could  not  have  proceeded  with  the  construction.  John  G.  A. 
Barney,  the  well  known  pioneer  of  the  township,  was  appealed  to,  and 
at  once  promised  his  assistance.  When  the  timbers  were  in  readiness 
he  and  his  three  hired  men  quickly  raised  and  framed  the  building. 
The  church,  of  hewn  logs,  was  twenty  by  thirty  feet,  standing  on  the 
north  shore  of  Long  lake.  It  was  destitute  of  any  floor  but  the  earth, 
and  the  seats  were  roughly  cut  benches.  But  services  were  held  here 
by  various  priests  for  five  or  six  years. 

This  was  the  beginning  of  the  Church  of  the  Sacred  Fleart  of 
Mary,  which  might  well  be  considered  the  visible  monument  to  the 
work  begun  by  the  Jesuit  priests  almost  two  centuries  before. 

In  1844  the  first  regular  priest  was  assigned  to  this  congregation. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  373 

About  the  same  time  a  school  was  estabhshed  and  conducted  by  Father 
Marivault,  and  later  by  the  Catholic  sisters.  This  school  was  supported 
from  the  go\xrnment  annuities  of  the  Indians. 

Aljout  1847,  wlien  Father  Baroux  was  stationed  here,  the  church 
w^as  remodeled  and  was  supplied  with  pews.  This  church,  established 
b\'  the  Indians,  was  the  nucleus  of  the  Cathohc  settlement  in  this  county. 
One  of  the  first  white  settlers  to  Ijecome  a  communicant  of  this  church 
was  Dennis  Daly  and  liis  brothers,  Patrick  and  Cornelius.  When  Mr. 
])aly  soon  afterward  attended  the  services  he  and  one  other  person 
were  the  only  white  worshippers,  all  the  rest  being  Indians.  This  was 
the  beginning  of  white  influence  in  the  cliurch,  and  with  the  sul)sequent 
removal  of  mau}^  of  the  Indians  and  other  causes  of  decline,  the  Church 
of  the  Sacred  Heart  came  in  time  to  be  the  place  of  worship  of  while 
Roman  Catholics  almost  entirely. 

In  1858  a  new  church  edifice  was  erected,  Augustine  J.  Topash 
being  foremost  in  the  work  which  Ijrought  about  its  construction.  Ex- 
tensive additions  were  made  to  this  1)uilding,  and  in  Septem1}er,  1861, 
the  building  w^as  completed  practically  as  it  stands  today.  The  church 
organization  1)ecame  almost  inacti\'e  for  some  }ears,  and  when  Father  C. 
J.  Roeper  began  his  pastorate  in  1875,  ^^  ^^'^^  necessary  to  undertake 
many  repairs  and  restorations. 

The  church  mem1)ershii)  has  remained  about  the  same  through 
various  periods,  it  being  now  al^out  fifty  families. 

The  Dowagiac  Catholic  church  began  its  organized  activity  about 
1858,  although  the  first  house  of  worship  was  not  erected  until  1872. 
This,  the  first  edifice  of  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Maternity,  was  dedi- 
cated August  30,  1876.  The  same  priest  has  always  served  1x)th  the 
Silver  Creek  and  Dowagiac  churches,  the  present  pastor  being*  Rev. 
John  G.  Wall.  In  1892  the  present  beautiful  brick  church,  on  North 
Front  street,  was  erected.  The  first  church  had  been  located  at  the 
upper  end  of  Orchard  street,  and  for  some  time  was  the  smallest  church 
in  the  city.  To  Rev.  Joseph  Joos,  who  assumed  the  pastorate  in  1891, 
was  due  much  of  the  credit  for  constructing  the  new  church,  at  a  cost 
of  $15,000,  and  bringing*  the  membership  from  fifty  to  about  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty   families. 

METIIODISl'     EPISCOPAL      ORGANIZATIONS. 

The  Methodists  have  always  been  pioneers  of  evangelism.  Through- 
out the  middle  west  their  circuit  riders  and  missionaries-  have  appeared 


374  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

usually  first,  and  always  among  the  first  to  develop  the  religions  side 
of  the  scattered  communities. ~ 

Of  the  heginnings  of  Methodism  in  Cass  county  a  contributor  to 
the  collections  of  the  Michigan  Pioneer  Society  has  this  to  say: 

Rev,  hlrastus  Felton,  who  was  appointed  September  29,  1829,  by 
the  Ohio  conference  to  the  St.  Jcjsejih  Mission,  laliored  in  Cass,  Berrien 
and  St.  J(\'^eph  counties,  and  in  the  following  year  returned  to  the  same 
field  with  Leonard  B.  Curley  as  assistant.  Classes  were  ]>rol)aldy 
formed  this  Aear  on  the  south  side  of  Beardslcy's  ])rairie  and  on  Young's 
])rairie  (  |\^nn  t(nvnship).  }?i  1831  r chiton  av as  appointed  to  the  Kala- 
n.iazoo  mission,  and  Rev.  T.  ].  Robe  to  the  Wayne  circuit,  the  latter 
being  ]M-omincnt  among  th.e  Methodist  workers  in  this  section.  Tra\^el- 
ing  from  Kalamazoo  ''on  horseliack  and  with  die  traditional  saddle- 
bags," ]\ev.  Robe  established  ])reaching  at  Little  Prairie  Ronde  (Vo- 
linia),  ^^)ung's  ])rairie,  Dinn^rind  jnle,  Cassf)]')o1is,  T.aCr''nf.';<^  aiin 
Pokagon  and  BeardslcA's  j^rniriry,  'Hkmc  were  twent\--iive  rn:>^-ious  m 
all,  arranged  so  lie  could   rer'cl^   c'-cli  (Mice  in  four  weeks. 

Octojjer  IJ,  1834.  at  the  c  )uference  in  AVayne  crnmty,  L^^li-nri, 
the  St.  [ose]}h  circuit  wa^  rein-e-^eu^ed  !:)  S.  R.  Rol)inson  and  the  Cass  - 
polis  circuit  by  R.  (\  A<eek.  In  t!ie  s;nnc  xepv  Rev.  Rolie  formed  a  cla^s 
in  Silver  Creek,  Nntlianiel  A\>(:d  ])e!ng  the  class  leader.  .At  ihe  organi- 
zation of  the  Pokngon  Prairie  chmcli,  in  1832,  Edward  l\)wers  was 
ap])ointed  class  leader,  ,'iud  tlie  first  meetings  were  lield  in  Powers' 
log  house  on  ]\ikagon  creek. 

^I^he  Michigan  conference  Avns  organized  in  1836,  Init  it  was  not 
until  1840  that  the  southwe-t  j^'-rt  o-f  the  state  was  attached  to  its  juris- 
diction. At  the  first  conference  in  Marshall  the  Kdwardsburg  charge 
was  represented  by  Revs.  J.   B\ron  and  D.  Knox. 

From  this  description  of  the  general  status  of  Methodism  in  the. 
county,  w^e  may  proceed  to  mention  tlie  individual  organizations.  Fd- 
wardsburg  evidently  had  the  first,  or  certainly  one  of  the  first,  classes. 
But  the  legal  organization  was  not  efl'ected  liy  election  of  trustees  until 
February  13,  1837,  when  the  corporate  name  was  ado])ted  and  tlie 
following  memliers  elected  as  trustees:  Pliram  Rogers,  Clifford  Shau'i- 
han,  Henry  A.  Chapin,  Leonard  Hain,  Asa  J\T.  Smith.  The  Edw-nals- 
burg  church  has  had  two  brick  Iniildings  during  its  history.  The 
Methodists  and  Presbyterians  in  Fdw^ardsburg  are  now  aliout  on  a  par 
in  point  of  strength  and  membership. 

At  Cassopolis  the  Methodists  w^ere  early  active,  as  noticed  in  the 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  375 

preceding  paragraphs.  But  for  a  numher  of  years  the  circuit  riders 
held  their  meetings  in  the  courthouse  and  schoolhouses,  and  it  was  not 
until  1855  that  Joshua  Loflland  and  William  Shanafelt  gave  to  the 
denomination  a  house  erected  on  Rowland  street  in  1(846  hy  Jacoh  Silver 
and  Joshua  T.ofland  as  a  church  edifice  open  to  all  denominations.  This 
hm'lding  now  forms  the  front  ])art  of  F.  M.  Fisk's  drug  stc^re.  On  the 
lot,  on  Rowland  street,  from  which  the  old  huilding  had  been  remove  1. 
the  society  built  in  1874  the  present  Methodist  church  and  parsonage, 
at  a  cost  of  about  v$8,ooo.  The  building  committee  were  \Y.  W.  Peck, 
William  L-  Jakways,  D.  B.  Smith  and  John  Boyd.  Rev.  F.  A.  Baldwin 
is  the  present  pnstor  of  the  societv,  and  the  trustees  are  John  Atkinson. 
Wm.  B.  Havden,  \\'m.  H.  Coulter,  F.  Jav  Brown,  Willinm  Berke^^ 
Horace  Col'l\  John  Hilton.  FTnrvey  Noccker.  There  are  pliout  130 
names  on  the  church  roll. 

The  Methodists  were  active  in  the  vicinitv  of  Do\vai:>:iac  before 
anv  village  hnd  been  platted.  The  ''Cataract  House"  wns  the  ubiro 
of  earlv  mceti^^p.s  under  the  direction  of  the  circuit  rider.  R.  C.  !\[ecb, 
already-  menli(^ne!].  A'^arious  lav  prenchers  directed  the  work  here  f'>^" 
some  vears.  In  1840  the  church  was  organized,  and  Avas  known  as  tlie 
Wnvne  circuit  until  t^^2,  ^vben  the  name  Downgiac  first  autocars  on 
Methodist  minntos,  Tb^^  t^'ustccs  appointed  in  that  ^^e^v  were  StraAvtbor 
Bowlin<^".  .\'!n  11  TTcn\V'^o/k  Rol^ert  A\^atsou,  Sanniel  Bell,  Bcni^uTin  Bob, 
John  TJuff.  F1i  Bench.  sbo^\ing  v:ho  were  some  of  the  earlv  leaders  in 
Methodism  in  DnAyao-inc.  The  cbtu'ch  buibb'n^,  in  which  the  ATetbo- 
dists  have  worshiped  for  nenrlv  half  a  cen.tnrA-.  wn'^  ere^ied  in  I'^^^X) 
while  Rev.  F.  H.  Dav  wns  nnstor. 

The  earb'  c^^tablisbiuent  <~)f  n  ^Tetbodist-  dnss  on  rolN'a<?'on  nrnirie 
has  been  described.  The  "Metliodist  cIuutIi  nt  vSumnerville  originated 
m  a  verv  successful  revival  meeting  held  on  the  prairie  in  t8io.  The 
meetings  were  held  in  a  schoolhouse  for  mor^  than  ten  years,  and  in 
1854  the  first  building  was  completed. 

La  Crange  was  also  a  field  of  Inlior  for  the  earlv  Methodists.  The 
church  at  Fa  Crange  village  was  organized  November  to,  1858,  at  the 
house  of  Charles  Van  Riper,  who  was  one  of  the  first  trustees,  the 
others  being  John  A.  Van  Riper,  V^asbburn  Benedict,  Abram  Van 
Riper,  Jacob  Zimmerman,  John  S.  Secor,  Joshua  Lofland,  Joseph  W. 
Sturr.  The  house  of  worship  was  erected  soon  afterward.  The  church. 
like  the  village,  has  been  on  the  decline  for  many  years,  and  its  mem- 
bership is  reduced  to  twenty-seven.     Rev.  F.  A.  Baldwin,  of  Cassopob's, 


376  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

has  charge  of  the  society,  and  preaches  for  them  each  Sunday  aftei- 
noon.  The  present  trustees  are :  Tnnothy  B.  Benedict,  James  VV. 
Springstein,  James  Curtis,  Mrs.  Ida  Benedict,  Mrs.  Samantha  Curtis, 
Fred  B.  Wells,  Clarence  F.  Wells. 

The  Methodist  meeting  held  on  Young's  prairie  in  Penn  township 
by  Rev.  Felton  in  1831,  had  a  regular  house  of  worship,  but  for  many 
years  in  the  interim  the  meetings  were  held  at  private  homes  or  school - 
houses.  The  first  legal  organization  of  the  church  took  place  June  17, 
1858,  its  trustees  being  M.  P.  Grennell,  David  J.  Whitney,  Harrison 
Launburg,  Joseph  Jones  and  William  Russey.  The  church  was  re- 
organized in  1876,  and  in  1877  the  church  edifice  at  Vandalia  village 
was  erected.  The  trustees  at  the  time  were  John  Lutes,  A.  Bristol, 
William  F.  Bort,  Isaac  Reifi^,  L.  Osborn. 

The  North  Porter  Methodist  Episcopal  church  was  organized  in 
1846,  with  fourteen  members,  Hugh  Ferguson,  G.  W.  Black  and  Nathan 
Skinner  being  the  first  trustees.  Services  were  held  in  a,  schoolhouse 
until  1858,  when  a  church  was  erected  on  section  12. 

The  Methodist  church  building  at  Union  village,  now  used  prin- 
cipally by  the  Free  Baptists,  was  erected  in  its  first  form  in  1858. 
Owing  to  a  revival  of  that  year  the  Methodists  of  this  vicinity  were  very 
strong  and  built  the  church  without  outside  assistance.  In  1877  the 
church  was  rebuilt  at  a  cost  of  $1,300. 

Coulter's  Chapel,  the  Methodist  organization  in  Howard,  was 
erected  in  1858  at  a  cost  of  $1,300,  being  located  on  section  13.  The 
charter  members  were  James  and  Ann  Coulter,  who  gave  the  site  and 
liberally  toward  the  buikhng;  Dennis  and  Cynthia  A.  Parmelee,  Eliza 
Smith  and  Elizabeth  Young. 

Rev.  Felton,  above  mentioned,  held  religious  meetings  in  Milton 
township  in  1830,  and  the  first  society  of  this  denomination  was  insti- 
tuted in  1832.  Concerning  the  organization  of  the  first  society  the 
follow'ing  miscellaneous  record  dated  July  i,  1839,  tells:  'Tn  accordance 
to  previous  notice  given  according  to  statute  providing  for  organization 
of  religious  societies,  a  meeting  of  members  and  hearers  of  the  M.  E. 
church  convened  at  the  schoolhouse  near  Cannon  Smith's  in  the  town- 
ship of  Milton  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  a  society  by  name  and 
title  the  First  Society  of  the  M.  E.  Church  in  the  Township  of  Milton." 
The  three  trustees  elected  were  James  Lowery,  Thomas  Powell  and 
Nathaniel  O.  Bowman.  A  church  edifice  was  erected  on  land  donated 
by  Cannon  Smith  in  section   14,   and  has  been  called  Smith's  Chapel 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  377 

because  of  the  liberality  of  Mr.  Smith.  The  church  was  repaired  in 
1856  and  1877,  and  was  rebuilt  in  1879. 

The  town  hall  in  Milton  was  originally  built  by  a  Protestant  Metho- 
dist society. 

The  Silver  Creek  M.  E.  church  dates  back  to  1843,  when  Leroy 
L.  Curtis,  Erastus  Stark  and  Delanson  Curtis  and  wives  formed  the  first 
society,  the  first  named  being  leader  of  the  class  which  was  held  at  his 
home.  The  schoolhouse  at  Indian  lake  also  was  the  meeting  place  for 
some  years. 

In  Calvin  township  are  two  M.  E.  churches  supported  by  the  col- 
ored people,  the  Bethel  A.  M.  E.  church  being  located  at  Calvin  Center, 
and  Mount  Zion  in  section  23.  Mount  Zion  is  the  oldest  and  the  parent 
African  Methodist  Church  in  the  county,  having  been  organized  in 
1849  '^y  Matthew  T.  Newson.  Meetings  were  first  held  in  private 
houses,  then  in  a  log  church  on  the  present  site,  and  then  a  neat  frame 
building.  The  first  trustees  were  Richard  Woods,  Benjamin  Hawley, 
L.  Archer,  Lawson  Howell,  William  Scott,  Joseph  Allen. 

The  Bethel  church  congregation,  which  is  an  offshoot  from  that  at 
Mount  Zion,  was  organized  in  1856,  and  their  church  at  Calvin  Center 
was  erected  in  1870'  at  a  cost  of  $800: 

The  Volinia  Chapel  M.  E.  Church,  colored,  was  another  branch  of 
the  Mount  Zion  church,  and  their  church  on  section  36,  of  Volinia,  was 
built  in  1872.  The  first  trustees  w^ere  R.  Jeffers,  William  Walden  and 
Henry  Lucas. 

Quinn  Chapel,  another  Methodist  Episcopal  church  composed  of 
colored  people,  is  located  at  Cassopolis  on  the  east  side  of  O'Keefe  street 
west,  near  the  Air  Line  depot.  The  society  was  organized  in  1898  by 
Rev.  J.  I.  Hill,  its  first  pastor,  with  J.  R.  Stewart,  William  T.  Harper 
as  trustees.  The  society's  church  edifice  cost  $1,000.  It  now  has  a 
membership  of  nineteen,  and  a  Sunday  school  with  an  average  attend- 
ance of  twenty-five.  Its  present  pastor  is  Rev.  J.  H.  Alexander,  and  the 
trusteeship  has  been  reduced  to  two  acting  members,  J.  R.  Stewart  and 
Abram  Drenshaw. 

The  first  Methodist  service  held  in  Marcellus  township  was  con- 
ducted at  the  house  of  Joseph  Bair  in  1838,  and  the  first  class  was 
organized  in  1842,  and  a  second  the  next  year.  These  soon  became  in- 
active, and  no  class  was  organized  until  1862,  when  services  began 
at  Ely's  schoolhouse.     The  brick  church  in  Marcellus  village  was  built 


378  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

in  1874,  largely  through  the  work  of  Rev.  John  Byrnes,  the  energetic 
pastor. 

The  Methodist  church  at  Jones  originated  at  a  meeting  of  the 
Methodists  in  the  Baptist  church  at  Poe's  Corners,  or  the  town  center, 
in  1872.  The  meetings  were  held  in  the  Baptist  church  there,  later  at 
David  Fairfield's  store  in  Jones,  and  later  in  the  public  hall  at  Jones. 

The  charter  members  of  this  society  were :  David  Fairfield,  Louisa 
Fairfield,  xM.  E.  Tharp,  Phoebe  Dyer,  Iilizabeth  Pound,  Sarah  Rumsey, 
J.  E.  Van  Buren,  b-sther  Brooks,  Elsey  Bows,  Mrs.  Alexander,  Jacob 
Rumsey,  .\ndrew  Correll,  S.  1/odd,  Margaret  Todd,  Catherine  Cook. 

There  are  also  ]\letho(hst  societies  at  Corey  and  at  Wakelee. 

BAPTIST     CHURCHES. 

On  the  autliority  of  the  Rev.  Supply  Chase,  theve  w:is  in  1836  a 
Baptist  association  known  as  Lalirange  in  the  south  west  p>art  of  the 
state,  which  had  been  organized  al)0ut  1834-35,  ^rowing  (  rit  of  tb.e 
immigration  to  that  part  of  the  state.  No  douljt  reftrerce  is  made 
tO'  the  church  at  AMiitmanville,  to  which  the  founder  of  iJiC  Aillage 
liad  donated  a  lot  wlicn  he  jdnttcfl  tlie  village.  .\  church  wp/-  I  iiiii  on 
this  lot.  but  both  the  Ijuilding  and  the  organization  crumbled  ;!\\ay  in 
time. 

At  Fdwaulsburg  the  J::>a])t!st  churcli  niust  luu'e  been  orgainzcd  a< 
soo>n  as,  and  perbajjs  ])eft)re,  that  of  LaGrange.  3.ir.  J.  C.  Obmsted  is 
authority  for  the  statement  that  the  churcli  was  organized  at  the  house 
of  Dr.  Dunning  on  the  prairie  aljout  1835.  This  is  affirmed  l}y  the 
legal  record,  w  hich  is  as  follows :  ''At  a  public  meeting  of  the  male 
n]embers  of  the  IMeasant  Lake  Briptist  Church  and  Society,  held  at 
lulwardsburg,  ]\Iay  14,  ^Si,^.  '"  '''  '"  Lsaac  Dunning  and  M}'ron 
Strong  were  chosen  presiding  officers,  and  H.  B.  Dunning*,  clerk. 
Myron  Strong,  Luther  Chapin  and  Barak  Mead  were  chosen  trustees. 
It  was  resolved  that  the  society  be  known  as  the  Pleasant  Lake  Baptist 
Society."  The  Baptists  were  the  most  flourishing  of  all  the  church 
societies  during  the  first  ten  or  fifteen  years  of  Edwardsburg's  history, 
but  for  many  years  there  has  been  little  or  no  activity  among  them. 
They  have  a  frame  house  of  worship,  but  no  regular  services. 

The  Dowagiac  Baptist  church  w^as  organized  in  185 1,  the  first 
trustees  being  L  S.  Becraft,  D.  M.  Lleazlett,  Archibald  Jewell,  A.  FL 
Reed,  E.  Ballenge,  Jacob  Allen,  S.  E.  Dow,  Isaac  Cross,  H.  B.  Miller. 

The  present  building  was  erected  in  1852.     Present  membership  is 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  379 

132.  Pastors  since  1880:  E.  R.  Clark,  N.  R.  Sanborn,  H.  A.  Rose, 
G.  M.  Hudson,  H.  F.  Masales,  Ross  Matthews,  A.  M.  Bailey  and  M. 
F.  Sanborn,  present  pastor.  In  1900  a  $1,600  parsonage  was  erected 
on  the  church  property.  In  1905  the.  church  building  was  remodeled 
and  enlarged  at  an  expense  of  $2,000.  At  present  there  is  no  indebt- 
edness and  the  work  seems  to  be  advancing. 

The  Baptist  church  at  Cassopolis  was  organized  March  8,  1862, 
with  the  following  charter  members :  Elder  Jacob  Price,  Sarah  B. 
Price,  Sarah  B.  l^rice,  Jr.,  Ellen  Price,  Mary  Price,  Carrie  Ih'ice,  P. 
A.  Lee,  Barak  ]\iead,  Harriet  K.  3.iead,  Elizal^eth  A.  Maginnis,  Iv(j])ert 
H.  Tripp,  Jemima  Smith.  The  present  building,  which  was  the  first 
owned  by  the  society,  was  not  built  until  1868,  the  dedication  taking 
place  March  16,  1869.  It  was  built  at  a  cost  of  about  five  thousand 
dollars.  The  membership  is  now  about  eighty-five  and  the  present 
trustees  are  Frank  M.  Fisk,  Chas.  O.  Flarmon,  William  PL  Berkey  and 
Rev.  R.  L.  Bobbitt,  pastor. 

\'olinia  Baptist  church,  at  the  northwest  corner  of  section  28,  was 
erected  about  U\enly  years  ago,  but  the  society  had  existed  in  that 
townshi])  siiicc  i'^^}\  liaving  l.iecn  loniicd  as  a  l.iranch  of  the  Dowagiac 
church.  James  Churchill,  Levi  Churchill,  Isaac  Cross  and  Josiah  Bond 
and  their  f:uiuiies  were  tliQ  constituent  members  uf  the  society,  but  in 
a  short  time  the  membership  had  increased  so  that  they  were  formed 
into  :i!i  indcjjendeiit  body. 

Rev-.  Jacol;  j'rice,  wlio  or^iwA-AQd  ihe  Ba])tist  cluucli  at  Cr.S:-.  ihmis, 
also  organized  the  Baldwin  Prairie  l^aptist  church  at  Union,  in  Fel]- 
ruary,  1857,  with  six  charter  members.  The  church  edifice  was  built 
in  the  early  seventies,  at  a  cost  of  $5,500,  and  a  parsonage  was  erected 
later. 

The  Baptist  church  of  North  I\)rter  was  organized  in  August, 
1837,  so  that  it  is  one  of  the  oldest  Baptist  societies  in  the  county.  They 
erected  a  brick  church  in  1857.  The  charter  members  of  the  society 
were:  Alanson  McHuron  and  wife,  Henry  Marsh  and  wife,  Mila 
Sherrill,  Almira  (ulbert,  Catherine  Hebron,  James  Hadow  and  wife, 
Rebecca  Davison,  Orson  Virgil,  Ozial  Storey,  Mr.  Godfrey  and  Mr. 
Hubbard. 

The  Free  Baptist  society  of  Porter  township  worship  in  the  Meth- 
odist church  building  at  Union.  This  society  was  organized  in  1866 
with  a  membership  of  sixteen. 

A  record  in  the  county  clerk's  office  states  that  the  First  Baptist 


380  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Church  and  Society  of  Jefferson  Township  was  organized  December  7, 
1843,  ^'^^  meeting  being  held  ''at  the  Baptist  Liberty  meeting  house  in 
Jefferson  township."  The  trustees  elected  were  Joseph  Smith,  Pleas- 
ant Norton,  David  T.  Nicholson,  William  Zane,  Isaac  Hull.  This 
organization  was  preliminary  to  the  building  of  the  church  on  section 
12,  in  the  following  year.  The  society  had  been  in  existence,  however, 
for  some  years,  their  worship  having  been  conducted  in  a  log  house, 
which  was  the  ''Liberty  meeting  house''  mentioned.  The  first  officers 
of  the  society  had  been  Andrew  Grubb,  deacon;  Adam  Miller,  mod- 
erator; Isaac  Hulse,  clerk  and  treasurer. 

The  First  Regular  Baptist  church  of  Newberg  was  organized  June 
8,  1841,  and  after  worshiping  in  private  houses  and  schoolhouses  the 
society  erected  in  1858  a  church  on  section  28  at  Poe's  Corners. 

The  colored  people  of  Calvin  have  the  Chain  Lake  Baptist  church 
on  section  13.  This  society  was  organized  January  4,  1848,  with  eight 
charter  members,  Harrison  Ash  and  Turner  Byrd  being  the  first  of- 
ficers. A  log  church  was  erected  about  185O',  and  in  i860  a  frame 
edifice,  costing  $1,200. 

The  Free  Baptists  supjXDrt  several  churches  in  the  county.  The 
one  at  Union  has  been  mentioned.  They  also  have  a  building  and  serv- 
ices at  Brownsville.  Their  ministers  were  among  the  first  to  preach 
the  gospel  in  Wayne  township  and  all  along  the  Chicago  road  they 
held  meetings.  A  church  was  constituted  in  Mason  township  in  pio- 
neer times,  and  in  the  fifties  a  house  of  worship  was  erected  in  Adams- 
ville.  This  burned  down  and  in  the  late  sixties  a  church  was  built  on 
section  5.  There  is  also  a  congregation  of  Free  Baptists  in  Pbkagon, 
w^hich  w^as  organized  in  1854  with  the  following  charter  members:  Z. 
Tinkham,  J.  H.  Darling  and  wife,  Melissa  and  Martha  Tinkham,  and 
Miss  Potter.  A  church  costing  $1,500  was  dedicated  in  February, 
1861. 

PRESBYTERIAN      CHURCHES. 

The  beginnings  of  Presbyterianism  in  Cass  county  have  been  well 
and  accurately  narrated  by  J.  C.  Olmsted.  At  the  seventy-fifth  anni- 
versary of  the  Edwardsburg  Presbyterian  church,  which  was  celebrated 
March  6-7,  1906,  he  prepared  aiid  read  a  sketch  of  the  church  which 
abounds  in  historical  data  not  only  with  reference  to  the  founding  of 
this  church  and  the  work  of  its  first  missionaries,  but  concerning  many 
other  features  of  pioneer  life  in  this  county.  The  following  pertinent 
quotations  have  been  excerpted  from  his  article : 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  381 

'The  pioneer  missionary  and  founder  of  the  church  was  Rev.  Lu- 
ther Humphrey.  I  became  acquainted  with  him  in  1836,  when  I  came 
with  my  parents  to  this  place.  He  was  still  carrying  on  missionary 
work  here  and  in  the  vicinity.  Born  in  Connecticut,  a  descendant  of 
Pilgrim  ancestry,  and  a  graduate  of  a  Methodist  Episcopal  college,  he 
was  a  typical  New  England  clergyman,  and  always  said  grace  both 
before  and  after  each  meal.  In  his  sermons  on  sins  of  omission  and 
commission,  the  rewards  of  the  righteous  and  future  punishment  he 
gave  no  uncertain  sound.  He  was  a  great  friend  of  the  Indians  and 
roundly  denounced  the  treatment  they  received  at  the  hands  of  the 
Governor,  saying  that  they  w^ere  constantly  driven  from  their  homes 
further  west.  When  Iowa  opened  for  settlement  I  heard  him  remark 
that  he  hoped  no  white  man,  at  least  no  Christian  white  man,  would 
go  there  to  disturb  them  in  their  rights.  So  radically  opposed  to  liquor 
was  he  that  he  would  not  officiate  at  any  communion  service  unless  sure 
that  the  wine  was  the  pure  juice  of  the  grape.  An  abolitionist  and  an 
anti-slavery  man  of  radical  type,  he  would  use  no  products  of  slave 
labor,  no  cotton  in  his  clothing  and  no  sugar  except  that  made  from 
the  maple  tree,  also  no  molasses  but  that  made  at  home  from  the  green 
stalks  of  corn.  I  often  assisted  him  in  the  making  of  his  molasses, 
helping  to  strip  the  blades  from  the  stalk  and  driving  the  horse  to  turn 
the  mill  that  crushed  them.  His  molasses  partook  too  much  of  corn 
stalk  flavor  to  be  entirely  agreeable.  The  making  of  sugar  from  beets 
or  molasses  from  sorghum  was  then  unknown. 

''The  records  show  that  he  was  commissioned  as  missionary  by 
the  American  Home  Missionary  Society  September  30,  and  was  given 
as  his  field  Southwestern  Michigan,  then  comparatively  a  wilderness. 
He  arrived  at  the  site  of  Edwardsburg  October  2,  and  I  have  heard  him 
describe  it  as  consisting  of  a  few^  log  cabins  built  of  poles  or  small  logs 
standing  among  the  bushes  -and  hazel  brush  that  covered  the  town 
site.  So  well  pleased  wnth  Beardsle\'^'s  prairie  was  he  that  he  decided 
to  make  it  the  center  of  his  missionary  work  here.  He  accordingly 
purchased  a  farm  and  erected  about  the  first  frame  house  on  the  prairie, 
and  the  fine  tree  now  standing  in  front  of  B.  F.  Thompson's  house  was 
planted  by  his  hands.  His  first  sermon  was  preached  two  days  after 
his  arrival  in  the  log  house  of  Jacob  Smith,  and  all  his  first  sermons 
were  preached  in  the  log  cabins  of  the  settlers,  not  even  log  school- 
houses  having  then  been  built. 

"Some  time  later  it  was  desired  to  form  a  church,  and  a  meeting 
was  called  March  4,  1831,  Rev.  Humphrey  and  Rev.  William  Jones 
preaching  the  sermon,  and  a  call  was  then  made  for  all  persons  wishing 
to  organize  a  church  to  come  forward.  Three  came — Sylvester 
Meacham  and  wife  Hannah,  and  Sarah  Humphrey,  wife  of  Rev.  Hum- 
phrey. They  adopted  ^  this  resolution :  That  we  shall  admit  to  our 
communion  as  members  only  such  persons  as  shall  agree  to  abstain 
wholly  from  the  use  of  ardent  spirits  as  articles  of  drink,  manufacture 


382  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

cv  trafhc,  and  that  this  be  the  standing  rule  in  this  church,  should  one 
be  formed/  March  6,,  1831,  these  three  constituted  a  church  of  Christ, 
two  infants  were  baptized  and  the  Lord's  supper  achiiinistered.  The 
records  show  three  more  members  were  received  in  183 1,  four  in  1832, 
three  in  1833,  six  in  1834,  three  in  1835,  ^^^^^  "'^^^  ^^^  1836,  the  year  in 
wdiich  I  came.     In  1843  ^^  revised  hst  show^s  sixty-eight  members. 

''Rev.  Humphrey  did  not  confine  his  work  to  this  church.  When 
I  came  here  in  1836  he  was  engaged  in  missionary  work,  preaching  in 
scattered  settlements  both  in  this  and  Van  Buren  county.  An  Oberhn 
college  student  named  Jeffreys  preached  several  times  during  the  sum- 
mer of  1836.  Rev.  Mr.  Cook  was  stationed  as  supply  in  1836-39.  He 
resided  on  Harris  prairie,  driving  to  this  charge  once  in  two  weeks. 

'Tn  1837  the  first  public  school  building  was  erected,  and  in  the 
fall  of  the  same  year  the  frame  of  the  Baptist  church  was  raised,  but 
\Vas  not  completed  and  occupied  until  1840.  The  Presbyterian  meet- 
ings, from  private  houses,  were  held  first  in  the  schoolhouse  and  after- 
wards in  the  Baptist  church  in  the  afternoons,  the  Baptists  occupying 
it  in  the  morning.  In  the  summer  of  1840  Rev.  Boiighton,  of  Niles, 
preached  twice  a  month,  and  in  1841  and  a  part  of  1842  Rev.  Noah 
Wells,  of  IMishawaka,  preached  once  in^  two  weeks.  In  1842  the  lot 
where  this  church  now  stands  was  purchased  and  the  building  for  church 
purposes  commenced.  It  was  a  plain  chapel  building,  25x30  feet,  and 
was  raised  and  inclosed  that  summer,  but  no  more  was  done  at  that 
time.  In  November,  1842,  Rev.  A.  vS.  Kedzie  was  employed  as  stated 
supply.  He  said  that  the  church  should  have  morning  service  every 
Sunday,  and  as  no  other  place  could  be  found  it  was  held  in  the  school 
building.  This  caused  the  work  on  the  chapel  to  be  resumed.  The 
original  plan  being  thought  too  small,  fourteen  feet  was  added,  also 
the  belfry,  and  all  was  completed  during  Kedzie's  ministry,  he  being 
the  first  to  occupy  the  pulpit.  Rev.  Alfred  Bryant  was  the  pastor  after 
Kedzie,  he  moving  to  the  village  in  1844.  Rev.  L.  C.  Rouse  came  in 
the  fall  of  1847,  ^I'^d  in  1849  ^^^  was  installed  as  pastor  by  the  Presby- 
tery, being*  the  first  minister  to  be  installed. 

''The  old  building  was  long  and  narrow,  with  low  ceiling.  Rev. 
Rouse  urged  the  erection  of  a  new  building,  and  in  1853  ^^  was  decided 
to  rebuild.  In  the  summer  of  1854  the  present  building  was  raised  and 
inclosed,  but  was  not  completed  until  January,  1856.  Rev.  E.  B.  Sher- 
wood was  the  pastor  in  the  fall  of  1855,  ^^<^  dedicated  the  new  church 
February  7,  1856." 

The  Cassopolis  Presbyterian  church  was  organized  March  19,  1842, 
with  ten  charter  members,  of  whom..  Mrs.  Joseph  Harper  was  the  last 
survivor.  Harvey  Bigelow  and  Samuel  F.  Anderson  were  elected  dea- 
cons, and  Rev.  A.  S.  Kedzie  was  the  first  regular  minister,  beginning 
in  November,    184^.     The  building  of  a  house  of  worship  was  com- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  383 

menced  in  1845  ^^'^^^  dedicated  in  November,  1846.  This  building  was 
occupied  until  the  present  handsome  brick  church  on  the  corner  of 
State  and  O'Keefe  streets  was  completed  December  10,  1893,  at  a  cost 
of  about  five  thousand  dollars.  The  church  is  now  free  from  debt. 
There  is  an  active  membership  of  about  70,  with  thirty  or  forty  on  the 
retired  list.  Rev.  E.  C.  Lucas  just  closed  a  two  years'  pastorate  May 
T.  1906.  The  trustees  are  J.  R.  Carr,  D.  L.  French,  L.  H.  Glover, 
W.  L.  Jones,  Frank  Miller,  J.  H.  Eppley,  and  the  ruling  elders  Dr. 
T.  W.  Anderson,  T.  R.  Carr,  James  McNab,  L.  H.  Glover.  A  Sunday- 
school  and  a  Christian  Endeavor  organizations  are  also  maintained. 

CONGREGATIONAL      CHURCHES. 

As  is  well  known,  the  Congregationalists  and  Presbyterians  for 
many  years  met  on  common  ground  and  worshiped  on  the  ''plan  of 
union,"  which  has  influenced  the  relations  of  the  denominations  even 
to  this  time.  The  Edwardsburg  Presbyterian  xhurch  was  formed  on 
this  plan.  The  only  active  Congregational  body  within  the  countv  at 
this  time  is  at  Dowagiac. 

The  movement  to  organize  tlie  Dowagiac  Congregational  church 
was  started  by  a  missionary  from  the  Connecticut  Domestic  Missionary 
Society  in  1849,  ^"^  ^"  ^^e  following  year  the  organization  was  accom- 
plished at  the  house  of  Patrick  Hamilton  on  July  9.  Among  those 
prominent  in  the  church  at  that  early  time  were  H.  C.  Hills,  Harvey 
Bigelow,  L.  R.  Raymond,  I.  S.  Becraft,  Gilman  C.  Jones,  Patrick  Ham- 
ilton, Milton  Hull,  Asa  Dow,  N.  B.  Hollister,  William  K.  Palmer.  The 
first  meetings  were  held  at  private  homes  or  in  the  old  schoolhouse 
which  stood  on  the  site  of  the  present  Methodist  church.  The  society 
erected  its  present  home,  a  frame  building,  in  1856. 

CHURCHES    OF   CHRIST   OR   DISCIPLES. 

The  Church  of  Christ  at  Dowagiac  was  organized  in  1874,  the 
charter  members  being:  James  Finley,  Eunice  Finley,  Jasper  P.  War- 
ner, Urilla  Warner,  Samuel  Ingling,  Jane  D.  Ingling,  Uriah  F.  Ing- 
ling,  Amelia  G.  Suits,  Charles  Smith,  Frances  Smith,  Kate  E.  Brun- 
ner,  Sarah  Wixan,  Thomas  J.  Casterline,  Rachel  M.  Casterline,  Theo- 
dore T.  Winchell,  Louisa  M.  Winchell,  Elias  M.  Ingling,  Rachel  Ing- 
ling, Mary  Stoff,  Lambert  B.  Dewey,  Amy  Dewey,  Eliza  Clark,  Jennie 
Buckley,  Charles  Gardner,  Mary  Miller,  and  Reason  Williams. 

The  presetit  building,  which  is  a  very  substantial  frame  structure 


384  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

with  stone  foundation  and  basement  wall,  was  built  in  1876.  It  is  40 
by  65  feet,  with  basement  room  of  34  by  36.  The  basement  has  been 
recently  remodeled  and  contains  beside  the  main  room  the  furnace  room, 
kitchen  and  dressing  rooms.  With  main  entrance  at  front,  with  a  stair- 
w^ay  leading  from  the  baptistry,  which  is  situated  at  the  rear  of  the  pul- 
pit in  the  main  audience  roomi.  The  ladies'  parlor  is  a  room  over  the 
entrance  to  the  main  auditorium,  16x28  feet,  so  situated  that  it  can  be 
opened  into  the  main  room  in  the  fonn  of  a  gallery.  The  present  mem- 
bership of  the  church  is  250.  The  simple  plea  of  the  disciples  is  No 
Creed  but  the  Christ;  No  Guide  but  the  Bible;  No  Name  but  the  Di- 
vine.    The  present  minister  is  G.  G.  Home. 

Oak  Grove  Christian  church,  located  two  miles  west  of  Cassopolis, 
inherits  the  history  of  the  Oak  Grove  Baptist  church,  which  was  or- 
ganized in  1843  i^inder  the  full  name  oi  ''The  Old  School  Regular  Prim- 
itive Baptist  Church  of  La  Grange  by  the  name  of  Concord."  The  first 
meeting  was  held  at  the  house  of  Yorkely  Griffin,  and  the  Roberson, 
Griffin,  Huff  and  Ball  families  were  represented  by  the  charter  mem- 
bers. The  society  erected  a  building  at  Oak  Grove  about  1848,  and 
was  a  flourishing  church  for  some  years,  but  died  down  in  the  early 
sixties. 

In  July,  1 88 1,  the  property  was  turned  over  tO'  the  Christian 
church. 

The  Silver  Creek  Church  of  Christ  was  organized  in  1861,  and  the 
church  was  built  in  1865.  The  charter  members  were:  J.  F.  Swisher, 
Millie  Swisher,  David  Dewey,  Anna  Dewey,  Betsey  Dewey,  William 
Pray,  Mrs.  William  Pray,  Henry  Moore  and  wife,  Alva  Tuttle  and 
wife,  Andrew  Barnhart  and  wife,  Elias  B.  Godfrey  and  wife,  Avery 
Smith  and  wife,  Henry  Keeler  and  wife,  Horace  Grinnell  and  wife. 

The  first  society  of  the  Church  of  Christ  in  the  county  was  formed 
in  Penn  township  in  the  early  forties  and  for  many  years  held  services 
in  homes  and  schoolhouses.  The  legal  organization  was  effected  March 
15,  1855,  with  Ephraim  Alexander,  John  Hurd,  Stephen  Jones,  John 
Hollister,  Reason  S.  Pemberton,  and  John  Alexander  as  trustees.  In 
the  preceding  year  the  church  edifice  had  been  built  in  Vandalia  and 
the  church  put  on  a  substantial  footing  under  the  direction  of  Rev. 
David  Miller. 

A  society  of  the  Church  of  Christ  was  organized  by  the  people  of 
Glenwood  in  Wayne  township  in  1874,  the  society  being  incorporated 
September  29,   1874.  with  the  following  as  trustees :     Oscar  F.   Hall, 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  385 

Alfred  H.  Turner,  Craigie  Sharp,  Josiah  B.  Laylin,  John  W.  Burns 
and  M.  D.  L.  McKeyes.  The  house  of  worship  was  built  about  the 
same  time. 

A  Church  of  Christ  society  was  first  organized  in  Jefferson  town- 
ship in  November,  1847,  ^he  nine  charter  members  being:  Henry  W. 
Smith,  Sabrina  Smith,  Peter  Smith,  Sarah  A.  Smith,  Edmond  Thatcher, 
Phoebe  Thatcher,  Reuben  B.  Davis,  Susannah  Davis  and  Mary  Cooper. 
Meetings  were  conducted  in  a  schoolhouse  until  185 1,  in  which  year  a 
frame  church  30  to  45  feet  was  erected. 

A  Christian  church  society  was  formed  at  Dailey  about  1878,  the 
meetings  being  held  in  a  schoolhouse  at  first. 

''friends"  societies. 

With  all  pioneers,  after  comfortable  homes  comes  the  wish  for 
schools  and  churches,  and  Cass  county  pioneers  were  no  exception  to 
tliis  rule.  When  we  speak  of  comfortable  homes  memory  takes  us  back 
to  the  neat  hewed  log  house  and  barn  of  the  year  1840,  when  the 
''Friends"  of  Cass  county  began  to  consider  the  time  ripe  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  church  of  their  own  faith.  For  some  time  they  met  and 
worshiped  and  then  by  direction  of  a  Northern  Quarterly  meeting  held 
near  Marion,  Indiana,  Birch  Lake  monthly  meeting  was  established  and 
the  opening  session  held  August  7,  1841. 

Francis  Sheldon  was  appointed  clerk  and  Joel  East,  treasurer. 
Other  officers  were  Stephen  Bogue,  Richmond  Marmon,  Ishmael  Lee, 
Joel  East  and  Josiah  Osborn  and  an  apportionment  was  made  at  this 
time  to  raise  five  dollars  to  defray  the  expenses  of  the  church. 

A  branch  meeting  was  granted  the  few  Friends  who  resided  at 
Door  Prairie,  near  La  Porte,  Ind.,  later  in  the  year  1841,  and  the 
Friends  in  Cass  county  thought  it  no  hardship  to  drive  across  the  country 
to  mingle  with  these  "brethren"  and  give  counsel  in  the  lord's  work. 

In  those  days  it  was  no  uncommon  thing  for  m,embers  O'f  Birch 
Lake  meeting  to  ride  on  horseback  to  Marion,  Ind.,  to  attend  the  Quar- 
terly meeting  at  that  place.  This  was  frequently  done  by  Stephen 
Bogue,  and  sometimes  his  daughter,  Mrs.  James  E.  Bonine,  accompa- 
nied him,  riding  the  entire  distance  in  the  saddle  and  over  corduroy 
roads  much  of  the  way. 

About  this  time  a  few  of  the  members  of  Birch  Lake  meeting  be- 
came so  conscientious  in  regard  to  the  use  of  goods  produced  by  slave 
labor,   that  they  withdrew  and   organized  a   society  known   as  "Anti- 


386  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Slavery"  Friends.  They  would  not  use  cotton  cloths,  sugar  or  any- 
thing they  knew  to  be  made  by  slaves.  There  were  a  number  of  these 
societies  in  different  parts  of  Indiana.  The  meeting  in  Cass  county 
Avas  held  in  a  log  building  in  the  grove  on  the  farm,  of  the  late  James 
E.  Bonine  in  Penn  township,  and  known  as  the  Elk  Park.  The  pastor 
was  the  Rev.  Charles  Osborn,  a  renowned  minister  among  Friends,  and 
hereinbefore  mentioned  in  this  chapter,  and  father  of  the  late  J.  P. 
Osborn  of  Cassopolis.  His  only  surviving  child  is  Mrs.  Ann  East  of 
Buchanan,  Mich. 

In  the  same  log  building  the  Anti-Slavery  Friends  had  a  school 
for  their  children,  James  Osborn,  son  of  Charles,  being  one  of  the  first 
teachers. 

This  little  company  of  devoted  Christians  soon  found  they  could 
not  cope  with  such  a  monster  as  slavery  and  their  self-denial  did  not 
prevent  one  stroke  of  the  lash  or  cure  one  heartache  of  the  black  burden 
bearer,  so  they  returned  to  the  mother  church  after  a  few  years  of  fruit- 
less effort. 

In  1848  an  ''Alternate''  meeting  was  established  at  'Trairie  Grove,'' 
one  mile  south  of  Penn  and  continued  until  a  church  was  built  at  that 
place  about  the  year  1880. 

Having  plenty  of  money  and  more  zeal  with  a  strong  desire  for 
a  better  house  of  worship,  James  E.  Bonine  and  others  began  the  work 
of  building  the  brick  church  at  Vandalia  in  1879. 

James  E.  Bonine,  Stephen  A.  Bogue,  Silas  H.  Thomas,  W.  E. 
Bogue  and  Henry  Coate  were  the  first  trustees  and  the  church  was 
dedicated  the  28th  of  December,  1879.  Robert  W.  Douglas  of  Wil- 
mington, Ohio,  preached  the  dedicatory  sermon  and  Rev.  Henry  Coate 
became  the  first  pastor  and  was  probably  the  first  minister  in  the  Friends 
church  to  receive  a  salary,  it  being  one  of  the  tenets  of  the  church  that 
the  Gospel  should  be  free  to  all.  Now  there  are  many  salaried  ministers 
in  the  society. 

There  were  branch  meetings  established,  one  at  Long  Lake,  near 
Traverse  City;  one  at  Log  Chapel.  These  branch  meetings,  with  Penn 
and  Birch  Lake,  constitute  Vandalia  Quarterly  meeting  and  are  loyal 
subjects  of  Indiana  Yearly  meeting,  the  largest  body  of  ''Friends"  in 
the  world. 

At  Birch  Lake  a  neat  little  house  has  taken  the  place  of  the  prim- 
itive log  of  years  ago,  and  though  not  one  of  the  first  mem,bers  lives  to 
tell  its  history,  a  goodly  number  of  their  descendants  meet  on  the  same- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  387 

spot   to   worship,   living  in  the   same   faith,   upholding  the  same  prin- 
ciples. 

FIRST    UNIVERSALIST   SOCIETY   OF   DOWAGIAC. 

This  society  was  organized  December  i8,  1858.  In  the  following 
year  a  building  was  erected  and  the  regular  departments  of  church  work 
instituted.  The  Universalist  society  is  no  longer  active,  but  its  ranks 
contained  some  of  the  foremost  citizens  of  Dowagiac.  Among  the 
foundries  of  the  society  may  1>e  mentioned  Justus  Gage,  C.  P.  Prindle, 
Mrs.  A.  S.  Prindle,  W.  P.  Bucklin,  Mrs.  Mary  Ann  Bucklin,  Gideon 
S.  Wilbur,  G.  C.  Jones,  Azro  Jones.  At  a  later  period  the  official  list 
comprised  G.  C.  Jones,  Hiram,  Bowling,  C.  T.  Lee,  P.  D.  Beckwith, 
Richard  Heddon  and  Gideon  Gibbs. 

EVANGELICAL   CHURCHES. 

An  Evangelical  church  w^as  organized  in  Marcellus  township 
March  25,  1868,  with  twenty-two  members.  A  church  building  Vvas 
erected  in  Marcellus  village  and  dedicated  December  29,  1872. 

Evangelical  Paradise  church,  situated  on  the  north  side  of  Chicago 
road  in  section  15  of  Mason,  was  built  in  1874.  The  church  was  or- 
ganized in  the  samic  year  by  Jacob  Young,  there  being  twelve  charter 
members. 

UNITED  BRETHREN    CHURCHES. 

In  1853  a  society  of  this  denomination  was  organized  at  the  Bly 
schoolhouse  in  Marcellus  township.  Having  increased  sufficiently,  in 
1876  they  erected  a  church  in  Marcellus  village. 

Rev.  Heniy  Luse  was  the  instrument  in  forming  a  church  of  the 
United  Brethren  among  the  people  of  Mason  township,  seventy-nine 
members  constituting  the  first  church  that  was  formed  in  March,  i86q. 
The  church  edifice  at  Sailor  in  section  14  was  erected  in  1874.  Some 
of  the  prominent  members  of  this  church  in  the  past  were  the  Luse 
family,  Moses  McKissick,  Dr.  H.  E.  Woodbridge,  J.  Worth,  D.  Fisher 
and  others, 

Newberg  township  has  a  United  Brethren  church  at  Bald  Hill. 

GERMAN    LUTHERAN    CHURCH. 

The  German  Lutheran  church  at  Dowagiac  was  built  in  1892.  At 
present  its  membership  is  only  seven.  The  pastor  is  Rev.  F.  Rahn  and 
his  predecessor  was  Rev.  Schoen.  The  secretary  of  the  church  is  Au- 
gust Abendroth. 


388  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

PROTESTANT    EPISCOPAL. 

Dowagiac  maintains  the  only  regular  Episcopal  organization,  al- 
though the  rector  from  that  church  has  served  a  mission  in  Cassopolis 
at  irregular  intervals.  The  congregation  of  St.  Alban's  Episcopal 
church  v^as  organized  in  1897,  and  the  first  resident  clergyman  v^as 
Rev.  H.  P.  Vicborn,  appointed  in  1899.  The  society  was  given  the 
use  of  the  old  Universalist  church  building  for  its  services.  The  first 
officers  of  this  society  were  R.  W.  Sheldon,  v^arden ;  R.  R.  Elliott,  treas- 
urer; W.  G.  Elliott,  derk. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  389 


CHAPTER  XXVn. 
OFFICIAL  LISTS. 

STATE  SENATORS  FROM  CASS  COUNTY.* 

1842-43-44,  George  Redfield;  1848-49,  Alex.  H.  Redfield;  1853, 
Jesse  G.  Beeson;  1855,  James  Sullivan;  1857-58,  Alonzo  Garwood; 
1859,  George  Meacham;  1861-62,  Gilman  C.  Jones;  1863-64,  Emmons 
Buell;  1865,  Levi  Aldrich;  1867,  Charles  W.  Clisbee;  1869-70,  Amos 
Smith;  1871-72,  Uzziel  Putnam,  Jr.;  1875,  Matthew  T.  Garvey;  1879, 
James  M.  Shepard;  1905,  James  G.  Hayden  (resigned  1906). 

STATE   REPRESENTATIVES    FROM    CASS    COUNTY. 

1835-36-37,  Joseph  Smith;  1835-36-38,  James  O'Dell;  1837-38, 
William  Burk;  1839-40,  James  Newton;  1840,  Henry  Coleman;  1841, 
Myron  Strong;  1841,  George  Redfield;  1842-43,  S.  F.  Anderson;  1844, 
James  W.  Griffin;  1845-47,  James  vShaw;  1846-47,  James  L.  Glenn; 
1848-49,  George  B.  Turner;  1848,  Milo  Powell;  1849,  Cyrus  Bacon; 
1850,  Ezekiel  C  Smith;  185 1,  George  Sherwood;  185 1,  William  L. 
Clyburn;  1853,  E.  J.  Bonine;  1850-53,  Pleasant  Norton;  1855,  Frank- 
lin Brownell;  1855,  Uriel  Enos;  1857-58,  B.  W.  Schermerhorn ;  1857- 
58,  Edwin  Sutton;  1859,  George  Newton;  1859,  E.  W.  Reynolds; 
1861-62,  Edward  H.  Jones;  1861-62,  Edward  Shanahan;  1863-64,  H. 
B.  Denman;  1863-64,  Levi  Aldrich;  1865,  Lucius  Keeler;  1865-71-72, 
Alexander  B.  Copley;  1867,  Henry  B.  Wells;  1867,  Leander  D.  Os- 
lx)rn;  1869-70,  Uzziel  Putnam,  Jr.;  1869-70,  James  Ashley;  1871-72, 
John  F.  Coulter;  1873-74,  Alexander  Robertson;  1873-74,  Thomas 
O'Dell;  1875,  John  Struble;  1875,  John  B.  Sweetland;  1877-79,  Sam- 
uel Johnson;  1881-82,  James  H.  Hitchcox;  1883-85-87,  Robinson  J. 
Dickson;  1889-91-92,  Edward  R.  Spencer;  1893,  John  Kirkwood;  1895, 
Lucien  E.  Wood;  1897-98,  Millard  F.  Phillips;  1899-00-01,  James  L. 
Robinson;  1903-05,  Thomas  T.  Higgins. 

The  Cass  county  members  of  the  first  constitutional  convention 
which  assembled  at  Detroit  in  May,  1835,  where  James  Newton,  James 


*NoTE — ^The  dates  designate  the  session  years. 


390  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

O'Dell,  Baldwin  Jenkins.  In  the  first  convention  of  assent,  at  Ann 
Arbor,  September  26,  1836,  were  James  Newton  and  James  O'Dell. 
And  in  the  second  convention  of  assent,  at  Ann  Arbor,  December  14, 
1836,  were  Edwin  N.  Bridge,  Jacob  Silver,  Joseph  Smith  and  Abiel 
wSilver.  The  convention  held  at  Lansing  in  1850,  which  resulted  in  the 
present  fundamental  law  of  Michigan,  was  attended  from  Cass  county 
by  George  Redfield,  Mitchell  Robinson,  James  Sullivan. 

Of  the  more  prominent  state  officials,  Cass  county  has  furnished 
a  state  treasurer — George  Redfield,  1845-46;  an  attorney  general — An- 
drew J.  Smith,  1875-77;  Abiel  Silver  (1846-50),  and  Gen.  George  T. 
Shafer  (1891-92),  commissioners  of  State  Land  Office. 

COUNTY    OFFICIALS. 
JUDGES   OF  THE   NOW   OBSOLETE   COUNTY    COURT. 

1831,  Joseph  S.  Barnard,  chief  justice,  and  William  Burk  and  John 
Agard,  associate  justices;  1834,  William  A.  Fletcher,  chief  justice; 
Abiel  Silver  and  William'  Burk,  associates;  1846  (on  the  re-establish- 
ment of  the  court),  Joseph  N.  Chipman,  first,  and  Mitchell  Robinson^ 
second;  (1849,  Ezekiel  S.  Smith,  vice  Chipman,  resigned)  ;  1850,  Cyrus 
Bacon,  first,  and  Ezekiel  S.  Smith,  second. 

JUDGES   OF   THE   CIRCUIT   COURT. 

1837,  Epaphroditus  Ransom,,  presiding  judge,  and  James  Cava- 
naugh  and  Richard  V.  V.  Crane,  associate  judges;  1839,  Myron 
Strong,  vice  James  Cavanaugh,  resigned;  1841,  Epaphroditus  Ransom, 
presiding  judge,  John  Barney  and  Thomas  T.  Glenn,  associate  judges; 
1845,  E.  Ransom',  chief  justice,  Samuel  F.  Anderson  and  William  H. 
Bacon,  associates.  Beginning  with  1848  only  the  circuit  judges  are 
named:  1848,  Charles  W.  Whipple;  1856,  Nathaniel  Bacon;  1864, 
Perrin  M.  Smith;  1866,  Nathaniel  Bacon;  1870,  Daniel  Blackman; 
1872,  Henry  H.  Coolidge;  1878,  Charles  W.  Clisbee,  appointed  vice 
Judge  Coolidge,  resigned;  1878,  Andrew  J.  Smith  (elected  tO'  fill  va- 
cancy) ;  1882,  A.  J.  Smith;  1888,  Thomas  O'Hara;  1894,  O.  W.  Cool- 
idge; 1899  (on  formation  of  36th  judicial  circuit),  H.  D.  Smith,  ap- 
pointed to  fill  out  the  term;  1900,  John  R.  Carr;  1906,  L.  B.  Des 
Voignes. 

JUDGES  OF  PROBATE. 

183 1,  Elias  B..  Sherman;  1837-40,  Horace  B.  Dunning;  1841-64, 
Clifford  Shannahan;   1864-68,  Matthew  T.  Garvey;   1869-96,  William 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  391 

P.  Bennett;  1896  (appointed  to  vacancy),  L.  B.  Des  Voignes;  1897- 
1906,  Chester  E.  Cone  (appointed  to  vacancy  caused  by  resignation  of 
Des  Voignes). 

CIRCUIT    COURT    COMMISSIONERS. 

1853,  Elias  B.  Sherman;  1855,  Henry  H.  Coohdge;  1857,  James 
M.  Spencer;  1859-60,  Charles  W.  CHsbee;  1861-64,  Uzziel  Putnam, 
Jr;  1867-8,  George  Miller;  1869-70,  Joseph  B.  Clarke;  187 1-2,  John 
R.  Carr  and  N.  B.  Hollister;  1873-4,  Joseph  B.  Clarke  and  George  L. 
Linder;  1875-80,  George  Ketcham  and  Joseph  B.  Clarke;  1881-82, 
George  Ketcham  and  John  F.  Tryon;  1883-84,  John  F.  Tryon,  Percy 
L.  Edwards;  1885-86,  John  F.  Tryon*,  Coy  W.  Hendryx;  1887-90, 
Charles  E.  Sweet,  Randolph  T.  Edwards;  1891-92,  Cassius  M.  Ehy, 
E.  Esli  Harwood;  1893-94,  Cassius  M.  Eby,  Joseph  R.  Edwards;  1895- 
96,  Cassius  M.  Eby,  Joseph  R.  Edwards;  1897-98,  Cassius  M.  Eby, 
Joseph  R.  Edwards;  1899-00,  Joseph  R.  Edwards.  Walter  C.  Jones; 
1901-02,  Chester  E.  Cone,  George  M.  Field;  1903-04,  C.  E.  Cone, 
Joseph  R.  Edwards;  1905,  C.  E.  Cone,  Joseph  R.  Edwards. 

COUNTY    CLERKS. 

1830  (appointed  by  governor),  Joseph  L.  Jacks;  1833,  Martin  C. 
Whitman;  1835-40,  Henly  C.  Lybrook;  1840-41,  H.  B.  Dunning;  1842- 
43,  H.  C.  L3^brook;  1844-49,  George  Sherwood;  1851-52,  William 
Scares;  1853-56,  E.  B.  Warner;  1857-58,  Benj.  F.  Rutter;  1859-62, 
Charles  G.  Lewis;  1863-66,  Ira  Brownell;  1867-78,  Charles  L.  Mor- 
ton; 1879-80-82,  Joseph  R.  Edwards;  1883-86,  Samuel  W.  Breece; 
1887-90,  Barak  L.  Rudd;  1891-92,  Abner  M.  Moon;  1893-96,  Robert 
C.  Sloan;  1897-98,  U.  S.  Eby;  1899-00,  John  B.  Harmon;  1901-02, 
C.  O.  Harmon;  1903-04,  Jesse  M.  Palmer;  1905-,  C.  W.  Rinehart. 

PROSECUTING  ATTORNEYS. 

1831,  Elias  B.  Sherman;  1840-42,  Ezekiel  S.  Smith;  1843-52, 
James  Sullivan;  1853-54,  H.  H.  Coolidge;  1855-62,  Andrew  J.  Smith; 
1863-64,  Charles  W.  Clisbee;  1865-68,  Andrew  J.  Smith;  1869-70, 
George  Miller;  1871-72,  William  G.  Howard;  1873-74,  Spafiford 
Tryon;  1875-76,  Marshall  L.  Howell;  1877-80,  Harsen  D.  Smith;  1881- 
83,  Joseph  B.  Clarke;  1883-86,  John  R.  Carr;  1887-90,  Freeman  J. 
Atwell;  1891-92,  L.  B.  Des  Voignes;  1893-96,  Charles  E.  Sweet; 
1897-1900,  C.  M.  Eby;  1901-02,  U.  S.  Eby;  1903- — ,  George  M.  Fields. 


*  Note — Died  before  beginning  the  term  and  L.  H.  Glover  filled  vacancy  by  ap- 
pointment. 


392  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

SHERIFFS. 

1830-32,  George  Meacham;  1832-34,  Henry  H.  Fowler;  1835-36, 
Eber  Root;  1836-40,  M.  V.  Hunter;  1840-42,  Walter  G.  Beckwith; 
1842-44,  James  L.  Glenn;  1844-46,  Walter  G.  Beckwith;  1846-49, 
Barak  Mead;  1851-52,  Andrew  Woods;  1853-54,  Walter  G.  Beck- 
with; 1855-56,  Joseph  Harper;  1857-60,  Joseph  N.  Marshall;  1861- 
62,  B.  W.  Schermerhorn;  1863-66,  William  K.  Palmer;  1867-70, 
Zacheus  Aldrich;  1871-72,  Levi  J.  Reynolds;  1873-74,  William  J.  Mer- 
vin;  1875-76,  J.  Boyd  Thomas;  1877-80,  James  H.  Stamp;  1881-82, 
John  A.  Jones;  1883-86,  Frank  M.  Sanders;  1887-90,  Jacob  Mcintosh; 
1891-92,  William  Reagan;  1893-94,  William  H.  Coulter;  1895-96,  N. 
J.  Crosby;  1897-00,  William  Reagan;  1901-04,  Fred  A.  Hadsell; 
1905 — ,  E.  J.  Russey. 

COUNTY    TREASURERS. 

1831,  Andrew  Grtibb  (appointed);  1833,  Jacob  Silver  (appoint- 
ed) ;  1836,  Eber  Root;  1837,  Joseph  Harper;  1838,  Isaac  Scares;  1839, 
Joseph  Harper;  1840-43,  Amos  F'tiller;  1844-45,  Asa  Kingsbury;  1846- 
49,  Joshua  Lofland;  1850-51,  Henry  R.  Close;  1852-53,  Henry  Tiet- 
sort;  1854-57,  Jefferson  Osborn;  1858-59,  William  W.  Peck;  1860^ 
61,  Ira  Brownell;  1862-65,  J.  K.  Ritter;  1866-69,  Isaac  Z.  Edwards; 
1870-73,  Anson  L.  Dunn;  1875-78,  Hiram  S.  Hadsell;  1879-82,  R.  L. 
Van  Ness;  1883-86,  John  Manning;  1887-90,  James  G.  Hayden;  1891- 
94,  Thomas  J.  Edwards;  1895-98,  Norris  Richardson;  1899-02,  Alonzo 
P.  Beeman;  1903-06,  George  W.  Gard. 

REGISTER   OF  DEEDS. 

1833,  T-  H.  Edwards;  1835,  Alex.  H.  Redfield;  1836-37,  Will- 
iam Arrison;  1838-42,  Joseph  Harper;  1843-54,  David  M.  Howell; 
1855-64,  Ariel  E.  Peck;  1865-68,  William  L.  Jackways;  1869-72,  Joel 
Cowgill;  1873-76,  Henry  L.  Barney;  1877-82,  Stephen  L.  George; 
1883-88,  William,  M.  Bunbury;  1889-92,  Charles  O'.  Harmon;  1893- 
96,  Zebedee  Beverly;  1897-1900,  Edwin  M.  Lindsley;  1901-04,  Her- 
mann Roebeck;  1905 — ,  Warner  D.  Jones. 

COUNTY  SURVEYORS. 

183 1,  E.  B.  Sherman;  1834,  John  Woolman;  1838,  J.  C.  Saxton; 
1840,  Henry  Walton;  1842-48,  David  P.  Ward;  1849-50,  Charles  G. 
Banks;  1851-54,  David  P.  Ward;  1855-56,  Amos  Smith;  1857-60, 
Amos  Smith;  1861-62,  H.  O.  Banks;  1863-64,  Amos  Smith;  1865-70, 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  393 

H.  O.  Banks;  1871-74,  John  C.  Bradt;  1875-76,  Austin  A.  Bramer; 
1877-82,  Amos  Smith;  1883-86,  Charles  G.  Banks;  1887-88,  John  C. 
Bradt;   1889-1902,  Fred  E.  Smith;  1903 — ,  John  S. .  Haines. 

COUNTY   SUPERINTENDENTS   OF   SCHOOLS. 

April,  1867,  Chauncey  L.  Whitney,  elected.  He  resigned  in  Oc- 
tober of  same  year  iind  the  vacancy  was  filled  by  the  appointment  of 
Albert  H.  Gaston,  who  held  the  office  during  1868;  1869-70,  Irvin 
Clendenen;  1871-72,  Lewis  P.  Rinehart;  1873-74,  Samuel  Johnson. 
(For  other  county  school  officers  see  chapter  on  Education  in  State 
and  County.) 

TOWNSHIP   SUPERVISORS. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  in  the  case  of  the  townships  which  were 
organized  previous  to  1838  the  period  of  1839-40-41  shows  the  office 
of  supervisor  not  filled.  This  was  due  to  a  change  from  the  township 
supervisors'  board  to  a  board  of  county  commissioners  as  the  govern- 
ing body  of  the  county.  In  each  township  during  that  time  one  or  more 
assessors  were  elected,  whose  duty  it  was  to  assess  the  property,  a 
duty  before  and  since  performed  by  the  supervisor.  Where  the  names 
appear  in  the  list  of  supervisors  it  should  be  remembered  that  they 
were  the  assessors.  The  county  commissioner  plan  did  not  long  re- 
main in  favor.  In  this  connection  it  will  be  of  interest  to  quote  from 
an  old  southern  Michigan  paper  dated  February  18,  1842:  'The  legis- 
lature has  abolished  the  office  of  county  commissioners.  The  commis- 
sioner system  was  first  projected  by  Mr.  James  O'Dell  of  Cass  county. 
Mr.  O'Dell  labored  hard  in  1836  to  get  such  a  law  passed  and  in  1838 
the  system  was  established."  The  act  creating  the  board  of  county  com- 
missioners was  repealed  February  10,  1842,  and  on  the  second  Monday 
in  April  following  the  boards  of  supervisors  in  the  counties  through- 
out the  state  began  performing  their  duties. 

In  the  book  of  miscellaneous  records  at  the  county  clerk's  office 
appears  the  following,  which  will  explain  the  change  from  the  town- 
ship supervisor  tO'  the  county  commissioner  system:  *'On  the  20th  of 
November,  1838,  the  county  commissioners  who  were  elected  at  the 
general  election  held  in  Cass  county  on  the  5th  and  6th  of  Novem- 
ber, inst.,  met  at  the  county  clerk's  office  in  Cassopolis,  were  sworn  in 
and  drew  for  their  respective  terms  of  sendee,  which  resulted  as  fol- 
lows: James  W.  Griffin,  three  years;  Henry  Jones,  two  years;  and  Da- 
vid Hopkins,  one  year.  .  Hereafter  there  will  be  one  county  commis- 


394 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


sioner  to  be  elected  annually."     The  first  meeting  of  the  commissioners 
for  transaction  of  oifficial  business  was  held  in  January,  1839. 

Those  who  served  in  this  office  during  its  continuance  were :  Will- 
iam Burk,  who  succeeded  David  Hopkins  in  1840.  James  O'Dell  suc- 
ceeded Henry  Jones,  entering  office  in  January,  1841.  William  H. 
Bacon  was  elected  for  the  three  year  term  beginning  in  1842.  The 
last  meeting  of  the  commissioners  was  held  March  9,  1842,  and  in  the 
following  July  the  board  of  supervisors  began  their  sessions. 


1843,  Daniel  G.  Rouse. 

1844,  Daniel  G.  Rouse. 

1845,  E.  C.  Goff. 

1846,  E.  C.  Goff. 

1847,  Joseph  Haight. 

1848,  D.    G.    Rouse. 

1849,  ^-    ^-    Rouse. 

1850,  D.    G.    Rouse. 

185 1,  Henry  McQuigg. 

1852,  Henry  McQuigg. 

1853,  Henry  McQuigg. 

1854,  Henry  W.   Bly. 

1855,  William  P.  Bennett. 

1856,  William  P.  Bennett. 

1857,  H.   Dykeman. 

1858,  William  P.  Bennett. 

1859,  M.    E.    Messenger. 
i860,  William  P.  Bennett. 
i86t,  William  P.  Bennett. 

1862,  William  P.  Bennett. 

1863,  William  P.  Bennett. 

1864,  William  P.  Bennett. 

1865,  John  C.  Bradt. 

1866,  John  C.  Bradt. 

1867,  William  P.  Bennett. 

1868,  William  P.  Bennett. 

1869,  John  C.  Bradt. 

1870,  John  C.  Bradt. 

1 87 1,  John  C.  Bradt. 

1872,  Thomas  McKee. 

1838,  James  Aldrich. 

1839-40-41 

1842-45,  Hiram  Wood. 


Marcellus. 

1873 
1874 

1875 
1876 

1877: 
1878 

1879. 
1880 
1881 
1882 
T883 
1884 
1885 
1886 
1887 
1888 
1889 
1890, 

1 891 

1 892 

1893 
1894 

1895 
1896, 
1897 
1898 
1899, 
190O; 
1901 


John  C.  Bradt. 
A.  F.  Caul. 
A.  F.  Caul. 
A.  F.  Caul. 
A.  F.  Caul. 
A.  F.  Caul. 
A.  F.  Caul. 
A.  F.  Caul. 
A.  F.  Caul. 
A.  F.  Caul. 
Frank  Savage. 
A.  F.  Caul. 
A.  F.  Caul. 
James  B.  Fortner. 
James  B.  Fortner. 
James  B.   Fortner. 
J.  B.  Fortner. 
J.  B.  Fortner. 
Edward  Ketcham. 
J.  B.  Fortner. 
J.  B.  Fortner. 
Clark  H.   Beardslee. 
Clark  H.  Beardslee. 
C.  H.   Beardslee. 
J.  B.  Fortner. 
J.  B.  Fortner. 
J.  B.  Fortner. 
J.  B.  Fortner. 
-06,  C.  H.  Beardslee. 


Newberg. 

1846-49,  Barker  F.  Rudd. 
18^0,  Hiram  Harwood. 
1 85 1,  B.  F.  Rudd. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


395 


1852-54,  J.   M.   Chapman. 
1855-56,  S.  Harwood. 
1857-58,  Edward    H.   Jones. 
1859,  James    M.    Chapman. 
i860,  B.   F.   Rudd. 
1861-62,  S.    Harwood. 
1863-68,  J.  M.   Chapman. 
1869-70,  Anson   L.   Dunn. 

187 1,  J.  M.  Chapman. 

1872,  W.  H.   H.   Pemberton. 

1873,  Silas   Harwood. 

1874,  J.  S.  Tompkins. 


1833,  Othni  Beardsley. 
1834-35,  Caleb   Calkins. 

1836,  George  Meacham. 

1837,  Caleb   Calkins. 

1838,  George   Meacham. 

1839,  Oscar  N.  Long. 

1840,  George  Meacham. 

1841,  Jonas  Hartman. 

1842,  Milo   Powell. 

1843,  William   R.    Merritt. 
1844-45,  Oscar  N.  Long. 
1846-47,  Rnfus   K.   Charles. 

1848,  John  N.  Jones. 

1849,  Jarius  Hitchcox. 
1850-51,  O.   N.   Long. 
1852-55,  Rufus  K.   Charles. 
1856,  Milo  Powell. 
1857-59,  A.  H.  Long. 


1833-36,  James  Newton. 

1837,  David  Hopkins. 

1838,  Hubbell  Warner. 

1839,  Amos  Hufif. 
1842-44,  Hubbell  Warner. 
1845,  Joseph  Warner. 
1846-48,  David  Hopkins. 
1849-50,  James  Fulton. 
1851-52,  George  Newton. 
1853-54,  Hubbell  Warner. 
1855,  Emmos  Buell. 


1875,  N.   Harwood. 

1876,  F.   M.   Dodge. 

1877,  Anson  L.  Dunn. 
1878-79,  Lemuel  Chapman. 
1880,  B.  F.  Rudd. 

1880,  (by   appointment)     W.     H. 
H.  Pemberton. 

188 1,  Nathan   Skinner. 

1882,  Benjamin  F,   Wells. 
1883-85,  James   M.   Chapman. 
1886-99,  A.   P.  Beeman. 
1900-06,  Frank  Dunn. 


Porter. 


1860-63,  Lucius   Keeler. 
1864,  J.  H.  Hitchcox. 
1865-66,  Thomas   O'Dell. 
1867,  Lucius   Keeler. 
1868-69,  Thomas  OT3elI. 
1870-74,  Fliram    Meacham. 
1875,  Nathan   Skinner. 
1876-78  Nathan  Skinner. 
1879-81,  Edward  T.  Motley. 

1 88 1,  Thomas     O'Dell      (by     ap- 
pointment). 

1882,  Abram  D.  Seager. 
1883-8S,  John  B.  Harmon. 
1886-87,  Edward  T.   Motley. 
1888-98,  J.    B.    Harmon. 
1899-1900',  Ed.    T.    Motley. 
1901-05,  Samuel  F.  Skinner. 
1906,  Daniel   Eby. 


Volinia. 


1856-58,  Alex.  B.  Copley. 
1859^60,  Milton  J.  Card. 
1861-63,  W.  L.  Dixon. 
1864.  A.  B.  Copley. 
1865-66,  Milton  J.  Card. 
1867,  A.  B.  Copley. 
1868-70,  John  Huff. 

1 87 1,  Tohn  Struble. 

1872,  A.  B.  Copley. 

1873,  John  Struble. 
1874-77,  John  Kirby. 


396 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


1878-92,  John  Huff. 
1893-1900,  G.  W.  Card. 
1901-04,  John  H.  Root. 


1 83 1,  John  Agard. 
1832-36,  James  O'Dell. 
1837,  Alpheus  Ireland. 
1838-39,  Daniel  Kelsey. 

1840,  James  O'Dell. 

1841,  Henry  Jones. 
1842-45,  Ira  Kelsey. 
1846-48,  Elias  Carrier. 
1849,  Isaac  L.  Seely. 
1850-51,  Alpheus  Ireland. 

1852,  R.  S.  Pemberton. 

1853,  Barker  F.  Rudd. 
1854-55,  R.  S.  Pemberton. 
1856-58,  George  D.  Jones. 
1859,  E.  Alexander. 
i860,  Amos  Smith. 

1 861,  R.  S.  Pemberton. 

1862,  E.  C.  Collins. 

1863,  C.  C.  Nelson. 
1864-65,  Nathan  Jones. 
1866-67,  Amos  Smith. 
1868,  R.  S.  Pemberton. 
1869-70,  John  Alexander. 


1835-36,  Pleasant   Grubb. 
1837-38,  William  T.  Reed. 
1 84 1,  Joel  East. 
1842-43,  John  V.  Whinnery. 

1844,  Peter  Shaffer. 

1845,  Elijah  Osbom. 
1846-47,  Jesse  Hutchinson. 

1848,  S.  T.  Reed. 

1849,  Johnson  Packard. 

1850,  Leander  Osborn. 
1851-54,  Jefferson  Osbom. 

1855,  Daniel  W.  Gray. 

1856,  Johnson  Patrick, 

1857,  Elijah  Osbom. 
1858-59,  Beniah  A.  Tharp. 


1905,  William  R.  Kirby. 

1906,  Carl  A.  Morton. 


Penn, 


1 87 1,  Reason  S.  P^emberton. 
1872-74,  John  Alexander. 
1875-76,  James  H.  Stamp. 

1877,  Stephen  Jones. 

1878,  John  H.  East. 

1879,  L^"icius  D.  Gleason. 

1880,  Joseph  H.  Johnson. 

1 88 1,  Charles  F.  Smith. 

1882,  George  Longsduff. 
1883-84,  Charles  E.  Carrier. 

1885,  George  Longsduff. 

1886,  Barak  L.  Rudd. 
1887-88,  Martin  V.  Stamp. 
1889,  William  Green. 
1890-91,  Martin  V.  Stamp. 
1892-93,  Elm.ore  F.  Lewis. 
1894-96,  Wilber  Van  Slyke. 
1897-99,  Jasper  White. 
1900,  Elmore  F.  Lewis. 
1901-02,  Lot  J.  Bonine. 
1903-05,  S.  Jennison  Lincoln. 
1906,  Francis  E.  Gleason. 


Calvin. 


1860-61,  James  Oren. 
1862-66,  B.  A.  Tharp. 
1867-70,  Levi  J.  Reynolds. 
1871-72,  B.  A.' Tharp. 
1873-75,  Leroy  Osborn. 
1876-77,  B.  F.  Beeson. 
1878-79,  Levi  J.  Reynolds. 
1880,  Levi  J.  Reynolds. 
1881-83,  B.  F.  Beeson. 
1884-85,  Levi  J.  Reynolds. 
1886-88,  Benj.  F.  Beeson. 
1889-99,  J.  L.  Robinson. 
1900-04,  Cornelius  Lawson  (col'd). 

1905,  William  F.  Puterbaugh. 

1906,  Cornelius  Lawson. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


397 


Mason. 


1836,  Moses  Stafford. 
1838,  Saxton  P.  Kingsley. 
1839-40,  Reuben  Allen. 
1841,  S.  P.  Kingsley. 
1842-44,  John  S.  Bement. 
1845,  George  Arnold. 
1846-48,  Ezra  Hatch. 
1849-51,  John  S.  Bement. 
1852,  George  Arnold. 
1853-54,  Ezra  Hatch. 
1855-56,  George  Arnold. 
1857-60,  E.  W.  Reynolds. 
1861-63,  Henry  Thompson. 

1864,  George  Arnold. 

1865,  W.  H.  Stevens. 
1866-67,  J.  H.  Graham. 
1868,  William  Allen. 


1869,  J-  H-  Graham. 

1870,  Lewis  H.  Miller. 
1871-72,  Henry  Thompson. 
1873-78,  J.  H.  Graham. 

1879,  Henry   Thompson    (failed  to 

qualify). 
1879-82,  J.  H.  Grahami. 
1883-85,    J.  W.  Snyder. 
1886-87,  J.  H.  Graham. 
1888,  J.  W.  Snyder. 
1889-92,  J.  H.  Graham. 
1893-94,  J.  W.  Snyder. 
1895-99,  Charles  A.  Thompson. 
1900-04,  J.  H.  Graham. 

1905,  Jasper  J.  Ross. 

1906,  J.  L.  Stevens. 


Wayne, 


1835-36,  Cornelius  Higgins.  1873, 

1837-38,  Abraham  Weaver.  1874, 

1839-41,    ,  1875- 

1842,  Abraham  Weaver.  1877, 

1843,  Cyrus  Gage.  1878, 
1844-45,  John  S.  Gage.  1879, 
1846,  Joel  C.  Wright.  1880, 
1847-48,  Ebenezer  Gage.  1881, 
1849-50,  William  G.  Wiley.  1882- 
1851-53  M.  V.  Hunter.  1887, 
1854,  John  W.  Trotter.  t888, 
1855-56,  Ebenezer  Gage.  1889, 
18^7-59,  Sylvanus  Henderson.  1890, 
1860-65,  Henry  B.  Wells.  ,1891 
1866-69,  Israel  Ball.  1893- 

1870,  William  O.  Van  Hise.  1902- 

1871,  Francis  O.  Van  Antwerp.  1905 

1872,  Samuel  Johnson. 


Hiram  H.  Taylor. 

Henry  B.  Wells. 
76,  Samuel  Johnson. 

Wesley  Ely. 

Thaddeus  Hampton. 

Frank  P.  Lee. 

Hiram  Nowlin. 

Henry  B.  Wells. 
86,  Halbert  R.  Taylor. 

John  Kirkwood, 

Edward  R.  Spencer. 

John  Kirkwood. 

John  P.  Fiero. 
92,  John  Kirkwoodv 
1 901,  Frank  Atwood. 
04,  James  Ferrell.' 
■06,  John  J.  Hare. 


1830,  Joseph  S.  Barnard. 
1831-33,,  James  Kavanaugh. 

1834,  Jesse  Palmer. 

1835,  John  Fluallen. 

1836,  Jesse  G.  Beeson. 
1837-38,  John  Fluallen. 


La  Grange. 

1839-41, 

1842,  E.  B.  Sherman. 
1843-46,  Eli  P.  Bonnell. 
1847,  George  B.  Turner. 
1848-49,  Henry  Tietsort,  Jr,< 
i8c;o,  Simeon  E.  Dow.'-/ 


398 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUN1  Y 


1851-52,  Henry  Tietsort,  Jr. 
1853-54,  Daniel  S.  Jones. 

1855,  C.  B.  Tietsort. 

1856,  Henry  Walton. 

1857,  William  G.  Wiley. 
1858-60,  Daniel  S.  Jones. 

1 861,  William  R.  Fletcher. 
1862-66,  Daniel  S.  Jones. 
T867,  William  T.  Tinney. 
1868,  Daniel  S.  Jones. 


1833,  Robejt  Painter. 
1834-38,  Pleasant  Norton. 

1 84 1,  Maxwell  Zane. 

1842,  Joseph  Smith. 

1843,  Marcus  Peck. 
1844-45,  Joseph  Smith. 
1846,  Barton  B.  Dunning. 
T847,  Joseph  Smith. 
1848-50,  Pleasant  Norton. 

1 85 1,  N.  Aldrich. 

1852,  Pleasant  Norton. 

1853,  Henry  W.  Smith. 

1854,  Nathaniel  Monroe. 
1855-56,  J.  N.  Marshall. 
1857-58,  Marcus  Peck. 
1859-60,  Joseph  Hess. 

1 86 1,  Hiram  R.  Shutt. 


1 83 1,  Ezra  Beardsley. 
1832-34,  Dempster  Beatty. 
1835,  George  Meacham. 
1836-38,  Joel  Brown. 

1839-41. 

1842,  William  Bacon. 

1843,  Myron  Strong. 

1844,  James  W.  Griffin. 

1845,  George  Redfield. 

1846,  Myron  Strong. 
1847-48,  Cyrus  Bacon. 

1849,  Jc^seph  L.  Jacks. 

1850,  James  W.  Griffin. 

1 85 1,  N.  Aldrich. 


1869,  L.  H.  Glover. 

1870,  Abram  Fiero. 
1871-73,  Daniel  S.  Jones. 
1874-78,  Robert  Wiley. 
1879,  Daniel  S.  Jones. 
1880-83,  Robert  H.  Wiley. 
1884-91,  C.  H.  Kimmerle. 
1892-94,  Robert  H.  Wiley. 
1895-1906,0.  H.  Kimmerle. 


Jefferson. 


1862-63,  Marcus   Marsh. 
1864,  C.  S.  Swan. 
1865-66,  G.  W.  Westfall. 

1867,  Andrew  Woods. 

1868,  Marcus  Marsh. 

1869,  S.  C.  Tharp. 
1870-72,  John  S.  Jacks. 
1873,  S.  W.  Breece. 
1874-76,  Andrew  Woods. 
1877-80,  Harley  E.  Bement. 
1881-88,  H.  B.  Shurter. 
1889-99,  Robert  Dool. 
1900-01,  Henry  C.  Davis. 
1902,  Henry  B.  Hicks. 
1903-04,  H.  C  Davis. 
1906,  Henry  B.  Hicks. 


Ontwa. 


1852,  Cyrus  Bacon. 
1853-54,  Charles  Haney. 
.1855,  A.  Longstreet, 

1856,  Charles  Haney. 

1857,  Aaron  Lisk. 
1858-60,  Charles  Haney. 
1 86 1,  Moses  H.  Lee. 
1862-64,  Charles  Haney. 
1865,  George  F.  Silver. 
1866-67,  Charles  Haney. 
1868-72,  J.  B.  Thomas. 
1873-75,  Moses  H.  Lee. 
1876-77,  Noah  S.  Brady. 
1878-80,  William  K.  Hopkins. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


399 


1881,  Davis  S.  Minier. 
1882-94,  Noah  S.  Brady. 
1895-98,  Hiram  Cobb. 


1899-1905,  George  Bement. 
1900,  I).  S.  Stryker. 


Silver  Creek, 


1837,  Timothy  Treat.  1874- 

1838,  P.  B.  Dunning.  1877, 
1839-41,  1878., 
1842-43,  John  Woolman,  Jr.  1879- 
1844-45,  John  G.  A.  Barney.  1882, 
1846-53,  Daniel  BHsh.  1883- 
1854-56,  B.  W.  Schermerhorn.  1885-i 
1857-58,  Gilman  C.  Jones.  1887- 
1859-60,  B.  W.  Schermerhorn.  1891, 
1861,  Justus  Gage.  1892, 
1862-63,  Daniel  Blish.  1893- 

1864,  B.  W.  Schermerhorn.  1900- 

1865,  Gilman  C.  Jones.  1902- 
1866-67,  William  M.  Frost.  1904, 
1868-72,  William  K.  Palmer.  1906, 
1873,  Gilbert  Conkling. 

Pokagon, 


76,  Arthur  Smith. 

William  M.  Frost. 

Adam  Suits. 
81,  William  M.  Frost. 

John  Bilderback. 
84,  J.  H.  Buckley. 
86,  William  H.  Swisher. 
90,  Jerry  Rourke. 

C.  L.  Lybrook. 

Donahue. 

99,  Jerry  Rourke. 

01,  John  M.  Cullinane. 

03,  William  H.  Swisher. 

Edd  Easton. 

John  F.  Clendenen. 


1831,  Squire  Thompson. 

1832,  John  Clark. 

1833,  Samuel  Marrs. 
1834-36,  Lewis  Edwards. 
1837-38,  Henry  Houser. 
1839-41, 

1842-43,  Squire  Thompson. 
1844,  William  Burk. 
1845-46,  Henry  Houser. 

1847,  William  L.  Clyborn. 

1848,  M.  Robinson. 
1849-50,  William  L.  Clyborn. 
1851-52,  M.  T.  Garvey. 

1853,  Frank  Brownell. 

1854,  M.  Robinson. 

1855,  Lewis  Clyborn. 

1856,  M.  T,  Garvey. 
1857^  William  L.  Clyborn. 

1834,  Samuel  Marrs. 

1835,  George  Fosdick. 
1836-37,  Henry  Heath. 
1838,  Thomas  Glenn. 


1858,  M.  T.  Garvey. 

1859,  D.  H.  Wagner. 
i860,  M.  Robinson. 
1861,  M.  T.  Garvey. 
1862-69,  Alexander  Robertson. 
1870,  David  W.  Clemmer. 
1871-76,  B.  W.  Schermerhorn. 

1877,  M.  V.  Gray. 

1878,  Joseph  Walter. 
1879-80,  H.  W.  Richards. 

1881,  Alexander    Robertson. 

1882,  Henry  W.  Richards. 
1883-84,  William  Adams. 
1885-86,  William  H.  Garwood. 
1887-92,  Isaac  Williams. 
1893-98,  Thomas  C.  Rogers. 
1899-06,  John  H.  Phillips. 


Hozvard. 


1842-43,  Ezekiel  C.  Smith. 

1844,  James  Shaw. 

1845,  Oscar  Jones. 

1846,  James  Shaw. 


400 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


1847-48,  J.  N.  Chipman. 

1849,  Oscar  Jones. 

1850,  Elam  Harter. 

1 85 1,  Oscar  Jones. 
1852-53,  Ezekiel  C.  Smith. 
1854,  Elam  Harter. 
1855-56,  Ezekiel  C.  Smith. 
1857-58,  Benj.  Cooper,  Jr. 
1859,  William  Curtis. 
i860,  Ezekiel  C.  Smith. 
1861-70,  William  H.  Doane. 


1871-74,  H.  S.  Hasdell. 
1875-76,  Benj.  O.  Vary. 
1877,  William'  H.  Doane. 
1878-79,  Walton  W.  Harder. 
1880-82,  Asher  J.  Shaw. 
1883-85,  Samuel  C.  Thomson. 
1886-92,  G.  Gordon  Huntley. 
1893-98,  Samuel  C.  Thomson. 
1 899- 1 900,  G.  G.  Huntley. 
1901-03,  Loren  A.  Allen. 
1904-06,  S.  C.  Thomson. 


Milton, 


1838-40,  James  Aldrich. 

1 84 1,  George  Smith. 

1842,  G.  Howland. 

1843,  J.  O'Dell. 

1844,  James  Taylor. 

1845,  Charles  P.  Drew. 

1846,  James  Taylor. 
1847-49,  Henry  Aldrich. 

1850,  James  Taylor. 

1 85 1,  Henry  Aldrich. 

1852,  N.  O.  Bowman. 
1853-54,  Uriel  Enos. 
T8c;q,  Henry  Aldrich. 

1856,  N.  O.  Bowman. 

1857,  Henry  Aldrich. 

1858,  R.  V.  Hicks. 

Note. — During  the  years  1839-40-41  the  county  was  under  the 
County  Commissioner  Act,  and  the  duties  of  the  assessing  officers  of 
the  several  assessing  districts  were  confined  to  making  the  assessments. 
There  were  no  meetings  of  the  Supervisors  for  the  purpose  of  equal- 
izing assessments  or  auditing  accounts. 

City  of  Dowagiac. 

1877-84,  Arthur  Smith.  1889-90,  Myron  Stark. 

1885,  Joseph  R.  Edwards.  1891,  Cyrus  Tuthill. 

1886-87,  Cyrus  Tuthill.  1892,  William   D.   Jones. 
18881,  William  H.  Vrooman. 


1859,  H.  Aldrich. 
t86o,  Isaac  Babcock. 
1 86 1,  Henry  Aldrich. 
1862-64,  Uriel  Enos. 
1865-72,  William  H.  Olmstead. 
1873-78,  Richard  V.  Hicks. 
1879-81,  William  H.  Olmstead. 
1882-86,  John  A.  Parsons. 
1887-90,  Henry  B.  Hicks. 
1891-93,  William  E.  Parsons. 
1894,  W.  H.  Olmstead. 
1895-96,  William.  E.  Parsons. 
1897- 1 900,  John  H.  Breece.    • 
1901-05,  Oren  V.  Hicks. 
1906,  Herman  Roebeck. 


First  Ward. 


1893-96,  Charles  D.  Butler. 
1897-99,  John  A.  Lindsley, 
1900,  W.  H.  Lindsley. 


T901-03,  William  M.  Vrooman. 
1904-05, "Albon  C.  Taylor. 
1906,  Jay  P.  Higgins. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


401 


Second  Ward. 


1893-95,  Myron  Stark. 
1 896- 1 900,  Willard  Wells. 


1893,  James  Willis. 

1894,  Davis  Van  Hise. 

1895,  Daniel  Smith. 


1901-06,  John'  Bilderback. 


Third  Ward, 


1896,  Davis  Van  Hise. 
1 897- 1 906,  Daniel   Smith. 


Village  of   Cassopolis. 


President 
1864 — Joseph  Smith 
1865 — Hiram  Brown 
1866 — Lsaac  Brown 
1867 — Isaac   Brown 
1868 — Joseph  Harper 
1869 — Joseph  Harper 
1870— Wm.  P.  Bennett 
T871— Wm.  P.  Bennett 
ti872— L.  H.  Glover 
1873— John  Tietsort 
1874— John  Tietsort 
T875— Jordan  P.  Osborn 
*i875— J.   P.  Osborn 
1876— J.  P.  Osborn 
1877— Henry  C  French 
1878 — S.  S.  Chapman 
1879— H.   S.  Hadsell 
1880— Hiram  PI.  Hadsell 
i88t— Henry  J.  Webb 
1882— H.  J.  Webb 
1883 — George  B.  Turner 
1884 — George  B.  Turner 
i88s — Alonzo  Garwood 
1886-W.   P.  Bennett 
1887— M.  "L.  Howell 
1888— T.  F.  Coates 
i88g~J.  F.  Coates 
i8go — J.  F.  Coates 
i8gT— M.  T.  Garvey 
1892— M.  T.  Garvey 
i8q3— M.  T.  Garvey 
1894— M.  T.   Garvey 
1895— Charles  A.  Ritter 
1896—- Charles  A.  Ritter 
1897— G.   M.   Kingsbury 
1898— G.   M.   Kingsbury 
1899— G.   M.   Kingsbury 
1900 — G.   M.   Kingsbury 
1901 — G.   M.   Kingsbury 
1902 — D.  L.  Kingsbury 
1903 — D.  L.  Kingsbury 
1904 — D.  L.  Kingsbury 
1905 — D.  L.  Kingsbury 
1906 — D.  L.  Kingsbury 


Clerk 
L.  H.  Glover 
L.  H.  Glover 
L.  H.  Glover 
L.  H.  Glover 
L.  H.  Glover 
L.  H.  Glover 
Ellery  C  Deyo 
Ellery  C.  Deyo 
Eber  Reynolds 
Eber  Reynolds 
William  Jones 
William  Jones 
William  Jones 
William  Jones 
William  Jones 
Thomas  W.  Smith 
William  Jones 
William  Jones 
William  Jones 
W.  A.  Chess 
W.  A.  Chess 
G.  M.  Rivers 
G.  M.  Rivers 
William  Jones 
William  Jones 
William  Jones 
William  Jones 
William  Jones 
William  Jones 
William  Jones 
S.  B.  Turner 
S.  B.  Turner 
S.  B.  Turner 
E.  Reynolds 
E.  Reynolds 
E.  Reynolds 
E.  Reynolds 
E.  Reynolds 
E.  Reynolds 
E.  Reynolds 
E.  Re>Tiolds 
E.  Reynolds 
E.  Reynolds 
E.  Reynolds 


Treasurer 
Chas.  H.  Kingsbury 
Chas.  H.  Kingsbury 

C.  H.  Kingsbury 
J.  B.  Chapman 

J.  B.  Chapman 
Barak  Mead 
Albert  McGinnis 
Albert  McGinnis 
Albert  McGinnis 
Albert  McGinnis 
W.  W.  Peck 
William  W.  Peck 
James  H.  Farnum 
James  H.  Farnum 
Romi  W.  Goucher 
Stephen  L.  George 
S.  L.  George 
S.  L.  George 
Stephen  L.  Geo-rge 
William  Jones 
William  Jones 
Geo.  M.  Kingsbury 
Geo.  M.  Kingsbury 
Geo.  1\T.  Kingsbury 
Geo.-  M.  Kingsbury 
Geo.  M.  Kingsbury 
Geo.  M.  Kingsbury 
Geo.  M.  Kingsbury 
Geo.  M.  Kingsbury 
Geo.  M.  Kingsbury 
Geo.  M.  Kingsbury 

D.  L.  Kingsbury 
D.  L.  Kingsbury 

D.  L.  Kingsbury 
W.  H.  Voorhis 
W.  H.  Voorhis 
H.  C.  French 

C.  C.  Nelson 
H.  P.  Thomas 
H.  P.  Thomas 
C.  N.  Pollock 
C  N.  Pollock 

E.  E.  Stamp 
E.  E.  Stamp 


Assessor 
Henry  W^alton 
Henry  Walton 
Daniel   S.  Jones 
Henry  Tietsort 
Henry  Tietsort 
Alonzo  Garwood 
Andrew  W^oods 
Morris  B.  Custar(f 
L.  H,  Glover 
Charles  G.  Banks 
Joel  Cowgill 
D.  B.  Ferris 

Daniel  S.  Ferris 
Daniel  S.  Jones 
D.  S.  Jones 
Daniel  S.  Jones 
D.  S.  Tones 
C.  C.  Nelson 
C.  Carrol  Nelson 
C.  Carrol  Nelson 

C.  Carrol  Nelson 
C.  C.  Nelson 
H.  C.  Harmon 
C  C.  Nelson 
C.  C.  Nelson 
C.  C.  Nelson 
C.  C.  Nelson 
C.  C  Nelson 
C.  C.  Nelson 
C.  C.  Nelson 
C.  C.  Nelson 
C.  C.  Nelson 
W.  W.  Reynolds 
W.  W.  Reynolds 
C.  C  Nelson 

C.  C  Nelson 
C  C.  Nelson 
L.  H.  Glover 
L.  H.  Glover 
L.  H.  Glover 
L.  H,  Glover 


t  L.  H.  Glover  resigned  as  president  and   S.   S.   Chapman   was  appointed  to  the 
vacancy. 

*  Special  election  after  new  charter. 


402  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


TRUSTEES   OF    CASSOPOLIS   VILLAGE. 


1864 — Daniel   Blackman,    Peter    Sturr,    Barak   Mead,    Charles    G. 
Banks,  Charles  W.  Clisbee,  Alonzo  Garwood. 

1865 — Daniel   Blackman,   Barak   Mead,   William   W.    Peck,   Peter 
Sturr,  Isaac  Brown,  S.  T.  Read. 

1866 — Daniel    Blackman,    Salvador   T.    Read,    William   W.    Peck, 
Ira  Brownell,  Darius  L.  French,  Elias  B.  Sherman. 

1867— Daniel  Blackman,  S.  T.  Read,  William  W.  Peck,  Elias  B. 
Sherman,  Charles  H.  Kingsbury,  Darius  L.  French. 

1868'— W.  W.  Peck,  Andrew  J.  Smith,  Elias  B.  Sherman,  Chris- 
topher C.  Allison,  S.  T.  Read,  Louis  D.  Smith. 

1869' — C.    C.    Allison,    John   Tietsort,   Jordan    P.    Osborn,    Daniel 
Blackman,  Morris  B.  Custard,  C.  C.  Nelson. 

1870 — John  Tietsort,  Morris  B.   Custard,  Andrew  Woods,   C.   C. 
Nelson,  Henry  J.  Webb,  Alonzo  B.  Morley. 

1 87 1 — C.   C.  Nelson,  Joel  Cowgill,  John  A.   Talbot,  Zacheus  Al- 
drich,  Matthew  T.  Garvey? 

1872 — W.  W.  Mcllvain,  J.  P.  Osborn,  Henry  Shaffer,  Abijah  Pegg, 
John  R.  Carr,  WilHam  P.  Bennett. 

1873 — M.   B.   Custard,   WilHam  D.   Reames,  Marshall  L.   Howell, 
W.  W.  Mcllvain,  J.  P.  Osborn,  George  W.  Edinger. 

1874 — Orson  Rudd,  Andrew  J.  Smith,  J.  B.  Chapman,  Morris  B. 
Custard,  William  D.  Reames,  M.  L.  Howell. 

1875— W.  D.   Reames,  W.   W.  Mcllvain,  W.   P.   Bennett,  Orson 
Rudd,  Andrew  J.  Smith,  J.  B.  Chapman. 

*i875 — W.  W.  Mcllvain,  Eber  Reynolds,  W.  D.  Reames,  Stephen 
Jones,  S.  C.  Van  Matre,  James  Boyd. 

1876 — Samuel   Graham,   S.   C.   Van  Matre,  James   Boyd,   W.   W. 
Mcllvain,  Eber  Reynolds,  W.  D.  Reames. 

1877 — A.  B.  Morley,  Abijah  Pegg,  W.  W.  Peck,  Samuel  Graham, 
S.  C.  Van  Matre,  James  Boyd. 

1878 — Samuel  Graham,  James  Townsend,  Joseph  K.  Ritter,  A.  B. 
Morley,  Abijah  Pegg,  W.  W.  Peck. 

187^^ — S.  S.  Chapman,  W.  G.  Watts,  Henry  Shaffer,  Samuel  Gra- 
ham, James  Townsend,  J.  K.  Ritter. 

1880 — William  Davis,  Thomas  Stapleton,   Isaac   H.    Wolf,   S.   S. 
Chapman,  W.  G.  Watts,  Henrv  Shaffer. 

1881— Hiram  S.  Hadsell,  Darius  L.  French,  W.  G.  Watts,  Will- 
iam Davis,  Thomas  Stapleton,  I.  H.  Wolf. 

1882 — J.   H.   Farnum,   H.   S.   Hadsell,   S.   C   Van   Matre,   D.   L. 
French,  C.  H.  Kingsbury,  W.  G.  Watts. 

1883 — C.  H.  Kingsbury,  A.  Garwood,  I.  V.  Sherman,  Eber  Rey- 
nolds, W.  L.  Pollock,  S.  C.  Van  Matre. 


*  Special  election  after  new  charter. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  403 

1884— A.  Garwood,  W.  L.  Pollock,  Otis  Moor,  A.  N.  Armstrong, 
M.  Z.  Norton,  E.  Burr. 

1885— W.  L-  Pollock,  G.  L.  Smith,  Otis  Moor,  L.  D.  Tompkins, 
A.  N.  Armstrong-,  M.  Z.  Norton. 

1886— G.  K  Smith,  C.  A.  Ritter,  W.  L.  Pollock,  G.  White,  W.  B. 
Hayden,  Lester  Graham. 

1887 — C.  A.  Ritter,  Lester  Graham,  G.  L.  Smith,  W.  B.  Hayden, 
Otis  Moor,  J.  F.  Coates. 

1888— G.  L.  Smith,  W.  B.  Hayden,  S.  B.  Turner,  W.  H.  Voorhis, 
Frank  Feathers,  T.  W.  Anderson. 

1889' — S.  B.  Turner,  W.  B.  Hayden,  T.  VV.  Anderson,  Frank 
Feathers,  W.  H.  Voorhis,  H.  C.  Harmon. 

1890 — W.  J.  Kensey,  A.  N.  Armstrong,  W.  D.  Hopkins,  R.  Pat- 
terson, Frank  Feathers,  W.  B.  Hayden. 

1 89 1 — W.  D.  Hopkins,  R.  Patterson,  C.  B.  Zeller,  Lester  Graham, 
M:  Z.  Norton,  Frank  Feathers. 

1892 — M.  Z.  Norton,  Lester  Graham,  Frank  Feathers,  R.  Patter- 
son, S.  T.  Read,  H.  C.  French. 

1893— H.  C.  French,  J.  L.  Yost,  C.  A.  Ritter,  G.  M.  Kingsbury, 
R.  Patterson,  Frank  Feathers. 

1894— G.  M.  Kingsbury,  C.  A.  Ritter,  W.  H.  Vogle,  J.  L.  Yost, 
J.  G.  Hayden,  Frank  Feathers. 

1895 — W.  B.  Hayden,  Geo.  F.  Holloway,  G.  M.  Kingsbury,  Frank 
Feathers,  W.  H.  Vogle,  J.  G.  Havden. 

1896— G.  M.  Kingsbury,  W.  B.  Hayden,  W.  H.  Vogle,  J.  F. 
Coates,  I.  V.  Sherman,  Geo.  F.  Holloway. 

1897— R.  C.  Atkinson,  D.  L.  Kingsbury,  W.  B.  Hayden,  L  V. 
Sherman,  H.  D.  Jones,  J.  F.  Coates. 

1898— D.  L.  Kingsbury,  R.  C.  Atkinson,  H.  D.  Jones,  W.  B. 
Hayden,  Lester  Graham.  L  V.  Sherman. 

1899 — D.  L.  Kingsbury,  W.  B.  Hayden,  H.  D.  Jones,  Lester  Gra- 
ham, I.  V.  Sherman,  R.  C.  Atkinson. 

1900 — D.  L.  Kingsbury,  R.  C.  Atkinson,  J.  J.  Fisher,  W.  B.  Hay- 
den, Lester  Graham,  H.  D.  Jones. 

1901 — H.  D.  Jones,  R.  C.  Atkinson,  Lester  Graham,  D.  L.  Kings- 
bury, F.  M.  Fisk,  J.  J.  Fisher. 

1902 — F.  M.  Fisk,  H.  D.  Jones,  William  Reagan,  D.  L.  French, 
W.  H.  Berkey,  C.  E.  Cone. 

1903— F.  M.  Fisk,  G.  W.  Tallerday,  W.  B.  Hayden,  D.  L.  French, 
W.  H.  Berkey,  C.  E.  Cone. 

1904— F.  M.  Fisk,  G.  W,  Tallerday,  W.  B.  Hayden,  D.  L.  French, 
W.  H.  Berkey,  C.  E.  Cone. 

1905— F.  M.  Fisk,  a  W.  Tallerday,  W.  G/Bonine,  D.  L.  French, 
W.  H.  Berkey,  C.  E.  Cone. 

igo6— F.  M.  Fisk,  G.  W.  Tallerday,  W.  G.  Bonine,  D.  L.  French, 
W.  H.  Berkey,  C.  E.  Cone. 


404 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


Village  of  Dowagiac. 


President 
1858 — Justus  Gage 
1859— Joel  H.  Smith 
i860 — James  Sullivan 
1861— J.  H.  Smith 
1862 — Penly  C.  Lybrook 
1863 — Daniel  Lyle 
1864 — Daniel  Lyle 
1866— Joel  H.  Smith 
1867 — G.  C.  Jones 
1868— Philo  D.  Beckwith 
1869— Joel  H.  Smith 
1870 — Elias  Pardee 
1871 — Lewis  E.  Wing 
1872 — Lewis  E.  Wing 
T^^73 — Alex.  H.  Mason 
1874— B.  W.   Schermer- 

horn 
1875— B.  W.  Schermer- 

horn 
1876— Aldus  L.  Rich 
1877— David  W.  Clem- 

mer 


Clerk 
David  H.  Wagner 
Strawther  Bowling 
Strawther  Bowling 
Strawther  Bowling 
Strawther  Bowling 
Strawther  Bowling 
Strawther  Bowling 
Strawther  Bowling 
Strawther  Bowling 

Henry  Michael 

David  W.  Clemmer 

David  W.  Clemmer 
David  W.  Clemmer 

Charles  H.  Bigelow 

C.  H.  Bigelow 

Frank  W.  Jones 


Treasurer 
Henly  C  Lybrook 
Francis  J.  Mosher 
Wm.  H.  Campbell 
Daniel  Lyle 
Daniel  Lyle 
Albert  N.  Alward 
Albert  N.  Alward 
Archibald  Jewell 

Daniel  Lyle 
John  C.  Comstock 
John  C.  Comstock 
William  G.  Howard 
Alex.  H.  Mason 
Rollin  C  Osborne 


Assessor 
Roland  C.  Denison 
R.  C.  Denison 
Ira  Brownell 
George  W.  Andrews 
J.  H.  Smith 
Elias  Pardee 
Elias  Pardee 
Elias  Pardee 

Elias  Pardee 
Elias  Pardee 
John  Patton 
Elias  Pardee 
Elias  Pardee 
Elias  Pardee 
W.  K.  Palmer 


Burgette  L.  Dewey    G.  W.  Andrews 
B.  L.  Dewey  Henry  Michael 

B.  L.  Dewey  Henry  Michael 


DOWAGIAC  VILLAGE  TRUSTEES. 


1858 — Harvey  Bigelow,  Azro  Jones,  Joel  H.  Smith,  Daniel  Lar- 
zelere,  A.  Townsend,  Ira  Brownell. 

1859 — Azro  Jones,  Daniel  Larzelere,  Daniel  Lyle,  Ira  Brownell, 
Silas  Ireland,  Daniel  M.  Hazelitt. 

i860 — Silas  Ireland,  Charles  B.  Foster,  Hubbell  Warner,  John 
D.  Olney,  Morris  S.  Cobb,  David  H.  Wagner. 

1861 — Gideon  Gibbs,  P.  D.  Beckwith,  W^illiam  Griswold,  W^illiam 
R.  wStnrgis,  William  K.  Palmer,  Azro  Jones. 

1862 — Al^el  Townsend,  Frederick  H.  Ross,  Harvey  Bigelow,  John 
G.  Howard,  Elias  Pardee,  Patrick  Hamilton. 

1863 — Daniel  Sanders,  Philo  D.  Beckwith,  Frederick  H.  Ross,  C. 
P.  Prindle,  Azro  Jones,  Daniel  Larzelere. 

1864 — Philo  D.  Beckwith,  Joel  Andrews,  Francis  J.  Mosher,  Evan 
P.  Townsend,  Daniel  Henderson,  Frederick  H.  Ross. 

1865 — No  record. 

1866 — Austin  M.  Dickson,  Gideon  Gibbs,  Daniel  McOmber,  Alex- 
ander H.  Mason,  Philo  D.  Beckwith,  Daniel  Henderson. 

1867 — No  record. 

1868 — George  D.  Jones,  Gideon  Gibbs,  Henry  B.  Wells,  Austin  M. 
Dickson,  Daniel  Lyle,  Frederick  H.  Ross. 

1869 — Alexander  H.  Mason,  Edwin  F.  Avery,  Willard  Wells, 
Francis  O.  Van  Antwerp,  Mark  Judd,  Daniel  S.  Sanders. 

1870 — A.   H.  Mason,  Francis   O'.   Antwerp,   William  C.   Gardner 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


405 


(these  three  elected  for  two  years),  Thomas  W.  Adams,  Jacob  J.  Van 
Riper,  George  D.  Jones  (for  one  year)>' 

1 87 1 — Thomas  G.  Rix,  J.  J.  Van  Riper,  James  Atwood. 

1872— Zadoc  Jarvis  (to  fill  vacancy),  Francis  E.  Warner,  B.  W. 
Schermerhorn,  Frederick  H.  Ross. 

1873 — Edwin  F.  Avery,  Eli  Green,  Willard  Wells. 

1874 — F.  J,  Mosher,  Samuel  Ingling,  Daniel  McOmber. 

1875 — Hiram  Scoville,  Daniel  Henderson,  Daniel  Smith. 

1876 — Azro  Jones,  George  W.  Adams,  Philo  D.  Beckwith. 

1877 — Thomas  W.  Adams.  George  D.  Jones,  Daniel  McOmber. 


City  of  Dowagiac. 


Mayor 
ti877 — Freeman  T.  At- 

well 
1878— Thos.  W.  Adams 
1879 — Riirgette  L.  Dewey 
1880 — Iliram  Scovill 
i88T~Philo  D.  Beckwith 
1882 — Hiram  Scovill 
1883— P.  D.  Beckwith 
i884_p.  D.  Beckwith 
188=; — Hiram   Scovill 
1886— P.  D.  Beckwith 
1887— P.  D.  Beckwith 
1889 — James  Heddon 
1890— F.  E.  Lee 
1891 — Wm.  M.  Vrooman 
1892 — W.  M.  Vrooman 
1893 — W.  M.  Vrooman 
1894 — Ira  B.  Gage 
1805— W.  D.  Jones 
1896— W.  D.  Jones 
i8q7 — G.  E.  Bishop 
1898— T.  G.  Rix 
1899 — Frank   W.   Richey 
1900 — ¥.  W.  Richey 
190T— Milton  P.  White 
1902 — W.  D.  Jones 
1903 — W.  D.  Jones 
1904 — C.  L.  Merwin 
1905 — C.  L.  Merwin 
T906— G.  R.  Herkimer 


Clerk 

Treasurer 

Frank  W.  Jones 

Hiram  D.   Bowling 

Julius  0.  Becraft 

Burgette  L.   Dewey 

J.  0.  Becraft 

Thomas  W.  Adams 

J.  0.  Becraft 

Thomas  W.  Adams 

J.  0.  Becraft 

William  Griswold 

J.  0.  Becraft 

William  Jones 

J.  0.  Becraft 

D.  W.  Forsyth 

J.  0.  Becraft 

Willard  D.  Jones 

J.  0.  Becraft 

Myron   Stark 

J.  0.  Becraft 

Myron  Stark 

J.  0.  Becraft 

William  M.  Vrooman 

J.  0.  Becraft 

Chas.  T.  Amsden 

A.  M.  Moon 

John  Warren 

Arthur  E.  Rudolphi 

Ira  B.  Gage 

yVrthur  E.  Rudolphi 

Ira  B.  Gage 

A.  E.  Rudolphi 

John  Schmidt 

Hiram  Arthur 

Edwin  M.  Lindsley 

Hiram  Arthur 

C.  W.  Bakeman 

A.  M.  Moon 

Richard  Holmes 

D.  E.  Connine 

Richard  Holmes 

D.  E.  Connine 

Charles  Antisdel 

D.  E    Connine 

Charles  Antisdel 

B.  R.  Thomas 

R.  Holmes 

Harry  L.  Rutter 

Richard  Holmes 

Abner  M.  Moon 

Charles  Antisdel 

H.  L.  Rutter 

Charles  Antisdel 

H.  L.  Rutter 

Charles  Sterrett 

H.  L.  Rutter 

Charles  Sterrett 

FT.  L.  Rutter 

A.  C.  Taylor 

DOWAGIAC    CITY   ALDERMEN. 

1877 — Philo  D.  Beckwith,  George  W.  Adams,  Hiram  Scoville, 
Daniel  Blish,  F.  O'.  Van  Antwerp,  Alexander  H.  Mason.* 

1878^ — Theodore  N.  Winchell,  Lorenzo  Dillingham,  Thomas  J. 
Edwards. 

1879 — Gideon  Gibbs,  Willard  Wells,  William  P.  Grannis. 

*  Three  were  chosen   for  one  year  and  three   for  two  years,  three  being  chosen 
at  each  annual  election  thereafter. 

t  First  city  jofficers  elected  April  3,  1877. 


406 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


1880— Willis  M.  Farr,  Mark  Judd,  Silas  Doolittle. 
188 1 — Thomas  J.  Edwards,  Myron  Stark,  Thomas  Harwood. 
1882— M.  D.  Jewell,  John  H.  Coriklin,  Philo  B.  White. 
1883 — Harmon  Defendorf,  James  Coleman,   Charles  H.  Bigelow. 
1884 — Joseph  Keen,  J.  H.  Conklin,  Charles  Starrett. 
1885 — David   Blish,  James  Coleman,  Thomas  J.   Edwards. 
1886' — Joseph  Keen,  Richard  Holmes,  H.  A.  Farwell. 
1887 — No  record. 
1888— No  record, 

1889— W.  D.  Jones,  Wm.  Hyslop,  L.  J.  Carr. 
1890 — J.  A.  Lindsley,  Jas.  P.  Bond,  C.  W.  Bakeman. 
1 89 1 — No'  record. 

1892 — J.  A.  Lindsley,  Abijah  H.  Pegg,  Hiram  Powell. 
1893 — W.  D.  Jones,  Chas.  T.  Amsden,  Frank  Richey. 
1894— A.  E.  Hilton,  Henry  Michael,  W.  H.  Taylor.' 
1895 — Joseph  Keen,  Wm.  Judd,  Martin  Arnold. 
1896' — John  Schmidt,  Cyrus  Tuthill,  Wm.  H.  Harmon. 
1897-^Marvin  Defendorf,   W.  F.  Judd,  Arthur  K.  Beckwith. 
1898 — Joseph  Keen,   Cyrus   Tuthill,  Elmer  Pollock. 
1899^ — S.   W.   Emmons,   Charles  Lameraux,   Martin  Herold. 
1900 — C.  S.  Hubbard,  Levi  Gray,  F.  W.  Van  Antwerp. 
1901 — S.  W.  Emmons,  Coy  W.  Hendryx,  Joseph  Keen,  Nicholas 
Hodgeboon   (vacancy) . 

1902 — Frank  Hartsell,  Levi  Gray,  Farnum  Reed. 
1903 — Albert   E.   Hilton,    Clarence   Merwin,   Joseph   Keen. 
1904 — Frank  Hartsell,  Joseph  Breck,  Benjamin  Gebhard. 
1905 — William  Wells,  Smith  M.  Baits,  Malcolni  A.  Campbell. 
1906 — Frank  L.  Hartsell,  H.  E.  Agnew,  B.  J.  Gebhard. 


Marcelt.us  Officers. 


President 
1879 — David  Snyder 
1880 — David  Snyder 
1881 — David  Snyder 
1882 — Horace  Carbine 
1883— C.  E.  Davis 
1884— C  E.  Davis 
i88q— J.  Albert  Jones 
1886— Byron  R.  Beebe 
1887— Edwin  P.  Avery 
1888— W.  O.  George 
1889— Thos.  H.  Cooley 
1890 — Geo.   I.  Nash 
1891— H.  C.  Lambert 
1892— H.  C.  Lambert 
1893 — Alexander  Taylor 
1894 — Alexander  Taylor 
1895 — Alexander  Taylor 
1896— D.   H.   Palmer 


Clerk 
L.  B.  DesVoignes 
L.  B.  DesVoignes 
L.  B.  DesVoignes 
L.  B.  DesVoignes 
Geo.  R.  Clemens 
R.  T.  Edwards 
R.  T.  Edwards 
R,  T.  Edwards 
R.  T.  Edwards 
Isaac  M.  Smith 
Isaac  M.  Smith 
Isaac  M.  Smith 
Isaac  M.  Smith 
Isaac  M.  Smith 
J.  A.  Sipley 
J.  A.  Sipley 
J.  A.  Sipley 
Geo.  R.  Clemens 


Treasurer 
C.  E.  Davis 
C.  E.  Davis 
C.  E.  Davis 
Adam  IT.  Kester 
Adam  H.  Kester 
Joseph  Cromley 
G.  P.  Worden 
H.  C.  Lambert 
E.   P.  Hartman 
Wm.  Wikel 
C.  L.  Kester 

C.  L.  Kester 
Chas.  T.  Nash 
Chas.  T.  Nash 

D.  H.  Palmer 
D.  H.  Palmer 
C.  H.  Hudson 
C.  H.  Hudson 


Assessor 
W.  R.  Snvder 
W.  R.  Snyder 
W.  R.  Snyder 
N.  W.  Bucklin 
Byron  R.  Beebe 
Geo.  I.  Nash 
Jas.  Cowling 
G,  G.  Woodmansee 
Wm.  G.  Roy 
Geo.  I.  Nash 
Geo.  I.  Nash 
Wm.  G.  Roy 
Chas.  Wing 
Geo.  A.  Paxon 
E.  E.   Schall 
E.  P.  Hartman 
R.  J.  Walker 
W.  R.  Walker 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


407 


1897— D. 

1898— M. 
1899— M, 
1900— J. 
190T— J. 
1902 — T. 
1903— J- 
1904— J. 
1905 — C. 
1906 — C. 


H.  Palmer 

Geo.  R.  Clemens 

H.  F.  Bent 

.    B.   Welcher 

Geo.  R.  Clemens 

H.  F.  Bent 

.   B.  Welcher 

Geo.  R.  Clemens 

Bert  S.  Jones 

A.  Sipley 

Geo.  R.  Clemens 

Bert  S.  Jones 

A.  Sipley 

Geo.  R.  Clemens 

Clyde  Goodrich 

E.  Warr 

Geo.  R.  Clemens 

Bert  Ward 

J.  Nash 

W.  M.  Beadle 

Bert  Ward 

}.  Nash 

W.  M.  Beadle 

LeRoy  S.  Long 

E.  Davis 

W.  M.  Beadle 

LeRoy  S.  Long 

E.  Davis 

W.  M.  Beadle 

C.  W.  Dailey 

F.  S.  Hall 

S.  W.  DeCoii 

F.  S.  Hall 

H.  M.  Nottingham 

F.  S.  Hall 

F.  S.  Hall 

F.  S.  Hall 

J.  B    Fortner 

J.  B.  Fortner 

LeRoy  S.  Long 


At  the  first  election  six  trustees  were  elected,  three  for  two  years 
and  three  for  one  year.  At  each  election  thereafter  three  trustees  were 
elected  for  two  years  and  to  fill  vacancies  as  they  occurred. 

i87g,_Kenyon  Bly,  two  years;  W.  O.  Mathews,  two  years;  Lean- 
der  Bridge,  two  years;  B.  R.  Beebe,  one  year;  Alexander  Taylor,  one 
year ;  R.  R.  Beebe,  one  year. 

i88o^_Alex.  Taylor,  F.  S.  Sweetland,  John  Bane. 
i88i_\\^  O.  Mathews,  Solomon  Stern,  Wm.  Lutes.     Vacancies, 
L.  C.  Burney,  T.  PI.  Cooley. 

1882— Alex.  Taylor,  I.  M.  Smith,  J.  A.  Jones.  Vacancy,  \V.  R. 
Snyder. 

1883 — David  Snvder,  Chas.  Edwards,  Isaac  Zeigler. 
1884— C.  H.  Hudson,  J.  C.  Joiner,  I.  M.  Smith. 
1885— Thos.  H.  Cooley,  L.  B.  DesVoignes,  Addison  E.  Sill. 
1886— Joel  J.  Nash,  Geo.  W.  Krowl,  Jas.  S.  Cowling. 
1887 — ^Chas!  Edwards,  J.  O.  Apted,  F.  H.  Drummond. 
1888 — David  Snyder,  Wm.  Lutes,  C.  E.  Davis. 
1889^0.  P.  Worden,  E.  M.  Ketcham,  O.  W.  Remington. 
1890^ — David  Snyder,  R.  D.  Snyder,  William  Lutes. 
1891— J.  A.   Jones,  Alex.  Taylor,  H.  C.  Loveridge. 
1892— W.  O.'  George,  G.  W.  Krowl,  Robt.  Milliman. 
1893— Solomon  Stern,  Clark  L.  Bee]>e,  Ernest  Shillito.     Vacancy, 
Peter  Schall. 

1894— C.  Lomison,  Geo.  W.  Jones,  H.  E.  Moon. 
1895— Solomon  Stern,  Ernest  Shillito,  J.  J.  Nash. 
1896— G.  W.  Adams,  M.  B.  Welcher,  G.  W.  Krowl. 
1897— C.  E.  Carpenter,  L  M.  Smith,  C.  H.  Hudson. 
1898— J.  J.  Fisher,  G.  W.  Krowl,  D.  H.  Palmer. 
i899^H.  F.  Bent,  S.  W.  DeCou,  Clyde  Goodrich.     Vacancy,  A. 
A.  Nash. 

igoo — ^Joseph  Gearhart,  Thos.  Warr,  Abram  Huff. 
1901— S.  W.  DeCou,  T.  W.  Holmes,  H.  F.  Bent. 
igo2— T.    H.   Cooley,    C   C.   Long,   Alex.    Taylor.     Vacancy,    C 
Lomison. 

1903— C.  Lomison,  Thos.  Warr,  E.   S.  Conklin.     Vacancy,  Solo- 
mon Stern. 


408 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


1904 — C.  E.  Carpenter,  I.  M.  Smith,  H.  J.  Hoover. 
1905 — A.  E.  Bailey,  W.  O.  George,  C.  C.  Long. 
1906 — R.  E.  Yeuells,  H.  J.  Hoover,  J,  E.  Spigelmyer. 


Vandalta. 

President 

Clerk 

Assessor 

Treasurer 

1875— Geo.  J-  'lownsend  Jos.  L.  Sturr 

1876 — Geo.  J.  Townsend  Jos.  L.  Sturr 

Geo.  Longsduff 

J.  Alexander 

1877 — Geo.  J.  Townsend  Jo:-    L.  Sturr 

Geo.  Longsduff 

J.  Alexander 

1878— John  H.  East 

Jos.  L.  Sturr 

R.  S.  Pemberton 

J.  Alexander 

i87g— John   Alexander 

Jos.  L.  Sturr 

jNI.  a.  Thompson 

Wm.  Green 

1880— John   Alexander 

M.  A.  Thompson 

Jos.  L.  Sturr 

Wm.  Green 

1881 — Geo.  Longsduff 

Jos.  L.  Sturr 

Jos.  L.  Sturr 

Wm.  Green 

1882 — Geo.  Longsduff 

Jos.  L.  Sturr 

Jos.  L.  Sturr 

Wm.  Green 

1883 — Geo.  Longsduff 

Jos.  L.  Sturr 

Jos.  L.  Sturr 

Wm.  Green 

1884— H.  H.  Phillips 

Jos.  L.  Sturr 

Geo.  Longsduff 

Lot  B.  James 

1885-H.  H.  Phillips 

Chas.  F.  Johnston 

A.  L.  Tharp 

Wm.  Green 

1886— W.  0.  Sisson 

Leslie  Green 

Geo.  Longsduff 

Wm.  Green 

1887 — Geo.  J.  Townsend  R.  S.  Pemberton 

Geo.  Longsduff 

J.  N.  Curtis 

1888— W.  PL  Honeyman  R.  S.  Pemberton 

R.   S.   Pemberton 

Wm    Green 

1889— W.  H.  Honeyman  R.  S.  Pemberton 

J.  Alexander 

Joel   Shilling 

1890 — W.  H.  Honeyman  C.   Fellows 

J.  Alexander 

Joel  Shilling 

1891 — L.  L.  Lovenberg 

F.  J\L  Dodge 

J.  Alexander 

Joel  Shilling 

1892— W.   C.  Rinehart 

F.  M.  Dodge 

C.  L.  Pemberton 

Joel  Shilling 

1893 — L.  Osborn 

C.  H.  Dodge 

J.  N.  Curtis 

Joel  Shilling 

1894 — L.  Osborn 

C.  H.  Dodge 

L.  L.  Lavenberg 

Joel  Shilling 

i8q5— L.  Osborn 

C.  H.  Dodge 

Geo.  Longsduff 

S.  A.  Bogue 

1896— W.  H.  Honeyman  C.  H.  Dodge 

Geo.  Longsduff 

Lewie  Freer 

1897— W.  H.  Honeyman  F.  M.  Dodge 

Geo.  Longsduff 

S.  H.  Thomas 

1898— W.  0.  Sisson 

F.  jM.  Dodge 

Leslie  Green 

E.  F.  Lewis 

1899 — Geo.  Longsduff 

F.  M.  Dodge 

H.  S.  East 

Thos   J.  Mealoy 

1900 — Lot  B.  James 

F.  M.  Dodge 

H.  S.  East 

Thos.  J.  Mealoy 

190T — Lot  B.  James 

F   M.  Dodge 

H.  S.  East 

F.  E.  Faulkner 

1902 — ].  M.  Bonine 

F.  M.  Dodge 

H.  S.  East 

F.  E.   Faulkner 

1903 — Wm.  Green 

Percy  E.  Lutes 

H.  S.  East 

Geo.  J.  Townsend 

1904— E.  F.  Lewis 

S.  A.  Bogue 

H.  S.  East 

J.  M.  Bonine 

1905— E.  F.  Lewis 

W.  H.  Pemberton 

H.  S.  East 

S.  A.  Bogue 

1906— E.  F.  Lewis 

W.  H.  Pemberton 

S.  A.   Bogue 

Oscar  Loupee 

Trustees 

1875— J.   B.   Lutz,   Geo.   Longsduff,   G.    S.   Osborn,   J.    H.    East,   Leander   Osborn,   W. 

F.   Bort.     After  this  year  but  three   were  elected,   three  holding  over. 
1876 — Wm.  F.  Bort,   John   King,   John  F.   Lemon 
1877 — Wm.  Green,   W.   O.    Sisson,   Chas.   R.   Dodge. 
1878 — H.   H.   Phillips,  Leander  Osborn,  James   B.   Bonine. 
1879— F.   H.  Reiff,   Wm.   Mulrine,  Geo.  J.   Townsend. 
1880 — Peter   Snyder,  Leander   Osborn.   Alex.   L.   Thorp. 
1881— R.  S.  Pemberton,  Alex.  L.  Thorp,  Wm.  Mulrine. 
1882 — Leander   Osborn,   H.   A.   Snyder,   Geo.   W.   Van   Antwerp. 
T883— Wm.    Mulrine.    D.    K.    Thurston,    Peter    Smith. 
1884— Peter    Smith,    Wm.    Mulrine,    W.    O.    Sisson. 
1885 — N.  J.  Crosby,  W.  H.  Honeyman,  O.   C.  Grennell. 
1886— B.  L.  Rudd,   Nelson   J.   Crosbv,  W.   H.   Honeyman. 
1887— S.  W.  Van   Antwerp,  Wm.  M'ulrine,   Chas.  R.   Dodge. 
1888— Edwin  Ely,   E.  T.   Lundy,   Geo.  M.  Wilson. 
1889 — W.  C.  Rinehart,  E.  M.  Alexander.  L.  L.  Lavenberg. 
1890 — James  B.   Bfonine,  Edwin   Ely,  E.  M.   Alexander. 
1891 — W.  Carl  Bogue,  C.  H.  Bonine,  E.  C.  Doane. 
1892 — Geo.   Longsduff,   D.    K.   Thurston,   O.    C.   Johnston. 
1893 — Chas.  R.  Dodge,  L.  L.  Lavenberg,  C.  H.  Bonine. 


/^>L^i^.. 


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"^^  ^-^T-^    t'-t?' 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  409 


1894— W.  H.  Honeyman,  E.  F.  Lewis,  W.  Carl  Bogue. 

1895— Chas.  W.  East,  L.  J.  Reynolds,  Jonas  Ruple. 

1896— L.   L.  Lavenberg,  John  N.   Bonine,  James   M.   Bonine. 

1897— Henry  O.  Deal,  Chas.  W.  East,  Lot  B.  James. 

1898— Fred  W.   Williams,  John  N.   Curtis. 

1899— G.   L.  Hollister,  Chas.   W.   East,   Chas.   R.  Dodge. 

1900— James  M.  Bonine,  C.  F.  Pillows,  John  N.  Bonine. 

1901— Fred  G.  Pollock,- G.  L.  Hollister,  C.  H.  Bonine. 

1902 — Lot    B.    James,    E.    F.    Lewis,    Edwin    Ely. 

1903 — D.  K.  Thurston,  Geo.  Longsduff,  Harry  j.  Keen. 

1904— Wm.    Oxenford,   Geo.   Longsduff,   Lot   B.   James. 

1905— Harry  J.  Keene,  F.  W.  Harris,  George  Longsduff. 

1906— F.  B.  Lewis,  B.  L.  Evans,  Lot  B.  James. 


HON.  THOMAS  T.  HIGGINS. 

For  many  years  Hon.  Thomas  T.  Higgins  has  been  regarded  as  a 
representative  and  prosperous  farmer  of  Cass  county,  and  at  the  present 
time  he  is  making  a  notable  record  as  a  member  of  the  general  assem- 
bly, being  now  for  the  second  term  representative  from  his  district  in 
the  Michigan  legislature.  To  the  energetic  natures  and  strong  mental- 
ity of  such  men  is  due  the  success  and  ever  increasing  prosperity  of  the 
Repul^lican  party,  in  this  state  and  in  the  hands  of  this  class  of  citizens 
there  is  every  assurance  that  the  best  interests  and  welfare  of  the  party 
will  be  attended  to,  resulting  in  a  successful  culmination  of  the  highest 
ambitions  and  expectations  entertained  by  its  adherents.  Throughout 
his  life  Mr.  Higgins  has  been  a  loyal  citizen,  inibued  with  patriotism 
and  fearless  in  defense  of  his  honest  convictions,  and  he  is  now  advocat- 
ing in  legislative  halls  and  before  the  people  the  principles  which  he  be- 
lieves will  best  advance  the  w^elfare  of  the  commonwealth.  Such  is  the 
man  wliose  life  history  forms  the  theme  of  this  article.  He  makes  his 
home  on  section  17,  Jefiferson  township,  and  W'hen  not  engaged  with  the 
W'Cighty  duties  of  his  office  his  time  and  energies  are  concentrated  upon 
tlie  successful  conduct  of  what  is  one  of  the  best  improved  farms  in 
Cass  county. 

Mr.  Higgins  was  born  in  Randolph  county,  Indiana,  on  the  loth 
of  February,  1844,  and  is  of  Irish  lineage,  the  family  having  been 
founded  in  America  early  in  the  eighteenth  century.  The  name  Hig- 
gins was  known  in  the  old  Emerald  Isle  as  Higginson,  but  now  is 
known  as  Higgins.  The  representatives  of  the  name  in  America  are 
descended  from  Thomas  Higgins,  an  early  settler  of  Delaware,  and 
the  family  has  furnished  to  various  states  prorninent  representatives, 
who  have  held  important  public  positions.  This  number  includes  Gov- 
ernor Higgins,  of  New^  York,  who  is  a  second  cousin  of  the  subject 
of  this  review^  His  paternal  grandfather,  Joseph  Higgins,  was  a  native 
of  Ireland.  His  father,  James  T.  Higgins,  was  born  in  Wilmington, 
Delaware,  at  the  old  home  of  the  family  in  1807,  and  there  spent  the 


41^  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

clays  of  his  boyhood  and  youth,  while  in  the  public  schools  he  acquired 
his  education.  In  1829,  when  a  young  man  of  twenty-two  years,  Pres- 
ident Andrew  Jackson  gave  him  charge  of  the  mail  route  from  New 
Castle  to  Fort  Delaware.  While  still  a  young  man  he  assumed  the 
work  of  grading  the  first  interurban  railroad  in  the  country,  from  New 
Castle  to  Chesapeake  Bay,  working  under  Joseph  Cannon.  Much  of 
his  life,  however,  was  devoted  to  agricultural  pursuits.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  the  east  but  at  an  early  day  the  spirit  of  the  pioneer  led  him 
to  the  wilds  of  Indiana,  and  for  some  time  he  resided  in  Randolph 
county,  whence  in  1858  he  came  to  Cass  county,  Michigan,  settling  in 
LaGrange  township,  wdiere  he  purchased  a  tract  of  land  and  improved 
a  farm.  He  voted  for  McClellan  in  1864,  but  early  gave  his  political 
support  to  the  Republi'can  party.  How^ever,  he  cast  his  ballot  for  Fre- 
mont, its  first  presidential  candidate,  and  for  Lincoln  in  1860'.  He  wed- 
ded Miss  Mary  Higgins,  who  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey  and  was  de- 
scended from  the  same  ancestry.  She  lived  to  be  fifty-nine  years  of 
age,  while  James  T.  Higgins,  the  father,  reached  the  very  venerable 
age  of  ninety-one  years.  In  their  family  were  eight  children,  three 
sons  and  five  daughters,  all  of  whom  grew  to  manhood  or  womanhood, 
but  only  three  are  now  living:  Thomas  T.,  of  this  review;  George; 
and  Mary,  the  wife  of  William  Hass,  of  LaGrange  towMiship. 

Hon.  Thomas  T.  Higgins  was  the  eldest  son  and  fifth  cliild  in  his 
father's  family.  He  w^as  reared  in  Richmond,  Wayne  county,  and  in 
Randolph  county,  Indiana,  and  was  a  youth  of  sixteen  years  when  he 
came  w^ith  his  parents  to  Cass  county,  Michigan.  His  early  education 
had  been  acquired  in  the  schools  of  Richmond,  and  he  afterward  con- 
tinued his  studies  in  w^hat  is  known  as  the  Mechanicsburg  scliool  in 
LaGrange  township.  He  has  largely  been  dependent  upon  his  own  re- 
sources from  the  age  of  sixteen  years  and  his  inherent  force  of  char- 
acter, his  utilization  of  opportunity  and  his  unremitting  diligence  in 
everything  that  he  has  undertaken  have  constituted  the  basis  of  his 
success.  When  about  twenty-one  3^ears  of  age  he  went  south  and  was 
employed  as  government  teamster  for  about  three  months.  This  was 
at  the  close  of  the  war.  He  then  returned  to  Cass  county,  where  he 
began  farming  on  his  owm  account  and  throughout  his  active  business 
career  he  has  carried  on  general  agricultural  pursuits. 

In  1867  Mr.  Higgins  was  tmited  in  marriage  to  Miss  Caroline 
Rathbum,  a  daughter  of  Lucius  and  Sarah  (Click)  Rathbum  and  a 
native  of  Jefiferson  township,  her  people  having  located  in  Jeflferson 
township,  Cass  county,  at  a  very  early  day.  Mr.  Higgins  lived  upon 
his  father's  farm  for  a  time  and  afterward  upon  his  father-in-law's 
property,  but  in  1869  took  up  his  abode  upon  the  farm  on  which  he 
now  resides  on  section  17,  Jefferson  township.  At  that  time  only 
twenty  acres  of  land  had  been  cleared  and  cultivated.  He  at  once, 
however,  continued  the  work  of  development,  placed ,  the  greater  part 
of  the  land  under  the  plow  and  has  put  all  of  the  improvements  upon 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  411 

the  property,  which  is  now  a  splendidly  cultivated  farm,  comprising  two 
hundred  acres  of  rich  and  arable  land,  from  which  he  annually  harvests 
large  crops.  His  first  home  was  a  log  cabin,  but  this  has  long  since 
been  replaced  by  a  more  commodious  and  substantial  modern  resi- 
dence. In  all  of  his  farm  work  he  is  energetic  and  painstaking.  He 
thoroughly  understands  his  business,  and  in  fact  thoroughness  is  one 
of  his  marked  characteristics,  manifest  in  all  that  he  has  undertaken 
in  every  relation  of  life.  He  is  also  thoroughly  reliable  in  his  business 
transactions,  his  name  being  a  synonym  for  integrity  and  straightfor- 
^yard  dealing. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Higgins  have  been  born  five  children :  J.  P., 
who  is  now  living  in  Dowagiac,  wedded  Miss  Mabel  Palmer 
and  is  engaged  in  real  estate;  Florence,  who  is  the  wife  of  Fred 
Shurter,  a  resident  farmer  of  Jefferson  tow^nship;  Claude,  who  was 
a  mail  carrier  on  a  rural  route,  but  now  an  agriculturist;  he  wedded 
Leona  Gifford;  Leila,  the  wife  of  Fred  Whitmore,  also  living  in  Jef- 
ferson township;  and  Elsie,  the  wife  of  Henry  AtLee,  of  the  state  of 
Washington. 

In  April,  1871,  Mr,  Higgins  w^as  made  a  Mason  and  is  one  of 
the  oldest  representatives  of  Cassopolis  lodge.  He  also  belongs  to  the 
Chapter  at  Cassopolis  and  is  a  prominent  representative  of  the  frater- 
nity here.  In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  stanch  Republican,  taking 
an  ^active  interest  in  the  local  work  of  the  party  and  doing  everything 
in  his  power  to  insure  its  success.  He  has  held  various  local  offices, 
but  still  higher  political  honors  awaited  him,  for  in  1903  he  was  chosen 
to  represent  his  district  in  the  state  legislature  by  a  vote  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty-two.  He  proved  an  active  working  member  of  the  house  and 
that  his  constitutents  regarded  favorably  his  efforts  in  their  behalf  is 
shown  by  the  fact  that  in  ic)05  he  was  re-elected  by  a  largely  increased 
majoritv  of  nine  hundred.  He  has  delivered  various  campaign  speeches 
and  is  a  forceful,  earnest  speaker,  and  is  today  accounted  one  of  the 
prominent  representatives  of  the  party  in  the  county.  He  has  also  left 
the  impress  of  his  individuality  upon  state  legislation.  He  has  never 
pretended  to  be  an  orator  and  the  members  of  the  house  who  at  first 
were  not  inclined  to  pav  much  attention  to  the  speeches  of  the  farmer 
representative  soon  found  out  that  they  had  to  cope  with  a  force  on 
w^hich  they  had  little  reckoned.  His  earnestness  and  his  honesty  w^ere 
not  alone  his  strong  characteristics,  although  these  traits  are  most 
commendable.  His  fellow  members  found,  too,  that  he  had  been  a 
student  of  the  questions  and  issues  of  the  day  and  that  he  had  a  keen 
and  shrewd  insight  into  matters  which  came  up  for  discussion.  A  pub- 
lication of  recent  date  said:  ''He  is  always  steady  and  honest  and 
when  he  set  himself  the  other  day  to  oppose  the  attorney  general  s  bill 
to  allow  the  institution  in  Itigham  county  of  state  cases  against  parties 
'^Of  ^11  sections  of  the  state  he  won  a  victory.  The  house  voted  the  bill 
''W^n'-  His  speech  on  tW^t  occasion  is  regarded  as  his  best  address  to 


4iii  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

the  legislature."  Mr.  Higgins  also  won  wide  attention  by  a  plan  for 
the  solution  of  the  primary  reform  problem  and  his  suggestion  won 
approval  from  both  wings  in  the  reform  fight.  In  regard  to  this  meas- 
ure the  reix)rter  for  the  work  of  the  house,  H.  M.  Nimmo'  said:  ''Rep- 
resentative Higgins  of  Cass  has  come  forward  with  a  solution  of  the 
primary  reform  muddle  that  has  already  found  favor  with  several  of 
the  opponents  of  direct  nominations,  including  Governor  Warner.  His 
compromise  proposition  is  this :  Retain  the  state  conventions  to  name 
candidates  to  be  placed  on  the  party  ballots  and  give  the  people  a  chance 
to  choose  the  nominee  by  direct  vote  from  among  the  candidates  for 
state  offices  so  endorsed.  Higgins  has  also  accepted  the  suggestion  that 
each  candidate  be  endorsed  by  at  least  twenty-five  per  cent  of  the  del- 
egates of  the  state  convention  before  his  name  can  go  on  the  ballot. 
His  measure  has  received  the  endorsement  of  many  men  prominent  in 
the  ranks  of  the  Republican  party,  including  Governor  Warner,  Chair- 
man Stone  of  the  house  elections  committee,  banking  commissioner 
Moore  and  others."  As  stated,  Mr.  Higgins  has  made  himself  felt  as 
a  forceful  factor  in  the  affairs  of  the  commonwealth,  and  that  he  has 
won  the  confidence  and  support  of  his  fellow  citizens  is  indicated  by 
the  fact  of  his  largely  increased  majority  at  his  second  election.  His 
career  has  been  one  of  activity,  full  of  incidents  and  results,  and  by 
his  excellent  public  service  and  upright  life  he  has  honored  the  commu- 
nity that  has  honored  him  with  official  preferment. 

GEORGE  W.  JONES. 

George  W.  Jones,  at  one  time  closely,  actively  and  helpfully  con- 
nected with  the  substantial  development  and  progress  of  Marcellus 
and  Cass  county,  was  born  in  Prel>le  county,  Ohio,  on  tlie  3rd  of 
April,  1824,  and  died  April  29,  1896.  He  came  to  Michigan  about  1830, 
in  company  with  his  parents,  Henry  and  Hannah  Jones,  who  located 
on  Young's  Prairie.  In  the  spring  of  1849,  attracted  by  the  discovery 
of  gold  on  the  Pacific  slope,  he  made  his  way  to  California,  where  he 
turned  his  attention  to  mining.  After  two  years,  learning  that  unless 
extraordinary  efforts  were  made  the  large  possessions  of  his  father — 
nine  hundred  acres — would  be  lost,  he  returned  to  his  home  to  do  his 
share  toward  saving  the  property.  Six  weeks  after  his  return  the  father 
died,  leaving  the  weight  of  heavy  financial  obligations  on  his  shoulders. 
He  was  appointed  administrator  of  the  estate,  which,  however,  was 
much  encumbered,  and  capable  financiers  said  that  he  would  never  be 
able  to  pay  off  the  debts.  Nothing  daunted,  however,  and  with  reso- 
lute spirit  and  determined  energy,  he  set  to  work,  and  with  the  assist- 
ance of  his  two  younger  brothers,  F.  J.  and  J.  G.  Jones,  after  eleven 
years,  as  the  result  of  good  financiering,  economy  and  unfaltering  labor, 
he  was  enabled  to  divide  twenty-two  thousand  dollars  among  the  eleven 
heirs  to  the  estate.     Having  purchased  the  interest  of  some  of  the  other 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  413 

heirs  in  the  home  property,  he  erected  on  the  farm  the  present  fine  res- 
idence now  owned  by  his  heirs.  Two  years  subsequent  George  W. 
Jones,  in  company  with  Orson  Rudd,  purchased  two  hundred  and  seven 
acres  of  land  on  which  is  now  located  the  village  of  Wakelee  and  in 
1882  he  owned  three-fourths  of  the  original  purchase.  In  all  of  his 
lousiness  undertakings  he  displayed  remarkable  foresight  and  sagacity. 
With  prophetic  eye  he  seemed  to  see  the  line  of  the  railroad  and  recog- 
nized that  the  present  site  of  Marcellus  would  prove  an  eligible  one  for 
a  village.  Accordingly  he  bought  two  hundred  and  eleven  acres  of 
land  at  what  was  then  considered  the  extravagant  price  of  thirteen  thou- 
sand dollars.  In  1870  he  began  to  lay  out  the  village,  and  the  success 
that  attended  his  efforts  may  be  readily  learned  by  a  visit  to  this  enter- 
prising and  prosperous  town.  In  1877,  becoming  impressed  with  the 
fact  that  Marcellus  needed  a  bank,  he  opened  such  an  institution,  al- 
though he  had  had  no  previous  experience  in  the  banking  business. 
He  made  his  son,  C.  S.  Jones,  his  cashier,  and  the  new  enterprise  proved 
successful  beyond  his  anticipation.  He  displayed  marked  business  abil- 
ity, executive  force  and  correct  judgment,  and  whatever  he  undertook 
seemed  destined  to  win  success.  The  secret  of  his  prosperity,  however, 
is  found  in  his  unremitting  diligence,  careful  study  of  any  plan  which 
he  formulated  and  his  determination  in  carrying  it  forward  to  com- 
pletion. 

On  the  28th  of  December,  1853,  Mr.  Jones  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Emma  B.  Sherman,  a  daughter  of  E.  B.  Sherman  of  Cassopo- 
lis,  by  whom  he  had  two  sons,  Frank  S.  and  Carroll  S.,  the  latter  the 
present  cashier  of  the  bank,  which  was  incorporated  as  a  state  bank 
in  1897.  Carroll  S.  Jones  was  married  to  Miss  Bessie  E.  Caul,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Andrew  F.  Caul,  one  of  the  prominent  farmers  of  Marcellus 
township,  and  they  have  two  children,  Donna  V.  and  Carroll  B.  The 
senior  brother,  who  is  unmarried,  is  president  of  the  bank. 

In  1870  George  W.  Jones  was  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss 
of  his  first  wife,  who  died  on  the  20th  of  November  of  that  year.  On 
the  15th  of  March,  1876,  he  wedded  Miss  Lizzie  Osborn,  a  daughter 
of  Nathan  Osborn,  who  was  a  real  estate  dealer  and  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  St.  Joseph  county,  Michigan.  He  was  circuit  judge  of  that  county 
and  held  other  positions  of  importance.  His  birth  occurred  in  Con- 
necticut, but  his  daughter,  M^s.  Jones,  was  born  in  St.  Joseph  county,  . 
Michigan,  was  educated  there  and  became  a  resident  of  South  Bend. 
She  was  one  of  eight  children,  being  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth.  Her 
brother,  Hon.  James  D.  Osborn,  was  on  the  bench  of  the  circuit  court 
at  Elkhart,  Indiana,  and  another  brother,  Hon.  George  W.  Osborn, 
represented  St.  Joseph  county  in  the  Michigan  legislature.  Unto  Mr. 
Jones  by  his  second  marriage  were  born  two  children :  Henry  B.,  who 
is  now  a  banker  at  Santa  Rosa,  New  Mexico,  and  Vera  May,  the  wife 
of  Walter  F.  Smith,  of  Goshen,  Indiana,  a  real  estate  dealer  of  that 
place. 


414  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Mr.  Jones  was  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  but  did 
not  become  a  member  of  any  church,  althouj^h  he  frequently  attended 
reh'gious  services  and  contributed  liberaHy  to  their  suonort,  bein^  a 
firm  believer  in  Jesus  Christ  and  His  teachings.  His  political  alleg-iance 
was  given  to  the  Democracy,  but  he  was  without  aspiration  for  office, 
preferring  to  give  his  time^and  his  eners^ies  to  his  business  interests, 
which  were  capably  managed,  winnins:  for  him  a  gratifying  measure 
of  prosperity  as  the  years  went  by.  He  died  in  1896,  honored  and  re- 
spected by  all  who  knew  him  not  only  by  reason  of  the  success  he  had 
achieved,  but  also  because  of  the  straightforward  business  policy  he 
had  ever  followed. 

ALEXANDFR  TAYLOR. 

Alexander  Taylor,  who  is  giving  his  attention  to  the  manasfement 
of  a  farm  in  Cass  county  and  who  in  various  offices  has  proved  his  loy- 
alty to  the  general  welfare,  maintains  his  residence  in  Marcellus.  He 
was  born  in  Scotland  in  1845  ^^'^^  '^^  ^  ^^^  ^f  Alexander  and  Helen 
(Stuart)  Taylor,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Scotland.  The  father, 
who  was  a  cattle  dealer,  spent  his  entire  life  there.  The  mother  was  a 
descendnnt  of  the  famous  royal  house  of  Stuart.  By  this  marriage 
there  were  nine  children,  all  of  whom  came  to  the  United  States,  namelv : 
William,  who  died  in  Canada ;  Jane,  who  is  the  deceased  wife  of  Will- 
iam Matthewson,  a  farmer  of  Will  county,  Illinois:  Alexander,  of  this 
review;  John,  a  stonecutter  of  Illinois;  Ellen,  the  wife  of  Joseph  Thomp- 
son, a  Chicago  mechanic ;  Jessie,  the  deceased  wife  of  Walter  Grave,  a 
farmer  of  Will  county,  Illinois;  Mary  A.,  the  wife  of  Albert  French,  a 
capitalist  of  Chicago;  Isabella,  who  married  Allen  Fleming,  an  agri- 
culturist of  McHenry  county,  Illinois;  and  William  Andrew,  who  died 
in  early  life. 

Alexander  Taylor  was  reared  upon  a  farm  and  attended  school  at 
Elgin,  Scotland,  his  native  place.  The  labor  of  the  fields  claimed  his 
attention  in  his  later  youth  and  early  manhood,  and  in  1866,  hoping  to 
enjoy  better  business  privileges  in  the  new  world,  he  crossed  the  Atlan- 
tic to  the  United  States  and  located  in  Will  county,  Illinois,"  where  he 
began  contracting  for  timber.  In  1875  he  came  to  Michigan,  settling 
in  Marcellus,  and  here  entered  into  partnership  with  A.  S.  Hunt  in 
the  sawmill  business,  under  the  firm  style  of  Hunt  &  Taylor.  This 
was  continued  for  a  year,  at  the  end  of- which  time  he  purchased  his 
partner's  interest  and  admitted  Alexander  Doig  to  a  partnership.  That 
association  was. also  maintained  for  a  year.  The  firm  of  Hunt  &  Tay- 
lor lost  heavily  through  a  fire  before  Mr.  Taylor  formed  his  partnership 
with  Mr.  Doig,  whom  he  later  bought  out,  continuing  the  business  alone 
for  about  fifteen  years.  During  his  partnership  with  Mr.  Doig,  how- 
ever, a  boiler  e:kploded,  killing  three  men  and  injuring  Mr.  Taylor.  He 
purchased  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  at  Marcellus,  consti- 
tuting one  of  the  best  properties  of  the  county,  and  for  a  number  of 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  ,       415 

years  his  attention  has  been  given, to  its  supervision  without  other  busi- 
ness interests,  save  that  he  is  executor  of  the  large  estate  of  J.  F.  Goff. 

In  1876  Mr.  Taylor  was  united  in  marriage  to  MissLydia  Beck, 
a  daughter  of  Levi  and  Catherine  Beck  and  a  native  of  Indiana.  Her 
father  was  a  tailor  by  trade  and  was  the  owner  of  considerable  land 
in  Marcellus  township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor  have  become  the  parents 
of  four  children  :  Belle,  who  married  Arthur  Pyne,  a  professor  of  mu- 
sic in  Geneva,  New  York;  Grace,  a  school  teacher  in  Minneapolis;  Flor- 
ence, the  wife  of  Earl  B.  Sill,  a  farmer  and  stock  buyer  of  Marcellus; 
and  Catherine,  who  is  attending  school  in  Marcellus.^ 

The  parents  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and 
Mr.  Taylor  belongs  to  the  Masonic  fraternity,  while  his  political  sup- 
]X)rt  is  given  to  the  Republican  party.  He  was  appointed  by  the  state 
land  commissioner  as  appraiser  of  state  lands,  and  for  two  terms  he  has 
served  as  president  of  the  village  of  Marcellus.  During  his  incumbency 
in  that  office  the  waterworks  were  built  and  modern  reforms  and  im- 
provements were  inaugurated.  For  sixteen  years  he  served  on  the  city 
council  and  during  that  time  was  instrumental  in  establishing  the  village 
electric  light  plant.  He  has  likewise  been  a  member  and  director  of 
the  village  school  board  for  two  terms  and  has  been  chairman  of  the 
Republican  township  committee,  being  recognized  as  one  of  the  leaders 
of  his  party  in  this  portion  of  the  county.  Coming  to  America  when 
a  young  man,  with  laudable  ambition  to  attain  success,  he  has  improved 
his  opportunities  and  so  directed  his  labors  as  to  win  a  place  among  the 
enterprising  citizens  of  the  community  and  is  now  in  possession  of  a  com- 
fortable competence  that  has  been  acquired  entirely  through  his  well 
directed  efforts. 

J.  V.  BLOOD,  M.  D. 

Dr.  J.  V.  Blood,  who  is  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  and 
surgery  in  Jones,  is  one  of  Michigan's  native  sons,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred in  Kent  county  on  the  13th  of  February,  1879.  Although  a  young 
man,  he  has  met  with  enviable  success  equal  to  that  of  many  a  practi- 
tioner of  twice  his  years.  His  father,  J.  M.  Blood,  was  also  a  native  of 
Kent  county,  Michigan,  and  was  a  son  of  James  Blood,  who  was  born 
in  New  York  and  became  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  this  state,  taking 
up  his  abode  in  Kent  county  w^hen  it  was  a  pioneer  district.  He  was  of 
English  descent,  his  father  having  been  born  in  England.  He  saw 
Grand  Rapids  grow  from  its  infancy  to  its  present  state  of  development, 
and  in  the  county  where  he  lived  took  an  active  and  helpful  part  in  the 
work  of  public  progress  and  improvement.  Reared  in  Kent  county, 
J.  M.  Blood  became  a  prominent  fruit  farmer  of  Oceana  county,  Mich- 
igan, and  carried  on  business  successfully  there  for  many  years.  He 
wedded  Miss  Sarah  Angell,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  they  became  the  par- 
ents of  two  childrenrthe  daughter  being  Lena  Rose,  now  the  wife  of 
Roy  Morgan,  of  Shelby,  Oceana  county,  Michigan. 


4:16  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


/ 


Dr.  Blood,  who  was  the  elder  of  the  two  children,  was  but  a  young 
child  when  taken  by  his  parents  to  Oceana  county,  where  he  was  reared 
from  the  age  of  four  years.  He  began  his  education  in  the  district 
schools  and  afterward  attended  the  high  school'  of  Hart,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1898.  Having  determined  upon  the 
practice  of  medicine  as  a  life  work,  he  prepared  for  the  profession  as 
a  student  in  Hering  Homeopathic  Medical  College,  in  which  he  com- 
pleted the  regular  course  and  was  graduated.  He  has  now  been  prac- 
ticing for  about  four  years.  He  located  in  Jones  in  1905  and  has  built 
up  a  good  practice  here,  having  demonstrated  his  ability  to  successfully 
cope  with  the  many  intricate  and  complex  problems  which  continually 
confront  the  physician  in  his  efforts  to  check  the  ravages  of  disease  and 
restore  health. 

Dr.  Blood  was  married,  in  1905,  to  Miss  Marie  Von  Bokopf.  a 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Herman  Von  Bokopf.  She  was  born  and 
reared  in  Chicago,  acquiring  her  education  in  the  schools  there.  The 
young  couple  have  gained  many  warm  friends  during  their  residence 
in  Jones  and  the  hospitality  of  their  own  pleasant  home  is  greatly  en- 
joyed by  those  who  know  them.  Dr.  Blood  belongs  to  the  Knights  of 
the  Maccabees  and  to  the  Modern  Woodmen  camp  and  is  medical  ex- 
aminer of  the  latter.  He  was  assistant  surgeon  to  Dr.  R.  H.  Von  Kotsch 
for  Swift  &  Company  and  for  Libby,  McNeill  &  Libby,  of  Chicago. 
Dr.  Vx)n  Kotsch  is  now  a  resident  of  Cassopolis.  Dr.  Blood  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  International  Homeopathic  Medical  Association  and  also  of 
the  State  Medical  Society.  He  has  a  fine  practice  over  the  county  and 
is  making  gratifying  progress  in  his  profession,  where  he  has  already 
won  a  wide  reputation  and  gained  the  respect  and  confidence  of  his  pro- 
fessional brethren  as  well. 

DUANE  WITHERELL. 

Duane  Witherell,  whose  residence  in  the  county  dates  back  to  a 
period  of  early  progress  and  improvement,  was  born  on  section  35,  Pbka- 
gon  township,  April  22,  1847.  The  traveler  of  today,  looking  over  the 
splendidly  improved  farms  and  noting  the  varied  business  interests  of 
the  county,  can  scarcely  realize  the  great  change  that  has  been  wrought 
within  a  half  century,  and  yet  it  is  within  the  memory  of  Mr.  Wither- 
ell and  other  native  sons  of  the  county  when  much  of  the  land  was  un- 
cultivated and  there  w^as  on  every  hand  evidences  of  pioneer  life.  His 
father.  Oilman  Witherell,  was  a  native  of  New  Hampshire  and  in  1833 
arrived  in  Cass  county,  locating  in  Pokagon  township  about  1835.  He 
was  a  cooper  by  trade  and  followed  that  business  in  the  early  days, 
manufacturing  barrels,  which  he  would  then  haul  to  the  Chicago  mar- 
ket on  wagons.  He  afterward  turned  his  attention  to  farming  and  con- 
tinued in  the  work  of  tilling  the  soil  up  to  the  time  when  his  life's 
labors  were  ended  in  death.     He  passed  away  when  about  sixty-eight 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  417 

years  of  age,  while  his  wife  died  in  1868.  She  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Mar)^  A.  Simpson  and  was  born  in  New  Hampshire  in  18 12.  By  her 
marriage  she  became  the  mother  of  five  children,  two  of  whom  died  in 
early  youth,  while  Henry  lost  his  life  Avhile  defending  his  country  in 
the  Civil  war,  as  a  member  of  Company  I,  Fourth  Michigan  cavalry. 
George  died  in  California,  leaving  Duane  Witherell  the  only  surviving 
member  of  the  family. 

The  youngest  of  the  five  children,  Duane  Witherell  was  reared 
upon  the  old  homestead  and,  like  the  others,  acquired  a  common  school 
education,  while  in  the  work  of  the  farm  he  was  carefully  trained,  so 
that  he  was  well  qualified  to  take  charge  of  a  farm  of  his  own  when  he 
started  out  upon  an  independent  business  career.  He  has  always  lived 
in  this  county,  and  the  days  of  his  youth  were  unmarked  by  any  event 
of  special  importance  until  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age,  when  he  re- 
sponded to  the  country's  call  for  aid,  enlisting  in  1865  as  a  member  of 
the  Twenty-fourth  Michigan  Volunteer  infantry.  He  continued  with 
the  army  until  the  close  of  hostilities  and  then  returned  to  his  home  in 
Pokagon  township,  continuing  farm  work  there  upon  the  old  family 
homestead  up  to  the  time  of  his  marriage.  On  June  24,  1873,  he  wed- 
ded Miss  Dora  Stansell,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Margaret  Stansell. 
Mrs.  Witherell  was  born  in  the  state  of  New  York  August  10,  1852, 
and  was  brought  to  Cass  county  when  about  five  years  of  age.  At  the 
time  of  their  marriage  the  young  couple  located  on  a  farm  about  a  mile 
and  a  half  east  of  Pokagon,  remaining,  there  until  1901,  when  they  re- 
moved to  their  present  home  in  Pokagon  township.  He  has  been  a  life- 
long farmer  and  in  his  work  displays  a  practical  understanding  of  the 
business  in  all  of  its  departments,  combined  with  unremitting  industry 
and  energy  that  never  flags.  The  farm  comprises  three  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  of  rich  and  valuable  land  in  Pokagon  township,  and  in  addi- 
tion to  this  property  Mr.  Witherell  also  owns  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres 
in  Tennessee.  He  is  now  practically  retired  from  the  active  work  of 
the  farm,  which  he  has  given  over  to  the  charge  of  others,  wdiile  he  is 
now  enjoying  a  well  earned  rest. 

The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Witherell  has  been  blessed  with  two 
children:  Morris  G.  and  Clarence  D.  The  family  is  well  known  in  the 
county  and  the  members  of  the  household  occupy  an  enviable  position  in 
the  regard  of  friends  and  neighbors.  Mr.  Witherell  belongs  to  the 
Masonic  lodge  at  Pokagon  and  Mrs.  Witherell  is  a  member  of  the  Elast- 
ern  Star  of  Dowagiac,  Michigan,  and  he  has  been  a  life-long'  Republi- 
can. He  has  met  with  a  fair  measure  of  success  in  the  business  w^orld 
and  though  he  has  never  sought  to  figure  prominently  in  public"  life 
his  career  is  that  of  a  citizen  of  worth  who  by  the  faithful  performance 
of  each  day's  duties  contributes  to  the  sum  total  of  prosperity  add' 
progress. 


418  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

JAMES  McAllister. 

James  McAllister,  one  of  the  old  settlers  of   Pokagon  township 
living  on  section  29,  was  born  upon  this  farm  March   12,   1848,  and 
comes  of  Scotch  lineage.     His  father,  John  M.  McAllister,  was  a  native 
of  Scotland,  born  in  1814,  and  in  that  country  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Marian  Forsyth,  who  was  also  a  native  of  the  land  of  hills  and  heather. 
They   remained   in   that  country   until    1844,   when,   believing  that   he 
might  enjoy  better  business  opportunities  in  the  new  world,  Mr.  Mc- 
Allister came  to  the  United  States  and  journeyed  at  once  into  the  inte- 
rior of  the  county,  settling  uix)n  the  farm  whereon  his  son  James  now 
resides.     He  secured  here  a  wild  and  unimproved  tract  of  land,  but 
in  the  course  of  time  he  had  developed  it  into  good  fields  and  he  re- 
sided thereon  until  about  1870,  when  he  went  to  Texas.     He  purchased 
land  with  the  intention  of  locating  there,  but  he  was  not  long  permitted 
to  enjoy  his  new  home,  for  his  death  occurred  in  1875,  when  he  was 
in  his  vSixty-first  year.     His  widow  long  survived  him  and  lived  to  the 
advanced  age  of  eighty-seven  years,  spending  her  last  days  upon  the 
old  homestead  farm  in  Pokagon  township.     In  the  family  were  seven 
children,   of  whom  the  eldest  two  were  born  in   Scotland,   while  the 
others  were  all  born  in  Cass  county. 

James  McAllister,  the  fifth  child  of  his  father's  family,  spent  his 
boyhood  and  youth  upon  the  old  homestead  and  acquired  a  good  Eng- 
lish education  in  the  district  schools.  His  training  at  farm  labor  was 
not  meager  and  he  has  always  given  his  attention  to  general  agricult- 
ural pursuits.  He  now  has  ninety-two  acres  of  land  on  section  29, 
Pokagon  township,  and  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  on  section  20  of 
the  same  township,  so  that  his  realty  possessions  are  quite  extensive. 
The  land  in  this  part  of  the  state  is  rich  and  valuable  and  responds  read- 
ily to  cultivation,  so  that  his  fields  are  now  quite  productive.  He  votes 
with  the  Democratic  party,  but  has  never  been  an  aspirant  for  office, 
preferring  rather  to  give  his  attention  to  his  business  affairs. 

JAMES  H.  LEACH. 

James  H.  Leach  is  proprietor  of  an  attractive  summer  hotel  known 
as  Shore  Acres,  Avhich  stands  in  the  midst  of  a  valuable  farm  of  eighty 
acres  devoted  to  the  cultivation  of  fruit  and  garden  products.  In  his 
capacity  of  landlord  he  has  become  widely  known  and  popular  with 
many  patrons  and  is  meeting  with  gratifying  success  in  his  business 
affairs.  Numbered  among  Penn  township's  native  sons,  he  was  bom 
on  the  25th  of  November,  1847,  ^^^  is  a  representative  of  one  of  the 
pioneer  \*amilies  of  this  part  of  the  state.  His  parents  were  Joshua  and 
Matilda  (Smith)  Leach.  His  father  was  born  in  Vermont  in  181 2 
and  on  leaving  New  England  removed  to  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania, 
whence  he  came  to  Cass  county,  Michigan,  in  1833,  casting  in  his  lot 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  419 

among  the  early  settlers  who  were  reclaiming  the  wild  land  and  replac- 
ing the  evidences  of  frontier  life  by  the  conditions  which  indicate  im- 
provement and  progress.  He  settled  in  Penn  township,  where  he 
purchased  land,  upon  which  he  turned  the  first  furrows.  In  course  of 
time  he  had  broken  the  fields,  had  planted  seed  and  with  autumn  came 
good  crops.  He  cleared  up  a  great  amount  of  land  in  the  county  and 
his  efforts  were  beneficial  in  the  reclamation  of  what  was  once  a  wild 
and  unimproved  district.  He  died  in  his  seventy-ninth  year.  His  wife, 
who  was  a  native  of  Ohio  and  a  daughter  of  Eleazer  Smith,  of  St. 
Joseph  county,  Indiana,  was  sixty-five  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her 
demise.  In  their  family  were  eight  children,  of  whom  four  are  now 
living,  James  H.  being  the  fifth  child. 

In  taking  up  the  personal  history  of  James  H.  Leach,  we  present 
to  our  readers  the  life  record  of  one  who  is  widely  and  favorably  known. 
In  retrospect  one  can  see  him  a  farm  boy,  trudging  daily  to  school  dur- 
ing the  continuance  of  the  sessions  and  afterward  supplementing  his 
early  educational  privileges  by  a  course  in  the  high  school  at  Cassopolis. 
He  worked  in  the  fields  upon   the  home  farm   through   the  summer 
months  and  after  completing  his  education  continued  to  assist  in  the 
farm  work  for  some  time.     He  afterward  engaged  in  the  grocery  bus- 
iness in  partnership  with  C.  E.  Voorhis  for  five  years  and  on  the  expi- 
ration of  that  period  sold  out  to  his  partner  and  went  to  Florida,  where 
he  laid  out  an  orange  grove  of  four  hundred  orange  trees  and  also 
planted  two  hundred  lemon  trees,  his  place  being  in  Hillsboro  county, 
while  his  postofiice  was  Limona.     For  four  years  his  attention  was  de- 
voted to  the  development  of  his  fruit  ranch  in  the  south,  and  he  then 
returned  northward,  locating  in  South  Bend,  Indiana,  where  he  engaged 
in  the  operation  of  a  planing  mill  and  the  conduct  of  a  lumber  yard,  be- 
ing actively  connected  with  the  business  for  about  thirteen  years.     On 
the  expiration  of  that  period  he  returned  to  Penn  township,  locating  at 
his  present  residence  on  the  north  shore  of  Diamond  Lake.     The  place 
is  known  as  the  J.  C.  Moon  farm  and  the  house  is  called  Shore  Acres. 
He  has  a  tract  of  land  of  eighty  acres  and  he  also  owns  other  land  in  the 
old  homestead  farm.    He  conducts  the  summer  hotel  in  connection  with 
his  general  farming  interests  and  the  raising  of  fruit,  having  a  fine 
orchard,  while  from  his  fields  he  annually  harvests  good  crops  of  grain. 
On  the  4th  of  April,   1883,  Mr.  Leach  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Fannie  Punches,  a  daughter  of  Moses  and  Jane  Punches.     Mr. 
Leach  votes  with  the  Democracy  and  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of 
the  World.     The  family  name  has  long  figured  in  this  county,  being 
indelibly  inscribed  upon  the  pages  of  pioneer  history  as  well  as  of  later 
day  progress  and  improvement.     Mr.  L-each  has  been  watchful  of  bus- 
iness opportunities  pointing  to  success,  and  has  wrought  along  modern 
lines  of  progress.     He  possesses  a  genial  manner,  courteous  disposition 
and  deference  for  the  opinion  of  others,  which  have  rendered  him  a  pop- 
ular citizen. 


420  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

CHARLES  C.   RICKERT. 

Charles  C.  Rickert  deserves  mention  among  the  old  settlers  of 
Cass  county,  for  during  sixty  years  he  has  lived  within  its  borders. 
This  covers  the  entire  period  of  his  life,  his  birth  having  occurred  upon 
the  old  family  homestead  where  he  now  resides  on  the  31st  of  January, 
1846.  The  farm  is  situated  on  section  7,  Calvin  township,  and  is  well 
improved  property,  which  in  its  excellent  appearance  indicates  the  un- 
tiring labor  and  well-directed  efforts  of  the  Rickerts.  The  paternal 
grandparents  of  our  subject  were  Abram  and  Magdalene  Rickert,  who 
on  emigrating  westward  from  Pennsylvania  to  Michigan  settled  in 
St.  Joseph  county.  Their  son,  Leonard  Rickert,  father  of  our  subject, 
was  born  in  the  Keystone  state  and  accompanied  his  parents  when  they 
sought  a  home  in  the  middle  west.  About  1840  he  came  to  Cass  coun- 
ty, settling  on  the  farm  where  his  son  Charles  C.  now  resides.  It  was  a 
wald  and  unimproved  tract,  but  he  at  once  began  the  work  of  trans- 
forming the  raw  prairie  into  productive  fields.  Plowing  and  planting 
were  carried  on  and  the  summer  sun  ripened  the  grain  and  good  har- 
vests were  gathered  in  the  autumn.  He  continued  the  work  of  cultivat- 
ing and  improving  his  property  until  his  death.  He  married  Miss 
Margaret  Ann  Crawford,  a  native  of  Ohio,  who  came  with  her  parents 
to  Michigan  in  her  girlhood  days.  By  this  marriage  were  born  six  chil- 
dren, one  of  whom  died  in  early  childhood,  while  five  reached  mature 
years.  The  father  departed  this  life  when  about  forty-two  years,  of 
age  and  the  mother  died  when  fifty-six  years  of  age. 

Charles  C.  Rickert,  the  second  child  and  eldest  son  in  the  family, 
was  reared  on  the  farm  where  he  yet  makes  his  home.  At  the  usual 
age  he  began  his  education  as  a  student  in  the  district  schools  of 
Calvin  township,  and  he  enjoyed  the  pleasures  of  the  play-ground  when 
not  occupied  with  his  books  or  the  farm  work.  He  developed  a  self- 
reliance  and  force  of  character  which  have  been  strong  elements  in  his 
career.  On  the  25th  of  May,  1877,  he  was  married  to  Miss  vSusanna 
Shaw,  a  daughter  of  Nathan  and  Marion  Shaw  and  a  native  of  Ohio, 
in  which  state  her  girlhood  days  were  passed.  At  the  time  of  his  mar- 
riage Mr.  Rickert  located  upon  the  old  homestead  where  he  has  since 
lived,  giving  his  attention  to  general  farming  and  stock  raising.  He 
here  owns  one  hundred  and  two  and  a  half  acres  of  good  land,  most 
of  which  is  under  cultivation  and  in  addition  he  has  fifty  acres  of  tim- 
ber land  in  the  same  township. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rickert  were  bom  a  daughter  and  son:  El- 
len, who  is  now  engaged  in  teaching  in  Porter  township;  and  Charles 
Herman,  at  home,  assisting  in  the  work  of.  the  farm. 

Susanna,  the  daughter  of  Nathan  and  Mariam  Shaw,  was  born  in 
Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  October  2qth,  1845.  In  1856  she  came  with 
her  parents  to  Micliigan,  settling  in  St.  Joseph  county,  afterwards  mov- 
ing to  Cass  county,  where  she  resided  up  to  the  time  of  her  death.  May 


CHARLES  C.  RICKERT  AND  FAMILY. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  421 

25th,  1897.  On  May  24th,  1877,  she  was  united  in  marriage. to  Charles 
Rickert,  who  witli  two  children,  Ellen  S.  and  C.  Herman,  survive  her 
She  was  ever  a  faithful  and  consistent  Christian,  always  striving  to 
do  the  will  of  her  Master  and  ever  thoughtful  for  the  welfare  of  others. 
She  was  a  thorough  worker  in  whatever  she  was  engaged  and  her  loss 
is  greatly  felt  by  all  who  knew  her. 

For  almost  twenty  years  did  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  C.  Rickert 
travel  life's  pathway  together,  sharing  alike  the  joys  and  sorrows  of 
life.  She  was  an  amiable  wife  and  a  loving  mother.  She  had  always 
stood  by  the  side  of  her  husband,  ever  ready  to  aid  him  in  advice  and 
counsel  in  the  building  up  of  their  comfortable  home.  She  was  a  de- 
vout member  of  the  Friends'  Church,  known  as  Birch  Lake  Friends' 
Church,  in  Calvin  township.  Her  remains  are  interred  in  the  Reams 
and  Norton  cemetery,  where  a  beautiful  stone  marks  her  last  resting 
place.  There  is  a  vacant  chair  in  the  home  circle,  and  a  link  in  the 
mystic  chain,  which  cannot  be  again  filled. 

Mr.  Rickert  has  continuously  resided  in  Calvin  township  with  the 
exception  of  nine  months  spent  in  Cassopolis,  where  he  removed  in 
order  to  give  his  cliildren  better  educational  privileges.  His  study  of 
the  political  issues  and  questions  of  the  day  has  led  him  to  give  his 
advocacy  to  the  Democratic  party.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Friends 
church  and  his  life  exempHfies  the  teachings  of  that  sect,  which  has 
always  promulgated  a  spirit  of  kindliness,  consideration,  charity  and 
righteousness.  He  has  been  identified  with  the  upbuilding  of  the  coun- 
ty through  six  decades,  liearing  his  full  share  in  the  work  of  public 
progress  and  improvement,  and  is  justly  accounted  one  of  the  rep- 
resentative citizens  of  Cass  county. 

J.  M.  LAKE. 

J.  M.  Lake,  living  on  section  7,  Penn  township,  where  he  owns 
and  controls  ninety-seven  acres  of  good  land,  his  home  being  known  as 
''Stone  Abutment' Farm,"  was  born  in  Chenango  county.  New  York, 
March  2'^,  1842.  His  father,  Richard  Lake,  was  a  native  of  the  Empire 
state,  as  was  the  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject,  Joseph  Lake,  who, 
however,  spent  his  last  years  in  Michigan.  He  lived  for  some  time  in 
Cass  county,  where  his  death  occurred  in  Niles,  this  state.  It  was  in  the 
year  1844  that  Richard  Lake  took  up  his  abode  in  Cass  county,  locating 
on  section  18,  Penn  township.  As  this  fact  indicates,  he  was  a  farmer  by 
occupation,  his  life  being  given  to  that  pursuit,  wherein  he  provided  a 
comfortable  living  for  his  familv.  He  married  Miss  Hannah  Crandall,  a 
daughter  of  Tanner  Crandall,  who  was  born  in  New  York.  In  the  family 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Richard  I.ake  were  seven  children,  three  sons  and  four 
daughters,  namely :  Harrison  H. ;  James  M. ;  Charles  N. ;  Mary,  wife  of 
Byron  Sprague;  Sarah  J.,  wife  of  Clayton  H.  Sigerfoos;  Rosetta,  wife 
of  B.  Frank  Slipper;  and  Emma,  wife  of  Henry  Ferrel.     The  father 


4^2  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

died  in  the  eighty-vSecond  year  of  his  age,  while  the  mother  lived  to  be 
about  sixty  years. 

J.  M.  Lake  was  but  two  years  old  when  brought  by  his  parents  to 
Michigan  and  upon  the  home  farm  in  Penn  township  he  was  reared.  At 
the  usual  age  he  entered  the  public  schools  and  when  not  busy  with  his 
text  books  his  time  was  given  to  farm  labor.  After  leaving  school  per- 
manently he  gave  undivided  attention  to  farm  work  on  the  old  home- 
stead up  to  the  time  of  his  marriage,  which  occurred  in  1873,  ^^^  ^^^y 
of  his  choice  being  Miss  Anna  Tripp,  a  daughter  of  Chester  Tripp. 
She  was  born  in  Barry  county,  Michigan,  and  died  in  1892,  leaving  a 
little  daughter,  who  died  in  1894.  Mr.  Lake  has  a  farm  of  ninety- 
seven  acres,  which  he  has  improved  with  modern  equipments  and  which 
he  now  rents.  It  is  largely  devoted  to  the  production  of  fruit  and  he 
has  five  hundred  trees  of  peaches  and  apples  upon  the  place.  His  trees 
produce  quite  abundantly  almost  every  season  and  the  fruit  shipped 
from  his  place  yields  a  good  financial  income.  Mr.  Lake  has  been  a 
resident  of  Cass  county  for  sixty-four  years,  with  the  exception  of  one 
year,  w^hich  he  spent  in  Pennsylvania,  and  is  therefore  well  informed 
concerning  the  history  of  the  county  and  the  progress  it  has  made  from 
pioneer  conditions  to  its  present  advanced  state  of  cultivation  and  im- 
provement. He  has  been  a  life-long  Democrat,  interested  in  the  growth 
and  success  of  his  party,  and  has  served  as  school  director.  He  for- 
merly belonged  to  the  Indei>endent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

JOSEPH  C.  KYLE. 

Joseph  C.  Kyle,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  who  has  been  equally 
loyal  to  his  country  in  the  performance  of  duties  that  devolve  upon 
him  in  connection  with  civic  offices  to  which  he  has  been  called,  has 
for  many  years  made  his  home  in  Union,  where  he  has  long  been  en- 
gaged in  painting  and  plastering.  His  birth  occurred  in  Kosciusko 
county,  Indiana,  October  7,  1845,  ^^"^^  is  a  son  of  Andrew  and  Frances 
S.  (Jones)  Kyle,  the  former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  latter  of 
Virginia.  They  became  the  parents  of  four  children,  two  sons  and  two 
daughters,  all  of  whom  reached  adult  age.  Joseph  C.  and  Mary  Cor- 
nelia are  twins  and  the  latter  is  now  the  wife  of  Henry  Borne,  of  Ban- 
gor, Michigan.  A  brother,  Alonzo  R.  Kyle,  is  living  in  Ellsworth^ 
Kansas,  while  the  other  daughter,  Flora  A.,  is  the  wife  of  Charles  Nye, 
a  resident  farmer  of  Pokagon  township.  On  leaving  the  east  Andrew 
Kyle,  the  father,  became  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Elkhart  county, 
Indiana,  and  in  1849  he  went  to  California,  attracted  by  the  discovery 
of  gold  on  the  Pacific  coast.  He  afterward  returned  to  his  native  state, 
however,  and  his  last  days  were  there  passed.  His  wife  lived  to  bp  sev- 
enty-two years  of  age. 

Joseph  C.  Kyle  of  this  review  has  been  a  resident  of  Cass  county 
from  the  age  of  three  years,  arrjving  here  in  1848.     He  was  reared  in 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  423 

Porter  township  and  was  only  eighteen  years  of  age  when  he 
enlisted  for  service  in  the  Civil  war,  becoming  a  private  of  Company  C, 
Twenty-fourth  Michigan  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  served  until  the  close 
of  hostilities  and  after  the  war  returned  to  Union,  where  he  engaged  in 
painting  and  plastering.  He  learned  the  trades  and  followed  the  bus- 
iness for  thirty  years.  Because  of  his  excellent  workmanship  man3; 
important  contracts  have  been  awarded  him  and  his  services  have  been 
in  constant  demand,  so  that  he  has  won  a  good  living  and  secured  a 
comfortable  home. 

Mr.  Kyle  was  married  September  3,  1865,  to  Miss  Malissa  Brown, 
a  daughter  of  Joshua  and  Sarah  A.  (Low)  Brown,  and  a  native  of  Elk- 
hart county,  Indiana.  Mr.  Kyle  has  resided  in  Cass  county  for  fifty- 
six  years  and  is  one  of  its  representative  citizens.  His  political  allegiance 
has  long  been  earnestly  given  to  the  Republican  party,  and  he  is  now 
serving  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  reviews.  Fraternally  he  is  con- 
nected with  Carter  post,  No.  96,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Union,  in  which  he  has 
filled  some  of  the  offices,  and  he  also  belongs  to  the  Grange,  while  his 
religious  faith  is  indicated  by  his  membership  in  the  Freewill  Baptist 
church,  in  which  he  takes  a  helpful  part,  serving  as  one  of  its  deacons, 
and  doing  all  in  his  power  to  promote  the  various  church  activities  and 
extend  its  influence.  He  is  widely  known  in  his  part  of  the  county  by 
reason  of  his  interest  and  co-operation  in  public  affairs  and  also  on  ac- 
count of  his  business  connections.  He  has  been  found  reliable  at  all 
times  in  his  business  career,  faithfully  executing  his  work  in  accordance 
with  the  terms  of  his  contracts,  and  his  energy,  perseverance,  laudable 
ambition  and  resolute  purpose  have  been  the  strong  and  salient  features 
of  his  life  record. 

LESLIE  C.  WELLS. 

Leslie  C.  Wells,  residing  on  section  26,  Pokagon  township,  was 
born  in  Wayne  township,  Cass  county,  on  the  8th  of  November,  1855. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  Woden  Wells,  was  a  native  of  Connecticut, 
whence  he  removed  to  New  York,  and  at  an  early  day  he  came  to  Mich- 
igan, taking  up  his  abode  in  Kalamazoo  county.  He  was  of  Welsh 
lineage.  His  son.  Homer  Wells,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born 
in  the  Empire  state  and  w^hen  a  youth  of  ten  years  accompanied  his 
parents  on  their  removal  to  Kalamazoo  county,  where  he  remained  until 
1849,  when  he  came  to  Cass  county,  taking  up  his  abode  in  Wayne 
township,  where  he  engaged  in  general  farming.  He  was  for  many 
years  a  representative  and  leading  agriculturist  of  this  part  of  the  state 
and  his  death-  occurred  in  1904,  when  he  had  reached  the  advanced  age 
of  seventy-three  years.  In  politics  he  was  a  stanch  and  earnest  Repub- 
lican, interested  in  the  work  of  the  party  and  doing  all  in  his  power  for 
its  growth  and  success.  He  held  a  number  of  local  offices,  to  which  he 
was  called  by  his  fellow  townsmen,  who  recognized  his  worth  and  abil- 


424  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

ity  and  who  found  in  him  a  capable  official.  In  his  early  manhood  he 
wedded  Miss  Laura  A.  Reed,  a  native  of  Ohio  and  a  daughter  of  A. 
H.  and  Maria  (Jennings)  Reed,  who  went  originally  from  Vermont  to 
Ohio  and  thence  came  to  Michigan,  settling  in  Wayne  township,  Cass 
county.  Mrs.  Wells  was  at  that  time  a  young  girl  and  she  died  when 
but  twenty  years  of  age. 

Leslie  C.  Wells,  the  only  child,  remained  with  his  father,  who 
afterward  married  again,  his  second  union  being  with  Fannie  Bever- 
stock.  In  the  public  schools  Mr.  Wells  acquired  his  education  and  dur- 
ing the  summer  months  aided  in  the  farm  work  until  seventeen  years 
of  age,  when  he  left  home,  starting  out  upon  an  independent  business 
career.  He  entered  the  employ  of  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  Com- 
pany in  connection  with  the  construction  gang  and  in  the  following 
year  he  began  teaching  school,  w^hich  profession  he  followed  for  twenty 
years  during  the  winter  months.  He  attended  the  Vicksburg  high 
school  during  that  time  and  he  continually  broadened  his  knowledge  by 
reading,  observation  and  investigation.  As  an  educator  he  was  capable 
and  efiicient,  imparting  readily  to  others  the  knowledge  that  he  had 
acquired  and  maintaining  good  discipline,  without  which  successful 
work  is  never  done  in  the  school  room.  During  the  summer  months  he 
worked  at  farm  labor  and  he  also  spent  some  years  in  California,  Wash- 
ington and  Oregon.  He  likewise  went  to  the  south,  passing  one  year 
in  Alabama. 

In  1 88 1  Mr.  Wells  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  A. 
Shookman,  a  daughter  of  Otho  and  Elizabeth  (Wright)  Shookman. 
She  was  born  in  Wayne  township  and  for  about  fifteen  years  engaged 
in  teaching  school,  being  also  one  of  the  successful  teachers  of  this 
part  of  the  state.  At  the  time  of  his  marriage  Mr.  Wells  located  in  La- 
Grange  township,  settling  upon  a  part  of  the  old  homestead  farm,  upon 
which  he  lived  for  three  years,  when  he  took  up  his  abode  upon  a 
rented  farm  in  Silver  Creek  township,  there  living  for  two  years.  On 
the  expiration  of  that  period,  with  the  money  which  he  had  managed  to 
save  from  his  earnings  he  purchased  forty  acres  of  land  in  LaGrange 
township  and  cultivated  that  place  for  three  years.  His  present  farm 
consists  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Pokagon  township,  where 
he  has  resided  for  the  past  eight  years.  His  farm  is  the  visible  evi- 
dence of  his  well-directed  thrift  and  energy,  for  when  he  started 
out-  on  his  own  account  he  had  no  capital.  He  has  worked  per- 
sistently and  the  years  have  brought  him  success,  owing  to  his 
diligence  and  capable  management.  Goethe  has  said,  ''Merit  and 
success  go  linked  together,''  and  the  truth  of  this  assertion  is  veri- 
fied again  and  again  in  the  lives  of  such  men  as  Mr.  Wells,  whose 
prosperity  is  attributable  entirely  to  his  own  labors.  In  politics  he  is  a 
stanch  Republican,  interested  in  the  growth  and  success  of  his  party. 
He  was  foreman  of  the  first  grand  jury  that  had  been  convened  in  the 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  425 

county  in  forty-six  years,  acting  in  that  capacity  in  1905.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  also  belongs  to  the  Modern  Wood- 
men Camp. 

WILLIAM  H.  GARWOOD. 

The  arduous  task  of  developing  and  cultivating  new  land  is  one 
familiar  to  William  H.  Garwood,  a  representative  farmer  of  Pokagon 
township,  who  in  the  successful  management  of  his  business  interests 
has  displayed  excellent  business  ability,  keen  discernment  and  unfalter- 
ing diligence.  He  was  born  in  the  township  where  he  yet  resides 
iNovember  5,  1846.  His  father,  Jesse  Garwood,  was  one  of  the  old  set- 
tlers of  the  county  and  was  a  native  of  Warren  county,  Ohio,  where  his 
birth  occurred  on  the  15th  of  August,  1806.  There  he  was  reared  and 
educated,  and  on  leaving  the  Buckeye  state  he  removed  to  Terre  Coupe 
Prairie,  Indiana,  in  1827.  Pie  worked  at  the  Lidian  mission  for  two 
summers  and  in  1829  he  came  to  Pokagon  township,  Cass  county,  Mich- 
igan, settling  on  liis  present  farm.  He  had  located  this  land  in  1832. 
It  was  all  raw  and  unimproved,  but  he  cleared  sixty  acres.  He  had  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres  in  the  original  tract  and  the  arduous  task  of  de- 
veloping a  new  farm  fell  to  him  and  was  successfully  carried  on.  His 
marriage  on  the  6th  of  December,  1844,  to  Miss  Rachel  Prather  vv^as 
celebrated  in  this  county.  The  lady  was  a  native  of  Madison  county, 
Indiana,  born  September  24,  1808,  and  William  H.  Garwood  was  the 
only  child  born  of  this  marriage.  The  father  voted  with  the  Republican 
party  and  was  the  champion  of  many  progressive  measures,  especially 
those  which  contributed  to  substantial  progress  and  improvement.  He 
died  September  11,  1889,  while  his  wife  passed  away  in  1885. 

In  his  youth  William  H.  Garwood  worked  upon  the  old  farm 
homestead  and  cleared  the  entire  place  save  the  sixty  acres  which  his 
father  brought  under  cultivation.  At  his  father's  death  he  took  posses- 
sion of  the  entire  farm  and  has  since  been  one  of  the  representative 
agriculturists  of  the  community,  giving  undivided  attention  to  the  fur- 
ther improvement  of  his  property.  Everything  about  the  place  is  neat 
and  thrifty  in  appearance  and  the  fields  annually  return  to  him  golden 
harvests. 

On  the  2 1  St  of  November,  1866,  Mr.  Garwood  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Lucinda  F.  Demmons,  a  native  of  Michigan,  born  on 
the  23d  of  November,  1844,  ^^^  ^  daughter  of  Alanson  Demmons,  who 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Garwood  have  been 
born  nine  children,  of  whom  six  are  deceased.  Those  living  are :  Aman- 
son  W.,  on  his  father's  estate;  Dwight,  in  Kansas  City,  Missouri;  and 
Blanch,  wife  of  Charles  Phillips,  of  Pokagon.  All  were  born  upon  the 
old  homestead  farm. 

Mr.  Garwood  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  also  be- 
longs to  the  Woodmen  camp  at  Pokagon.  In  politics  a  Democrat,^  he 
takes  an  active  part  in  the  local  work  of  the  party,  served  as  supervisor 


426  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

for  two  years  and  was  also  township  treasurer  for  two  years.  His  ef- 
forts in  behalf  of  public  progress  have  been  effective  and  beneficial  and 
his  support  can  always  be  counted  upon  to  further  any  movement  for 
the  general  good.  He  has  spent  his  entire  life  in  P'okagon  township  and 
as  a  native  son  and  pioneer  settler  of  Cass  county  well  deserves  repre- 
sentation in  this  volume,  while  his  genuine  worth  entitles  him  to  the 
confidence  and  good  will  which  are  uniformly  given  him  by  his  fellow 
townsmen. 

C.  DELIVAN  McCOY. 

One  does  not  have  to  carry  his  investigations  far  into  the  history 
of  Cass  county  without  learning  that  the  McCoy  family  became  iden- 
tified with  pioneer  progress  at  an  early  day.  Upon  the  old  farm  home- 
stead C.  Delivan  McCoy  was  born  on  the  I3,th  of  November,  1852.  He 
is  a  son  of  Richard  McCoy,  who  is  represented  on  another  page  of  this 
work.  He  was  reared  to  the  occupation  of  farming,  early  becoming 
familiar  with  the  labors  of  the  fields  as  he  assisted  in  the  work  of  plow- 
ing, planting  and  harvesting.  To  the  public  school  system  of  the  neigh- 
borhood he  is  indebted  for  the  educational  privileges  he  enjoyed. 

In  November,  1875,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Estella  Hartzel,  a  na- 
tive of  Pokagon,  born  July  28,  1859.  She  was  reared  in  Pokagon 
township,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Simon  Hartzel,  one  of  the  early  settlers 
of  Cass  county,  who,  coming  to  this  section  of  the  state,  gave  his  atten- 
tion to  farming  interests  and  aided  in  the  work  of  public  progress  and 
improvement.  Mr.  and  Airs.  McCoy  have  become  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  two  sons  and  six  daughters:  Lena,  now  the  wife  of  Henry 
Silvers;  Ida  and  Charles,  at  home;  Ella,  the  wife  of  William  Stewart, 
of  Dowagiac,  Michigan;  Hattie,  the  wife  of  Harry  Walworth;  Minnie 
and  Cecil,  at  home;  and  Clyde,  deceased. 

When  the  time  came  that  Mr.  McCoy  should  make  choice  of  a 
life  work  he  determined  to  follow  the  pursuit  to  which  he  had  been 
reared,  and  he  has  therefore  always  remained  upon  the  old  homestead, 
where  he  has  one  hundred  acres  of  land,  the  greater  part  of  which  is 
under  cultivation.  This  place  was  cleared  and  improved  by  the  Mc- 
Coy family  and  the  subject  of  this  review  is  carrying  on  the  farm  work 
in  keeping  with  the  general  spirit  of  advancement  that  has  been  char- 
acteristic of  the  McCoys  since  the  family  home  was  first  established  in 
this  county. 

ALEXANDER  ROBERTSON. 

Alexander  Robertson,  following  the  occupation  of  farming  on  sec- 
tion 2y,  Pokagon  tow^nship,  is  a  native  of  the  Empire  state,  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  Argyle,  Washington  county,  New  York,  on  the  3d 
of  March,  1826.  His  father,  Archibald  Rol^ertson,  was  likewise  a  na- 
tive of  Washington  county,  born  in  Cambridge  in  1784,  and  in  that 
state  he  vv'as  reared,  becoming  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Washington  county  to  Miss  Amy  Robertson,  who  was  born  in 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  427 

New  York  in  1787,  and  remained  a  resident  of  that  state  until  her 
death,  which  occurred  in  1852.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Archibald  Rob- 
ertson were  born  nine  children,  five  sons  and  four  daughters :  William, 
Peter  C,  Martha,  Mary,  Archibald,  John,  Joanna  and  Elizabeth,  all 
deceased ;  and  Alexander,  who  is  the  youngest  and  only  surviving  mem- 
ber of  the  family.  All  w^ere  born  and  reared  in  Washington  county, 
New  York.  The  mother  died  in  Onondaga  county,  that  state.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1854,  the  father  emigrated  westward  to  Cass  county,  Michigan, 
settling  in  Pokagon  township  on  the  farm  which  is  now  the  home  of 
his  son  Alexander.  Here  he  carried  on  general  agricultural  pursuits 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  June  28,  1867.  His  early  political  alle- 
giance was  given  to  the  Whig  party  and  upon  its  dissolution  he  joined 
the  ranks  of  the  new  Republican  party. 

Alexander  Robertson  obtained  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  New  York  and  worked  upon  the  home  farm  there  until  twenty-seven 
years  of  age,  when  he  came  with  his  family  to  Michigan.  He  had  been 
married  in  the  Empire  state  on  the  13th  of  March,  1850,  to  Miss  Mary 
E.  Briggs,  a  native  of  Wayne  county.  New  York,  born  June  20,  1827. 
She  was  reared  in  New  York  and  was  a  daughter  of  William  and  Rox- 
anna  (Ely)  Briggs,  who  were  farming  people.  After  his  marriage 
Mr.  Robertson  remained  for  four  years  in  New  York  and  was  a  teacher 
in  that  state  for  a  long  period,  becoming  actively  connected  with  the 
profession  when  seventeen  years  of  age.  After  his  arrival  in  Michigan 
he  taught  school  for  two  years  at  Summerville  and  was  also  a  teacher  in 
La  Grange  township  for  two  terms,  while  in  the  winter  of  1874-5  he 
taught  the  village  school  at  Pokagon.  He  was  thus  closely  associated 
with  the  intellectual  development  of  the  community  and  ever  upheld  a 
high  standard  of  education  and  public  instruction.  His  fitness  for  lead- 
ership being  recognized  by  his  fellow  citizens  he  was  elected  to  the  state 
legislature  in  1872  upon  the  Republican  ticket  and  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  house  for  two  years.  He  has  been  a  life-long  Republican, 
taking  an  active  and  helpful  interest  in  the  local  work  of  the  party  and 
doing  all  in  his  power  to  promote  its  growth  and  insure  its  success.  He 
has  been  a  member  of  the  school  board  since  living  in  the  county  and 
the  cause  of  public  instruction  has  indeed  found  in  him  a  warm  and 
able  champion.  He  was  township  supervisor  for  eight  years  during 
the  war  and  subsequent  to  that  time.  At  his  father's  death  he  took  pos- 
session of  the  old  homestead  of  eighty  acres,  to  which  he  has  since  added 
a  similar  tract,  so  that  he  now  owns  and  operates  a  valuable  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  annually  returns  to  him  an  excel- 
lent income. 

By  his  first  marriage  Mr.  Robertson  had  eight  children,  a  son  and 
seven  daughters,  namely:  Eudora,  deceased;  Ella  Evangeline;  Ida  E. ; 
Harriet  and  Ann,  both  deceased;  Amy  L. ;  Martha,  who  has  passed 
away ;  and  :  Frank  A.  >  Two  of  the  children  were  born  in  New 
York  and  the  others  upon  the  old  homestead  farm  in  Pokagon  town- 


428  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

ship  after  the  removal  of  the  family  to  this  county.  The  wife  and 
mother  died  March  22,  1874,  and  several  years  later,  on  the  24th  of 
April,  1883,  Mr.  Robertson  was  married  to  Mrs.  Uzziel  Putnam,  the 
widow  of  Uzziel  Putnam,  the  first  white  child  born  in  Cass  county,  his 
natal  day  being  in  August,  1826.  Mrs.  Robertson  is  a  native  of  Gales- 
burg,  Illinois.  Both  our  subject  and  his  wife  are  esteemed  by  a  large 
circle  of  friends  and  he  is  numbered  among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  the 
county,  having  cast  in  his  lot  with  its  early  residents.  From  that  time 
to  the  present  he  has  been  a  champion  of  progressive  public  measures 
and  has  rejoiced  in  what  has  been  accomplished  in  the  county  as  the 
changes  have  been  wrought  that  have  transformed  it  from  a  pioneer 
region  into  one  of  rich  fertility,  bearing  all  the  evidences  of  an  ad- 
vanced civilization. 

JOSEPH  LYBROOK. 

Joseph  Ilybrook  is  the  owner  of  a  valuable  farm  of  on^  hundred 
and  eighty-five  acres  on  section  22,  LaGrange  township,  and  in  addi- 
tion to  this  property  he  also  has  forty  acres  on  section  32  of  the  same 
tow  nship  and  is  one  of  the  stockholders  in  the  creamery.  His  business 
interests  are  characterized  by  close  application  and  unfaltering  diligence, 
which  constitute  the  basis  of  all  desirable  success.  He  seems  to  have 
realized  fully  that  '^there  is  no  excellence  without  labor"  and  has  ex- 
emplified this  adage  in  his  life  work.  It  was  upon  the  farm  where  he 
now  resides  that  he  first  opened  his  eyes  to  the  light  of  day,  his  birth 
occurring  on  the  '22nd  of  November,  1845.  The  name  "Lybrook"  as 
now  spelled  was  in  the  original  German  text  spelled  ''Leibroch."  The 
grandfather,  Henry  Leibroch,  was  born  in  Virginia,  April  2,  1755, 
and  died  August  22,  1839.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war, 
and  many  times  saw  General  Washington.  Mr.  Lybrook  has  in  his 
possession  an  old  passport,  dated  February  2y.  1787,  given  Henry 
Leibroch,  which  is  written  in  a  beautiful  copper  plate  handwriting.  He 
also  has  four  of  the  parchment  deeds  bearing  the  following  dates  of 
execution:  two  on  November  10,  1830,  February  8,  183 1  and  April 
I,  1 83 1,  and  these  deeds  are  all  signed  by  President  Andrew  Jackson 
and  are  valuable  as  relics. 

John  Lybrook,  father  of  Joseph,  was  a  native  of  Giles  county,  Vir- 
ginia, born  October  25,  1798,  and  in  181 1  he  accompanied  his  parents 
on  their  removal  to  Preble  county,  Ohio.  In  1823  he  came  to  Mich- 
igan, making  the  journey  in  order  to  assist  Squire  Thompson  in  his  re- 
moval to  this  state.  When  he  made  the  start  he  intended  going  only 
fifty  or  sixty  miles,  but  he  continued  with  him  on  the  journey  until 
Cass  county  was  reached.  On  the  last  day  of  December  of  the  same  year 
he  started  back  on  foot  to  Ohio  accompanied  by  a  young  man  of  the 
name  of  Eaton.  They  first  camped  near  where  Mishawaka  now  stands, 
and  from  that  point  Mr.  I^ybrook  continued  on  his  way  to  Fort  Wayne, 
where  he  procured  assistance  for  the  return  trip.     His  partner  had  his 


(k^Jy  lyL^u^^ 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  429 

foot  frozen  about  that  time  and  Mr.  Lyl>rook  endured  many  hardships 
and  much  exposure  in  his  endeavor  to  reach  his  home,  but  eventually 
the  journey  was  completed.  However,  he  had  become  interested  in 
the  western  country  and  its  possibilities  for  development,  and  in  1824 
he  came  once  more  to  Michigan,  bringing  with  him  some  cattle.  In  the 
spring  of  1825  he  planted  eleven  acres  of  corn  in  what  was  known  as 
the  Second  Field  below  Niles.  He  afterward  returned  to  Ohio  with 
a  yoke  of  oxen  hitched  to  the  back  wheels  of  a  lumber  wagon.  In 
the  following  spring,  however,  he  returned  to  Michigan,  bringing  with 
him  a  barrel  of  wheat,  which  was  the  first  wheat  sown  in  southwestern 
Michigan.  In  the  spring  of  1828  he  removed  to  the  farm  where  Joseph 
Lybrook  now  resides,  and  there  continued  to  make  his  home  until  his 
death.  It  was  wild  and  unimproved  land  when  it  came  into  his  posses- 
sion and  he  turned  the  first  furrows  upon  the  place  and  planted  the 
first  crops.  In  course  of  time  he  had  transformed  this  into  a  valuable 
property,  which  he  continued  to  cultivate  with  success  for  many  years. 
He  gave  his  support  to  the  Democracy  during  the  greater  part  of  his 
life,  save  that  he  voted  for  William  Henry  Harrison.  He  passed  away 
May  25,  1881,  and  the  county  thus  lost  one  of  its  most  prominent  and 
honored  pioneer  settlers — a  citizen  who  from  the  earliest  epoch  in  the 
history  of  this  section  of  the  state  had  been  identified  with  its  improve- 
ment. His  wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Mary  Hurd  and  was  a  native 
of  England,  whence  she  came  to  America  at  the  age  of  seven,  years. 
She  was  born  in  182 1,  became  a  resident  of  Michigan  in  1836  and  died 
January  25,  1903,  at  the  very  advanced  age  of  eighty-two  years.  In 
the  family  of  this  worthy  couple  were  two  sons  and  a  daughter,  but 
Henry  died  in  Oklahoma  and  Arminda  is  also  deceased,  leaving  Joseph 
as  the  only  surviving  member  of  the  family. 

Joseph  Lybrook  was  the  second  child  and  has  spent  his  entire  life 
upon  the  farm  where  he  now  lives,  covering  a  period  of  more  than  six- 
ty years.  When  a  boy  he  took  his  place  in  the  fields,  and  as  his  age  and 
strength  permitted  he  assisted  more  and  more  largely  in  the  w^ork  of 
tlie  home  farm  and  has  since  been  identified  with  the  growth  and  de- 
velopment of  the  county.  He  has  in  his  home  place  one  hundred  and 
eighty-five  acres  of  land,  and  also  forty  acres  on  section  32,  LaGrange 
township.  His  home  farm  is  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  the 
fields  are  improved  with  modern  machinery,  while  the  work  is  carried 
on  along  the  most  progressive  lines.  He  is  also  owner  of  stock  in  the 
creamery.  His  political  support  has  been  given  to  the  Democracy.  A 
worthy  representative  of  an  honored  pioneer  family,  he  has  carried  for- 
ward the  work  which  was  begun  by  his  father  and  the  name  of  Lybrook 
has  thus  long  been  closely  associated  with  the  substantial  improvement 
and  development  of  Cass  county. 


430  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

CLIFFORD  L.  TAYLOR. 

Clifford  L.   Taylor,   a   farmer   and  breeder  of  registered   Poland 
China  hogs,  being  proprietor  of  the  Round  Oak  herd,  makes  his  home 
on  section  34,  P'okagon  township.     He  is  a  native  son  of  the  middle 
west  and  in  his  life  has  exemplified  the  enterprising  spirit  which  has 
been  the  dominant  factor  in  the  rapid  and  substantial  improvement  of 
the  upper  Mississippi  valley.     His  birth  occurred  in  Grant  county,  Wis- 
consin, on  the  17th  of  April,  1852.    His  father,  James  W.  Taylor,  also  a 
farmer  by  occupation,  was  a  native  of  New  York  state,  born  in  1828, 
and  about  1846  he  became  a  resident  of  Wisconsin,  settling  on  a  farm 
there.     In  i860  he  left  that  state  and  with  his  family  removed  to  Water- 
loo, Iowa,  where. he  was  engaged  in  farming  and  also  in  operating  a 
threshing  machine.     After  three  years  he  left  Iowa  and  took  his  family 
to   Indiana,  settling  thirteen   miles  south  of  the  city  of   South   Bend. 
There  he  contracted  with  the  well  known  Studebaker  firm  and  cleared 
a  farm  of  thirty  acres  of  land.     On  leaving  Indiana  he  took  up  his 
abode  at  Niles,  Michigan,  where  he  was  again  engaged  in  farming,  and 
in  1 87 1  he  located  in  Pokagon  township,  Cass  county,  where  he  rented 
the  old  Garrett  Stancel  farm  of  one  hundred  and  five  acres.     Eventually, 
however,  he  removed  to  Nebraska,  where  he  has  remained  to  the  pres- 
ent time.     In  his  political  views  he  is  an  earnest  Republican.     Unto  him 
and  his  wife  were  born  nine  children,  four  sons  and  five  daughters,  of 
whom  Clifford  L.  is  the  eldest.     Three  of  the  number  are  now  deceased. 
Clifford  L.   Taylor  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  various  re- 
movals until  they  went  to  Nebraska.     Continuing  a  resident  of  Cass 
county  he  rented  his  present  farm  from  the  estate  of  Jacob  White,  hav- 
ing charge  of  one  hundred  acres  of  land.     He  remained  upon  this  place 
for  thirteen  years,  carrying  on  general  farming,  and  in  1889  he  removed 
to  Dowagiac,  where  he  became  connected  with  the  Colby  Milling  Com- 
pany, hauling  flour  and  feed.     He  remained  for  two  years,  after  which 
he  returned  to  the  farm  on  section  34,  Pokagon  township.     In  1898  he 
began  raising  registered  hogs  and  has  made  a  success  of  this  venture, 
having  to-day  some  of  the  finest  animals  that  can  be  found  in  the  coun- 
try. 

On  the  15th  of  October,  1874,  Mr.  Taylor  was  married  to  Miss 
Addie  A.  White,  a  native  of  Indiana,  born  August  15,  1856,  and  a 
daughter  of  Jacob  and  Julia  A.  White,  who  were  farming  people  of 
Steuben  county,  Indiana.  Her  mother  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
born  in  1838.  Following  the  removal  of  the  family  to  Cass  county 
they  remained  upon  the  farm  where  Mr.  Taylor  now  resides  until  the 
death  of  Mr.  White  in  1889.  Mrs.  White  is  still  living  upon  this  place. 
In  the  family  of  this  worthy  couple  were  three  children,  a  son  and  two 
daughters,  namely:  Mrs.  Taylor;  Chandler,  who  died  in  infancy;  and 
Libbie  May,  who  was  born  in  1871  and  is  living  in  Pokagon  township, 
the  wife  of  Jonathan  L.  Dillman.     Mrs.  Taylor  was  nine  years  of  age 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  431 

when  she  accompanied  her  parents  on  their  removal  to  Cass  county,  and 
here  she  was  reared  and  educated.  She  has  become  the  mother  of  two 
children,  but  the  daughter,  Bessie  May,  born  January  30,  1886,  died  on 
the  22d  of  February,  1888.  The  son,  Carl  J.,  was  born  in  this  county 
May  2,  1893, 

Mr.  Taylor  has  been  a  lifelong  Republican,  giving  unfaltering  ad- 
vocacy to  its  men  and  measures.  He  belongs  to  Round  Oak  camp,  No. 
1 167,  M.  W.  A.,  at  Dowagiac,  and  is  a  member  of  Crystal  Springs,  No. 
325,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  at  Pokagon.  His  business  interests  are  capably  con- 
ducted and  he  is  numbered  among  the  substantial  agriculturists  and 
breeders  of  Poland  China  hogs  in  this  part  of  the  state. 

WILLIAM  H.  McCOY. 

William  H.  McCoy,  who  follows  farming  in  Pokagon  township, 
was  born  in  Pulaski  county,  Virginia,  in  that  district  then  known  as 
Montgomery  county,  on  the  22d  of  April,  183 1.  His  father,  Richard 
McCoy,  was  one  of  the  old  pioneer  settlers  of  this  state,  and  he,  too, 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  His  birth  occurred  in  Virginia,  and  when 
he  had  reached  manhood  he  was  married  to  Miss  Maria  Sifford,  a  na- 
tive of  the  Old  Dominion.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCoy  came  to  Cass  county 
when  the  work  of  progress  and  improvement  had  scarcely  been  begun 
in  this  portion  of  the  state,  and  they  shared  with  others  in  the  hard- 
ships and  privations  of  pioneer  life  and  aided  in  reclaiming  this  district 
for  the  use  of  civilization.  In  their  family  were  six  sons  and  six 
daughters,  of  whom  William  H.  is  the  eldest  son  and  third  child. 
Four  of  the  children  are  now  deceased,  two  having  died  in  infancy.  All 
were  reared  and  educated  in  Cass  county,  and  those  who  still  survive 
are  farming  people.  The  elder  members  of  the  household  were  students 
in  the  old-time  log  schoolhouses.  The  father  first  located  with  Henry 
Sifford  at  Summerville,  where  he  spent  a  few  months,  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing spring  he  removed  to  a  farm  of  about  eighty  acres  on  section  27, 
Pokagon  township.  This  was  all  raw  and  wild  land,  not  a  furrow  hav- 
ing been  turned  nor  an  improvement  made  upon  the  place,  but  he  at 
once  began  to  clear  and  cultivate  the  fields  and  with  the  help  of  his 
sons  brought  the  farm  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  As  hisi  financial 
resources  increased  he  also  added  to  his  original  holdings,  being  the 
owner  of  a  valuable  farm  property  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
in  Pokagon  township  at  the  time  of  his  death,  upon  which  he  resided 
until  1852,  when  he  started  on  the  return  trip  to  Virginia,  but  while  en 
route  was  taken  ill  and  died  within  fifty  miles  of  his  destination.  In 
politics  he  was  a  lifelong  Democrat,  earnest  and  active  in  support  of 
the  party. 

In  his  youth  William  H.  McCoy  assisted  his  father  in  the  work 
of  the  home  farm  and  after  the  father's  death  remained  with  his  mother 
upon  the  old  home  place,  supervising  the  property  and  the  cultivation 


432  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

of  the  fields.  His  privileges  and  advantages  in  youth  were  such  as  the 
pioneer  district  afforded.  In  1873  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  J. 
Wilson,  a  native  of  Ohio,  who  was  born  August  25,  1852,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Isaac  Wilson,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Berrien  county. 
The  father  was  a  fanner  by  occupation.  At  the  time  of  his  marriage 
Mr.  McCoy  took  up  his  abode  upon  his  present  farm,  comprising  eighty 
acres,  and  with  characteristic  energy  began  its  further  cultivation  and 
development.  He  has  one  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  Casco  town- 
ship, Allegan  county,  Michigan,  which  is  partially  a  fruit  farm.  He 
built  his  present  residence  and  has  added  many  modern  equipments  to 
the  place.  Unto  him  and  his  wife  have  been  born  three  children,  a 
son  and  two  daughters :  Ellura,  the  wife  of  Orrin  T.  Moore,  a  resi- 
dent farmer  of  Pokagon  township;  John;  and  Edna  Gertrude.  All 
were  born  and  reared  upon  the  present  farm. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  McCoy  is  a  Democrat,  but  at  local  elec- 
tions usually  casts  his  ballot  without  regard  for  party  affiliations.  His 
entire  life  lias  been  devoted  to  agricultural  pursuits,  and  he  regards 
farm  work  as  abundantly  w^orthy  of  his  best  efforts.  His  labors  have 
been  characterized  by  perseverance  and  diligence,  and  his  persistency 
of  purpose  has  been  one  of  the  strong  and  salient  elements  in  his  life 
work. 

CHARLES  H.  KIMMERLE. 

Charles  H.  Kimmerle  is  one  of  the  leading  representatives  of  Dem- 
ocracy in  Michigan,  and  his  invested  interests  are  so  extensive  and  im- 
portant as  to  render  him  a  leading  business  man  of  Cass  county.  More- 
over he  deals  to  some  extent  in  real  estate,  but  finds  that  his  time  is 
largely  occupied  by  the  supervision  of  his  property.  He  has  long  been 
recognized  as  a  prominent  representative  of  the  Democracy  in  his  coun- 
ty and  moreover  has  a  very  extensive  and  favorable  acquaintance  among 
the  leaders  of  the  party  in  the  state.  For  many  years  he  has  been  known 
for  his  sterling  qualities,  his  fearless  loyalty  to  his  honest  convictions, 
his  sturdy  opposition  to  misrule  in.  municipal  and  state  affairs  and  his 
clear-headedness,  discretion  and  tact  as  manager  and  leader. 

Mr.  Kimmerle  is  a  native  of  Lagrange  township,  his.  life  record 
having  begun  on  the  12th  of  June,  i860,  upon  his  father's  farm.  He  is 
a  son  of  Henry  and  Mary  J.  (Hain)  Kimmerle  and  had  two  sisters. 
His  public  school  course  was  supplemented  by  study  in  the  Northern 
Indiana  Normal  College  at  Valparaiso,  and  thus  well  equipped  he  en- 
tered upon  his  business  career.  His  father  was  one  of  the  early  Cali- 
fornia fortune  seekers  and,  unhke  many  others,  he  met  with  splendid 
success  in  his  efforts  to  achieve  financial  independence  on  the  Pacific 
coast.  At  the  time  of  his  death  in  February,  1905,  he  was  one  of  the 
wealthiest  men  in  Cass  county.  Although  Charles  H.  Kimmerle  has 
inherited  large  property  interests,  such  a  condition  of  affairs  has  never 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  438 

fostered  idleness  with  him,  and,  on  the  contrary,  he  is  a  busy  man,  his 
time  being  fully  occupied  with  his  private  or  public  interests. 

Happy  in  his  home  life,  Mr.  Kimmerle  was  married  in  1882  to 
Miss  Ella  Dunning,  and  they  have  five  children,  three  sons  and  two 
daughters. 

From  early  manhood  Mr.  Kimmerle  has  been  a  student  of  the  com- 
plex political  problems  before  the  people,  and  as  an  advocate  of  the 
Democracy  is  well  known  in  Michigan.  He  has  been  honored  with  the 
candidacy  of  his  party  on  various  occasions,  receiving  the  nomination 
for  county  clerk  in  1880,  for  judge  of  probate  in  1888  and  for  the  state 
legislature  in  1902,  the  strong  Republican  majorities,  however,  render- 
ing election  impossible.  He  has  been  a  delegate  to  two  national  con- 
ventions of  the  D'emocratic  party,  1884  and  1900.  In  local  afifairs,  where 
party  lines  are  not  so  strongly  drawn,  he  has  been  a  factor,  serving  for 
twenty-one  years  as  supervisor  of  Lagrange  township,  while  for  the 
last  fifteen  years  he  has  represented  Cass  county  at  the  state  equaliza- 
tion at  Lansing.  For  years  he  has  served  as  chairman  of  the  county 
central  committee  and  also  as  a  member  of  the  state  central  committee, 
and  has  thus  been  the  associate  and  co-laborer  of  the  most  distinguished 
representatives  of  Democracy  in  Michigan. 

Perhaps  Mr.  Kimmerle's  most  notable  work  has  been  in  connection 
with  his  efforts  to  suppress  unjust  assessment.  In  1903  the  state  tax 
commissioners  came  to  Cass  county  and  raised  the  valuation  of  real 
property  in  every  assessing  district  from  seventeen  to  sixty-five  per 
cent.  Mr.  Kimmerle  questioned  their  authority  to  do  so  and  for  a  long 
time  refused  to  surrender  his  assessment  roll  to  them,.  They,  however, 
finally  succeeded,  Mr.  Kimmerle  claiming  that  the  commissioners  made 
promises  to  him  which  were  not  kept,  and  raised  his  valuation  sixty- 
two  per  cent  on  all  real  property  assessments.  The  matter  was  taken 
into  court  and  Mr.  Kimmerle,  with  the  other  seventeen  assessing  offi- 
cers, were  enjoined  from  using  the  state  tax  commissioners'  valuations 
in  apportioning  the  tax,  but  directed  to  use  the  figures  adopted  by  the 
supervisors  and  board  of  review.  The  next  year  the  state  tax  commis- 
sion called  on  Mr.  Kimmerle  and  asked  him  to  make  a  general  raise  in 
the  values.  This  he  refused  to  do  at  their  dictation,  and  because  of  this 
refusal  the  commission,  through  Governor  Warner,  cited  him  to  appear 
and  show  cause  why  he  should  not  be  removed  from  office  for  wilfully 
undervaluing  property.  They  also  charged  him  with  favoritism  in 
making  assessments.  Between  forty  and  fifty  witnesses  were  called 
by  the  prosecution  and  examined.  The  commissioner  designated  by  the 
governor  to  take  the  testimony  reported  that  the  prosecution  had  failed 
to  make  out  a  case. 

Before  the  governor  acted  on  the  report  Mr.  Kimmerle  was  elected 
for  another  term  by  an  almost  unanimous  vote.  The  result  of  his  op- 
position to  the  state  authorities  led  to  the  repeal  of  some  objectionable 
features  of  the  law  creating  the  commission  and  two  of  the  commis- 


434  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

sioners  who  were  so  acting  were  legislated  out  of  office.  Mr.  Kimmerle 
is  president  of  the  state  Supervisors'  Association,  composed  of  not  less 
than  sixteen  hundred  assessing  officers.  He  is  at  this  writing  (Septem- 
ber, 1906,)  the  Democratic  nominee  for  the  office  of  governor,  and  has 
warm  endorsement  in  various  sections  of  the  state.  He  is  a  man  with  an 
eye  to  practical  results  and  not  glittering  generalities.  It  will  be  observed 
that  his  turn  of  mind  is  eminently  judicial  and  free  from  the  bias  of 
animosity.  Strong  and  positive  in  his  Democracy,  his  party  fealty  is 
not  grounded  on  partisan  prejudice  and  he  enjoys  the  respect  and  con- 
fidence of  all  his  associates  irrespective  of  party.  Of  the  great  issues 
which  divide  the  two  great  parties,  with  their  roots  extending  down 
to  the  very  bed  rock  of  the  foundation  of  the  republic,  he  has  the  true 
statesman's  grasp.  Well  grounded  in  the  political  maxims  of  the 
schools,  he  has  also  studied  the  lessons  of  actual  life,  arriving  at  his  con- 
clusions as  a  result  of  what  may  be  called  his  post-graduate  studies  in 
the  school  of  affairs.  Such  men,  whether  in  office  or  out,  are  the  natural 
leaders  of  whichever  party  they  may  be  identified  with,  especially  in 
that  movement  toward  higher  politics  which  is  common  to  both  parties 
and  which  constitutes  the  most  hopeful  political  sign  of  the  period. 

C.  E.  VOORHIS. 

C.  E.  Voorhis,  a  pioneer  merchant  of  Cassopolis,  is  well  deserving 
of  mention  in  this  volume,  having  made  a  creditable  record  in  commer- 
cial circles  and  belonging  to  that  class  of  representative  American  men 
who,  while  advancing  individual  interests,  also  contribute  to  the  gen- 
eral prosperity.  He  was  born  in  Springfield  township,  Bradford  county, 
Pennsylvania,  on  the  25th  of  November,  1828.  His  father,  James 
Voorhis,  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  was  a  carpenter  by  trade  and 
spent  much  of  his  life  in  Pennsylvania,  where  his  death  occurred.  His 
wife,  Mrs.  Charlotte  Voorhis,  was  a  native  of  the  Keystone  state,  and 
they  became  the  parents  of  four  sons  and  three  daughters,  of  whom  C. 
E.  Voorhis  is  the  youngest  son.  Only  two  children  are  now  living,  one 
sister,  Lucinda  Harkness,  being  a  resident  of  Pennsylvania, 

C.  E.  Voorhis  was  reared  in  the  state  of  his  nativity,  spending  his 
boyhood  days  upon  the  farm,  and  acquired  his  education  in  the  public 
schools.  In  early  manhood  he  chose  a  companion  and  helpmate  for 
life's  journey,  being  married  in  the  east  to  Miss  Emeline  Crandall,  a 
native  of  New  York.  About  two  years  after  his  marriage  he  came  to 
Michigan,  settling  in  Cassopolis,  where  he  began  working  at  day  labor, 
following  any  work  that  he  could  secure  that  would  give  him  an  hon- 
est living.  In  1863,  with  the  capital  that  he  had  managed  to  save  from 
his  earnings,  he  established  a  restaurant.  He  also  spent  one  year  as  a 
peddler,  and  about  1865  he  embarked  in  the  mercantile  business,  in 
which  he  still  continues.  His  capital  and  stock  were  very  limited  at 
first,  but  he  has  built  up  a  magnificent  trade  and  now  carries  a  very  ex- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  435 

tensive  and  well  selected  stock.  He  owns  the  fine  building  in  which  he 
is  conducting  his  business  and  also  has  a  fine  home  in  Cassopolis,  and 
his  store  would  be  a  credit  to  a  city  of  much  larger  size. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Voorhis  have  been  born  two  living  children: 
William  H.,  who  is  now  in  charge  of  the  store;  and  Eva,  the  wife  of 
Elmer  Stamp.  Mr.  Voorhis  votes  with  the  Democracy,  but  has  never 
sought  or  desired  office,  preferring  to  concentrate  his  energies  upon  his 
business  aflfairs.  He  is  the  pioneer  grocery  merchant  of  the  city  and 
has  enjoyed  a  prosperous  career  in  this  line  of  business,  his  success  be- 
ing attributable  to  his  earnest  desire  to  please  his  patrons,  his  close 
application  and  his  reasonable  prices  and  straightforward  dealing.  He 
has  a  veiy  wide  acquaintance  throughout  the  county,  having  lived  here 
for  half  a  century,  and  not  to  know  Mr.  Voorhis  is  to  argue  one's  self 
unknown  in  this  section  of  the  state.  The  prosperity  of  any  commu- 
nity, town  or  city  depends  upon  its  commercial  activity,  its  industrial 
interests  and  its  trade  relations  and  therefore  the  real  upbuilders  of  a 
town  are  those  who  stand  at  the' head  of  its  leading  enterprises. 

B.  W.  HAYDEN. 

The  business  interests  of  Cassopolis  find  a  worthy  representative 
in  B./\V.  Hayden,  a  hardware  merchant,  whose  activity  and  enterprise 
have  contributed  in,  substantial  measure  to  the  commercial  prosperity 
and  upbuilding  of  the  village.  He  was  born  in  Calvin  township,  so  that 
he  is  numbered  among  Cass  county's  successful  native  sons,  his  birth 
having  occurred  on  the  loth  of  August,  1850.  He  is  the  second  son  in 
the  family  of  Joseph  and  Hannah  (Lincoln)  Hayden,  who  were  among 
the  pioneer  residents  of  Cass  county,  coming  to  this  part  of  the  state 
about  1818.  Mr.  Hayden  was  reared  in  the  place  of  his  nativity,  spend- 
ing his  youth  upon  the  homestead  farm  in  Calvin  township  and  as- 
sisting in  the  work  of  fields  and  meadows  as  his  age  and  strength  per- 
mitted. In  1871  he  started  out  upon  an  independent  business  career, 
working  at  anything  that  he  could  find  to  do  that  would  yield  him  an 
honest  living.  He  entered  the  employ  of  the  Redfield,  Lacy  &  Bement 
Milling  Company  at  Redfield,  Michigan,  driving  a  team,  and  for  three 
years  was  in  the  employ  of  that  firm,  on  the  expiration  of  which  period 
he  went  to  Waukegan,  Illinois,  where  he  spent  three  years  and  three 
months.  During  five  years'  work  he  lost  just  one  week's  time.  At 
Waukegan  he  learned  the  milling  business  with  the  firm  of  Warren  & 
George  and  afterward  went  to  Elkhart,  Indiana,  where  he  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Beardsley  Milling  Company,  with  which  he  continued  for 
three  months.  On  returning  to  Redfield,  Michigan,  he  took  charge  of 
the  Redfield  mills  and  continued  to  operate  the  plant  for  about  two  and 
a  half  years,  when  Mr.  Bement,  one  of  the  partners,  died.  At  that  time 
Mr.  Hayden  rented  the  mill  and  carried  on  the  business  on  his  own  ac- 
count in  connection  with  farming  for  five  years.    Following  that  period 


436  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

he  returned  to  Cassopolis  and  with  capital  that  he  had  acquired  through 
his  own  labor  and  capable  management  he  embarked  in  the  hardware 
business,  in  which  he  has  since  continued.  He  carries  a  full  line  of  shelf 
and  heavy  hardware,  also  agricultural  implements,  vehicles  and  harness, 
and  has  a  liberal  patronage,  his  business  being  now  large  and  profitable. 
Since  1884  Mr.  Hayden  has  been  in  business  in  Cassopolis,  and  from  the 
first  month,  January,  18&4,  up  to  the  present  time,  1906,  he  has  kept 
a  faithful  and  true  file  of  the  increase  of  his  business,  which  has  been 
steady  and  solid.  In  the  months  of  January,  February,  March  and 
April  of  19,06  it  was  $1,867.54,  $2,307.46,  $3,046.51  and  $4,447.23  re- 
spectively, which  shows  a  phenomenal  growth  in  a  town  of  1,500  pop- 
ulation. He  has  been  agent  for  the  Standard  Oil  Company  for  four- 
teen years  and  for  seven  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  ice  business.  He 
is  also  local  treasurer  for  the  Standard  Savings  &  Loan  Company  of 
Detroit,  Michigan,  having  occupied  the  position  for  eleven  years.  It 
will  thus  be  seen  that  his  efforts  have  not  been  confined  to  one  line,  fo^ 
he  is  a  man  of  resourceful  business  ability,  energetic  and  enterprising, 
who  has  not  only  quickly  noted  his  business  opportunities  but  has  also 
utilized  them  to  good  advantage  and  has  thus  gained  a  place  among  the 
successful  representatives  of  trade  relations  in  Cassopolis. 

In  1877  Mr.  Hayden  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Tillie  Ful- 
ton, a  daughter  of  William  Fulton,  of  Waukegan,  Illinois.  This  un- 
ion has  been  blessed  with  three  daughters  and  one  son:  Joseph,  who  is 
associated  with  his  father  in  business ;  Belle,  the  wife  of  Melvin  Brown, 
who  is  also  connected  with  Mr.  Hayden  in  his  business  interests  in  Cas- 
sopolis; Stella  and  Bernice,  both  at  home. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Hayden  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  been 
called  to  several  local  offices.  He  was  a  member  of  the  school  board 
for  nine  years  and  a  member  of  the  village  council  for  eight  years,  and 
has  done  much  to  bring  to  the  city  a  public-spirited  administration  of 
its  affairs  that  will  result  in  permanent  benefit.  He  holds  membership 
with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  lodge  of  Cassopolis  and  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  and  his  fraternal  and  church  relations  indicate  the 
character  of  the  man  and  his  interest  in  those  things  which  tend  to  ele- 
vate humanity  and  develop  a  strong  and  honorable  character.  What- 
ever he  has  accomplished  in  life  is  due  to^  his  own  efforts.  Early  com- 
ing to  a  realization  that  energy  and  honesty  are  a  safe  basis  upon  which 
to  build  success  he  has  worked  year  after  year,  carefully  controlling  his 
labors  so  that  as  the  time  has  gone  by  his  efforts  have  been  crowned 
with  the  prosperity  which  is  ever  the  goal  of  business  endeavor. 

ROBERT  SNYDER. 

Robert  Snyder,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Cass  county  now  living 
retired  in  Edwardsburg  after  long  and  active  connection  with  farming 
interests  in  Ontwa  township,  was  born  in  Columbia  county,  Pennsyl- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  437 

vania,  the  5th  of  July,  i8'39.  His  father,  WilHam  Snyder,  was  a  native 
of  New  Jersey,  born  September  16,  1797,  and  in  this  state  he  was  reared 
until  nineteen  years  of  age,  w4ien  he  removed  to  Pennsylvania.  He 
was  a  cabinet-maker  by  trade,  and  followed  that  pursuit  in  early  man- 
hood, but  in  his  later  years  turned  his  attention  to  farming.  In  1848 
he  removed  w^ith  his  family  to  Indiana,  settling  in  St.  Joseph  county  on 
the  8th  of  June  of  that  year.  There  he  followed  cabinet-making  to 
some  extent,  but  soon  concentrated  his  energies  upon  agricultural  pur- 
suits, and  was  thus  engaged  until  his  retirement  from  active  farm  work 
in  1879.  He  then  removed  to  Edwardsburg,  where  he  lived  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  February  9,  1882.  He  was  married  in  Pennsyl- 
vania to  Miss  Jerusha  Robbins,  a  native  of  the  Keystone  state,  born 
June  26,  1797.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  four  sons  and 
six  daughters,' of  whom  Robert  Snyder  is  the  ninth  child  and  fourth 
son.  The  family  record  is  as  follows :  Hiram,  Joseph  and  John,  all 
deceased;  Mary,  Rachel,  Katherine,  Sarah  and  William,  all  of  whom 
have  passed  away;  Robert;  and  Frances.  All  were  born  in  Columbia 
county,  Pennsylvania. 

Mr.  Snyder  was  educated  in  St.  Joseph  county,  Michigan,  and 
remained  at  home  throughout  his  boyhood  and  youth,  working  with 
his  father  in  the  fields  until  he  attained  his  majority.  He  was  mar- 
ried April  16,  1863,  to  Miss  Mary  Hess,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Hess,  a 
pioneer  settler  of  Cass  county,  who  is  mentioned  on  another  page  of  this 
w^ork.  Mrs.  Snyder  was  born  and  reared  in  Ohio  and  with  her  parents 
came  to  Michigan.  For  four  years  after  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Snyder  lived  in  St.  Joseph  county,  and  then  in  1867  came  to  Cass  coun- 
ty, settling  upon  a  farm  of  ninety-three  acres  of  improved  land  in  Jef- 
ferson township.  To  the  further  cultivation  and  improvement  of  that 
property  Mr.  Snyder  devoted  his  energies  until  1878^  and  there  two  of 
the  children  were  born.  Clara  J.,  the  eldest,  born  in  1868,  is 
the  wife  of  J.  H.  Keely,  a  dry  goods  salesman  of  Edwardsburg. 
Laura  Etta,  born  May  9,  1869,  is  the  wife  of  William  Wade,  an  elec- 
trician of  Edwardsburg.  The  youngest  daughter,  Mary,  was  born 
September  5,  1888,  and  is  still  at  home. 

Mr.  Snyder  has  been  a  lifelong  Democrat  and  active  in  the  local 
ranks  of  his  party.  lie  served  as  treasurer  of  Jeflferson  township  for 
one  year  and  after  the  removal  to  Ontwa  township  acted  as  treasurer 
for  six  years  at  different  times.  He  was  also  justice  of  the  peace  for 
about  a  year  and  a  half  and  a  member  of  the  school  board  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  and  in  these  dififerent  offices  labored  earnestly  and  effect- 
ively for  the  general  welfare.  He  belongs  to  the  Masonic  lodge  at 
Edwardsburg  and  is  well  known  throughout  Cass  county,  having  for 
many  years  been  closely  associated  with  its  agricultural  pursuits,  mak- 
ing a  creditable  record  in  business  circles  and  sustaining  an  excellent 
reputation  in  public  office  and  in  private  life.  The  prosperity  that  he 
enjoys  has  been  well  earned  and  is  justly  merited. 


438  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

GEORGE  EMMONS. 

George  Emmons,  who  is  classed  among  the  leading  and  influential 
farmers  of  Porter  township,  his  home  being  on  section  27,  is  a  native 
of  Ohio.  He  was  born  in  Lorain  county  on  the  14th  of  September, 
1848,  and  is  a  son  of  Lucius  and  Sabrina  (Adams)  Emmons.  His 
paternal  grandfather  was  James  Emmons,  who  settled  in  Ohio  at  a 
very  early  day,  having  made  his  way  to  that  state  from  Massachusetts. 
His  maternal  grandfather,  William  Adams,  was  also  a  native  of  New 
England  and  removed  from  Connecticut  to  Ohio,  casting  in  his  lot  with 
the  pioneers  who  aided  in  reclaiming  that  state  from  the  domain  of 
the  savages  and  converting  it  into  the  'center  of  an  advanced  civiliza- 
tion. Lucius  Emmons  remained  a  resident  of  Ohio  until  1858,  when 
he  was  called  to  his  final  rest.  His  widow,  however,  still  survives  hirn 
and  of  their  family  of  five  children  three  were  sons  and  two  daughters. 
'  George  Emmons,  tlie  second  child  and  second  son,  was  reared  ip 
the  county  of  his  nativity,  spending;  his'  boyhood  days  upon  a  farm  and 
early  becoming  familiar  with  all  the  duties  and  labors  that  fall  to  the 
lot  of  "the  agriculturist.  ■  No  event  of  special  importance  occurred  to 
vary  the  routine  of  farm  life  and  he  attended  school  and  worked  in 
the  fields  until  twenty-three  years  of  age.  About  that  time  he  was 
married,  having  in  1871  wedded  Miss  Sarah  Ann  Locke  who  died 
three  years  later,  in  1874.  For  his  second  wife,  whom  he  married  in 
1880,  Mr.  Emmons  chose  Mrs.  May  Loynes,  the  daughter  of  Charles 
and  Mary  (Tubbs)  WilHams.  She  was  born  in  Mount  Holly,  Rut- 
land county,  Vermont,  February  4,  1847,  and  has  one  son  born  of  her 
first  marriage,  Frank  Loynes,  who  is  now  living  in  Chicago.  Mrs. 
Emmons  came  to  Michigan  in  1874,  making  her  way  to  Cass  county, 
and  took  up  her  abode  upon  the  farm  where  she  now  resides.  There 
has  been  one  child  born  of  this  marriage,  Zaida,  who  is  attending  school  . 
in  Hillsdale,  Michigan.  The  parents  of  Mrs.  Emmons  were  both  na- 
tives of  Vermont  and  they  had  but  two  children,  the  other  one  is  now 
deceased.  Her  mother  was  married  a  second  time,  becoming  tlie  wife 
of  Spencer  Arnold,  with  whom  she  removed  to  Michigan  from  Ohio 
in  1865,  locating  on  a  farm  where  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Emmons  now  make 
their  home.  There  was  one  child  of  the  second  marriage,  William 
Arnold. 

Mr.  Emmons  has  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  acres  and  has 
devoted  his  attention  to  general  agricultural  pursuits  but  rents  most 
of  his  place,  thus  leaving  its  care  and  irnprovement  to  others,  while  he 
is  largely  enjoying  a  well  earned  rest.  He  has  served  as  township 
treasurer  for  six  years  and  has  taken  an  active  part  in  public  affairs, 
laboring  earnestly  for  the  welfare  and  substantial  improvement  of  the 
community.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Grange  and  is  well  known  in  Cass 
county,  where  he  has  lived  for  twenty-six  years.  In  1902  his  home 
was  destroyed  by  fire  but  he  at  once  erected  another  dwelling  and  n6\0^ 


^.e.<j-^^  ^ 


<f^^7^^a?^ 


yU^d.    '^Z^moA'  ^a^f^iyry^^r^-^^^ 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  439 

has  a  fine  two-story  house,  which  is  one  of  the  attractive  features  of 
the  landscape.  There  are  also  good  barns  and  other  outbuildings  upon 
his  place  and  all  modern  improvements  and  equipments  in  keeping  with 
a  model  farm.  Everything  about  his  place  is  neat  and  thrifty  in  ap- 
pearance and  Mr.  Emmons  has  long  been  regarded  as  one  of  the  prac- 
tical, enterprising  and  respected  farmers  of  his  community. 

CASSIUS  M.  DENNIS. 

Cassius  M.  Dennis,  at  one  time  a  factor  in  commercial  circles  in 
Edwardsburg,  where  he  was  engaged  in  dealing  in  hardware,  but  now 
giving  his  attention  to  the  real  estate  and  loan  business,  is  a  native  of 
St.  Joseph  county,  Indiana,  born  on  the  24th  of  October,  1845.  His 
father,  Nathaniel  B.  Dennis,  became  one  of  the  pioneer  residents  of 
Cass  county.  His  birth  occurred  in  Delaware  in  March,  181 3.  He  was 
a  farmer  by  occupation  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years  became  a  res- 
ident of  St.  Joseph  county,  Indiana,  taking  up  his  abode  upon  a  farm 
there.  In  1847  he  removed  to  Milton  township,  Cass  county,  purchas- 
ing a  tract  of  land  of  eighty  acres,  which  was  partially  improved.  He 
at  once  began  the  further  development  and  cultivation  of  the  place,  and 
there  he  resided  until  his  death,  which  occurred  on  the  6th  of  February, 
1899.  He  was  identified  with  the  Republican  party  and  was  frequently 
called  to  fill  township  offices  by  his  fellow  citizens,  who  recognized  his 
worth  and  fidelit3^  In  this  county  he  was  married  to  Miss  Margaret 
McMichael,  who  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  was  of  German 
lineage.  In  their  family  were  four  sons  and  two  daughters,  of  whom 
Cassius  M.  Dennis  was  the  second  son  and  second  child.  Four  of  the 
family  were  born  in  Cass  county.  Of  the  others  William,  Mary  Flor- 
ence and  George  are  now  deceased,  while  those  living  are  Cassius  M., 
Cave  J.  and  Martha  E.  All  reached  manhood  and  womanhood,  how- 
ever, with  the  exception  of  George,  who  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Dennis  of  this  review  was  only  two  years  old  when  his  par- 
ents removed  to  Milton  township,  Cass  county,  and  in  the  district? 
schools  he  acquired  his  education,  becoming  familiar  with  the  common 
branches  of  English  learning,  which  fitted  him  for  the  practical  duties 
of  life.  He  was  reared  to  farm  work,  early  becoming  familiar  with  the 
duties  and  labors  that  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  agriculturist,  and  to  his 
father  he  gave  the  benefit  of  his  services  until  twenty-two  years  of  age. 
He  was  then  married,  on  the  12th  of  December,  1867,  the  lady  of  his 
choice  being  Miss  Alphonzy  Hopkins,  a  native  of  Cass  county,  born  in 
February,  1848,  and  a  daughter  of  Nathaniel  and  Ann  Hopkins.  One 
child  was  born  of  this  marriage,  Orville,  a  native  of  Cass  county.  On 
the  5th  of  May,  1885,  Mr.  Dennis  was  again  married,  his  second  union 
being  with  Miss  Lenora  Shoup,  who  was  born  in  Burbank,  Ohio. 

Following  his  marriage  Mr.  Dennis  began  farming  on  his  own  ac- 
count and  in  the  spring  of  1882  he  removed  to  Edwardsburg,  where  he 


440  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

entered  the  employ  of  Mr.  Dunning  in  the  implement  business,  continu- 
ing with  him  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Dunning  in  July,  1885.  He  was  re- 
tained in  the  store,  however,  by  the  management  of  the  estate  until 
1886,  when  in  that  year  he  purchased  the  stock  and  began  business  on 
his  own  account,  so  continuing  until  the  spring  of  1899.  As  a  hard- 
ware merchant  he  enjoyed  a  large  and  profitable  trade,  which  he  secured 
by  reason  of  his  straightforward  dealings,  his  practical  methods  and 
his  unremitting  diligence.  At  length,  however,  he  sold  his  hardware 
stock  and  retired  from  mercantile  fields,  while  at  the  present  time  he 
is  giving  his  attention  to  the  real  estate  and  loan  business. 

Mr.  Dennis  is  a  Democrat  in  his  political  views  and  for  six  years 
served  as  township  clerk.  He  is  numbered  among  the  pioneers  of  Cass 
county  and  with  the  exception  of  six  years  his  entire  life  has  been  passed 
within  its  borders.  He  came  to  the  county  more  than  a  half  century 
ago,  so  that  he  has  largely  witnessed  its  growth  and  development  from 
a  primitive  condition,  to  its  present  advanced  stage  of  civilization  where- 
in every  department  of  commercial  and  industrial  activity  is  represented, 
while  the  work  of  the  agriculturist  is  seen  in  the  splendid  farms  that 
surround  the  enterprising  towns  and  villages.  While  there  have  been 
no  exciting  chapters  in  his  life  record  the  history  of  Mr.  Dennis  may 
well  stand  as  an  example  for  worthy  citizenship,  upright  manhood  and 
fidelity  to  every  trust. 

RUSSEL   D.    MAY. 

Russel  D.  May,  a  retired  farmer  and  early  settler  of  Cass  county 
living  m  Edwardsburg,  is  a  native  of  the  Empire  state,  his  birth  hav- 
ing occurred  in  Chautauqua  county.  New  York,  on  the  9th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1836.  His  father,  Russel  G.  May,  was  born  near  Pittsfield,  Mas- 
sachusetts, on  the  8th  of  May,  1804,  and  was  reared  in  the  place  of  his 
nativitiy.  When!  about  twenty-two  years  of  age  he  removed  to  Chau- 
tauqua county.  New  York,  where  he  settled  upon  a  tract  of  raw  land, 
not  a  furrow  having  been  turned  nor  an  improvement  made  upon  the 
place.  He  began  clearing  the  farm  and  continued  its  cultivation  until 
1837,  making  great  changes  in  its  condition  as  he  placed  acre  after  acre 
under  the  plow.  He  had  been  married  in  Massachusetts  to  Miss  Han- 
nah Stanton,  a  native  of  that  state,  born  December  23,  1807,  and  there 
she  spent  her  girlhood  days.  By  this  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  May  be- 
came the  parents  of  two  sons  and  two  daughters :  Martha  yVnn,  de- 
ceased; Hannah  S.  and  Oliver,  who  have  also  passed  away;  and  Russel 
D.  The  children  were  largely  reared  and  educated  in  Cass  county, 
Michigan.  In  the  year  1837  ^he  parents  left  New  York  and  came  west- 
ward, settling  in  St.  Joseph  county,  Michigan,  where  they  lived  upon  a 
rented  farm  for  four  years.  In  1841  they  came  to  Cass  county,  taking 
up  their  abode  in  Milton  township,  where  they  remained  for  four  years, 
and  in  1845  they  settled  on  what  is  now  known  as  May  street,  near 
Edwardsburg,  which  was  named  in  honor  of  the  father.     The  family 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  441 

home,  however,  Vv'as  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  of  woodland,  which  Mr. 
May  cleared  and  cuhivated  with  the  assistance  of  his  son  Russel,  mak- 
ing all  of  the  improvements  upon  that  place.  There  he  remained  until 
1883,  when  he  removed  to  a  farm  upon  which  his  remaining  days  were 
passed,  his  death  occurring  on  the  8th  of  October,  1886.  His  political 
allegiance  was  given  to  the  Democracy  in  early  life,  but  upon  the  forma- 
tion of  the  new  Republican  party  he  became  one  of  its  stanch  champions 
and  gave  it  his  support  until  within  four  years  of  his  death,  when  he 
voted  the  Prohibition  ticket,  believing  the  temperance  cause  one  of  the 
paramount  issues  before  the  people.  An  earnest  Christian  gentleman, 
he  held  membership  in  the  Methodist  denomination  and  assisted  in 
building  the  first  church  of  the  town. 

Russel  D.  May  was  a  little  lad  of  four  years  when  his  father  came 
to  Cass  county  and  he  was  reared  and  educated  in  Ontwa  township.  He 
early  mastered  the  work  of  the  fields,  taking  his  place  behind  the  plow 
when  a  young  lad,  and  to  his  father  he  gave  the  benefit  of  his  services 
up  to  the  time  of  his  marriage.  That  important  event  in  his  life  oc- 
curred on  the  27th  of  April,  1859,  the  lady  of  his  choice  being  Miss 
Mary  E.  Adams,  who  was  a  native  of  Nev/  York,  and  a  daughter  of 
the  Rev.  S.  C.  Adams,  a  local  Methodist  minister.  Her  mother  was 
Mrs.  Britania  Adams,  and  both  the  parents  w^ere  natives  of  Massachu- 
setts. In  1887  Mr.  May  was  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  his  wife, 
who  died  on  the. 2d  of  November,  of  that  year.  They  had  become  the 
parents  of  six  children,  all  of  whom  reached  adult  age,  although  Ida  is 
now  deceased.  The  others  are :  Jesse  E.  is  a  resident  of  I^  Plata, 
Missouri,  and  is  a  horticulturist.  He  was  educated  in  the  district 
school.  He  wedded  Miss  Mattie  Bishop,  and  they  have  two  living  chil- 
dren, Winnie  and  Dwight.  Henry  K.,  a  resident  of  Burr,  Minnesota,  is 
a  grain  dealer,  and  he  is  prosperous.  He  wedded  Miss  Henrietta  Davis. 
Frank  E.,  a  resident  of  Edwardsville,  Michigan,  is  a  physician  and 
surgeon,  and  graduated  from  Rush  Medical  College  of  Chicago.  He  is 
now  a  horticulturist.  He  wedded  Miss  Rose  James  and  they  have  two 
sons,  Leslie  and  Roy.  Florence  E.  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  J.  J.  Sweetland, 
a  resident  of  Mottville,  Michigan,  and  who  has  a  good  practice.  He  grad- 
uated at  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  They  have  one  son,  Dennis.  Floyd  B.,  a  resi- 
dent of  Hunnewell,  Kansas,  graduated  at  Barnes  Medical  College  of  St. 
Louis.  All  were  born  and  reared  upon  the  old  homestead  farm,,  for  at  the 
time  of  his  marriage  Mr.  May  rented  this  farm  from  his  father.  After  a 
few  years  he  became  owner  of  the  property,  to  which  he  added  eighty 
acres,  and  subsequently  an  additional  tract  of  one  hundred  acres,  so  that  he 
had  altogether  three  hundred  acres  of  valuable  land.  Following  the  deatft* 
of  his  first  wife  Mr.  May  was  again  married,  on  the  i8th  of  June,  1889, 
his  second  union  being  with  Mrs.  M.  Amelia  Ray,  a  native  of  New 
York,  born  in  Cato,  Cayuga  county,  on  the  28th  of  September,  1835. 
Her  parents  were  James  and  Rebecca  (Paine)  Burns,  the  former  a 
native  of  Washington  county,  born  in  May,   1798,  while  the  mother's 


442  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

birth  occurred  in  Vermont  in  May,  1801.  At  an  early  day  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Burns  removed  to  Orleans  county,  New  York,  settling  at  Albion 
in  1836.  There  they  remained  until  called  to  their  final  rest,  being 
respected  and  worthy  citizens  of  that  community.  In  their  family  were 
five  children,  three  sons  and  two  daughters,  of  whom  two  died  in  in- 
fancy, while  Mrs.  May,  the  youngest  of  the  family,  is  the  only  one  now 
living.  The  others  were  Elias  Freer,  Oscar  FitzAlan,  James  Edgar  and 
Caroline  Amanda.  Mrs.  May  was  first  married  in  Albion,  New  York, 
in  1854,  to  David  W.  Ray,  a  native  of  Columbia  county,  that  state, 
who  was  a  journalist  by  profession.  In  1865  ^hey  removed  to  Detroit, 
Michigan,  where  they  resided  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Ray  in  1867.  In 
their  family  were  three  children :  Ida  A.,  a  graduate  of  Phipps  Female 
Seminary  of  Albion,  New  York,  in  the  class  of  1870,  wedded  Charles 
R.  Critchell,  a  resident  of  the  city  of  Denver,  Colorado.  He  was  en- 
gaged in  insurance  and  loans  in  Chicago,  and  was  successful.  They 
have  three  children,  Charles  Ray,  Dorothy  I.  and  Mary  Amelia.  D. 
Willis  Ray  is  a  resident  of  Chicago,  and  with  Farnum  Willoughby  Real 
Estate  Company,  which  is  one  of  the  largest  concerns  of  the  city.  He 
was  educated  in  Cornell  College  at  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa.  He  wedded 
Miss  Anna  Burns.     Minnie  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  months. 

Mr.  May  has  been  a  resident  of  Cass  county  for  sixty  years.  He 
retired  from  active  farming  in  1883  to  enjoy  a  well  earned  rest  and  has 
since  lived  in  Edwardsburg,  where  he  has  a  pleasant  home.  He  was  for 
many  years  an  active  and  energetic  agriculturist  and  acquired  a  compe- 
tence that  now  enables  him  to  enjoy  the  comforts  of  life  without  re- 
gard for  further  labor.  He  was  a  member  of  the  school  board  for  over 
twenty  years  and  he  voted  with  the  Republican  party  for  a  long  period, 
but  since  1883  has  been  a  stanch  Prohibitionist.  In  his  life  he  has  dis- 
played many  sterling  traits  of  character,  not  the  least  of  which  is  his 
loyalty  to  the  temperance  cause.  He  is  a  high  type  of  manhood,  believ- 
ing in  those  principles  which  develop  an  upright  character  and  regard- 
ing his  own  self-respect  and  that  of  his  fellow  men  as  infinitely  of  more 
value  than  wealth,  fame  or  position. 

CHARLES  C  AIKIN. 

Charles  C.  Aikin,  representing  the  business  interests  of  Edwards- 
burg as  a  successful  and  enterprising  lumber  merchant,  was  born  in 
Summit  county,  Ohio,  on  the  27th  of  December,  1846.  His  father, 
Nelson  C.  Aikin,  a  native  of  Vermont,  was  born  in  1808,  and  by  occu- 
pation was  a  farmer.  He,  however,  learned  and  followed  the  cooper's 
.trade  in  New  York,  state  and  in  Ohio,  and  in  July,  1856,  he  came  to 
•Michigan,  taking  up  his  abode  in  Berrien  county.  There  he  purchased 
a  farm  and  gave  undivided  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits  through- 
out, his  remaining  days.  He  was  married  in  the  Empire  state  to  Miss 
Abigail  Van,  a  native  of  New  York,  and  unto  them  were  born  eight 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  443 

ehildren,.  four  sons  arid  four  daughters.  Seven  of  the  number  are  now 
deceased,  two  having  died  in  infancy.  .  Charles  C.  Aikin  was  the  seventh 
child  and  third  son  and  is  the  only  surviving  member  of  the  family. 
The  others  were :  Marcus,  Lucretia,  Mary,  Sarah,  Abigail,  Calvin  C 
and  Albert.  The  three  eldest  sons  were  born  in  New  York  and  the 
other  members  of  the  family  were  natives  of  Ohio.  Charles  C.  Aikin 
was  a  lad  of  ten  years  when  he  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  removal 
from  his  native  state  to  Berrien  county,  Michigan. 

HON.  JOHN  F.  COULTER. 

In  this  country,  where  no  man  is  born  to  public  office  or  to  public 
honor  or  comes  to  either  by  inheritance,  but  where  all  men  are  equal 
before  the  law,  where,  the  race  for  distinction  is  over  the  road  of  pub- 
lic usefulness  and  is  open  to  everyone  who  chooses  to  enter,  it  is  a  mat- 
ter of  just  pride  when  honors  and  distinction  have  been  won.  Among 
the  prominent  and  influential  residents  of  Cass  county  is  Hon.  John 
F.  Coulter,  who  has  been  a  member  of  the  state  legislature  in  Michigan 
and  has  also  aided  in  framing  legislation  in  Kansas  and  Nebraska.  A 
man  of  distinct  and  forceful  individuality,  he  has  left  and  is  leaving  the 
impress  of  his  public  spirit  and  work  upon  matters  of  general  moment 
and  his  influence  has  been  a  beneficial  factor  on  various  occasions.  He 
now  resides  on  section  14,  Howard  township,  his  time  and  energies 
being  given  to  general  agricultural  pursuits.  His  birth  occured  in  this 
township  on  the  15th  of  November,  1840.  His  father,  James  Coulter, 
was  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  near  Cincinnati,  and  was  reared  in  Clinton 
county,  that  state.  He  was  married  there  in  June,  1836,  and  the  same 
year  came  with  an  ox  team  across  the  country  to  Cass  county,  Mich- 
igan, locating  in  Howard  township.  His  father,  John  Coulter,  was 
born  in  Ireland  and  had  previously  come  to  Michigan,  making  the  jour- 
ney in  1834,  in  which  year  he  took  up  five  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land  in  Howard  township.  On  his  removal  to  Cass  county,  James 
Coulter  settled  upon  the  farm  which  his  father  had  located  and  there 
continued  to  make  his  home  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1874. 
He  first  built  a  log  house,  in  which  all  of  his  family,  numbering  eight 
children,  were  born.  In  1855,  hbwever,  he  replaced  this  by  a  modern 
brick  residence,  which  is  still  standing  on  the  farm.  He  was  active  in 
public  affairs  and  his  efforts  were  always  on  the  side  of  right,  progress, 
reform  and  improvement.  He  was  a  stanch  Republican  after  the  organ- 
ization of  the  party  and  held  various  township  offices,  being  faithful  and 
loyal  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties  that  thus  devolved  upon  him.  He 
married  Miss  Ann  Wilson,  a  native  of  Clinton  county,  Ohio,  and  a 
daughter  of  the  Rev.  Amos  Wilson,  a  minister  of  the  Baptist  church  and 
a  schoolmate  of  Henry  Qay.  They  were  Whigs  together,  stanchly 
supporting  the  principles  of  that  party.  Rev.  Wilson  was  of  Welsh  and 
English  lineage  and  displayed  many  of  the  sterling  characteristics  of 


444  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

the  ancestry  from  which  he  was  descended.  His  daughter,  Mrs.  Coulter, 
readied  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-three  years.  In  the  family  were 
eight  children,  of  whom  four  reached  manhood  or  womanhood.  Mrs. 
Margaret  White,  the  eldest,  is  now  living  on  the  old  family  homestead 
in  Howard  township.  William  H.  makes  his  home  in  Cassopolis  and  is 
mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Mrs.  Sarah  Douglas  is  living  in 
Converse,  Indiana. 

John  F.  Coulter  of  this  review  is  the  first  living  son.  He  was 
reared  in  Howard  township  and  acquired  his  preliminary  education  in 
the  district  schools,  after  wliich  he  continued  his  study  in  the  Niles 
high  school.  Subsequently  he  engaged  in  teaching  through  twelve  win- 
ter terms  in  Jefiferson  and  Howard  townships,  while  in  the  summer 
months  his  time  and  labors  w^ere  devoted  to  farming.  He  was  married 
in  April,  1864,  to  Miss  Sarah  U.  Vary,  a  daughter  of  B.  O.  and  Meriba 
(Rogers)  Vary,  who  came  to  Cass  county,  Michigan,  from:  New  York 
in  1858.  Mrs.  Coulter  was  born  in  Chemung  county.  New  York,  April 
23,  1842,  and  came  to  Michigan  with  her  parents,  since  which  time  she 
has  been  a  resident  of  this  state. 

x\t  the  time  of  their  marriage  the  young  couple  located  on  a  farm 
in  Howard  township,  where  Mr.  Coulter  and  his  brother  William  were 
engaged  in  general  agricultural  pursuits  together.  In  March,  1874, 
however,  John  F.  Coulter  went  to  the  west,  locating  in  Fillmore  county, 
Nebraska,  where  he  remained  for  eight  and  a  half  years,  during  which 
time  he  was  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising.  He  afterward  re- 
moved to  Kansas,  living  in  Wilsort  county  for  three  and  a  half  years, 
when  he  went  to  Edwards  county,  Kansas,  and  later  to  Logan  county, 
that  state.  There  he  was  engaged  in  dealing  in  horses  and  cattle  and 
was  also  publisher  of  the  Logan  County  Republican  for  over  two  years 
in  connection  with  his  other  business  interests.  In  1898  he  returned  to 
Howard  township,  locating  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides  on  sec- 
tion 14  and,  at  the  same  time  he  still  retains  the  ownership  of  property 
in  Kansas.  He  has  taken  a  very  active  and  influential  part  in  public  af- 
fairs and  his  influence  has  been  widely  felt  in  behalf  of  the  growth,  devel- 
opment and  success  of  the  Republican  party.  In  1870  he  was  elected  to 
the  state  legislature  from  the  second  district  of  Cass  county  and  served 
during  the  term  of  1870-71.  In  1878  he  was  elected  to  the  state  senate 
for  the  counties  of  Clay  and  Fillmore  in  Nebraska  and  was  on  the  build- 
ing committee  to  build  the  first  wing  of  the  present  capitol  at  Lincoln, 
that  state.  He  was  also  elected  representative  from  Wilson  county, 
Kansas,  in  1882,  and  in  1892  was  chosen  to  represent  Logan  county,  Kan- 
sas, in  the  state  legislature,  while  in  1895  he  was  elected  county  commis- 
sioner of  Logan  county.  He  was  chairman  of  the  board,  but  resigned 
that  oflice  in  order  to  return  to  Michigan.  He  has  long  been  active  in 
politics  and  his  labors  have  been  of  a  practical  character  that  accom- 
plishes results.  At  one  time  he  was  connected  with  the  Knights  of 
Pythias.     He  has  been  a  popular  factor  on  the  political  stage  and  his  is 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  445 

a  sturdy  American  character  and  a  stalwart  patriotism.  He  has  the 
strongest  attachment  for  free  institutions  and  is  ever  wilHng  to  make  a 
personal  sacrifice  for  their  preservation.  He  is  a  man  of  stern  integ- 
rity and  honesty  of  purpose  and  never  uses  unworthy  or  questionable 
means  to  secure  success  in  any  undertaking  or  for  any  purpose  or  to 
promote  his  own  advancement  in  any  direction  whether  political  or 
otherwise. 

ALEXANDER  COOPER. 

Alexander  Cooper,  living  on  section  9,  Howard  township,  owns 
and  operates  a  good  farm  and  in  his  business  management  displays 
the  qualities  which  eventually  lead  to  success.  A  native  of  Ohio,  he 
was  born  in  Marion  county  on  the  25th  of  December,  1829.  The  Coop- 
er family  was  of  English  lineage.  The  grandfather,  John  Cooper,  was 
a  native  of  England  and  came  to  America  with  the  British  troops  in 
1776,  but  tradition  has  it  that  he  deserted  the  British  Army  at  the  time 
of  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  He  constructed  the  first  vessel  that  sailed 
on  Lake  Erie,  being  a  ship  carpenter  by  trade,  and  throughout  his  active 
business  life  he  followed  that  pursuit.  He  went  to  Ohio  at  an  early 
period  in  the  development  of  that  state,  taking  up  his  abode  in  Marion 
county,  and  was  accompanied  by  his  son,  Benjamin  Cooper,  the  father 
of  our  subject.  They  also-  came  together  to  Cass  county,  Michigan,  in 
1832,  and  here  John  Cooper  made  the  first  blinds  that  were  manufac- 
tured in  the  state  of  Michigan  at  Niles.  They  settled  on  a  farm  in 
Jefferson  township,  comprising  two  hundred  acres  of  land,  which  was 
secured  from  the  goveVnmient.  The  father,  Benjamin  Cooper,  was  a 
farmer  during  much  of  his  life,  but  in  early  manhood  learned  and  fol- 
lowed the  shoemaker's  trade.  He  was  born  in  the  state  of  New  York 
and  was  there  reared,  remaining  in  the  east  until  after  his  marriage.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  state  militia  of  New  York  and  was  called  out  dur- 
ing the  war  of  1812.  When  about  twenty-two  years  of  age  he  was 
joined  in  wedlock  to  Miss  Clarinda  Jones,  also  a  native  of  the  Empire 
state,  where  her  girlhood  days  were  passed.     She  was  of  Dutch  descent. 

As  before  stated,  Benjamin  Cooper  went  with  his  father,  John 
Cooper,  to  Ohio,  and  together  they  came  to  Michigan  in  1832.  Having 
secured  a  tract  of  land  of  two  hundred  acres  in  Jefferson  township, 
Cass  county,  Benjamin  Cooper  began  to  clear  and  cultivate  this  place, 
soon  transforming  the  wild  land  into  productive  fields.  As  a  pioneer 
settler  he  contributed  in  substantial  measure  to  the  progress  and  prosper- 
ity of  the  county,  his  labors  being  of  direct  and  permanent  good.  By 
his  first  marriage  he  had  tw^elve  children,  eight  sons  and  four  daughters, 
namely:  John  and  Benjamin,  both  deceased;  Horace;  Alonzo,  who  has 
also  passed  away;  Alexander;  Daniel;  Jefferson,  Thomas,  Cicero,  Clar- 
inda, Almira,  Ann  and  Alvira,  all  deceased.  The  wife  and  mother  died 
in  Jefferson  township  at  the  age  of  forty-four  years  and  for  his  second 
wife  Benjamin  Cooper  chose  Miss  Nancy  Gothop.     There  was  one  child 


446  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

by  this  marriage,  Jeanette.  In  early  life  Benjamin  Cooper  gave  his  po- 
litical allegiance  to  the  Whig  party  and  afterward  became  a  stanch  Dem- 
ocrat. He  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  for  many  years  and  his  deci- 
sions v^ere  fair  and  impartial,  winning  him  ''golden  opinions''  from  the 
general  public.  He  died  at  the  age  of  ninety-three  years  and  three 
months,  honored  and  respected  by  all  who  knew  him  because  of  his 
activity  and  success  in  business  life,  his  devotion  to  the  general  good  and 
his  effective  labor  for  the  benefit  of  his  adopted  county. 

Alexander  Cooper  was  only  about  three  years  old  when  brought  by 
his  parents  to  Michigan  and  he  remained  under  the  parental  roof  until 
twenty-two  years  of  age,  aiding  in  the  arduous  task  of  developing  and 
cultivating  new  land.  After  attaining  his  majority  he  removed  to  his 
present  farm,  which  first  comprised  eighty  acres.  Of  this  he  cultivated 
and  cleared  forty  acres.  He  has  since  added  twenty  acres  to  the  original 
tract  and  altogether  has  placed  eighty  acres  under  the  plow,  transform- 
ing it  from  the  raw  prairie  into  productive  fields.  His  farm  is  now 
valuable,  well  equipped  and  rich  harvests  are  annually  gathered. 

As  a  companion  and  helpmate  for  life's  journey  Mr.  Cooper  chose 
Miss  Elizabeth  Garwood,  to  whom  he  was  married  on  the  7th  of  Octo- 
ber, 1851.  They  are  the  parents  of  two  sons,  Z.  S.  and  William  A. 
Cooper,  both  born  and  reared  on  the  old  homestead  farm  in  Howard 
township.  Mrs.  Cooper  was  born  in  Pokagon  township  May  12,  1830, 
and  was  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Marietta  Ann  (Burden)  Garwood. 
Her  father  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated, and  at  an  early  day  he  went  to  Ohio,  whence  he  came  to  Cass 
county,  Michigan,  in  1829,  settling  on  Pokagon  prairie;  where  he  se- 
cured three  hundred  acres  of  land  from  the  government.  Not  a  furrow 
had  been  turned  nor  an  improvement  made  on  the  place,  and  with  char- 
acteristic energy  he  began  to  till  the  virgin  soil  and  cultivate  the  crops 
best  adapted  to  the  climate.  His  wife  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey, 
where  she  spent  her  girlhood.  Mr.  Garwood  had  conducted  a  grist 
mill  in  Ohio,  but  after  coming  to  this  state  his  entire  attention  was  de- 
voted to  farming.  In  his  family  were  nine  children,  five  daughters  and 
four  sons,  of  whom  seven  are  now  deceased,  Mrs.  Cooper  having  been 
the  eighth  child  and  fifth  daughter.  Her  parents  were  worthy  and 
honored  pioneer  residents  here  and  their  names  are  deeply  engraved  on 
the  minds  of  the  early  settlers  of  the  county.  Mr.  Garwood  gave  his 
political  allegiance  to  the  Whig  party  until  its  dissolution  and  then  be- 
came a  stanch  champion  of  Republican  principles.  He  remained  upon 
the  old  homestead  farm  throughout  the  period  of  his  residence  in  Cass 
county  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  the  owner  of  six  hundred  acres 
of  valuable  land  in  addition  to  the  home  place.  He  passed  away  when 
about  seventy-six  years  of  age.  Mrs.  Cooper  was  educated  in  one  of 
the  old-time  log  school  houses  and  like  her  husband  is  familiar  with  the 
history  of  Cass  county  from  the  period  of  its  early  development  down  to 
the  present  day,  when  all  the  evidences  of  later-day  progress  are  seen. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  447. 

Mr.  Cooper  has  always  voted  with  the  Democracy  and  has  held  all 
the  offices  in  the  township  save  that  of  supervisor,  being  continuously  in 
official  service  for  about  a  quarter  of  a  century.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Free  Baptist  church  at  Pbkagon.  With  one  exception  he  is  the  oldest 
living  settler  in  his  township  and  he  has  a  very  wide  acquaintance  in 
the  county,  having  lived  here  since  early  pioneer  times  and  witnessed 
its  entire  growth  and  development.  Like  others  he  shared  in  the  hard- 
ships and  privations  incident  to  the  establishment  of  a  home  on  the 
frontier,  but  as  the  years  went  by  he  was  enabled  to  overcome  all  difficul- 
ties and  obstacles  in  his  path  and  while  promoting  his  individual  suc- 
cess he  also  contributed  to  the  general  welfare  by  the  active  co-operation 
which  he  gave  to  all  plans  formulated  for  public  progress.  He  can  re- 
late many  interesting  incidents  of  pioneer  days  and  is  indeed  a  worthy 
citizen  and  honored  early  settler  of  Cass  county 

S.  M.  HOWSER. 

On  the  roll  of  Cass  county's  honored  dead  appears  the  name  of 
S.  M.  Howser,  who  at  one  time  was  an  enterprising  and  prosperous 
farmer  of  Howard  tow^nship.  He  came  to  this  section  of  the  state  at  an 
early  period  in  its  development  and  assisted  in  the  work  of  general  prog- 
ress and  improvement.  At  all  times  he  rejoiced  in  what  was  accom- 
plished in  the  county,  for  he  was  public  spirited  in  citizenship  and  had 
a  deep  and  sincere  interest  in  his  adopted  state.  His  birth  occurred  in 
Preble  county,  Ohio,  on  the  27th  of  June,  1829,  while  his  father,  Henry 
Howser,  was  a  native  of  Maryland,  born  in  1800.  Having  spent  the 
days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  in  that  state  Henry  Howser  removed  to 
Ohio,  settling  in  Preble  county.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Brown, 
a  native  of  Ohio,  and  in  1836  they  came  to  Cass  county,  Michigan,  tak- 
ing up  their  abode  in  Pokagon  township,  where  Mr.  Howser  entered 
land  from  the  government,  becominig  owner  of  about  two  hundred  and 
sixty  acres.  Not  a  furrow  had  been  turned  nor  an  improvement  made 
upon  this  place,  for  the  entire  tract  was  covered  with  the  native  growth 
of  timber,  but  he  cleared  the  farm  and  in  course  of  years  made  splendid 
improvements  there,  transforming  the  once  wild  land  into  a  very  pro- 
ductive tract.  The  Howsers  were  one  of  the  oldest  families  in  the 
county  and  upon  the  homestead  the  parents  reared  their  family  of  sev- 
en children,  five  sons  and  two  daughters.  Henry  Howser  died  in 
Dowagiac  in  his  seventy-seventh  year,  having  spent  his  last  days  in 
honorable  retirement  there  after  a  long,  active  and  successful  connec- 
tion with  agricultural  pursuits.  He  was  a  Republican  in  his  political 
views  and  while  he  never  sought  or  desired  office  he  was  always  inter- 
ested in  the  work  of  public  progress,  and  as  a  private  citizen  contributed 
in  substantial  measure  to  the  task  of  reclaiming  this  part  of  the  state 
for  the  uses  of  civilization. 

S.  M.  Howser  remained  upon  the  old  homestead  farm  up  to  the 


448  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

time  of  his  marriage.  He  had  spent  about  thirteen  years  in  his  native 
state  and  had  then  accompanied  his  parents  to  Michigan.  Here  he  not 
only  shared  in  the  hardships  and  trials  of  pioneer  life  but  also  assisted 
in  the  arduous  task  of  developing  a  new  farm,  cutting  down  the  trees, 
clearing  away  the  brush  and  stumps  and  breaking  the  first  furrows  in 
the  fields.  He  not  only  cleared  most  of  the  place  but  he  also  split  the 
rails  with  which  to  fence  the  farm  and  the  early  years  of  his  manhood 
were  fraught  with  earnest  and  unremitting  toil. 

On  the  24th  of  December,  i860,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of 
Mr.  Howser  arid  Miss  Minerva  Knight,  who  was  born  at  Berrien 
Springs,  Berrien  county,  Michigan,  December  29,  1842,  and  was  a 
daughter  of  Jonathan  Knight,  a  farmer  of  Berrien  county,  who  was 
born  in  Ohio  on  the  6th  of  June,  181 7.  There  he  spent  the  days  of  his 
boyhood  and  youth  and  about  1839  he  removed  to  Berrien  Springs,  tak- 
ing up  his  abode  upon  the  farm  where  he  resided  up  to  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  his  eighty-third  year.  He  endorsed  Repub- 
lican principles  and  though  he  never  sought  office  was  always  faithful 
in  friendship  and  interested  in  the  public  welfare.  Unto  him  and  his 
wife  were  born  two  sons  and  three  daughters,  Mrs.  Howser  being  the 
eldest  daughter  and  second  child  in  the  family.  She  was  reared  in 
Berrien  county,  where  she  remained  up  to  the  time  of  her  marriage. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Howser  removed  to  the  homestead  farm  in  Howard  town- 
ship about  1868,  purchasing  here  two  hundred  and  sixty-three  acres  of 
land,  which  he  cultivated  and  improved,  transforming  it  into  a  valu- 
able and  productive  farm.  At  a  later  date  a  portion  of  the  land  was  sold 
but  the  farm  still  comprises  one  hundred  and  eighty-two  acres  and  re- 
tuniiS  a  gratifying  annual  income  for  the  care  and  labor  bestowed  upon 
it.  As  the  years  passed  by  three  children  came  to  bless  the  home  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Howser,  but  the  elder  daughter,  Mary  Jane,  is  now  deceased. 
The  others  are  Henry  J.  and  Cora  Myrtle,  who  were  born  on  the  present 
homestead,  while  Mary  was  born  in  Berrien  county. 

Mr.  Howser  voted  with  the  Republican  party  but  never  sought  or 
desired  office,  preferring  to  give  his  undivided  attention  to  his  business 
affairs.  In  this  way  he  acquired  a  comfortable  competence  for  his  fam- 
ily and  he  also  left  to  them  an  honorable  name  by  reason  of  his  straight- 
forward business  dealings.  He  was  widely  known  as  an  honored  pioneer 
settler  of  the  county  and  a  man  who  merited  and  received  the  respect 
and  erood  will  of  those  with  whom  he  was  associated. 


fe"- 


PERRY  AKIN. 

Perry  Akin  has  had  an  eventful  and  interesting  experience  during 
a  residence  in  California  in  the  early  period  of  its  development  and 
also  by  reason  of  his  connection  with  Cass  county  in  pioneer  days.  He 
is  now  the  owner  of  the  old  homestead  farm  and  resides  in  Jeflferson 
township,  where  he  has  valuable  landed  possessions.     He  was  born  in 


Ofk.   '/l^  ^u^ 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  449 

Montgomery  county,  Ohio,  on  the  17th  of  July,   1835,  and  traces  his 
ancestry  back  to   Ireland.      His   father,   William  Akin,   came  to  Cass 
county  in  1839,  first  settling  in  Calvin  township,  where  he  purchased  a 
sawmill.     For  a  number  of  years  he  was  closely  connected  with  indus- 
trial interests  of  the  county  through  the  operation  of  this  mill  and  the 
manufacture  of  lumber.     Fie  had  a  very  wide  acquaintance  among  the 
pioneer  settlers  and  he  belonged  to  that  class  of  representative  men  who 
while  promoting  individual  success  also  advance  the  general  welfare. 
He  died  in  this  county  in  1847.     ^^s  wife.  Miss  Catherine  Benner,  was 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  was  of  German  lineage.     She  lived  to 
be  about  sixty  years  of  age  and  was  the  mother  of  eleven  children, 
nine  of  whom  reached  adult  years.     Perry  Akin  was  the  fifth  in  order 
of  birth  and  the  fourth  son.     He  was  only  four  years  of  age  at  the 
time  of  the  removal  of  the  family  to  Michigan  and  he  was  therefore 
reared  amid  the  wild  scenes  of  frontier  life,  sharing  with  the  family  in 
the  hardships  and  trials  incident  to  the  establishment  of  a  home  in  a 
frontier  district  far  removed  from  the  comforts  and  conveniences  of  the 
older  east.   He  is  today  the  owner  of  the  old  homestead  property  and  the 
residence  which  was  built  by  his  father  when  he  came  to  the  county 
more  than  sixty-five  years  ago.     When  about  six  years  of  age  he  be- 
gan his  education  in  one  of  the  old  time  log  school  houses  common  at 
that  day.     It  was  a  little  building  seated  with  slab  benches,  while  the 
writing  desk  was  formed  by  laying  a  board  upon  wooden  pins  driven 
into    the   wall.      Reading,    writing   and    arithmetic   were   the   principal 
branches  taught,  and  to  some  extent  instruction  was  given  in  grammar 
and  geography.     When  not  busy  with  the  duties  of  the  school-room 
Perry  Akin  learned  the  value  of  industry  and  economy  in  the  active 
affairs  of  life  and  worked  earnestly  and  energetically  to  support  his 
mother,  to  whom  he  gave  the  benefit  of  his  services  until  twenty-seven 
years  of  age.    He  was  married  on  the  27th  of  November,  1862,  to  Miss 
Melissa  Danforth,  who  was  born  in  Logan  county,  Ohio,  on  the  14th 
of  June,   1842,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Danforth,  a  native  of 
Vermont,  while  her  mother,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Elizabeth  Mc- 
Donald, was.  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  was  also  of  Scotch  lineage.     In 
the  Danforth  family  were  eight  children,  six  sons  and  two  daughters, 
of  whom  Mrs.  Akin  is  the  eldest.     She  came  to  Cass  county  in  1854, 
when  a  maiden  of  twelve  summers,  in  company  with  her  parents,  who 
settled  in   Calvin   township,   and   there  her   father  developed   and   im- 
proved a  farm.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Akin  spent  the  first  winter  after  their 
marriage  in  this  county  and  in  the  spring  of  1863  Mr.  Akin  started  for 
California,  where  he  remained  for  seven  years.     He  then  returned  and 
took  his  wife  to  the  west  with  him,  locating  at  Fish  Lake,   Nevada. 
There  he  was   the  owner  of  a  valuable  farm  of  eight  hundred  acres, 
upon  which  he  resided  for  fourteen  years.     His  place  was  largely  a 
hay  and  stock  ranch  and  in  connection  with  its  cultivation  he  harvested 


450  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

and  sold  a  large  amount  of  hay.  He  also  had  considerable  stock  upon 
his  place.  After  spending  about  twenty  years  in  the  west  he  sold  his 
property  in  that  part  of  the  country  about  1883  and  returned  to  Cass 
county,  locating  on  the  old  homestead,  where  he  resided  until  1902. 
In  that  year  he  took  up  his  abode  upon  the  farm  in  Jefferson  township 
upon  which  he  yet  lives. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Akin  have  been  born  six  children,  three  of 
whom  are  yet  living:  Alma,  now  the  wife  of  R.  H.  Kidder,  a  resident 
of  Montana;  Clara,  who  was  the  wife  of  Charles  Foreman  and  is  now 
deceased;  Charles  E.,  residing  upon  the  old  homestead;  and  Ora  B., 
who  is  the  wife  of  Delbert  Closson,  of  Redfield,  Cass  county.  Two 
other  children  have  also  passed  away.  The  family  is  one  of  prominence 
in  the  community  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Akin  occupy  an  enviable  position 
in  social  circles,  having  the  warm  regard  of  many  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances. They  have  an  elegant  collection  of  beautiful  and  valuable  stones 
and  ores  from  the  foothills  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  mountains  in  Nevada, 
and  also  have  a  lariat  over  twenty-three  feet  long  made  from  the  hair 
of  Mrs.  Akin's  head,  an  instance  not  found  in  the  entire  county  of 
Cass.     This  is  a  valuable  souvenir. 

Mr.  Akin  has  made  eleven  trips  to  California  by  rail  and  one  by 
water  and  is  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  western  part  of  the  country, 
the  growth  and  development  of  which  he  has  witnessed  to  a  great  ex- 
tent. He  has  always  voted  with  the  Republican  party  and  has  kept 
well  informed  on  the  questions  and  issues  of  the  day,  but  has  never 
sought  or  desired  office,  preferring  to  give  undivided  attention  to  his 
business  interests.  Coming  to  Cass  county  in  his  early  boyhood  days, 
he  still  has  many  friends  among  those  who  have  knOwn  him'  from  his 
youth  to  the  present  time,  a  fact  which  indicates  that  his  life  has  been 
honorable  and  upright.  Great  changes  have  occurred  here  since  his 
youth  and  in  his  farm  work  he  has  always  kept  abreast  with  ideas  of 
modern  progress  and  improvement.  He  has  never  placed  his  depend- 
ence upon  any  fortunate  combination  of  circumstances  or  waited  for 
anything  to  turn  up  to  assist  him  in  his  business  career,  but  has  labored 
zealously  and  earnestly  and  has  found  that  honesty  and  persistency  of 
purpose  constitute  an  excellent  foundation  upon  which  to  rear  the  super- 
structure of  prosperity. 

SAMUEL  C.  THOMSON. 

The  farming  interests  of  Howard  township  find  a  worthy  represent- 
ative in  Samuel  C.  Thomson,  who  capably  manages  his  business  af- 
fairs and  at  the  same  time  is  efficiently  serving  as  supervisor.  He  was 
born  in  Scotland  on  the  28th  of  July,  1842,  his  parents  being  Samuel 
and  Lillian  (Atkin)  Thomson.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Scotland, 
born  April  22,  1798,  and  in  his  young  life  served  as  surveyor.  Later 
he  devoted  his  attention  to  merchandising.     He  was  married  in  Scot- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  451 

land  to  Miss  Lillian  Atkin,  who  was  born  in  that  country  in  1802,  and 
there  spent  her  girlhood  days.  Eight  children  were  bom  of  this  union, 
of  whom  Samuel  C.  is  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth.  In  1844  the  parents 
came  to  America,  m-aking  their  way  direct  to  Berrien  county,  Michigan, 
where  the  father  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  and  spent  his  remain- 
ing days  in  that  locality,  devoting  his  energies  to  agricultural  pursuits 
and  there  rearing  his  family.  He  died  in  Berrien  county  at  the  age  of 
eighty-four  years,  while  his  wife  passed  away  at  the  very  advanced  age 
of  ninety-seven  years.     In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat. 

Samuel  C.  Thomson  was  only  two  years  old  when  brought  by  his 
parents  to  the  United  States.  He  worked  upon  the  home  farm  until 
1881,  when  he  came  to  Cass  county  and  settled  at  his  present  place  of 
residence,  clearing  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Howard 
townsliip.  This  is  a  valuable  property,  splendidly  improved  and  giv- 
ing every  evidence  of  the  careful  supervision  of  the  owner,  who  is  prac- 
tical in  his  methods,  farsighted  in  his  judgment  and  enterprising  in  all 
his  labor. 

On  the  20th  of  November,  1884,  Mr.  Thomson  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Caroline  Gerberich,  a  native  of  Berrien  county,  Michigan, 
born  February  15,  1848,  and  a  daughter  of  David  P.  Gerberich,  who  be- 
came a  farmer  of  Cass  county,  where  Mrs.  Thomson  was  reared.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Thomson  have  become  the  parents  of  a  son  and  daughter, 
Samuel  and  Josephine,  both  born  upon  the  present  farm.  In  the  midst 
of  an  active  and  useful  career  as  an  agriculturist  Mr.  Tliomson  has 
found  time  to  devote  to  the  general  welfare  and  has  co-operated  in  many 
measures  for  the  public  good.  His  fellow  townsmen  recognizing  his 
worth  and  ability  have  called  him  to  public  office  and  he  was  elected 
and  served  for  two  years  as  supervisor,  having  also  previously  served 
eight  years,  which  shows  his  efficiency,  being  chosen  upon  the  Demo- 
cratic ticket.  He  has  been  a  lifelong  supporter  of  that  party  and  is  still 
unfaltering  in  his  advocacy  of  its  principles*.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomson 
are  both  devout  members  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  at  Niles, 
Michigan,  and  he  served  for  thirty  years  as  elder  and  is  now  superinr- 
tendent  of  the  Sunday-school  in  the  society. 

FRED  McINTYRE. 

Fred  Mclntyre,  who  carries  on  farming  in  a  practical,  profitable 
and  progressive  manner  on  section  21,  Lagrange  township,  was  bom  in 
Harrison  county,  Iowa,  April  13,  1876.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
Philester  Mclntyre,  came  from  New  York  to  Cass  county,  Michigan, 
at  an  early  period  in  the  development  of  this  part  of  the  state.  His  son, 
Edward  E.  P.  Mclntyre,  father  of  our  subject,  was  bom  in  the  Empire 
state  and  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  removal  to  the  west.  He  was 
reared  amid  pioneer  conditions  in  Cass  county  and  in  1867  he  removed 
to  Harrison  county,  Iowa,  where  he  located  upon  a  farm.     He  is  now 


452  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

living  in  Harrison  county  in  that  state.  His  wife,  who  in  her  maiden- 
hood was  Miss  Sarah  Parkins,  was  a  native  of  Iowa  and  is  now  de- 
ceased. In  their  family  were  three  children,  namely :  Fred,  of  this 
review;  May,  the  wife  of  James  Poor,  of  Harrison  county,  Iowa;  and 
Hugh,  deceased. 

Fred  Mclntyre  is  the  only  representative  of  the  family  now  in  Cass 
county.  He  was  reared  in  the  state  of  his  nativity,  where  he  remained 
until  1892,  when  he  came  to  Cass  county  and  here  four  years  later  he 
was  married,  in  1896,  to  Miss  Sarah  E.  Corwin,  a  daughter  of  James 
and  Nancy  Corwin.  She  was  born  in  Cass  county,  Michigan,  and  has 
spent  her  entire  life  here.  From  1897  to  1899  Mr.  Mclntyre  was  in  the 
employ  of  Mr.  Dodge  in  Penn  township,  and  in  1900  he  purchased  the 
farm  upon  which  he  now  resides,  having  here  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
nine  acres  of  land,  which  is  well  cultivated.  He  carries  on  general  farm- 
ing with  good  results  and  the  well  tilled  fields  indicate  his  careful  super- 
vision by  reason  of  the  neat  and  thrifty  appearance  which  characterizes 
the  entire  place. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mclntyre  have  been  bom  three  children :  James 
E.,  Catharine  D.  and  Lenn.  The  parents  are  highly  esteemed  and  oc- 
cupy an  enviable  position  in  social  circles.  Mr.  Mclntyre  is  a  Democrat 
but  without  aspiration  for  office.  He  is  regarded  as  a  well-to-do  young 
farmer  of  the  county,  having  achieved  notable  success  for  one  of  his 
years,  as  he  has  not  yet  attained  the  age  of  thirty.  He  has  wrought 
along  modern  business  lines,  brooking  no  obstacles  that  could  be  over- 
come by  persistent  and  earnest  purpose,  and  his  diligence  has  proved  the 
salient  feature  in  his  prosperity, 

DAVID  L.  KINGSBURY. 

David  L.  Kingsbury,  assistant  cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank 
of  Cassopolis,  was  born  in  LaGrange  township,  Cass  county,  Michigan, 
on  the  9th  of  July,  1867,  and  is  the  youngest  son  of  Asa  and  Jane  (Mon- 
roe) Kingsbury,  who  are  mentioned  on  another  page  of  this  work.  No 
event  of  special  importance  occurred  to  vary  the  routine  of  farm  life 
for  David  L.  Kingsbury  in  his  youth.  He  was  reared  in  LaGrange 
township  until  sixteen  years  of  age  and  attended  the  district  schools  in 
his  early  boyhood  days.  He  afterward  continued  his  studies,  however, 
in  the  high  school  of  Cassopolis,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  the 
class  of  1888.  Subsequently  he  attended  the  agricultural  college  at 
Lansing  for  one  year  and  was  also  a  student  in  Kalamazoo  Business 
College  for  six  months,  being  thus  well  equipped  for  life's  practical  and 
responsible  duties.  Subsequently  he  engaged  in  the  dry  goods  business 
in  Cassopolis  in  partnership  with  his  brother,  under  the  firm  style  of  G. 
M.  &  D.  L.  Kingsbury,  which  connection  was  maintained  for  five  years, 
at  tlie  end  of  which  time  Mr.  Kingsbury  became  assistant  cashier  of  the 
First  National  Bank  on  the  ist  of  April,  1891I.     He  has  since  occupied 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  453 

that  position  and  is  one  of  the  popular,  competent  and  trustworthy  rep- 
resentatives of  this  strong  financial  institution. 

In  1893  occurred  the  marriage  of  David  L.  Kingsbury  and  Miss 
Frances  Graham,  a  daughter  of  E.  R.  and  Sabrina  Graham.  They  have 
one  son,  Asa  Joseph.  Mr.  Kingsbury  has  been  connected  v^dth  the  vil- 
lage board  since  attaining  his  majority  either  as  its  treasurer  or  presi- 
dent, having  been  elected  president  for  five  consecutive  times.  In  the 
discharge  of  his  duties  he  has  been  prompt  and  efficient  and  his  labors 
have  been  very  beneficial  to  the  town.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  his  political 
views,  active  in  the  work  of  his  party,  and  his  devotion  to  the  general 
good  is  above  question.  Prominent  in  Masonic  circles,  he  belongs  to 
Kingsbury  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  and  Niles  Commandery,  K.  T.,  and  he 
also  holds  membership  relations  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  of  Cassopo- 
lis.  For  a  number  of  years  he  has  been  classed  among  the  prominent 
and  progressive  citizens  of  this  place  and  he  has  earned  for  himself  an 
enviable  reputation  as  a  careful  man  of  business,  who  in  his  dealings  is 
known  for  his  prompt  and  honorable  methods,  which  have  won  him  the 
deserved  and  unbounded  confidence  of  his  fellow  men. 

WARNER  D.  JONES. 

Abraham  Lincoln  has  said,  ''You  can  fool  some  of  the  people  all 
of  the  time,  all  of  the  people  some  of  the  time,  but  you  can't  fool  all  of 
the  people  all  of  the  time,''  and  the  truth  of  this  assertion  is  abundantly 
verified  in  the  political  system  of  the  country,  where  public  office  is  con- 
ferred by  public  vote  and  is  an  indication  of  trust  reposed  in  the  indi- 
vidual and  a  recognition  of  his  merit.  It  is  true  that  corruption  exists 
to  some  extent,  especially  in  the  larger  cities,  but  in  smaller  commu- 
nities where  individual  character  and  personal  traits  of  the  candidate  are 
known  it  is  usually  men  of  real  worth  and  ability  who  are  called  to 
serve  in  positions  of  public  trust.  This  is  certainly  true  in  the  case 
of  Mr.  Jones,  who  is  filling  the  office  of  register  of  deeds.  He  was  bom 
in  Penn  township,  Cass'  county,  December  6,  1869,  and  &s  his  entire  life 
has  been  passed  in  this  section  of  the  state  his  life  history  is  as  an  open 
book  to  the  majority  of  citizens  in.  the  county.  He  is  the  third  son  and 
fifth  child  of  Nathan  and  Lydia  (Bonine)  Jones,  who  are  mentioned 
on  another  page  of  this  work.  He  was  reared  in  the  township  where 
his  birth  occurred  and  pursued  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Vandalia 
and  Cassopolis.  He  afterward  entered  college  at  Richmond,  Indiana, 
and  when  he  put  aside  his  text  books  he  concentrated  his  energies  upon 
farm  labor  and  was  connected  with  agricultural  interests  in  Cass  county 
until  he  was  elected  register  of  deeds  in  1904.  This  position  he  now 
fills,  having  been  chosen  to  the  office  as  the  candidate  of  the  Republican 
party.  He  has  always  taken  an  active  and  helpful  interest  in  the  work 
of  that  party  and  keeps  well  informed  on  the  questions  and  issues  of  the 
day,  so  that  he  is  able  to  support  his  position  by  intelligent  argument. 


454  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Ml.  Jones  was  married  in  1903  to  Miss  Viola  Struble,  who  was 
born  in  this  comity  in  1873  and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools. 
Thus  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jones  are  natives  of  Cass  county  and  are  wide- 
ly known,  their  circle  of  friends  being  constantly  extended  as  the  cir- 
cle of  their  acquaintances  increases.  Mr.  Jones  has  always  been  recog- 
nized as  a  reliable  business  man,  possessing  laudable  ambition  and  en- 
terprise, and  in  office  he  is  found  loyal  to  the  trust  reposed  in  him, 
faithfully  performing  his  duties  to  the  best  of  his  ability.  In  a  fraternal 
sense  Mr.  Jones  is  a  member  of  the  K.  of  P.,  Castle  No.  129,  of  Pierian 
Lodge  of  Cassopolis. 

A.  N.  ARMSTRONG. 

A.  N.  Armstrong,  the  popular  and  efficient  postmaster  of  Cassopo- 
lis, was  born  in  Redford,  Wayne  county,  Michigan,  on'  the  2d  of  No- 
vember,  1858.     His  father,  Nathaniel  A.  Armstrong,  was  a  native  of 
Massachusetts,  where  he  was  reared,  educated  and  married.     Remov- 
ing to  the  west  he  located  in  Redford,  Wayne  county,  Michigan,  in 
1841.     Pie  was  a.  farmer  by  occupation  and  improved  a  valuable  tract 
of  land,   carrying  on  general  farming  throughout  his  entire  life.     He 
held  membership  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  gave  his  early 
political  allegiance  to  the  Democracy,  but  afterward  became  a  stanch 
Republican.     He  was  of  Scotch  and  Irish  descent  and  in  his  life  he  dis- 
played many  strong  and  sterling  characteristics  which  won  for  him  the 
esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  was  associated.     He  died  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-two years,  and  is  yet  survived  by  his  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name 
of  Harriet  Macomber  and  is  a  native  of  Massachusetts.     A.  N.  Arm- 
strong is  the  only  child  born  of  their  marriage.     Both  the  father  and 
mother  were  previously  married  and  the  former  had  eleven  children  by 
his  first  union,  while  the  mother  had  two  children  by  her  first  marriage. 
A.   N.  Amstrong  was  reared  in  Redford,  Michigan,  until  twelve 
years  of  age.     The  father  had  died  when  the  son  was  only  six  months 
old  and  about  1870  the  mother  removed  to  Farmington,  Oakland  coun- 
ty, Michigan,  where  Mr.  Armstrong  of  this  review  remained  until  nine- 
teen years  of  age,  when  in  1874  he  came  to  Cassopolis.    He  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  and  also  spent  two  years  in  the  Ypsilanti  vState 
Normal  School  and  at  Green  Business  College.    He  was  likewise  a  stu- 
dent in  Br}^ant  &  Stratton's  Business  College  at  Detroit  in  1874.     En- 
tering upon  his  business  career,  he  secured  a  clerkship  in  a  hardware 
store  and  in  1877  he  embarked  in  the  hardware  business  on  his  own 
account,  in  which  line  of  trade  he  continued  until  1892.     He  has  been 
very  active  and  prominent  in  political  circles  and  was  deputy  superin- 
tendent of  the  department  of  collections  at  the  World's  Fair  in  Chicago 
in  1893.     Dtiring  the  two  succeeding  years  he  was  clerk  of  the  senate 
committee  on  finance  and  appropriation  in  the  Michigan  leigslature  and 
in  1896-7  was  sergeant-at-afms  in  the  general  assembly.     On  the  ist 
of  September,  1897,  h^  ^^^k  charge  of  the  postoffice  at  Cassopolis,  hav- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  455 

ing  been  appointed  to  the  position  in  July  of  that  year  by  President  Mc- 
Kinley  and  reappointed  in  1901  by  President  Roosevelt.  He  has  been 
a  lifelong  Republican,  taking  an  active  and  helpful  interest  in  the  party 
both  in  local  and  state  politics,  and  has  been  called  to  various  local  of- 
fices, the  duties  of  which  he  has  discharged  with  promptness  and  fidelity. 
On  March  i,  1906,  he  took  charge  of  the  Michigan  State  Prison,  hav- 
ing been  appointed  warden  of  the  institution  by  Governor  Warner,  who 
had  known  him  intimately  all  his  life.  This  is  the  oldest  and  largest 
penal  institution  in  the  state  and  is  considered  the  most  responsible  of 
all  appointive  positions  in  the  state  government. 

In  1880  Mr.  Armstrong  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  May  S. 
Smith,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Adelia  (Tielsort)  Smith,  who  were 
natives  of  Cass  county.  The  father  was  a  son  of  Major  Joseph  Smith, 
who  was  a  prominent  Democrat  and  early  settler  of  Cass  county,  while 
the  maternal  ancestors  were  also  pioneer  people  in  this  section  of  the 
state,  contributing  in  substantial  measure  to  the  progress  and  develop- 
ment of  Cass  county.  Mrs.  Armstrong  was  born  in  Cassopolis,  was  a 
student  in  the  public  schools  and  was  the  first  graduate  of  the  high 
school  of  this  city.  One  child  has  been  bom  of  this  marriage,  Kath- 
arine, whose  birth  occurred  in  1884.  Mr.  Armstrong  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity,  belonging  to  the  Blue  lodge,  the  chapter  and 
the  commandery.  In  the  field  of  political  life  and  commercial  activity 
he  has  w^on  distinction  and  is  to-day  numbered  among  the  leading,  influ- 
ential and  honored  residents  of  his  city.  His  worth  is  widely  acknowl- 
edged and  his  unfailing  courtesy,  deference  for  the  opinions  of  others 
and  commendable  characteristics  have  gained  for  him  the  respect  of 
those  with  whom  he  has  been  associated.  Honored  and  respected  in 
every  class  of  vSociety,  he  has  for  many  years  been  a  leader  in  thought 
and  action  in  the  public  life  of  Cass  county. 

ANDREW  F.  CAUL. 

Andrew  F.  Caul,  a  prominent  farmer'  residing  on  section  35,  Mar- 
cellus  township,  has  from  an  early  period  in  the  development  of  Cass 
county  resided  within  its  borders.  He  was  born  in  Chillisquaque  town- 
ship, Northumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  September  28,  1834,  a  son 
of  Neal  and  Susannah  (Fetzer)  Caul,  both  also  natives  of  Northumber- 
land county.  From  the  Keystone  state  they  came  to  Michigan,  taking 
up  their  abode  in  Marcellus  township,  Cass  county,  where  they  spent 
the  remainder  of  their  lives,  the  father  passing  away  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
seven  years,  while  the  mother  survived  until  she  had  reached  the  seven- 
ty-third milestone  on  the  journey  of  life.  They  were  the  parents  of  four 
children,  namely:  Andrew  F.,  whose  name  introduces  this  review;  Eliz- 
abeth, who  became  the  wife  of  Norman  Hoisington,  and  died  in  Marcel- 
lus township;  Daniel,  who  laid  dow^n  his  life  on  the  altar  of  his  country 
during  the  Civil  war,  in  which  he  served  in  a  carpenter's  corps,  return- 


456  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

ing  home  with  typhoid  fever,  from  the  effects  of  which  he  died;  and 
Emehne,  the  wife  of  Highland  Sweet,  of  MarceUus  township. 

Until  eighteen  years  of  age  Andrew  F.  Caul  remained  in  Chillis- 
quaque  township,  Northumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  the  place  of  his 
nativity,  there  receiving  his  education,  and  when  not  employed  with  the 
duties  of  the  school  room,  worked  on  the  canal.  In  1852  he  came  with 
his  parents  to  St.  Joseph  county,  Michigan,  where  for  three  years  he  was 
employed  on  his  father's  farm,  and  in  1856  the  family  took  up  their 
abode  within  the  LX)rders  of  Cass  county,  the  father  here  purchasing  one 
hundred  acres  of  wild  land.  Soon  after  coming  to  his  new  home,  how- 
ever, the  father  died,  and  Mr.  Caul  and  his  brother  placed  the  farm  un- 
der cultivation,  and  the  former  erected  all  the  buildings  which  now 
adorn  the  place.  He  has  also  added  to  the  original  purchase  until 
he  now  owns  two  hundred  acres  of  fertile  and  well  improved  land  on 
section  thirty-five,  Marcellus  township.  When  this  pioneer  family  first 
located  on  this  place  their  nearest  trading  point  and  postofifice  was  Three 
Rivers,  while  at  the  present  time  their  mail  is  delivered  to  them  at  their 
door  from  Marcellus. 

In  1859  Mr.  Caul  was  united  in  marriage  to  Lydia  Stannard,  and 
after  her  death  he  married  Mary  C.  Cook.  For  his  third  wife  he  chose 
Ida  Denio,  and  they  have  five  children,  namely :  Bessie,  wife  of  Kit 
Jones,  of  Marcellus;  Harley,  who  conducts  the  home  farm;  Myrtle  L., 
the  wife  of  Charles  Britton,  of  Ohio;  Donald,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
nine  years;  and  Lamont,  a  resident  of  the  state  of  Washington.  In  his 
political  affiliations  Mr.  Caul  is  a  lifelong  Democrat,  and  his  first  presi- 
dential vote  was  cast  for  James  Buchanan.  In  1873  he  was  elected  to 
the  office  of  supervisor  of  Marcellus  township,  in  which  position  he 
served  for  ten  terms. 

KLECKNER  W.  HARTMAN. 

Kleckner  W.  Hartman,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  the  county  now 
located  on  section  34,  Porter  township,  where  he  owns  and  operates 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  dates  his  residence  in  this  town- 
ship back  to  1838.  Thus  sixty-eight  years  have  been  added  to  the  cycle 
of  the  centuries  since  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Cass  county.  He  is, 
however,  a  native  of  Michigan,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  St.  Joseph 
county,  February  22,  1836.  His  father,  Jonas  Hartman,  was  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania,  born  in  1796,  and  was  reared  in  the  Keystone  state. 
He  married  Eliza  M.  Kleckner,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1795, 
their  wedding  being  celebrated  in  that  state  in  181 7.  They  remained 
residents  of  the  east  until  1831,  when  they  came  westward  to  Mich- 
igan, settling  in  St.  Joseph  county,  where  Mr.  Hartman  built  and 
operated  a  brewery.  He  there  lived  until  1838,  when  he  disposed  of 
his  business  interests  in  that  county  and  came  to  Cass  county,  purchas- 
ing here  a  large  tract  of  land.     He  then  built  a  sawmill  in  Porter  town- 


MRS.  ELIZA  HARTMAN. 


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HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  457 

ship,  which  he  conducted  for  many  years,  and  he  was  hkewise  engaged 
in  the  operation  of  a  threshing  machine.     He  had  a  very  wide  acquaint- 
ance in  the  early  days,  being  known  to  nearly  all  of  the  pioneer  settlers 
of  the  county  and  he  was  closely  identified  with  many  movements  and 
business  interests  that  have  contributed  to  its  development  and  upbuild- 
ing.    He  conducted  a  hotel  on  the  Chicago  road  in  Porter  township 
and  was  a  man  of  marked  enterprise  and  energy,  carrying  forward  to 
successful  completion  whatever  he  undertook  and  readily  recognizing 
and   utilizing   business   opportunities.      He   died   when   about   forty-five 
years   of   age.        His   wife,   long   surviving  him,   passed   away   in   her 
eightieth  year.     She  kept  the  children  together  after  the  death  of  their 
father  and  maintained  a  home  for  them  until  they  w^ere  able  to  care 
for  themselves.     In  the  family  were  twelve  children :     Jefiferson,  John 
H.,  Hannah  and  Elias,  all  now  deceased;  David,  a  resident  of  Missouri; 
Emanuel  and  Edward,  who  have  passed  away;  Kleckner  W.,  of  this 
review;  Charles  and  Amelia,  also  deceased;  Margaret,  who  was  born 
in    1829  and   now   resides   with   her   brother   Kleckner;   and    Barbara, 
who  is  the  widow  of  Siamuel  King  and  is  living  in  Porter  township. 
Kleckner  W.  Hartman  was  the  eleventh  in  order  of  birth  in  this 
family  and  was  only  two  years  of  age  when  brought  by  his  parents  to 
Porter  township.     He  was  therefore  reared  on  the  old  homestead  farm 
here  and  at  the  usual  age  he  entered  the  district  schools,  wherein  he 
mastered  the  branches  of  learning  usually  taught  in  such  institutions. 
When  sixteen  years  of  age  he  won  the  consent  of  his  mother  to  his 
leaving  home.     He  then  began  earning  his  own  livelihood  and  he  sent 
his  wages  largely  to  his  mother,  in  fact  giving  her  all  that  he  earned 
with  the  exception  of  enough  to  buy  his  clothing.     He  was  employed 
in  this  way  in  the  county  until  twenty-one  years  of  age,  when  he  re- 
turned to  the  old  homestead,  whereon  he  remained  for  a  year.     On  the 
expiration  of  that  period  he  went  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  his  destina- 
tion being  Pike's  Peak,  where  gold  had  been  discovered.     He  worked 
in  the  mines  there  for  some  time  but  later  returned  home  and  after- 
ward made  his  way  to  the  territory  of  Idaho,  where  he  spent  about  a 
year  and  a  half.     He  then  again  came  to  Porter  township  and  in  con- 
nection  with   his    younger   brother,    Charley    Hartman,    purchased    the 
interest  of  the  other  heirs   in   the  old  homestead.     They  worked  the 
farm  together,  and  in  i860  built  the  house  which  is  still  standing  here. 
They  also   improved  the  farm   in  many  ways,   built  good   barns  and 
other  outbuildings  and  continued  in  business  together  until  the  brother 
died.     His  sister  Margaret  became  a  partner  with  him  in  business  and 
here  they  have  been  living  and  keeping  house  together  for  many  years. 
Mr.   Hartman  has  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  also 
owned  another  tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  St.  Joseph  coun- 
ty, which  he  sold.     He  has  lived  in   Porter  township  for  sixty-eight 
years,  and  by  his  well  directed  business  affairs  and  agricultural  inter- 


458  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

ests  he  has  contributed  to  its  substantial  development  and  improvement. 
At  one  time  he  was  quite  successfully  engaged  in  the  stock  business, 
buying  and  selling  horses  and  shipping  hogs.  He  has  been  identified 
with  various  business  enterprises  and  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Commer- 
cial Bank  at  Constantine,  Michigan.  He  has  been  very  successful, 
making  judicious  investments  and  capably  managing  his  business  af- 
fairs, so  that  by  hard  work,  unfaltering  industry  and  close  application 
he  has  accumulated  a  handsome  competence  and  now  owns  valuable 
property  and  invested  interests. 

E.  S.  CONKLIN. 

E.  S.  Conklin  is  the  resident  partner  and  manager  of  the  Marcel- 
lus  Milling  Company,  in  which  connection  he  is  a  prominent  representa- 
tive of  industrial  interests  in  the  village  of  Marcellus.  The  qualities  of 
a  successful  business  man  are  his — close  application,  unfaltering  enter- 
prise and  indefatigable  diligence.  A  native  of  Wisconsin,  he  was  bom 
in  Waupaca  on  the  17th  of  May,  1863,  his  parents  being  Sidney  H. 
and  Mary  L.  (McQueen)  Conklin,  the  former  a  native  of  Geauga  coun- 
ty, Ohio,  born  near  Akron,  and  the  latter  a  native  of  Paisley,  Scotland. 
The  mother  came  to  the  United  States  when  thirteen  years  of  age  with 
her  parents,  who  landed  near  Waukegan,  Illinois,  and  in  Waupaca,  Wis- 
consin, she  gave  her  hand  in  marriage  to  Sidney  Conklin.  Both  died  at 
Neenah,  Wisconsin,  Mr.  Conklin  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years,  and 
his  wife  when  sixty-five  years  of  age.  He  was  a  miller  by  trade  and 
followed  that  pursuit  throughout  his  entire  business  life.  In  the  fam- 
ily were  two  children,  the  elder  being  Elmer,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years. 

E.  S.  Conklin  spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  in  his  par- 
ents' home  and  when  ten  or  twelve  years  of  age  accompanied  them 
on  their  removal  to  Neenah,  Wisconsin.  When  his  education  was  com- 
pleted he  entered  the  milling  business  in  connection  with  his  father,  who 
followed  that  pursuit  for  thirty-five  years,  and  remained  as  his  assist- 
ant until  twenty  years  of  age,  when  he  removed  to  Green  Bay,  Wis- 
consin, where  he  was  employed  at  milling  by  other  parties.  He  took 
charge  of  the  mill,  which  he  managed  for  one  and  a  half  years,  and  on 
the  expiration  of  that  period  he  went  to  Ripon,  Wisconsin,  and  was  aft- 
erward in  Berlin  and  Royalton,  in  the  line  of  his  trade,  subsequent  to 
which  time  he  returned  to  Neenah,  where  he  remained  for  five  years. 
He  next  went  to  Antigo,  Wisconsin,  where  he  spent  eight  and  a  half 
years.  He  again  located  at  Green  Bay,  where  he  took  charge  of  the 
mills  with  which  he  had  previously  been  connected  when  in  that  place 
before.  Six  years  ago  he  purchased  a  half  interest  in  the  Marcellus 
Milling  Company,  the  plant  being  owned  jointly  by  the  Colby  Milling 
Company  of  Dowagiac,  Michigan,  and  Mr.  Conklin,  who  as  resident 
partner  and  manager  is  in  full  control.     He  has  the  entire  confidence  of 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  •  459 

the  community  in.  which  the  mill  is  located,  and  to  his  careful  manage- 
ment and  enterprise  the  satisfactory  business  enjoyed  by  the  company  is 
due.  He  has  had  charge  of  thirteen  different  mills  and  has  thus  gained 
broad  practical  experience,  which  now  enables  him  to  give  capable  man- 
agement to  his  individual  interests.  The  equipment  of  the  mill  is  un- 
usually good  for  an  establishment  of  this  extent.  The  mill  building,  a 
substantial  brick  structure  of  three  stories,  with  ten-foot  basement  and 
engine  and  boiler  room,  was  erected  in  1891,  and  has  an  Allis  equipment 
throughout  for  a  daily  capacity  of  two  hundred  barrels  of  flour.  The 
main  building  is  forty  by  fifty  feet  in  size,  with  an  addition  thirty-six 
by  forty  feet  in  size,  for  office  and  storage  purposes.  The  mill  has  fire 
protection  from  a  standpipe  to  the  top  of  the  mill,  with  hose  on  every 
floor,  and  connection  with  the  village  waterworks.  It  also  is  steam- 
heated  throughout.  The  company  enjoys  a  steady  flour  trade,  both  lo- 
cally and  wholesale.  Its  brands  are  "Alpine"  (full  patent)  and  ''Royal" 
(straight),  while  "Colby  Patent"  and  "Splendid"  for  the  larger  baker- 
ies are  as  well  known  as  any  flours  in  Michigan.  Besides  handling  all 
kinds  of  grain,  seeds,  etc.,  the  company  sells  annually  quite  an  amount 
of  hard  and  soft  coal,  with  storage  rooms  for  five  hundred  tons  each, 
the  sidings  and  warehouses  occupying  an  advantageous  location  con- 
venient for  local  trade  and  shipments. 

The  manager,  Mr.  Conklin,  is  very  proud  of  his  mill  from  every 
point  of  view.  He  particularly  insists  that  the  mill  should  be  kept  like 
a  home,  and  he  extends  a  welcome  to  callers  and  inspectors  at  any  and 
all  times.  He  is  a  practical  miller  in  all  details,  and  came  into  charge 
of  this  plant  from  the  milling  section  of  central  and  northern  Wiscon- 
sin. 

On  the  24th  of  August,  1898,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  E.  S. 
Conklin  and  Miss  Katheryn  Cornish,  a  native  of  Wisconsin.  They 
now  have  two  sons,  Roscoe  S.  and  Horace  F.  The  parents  are  widely 
known  in  Marcellus  and  the  hospitality  of  the  best  homes  is  freely 
accorded  them.  Mr.  Conklin  is  a  valued  member  of  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity, being  identified  with  both  the  lodge  and  chapter,  and  in  his  life 
he  is  most  loyal  to  its  teachings  and  tenets.  He  has  made  a  creditable 
business  record  as  a  man  of  ability  and  trustworthiness  and  is  thorough- 
ly conversant  with  his  trade,  and  added  to  a  complete  command  of  the 
technical  side  of  the  business  is  an  executive  ability  and  keen  insight  into 
trade  relations  and  possibilities. 

CLINTON  L.  KESTER. 

Clinton  L.  K^ster,  the  present  postmaster  of  Marcellus,  whose  pub- 
lic-spirited citizenship  stands  as  an  unquestioned  fact  in  his  life,  was 
born  in  Parkville,  St.  Joseph  county,  Michigan,  December  14,  1861. 
He  is  a  son  of  Adam  H.  and  Emaline  (Bodmer)  Kester,  the  former  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the  latter  of  Ohio.    In  early  life  they  became 


460  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

residents  of  Michigan  and  were  married  in  this  state.  The  father  de- 
voted much  of  his  time  and  energies  during  his  business  career  to  mer- 
cantile pursuits,  save  that  the  last  fifteen  years  of  his  life  were  spent  up- 
on a  farm  in  Missouri,  where  he  died  February  14,  1906,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-four  years.  He  had  long  survived  his  wife,  who  passed  away 
on  the  14th  of  November,  1876,  when  thirty-nine  years  of  age.  In  his 
political  views  Mr.  Kester  w^as  a  stalwart  Republican.  In  his  family  were 
six  children :  Millie,  who  is  now  living  in  Missouri ;  Clinton  L.,  of 
this  review;  Herman;  Ada,  the  wife  of  O'.  F.  Wilson,  also  of  Missouri; 
Frank,  whose  home  is  in  St.  Joseph,  Missouri ;  and  Burton,  of  the  same 
state. 

Clinton  L.  Kester  was  a  youth  of  fourteen  years  when  he  accom- 
panied his  parents  on  their  removal  to  Marcellus.  He  worked  in  his 
father's  store  for  about  ten  years,  thus  acquiring  his  early  business 
training  and  experience.  He  afterward  went  to  Colorado,  where  he 
engaged  in  clerking  for  a  time  and  later  he  joined  his  father,  who  had 
removed  to  Missouri  and  was  there  engaged  in  farming.  After  an  al> 
sence  of  two  years  spent  in  the  west,  Clinton  L.  Kester  returned  to 
Marcellus,  Michigan,  and  again  entered  the  field  of  business  activity 
here  as  a  general  merchant  of  the  firm  of  Kester  &  Arnold.  This  rela- 
tion was  maintained  for  four  years,  when  Mr.  Kester  withdrew  and 
afterward  engaged  in  clerking  in  the  general  store  of  S.  Sterns  &  Com- 
pany, in  which  capacity  he  served  until  appointed  postmaster  eight  years 
ago.  He  has  recently  received  his  third  appointment  in  the  office,  the 
duties  of  which  he  has  discharged  with  credit  to  himself  and  general  sat- 
isfaction to  the  public.  He  owns  a  fifty-acre  vineyard,  one  mile  east 
of  the  village,  which  he  oversees  and  which  is  kept  in  excellent  condi- 
tion, yielding  large  crops.  His  political  allegiance  has  always  been  giv- 
en to  the  Republican  party  and  he  is  thoroughly  in  sympathy  with  its 
principles  and  policy.  For  four  years  he  served  as  treasurer  of  the  vil- 
lage and  was  a  faithful  custodian  of  its  funds,  while  at  all  times  he  is 
loyal  to  those  interests  which  tend  to  promote  public  progress  and  im- 
provement. His  social  relations  connect  him  with  the  Masons,  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees,  and  he  is  re- 
garded as  a  valued  representative  of  these  organizations,  exemplifying 
in  his  life  the  beneficent  spirit  of  the  different  orders  w^hich  are  based 
upon  the  idea  of  the  brotherhood  of  man. 

JOSEPH  Q.  CURRY. 

Joseph  Q.  Curry  is  one  of  the  native  sons  of  Michigan,  who  has 
found  in  this  state  ample  opportunity  for  the  exercise  of  his  native 
talents  and  has  become  fully  cognizant  of  the  fact  that  in  Michigan 
earnest  labor  brings  a  sure  and  just  reward,  for  through  his  close  appli- 
cation and  earnest  efforts  he  has  become  one  of  the  substantial  resi- 
dents' of  Cass  county.     He  now  makes  his  home  in  Marcellus  and  was 


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HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  461 

born  in  Decatur  township,  Van  Buren  county,  October  6,  1834,  living 
retired  after  many  years  of  active,  successful  and  honorable  connection 
with  agricultural  interests.  He  is  a  son  of  David  Curry,  who  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania  in  December,  1807.  The  family  removed  to  the  vicin- 
ity of  Columbus,  Ohio,  on  leaving  Pennsylvania,  and  about  1829  David 
Curry  came  to  Michigan  with  the  family,  who  were  journeying  to  this 
state.  He  afterward  returned  to  Ohio,  however,  and  with  his  brother 
John  again  made  the  trip  to  Michigan  in  1830.  He  worked  for  one 
year  for  Josephus  Card  and  was  then  married  and  entered  upon  an  in- 
dependent business  career.  It  was  in  the  year  1832  that  he  entered  from 
the  government  his  farm  in  Decatur  township,  Van  Buren  county.  The 
land  which  came  into  his  possession  was  entirely  wild  and  unimproved 
and  all  around  him  stretched  the  native  forest  and  uncultivated  tracts 
of  land.  For  fourteen  years  he  devoted  his  time  and  energies  to  the  sub- 
jugation of  the  wilderness  and  to  the  development  of  his  farm,  and  was 
then  killed  by  being  thrown  from  a  load  of  straw  in  the  year  1846,  leav- 
ing an  estate  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land.  He  was  em- 
ployed in  Valencia  township,  Cass  county,  when,  he  first  came  to  Mich- 
igan, but  the  first  and  only  home  he  ever  earned  was  on  section  34,  De- 
catur township,  Van  Buren  county.  He  had  the  finest  cabin  on  the 
prairie  at  that  time,  it  being  eighteen  by  twenty  feet,  and  it  was  the  only 
one  containing  a  sawed  wood  floor.  There  were  no  windows  nor  doors 
nor  floor,  however,  when  they  moved  into  it.  The  Indians  were  fre- 
quent visitors  and  Joseph  Q.  Curry  remembers  wdl  the  calls  that  the 
red  men  paid  at  that  pioneer  home.  The  father  was  a  prominent  and 
honored  pioneer  resident  in  the  epochal  events  which  form  the  early 
history  of  his  section  of  the  state.  He  served  in  the  Indian  wars  against 
the  members  of  the  Sac  tribe  and  in  recognition  of  the  military  aid 
which  he  rendered  received  a  land  grant.  He  married  Miss  Elizabeth 
Gard,  who  was  born  in  Union  township.  Union  county,  Indiana,  on 
Christmas  day  of  181 1.  She  long  survived  her  husband  and  passed 
away  in  Van  Buren  county,  Michigan,  in  1878.  She  was  a  daughter 
of  Josephus  and  Sarah  Gard.  The  former  entered  from  the  govern- 
ment a  farm  now  owned  by  Mr.  Curry,  and  he  bought  three  quarter-sec- 
tions of  land.  The  homestead  property  of  our  subject  comprises  a  quar- 
ter-section which  was  inherited  by  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Curry,  who  was  one 
of  the  esteemed  pioneer  women  of  this  section  of  the  state.  By  her 
marriage  she  became  the  mother  of  nine  children :  Jonathan,  who  was 
born  May  8,  1833,  and  died  in  the  Indian  Territory  January  4,  1905; 
Joseph  Q.,  of  this  review;  Juliet,  who  was  born  April  5,  1836,  and 
passed  away  in  1880;  Marshall,  who  was  born  October  24,  1837,  and 
has  departed  this  life;  David  O.,  who  was  born  September  25,  1839,  and 
died  on  the  old  home  farm  March  28,  1906;  Elizabeth,  who  was  born 
March  27,  1841,  and  "is  acting  as  housekeeper  for  her  brother  Joseph; 
Mary  Jane,  who  was  born  February  20,  1843,  ^"^  was  the  only  one  of 
the  family  that  married,  becoming  the  wife  of  Jacob  High,  of  Park 


462  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

township,  St.  Joseph  county,  Michigan;  Nancy  H.,  who  was  born  March 
26,  1844,  and  died  at  the  age  of  three  years;  and  John  B.,  who  was  bom 
November  6,  1845,  ^^^  passed  away  January  2,  1865.  Of  this  family 
David  served  as  a  soldier  of  the  Civil  war  from  1861  until  1865,  as  a 
member  of  the  Fourth  Michigan  Cavalry.  He  was  one  of  three  hundred 
men  who  captured  Jefferson  Davis,  and  he  retained  as  a  souvenir  of 
that  expedition  the  saddle  bags  taken  from  General  Regan,  who  was  a 
member  of  Davis'  cabinet.  These  saddle  bags  are  now  in  possession  of 
Joseph  Q.  Curry. 

Joseph  O.  Curry,  whose  name  introduces  this  review,  remained 
upon  tlie  farm  upon  which  he  was  born  until  sixty-two  years  of  age  and 
assisted  in  its  development  and  cultivation  as  the  years  went  by.  He 
was  early  trained  to  the  work  of  the  fields  and  meadow  and  became  a 
man  of  energy  and  industry,  whose  success  is  attributable  to  his  own 
persistent  efforts  and  capable  business  management.  In  1896  he  re- 
moved to  the  farm  which  he  now  owns,  and  has  made  it  his  home  for 
the  past  decade.  It  comprises  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  on 
section  21,  Marcellus  township,  and  was  entered  from  the  government 
by  his  grandfather,  Josephus  Gard,  since  which  time  it  has  been  con- 
tinuously in  possession  of  the  family.  The  land  had  been  cleared  and 
good  buildings  had  been  erected  by  Mr.  Curry  and  his  brother  Jonathan. 
This  is  indeed  a  fine  farm,  being  perhaps  the  best  in  the  township,  and 
eighty  acres  of  the  land  lies  within  the  corporation  limits  of  Marcellus, 
a  half  mile  from  the  center  of  the  village.  He  also  owns  two  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Decatur  township  and  eighty  acres  in  Park 
township,  together  with  fifty-six  acres  near  Cassopolis.  Throughout  his 
entire  life  Mr.  Curry  has  devoted  his  energies  to  general  farming  and 
stock-raising  and  has  become  widely  known  as  a  breeder  of  trotting 
horses.  He  now  has  a  team  that  has  a  record  of  2  125,  both  animals  be- 
ing raised  on  the  home  farm.  This  is  the  fastest  team  in  the  township 
and  Mr.  Curry  may  well  be  proud  of  these  travelers.  He  is  a  representa- 
tive business  man,  ever  watchful  of  opportunities,  and  in  allhisbusinessre- 
lations  he  has  been  found  reliable  and  straightforward.  He  has  trav-. 
eled  quite  extensively  in  the  middle  west,  as  has  his  brother.  All  of 
the  family  are  advocates  of  the  Democracy  and  Jonathan  Curry  has  held 
a  number  of  township  offices,  the  duties  of  which  he  has  discharged 
with  promptness  and  fidelity.  Mr.  Curry  is  a  worthy  representative  of 
a  pioneer  family,  one  that  has  been  associated  with  Michigan's  history 
from  an  early  period  in  territorial  days.  He  lived  here  at  the  time  most 
of  the  homes  were  log  cabins  and  these  were  widely  scattered.  Com- 
paratively few  roads  had  been  made  through  the  forests,  the  land  being 
still  covered  with  the  native  timber.  The  streams  were  unbridged  and 
it  seemed  that  the  work  of  improvement  had  scarcely  been  begun.  The 
Curry  family  have  always  borne  their  full  share  in  the  development  of 
the  agricultural  interests  of  this  section  of  Michigan  and  deserve  much 
credit  for  what  they  have  accomplished. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  463 

HENRY  L.  LOVERIDGE. 

Henry  L.  Loveridge,  living  on  section  8,  Marcellus  township,  is 
the  popular  owner  of  Island  Park,  on  which  is  a  beautiful  lake,  famous 
for  its  good  fishing.  Michigan,  with  its  excellent  climate,  its  fine  parks 
and  beautiful  lake  regions,  furnishes  excellent  opportunity  for  the  de- 
velopment of  attractive  summer  resorts,  and  Mr.  Loveridge  in  connec- 
tion with  the  improvement  of  his  agricultural  interests  has  spent  con- 
siderable time  in  promoting  Island  Park,  which  is  now  a  most  popular 
resort.  He  was  bom  at  Paw  Paw,  in  Van  Buren  county,  Michigan, 
December  15,  1857,  his  parents  being  John  and  Kate  (Hinkley)  Lov- 
eridge, who  were  natives  of  New  York.  The  mother  came  to  Michigan 
about  seventy  years  ago,  when  only  three  years  old,  and  Mr.  Loveridge 
arrived  in  this  state  when  about  twenty-five  years  of  age.  They  were 
married  in  Michigan  and  for  a  long  period  the  father  devoted  his  atten- 
tion to  contracting.  In  early  life  he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade  and 
for  a  considerable  period  was  closely  associated  with  building  opera- 
tions in  this  section  of  the  state.  At  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  he  put 
aside  all  business  and  personal  interests,  however,  and  espoused  the 
cause  of  the  Union,  serving  as  a  member  of  Company  A,  Thirteenth 
Michigan  Infantry,  during  the  last  of  the  war.  He  died  in  Cass  county 
January  15,  1901,  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years,  and  is  yet  survived  by 
his  widow,  who  now  resides  in  Marcellus.  She  is  one  of  the  esteemed 
pioneer  women  of  this  part  of  the  state,  having  n?ade  her  home  in  Mich- 
igan for  the  allotted  Psalmist's  span  of  three  score  years  and  ten. 

Henry  L.  Loveridge,  their  only  child,  remained  in  his  native  coun- 
ty until  fifteen  years  of  age,  when  he  went  to  Kalamazoo,  Michigan, 
where  he  remained  until  twenty-two  years  of  age.  During  that  period 
he  spent  five  years  as  an  employe  in  a  store,  and  for  two  years  was  in 
the  service  of  the  American  Express  Company.  He  then  returned  to 
Paw  Paw,  and  for  five  years  remained  upon  the  home  farm  following 
his  marriage.  In  1886  he  removed  to  Marcellus  and  opened  a  store, 
which  he  conducted  for  fifteen  years,  carrying  on  a  prosperous  bakery 
and  grocery  business.  Pie  also  conducted  a  store  at  Schoolcraft  for  one 
year,  and  four  years  ago  he  came  to  Fish  Lake  and  took  charge  of  the 
resort  which  his  father  had  established  three  years  previous.  He  has 
nine  acres  of  ground  situated  on  a  peninsula,  extending  from  the  east 
shore  into  Fish  Lake.  He  has  sold  fourteen  lots,  and  ten  cottages  have 
been  built  since  he  arrived.  Mr.  Loveridge  has  also  erected  a  hotel  and 
has  a  boarding  house  which  his  father  built.  There  were  also  two  cot- 
tages erected  before  Mr.  Loveridge  came  to  this  place.  Island  Park  is 
a  natural  forest  of  beech,  oak,  ash,  maple,  basswood  and  ironwood. 
In  fact  there  are  nearly  all  kinds  of  timber  except  black  walnut.  The 
fine  fishing  is  one  of  the  most  attractive  features  of  the  district,  there 
being  a  chain  of  nine  lakes  all  accessible  with  a  row  boat.  Mr.  Loveridge 
has  done  much  to  develop  and  improve  the  resort,  which  is  now  indeed 


464  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

very  popular,  being  annually  visited  by  a  large  number  of  people  who 
find  in  the  shady  forests  a  cool  retreat  from  the  heat  of  the  cities  in 
summer,  while  the  fisherman  has  every  opportunitiy  to  enjoy  his  prowess 
with  the  finny  tribe. 

Mr.  Loveridge  was  married  in  September,  1879,  to  Miss  Rose 
Taylor,  a  native  of  this  township  and  a  daughter  of  John  Taylor.  They 
now  have  one  son,  Bert,  who  is  advance  agent  of  the  Forepaugh  &  Sells 
circus.  Well  known  in  this  part  of  the  state,  Henry  L.  Loveridge  has 
gained  a  wide  acquaintance  through  his  business  interests  as  merchant 
and  hotel  proprietor,  and  his  social,  genial  manner  and  consideration  for 
others  have  gained  him  wide  and  lasting  popularity  with  those  with 
whom  he  has  been  associated. 

DANIEL  K.  BYRNES. 

Daniel  K.  Byrnes,  a  farmer  and  representative  citizen  of  Pokagon 
township,  was  born  and  reared  upon  the  place  which  is  yet  his  home,  his 
natal  day  being  June  28,  1847.  His  father,  John  Byrnes,  was  one  of 
the  pioneer  settlers  of  Cass  county,  where  he,  too,  carried  on  agricult- 
ural pursuits.  He  was  born  in  county  Cork,  Ireland,  in  181 5,  and  when 
about  sixteen  years  of  age  went  to  Syracuse,  New  York,  where  he 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade.  The  year  1857  witnessed  his  arrival  in 
Michigan,  his  destination  being  Niles,  and  there  he  followed  carpen- 
tering until  about  twenty-six  years  of  age,  when  he  was  married.  Not 
long  afterward  he  took  up  his  abode  upon  what  has  since  been  known  as 
the  Byrnes  farm  on  section  28,  Pokagon  township.  He  began  there 
with  eighty  acres  of  timber  land  and  he  at  once  cleared  away  the  trees 
and  brush  and  grubbed  out  the  stumps,  after  which  he  plowed  the  fields 
and  cultivated  crops..  He  married  Miss  Arsula  Clyburn,  who  was  born 
in  Virginia  in  181 7,  The  Clyburns  were  among  the  oldest  settlers  of 
Cass  county  and  Mrs.  Byrnes  was  reared  and  educated  here.  Unto  the 
parents  of  our  subject  were  born  six  children,  three  sons  and  three 
daughters,  of  whom  Danid  K.  was  the  second.  The  father  gave  his 
political  support  to  the  Whig  party  in  early  life,  but  afterward  became 
an  advocate  of  the  Democracy,  and  still  later  joined  the  ranks  of  the 
Prohibition  p^xrty  because  of  his  views  upon  the  temperance  question. 
He  was  also  a  local  minister  of  the  Methodist  church  in  pioneer  days, 
was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  belonging  to  Pokagon  lodge, 
No.  36,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  he  served  as  master  under  dispensation.  He 
took  an  active  part  in  the  organization  of  the  lodge  and  he  also  labored 
untiringly  for  the  advancement  of  church  and  temperance  work,  and  in 
fact  did  everything  in  his  power  to  promote  the  moral  progress  of  the 
community  and  uplift  his  fellow  men.  He  had  a  very  wide  acquaintance 
throughout  Cass  county  and  his  memory  is  yet  enshrined  in  the  hearts 
of  many  who  knew  him.  His  death  occurred  March  12,  1902,  when  he 
had  reached  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-seven  years,  and  his  example  is 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  465 

one  well  worthy  of  emulation,  while  his  influence  is  still  a  potent  fac- 
tor for  good  among  those  who  came  under  his  teachings. 

Daniel  K.  Byrnes  w-as  reared  in  Pbkagon  township  and  worked 
upon  the  home  farm  of  his  father  until  the  latter's  death.  On  the  ist 
of  April,  1874,  he  was  joined  in  wedlock  to  Miss  Mary  Parker,  who 
was  bom  in  Berrien  county,  Michigan,  December  6,  1855,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Henry  C.  and  Mary  Parker,  who  removed  from  Ohio  to 
Berrien  county  at  an  early  epoch  in  its  development.  Subsequently  they 
came  to  Cass  county  when  it  was  still  a  pioneer  district  and  Mrs.  Byrnes 
was  reared  upon  the  old  Parker  homestead  in  Pokagon  township.  Unto 
our  subject  and  his  wife  have  been  born  six  children:  Zulu,  now  de- 
ceased; Lewis  K. ;  EJla  May,  the  wife  of  John  McCoy;  Robert  J. ;  Lena; 
and  Eliza  Bell.  All  were  born  and  reared  upon  the  present  Byrnes 
farm.  This  place  comprises  seventy-seven  acres  of  land  that  is  very  pro- 
ductive and  is  now  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  Mr.  Byrnes  has 
cleared  and  cultivated  the  greater  part  of  it  himself  and  it  is  the  visible 
evidence  of  his  life  of  thrift  and  enterprise.  He  has  worked  diligently 
and  his  labors  have  been  resultant  factors  in  winning  for  him  a  place 
among  the  substantial  residents  of  the  county.  He  belongs  to  Pbkagon 
lodge.  No.  136,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  to  Crystal  Springs  lodge,  No.  325, 
I.  O.  O.  F.  In  politics  a  Democrat,  he  has  served  for  thirty  years  as 
justice  of  the  peace,  and  no  higher  testimonial  of  capability  could  be 
given,  for  his  long  service  indicates  his  fair  and  impartial  decisions  and 
his  fidelity  to  duty  under  all  circumstances. 

FRANK  DUNN. 

Frank  Dunn,  who  is  now  filling  the  position  of  supervisor  in  New- 
berg  township  and  resides  on  section  22,  is  one  of  the  native  sons  of 
this  township,  his  birth  having  here  occurred  on  the  8th  of  February, 
1867.  He  is  a  representative  of  one  of  the  old  and  prominent  pioneer 
families  of  the  county.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Archibald  Dunn, 
came  to  Michigan  when  this  section  of  the  state  was  a  wild  and  unim- 
proved region  and  cast  in  his  lot  with  the  early  settlers  who  were  ex- 
tending the  frontier  and  planting  the  seeds  of  civilization  here.  His 
son,  Anson  L.  Dunn,  was  born  in  this  state  and  was  reared  amid  pio- 
neer environments  -and  conditions.  He  pursued  his  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  and  after  arriving  at  years  of  maturity  led  a  very  busy,  use- 
ful and  active  life.  He  was  a  prominent  man,  w^ho  held  many  offices  in 
his  township  and  proved  himself  at  all  times  worthy  of  the  trust  and 
confidence  reposed  in  him.  He  filled  the  position  of  county  treasurer 
for  four  years  and  was  a  supervisor  for  several  terms.  He  made  a  close 
study  of  the  needs  and  possibilities  of  the  county  and  exercised  his  of- 
ficial prerogatives  to  advance  every  movement  that  he  deemed  would 
prove  of  public  benefit.  His  acquaintance  was  a  wide  one  and  all  who 
knew  him  entertained  for  him  genuine  respect  and  unqualified  regard. 


466  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

He  wedded  Miss  Mary  Gill,  whoas  now  a  resident  of  Jones,  but  Mr. 
Dunn  passed  away  in  1888.     In  the  family  were  three  children. 

Frank  Dunn,  the  youngest  of  the  children,  was  reared  in  his  native 
township  and  at  the  usual  age  entered  the  public  schools,  wherein  he 
mastered  the  common  branches  of  learning.  In  the  summer  months 
he  assisted  in  the  farm  work  and  throughout  his  entire  life  he  has  car- 
ried on  general  agricultural  pursuits.  He  now  has  a  farm  of  two  hun- 
dred and  thirty-seven  acres,  which  he  rents,  while  he  is  interested  also 
in  the  ownership  of  the  store  in  connection  with  his  brother  at  Jones. 
He  possesses  good  business  qualifications,  keen  sagacity  and  enterprise, 
and  his  labors  have  been  a  source  of  gratifying  income.  Like  his  father 
before  him,  Mr.  Dunn  is  recognized  as  a  leading  and  valued  member  of 
the  Republican  party,  working  earnestly  and  effectively  for  its  welfare. 
He  has  held  many  offices,  serving  as  township  clerk  for  nine  years,  while 
in  1899  he  was  elected  supervisor,  which  position  he  has  filled  to  the 
present  time,  covering  a  period  of  seven  years.  He  is  a  worthy  and 
capable  official,  never  faltering  in  the  performance  of  any  duty,  and  that 
he  enjoys  the  public  confidence  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  he  has  long 
been  retained  in  the  office.  He  is  popular  in  political,  business  and  social 
circles  in  the  county  where  his  entire  life  has  been  passed. 

MAY  ARNOLD  OLDS. 

May  Arnold  Olds,  interested  in  general  farming  on  section  6, 
Mason  township,  was  here  born  on  the  4th  of  July,  1858,  and  thus 
the  home  place  is  endeared  to  him  through  the  associations  of  his  boy- 
hood as  well  as  through  the  connections  of  later  years  when  he  has 
found  in  the  old  farm  the  source  of  a  good  livelihood  gained  through 
his  untiring  efforts  to  cultivate  and  improve  the  fields.  He  had  two 
uncles,  Harvey  and  Lester  Olds,  who  were  among  the  early  settlers  of 
the  county  and  occupied  the  first  store  in  Adamsville.  They  were  ex- 
tensive grain  dealers,  conducting  a  very  important  business  in  that  day. 
His  father,  Mills  Olds,  was  a  native  of  Cayuga  county,  New  York, 
and  was  there  reared  and  married.  He  wedded  Miss  Mary  Brown 
Arnold,  whose  birth  occurred  in  Cayuga  county  in  the  year  1822.  Be- 
ing early  left  an  orphan,  she  was  reared  by  her  grandparents,  but  Joseph 
Arnold  was  her  guardian.  The  Olds  family  comes  of  English  and 
German  ancestry.  The  parents  of  our  subject  were  married  at  Sen- 
nett.  New  York,  on  the  24th  of  December,  1845,  ^"^  began  their 
domestic  life  in  the  Empire  state,  whence  in  1849  ^^ey  removed  to 
Cass  county,  Michigan,  locating  on  section  6,  Mason  township,  where 
Mr.  Olds  paid  five/lollars  per  acre  for  a  tract  of  land  which  was  then 
unimproved.  He  built  a  log  house  and  in  true  pioneer  style  began 
life  in  this  district.  He  placed  his  fields  under  the  plow,  carried  on 
the  farm  work  until  he  had  made  excellent  improvements  upon  the 
farm  and  converted  it  into  a  productive  and  arable  tract  of  land.    There 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  467 

he  continued  to  reside  until  his  death,  which  occurred  when  he  was  in 
the  sixty-eighth  year  of  his  age.     His  pohtical  allegiance  was  given 
to  the  Democracy,  and  though  he  never  sought  office  or  attempted  to 
figure  in  public  life  in  that  way  he  was  numbered  among  the  pioneers 
of  the  county  who  were  closely  connected  with  its  upbuilding  and  prog- 
ress, co-operating  in  the  labors  of  those  who  have  made  the  county 
what  it  is  today.     His  wife  died  in  her  thirty-seventh  year.     In  the 
family  were  two  sons,  but  the  elder,  Stephen  S.  Olds,  is  now  deceased. 
May  Arnold  Olds,  whose  name  introduces  this  record,  was  but 
six  months  old  at  the  time  of  his  mother's  death,  after  which  he  was 
reared  by  his  aunt,  Harriet  Olds.     His  education  was  acquired  in  the 
Adamsville  schools  and  after  putting  aside  his  textbooks  he  entered 
business  life  in  connection  with  the  conduct  of  a  meat  market  at  Nap- 
panee,   Elkhart  county,   Indiana.     There  he  remained  for  four  years, 
but  with  this  exception  he  has  continuously  been  a  resident  of  Mason 
township,  Cass  county,  from  his  birth  to  the  present  time.     As  a  com- 
panion and  helpmate  for  life's  journey  he  chose  Miss  Allie  Thompson, 
whom  he  wedded  on   Christmas  day  of   1883,       Her  paternal   great- 
grandfather served  for  more  than  seven  years  in  the  Revolutionary  war, 
taking  part  in  many  important  engagements.     He  lived  to  enjoy  the 
benefits  of  liberty,  passing  away  at  the  very  advanced  age  of  ninety 
years,  at  which  time  he  was  making  his  home  in  Kentucky.     Her  grand- 
father, Samuel  Thompson,  was  a  soldier  of  the  war  of  1812.     She  is 
a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Elizabeth  (Holmes)  Thompson.     Her  father 
was  born  near  Coventry  in  Orleans  county,  Vermont,  December   16, 
1818,  and  came  to  Cass  county,  Michigan,  in  June,  1837,  when  in  his 
eighteenth  year.      He  located  first  at  Adamsville,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed in  a  flouring  mill  and  he  afterward  became  a  partner  with  Mr. 
Redfield    in   the   milling   business,    conducting  that   enterprise   for   six 
years.       In  the  meantime  he  had  purchased  eighty  acres   of  land  on 
section   16,  Mason  township,  and  he  turned  his  attention  to  farming 
after  retiring  from  the  milling  business.     He  voted  with  the  Democ- 
racy, and  held  a  number'  of  local  offices,  including  that  of  township 
supervisor,  in  which  he  served  for  many  years,  his  long  continuance  in 
office  standing  in  incontrovertible  evidence  of  his  ability  and  fidelity. 
He  was  also  connected  with  the  national  Diemocratic  paper  at  Cassop- 
olis  at  an  early  day,  and  his  interest  in  political  affairs  was  that  of  a 
public-spirited  citizen,  who  places  principle  before  mere  partisan  meas- 
ures and  desires  the  welfare  of  the  community  rather  than  personal 
aggrandizement.     He  was  married  in  February,   1848,  to  Miss  Eliz- 
abeth Holmes,  a  native  of  Rochester,  New  York,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  two  died  in  infancy,  one  of  these 
being  killed  by  lightning.     Mr.  Thompson  was  twice  married,  his  sec- 
ond union  being  with  Maria  King  and  there  were  four  children  bom* 
to  them. 


468  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Mrs.  Olds  is  the  youngest  child  of  her  father's  first  marriage  and 
was  only  about  six  months  old  when  her  mother  passed  away  at  the 
age  of  thirty-six  years.  Mrs.  Olds  was  born  on  section  i6,  Mason 
township,  September  2,^,  1858,  and  pursued  her  education  in  the  schools 
of  Elkhart  and  in  the  Northern  Indiana  Normal  School  at  Valparaiso. 
She  became  a  successful  educator,  teaching  for  eight  and  a  half  years 
in  Jefferson,  Calvin  and  Mason  townships  and  also  in  the  city  of  Elk- 
hart, Indiana.  By  her  marriage  she  has  become  the  mother  of  two 
sons:  Henry  Thompson,  who  was  bom  August  31,  1886,  and  is  at 
home  assisting  in  the  improvement  of  the  farm;  and  Carlton,  who  was 
born  September  14,   1889,  and  is  now  a  student  in  Elkhart. 

Following  their  marriage  in  1883,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Olds  located  in 
Nappanee  and  in  1887  returned  to  the  farm  upon  which  they  now  re- 
side, having  since  made  it  their  home,  and  the  pretty  country  seat  is 
known  as  ''June  Mede."  Here  Mr.  Olds  has  one  hundred  thirty  and 
a  half  acres  of  well  improved  land  and  is  carrying  on  general  farm- 
ing, having  placed  his  fields  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  so  that 
he  annually  harvests  good  crops.  He  organized  what  is  known  as 
the  Pullman  Telephone  Company,  of  which  he  is  now  president,  its 
lines  covering  Mason  township  and  also  extending  into  Ontwa  town- 
ship. He  was  the  promoter  of  the  telephone  company  and  thus  insti- 
tuted a  business  which  has  been  not  only  a  convenience  but  a  source 
of  direct  benefit  to  citizens  in  this  part  of  the  county.  His  political 
support  is  given  to  the  Democracy,  and  he  has  held  the  office  of  jus- 
tice of  the  peace,  taking  an  active  part  in  the  administration  of  public 
affairs  and  doing  all  in  his  power  to  promote  the  general  welfare.  He 
has  been  almost  a  life-long  resident  of  the  county,  and  in  all  relations 
has  been  known  as  a  man  of  worth  and  reliability,  enjoying  in  large 
rneasure  the  esteem  of  those  with  whom  he  has  been  brought  in  con- 
tact. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Olds  have  in  their  possession  some  of  the  old 
continental  scrip  money  to  the  value  of  seven  dollars,  a  part  of  the  money 
paid  Mrs.  Olds'  great-grandfather  when  a  soldier  in  General  Washing- 
ton's army. 

NELSON  A.  HUTCHINGS. 

Nelson  A.  Hutchings  is  probably  the  oldest  resident  of  Newberg 
township,  for  he  has  lived  continuously  within  its  borders  for  seventy 
years,  and  he  now  makes  his  home  on  section  32.  As  one  travels  over 
the  county  to-day  and  notes  its  thriving  towns  and  cities,  its  highly  cul- 
tivated farms,  its  business  interests,  its  excellent  schools  and  other  pub- 
lic insitutions,  it  is  almost  impossible  to  realize  what  was  the  condition 
of  the  county  during  Mr.  Hutchings'  boyhood.  One  looks  to-day  over 
broad  but  richly  cultivated  fields,  but  at  that  time  there  was  an  almost 
unbroken  wilderness,  the  forest  trees  still  standing  in  their  primeval 
strength.     Few  roads  had  been  laid  out  and  only  here  and  there  was  a 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  469 

little  clearing  to  show  that  some  progressive  pioneer  had  made  his  way 
into  the  forest  and  was  endeavoring  to  establish  a  home. 

Mr.  Hutchings  w^as  born  in  Portage  county,  Ohio,  February  i6, 
1833,  and  was  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth  in  a  family  of  nine  children, 
five  daughters  and  four  sons,  who  were  born  of  the  marriage  of  Samuel 
and  Polly  M.  (iVan  Curen)  Hutchings.  The  paternal  grandfather  also 
bore  the  name  of  Samuel  Hutchings.  The  father  was  born  in  New  York 
September  14,  1796,  and  on  leaving  the  Empire  state  became  a  resident 
of  Portage  county,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  until  1835,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Cass  county,  Michigan,  being  one  of  its  first  settlers.  He  lo- 
cated in  Newberg  township  and  from  the  government  entered  a  tract 
of  land  on  section  31.  It  was  entirely  wild  and  undeveloped,  but  he  at 
once  began  to  clear  and  cultivate  it,  and  in  the  course  of  time  improved 
a  good,  farm,  upon  which  he  spent  his  remaining  days,  being  long  rec- 
ognized as  one  of  the  enterprising  and  successful  agriculturists  of  the 
community.  He  died  in  his  eighty-third  year,  respected  by  all  who 
knew  him.  His  early  political  allegiance  was  given  to  the  Whig  party, 
and  upon  its  dissolution  he  joined  the  ranks  of  the  new  Republican  par- 
ty, with  which  he  continued  to  affiliate  until  his  death.  He  held  mem- 
bership ni  the  Baptist  church  and  was  well  known  throughout  the  coun- 
ty as  an  upright,  honorable  man  and  a  worthy  pioneer,  whoi  aided  in 
laying  broad  and  deep  the  foundation  for  the  present  development  of 
this  part  of  tlie  state.  His  wife,  also  a  native  of  New  York,  was  born 
on  Christmas  day  of  1798  and  died  in  the  eighty-third  year  of  her  age. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  Van  Curen,  who  was  of  German  de- 
scent. Of  the  nine  children  born  unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hutchings  one  died 
in  infancy,  while  the  others  all  reached  manhood  or  womanhood,  while 
two  sons  and  two  daughters  are  yet  living. 

Nelson  A.  Hutchings  was  only  three  years  of  age  when  brought 
by  his  parents  to  Michigan,  since  which  time  he  has  lived  in  Cass  coun- 
ty. He  was  reared  upon  the  old  homestead  farm  in  Newberg  township 
and  shared  in  the  usual  experiences  and  hardships  of  frontier  life.  Hi^ 
educational  privileges  were  limited.  He  attended  one  of  the  log  school 
houses  of  the  county,  where  he  received  instruction  in  the  elementary 
branches  of  learning,  but  experience  and  observation  in  later  years  have 
greatly  broadened  his  knowledge,  making  him  a  well  informed  man. 
During  the  spring  and  summer  months  he  aided  in  the  labors  of  the 
fields,  taking  his  place  at  the  plow  almost  as  soon  as  old  enough  to  reach 
the  plow  handles.  He  remained  at  home  until  the  time  of  his  marriage. 
On  the  17th  of  October,  1881,  he  was  joined  in  wedlock  to  Mrs.  Sarah 
Hartman,  the  widow  of  Albert  Bogert.  She  was  born  in  St.  Joseph 
county,  Michigan,  where  she  was  reared,  her  father  being  Reuben  Hart- 
man,  one  of  the  early  settlers  there.  In  1882  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hutchings 
removed  to  the  farm  upon  which  they  now  reside,  it  having  been  their 
home  continuously  since.  They  have  become  the  parents  of  one  son, 
Marvin   Carlton,   who  married  Jennie  Paxton  and  has  one  daughter, 


470  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Wilda  C.     By  her  former  marriage  Mrs.  Hutchings  had  a  family  of  two 
children,  Katie  L.  and  Albert  J.  Bogert. 

The  home  farm  of  Mr.  Hutchings  comprises '  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  good  land,  which  is  rich  and  productive,  and  he  car- 
ries on  general  farming  and  stock-raising,  having  good  grades  of  stock 
upon  his  place.  He  is  a  carpenter  by  trade,  however,  and  in  earlier 
years  assisting  in  building  many  structures  in  Cass  county,  including 
the  'Torest  Hall"  at  Diamond  Lake  and  other  well  known  buildings. 
He  has  always  voted  with  the  Republican  party,  casting  his  ballot  for 
each  presidential  candidate  of  that  organization  since  attaining  his  ma- 
jority. He  has  held  local  offices  in  the  township  and  is  deeply  inter- 
ested in  the  growth  and  success  of  his  party.  At  one  time  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  As  stated,  he  is  perhaps  the  oldest 
resident  in  the  township  in  years  of  continuous  connection  therewith, 
having  lived  here  for  seventy  years.  His  mind  forms  a  connecting  link 
between  the  primitive  past  and  the  present  with  all  of  its  progressive- 
ness.  He  can  remember  when  Indians  occasionally  visited  the  neigh- 
l>orhood,  when  wild  game  was  to  be  had  in  abimdance  and  when  most 
of  the  settlers  lived  in  little  log  cabins.  There  was  a  spirit  of  gener- 
ous hospitality  and  helpfulness,  however,  that  existed,  which  compen- 
sated for  the  hardships  and  privations  of  pioneer  life.  He  has  always 
rejoiced  in  what  has  been  accomplished  along  lines  of  improvement, 
but  yet  has  many  pleasant  memories  of  the  early  days. 

GEORGE  STANDERLINE. 

Nature  seems  to  have  intended  that  man  in  the  evening  of  life 
should  enjoy  a  period  of  rest.  In  his  youth  he  is  full  of  vigor  and  enter- 
prise, is  hopeful  and  ambitious.  In  his  more  mature  years  his  efforts 
are  tempered  by  experience  and  sound  judgment  resulting  in  successful 
accomplishment  if  he  but  uses  his  talents  and  powers  to  the  best  of  his 
ability.  If  he  does  this  he  wins  the  competence  that  enables  him  later 
to  put  aside  business  cares  and  enjoy  a  well  earned  rest.  Such  has  been 
the  career  of  Mr.  Standerline,  who  after  many  years  of  active  and  hon- 
orable connection  with  agricultural  pursuits  is  now  living  retired  in 
Corey.  He  is  a  native  of  Lincolnshire,  England,  born  on  the  14th  of 
October,  1830,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  Standerline,  whose  birth  oc- 
curred in  the  same  locality.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  thus 
provided  for  the  support  of  his  wife  and  children.  He  married  Eliza- 
beth Graham,  a  native  of  Lincolnshire,  who  spent  her  entire  life  in  Eng- 
land. In  their  family  were  three  daughters,  George  Standerline  being 
the  only  son.  Tlie  days  of  his  childhood  and  youth  were  spent  in  his 
native  land  and  he  is  indebted  to  its  public  school  system  for  the  educa- 
tional privileges  he  enjoyed.  In  his  boyhood  he  became  familiar  with 
farm  work  and  later  engaged  in  general  agricultural  pursuits  on  his 
own  account. 

Mr.  Standerline  was  married  in  his  native  country  in  1854  to  Miss 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  471 

Jane  Hollaiidtrick,  who  was  born  in  Lincolnshire,  England,  October  23, 
1835,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Maria  (Peck)  Hollandtrick,  who  were 
also  natives  of  that  country  and  spent  their  entire  lives  in  England. 
Ten  days  after  their  n:iarriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Standerline  started  for 
America,  for  they  believed  that  they  might  enjoy  better  opportunities 
in  the  new  w^orld,  of  which  they  had  heard  such  favorable  reports. 
They  were  seven  weeks  on  shipboard  crossing  the  Atlantic  from  Eng- 
land to  Quebec,  Canada,  and  thence  proceeded  up  the  St.  Lawrence  river 
to  the  lakes.  They  made  their  way  first  to  Toledo,  Ohio,  where  they 
spent  one  summer,  after  which  they  came  to  Michigan,  making  their 
way  to  White  Pigeon,  St.  Joseph  county,  Michigan.  They  resided  on 
Pigeon  prairie  for  thirteen  years,  on  the  expiration  of  w^hich  period  Mr. 
Standerline  came  to  Newberg  township,  Cass  county,  and  purchased  a 
farm  on  section  25.  He  was  the  owner  of  that  property  until  1902, 
when  he  sold  the  farm.  He  had  lived,  however,  in  Corey  for  twenty- 
two  consecutive  years,  having  retired  from  active  business  life  to  enjoy 
in  his  comfortable  hom.e  a  well  earned  rest  and  the  fruits  of  his  former 
toil. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Standerline  have'  been  born  seven  children, 
who  are  yet  living,  namely:  Richard,  at  home;  Thomas,  a  resident  of 
Newberg  township;  William  and  George,  who  are  living  in  Newberg 
township;  James,  of  Mishawaka,  Indiana;  Alice,  the  w^ife  of  Marshall 
Hughes,  a  resident  of  South  Bend,  Indiana;  and  Annetta,  the  wife  of 
Frank  Rockwell,  of  Newberg  township. 

Mr.  Standerline  is  one  of  the  leading  and  representative  citizens  of 
Cass  county  and  has  assisted  in  making  it  what  it  is  to-day.  He  has 
been  a  Republican  since  the  organization  of  the  party,  never  faltering 
in  his  support  of  its  principles.  He  served  as  highway  commissioner 
and  school  director  and  at  this  writing  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  re- 
view. He  has  always  been  interested  in  public  affairs  and  has  labored 
earnestly  for  the  welfare  of  the  county.  He  belongs  to  the  Grange  and 
he  has  many  warm  friends  in  that  organization  and  throughout  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  has  so  long  lived.  He  displays  in  his  life  many 
sterling  traits  of  character  and  his  good  qualities  have  won  him  the 
genuine  and  unqualified  respect  of  his  fellow  men. 

WILLIAM  STANDERLINE. 

William  Standerline,  township  clerk  and  a.  prominent  farmer  of 
Newberg  township,  resides  on  section  28,  where  he  has.  a  well  im- 
proved and  valuable  farm,  of  sixty  acres.  He  is  one  of  Michigan's  na- 
tive sons  and  the  enterprise  and  progressive  spirit  which  have  been  the 
dominant  factors  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  west  find  exemplification  in  his 
active  busmess  career.  He  was  born  in  Florence  township,  St.  Joseph 
county,  Michigan,  October  24,  1858.  His  father,  George  Standerline, 
was  a  native  of  England,  in  which  country  he  spent  the  days  of  his  boy- 
hood and  youth  and  was  married,  the  lady  of  his  choice  being  Miss  Jane 


472  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Hollandtrick,  also  a  native  of  that  country.  They  bade  adieu  to  friends 
and  native  land  about  1854  and  sailed  for  America,  locating  first  in 
Toledo,  Ohio,  whence  they  afterward  removed  to  St.  Joseph  county, 
Michigan,  settling  there  upon  a  farm.  They  remained  for  about  thir- 
teen years  in  that  county  and  in  1867  came  to  Cass  county,  locating  in 
Newberg  township,  where  Mr.  Standerline  purchased  a  tract  of  land. 
They  are  still  living  in  this  township  and  in  1905  they  celebrated  their 
fiftieth  wedding  anniversaiy,  having  traveled  life's  journey  together 
for  a  half  century,  sharing  with  each  other  its  joys  and  sorrows,  its 
adversity  and  prosperity.  As  the  years  went  by  they  became  the  par- 
ents of  ten  children,  of  whom  seven  are  now  living. 

William  Standerline  is  the  third  child  and  third  son  in  this  family 
and  was  but  nine  years  of  age  when  brought  by  his  parents  to  Cass 
county.  He  spent  his  boyhood  days  in  their  home,  was  educated  in  the 
district  schools  and  through  the  summer  months  aided  in  the  work  of 
the  fields,  giving  his  father  the  benefit  of  his  services  in  the  work  of  the 
home  farm  until  after  he  had  attained  his  majority,  when  he  started  out 
in  life  on  his  own  account. 

On  the  1st  of  April,  1882,  Mr.  Standerline  was  married  to  Miss 
Stella  Arnold,  a  daughter  of  H.  D.  and  Mary  (Dunn)  Arnold.  Mrs. 
Standerline  was  born  in  Newberg  township,  where  her  parents  located 
at  an  early  period  in  the  development  of  this  county.  By  her  marriage 
she  has  become  the  mother  of  three  children,  who  are  yet  living:  Del- 
la,  the  wife  of  Guy  Harwood,  a  resident  of  Newberg  township;  Bert, 
who  is  attending  school  in  Vandalia,  Michigan;  and  Glenn,  who  is  at 
home. 

The  farm  upon  which  the  family  resides  comprises  sixty  acres  of 
good  land,  and  here  Mr.  Standerline  is  successfully  carrying  on  general 
agricultural  pursuits.  He  has  placed  his  fields  under  a  high  state  of 
cultivation  and  annually  harvests  good  crops.  Everything  about  his 
farm  is  kept  in  good  condition  and  in  his  methods  he  is  practical  and  en- 
terprising. He  has  been  quite  active  in  local  politics,  recognized  as  one 
of  the  strong  and  stalwart  advocates  of  the  Republican  party.  He  was 
treasurer  of  Newberg  township  for  two  years  and  has  been  clerk  for 
six  years,  holding  the  position  at  the  present  time.  Having  spent  the 
greater  part  of  his  life  in  this  county  he  is  widely  known  and  his  prom- 
inence in  public  aff^airs  has  made  him  a  leader  in  his  community.  His 
long  continuance  in  office  is  indicative  of  his  faithful  and  capable  service. 
In  business  matters  he  is  found  to  be  straightforward  and  reliable,  as 
well  as  energetic,  and  the  success  which  he  has  enjoyed  is  well  merited. 

GEORGE  W.  ROBBINS. 

G.  W.  Robbins,  who  carries  on  farming  interests  on  section  27, 
Porter  township,  and  is  numbered  among  the  prominent  early  settlers 
of  the  county,  was  born  December  16,  1840,  on  the  place  where  he  yet 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  473 

resides.  The  family  name  has  long  been  closely  and  honorably  asso- 
ciated with  the  history  of  the  county  in  the  work  of  development  and 
improvement.  His  father,  Moses  Robbins,  was  a  native  of  Pittsburg, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  reared  to  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  when, 
in  183 1,  he  came  to  Michigan,  settling  in  1833  upon  the  farm  which 
is  now  the  home  of  G.  W.  Robbins  of  this  review.  He  w^as  one  of  the 
earliest  residents  of  Porter  township  and  he  also  took  up  land  from  the 
government  in  Motville  township,  St.  Joseph  county,  that  he  traded  for 
the  farm  upon  which  our  subject  now  resides.  On  the  latter  tract  he 
built  a  log  cabin  on  the  bank  of  what  is  now  called  Robbins  Lake,  hav- 
ing been  so  named  in  his  honor.  Subsequently  he  built  the  log  house  in 
which  G.  W.  Robbins  first  opened  his  eyes  to  the  light  of  day  and  sub- 
sequently he  erected  a  brick  residence  that  yet  stands  on  the  farm  and 
is  one  of  the  old  and  prominent  landmarks  of  this  portion  of  the  county. 
He  died  in  1849  ^^  ^^^  comparatively  early  age  of  forty-two  years,  yet 
during  the  period  of  his  residence  in  the  county  he  took  an  active  and 
helpful  part  in  reclaiming  the  district  for  the  purposes  of  civilization  and 
in  laying  broad  and  deep  the  foundation  for  the  present  progress  and 
prosperity.  His  wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Elizabeth  Davison  and 
was  a  native  of  Ohio.  She  lived  to  the  age  of  seventy-five  years.  In 
their  family  were  five  children:  Lucinda  J.,  now  deceased;  William, 
who  is  living  in  Elkhart,  Indiana;  George  W.,  of  this  review;  Mrs. 
Nancy  Ellen  Cundiff,  whose  home  is  in  Aledo,  Illinois;  and  Mrs.  Mary 
L.  Speece,  of  Porter  township. 

Mr.  Robbins  was  the  third  child  and  second  son  of  the  family  and 
upon  the  old  homestead  farm  he  spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and 
youth,  alternating  his  work  in  the  fields  through  the  summer  months 
with  attendance  at  the  district  schools  in  the  w^inter  seasons.  His  en- 
tire life  has  been  passed  upon  this  farm  and  thus  its  present  state  of 
improvement  and  development  is  largely  attributable  to  his  persevering 
and  diligent  effort.  As  a  companion  and  helpmate  for  life's  journey  he 
chose  Miss  Sarah  J.  Rogers,  to  whom  he  was  married  on  the  6th  of 
October,  1863.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Jesse  and  Mary  A.  (Bates)  Rog- 
ers and  was  born  in  Yates  county,  New  York,  on  the  17th  of  October, 
1844.  In  her  early  childhood,  when  only  about  two  years  old,  she  was 
brought  by  her  parents  to  Cass  county,  the  family  home  being  estab- 
lished in  Porter  township,  where  she  has  since  lived.  By  her  marriage 
vshe  has  become  the  mother  of  eight  children:  Lefy,  now  the  wife  of 
L.  C.  Chadwick,  a  resident  of  Grangeville,  Idaho;  Linward  G.,  a  farmer 
who  owns  a  good  property  in  Constantine  township,  St.  Joseph  county, 
Michigan;  M.  L.,  who  is  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  at  Elkhart, 
Indiana;  Leslje  D.,  a  civil  engineer,  residing  in  Mexico;  Lyle  M.  C, 
now  of  Montana;  Lena  G.,  who  is  attending  the  Hillsdale  (Michigan) 
College;  and  two  are  deceased. 

Mr.  Robbins  has  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-three  acres, 
which  is  supplied  with  modern  equipments,  and  also  owns  another  val- 


474  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

uable  property  of  two  hundred  and  nine  and  a  half  acres  on  section  35, 
Porter  township.  His  landed  possessions  in  all  embrace  three  hundred 
and  sixty-three  and  a  half  acres,  which  property  returns  to  him  a  very  de- 
sirable income.  His  business  is  carefully  conducted  and  everything 
about  his  place  is  indicative  of  a  progressive  spirit  and  practical  meth- 
ods. He  has  voted  w^ith  the  Republican  party  since  age  gave  to  him^  the 
right  of  franchise  and  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  political  questions 
and  issues  of  the  day  and  the  success  of  the  party  organization.  He  has 
held  various  local  offices,  including  that  of  highway  commissioner  and 
township  treasurer,  serving  in  the  latter  position  for  two  terms.  He 
has  been  a  lifelong  resident  of  the  county  and  his  mind  bears  the  impress 
of  its  early  historic  annals.  He  can  relate  many  interesting  incidents 
of  pioneer  life  and  experiences  and  he  is  a  worthy  representative  of  that 
class  of  citizens  whose  labors,  while  promoting  individual  success,  have 
also  been  of  benefit  to  the  county  in  furthering  its  agricultural  devel- 
opment and  also  in  promoting  its  political  status. 

CHARLES  W.  POE. 

Charles  W.  Poe  has  been  a  resident  of  Newberg  township  for  fifty- 
three  years  and  therefore  justly  deserves  to  be  classed  with  the  old 
settlers.  He  has  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  forty-eight  acres,  which 
is  carefully  cultivated  and  improved,  his  entire  life  having  been  devoted 
to  agricultural  pursuits.  This  tract  of  land  lies  on  section  21,  Newberg 
township,  and  is  now  a  valuable  property,  owing  to  the  care  and  labor 
which  he  has  bestowed  upon  it.  Mr.  Poe  is  one  of  Michigan's  native 
sons,  for  his  birth  occurred  in  Fabius  township,  St.  Joseph  county,  on 
the  5th  of  August,  1853.  His  father,  Charles  R.  Poe,  was  a  native  of 
Crawford  county,  Ohio,  and  was  the  son  of  George  Poe,  who  continued 
his  residence  in  Crawford  county  until  1835  ^^d  then  sought  a  home  in 
Michigan,  making  his  way  to  Cass  county,  which  was  then  a  wild  and 
unimproved  region.  Most  of  the  land  was  raw  and  uncultivated  and 
only  here  and  there  had  a  little  settlement  been  made  amidst  the  dense 
forest  to  show  that  the  work  of  civilization  and  improvement  had  been 
begun.  George  Poe  located  on  land  on  section  22,  Newberg  township, 
entering  the  same  from  the  government  on  the  i6th  of  September,  1835. 
Not  a  furrow  had  been  turned,  not  an  improvement  made,  and  the  ar- 
duous task  of  developing  the  land  devolved  upon  Mr.  Poe  and  his  sons. 
He,  however,  possessed  the  spirit  of  the  pioneer  such  as  was  displayed 
by  his  ancestor,  Adam  Poe,  the  famous  Indian  fighter. 

Charles  R.  Poe,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  reared  amid  the  wild 
scenes  of  frontier  life,  sharing  with  the  family  in  the  usual  hardships 
and  trials  incident  to  settling  in  the  far  west.  He  took  part  in  the  work 
of  cutting  the  timber,  clearing  the  land,  and  throughout  his  entire  life 
he  f ollow^ed  the  occupation  of  farming.  He  was  twice  married,  the 
first  union  being  with  Miss  Cassie  Newell,  who  died  leaving  three  chil- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  475 

dren,  one  of  whom  yet  survives,  namely :  George  W.  Poe,  v^ho  makes 
his  home  near  Jones.  After  losing  his  first  v^ife  Mr.  Poe  was  joined  in 
wedlock  to  Miss  Julia  Schall,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  who'  came  to 
Michigan  with  her  parents,  the  family  home  being  established  in  St. 
Joseph  county.  There  w^ere  two  sons  and  four  daughters  born  of  this 
marriage  and  with  one  exception  all  are  yet  living.  All  were  born  in 
this  county  with  the  exception  of  Charles  W.  and  George  W.  Poe,  who 
were  young  when  their  parents  removed  to  Newberg  township. 

He  was  reared  here  to  farm  life  and  pursued  his  education  in  the 
district  schools,  wherein  he  mastered  the  branches  of  English  learning 
usually  taught  in  such  institutions.  During  the  summer  months  he 
worked  in  the  fields  and  remained  at  home  until  twenty-two  years  of 
age,  assisting  in  the  task  of  clearing  the  farm  and  placing  it  under  the 
plow.  He  gained  practical  knowledge  of  the  best  methods  of  tilling  the 
fields,  learned  to  know  what  was  demanded  in  the  soil  for  the  various 
crops  and  the  most  favorable  time  of  planting,  so  that  he  was  well  qual- 
ified to  engage  in  farm  work  on  his  own  account  when  he  married  and 
established  a  home  of  his  own. 

It  was  on  the  25th  of  August,  1875,  that'  Mr.  Poe  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Carrie  Thomas,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Delight 
(Galpin)  Thomas.  Her  father  was  a  native  of  New  York  and  on  re- 
moving to  Michigan  settled  in  Macomb  county.  In  his  family  were 
six  children,  two  sons  and  four  daughters,  of  whom  Mrs.  Poe  was  the 
second  child.  She  was  thirteen  years  of  age  w^hen  brought  to  the  west 
and  has  since  lived  in  Cass  county.  At  the  time  of  their  marriage  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Poe  began  their  domestic  life  on  a  farm  on  section  22,  New- 
berg township,  and  there  in  the  midst  of  the  forest  he  cleared  a  tract 
of  land.  Their  first  house  was  a  log  cabin  eighteen  by  twenty-four  feet, 
two  stories  in  height.  Mr.  Poe  continued  the  work  of  cultivating  the 
place  for  fourteen  years,  when  he  removed  to  his  present  farm  on  sec- 
tion 21,  Newberg  township.  Here  he  has  one  hundred  and  forty-eight 
acres  of  productive  land,  which  he  has  brought  under  a  high  state  of  cul- 
tivation. He  has  been  a  hard-working  man  and  has  lived  a  busy  and 
useful  life,  his  labors  resulting  in  bringing  him  a  comfortable  compe- 
tence. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Poe  have  been  born  four  daughters :  Loviso, 
the  wife  of  Delbert  Stephenson,  who  is  living  in  Newberg  township; 
Minnie,  the  wife  of  William  Kahler,  also  of  Newberg  township;  Mabel, 
the  wife  of  William  Meek,  of  Emmet  county,  Michigan;  and  Leon,  at 
home.  The  name  of  Poe  has  been  closely  associated  with  the  history  of 
the  county  through  many  long  years,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject 
taking  a  very  active  and  helpful  part  in  the  early  pioneer  development, 
and  Poe  cemetery  was  named  in  his  honor.  The  work  of  progress  was 
carried  on  by  the  father  and  has  been  continued  by  our  subject,  who  is 
an  enterprising  citizen,  desirous  of  promoting  the  best  interests  of  the 
county.     In  his  political  views  he  is  a  D'emocrat,  but  without  aspiration 


476  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

for  office,  preferring  to  give  his  undivided  attention  to  his  business  af- 
fairs. He  is  well  known  in  Cass  county,  v^here  he  has  so  long  resided, 
having  lived  continuously  on  sections  21  and  22  in  this  township  for 
fifty-three  years,  and  has  an  extensive  circle  of  friends.  Both  he  and  his 
wife  are  estimable  people  and  well  deserve  mention  in  this  volume 
among  the  representative  citizens  of  the  county. 

ALONZO  P.  BEEMAN. 

Alonzo  P.  Beeman  is  a  worthy  and  successful  representative  of 
agricultural  interests,  w4io  has  long  been  identified  therewith  in  Cass 
county.  He  owns  here  a  valuable  property  and  in  its  control  and  man- 
agement displays  excellent  business  ability  and  keen  foresight.  More- 
over he  deserves  mention  in  this  volume  because  of  the  active  and  help- 
ful part  which  he  has  taken  in  matters  of  public  interest,  serving  on 
various  occasions  in  office,  the  duties  of  which  he  has  performed  with 
faithfulness,  ability  and  fidelity.  He  now  resides  on  section  14,  New- 
berg  township.  His  birthplace  was  in  Crawford  county,  Pennsylvania, 
his  natal  day  being  February  6,  1841.  His  father,  Myram  Beeman,  was 
a  native  of  New  York  and  was  a  son  of  Gideon  Beeman,  whose  birth 
occurred  in  Connecticut  and  who  was  of  English  descent,  the  family 
having  been  established  in  America  in  colonial  days.  In  the  state  of 
his  nativity  Myram  Beeman  was  reared  and  educated,  and  throughout 
his  entire  life  followed  the  occupation  of  farming.  He  was  married  in 
New  York  to  Miss  Lucena  Libhart,  also  a  native  of  New  York,  and  of 
German  descent,  her  father  having  been  born  in  Germany,  while  his 
death  occurred  during  the  infancy  of  his  daughter.  Myram  Beeman 
removed  from  the  Empire  state  to  Pennsylvania  about  183.S,  and  there 
resided  for  twenty-two  years,  when  in  1857  he  came  to  Michigan,  set- 
tling in  Cass  county.  Here  he  also  carried  on  farming  and  his  death 
occurred  in  Newberg  township  when  he  was  seventy-nine  years  of  age. 
He  held  membership  in  the  United  Brethren  church  and  was  one  of  the 
ministers  of  that  denomination.  His  acquaintance  was  a  very  wide  and 
favorable  one  and  his  influence  was  ever  a  potent  element  for  good  in 
the  communities  where  he  lived.  He  stood  for  justice,  truth  and  right 
under  all  circumstances,  and  by  example  as  well  as  by  precept  taught 
the  nobler  principles  which  elevate  mankind.  His  wife  also  passed 
away  in  Newberg  township,  being  in  her  ninetieth  year  at  the  time  she 
was  called  to  her  final  rest.  In  their  family  were  eight  sons  and  two 
daughters,  and  of  that  number  eight  reached  years  of  maturity,  while 
six  are  now  living,  being  residents  of  various  sections  of  the  country. 

Alonzo  P.  Beeman  is  the  only  one  now  residing  in  Cass  county.  He 
is  the  seventh  son  and  eighth  child  in  the  family.  His  early  youth  was 
spent  in  the  state  of  his  nativity,  and  he  is  indebted  to  the  public  school 
system  of  New  York  for  the  educational  privileges  which  he  enjoyed 
and  which  prepared  him  for  li.fe's  practical  and  responsible  duties.  When 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  477 

a  youth  of  fifteen  years,  it  being  necessitous  that  he  provide  for  his 
own  support,  he  started  out  to  make  his  way  in  the  world,  and  chose 
the  west  as  the  scene  of  his  labors.  Accordingly  in  1856  he  made  his 
way  to  Centerville,  St.  Joseph  county,  Michigan,  and  in  the  fall  of  the 
same  year  came  to  Newberg  township,  Cass  county.  Here  he  worked 
at  the  carpenter's  trade  and  assisted  in  building  many  houses  in  the 
township  at  an  early  day.  In  1863,  in  response  to  the  country's  call 
for  troops,  he  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Union  army  as  a  private  of 
Company  G,  Nineteenth  Michigan  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served 
throughout  the  remainder  of  the  war  with  patriotic  ardor  and  undimin- 
ished loyalty.  He  was  wounded  in  the  left  side  at  the  battle  of  Resaca, 
and  was  in  the  hospital  for  eight  months,  but  as  soon  as  possible  returned 
to  his  regiment  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  participated 
in  many  prominent  battles  which  led  up  to  the  final  victory  that  crowned 
the  Union  arms,  and  was  always  faithful  to  his  duty  under  all  circum- 
stances. When  the  war  was  over  he  participated  in  the  grand  review 
at  Washington,  D.  C,  the  most  celebrated  military  pageant  ever  seen 
on  the  western  hemisphere,  where  thousands  of  soldiers  of  the  Union 
army  marched  by  the  reviewing  stand  on  which  stood  the  president  and 
other  high  officials  of  the  land,  greeting  the  return  of  the  victorious 
troops. 

Mr.  Beeman  received  an  honorable  discharge  at  Jackson,  Michigan, 
on  the  5th  of  August,  1865,  and  immediately  afterward  returned  to  his 
home  in  Cass  county.  He  soon  purchased  a  farm  in  Newberg  township 
which  he  cultivated  for  about  two  years  and  then  sold.  In  1867  he 
removed  to  Kansas,  where  he  remained  for  a  short  time,  after  which  he 
returned  to  Newberg  township,  Cass  county.  Here  he  purchased  a 
farm  upon  which  he  has  since  resided,  his  residence  here  covering  more 
than  a  third  of  a  century.  There  were  no  improvements  upon  the  place 
when  he  took  possession,  but  he  has  wrought  a  marked  change  in  its 
appearance  by  adding  good  buildings,  well  kept  fences,  by  tilling  the 
soil  and  otherwise  carrying  on  the  farm  work  along  modern,  progressive 
lines.  The  place  comprises  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  good  land, 
which  responds  readily  to  the  care  and  cultivation  which  he  bestows 
upon  it,  the  fields  yielding  golden  harvests  in  return  for  the  work  which 
he  puts  thereon. 

Before  leaving  for  the  front  at  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  Mr. 
Beeman  was  married  on  the  14th  of  October,  1862,  to  Miss  Nancy  V. 
Bogert,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Bogert,  and  a  native  of  Adrian,  Michi- 
gan. She  was  brought  to  Cass  county  when  but  seven  years  of  age 
and  her  girlhood  days  were  passed  in  Newberg  township;  Unto  this 
marriage  have  been  born  five  thildren:  Annie,  the  wife  of  Wiley 
Russie;  Lewis,  who  married  Ida  O'Cormor  and  is  now  living  in  New- 
berg township;  Stella,  the  wife  of  Sherman  Poe,  a  resident  of  St.  Joseph 
county,  Michigan:  Alonzo  Guy,  who  married  Lura  Waltz  and  is  living 
in  Newberg  township ;  and  Ned,  at  home. 


478  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Mr.  Beeman  is  a  stalwart  Republican,  believing  firmly  in  the  prin- 
ciples of  his  party,  and  he  has  been  active  in  its  support,  doing  all  in 
his  power  to  secure  its  success.  His  fellow  townsmen  have  rewarded 
him  for  his  party  fealty  by  electing  him  to  various  positions  of  public 
honor  and  trust,  the  duties  of  which  he  has  faithfully  performed.  He 
was  township  treasurer  for  two  years,  supervisor  for  fourteen  consec- 
utive years,  and  then  resigned  that  office  by  reason  of  his  election  to  the 
position  of  county  treasurer  ini  1898.  He  served  for  two  terms  and  was 
then  re-elected  in  1900,  holding  the  office  to  the  time  limit,  for  no  one 
is  allowed  to  serve  for  more  than  two  terms  in  this  position.  He  then 
retired  from  the  office  as  he  had  entered  it — with  the  confidence  and 
good  will  of  all  concerned.  He  has  been  school  director  for  eighteen 
years  and  the  cause  of  education  has  found  in  him  a  warm  friend.  He 
is  a  member  of  May  post.  No.  65,  G.  A.  R.,  at  Jones,  in  which  he  has 
filled  all  of  the  chairs,  including  that  of  commander.  In  public  office 
as  well  as  in  the  field  of  battle  he  has  displayed  his  loyalty  to  his  country, 
and  in  an  active  life  has  portrayed  those  sterling  traits  of  character  which 
win  success  and  at  the  same  time  gain  the  respect  and  trust  of  one's 
fellow  men.  Starting  out  in  life  on  his  own  account  when  but  fifteen 
years  of  age  he  has  steadily  advanced  through  his  own  well  directed 
eflforts  and  may  well  be  termed  a  self-made  man,  for  he  has  been  both 
the  architect  and  builder  of  his  fortunes. 

ORREN  V.  HICKS. 

Orren  V.  Hicks,  following  the  occupation  of  farming  and  also 
serving  as  supervisor  in  Milton  township,  was  bom  on  the  27th  of 
September,  1869,  in  the  township  which  is  still  his  home.  He  rep- 
resents one  of  the  honored  pioneer  families,  being  a  son  of  R.  V.  Hicks, 
who  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  came  to  Cass  county  at  an  early 
epoch  in  its  development.  A  native  of  England,  he  resided  in  that 
country  until  1837,  when  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  America  and  made 
his  way  at  once  to  Michigan.  He  was  about  eighleen  years  of  age  at 
the  time,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Land's  End,,  England,  on  the 
T7th  of  November,  1819.  Having  heard  favorable  reports  concerning 
the  business  opportunities  of  the  new  world  he  made  the  ocean  voyage 
and  joined  his  brother  in  Ontw^a  township,  where  he  remained  for  a 
short  time.  He  then  located  in  Niles,  securing  a  position  in  a  distillery 
owned  and  operated  by  John  Dodge  &  Company,  with  whom  he  worked 
for  a  short  time,  becoming  foreman  of  that  place.  Further  mention 
of  Mr.  Hicks  is  made  on  another  page  of  this  work. 

Orren  V.  Hicks,  whose  name  introduces  this  review,  was  reared 
upon  the  homestead  farm  and  is  indebted  to  the  district  school  system 
of  Milton  township  for  the  educational  privileges  he  enjoyed.  He 
pursued  his  studies  through  the  winter  months  and  in  the  summer 
months  worked  at  the  labors  of  the  field.     Wishing  to  have  a  home  of 


To^h^^  d2.  (y.  ^^- 


(^^r>&;^ 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  479 

his  own  he  completed  his  arrangements  therefor  by  his  marriage  on 
the  13th  of  January,  1892,  to  Miss  Bertha  F.  Thompson,  a  native  of 
Ontwa  township,  born  December  3,  1871,  and  a  daughter  of  B.  F. 
Thompson,  who  followed  farming  in  Ontwa  township.  He  settled  in 
Cass  county  when  it  was  emerging  from  pioneer  conditions,  having 
come  to  the  middle  west  from  Delaware.  Mrs.  Hicks  graduated  in 
the  High  School  of  Edwardsburg,  in  the  class  of  1888,  and  entered  the 
state  normal  at  Ypsilanti,  Michigan,  taking  the  English  course,  spent 
one  years  there  and  meant  to  take  a  full  graduating  course,  but  health 
forbade  her.  The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hicks  has  been  blessed 
with  two  daughters :  Florence  B.,  who  was  born  June  6,  1896,  and 
Vivian  Leona,  born  April  13,  1903. 

At  the  time  of  his  marriage  Orren  V.  Hicks  removed  to  what 
was  known  as  the  Enos  farm,  comprising  sixty-seven  acres  of  land, 
and  he  has  become  the  owner  of  forty  acres  adjoining,  also  eighty 
acres  just  north  of  his  present  farm,  and  forty  acres  of  timber,  mak- 
ing a  total  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-seven  acres  in  Cass  county. 
The  eighty  acres  received  only  one  transfer,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hicks 
have  in  their  possession  the  old  parchment  deed  signed  by  President 
Andrew  Jackson.  It  bears  the  date  of  execution  of  April  i,  183 1,  and 
this  is  the  fifth  deed  of  the  kind  found  in  Cass  county.  He  now  has 
a  well  improved  farm  here,  equipped  with  good  buildings  and  sub- 
stantial .improvements,  while  well  tilled  fields  return  him  golden  har- 
vests for  the  care  and  labor  he  bestows  upon  them.  For  three  years  he 
filled  the  office  of  township  clerk,  having  been  chosen  to  that  position 
on  the  Democratic  ticket.  In  1901  he  was  elected  supervisor  and 
served  in  that  office  for  five  years,  being  the  present  incumbent.  He 
has  thus  taken  an  active  part  in  local  political  affairs  and  he  keeps 
well  informed  on  the  questions  and  issues  of  the  day.  He  is  a  charter 
member  of  Edwardsburg  tent  No.  723,  K.  O.  T.  M.,  and  he  enjoys 
the  warm  regard  of  his  brethren  in  the  fraternity  as  well  as  of  the 
general  public.  His  wife  is  also  a  member  of  the  Edwardsburg  Hive 
No.  345,  L.  O.  T.  M.  He  is  widely  known  in  the  county  where  Ms 
entire  life  has  been  passed  and  where  he  has  so  directed  his  labors 
as  to  win  a  gratifying  measure  of  prosperity,  and  at  the  same  time 
make  for  himself  an  honorable  name. 

FRANKLIN  CHAPMAN. 

The  agricultural  interests  of  Newberg  township  find  a  worthy  rep- 
resentative in  Franklin  Chapman,  who  is  now  living  on  section  17,  where 
he  owns  and  operates  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  in  connec- 
tion with  which  he  is  successfully  engaged  in  stock-raising,  making  a 
specialty  of  St.  Lambert  and  Jersey  cattle.  He  was  bom  December 
18,  1853,  on  the  farm  w^here  he  yet  resides,  in  a  little  log  cabin  which 
was  one  of  the  typical  pioneer  homes  of  the  county.     He  is  descended 


480  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

from  an  old  New  England  family,  his  paternal  grandfather  being  Levi 
Chapman,  who  was  a  native  of  Vermont  and  was  of  Scotch  lineage. 
The  father,  James  M.  Chapman,  was  born  in  Medina  county,  Ohio, 
February  3,  181 8.  He  came  to  this  state,  however,  at  an  early  day, 
settling  in  Cass  county  in  1844,  being  the  first  resident  in  this  part  of 
the  county,  his  nearest  neighbor  being  two  or  three  miles  away.  There 
in  the  midst  of  the  forest  he  cleared  and  developed  a  farm,  cutting  away 
the  trees  before  he  could  plow  and  cultivate  the  land.  As  the  years 
passed  he  wrought  a  marked  transformation  in  the  appearance  of  the 
place,  which  became  a  well  developed  property,  and  he  resided  thereon 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  when  he  was  in  the  eighty-first  year  of 
his  age.  From  the  time  of  the  organization  of  the  Republican  party  he 
was  one  of  its  stanch  supporters  and  took  an  active  interest  in  its  growth 
and  success.  His  fellow  townsmen  frequently  called  him  to  office  and 
he  served  as  supervisor  for  a  long  period,  perhaps  about  fourteen  years 
in  all.  He  was  loyal  to  every  trust  reposed  in  him  and  his  life  was  in 
entire  harmony  with  his  professions  as  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church. 
He  took  a  very  helpful  part  in  church  work,  contributed  generously  of 
his  means  to  its  support,  assisted  in  the  various  church  activities  and  was 
a  deacon  for  many  years.  He  wedded  Miss  Mary  Haggerty,  who  lived 
to  be  seventy- four  years  of  age.  In  their  family  were  two  sons,  the 
elder  being  Harvey  Chapman,  who  died  at  the  age  of  two  years. 

Franklin  Chapman,  the  younger  son  and  the  only  representative  of 
the  family  now  living,  was  reared  upon  the  old  farmi  homestead  in  New- 
berg  township,  where  he  yet  resides.  At  the  usual  age  he  began  attending 
the  district  schools  and  as  his  age  and  strength  permitted  he  assisted  more 
and  more  largely  in  the  work  of  the  farm  during  the  summer  months, 
aiding  in  the  plowing,  planting  and  harvesting.  He  was  first  married 
on  the  1st  of  March,  1873,  the  lady  of  his  choice  being  Miss  Lovina 
Cleveland,  who  died  leaving  two  children :  Mrs.  Lulu  Van  Stallen,  who 
is  now  a  widow ;  and  Verna,  who  is  the  wife  of  Arthur  Pound,  of  New- 
berg  township.  On  the  20th  of  March,  1882,  Mr.  Chapman  was  again 
married,  his  second  union  being  with  Miss  Minnie  Williams,  a  daughter 
of  A.  H.  and  Julia  A.  (Marshall)  Williams.  Mrs.  Chapman  was  born 
in  Susquehanna  county,  Pennsylvania^  and  was  brought  tO'  Michigan 
when  about  five  years  of  age,  the  family  taking  up  their  abode  in  St. 
Joseph  county.  She  was  fourteen  years  of  age  when  they  came  to  Cass 
county.  She  pursued  her  education  in  Colon,  Michigan,  and  in  the  In- 
diana Normal  School  at  Valparaiso,  Indiana;  and  for  five  years  was  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  teaching  in  Cass  county.  She  spent  two  years  as 
a  teacher  in  the  Vandalia  schools  and  was  an  able  educator,  imparting 
readily  and  impressively  to  others  the  knowledge  that  she  had  acquired. 
Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs..  Chapman  have  been  born  three  children:  Bion 
F;,  who  is  at  home;  Virginia,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the  Dowagiac  high 
school  and  of  the  Agricultural  College  and  is  now  engaged  in  teach- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  481 

ing;  and  Mildred  J.,  the  wife  of  Leonard  R.  Norton,  a  resident  farmer 
of  Newberg  township. 

Mr.  Chapman  is  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
arable  land  on  section  17,  Newberg  township.  His  farm  is  divided 
into  fields  of  convenient  size  by  well  kept  fences  and  he  has  good  im- 
provements upon  the  place,  including  the  latest  improved  machinery 
to  facilitate  the  work  of  the  fields.  In  his  farm  work  he  is  practical, 
is  systematic  in  his  methods  and  is  accomplishing  good  results  through 
his  unremitting  diligence.  He  is  now  making  a  specialty  of  raising 
fine  cattle  of  the  St.  Lambert  and  Jersey  breeds.  In  his  political  views 
Mr.  Chapman  has  always  been  a  stanch  and  earnest  Republican,  identi- 
fying himself  with  the  party  when  age  conferred  upon  him  the  right  of 
franchise.  He  has  served  as  township  treasurer  for  four  years,  proving 
a  capable  officer,  but  prefers  to  give  his  time  and  energies  to  his  busi- 
ness affairs,  in  which  he  is  meeting  with  signal  success. 

GEORGE  W.  HARDY. 

George  W.  Hardy,  the  proprietor  of  the  Clover  Leaf  Dairy  Farm, 
situated  on  section  17,  Marcellus  township,  has  prospered  in  his  under- 
takings and  is  now  conducting  a  successful  business.      He  was  born 
near  Three  Rivers,  St.  Joseph  county,  Michigan,  on  the  17th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1846,  and  is  a  son  of  George  Hardy,  Sr.,  who  was  a  native  of 
Yorkshire,  England,  and  came  to  the  United  States  with  his  parents, 
who  were   among  the  early  settlers   of  St.   Joseph  county,   Michigan, 
locating  there  when  the  Indians  were  numerous  and  when  little  was 
done  to  subjugate  the  wilderness  and  convert  it  into  uses  for  the  white 
race.     There  the  father  of  our  subject  spent  his  remaining  days,  his 
time  and  energies  being  given  to  the  development  of  a  farm  in  the 
midst  of  the  forest  and  its  further  improvernent  as  the  years  went  by. 
He  lived  to  the  age  of  sixty  years.     He  married  Frances  Arney,  who 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  died  in  St.  Joseph  county,  Michigan, 
when  seventy  years  of  age.     She  was  a  daughter  of  John  Arney,  a 
native  of  England,  who  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war  on  the  Ameri- 
can side  and  lost  an  arm  on  board  ship  while  acting  as  a  member  of  the 
navy.     He  received  from  President  Jackson  a  leather  deed  to  land  which 
he  entered  from  the  government  in  St.  Joseph  county,  Michigan,  his 
farm  lying  in  Lockport  township.     This  was  given  him  in  recognition 
of  his  military  service,  and  upon  this  place  he  remained  until  called  to 
his  final  rest  when  he  was  eighty  years  of  age.     In  his  family  were 
four  children,  including  Mrs.  Frances  Hardy,  the  mother  of  our  subject. 
In  the  family  of  Mr.   and   Mr^.    George  Hardy,   Sr.,   were  nine 
children:     Mary,  deceased;  Joseph,   now  living  in  Kansas;  Ruth,  de- 
ceased :  Mrs.  Lydia  Dickinson,  of  St.  Joseph  county,  Michigan ;  Mrs. 
Jane  Fonda,  living  in  Denver,   Colorado:  John,  a  resident  farmer  of 
this  county;  George  W.,  whose  name  introduces  this  record;  Charles, 


4:82  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

who  resides  in  Kalkaska  county,  this  state,  and  Carrie,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  twenty-six  years. 

George  W.  'Hardy  spent  the  period  of  his  minority  upon  his 
father's  farm  and  was  trained  to  the  labors  of  the  fields,  early  becom- 
ing familiar  through  actual  experience  with  all  the  duties  that  fall  to 
tlie  lot  of  the  agriculturist.  In  1878  he  was  married  to  Miss  Lydia  A. 
Northrop,  who  was  born  in  Fairfield,  St.  Joseph  county,  Michigan,  June 
^3y  1858,  a  daughter  of  John  G.  and  Maria  (Fonda)  Northrop,  who  were 
natives  of  New  York  and  in  their  childhood  became  residents  of  Mich- 
igan. ^ 

Following  his  marriage  Mr.  Hardy  began  farming  on  his  own 
account,  and  after  a  short  time  he  and  his  wife  removed  to  the  old 
home  place  near  Three  Rivers,  where  they  resided  until  they  took  up 
their  abode  on  their  present  place  on  section  17,  Marcellus  township, 
twenty-five  years  ago.  Here  Mr.  Hardy  has  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  land  which  was  partially  improved  when  it  came  into  his  pos- 
session. He  now  has  good  substantial  buildings  upon  the  place,  and 
the  land  has  been  brought  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  For  some 
years  he  carried  on  general  farming,  but  for  the  past  two  years  has 
made  a  specialty  of  dairying,  and  his  place  is  known  as  the  Qover  Leaf 
Dairy.  He  keeps  fifteen.  Jersey  cows  and  has  a  wagon  from  which  he 
retails  milk  in  Marcellus,  having  a  good  patronage  because  of  the  excel- 
lent quality  of  the  milk  which  he  furnishes  and  his  honorable  business 
methods.  He  has  long  been  recognized  as  an  active  and  enterprising 
business  man,  and  his  energy  and  capable  management  constitute  the 
basic  elements  of  his  success. 

Mr.  Hardy  has  five  children,  two  by  a  previous  marriage:  Orin, 
now  living  in  Chicago;  Minnie,  the  wife  of  Milo  Vincent,  of  Porter, 
Michigan;  Charles,  at  home;  Elmer,  also  of  Porter;  and  Lester,  at  home. 
The  father  and  his  four  sons  are  all  stanch  supporters  of  the  Republi- 
can party,  and  Mr.  Hardy  is  interested  in  general  progress  to  the  extent 
of  giving  hearty  endorsement  and  co-operation  to  those  movements 
which  are  of  direct  benefit  to  the  community  at  large  and  further  the 
material,  intellectual  and  political  progress  of  the  community. 

ALBERT  J.  SHANNON. 

Albert  J.  Shannon  is  the  owner  of  one  of  the  finest  farms  in  Mar- 
cellus township,  situated  on  an  elevation  commanding  a  fine  view  of 
Fish  lake.  Moreover  he  is  regarded  as  a  progressive  and  popular  resi- 
dent of  this  portion  of  Cass  county,  and  is  well  known  as  a  successful 
agriculturist  and  breeder  of  fine  horses.  He  was  bom  in  Huron  town- 
ship, about  two  miles  east  of  Alton,  in  Wayne  county,  New  York, 
January  22,  1844,  and  is  a  son  of  Archibald  Shannon,  also  a  native 
of  Wayne  county,  spending  his  entire  life  in  Huron  township,  where 
he  died  when  about  seventy-seven  years  of  age.     In  early  manhood  he 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  483 

wedded  Miss  Mary  Hyde,  who  was  born  in  Rose,  Wayne  county,  New 
York,  and  there  died,  when  about  twenty-six  years  of  age,  a  few  days 
after  the  birth  of  her  son  Albert,  who  was  her  only  child.  After  losing 
his  first  wife  the  father  married  her  sister.  Miss  Jane  Hyde,  and  there 
was  one  child  to  this  marriage,  Lester,  who  is  now  living  in  Huron,  New 
York. 

Albert  J.  Shannon  was  reared  in  the  place  of  his  nativity  and 
acquired  his  education  in  the  public  schools.  He  continued  his  studies 
in  Wayne  county  until  the  fall  of  1870,  when  he  went  to  Iowa,  spend- 
ing some  time  in  Marshalltown  and  various  other  places.  A  few 
months  passed  in  looking  over  a  favorable  location  there,  but  not  find- 
ing what  he  wanted  he  came  to  Cass  county,  Michigan, Mn  the  spring 
of  187 1,  and  bought  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  his  present 
farm,  of  which  thirty-five  acres  had  been  improved.  Mr.  Shannon 
cleared  the  remainder,  placed  it  under  the  plow,  and  in  course  of  time 
gathered  golden  harvests.  He  also  erected  good  buildings,  and  he  bought 
eighty  acres  of  land  adjoining,  so  that  he  now  has  two  hundred  acres 
in  his  home  place,  which  is  situated  on  sections  5,  8  and  9,  Marcellus 
township.  He  also  bought  sixty  acres  on  section  4  of  the  same  town- 
ship, and  now  has  an  excellently  improved  property.  He  has  placed 
under  cultivation  altogether  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land, 
and  his  well  developed  farm  is  indicative  of  his  care  and  labor,  his  pro- 
gressive methods  and  the  determination  with  which  he  carries  forward 
to  successful  completion  whatever  he  undertakes. 

In  1862  occurred  the  marriage  of  Albert  J.  Shannon  and  Miss  Jane 
Gatchell,  who  was  born  in  Van  Buren  township,  Wayne  county,  New 
York,  a  daughter  of  Elisha  and  Margaret  (Britton)  Gatchell.  They 
have  one  son,  Herbert,  who  is  now  living  in  Calhoun  county,  Michigan. 
They  have  also  reared  an  adopted  daughter,  Kate  Moon,  who  is  mar- 
ried and  resides  in  Chicago.  The  home  of  the  family  is  a  beautiful 
farm,  in  fact  hardly  equalled  in  Marcellus  township.  The  family  resi- 
dence is  situated  on  an  elevation  commanding  a  splendid  view  of  Fish 
lake,  the  landscape  presenting  altogether  a  beautiful  picture.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  cultivation  and  improvement  of  the  farm  he  is  well  known 
as  an  extensive  and  successful  breeder  of  fine  horses,  and  has  placed  upon 
the  market  some  splendid  specimens  of  the  noble  steed.  His  political 
allegiance  is  given  to  the  Republican  party,  and  he  was  its  candidate  for 
supervisor.  He  is  active  in  its  ranks,  and  for  two  years  he  served  as 
highway  commissioner.  For  thirty  years  he  has  been  a  Mason  and  has 
served  as  master  of  the  lodge  and  high  priest  of  the  chapter  at  Marcellus. 
He  is  a  charter  member  of  the  chapter,  having  joined  the  organization 
when  capitular  Masonry  was  first  introduced  ihto  that  town.  Mr. 
Shannon  is  both  popular  and  progressive,  a  business  man  of  enterprise 
and  in  his  social  relations  he  displays  those  qualities  which  win  warm 
friendships  and  high  regard. 


484  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


EDGAR  J.  GARD. 


Edgar  J.  Gard  is  one  of  the  extensive  land  owners  of  Cass  county, 
having  in  one  tract  three  hundred  and  seventy-three  acres,  but  half  be- 
longs to  his  sister,  Mrs.  Fulton,  upon  v^hich  he  has  lived  since  1898. 
This  constitutes  one  of  the  valuable  farms  of  the  county.  It  is  located 
on  section  20,  Volinia  township,  and  is  improved  with  modern  equip- 
ments and  accessories,  many  of  which  have  been  placed  thereon  by  the 
present  owner.  Mr.  Gard  is  one  of  the  native  sons  of  the  township,  his 
birth  having  occurred  here  on  the  9th  of  February,  1856.  The  family 
name  has,  figured  long  and  prominently  in  connection  with  the  develop- 
rnent  and  improvement  of  this  portion  of  the  state.  His  paternal  grand- 
parents were  Jonathan  and  Elizabeth  Gard,  who  came  from  Ohio  to 
Cass  county  in  a  very  early  day,  locating  in  Volinia  township,  where 
Jonathan  Gard  entered  land  from  the  government.  He  was  a  typical 
pioneer  citizen,  courageously  meeting  the  hardships  and  trials  of  frontier 
life  in  order  to  establish  a  home  for  his  family  and  his  labor  proved  a 
factor  in  the  substantial  development  and  improvement  which  has  fol- 
lowed the  united  and  concerted  labors  of  the  early  settlers. 

Isaac  N.  Gard,  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Ohio,  and  with  his 
parents  came  to  Cass  county,  here  being  reared,  educated  and  married. 
In  fact  he  continued  a  resident  of  Volinia  township  up  to  the  time  of 
his  death,  which  occurred  when  he  was  about  seventy-six  years  of  age. 
His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Nancy  Shaw,  still  resides  in 
Volinia  township.  By  her  marriage  she  became  the  mother  of  one  son 
and  two  daughters,  namely:  Julia,  now  the  wife  of  Henry  Hepworth, 
of  Kansas;  Mrs.  Orley  Fulton,  and  Edgar  J.,  of  this  review. 

The  youngest  of  the  family,  Edgar  J.  Gard  was  reared  in  Volinia 
township  and  was  given  good  educational  privileges,  pursuing  his  studies 
in  the  village  school  of  Volinia,  also  in  Decatur  and  later  in  the  Indiana 
Normal  School  at  Valparaiso.  He  was  thus  weir  equipped  for  life's 
practical  and  responsible  duties  by  thorough  mental  training,  which 
stimulated  his  latent  talents  and  prepared  him  to  meet  the  business 
duties  and  obligations  that  devolved  upon  him  as  he  started  out  in  life 
on  his  own  account.  He  lived  at  home  up  to  the  time  of  his  marriage, 
and  then  settled  upon  a  farm  on  section  21,  Volinia  township,  where  he 
resided  until  1898,  when  he  bought  his  present  farm,  the  tract  compris- 
ing three  hundred  and  seventy-three  acres  of  rich  and  valuable  land 
all  in  one  body,  but  half  of  this  land  belongs  to  his  sister,  Mrs.  Fulton. 
He  has  since  given  his  attention  to, general  farming,  raising  the  various 
cereals  best  adapted  to  soil  and  climate.  He  also  has  good  grades  of 
stock  upon  his  farm  and  the  buildings  are  in  keeping  with  ideas  of 
modern  progress.  He  also  owns  a  sawmill  on  section  21,  Volinia  town- 
ship, which  he  operates  in  addition  to  his  agricultural  pursuits. 

On  the  14th  of  October,  1879,  Mr.  Gard  married  Miss  Flora  War- 
ner, a  daughter  of  James  H.  and  Rachel   (Rich)   Warner.     She  was 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  485 

born  in  Cass  county,  her  parents  being  pioneers  of  this  part  of  the  state. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gard  now  have  one  son,  Dana  W.,  who  is  pursuing  his 
education  in  the  schools  of  Decatur.  Fraternally  Mr.  Gard  is  connected 
with  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees,  while  politically  he  is  a  Republican, 
having  never  faltered  in  his  allegiance  to  the  party  since  he  cast  his  first 
vote.  All  his  life  he  has  lived  in  this  county  and  he  is  a  typical  western 
man,  alert  and  enterprising.  He  possesses  an  indomitable  spirit  and 
strong  will  that  have  been  factors  in  winning  for  him  his  present  desira- 
ble success,  enabling  him  to  overcome  all  the  difficulties  and  obstacles 
which  checker  every  business  career.  He  is  a  man  of  strong  convic- 
tions,  quick  to  discern  the  best  course  to  pursue.  Difficulties  vanish 
before  him  as  mist  before  the  morning  sun  and  he  is  penetrative  and 
practical  in  all  that  he  does. 

W.  R.  KIRBY. 

W.  R.  Kirby,  filling  the  office  of  supervisor  in  Volinia  township, 
resides  on  section  21,  and  his  attention  is  given  to  the  development  and 
improvement  of  his  farm,  which  comprises  a  good  tract  of  arable  and 
productive  land.  He  was  born  in  Otsego  county.  New  York,  near 
Cooperstown,  December  31,  1843,  ^"d  is  of  English  lineage.  His 
parents  were  John  and  Mary  J.  (Rouse)  Kirby,  the  former  a  native  of 
England  and  the  latter  of  New  York.  Mr.  Kirby  was  born  in  York- 
shire, England,  and  was  only  about  two  years  old  w^hen  brought  by  his 
parents  to  Michig'an,  the  family  home  being  established  in  the  Empire 
state,  where  he  was  reared.  On  leaving  the  east  he  came  to  Michigan, 
settling  in  Flowerfield  township,  St.  Joseph  county.  His  wife  spent 
her  girlhood  days  in  the  Empire  state  and  by  her  marriage  she  became 
the  mother  of  eight  children,  three  sons  and  five  daughters,  of  whom 
seven  reached  years  of  maturity. 

W.  R.  Kirby,  the  second  child  and  eldest  son  in  the  family,  was 
only  about  three  years  old  when  brought  by  his  parents  to  Michigan. 
His  childhood  and  youth  were  therefore  passed  in  Flowerfield  town- 
ship, St.  Joseph  county,  w^here  he  was  reared  in  the  usual  manner  of 
farm  lads  of  that  period,  working  in  the  fields  through  the  summer 
months,  while  in  the  winter  seasons  he  acquired  a  fair  English  educa- 
tion in  the  district  schools.  He  continued  a  resident  of  St.  Joseph 
county  until  1865,  when  he  came  to  Cass  county,  settling  in  Volinia 
township.  He  began  keeping  house  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides, 
and  in  1877  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Mack,  a  daughter  of 
William  and  Theressa  (Wykoff)  Mack.  He  brought  his  bride  to  the 
farm  upon  which  they  yet  reside  and  here  he  has  continuously  carried 
on- general  agricultural  pursuits.  Year  by  year  he  has  tilled  his  fields, 
and  through  the  rotation  of  crops  and  the  careful  management  of  his 
business  affairs  he  has  been  able  to  secure  good  harvests  and  to  find  a 
ready  sale  for  his  products  upon  the  market. 


^S6  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY: 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kirby  have  no  children  of  their  own,  but  have  reared, 
two  adopted  children,  Joseph  M.  and  Anna  B.  Mr.  Kirby  is  deeply  in- 
terested in  political  issues  and  questions  of  the  day,  and  has  always  kept, 
well  informed  on  subjects  of  vital  interest  to  the  cornmunity,  the  state 
and  the  nation.  He  has  voted,  with  the  Republican  party  since  attaining 
his  majority  and  has  held  various  local  offices,  being  first  called  to  the 
position  of  path  master.  He  has  also  been  township  treasurer  for  two- 
years,  was  town  clerk  for  twenty  years,  and  in  1905  was  elected  super- 
visor on  the  Republican  ticket.  His  official  record  has  been  creditable 
and  commendable,  and  no  public  trust  reposed  in  him  has  ever  beerj. 
"^  betrayed  in  the  slightest  degree.  He  belongs  to  Volinia  Lodge,  No. 
227,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  which  he  is  a  charter  member,  and  he  is  in 
hearty  sympathy  with  the  purposes  of  the  craft.  For  more  than  forty 
years  he  has  lived  in  the  county  and  he  has  been  found  to  be  trustworthy 
in  business  and  progressive  in  citizenship,  while  in  social  relations  he 
is  genial,  companionable  and  entertaining. 

JOHN  HUFF. 

John  Huff,  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  southern  Michigan,  is 
living  on  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  section  17,  Volinia 
township,  and  his  life  of  activity  and  well-directed  effort  is  indicated 
by  his  ownership  of  this  property,   for  he  started  out  in  life  empty- 
handed  and  all  that  he  now  possesses  and  enjoys  has  been  gained  through 
his  persistent  labor  and  capable  management.    His  natal  day  was  August 
3,   1833,  and  the  place  of  his  birth  near  Springfield,  in  Clark  county, 
Ohio.     His  father,  Amos  Huff,  was  bom  in  New  Jersey,  and  in  his 
boyhood   days  accompanied  his  parents  to  Pennsylvania.     He  was  a 
son  of  James  Huff,  of  German  descent.    On  leaving  the  Keystone  state 
he  removed  to  Clark  county,  Ohio,  and  was  there  married  to  Miss  Mar- 
garet Case,  whose  birth  occurred  in  Northumberland  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, but  who  was  reared  in  Ohio.     Her  father  was  John  Case,  one  of 
the  pioneer  settlers  of  Butler  county,  Ohio.     Amos  Huff  came  first  to 
Michigan  in  1833  but  did  not  take  up  his  permanent  abode  here  at  that 
time.     In  1834,  however,  he  returned  with  his  farnily  to  Cass  county 
and   identified   his   interests   With   those   of  the   pioneer   settlers.      He 
secured  land  from  the  government,  entering  a  claim  in  Volinia  town- 
ship, and  as  the  years  passed  his  attention  was  directed  to  farm,  labor, 
his  fields  being  placed  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.     Not  a  furrow 
had  been  turned  nor  an  improvement  made  when  he  took  possession  of 
his  farm,  but  with  characteristic  energy  he  began  the  arduous  task  of 
cultivation  and  development,  and  in  the  course  of  years  had  a  valuable 
property.     His  life  was  honorable  and  upright  in  all  things  and  he  was 
regarded  as  an  exemplary  and  devoted  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church,  in  which  he  served  as  class  leader,  while  in  the  various 
departments  of  church  work  he  took  an  active  and  helpful  interest.    He 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  48T 

died  in  his  eighty-fifth  year,  while  his  wife  passed  away  when  about 
eighty  years  of  age.  They  were  people  of  the  highest  respectability, 
and  in  their  death  the  coUrity  lost  two  of  its  worthy  pioneer  representa- 
tives. They  had  a  family  of  nine  children,  six  sons'and  three  daughters, 
and  with  one  exception  all  reached  adult  age,  but  only  three  are  now 
living,  the  brothers  of  our  subject  being  James  Huff,  a  resident  of 
Mountain  View,  California,  and  Clark,  who  is  living  in  Voiinia  town- 
ship. 

John  Huff  was  only  a  year  old  when  brought  to  Cas5  county,  and 
was  reared  in  Voiinia  township,  where  he  has  spent  his  entire  life. 
He  has  vivid  Tecollections  of  pioneer  conditions  when  the  homes  of  the 
settlers  were  largely  log  cabins.  There  would  be  an  immense  fire-place 
which  was  used  for  heating  purposes  and  also  served  to  cook  the  meals, 
which  were  prepared  in  huge  kettles  hung  from  the  crane  or  else  in 
covered  iron  skillets  which  were  placed  among  the  coals.  The  first 
school  house  in  Voiinia  township  was  built  in  1833  in  the  district  in 
which  Mr.  Huff  resided,  and  there  he  pursued  his  early  education, 
mastering  the  tasks  assigned  in  reading,  writing,  arithmetic  and  other 
elementary  branches.  His  training  at  farm  labor  was  not  meager,  for 
his  aid  was  needed  in  the  development  and  care  of  the  fields,  so  that  he 
had  practical  experience  when  he  started  out  as  a  farmer  on  his  own 
account.  He  remained  at  home  up  to  the  time  of  his  marriage,  which 
occurred  in  1872,  Miss  Eliza  J.  Wright  becoming  his  wife.  She  was 
a  daughter  of  James  and  Sarah  (Giffis)  Wright,  and  was  born  in  Voiinia 
township.  Her  parents  were  pioneer  settlers  of  the  county  and  she  was 
early  trained  to  household  duties.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Huff  began  their 
domestic  life  in  a  log  house  upon  his  farm,  occupying  it  until  the  erec- 
tion of  the  present  substantial  and  commodious  frame  residence  in  1882. 
As  the  years  went  by  three  children  were  added  to  the  family:  Amy 
and  Otis  were  born  in  the  cabin  home,  and  are  still  living;  and  Harley, 
who  died  in  his  second  year. 

The  home  farm  of  Mr.  Huff  embraces  two  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land,  which  through  care  and  cultivation  has  become  very  productive. 
He  has  placed  all  of  the  buildings  upon  his  property,  including  his 
modern  home,  his  barns  and  sheds.  He  has  also  fenced  the  place  and  has 
plow^ed  and  harvested  crops  which  have  found  a  ready  sale  on  the  mar- 
ket, thus  bringing  to  him  an  enlarged  income  each  year.  He  has  also 
been  active  in  public  affairs  and  for  four  years  served  as  township  treas- 
urer, while  for  eighteen  years  he  was  township  supervisor.  In  all  things 
pertaining  to  the  good  of  the  community  he  has  taken  an  active  and 
helpful  interest,  and  he  was  formerly  a  member  of  the  VoHnia  Anti- 
Horse  Thief  Society,  serving  as  its  secretary  for  thirty  years.  He  yet 
belongs  to  the  Masonic  lodge  of  Voiinia  and  has  the  kindly  regard  of 
his  brethren  of  the  fraternity.  A  self  made  man,  as  the  architect  of  his 
own  fortunes  he  has  builded  wisely  and  well,  and  his  life  record  proves 


4:88  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

what  can  be  accomplished  when  one  possesses  laudable  ambition  and 
unfaltering  determination.  He  started  out  in  limited  financial  circum- 
stances but  is  now  one  of  the  prosperous  residents  of  his  township. 

GEORGE  LONGSDUFF. 

While  "the  race  is  not  always  to  the  swift  nor  the  battle  to  the 
strong,"  the  invariable  law  of  destiny  accords  to  tireless  energy  and 
indefatigable  effort  a  measure  of  success  which  is  gratifying  and  desir- 
able.    The  truth  of  this  assertion  is  verified  in  the  life  record  of  such 
men  as  George  Longsduff,  who  in  his  active  business  career  has  so 
directed  his  efforts  that  he  is  now  enabled  to  live  retired,  making  his 
home  in  Vandalia.     He  was  born  in  Cumberland  county,  Pennsylvania, 
on  the  1 6th  of  March,  1826,  and  has  therefore  long  passed  the  psalmist's 
span  of  three  score  years  and  ten.     His  paternal  grandfather,  Martin 
Longsduff,   Sr.,   was  a  native  of  Germany,   and  in  that  country  was 
reared  and  married.     Crossing  the  Atlantic  to  the  new  world  he  became 
one  of   the  early  residents  of  Pennsylvania.     In  his  family  were  ten 
children,  of  whom  Martin  Longsduff,  Jr.,  was  the  eldest.     He  was  a 
native  of  the  same  state  and  was  there  reared  and  educated.     He  was 
married  twice  and   in   1834  he  removed  from  Pennsylvania  to  Ohio, 
taking  up  his  abode  in  Union  township,  Logan  county,  where  he  secured 
a  tract  of  land  and  improved  a  farm.    He  lemained  a  resident  of  that 
state  for  almost  four  decades  and  came  to  Michigan  in  1872.     Here  he 
spent  his  remaining  days,  passing  away  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years. 
In  his  religious  views  he  was  a  Lutheran,  and  he  exemplified  in  his 
life  his  belief  in  the  teachings  of  holy  writ.     The  mother  of  our  subject 
bore  the  maiden  name  of  Matilda  Quigley,  and  was  a  native  of  Hagers- 
town.  New  Jersey,  where  her  girlhood  days  were  passed.     She  was  the 
second  wife  of  Martin  Longsduff,  his  former  union  having  been  with  a 
Miss    Searfoss,    by   whom   he   had   one   daughter,    Elizabeth.      By   the 
second  marriage  there  were  born  eleven  children,  one  of  whom  died 
in  early  youth,  while  ten  reached  adult  age  and  four  of  the  number, 
two  sons  and  two  daughters,  are  still  living  and  are  residents  of  Cass 
county. 

Mr.  Longsduff,  of  this  review,  is  the  fifth  child  and  third  son  in 
the  family.  He  spent  the  first  eight  years  of  his  life  in  J:he  state  of 
his  nativity  and  then  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  removal  to 
Logan  county,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  until  he  was  twenty-one  years 
of  age.  His  educational  privileges  were  those  afforded  by  the  common 
schools,  and  when  not  busy  with  his  text-books  he  aided  his  father  in 
tilling  the  soil,  caring  for  the  crops  and  performing  such  labor  as  was 
necessary  in  the  development  and  cultivation  of  the  home  farm.  The 
year  1847  witnessed  his  arrival  in  Cass  county,  and  he  then  started  out 
upon  an  independent  business  career.  He  located  first  in  Penn  town- 
ship, and  as  it  was  necessary  that  he  provide  for  his  own  support  he 


/^-i-^      CC.  o-'<^  ^^J.^jCc^<y^ 


O- 


eJjil  Q:P  ^^crrx^d^t^. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  489 

began  working  by  the  day,  making  rails.  He  also  engaged  in  ditching 
and  in  other  such  work  as  would  yield  him  an  honest  living  and  gain 
him  a  start  in  business  life.  At  the  time  of  his  marriage  he  located  on 
a  farm  on  section  14,  Penn  township,  his  home  being  a  little  log  cabin 
to  which  he  had  to  cut  a  road  through  the  woods  for  two  miles.  Not 
a  furrow  had  been  turned  or  an  improvement  made  on,  the  farm,  and 
in  the  midst  of  the  green  forest  he  began  the  arduous  task  of  clearing 
and  cultivating  fields.  In  the  course  of  time  he  had  cut  down  the 
trees,  grubbed  out  the  stumps  and  plowed  his  land.  The  seed  was 
then  planted  and  in  due  course  of  time  rich  harvests  were  gathered. 
He  also  built  a  good  barn  and  house,  and  remained  upon  his  farm 
until  October,  1872.  He  was  practical  in  his  methods,  systematic  in 
all  that  he  did,  and  accomplished  through  energy  and  determination 
and  assisted  by  his  estimable  wife,  an  excellent  work  that  has  contribu- 
ted to  the  general  agricultural  progress  of  the  county  and  at  the  same 
time  brought  to  him  a  very  desirable  competence.  In  the  year  1872 
he  left  his  farm  and  removed  to  Vandalia,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
He  began  with  only  eighty  acres  of  land,  to.  which  he  added  forty 
acres.  Subsequently  he  sold  that  property  and  bought  one  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  on  sections  14,  24,  13  and  2^^  all,  however,  being  com- 
prised within  one  tract.  After  leaving  the  farm  and  locating  in  Van- 
dalia he  turned  his  attention  to  dealing  in  grain,  fruit  and  stock,  and 
conducted  quite  extensive  operations  in  those  lines  of  trade.  He  was 
ever  watchful  of  opportunities  pointing  to  success  and  his  diligence, 
well  formulated  plans  and  unremitting  attention  to  his  business  won 
for  him  still  further  success.  Within  the  last  two  or  three  years  he  has 
given  little  attention  to  farming,  simply  supervising  his  landed  interests, 
for  he  has  rented  his  farm.  In  connection  with  his  other  interests  Mr. 
Longsduff  was  a  promoter  of  the  creamery  at  Vandalia,  and  is  presi- 
dent of  the  company.  This  has  proved  an  important  productive  industry 
of  the  com.munity,  furnishing  an  excellent  market  for  farmers  keeping  a 
large  number  of  cows,  and  at  the  same  time  it  has  been  a  source  of  grati- 
fying income  to  the  stockholders. 

On  the  9th  of  February,  185 1,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
Longsduff  and  Miss  Rachel  S.  Dodge,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Ann 
(DePuy)  Dodge.  She  was  born  in  New  York,  near  Baldwinsville, 
and  was  about  eight  years  of  age  when  she  came  with  her  parents  to 
Michigan,  the  family  home  being  established  in  Cass  county.  She  has 
thus  spent  the  greater  part  of  her  life  here,  and  to  her  husband  she  has 
been  a  faithful  companion  and  helpmate  on  life's  journey,  ably  assist- 
ing him  by  her  encouragement  and  also  by  her  careful  management  of 
the  household  affairs.  Unto  them  was  born  a  son,  Charles  D.,  who  is 
now  deceased.  He  married  Jennie  Mulrine,  and  they  had  two  daugh- 
ters, Lucile  and  Georgiana,  both  of  whom  have  been  well  educated  in  a 
business  wav. 


490  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Charles  D.  Longsduff,  born  January  27,  1861,  died  September  19, 
11892,  and  was  buried  in,  Prospect  Hill  Cemetery,  Cassopolis,  Michigan. 
The  funeral  was  conducted  by  the  Masonic  order  and  was  one  of  the 
largest  ever  held  in  the  place,  which  was  an  evidence  of  the.  high  esteem 
his  life  had  merited,  and  in  which  he  was  held  by  the  whole  community. 
He  was  kind  and  obliging  in  all  his  business  transactions  with  his 
neighbors,  a  kind  and  indulgent  father  and  husband,  and  is  very  much 
missed  by  the  whole  community.  At  his  death,  he  left  a  wife,  two 
daughters  and  a  host  of  friends. 

The  daughter,  Lucile,  is  well  educated,  having  attended  the  Con> 
mercial  College  of  South  Bend,  Indiana,  and  was  there  employed  by 
one  of  the  responsible  firms  of  the  city.  She  is  a  fine  pianist.  Georgiana, 
the  second  daughter,  graduated  in  the  Vandalia  High  School  in  the 
class  of  1906,  and  was  the  leader  of  the  class.  She  passed  her  teacher's 
examination  in  the  studies  before  she  was  eighteen  years  of  age.  It  is 
expected  by  her  grandparents  to  fit  her  for  the  teacher's  life.  The  grand- 
parents took  these  little  girls  and  have  reared  and  educated  them  and 
cared  for  them  as  if  they  were  their  own  children.  Surely  they  have 
fallen  into  good  hands,  when  Grandfather  and  Grandmother  Longsduff 
have  assumed  the  care  and  education  of  them. 

George  Longsduff  is  an  earnest  advocate  of  Democratic  principles, 
having  supported  the  party  since  1840  and  taking  an  active  interest 
in  its  work  and  progress.  He  has  been  called  to  various  local  offices, 
serving  as  supervisor  for  two  years,  also  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board  and  president  of  the  village  of  Vandalia  for  about  seven  terms, 
during  which  time  he  has  given  to  the  village  a  public  spirited  and  prac- 
tical administration,  resulting  beneficially  along  many  lines.  He  has 
also  been  a  member  of  the  village  board  for  many  years,  and  throughout 
his  official  service  his  course  has  been  prompted  by  untiring  devotion  to 
the  welfare  of  his  community.  He  has  long  been  an  active  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity,  with  which  he  became  identified  in  1852.  He 
is  now  the  oldest  living  Mason  initiated  in  Cass  county,  being  the  fourth 
member  received  into  the  first  lodge  of  the  county.  He  acted  as  worship- 
ful master  of  Vandalia  lodge  for  thirteen  years,  and  has  been  very 
earnest  and  helpful  in  his  work  in  connection  with  the  craft.  He  be- 
came a  charter  member  of  the  lodge  at  Vandalia,  and  both  he  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star,  in  which  Mrs. 
Longsduff  is  now  serving  as  chaplain,  while  Mr.  Longsduff  is  its  treas- 
urer. She  belongs  to  the  Christian  church,  in  which  she  is  a  very 
active  and  helpful  worker,  and  although  not  a  member  Mr.  Longsduff 
has  contributed  liberally  to  the  support  of  the  church  and  has  been 
active  in  all  things  pertaining  to  the  good  of  the  county.  His  residence 
in  Penn  township  covers  fifty-seven  years,  and  he  has  been  identified 
with  the  making  of  the  county  from  an  early  epoch  in  its  pioneer  ex- 
istence down  to  the  present  era  of  progress  and  prosperity.     There  was 


HISTORY  OB-  CASS  COUNTY  4»i 

# 

only  one  public  road,  in  the  tpwnahip  when  he.  located  here.  He  has 
ever  favored  good  road?,  good  schools  and  in  fact  all  interests  that  tend 
to  advance  the  material,  intellectual,  political,  social  and  moral  welfare 
of  the  community.  In  a. review  pf  his  life  history  is  seen  that  he  has 
ever  been  busy  and  active,  and  upon  the  substantial  qualities  of  persever- 
ance and  diligepce  he  has  placed  his  dependence  with  good  results. 

JOHN  I.EWiS  ROEBECK. 

The  farming  interests  find  a  worthy  representative  in  John  Lewis 
Roebeck,  who  is  living"  on  section  6,  Milton  township.  '  He  has  her^ 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  that  is  arable  and  productive, 
responding  readily  to  the  care  and  cultivation  which  he  bestows  upon  it, 
and  he  has  made  it  a  valuable  property.  Moreover  his  fidelity  to  the 
public  good  is  manifest  in  various  offices  which  he  has  ably  filled.  A 
native  of  Germany,  he  was  bom  in  the  province  of  Posen  on  the  nth  of 
December,  1840.  His  father,  John  Roebeck,  was  also  a  native  of  that 
country  and  came  to  Amei'ica  about  1873.  His  last  days  were  spent 
in  Niles,  Berrien  county,  Michigan,  where  he  departed  this  life  when 
about  sixty-five  years  of  age.  In  early  manhood  he  had  married  Anna 
Kruger,  who  was  also  born  in  Germany  and  died  in  that  country.  There 
were  three  children  in  the  family,  two  daughters  and  a  son. 

John  Lewis  Roebeck,  of  this  review,  was  reared  in  his  native 
country  and  attended  the  common  schools  until  fourteen  years  of  age 
in  accordance  with  the  laws  of  that  land.  His  youth  was  also  given  to 
farm  labor  and  when  about  twenty-fi^e  years  of  age  he  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  the  government,  being  overseer  of  the  government  forest  re- 
serve until  187 1.  Thinking  that  he  would  have  better  advantages  in 
the  new  world  and  that  business  opportunities  might  more  readily  come 
to  him  here,  he  sailed  for  the  United  States  in  1871,  first  locating  in 
Michigan  City,  Indiana.  He  scorned  no  employment  that  would  yield 
him  an  honest  living  and  began  here  by  chopping  wood.  For  six  years 
he  remained  in  Michigan  City,  and  then  removed  to  Vandalia,  Cass 
county,  Michigan,  where  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Michigan  Central 
Railroad  Company  as  a  section  hand,  being  thus  engaged  for  three 
years.  He  was  then  appointed  night  watchman  at  the  handle  factory 
in  Vandalia,  occupying  that  position  for  two  and  a  half  years,  after 
which  he  purchased  a  farm  in  Penn  township,  comprising  eighty  acres 
of  land.  He  then  located  upon  this  farm,  which  he  sold  after  two  years, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  he  rented  a  farm  in  Calvin  township.  There 
he  continued  to  reside  for  about  three  years,  when  he  went  to  Jefferson 
township,  where  he  again  rented  land,  living  on  three  different  farms 
in  that  township  during  a  period  of  eight  years.  All  this  time  he  worked 
energetically  and  persistently,  and  as  the  result  of  his  earnest  labor 
and  his  industry  he  acquired  the  competence  that  enabled  him  to  purchase 
the  farm  upon  which  he  now  resides  on  section  6,  Milton  township. 
Here  he  owns  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  which  has  been 


492  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

made  arable  and  productive  by  reason  of  the  cultivation  which  is  be- 
stowed upon  it.  Year  after  year  he  has  worked  hard  in  order  to  make 
his  farm  a  valuable  property,  and  is  now  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  toil 
in  the  ownership  of  richly  cultivated  fields  which  annually  return  to  him 
good  harvests. 

Mr.  Roebeck  was  married  in  1862  to  Miss  Amelia  Hanke,  also  a 
native  of  the  province  of  Posen,  Germany.  Unto  this  union  have  been 
born  ten  children:  Charles,  at  home;  Anson,  a  farmer  of  Berrien 
county ;  Frederick,  at  home ;  Hermann,  of  whom  mention  is  later  made ; 
Emma,  at  home;  Bertha,  the  wife  of  Yust  Reum,  of  Milton  township; 
Augusta,  the  wife  of  Wilhelm  Reum,  of  Milton  township;  Minnie,  the 
wife  of  Edward  Geidemann,  who  is  living  in  Niles;  Hattie,  at  home; 
and  Catherine,  who  is  engaged  in  teaching.  The  family  circle  yet  re- 
mains unbroken  by  the  hand  of  death,  and  five  of  the  children  were  born^ 
in  Cass  county.  Hermann  Roebeck,  who  was  born  in  Penn  township, 
January  6,  1878,  took  an  active  part  in  politics  and  was  elected  recorder 
of  deeds  in  1900,  He  held  the  office  for  four  years,  having  been  re- 
elected in  1902.  He  was  township  clerk  of  Milton  township  at  the  time 
he  was  chosen  to  the  county  office,  and  at  all  times  he  has  been  found 
faithful  and  loyal  to  the  trust  reposed  in  him.  For  one  term  he  was 
school  inspector.  In  the  spring  of  1906  he  was  elected  supervisor  of 
Milton  township  on  the  Democratic  ticket.  He  now  resides  in  Milton 
township,  although  he  was  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business  in  Niles, 
Michigan.    Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Elks  lodge  at  Dowagiac. 

John  L.  Roebeck  exercises  his  right  of  franchise  in  support  of  the 
men  and  measures  of  the  Democracy,  and  has  been  called  upon  to  fill 
a  number  of  public  positions  by  those  of  his  fellow  townsmen  who 
recognize  in  him  a  trustworthy  and  progressive  citizen.  He  has  been 
justice  of  the  peace  for  two  terms  and  his  decisions  were  fair  and  im- 
partial. He  was  highway  commissioner  for  one  term  and  is  now  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  review.  Mr.  Roebeck  has  a  wide  and  favorable  ac- 
quaintance in  this  county  and  with  pleasure  we  present  the  history  of 
his  life  to  the  readers  of  this  volume. 

JOHN  MARCKLE. 

John  Marckle,  one  of  the  leading  and  energetic  farmers  of  .Milton 
township,  who  resides  on  section  20,  was  born  in  Stark  county,  Ohio, 
December  25,  1841.  His  father,  Peter  Marckle,  was  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, where  he  was  reared  and  educated.  He  came  to  America  prior 
to  his  marriage  and  in  Ohio  was  joined  in  wedlock  to  Miss  Catharine 
Klein,  who  died  during  the  early  boyhood  of  her  son  John.  There 
were  three  children  in  the  family,  of  whom  Mr.  Marckle,  of  this  review, 
is  the  second  child  and  eldest  son. 

He  was  only  six  years  of  age  when  he  accompanied  his  father  on 
the  removal  from  Ohio  to  Indiana,  locating  in  St.  Joseph  county,  where 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  498 

he  continued  until  about  twenty  years  of  age.  No  event  of  special  im- 
portance occurred  to  vary  the  routine  of  farm  life  for  him  in  his  boy- 
hood days,  as  he  worked  in  field  and  meadov^  during  the  greater  part 
of  the  year,  and  in  the  winter  seasons  attended  school.  He  then  came 
to  Cass  county,  Michigan,  making  his  way  to  Milton  township,  where 
he  worked  by  the  month  as  a  farm  hand  until  after  the  inauguration 
of  the  Civil  war.  He  then  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Union  army  in 
1862  as  a  member  of  Company  F,  Twelfth  Michigan  Volunteer  In- 
fantry. He  joined  the  army  as  a  private,  but  after  about  six  months 
was  promoted  to  second  sergeant  and  carried  the- colors  for  two  years. 
He  was  in  the  battles  of  Shiloh,  luka,  Hatch's  Run  and  many  others, 
including  the  engagements  at  Vicksburg,  Mechanicsburg  and  Little 
Rock,  Arkansas.  He  reported  every  day  for  duty  and  was  always 
faithful  to  the  call  made  upon  him  for  any  service  that  contributed  to 
the  interests  of  the  army  and  thus  led  to  the  final  result  which  crowned 
the  Union  arms.  He  was  more  than  four  years  in  active  service, 
having  enlisted  on  the  22d  of  February,  1862,  while  on  the  6th  of 
March,  1866,  he  was  honorably  discharged.  .He  proved  a  brave  and 
loyal  soldier  on  many  a  southern  battlefield  and  participated  in  the 
grand  review  in  Washington,  D.  C,  w^here  the  victorious  Union  troops 
marched  through  the  streets  of  the  city  and  passed  the  reviewing  stand 
where  they  were  cheered  by  the  president  and  other  distinguished  men 
of  the  nation  as  well  as  by  thousands  of  northern  people  who  rejoiced 
that  the  war  was  over  and  that  so  many  soldiers  had  been  spared. 

When  the  country  no  longer  needed  his  aid  Mr.  Marckle  returned 
to  Cass  county  and  bought  the  farm  upon  which  he  now  resides.  He 
has  added  to  this  place  until  he  has  two  hundred  and  six  acres  of  land 
w^hich  is  well  improved.  By  following  the  rotation  of  crops  and  care- 
fully cultivating  his  fields  he  has  made  his  farm  very  productive,  and 
the  rich  land  returns  to  him  a  gratifying  annual  income  from  the  sale 
of  his  harvests. 

Mr.  Marckle  was  married  in  1867  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Landgraf, 
a  native  of  Germany  and  a  daughter  of  Michael  Landgraf,  who  was 
also  born  in  that  country.  This  union  has  been  blessed  with  two 
children,  a  son  and  a  daughter,  Flora,  who  is  now  the  widow  of  Charles 
W.  Zeitter.  Mr.  Marckle  has  always  taken  an  active  interest  in  public 
affairs  and  does  everything  in  his  power  to  promote  the  best  interests 
of  the  community,  displaying  the  same  loyalty  which  he  manifested  when 
he  followed  the  old  flag  on  southern  battlefields.  He  has  always  voted 
with  the  Democracy  and  is  firm  in  support  of  his  honest  convictions. 
He  believes  that  the  principles  of  that  party  contain  the  best  elements 
of  good  government,  and  he  has  never  wavered  in  his  allegiance  thereto. 
He  has  been  justice  of  the  peace  and  township  treasurer  and  has  held 
all  of  the  school  offices.  He  served  as  highway  commissioner  in  an  early 
day  and  is  interested  in  every  movement  that  pertains  to  the  upbuilding 
of  the  schools,  the  improvement  of  the  roads  or  the  substantial  devel- 


494  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

opment  of  the  county  in  any  direction.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the 
grand  jury  in  1905.  In  a  review  of  his  hfe  work  we  note  many  salient 
characteristics  which  are  most  commendable.  Without  extraordinary 
family  or  pecuniary  advantages  at  the  outset  of  his  career  he  has  labored 
energetically  and  persistently  year  after  year.  He  started  out  when 
a  poor  boy,  having  no  capital  save  his  strong  determination  and  willing 
hands.  These  qualities  have  constituted  the  basis  of  his  success,  and  as 
the  architect  of  his  own  fortunes  he  has  builded  wisely  and  well. 

GEORGE  W.  SMITH. 

In  a  history  devoted  to  the  early  settlers  and  the  men  who  in  later 
years  have  been  factors  in  the  substantial  growth,  progress  and  upbuild- 
ing of  Cass  county,  mention  should  be  made  of  George  W.  Smith,  who 
at  an  early  day  in  the  development  of  this  part  of  the  state  took  up  his 
abode  in  Cass  county.  He  now  resides  on  section  16,  Milton  township, 
where  he  has  good  farming  interests,  owning  and  operating  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  land,  which  constitutes  a  neat  and  well  kept 
farm.  He  was  born  in  Kent  county,  Delaware,  January  10,  1831.  His 
father,  Manlove  Smith,  was  also  a  native  of  that  state,  and  was  there 
reared,  married,  lived  and  died,  passing  away  when  about  sixty  years 
of  age.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Mary  M.  McKnett, 
was  a  native  of  Delaware,  and  died  when  about  fifty-eight  years  of  age. 
In  their  family  were  seven  children,  of  whom  two  passed  away  in 
infancy,  while  five  reached  manhood  or  womanhood.  Only  one  daughter 
is  now  living. 

Mr.  Smith  is  the  youngest  of  this  family  and  was  only  two  years 
old  when  his  father  died,  and  a  little  lad  of  but  six  summers  at  the  time 
of  his  mother's  death.  Thus  left  an  orphan  he  was  reared  by  his  eldest 
brother,  with  whom  he  remained  to  the  age  of  sixteen  years  on  the  old 
family  homestead  in  the  east.  He  then  started  out  in  life  for  himself 
and  whatever  success  he  has  achieved  is  attributable  entirely  to  hi3  own 
enterprise  and  labors.  He  worked  as  a  farm  hand  by  the  month  or  day 
and  to  some  extent  was  employed  in  a  store  owned  by  his  brother  at 
Greenville,  Delaware.  The  opportunities  of  the  new  and  growing  west, 
however,  attracted  him,  and  he  resolved  to  seek  his  fortune  in  Mich- 
igan. Accordingly  he  made  his  wa^y  to  this  state  in  1854,  settling 
in  Cass  county,  and  for  more  than  a  half  century  he  has  resided  here, 
being  actively  connected  with  its  farming  interests  to  the  benefit  of  the 
county  and  to  the  promotion  of  his  own  individual  resources. 

As  a  companion  and  helpmate  for  life's  journey  Mr.  Smith  chose 
Miss  Josephine  B.  Powell,  to  whom  he  was  married  on  the  i6th  of 
December,  1856,  her  parents  being  Thomas  and  Mariam  (Bowman) 
Powell,  who  were  also  natives  of  Kent  county,  Delaware.  They  came 
to  Cass  county  in  1834,  locating  in  Milton  township,  when  there  were 
few  settlers  in  this  part  of  the  state.     All  around  them  was  wild  and 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  4^5 

unimproved.  The  timber  was  uncut  and  the  land  uncultivated,  but 
they  cast  in  their  lot  with  the  early  settlers  and  aided  in  reclaiming  this 
district  for  the  uses  of  civilization.  Mrs.  Smith  was  less  than  a  year 
old  when  brought  by  her  parents  to  Milton  township,  and  has  always 
resided  in  this  county. 

At  the  time  of  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  located  on  the 
old  family  homestead  in  Milton  township,  where  they  remained  iot 
about  four  years,  when  they  took  up  their  abode  upon  the  farm  where 
Mr.  Smith  now  resides.  Here  he  has  lived  for  forty-six  years  and  the 
splendid  appearance  of  the  place  with  its  well  tilled  fields,  good  build- 
ings and  modern  accessories,  is  indicative  of  the  practical  and  enter- 
prising spirit  of  the  owner. 

As  the  years  went  by  six  children  were  born  unto  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Smith:  Truman  M.,  who  is  now  living  in  Houston,  Texas;  Thomas  F., 
at  home;  Redora  M.,  the  wife  of  Arza  G.  Griffin,  who  resides  in  Aurora, 
Illinois;  William  C,  who  married  Pearl  Clark  and  is  living  in  Granger, 
Indiana;  Robert  G.,  deceased,  and  Clarence  P.,  who  married  Miss  Ger- 
trude Abbott  and  is  living  in  Milton  township.  All  were  born  in  Milton 
township,  Cass  county. 

Mr.  Smith  has  been  a  lifelong  farmer  and  is  now  the  owner  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  constituting  a  well  improved  farm.  He 
started  out  in  life  on  his  own  account  empty-handed,  but  has  worked 
earnestly  and  persistently,  and  as  the  years  have  gone  by  has  achieved 
both  success  and  an  honored  name.  He  has  been  identified  with  the 
county  from  its  early  history,  and  while  carrying  on  his  individual  busi- 
ness pursuits  has  at  the  same  time  promoted  public  progress  along  lines 
of  substantial  advancement.  He  has  taken  an  active  and  helpful  interest 
in  matters  pertaining  to  the  general  welfare,  and  for  many  years  has 
supported  the  Republican  party.  For  about  sixty  years  he  and  his  wife 
have  been  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  which  he  has 
held  all  of  the  offices,  taking  an  active  part  in  its  work  and  doing  all  in 
his  power  to  promote  its  influence  and  growth.  He  has  been  true  to 
its  teachings,  and  his  close  adherence  to  its  principles  has  made  his  life 
an  upright  and  honorable  one.  He  has  been  straightforward  in  his 
business  dealings,  considerate  of  the  rights  of  others  and  true  to  high 
and  manly  principles,  and  as  one  of  the  early  settlers  and  successful 
farmers  of  the  county  he  certainly  deserves  mention  in  this  volume. 

WILLIAM  E.  PARSONS. 

William  E.  Parsons,  prominent  among  the  old  settlers  of  Cass 
county,  his  home  being  on  section  23,  Milton  township,  has  for  more 
than  a  half  century  resided  in  this  part  of  the  state.  He  has  seen  the 
country  develop  from  a  wild  region  with  only  a  few  white  inhabitants 
to  a  rich  agricultural  district  containing  thousands  of  good  homes  and 
acres  of  growing  towns  inhabited  by  an  industrious,  prosperous,  en- 


496  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

lightened  and  progressive  people.  He,  too,  has  participated  in  and 
assisted  the  slow,  persistent  work  of  development  which  was  necessary 
to  produce  a  change  that  is  so  complete  that  the  county  of  today  bears 
scarcely  any  resemblance  to  the  district  in  which  he  spent  his  boyhood 
days. 

Mr.  Parsons  is,  however,  a  native  of  Milton  township,  born  Jan- 
uary i8,  1851.  His  father,  Benjamin  Parsons,  was  a  native  of  Dela- 
ware and  came  to  Cass  county,  Michigan,  about  1845,  settling  in  Milton 
township.  He  died  when  forty-five  years  of  age  and  was  long  survived 
by  his  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Mary  Abbott  and  was  a  na- 
tive of  Delaware.  Her  death  occurred  in  Milton  township  in  1892, 
w^hen  she  had  reached  the  age  of  sixty-five  years.  They  were  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  one  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  while  all  the 
others  reached  manhood  or  womanhood  and  are  still  living. 

William  E.  Parsons  is  the  second  child  of  the  family  and  was 
reared  in  the  usual  manner  of  farm  lads,  no  event  of  special  importance 
occurring  to  vary  the  routine  of  farm  labor  and  school  work  in  his 
youth.  He  attended  the  common  district  schools,  thus  acquiring  a  good 
practical  education,  and  he  has  always  followed  the  occupation  tO'  which 
he  was  reared,  engaging  in  general  farming.  He  has  also  carried  on 
threshing  for  about  twenty-five  years  in  this  county,  and  has  thus  be- 
come well  known  here. 

Mr.  Parsons  has  taken  an  active  and  helpful  interest  in  public 
affairs,  his  progressive  citizenship  standing  as  an  unquestioned  fact  in 
his  career.  He  votes  with  the  Democracy  and  has  held  many  offices  in 
his  township.  He  was  treasurer  for  two  years  and  supervisor  for  six 
years,  being  elected  to  the  latter  office  for  several  terms.  His  entire 
life  has  been  passed  in  this  county  and  he  is  closely  indentified  with 
its  farming  interests.  He  now  owns  ninety-two  acres  of  good  land 
on  section  23,  Milton  township,  and  has  brought  his  farm  under  a  high 
state  of  cultivation,  adding  to  it  modern  equipments  and  so  developing 
the  fields  that  he  now  annually  harvests  rich  crops. 

JOHN  H.  YOUNG. 

John  H.  Young,  residing  on  section  9,  Milton  township,  and  now 
filling  the  position  of  township  treasurer,  was  born  in  St.  Joseph  county, 
Indiana,  September  2,  1861.  His  father,  Jacob  Young,  was  a  native  of 
Germany  and  was  brought  to  America  when  only  nine  years  of  age, 
the  family  home  being  established  in  Ohio.  There  he  was  reared  to 
the  age  of  sixteen  years,  when  he  removed  to  Indiana  with  his  parents, 
George  and  Catharine  Young,  who  located  in  St.  Joseph  county,  being 
among  the  early  families  of  that  part  of  the  state.  Having  arrived  at 
years  of  maturity  Jacob  Young  was  married  there  to  Miss  Catharine 
Cocher,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  but  was  reared  in  St.  Joseph 
county,  Indiana,  where  her  people  located  upon  a  farm.     Mrs.  Young 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  4D7 

passed  away  in  October,  1903,  but  Jacob  Young  is  still  living.  There 
were  three  children  in  the  family:  Millie,  now  the  wife  of  Frank 
Kieffer,  of  South  Bend,  Indiana;  John  H.,  of  this  review,  and  Kittie, 
who  is  the  wife  of  William  Reaves,  of  South  Bend,  Indiana. 

John  H.  Young,  the  only  son  of  the  family,  was  reared  in  the 
county  of  his  nativity,  and  pursued  his  education  in  the  Harrison 
Prairie  schools.  He  remained  at  home  until  twenty-eight  years  of  age, 
assisting  in  the  work  of  the  farm,  and  the  knowledge  thus  gained  of 
the  practical  methods  of  tilling  the  soil  and  cultivating  the  fields  enabled 
him  to  successfully  carry  on  general  farming  when  he  secured  a  home 
of  his  own. 

Mr.  Young  was  married  in  1889  to  Miss  Cora  Butts,  a  daughter 
of  Mrs.  Mary  J.  Butts,  of  Milton  township,  Cass  county,  in  which 
locality  Mrs.  Young  was  born.  Mr.  Young  has  been  a  resident  of  Mil- 
ton township  for  sixteen  years,  and  has  been  active  and  influential-  in 
public  affairs.  He  is  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  Democracy,  holding 
office  for  a  number  of  years.  He  was  elected  township  treasurer  in  1905 
and  has  acted  in  other  local  positions.  He  was  also  elected  highway 
commissioner  but  refused  to  qualify.  No  public  trust  reposed  in  him 
has  ever  been  betrayed  in  the  slightest  degree,  for  he  is  ever  loyal  to 
the  general  good  and  puts  forth  his  best  efforts  for  the  welfare  and  up- 
building of  the  community. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Young  have  been  born  two  children,  Charlie 
and  Lloyd.  The  family  home  is  on  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  seventy 
acres,  all  of  which  Mr.  Young  cultivates,  giving  his  attention  to  general 
agricultural  pursuits.  In  tilling  the  soil  he  has  followed  practical  meth- 
ods and  has  secured  excellent  results,  and  he  annually  gathers  golden 
harvests  as  a  reward  for  the  care  and  labor  which  he  bestows  upon  his 
place.  Socially  he  is  connected  with  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees  and 
with  the  Masons.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church,  and 
these  membership  relations  indicate  the  character  of  the  man  and  the 
principles  which  govern  his  conduct  and  are  manifest  in  his  daily  life — 
principles  which  in  every  land  and  clime  command  respect  and  awaken 
confidence. 

LEWIS  C.  VAN  ANTWERP. 

Lewis  C.  Van  Antwerp,  who  is  conducting  a  meat  market  in  Ed- 
wardsburg,  was  born  in  Ontwa  township,  May  10,  1856.  His  father, 
Simon  Van  Antwerp,  was  a  native  of  New  York  and  became  one  of 
the  pioneer  settlers  of  Cass  county,  Michigan,  his  youth,  however, 
being  passed  in  the  Empire  state,  further  mention  of  whom .  is  made 
in  connection  with  the  sketch  of  G.  H.  Redfield  on  another  page  of  this 
work. 

Upon  the  old  home  farm  in  Ontwa  township  Lewis  C.  Van  Ant- 
w^erp  spent  the  first  four  years  of  his  life.  His  father  then  removed 
to  South  Bend,  Indiana,  where  his  death  occurred  when  the  son  Lewis 


498  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

was  but  eleven  years  of  age.  The  latter  afterward  returned  to  Ontwa 
township  and  has  since  been  a  resident  of  Cass  county.  He  devoted  his 
time  and  energies  to  agricultural  pursuits  between  the  ages  of  eleven  and 
thirty-six  years,  and  also  engaged  in  operating  a  threshing  machine  in 
his  early  manhood.  About  the  time  he  attained  his  majority  he  rented 
land  from  George  Redfield  and  was  engaged  in  farming  for  several 
years.  Later  he  removed  to  Mason  township,  where  he  rented  another 
farm  of  Mr.  Redfield.  When  his  financial  resources  made  other  purchase 
possible  he  added  five  acres  from  Mrs.  Joy,  and  then  twenty-six  acres 
of  land  to  the  other  tract,  buying  the  latter  of  George  Ketchum.  All 
of  this  was  wild  and  imimproved,  but  he  cleared  and  cultivated  it, 
transforming  it  into  productive  fields.  As  the  years  went  by  his  labors 
brought  to  him  a  good  financial  return  and  his  farm  work  resulted  in 
the  improvement  of  a  splendid  property.  He  resided  thereon  until  1892, 
when  he  removed  to  Cassopolis,  where  he  embarked  in  the  butchering 
business,  continuing  in  the  trade  there  for  seven  years.  In  1899  he 
came  to  Edwardsburg,  where  he  again  opened  a  meat  market,  and  has 
since  been  identified  with  the  business  interests  of  the  city  in  this  way. 

Mr.  Van  Antwerp  was  married  in  1883  to  Miss  Bertha  L.  Schutt, 
a  daughter  of  A.  S.  and  Lydia  Schutt,  and  a  native  of  Noble  county, 
Indiana,  born  July  7,  1858.  She  resided  there  with  her  parents  until 
about  ten  years  of  age  when,  in  1868,  the  family  removed  to  Elkhart 
county,  Indiana,  where  Mrs.  Van  Antwerp  lived  until  she  reached 
womanhood.  She  has  become  the  mother  of  two  children:  Blenn, 
who  was  born  in  Mason  township,  April  19,  1885,  and  Harmon,  born 
in  Cassopolis,  December  9,  1898.  The  elder  was  graduated  from  the 
high  school  of  Edwardsburg. 

Mr.  Van  Antwerp  is  a  Republican  and  a  member  of  the  Woodmen 
camp  at  Edwardsburg.  He  has  little  desire  for  public  office,  preferring 
to  give  his  attention  to  his  business  af¥airs,  and  whatever  success  he  has 
attained  is  attributable  to  his  close  application,  earnest  purpose  and 
honorable  methods. 

E.  F.  LEWIS. 

E.  F.  Lewis,  who  for  many  years  was  engaged  actively  in  farm 
work,  but  who  now  rents  his  land  and  makes  his  home  in  Vandalia, 
where  he  took  up  his  abode  about  1898,  has  been  associated  with  events 
which  have  molded  the  pioneer  history  of  the  county  and  have  contrib- 
uted to  its  later  development.  He  is  one  of  the  older  native  sons  of 
Cass  county,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Newberg  township  on  the 
8th  of  November,  1847.  His  father,  J.  W.  Lewis,  was  a  native  of  New 
York,  in  which  state  he  was  reared,  but  was  married  in  Ohio,  the 
wedding  taking  place  in  Medina  county,  where  he  won  the  hand  of  Miss 
Emily  Ferguson,  a  native  of  that  county.  In  the  year  1840  they  came 
to  Cass  county,  Michigan,  and  settled  in  Newberg  township,  where 
their  remaining  days  were  passed.     Both  had  died  at  a  comparatively 


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HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  499 

early  age,  the  father  in  his  forty-fifth  year,  while  the  mother  was  about 
thirty-six  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  demise.  In  their  family  were 
five  sons :  Francis  S.,  who,  enlisting  for  service  in  the  Civil  war  as  a 
defender  of  the  Union  in  the  Fourth  Michigan  Cavalry,  Company 
I,  gave  his  life  for  his  country  at  the  battle  of  Stone  River  in  1863; 
James  H.,  who  also  died  at  the  battle  of  Stone  River  while  serving  as 
a  member  of  the  Fourth  Michigan  Cavalry,  to  which  his  brother  also 
belonged;  E.  F.,  of  this  review;  Misael  B.,  now  living  in  St.  Joseph 
county,  Michigan;  and  Charles  E.,  who  maintains  his  residence  in 
Pennsylvania. 

No  event  of  special  importance  occurred  to  vary  the  routine  of 
farm  life  for  E.  F.  Lewis  in  his  boyhood  days.  He  was  reared  in  his 
native  township  and  attended  the  common  schools,  his  time  being  divided 
between  the  duties  of  the  schoolroom,  the  pleasures  of  the  play-ground 
and  the  work  of  the  home  farm.  However,  in  1864,  he  responded  to 
his  country's  call  for  aid.  His  two  elder  brothers  had  become  soldiers 
and  had  given  their  lives  in  defense  of  the  Union  in  the  previous  year, 
and  E.  F.  Lewis,  although  only  sixteen  years  of  age,  thrilled  with  the 
spirit  of  patriotism,  offered  his  aid  to  his  country,  being  enrolled  with 
the  boys  in  blue  of  Company  H,  Nineteenth  Michigan  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, as  a  private.  He  served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  took  part  in 
the  battle  of  Savannah,  and  went  with  Sherman  on  the  celebrated  march 
to  the  sea,  and  through  the  Carolina  campaign.  Although  he  enlisted 
during  the  latter  part  of  the  struggle  he  tasted  fully  the  fortunes  and 
experiences  of  war,  and  all  of  the  hardships  meted  out  to  the  soldier. 
Following  the  fall  of  Richmond  and  the  surrender  of  Lee  he  took  part 
in  the  grand  review  in  Washington,  D.  C,  where  the  victorious  Union 
army  marched  past  the  stand  upon  which  the  president  viewed  the 
troops.  It  was  a  glad  day  for  the  soldiers,  knowing  that  this  meant  the 
close  of  their  military  service,  which  had  been  long  and  arduous,  and 
that  it  also  meant  that  victory  had  perched  upon  the  Union  arms  and 
that  the  country  was  not  to  be  dismembered,  to  the  dissatisfaction  of  the 
south.  Mr.  Lewis  received  his  honorable  discharge  at  Detroit,  Michi- 
gan, and  was  mustered  out  at  Washington. 

Not  long  after  he  was  again  at  his  work  in  the  fields  in  Newberg 
township,  being  employed  for  some  time  as  a  farm  hand  by  the  month. 
He  also  engaged  in  grubbing  stumps  and  any  other  work  necessary  for 
clearing  and  improving  the  land.  In  1868  he  married  Miss  Narcissus 
T.  Femberton,  a  daughter  of  R.  S.  and  Margaret  (Miller)   Pemberton. 

Reason  S.  Pemberton  died  at  his  son's  residence  in  Marcellus, 
April  2y,  1896,  after  a  long  and  painful  sickness,  aged  seventy- four 
years,  one  month  and  four  days.  He  was  born  in  Wayne  county,  Ohio, 
March  23,  1822,  and  came  to  Cass  county,  Michigan,  in  1836,  with  his 
uncle,  Joseph  Pemberton,  with  whom  he  made  his  home,  having  been 
left  motherless  when  very  young.     Like  a   great  many  of  the  early 


500  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

pioneers,  his  advantages  for  getting  an  education  were  very  poor,  and 
young  Reason,  like  many  a  poor  boy  of  those  days,  began  to  use  the 
axe,  the  tool  that  has  felled  the  forests  of  Michigan,  converting  the  land 
into  vast  fields  for  the  present  generation.    Notwithstanding  the  meager 
chanches  for  obtaining  an  education,  he  always  had  a  strong  desire  for 
learning.  Having  gained  a  copy  of  that  important  factor  in  pioneer  educa- 
tion, Webster's  elementary  spelling  book,  he  soon  learned  to  read  and 
spell.  That,  with  the  Testament  and  a  few  books  he  borrowed,  constituted 
young  Reason's  library,  which  he  read  and  studied  by  the  light  of*  the 
fireplace.      Three  months  of  schooling  in  an  old  log  schoolhouse  in 
Indiana,  where  he  had  gone  from  Michigan,  completed  his  early  educa- 
tion,  during  which  time  he  put  in   good  work  learning  to  '"cipher." 
After  having  taught  a  few  terms  of  school  he  was  married,  in  1840,  to 
Margaret  Miller,  a  German  girl  of  thrifty  parentage,  and  with  his  wife 
returned  to  Michigan,    where  they  made  their  home  and  lived  until 
the  death  of  Mrs.  Pemberton  in  1885,  ^.t  the  age  of  sixty-four  years. 
The  hardships  and  trials  of  this  couple  were  like  those  of  all  pioneers. 
The  log  cabin,  with  its  fireplace,  the  small  piece  of  cleared  land,  sur- 
rounded by  the  deep  tangled  wildwood,  with  its  deer,  its  wolves  and  its 
Indians,  were  all  well  known  to  the  early  pioneers.     Twelve  children 
were  born  to'  this  couple,  seven  of  whom  are  now  living,  and  all  were 
present  at  the  time  of  his  death  but  one,  Mrs.  J.  A.  Powell,  living  in 
Oklahoma.     Mr.   Pemberton  and  his   wife  united  with  the   Christian 
church  at  Vandalia  during  the  early  days  of  its  organization.     In  1855 
he  became  a  charter  member  of  the  Vandalia  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  which 
organization  he  remained  an  active  and  faithful  member  till  death.    He 
has  held,  during  his  career,  all  the  township  offices,   from  supervisor 
down  to  constable,  and  for  over  twenty  years  held  the  important  posi- 
tion of  justice  of  the  peace.     "Uncle  Reas,"  as  he  was  known,  had  a 
remarkable   memory   for  retaining  dates   and   events  and  reproducing 
them  with  clearness.    In  his  official  capacity  he  was  frequently  consulted 
in  matters  pertaining  to  law,  and  although  only  self-taught  on  the  sub- 
ject, his  opinions  on  such  matters  have  been  a  guide  to  a  great  many 
people.     Being  a  life-long  Democrat,  he  subscribed  for  and  donated  to 
the  National  Democrat  during  its  early  struggles  for  existence,  and  the 
paper  was   always   a  welcome  weekly  visitor,   furnishing  the  literary 
matter  for  the  family. 

The  funeral  services  were  held  at  the  Christian  church  in  Vandalia, 
conducted  by  Rev.  George  Barrows,  and  attended  by  a  large  number  of 
relatives  and  friends.  The  F.  &  A.  M.  organizations  of  Marcellus  and 
Vandalia,  with  visiting  members  from  Cassopolis  and  Dowagiac,  at- 
tended in  a  body,  and  with  the  ceremonies  of  their  order  interred  the 
remains  in  the  Vandalia  cemetery,  there  to  await  the  resurrection  morn. 
In  his  death  was  lost  an  honored  and  respected  neighbor,  brother  and 
father. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  501 

Wisdom  and  love  have  ordered  all  the  past, 
All  shall  be  blessedness  and  joy  at  last; 
Cast  ofif  the  cares  that  have  so  long  oppressed, 
Rest,  sweetly  rest. 

Margaret  Pemb^rton,  wife  of  R.  S.  Pemberton,  Sr.,  died  at  her 
residence  in  Vandalia,  after  a  short  illness.  She  was  the  daughter  of 
Jacob  and  Barbara  Miller,  and  was  born  in  the  German  state  of  Hesse 
Darmstadt,  March  lo,  182 1.  In  1832  she  came  with  her  parents  to 
America,  and  the  family  (father,  mother  and  six  children),  settled 
near  Fredericksburg,  Maryland,  where  they  lived  until  1836,  when  they 
emigrated  to  near  Cadiz,  Henry  county,  Indiana,  where  her  parents 
commenced  the  laborious  task  of  making  a  farm  in  the  wilderness,  in 
the  work  oi  which  she  bore  no  small  part.  In  1840  she  was  married  to 
R.  S.  Pemberton,  and  in  1842  she  came  with  her  husband  to  Penn  town- 
ship, Cass  county,  Michigan,  where  she  continued  to  live  until  her  death. 
After  their  arrival  in  Michigan  they  moved  from  place  to  place  for  a 
time,  but  in  1847,  they  bought  land  a  short  distance  northeast  of  this 
village  and  began  in  earnest  the  experience"  of  the  trials  and  vexations, 
the  joys  and  freedom  of  pioneer  life.  They  continued  to  live  on  the 
farm  until  1877,  when  they  moved  to  this  village,  where  they  after- 
ward resided.  She  was  the  type  of  a  class  of  pioneers  that  are  fast 
passing  away.  She  was  the  mother  of  twelve  children,  seven  of  whom 
are  now  living,  and  excepting  one  (Barbara),  were  with  her  in  her 
last  sickness.  Traits  of  character — a  cheerful  disposition  to  do  the  work 
which  fell  to  her  lot,  unceasing  care  for  her  family,  active  sympathy  for 
those  in  affliction — these  she  possessed  to  a  high  degree.  The  funeral 
was  held  at  the  Disciple  church,  of  which  denomination  she  was  a  mem- 
ber for  forty  years,  having  obeyed  the  gospel  under  the  ministration  of 
Ruben  Wilson  in  1845.  The  burial  took  place  at  the  graveyard  near 
the  village.  Elder  Brown  officiating. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lewis  began  their  domestic  life  upon  a  farm  which 
he  had  purchased  in  Newberg  township,  and  there  he  carried  on  general 
agricultural  pursuits  for  about  three  years,  after  which  he  engaged  in 
digging  wells,  giving  about  fifteen  years  of  his  time  to  that  business. 
He  then  began  following  the  more  advanced  methods  of  driving  wells, 
and  he  has  also  engaged  in  farming  in  Penn  township.  He  bought 
the  property  that  he  now  owns  about  1875,  ^^^  he  lived  upon  the  place 
until  1890.  He  now  enjoys  a  well  earned  rest  in  Vandalia,  where  in 
1898  he  erected  one  of  the  finest  residences  of  the  village.  He  rents 
his  farm  and  is  practically  retired  from  active  business,  although  he  is 
now  one  of  the  trustees  and  stockholders  of  the  Vandalia  creamery. 
He  also  loans  money  and  in  this  has  been  quite  successful. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lewis  have  been  born  a  son  and  three  daugh- 
ters: Frank  B.,  born  August  12,  1870,  who  is  now  engaged  in  drilling 
wells  in  Cass  county;  and  Fancheon  D.,  born  October  11,  1885,  is  the 


502  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

wife  of  William  D.  Kimmick,  who  is  living  upon  the  old  homestead. 
Two  daughters  are  deceased,  Birta  M.,  born  April  i8,  1874,  and  died 
May  10,  1874;  and  Vadie  E.,  born  August  7,  1876,  and  died  June  28, 
1879.  Th^  parents  are  members  of  the  Christian  church,  taking  an  ac- 
tive part  in  its  work  and  contributing  generously  to  its  support.  Mr. 
Lewis  has  been  a  life-long  resident  of  Cass  county,  and  has  rejoiced  in 
the  fact  that  this  county  has  won  a  place  among  the  leading  counties  of 
the  great  commonwealth.  The  result  is  due  to  the  aggregate  endeavor 
of  its  many  public  spirited,  energetic  and  enterprising  citizens,  in  which 
class  he  belongs.  In  politics  he  is  an  earnest  and  unfaltering  Republi- 
can, and  his  fellow  townsmen  have  called  him  to  various  ofifices.  He 
acted  as  supervisor  of  Penn  township  for  four  terms  and  he  is  now  pres- 
ident of  the  village  of  Vandalia,  serving  for  the  second  term  in  that 
position,  giving  to  the  city  an  administration  that  is  characterized  by 
the  utmost  devotion  to  the  general  good  and  by  practical  and  progressive 
methods  for  the  benefit  of  the  town.  He  belongs  to  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic  at  Jones,  Michigan,  W.  J.  Maple  Post,  and  thus  main- 
tains pleasant  relations  with  his  old  army  comrades.  Indolence  and 
idleness  have  ever  been  utterly  foreign  to  his  nature,  and  whatever 
work  he  has  undertaken,  whether  in  his  private  business  life  or  in  be- 
half of  the  community,  has  been  characterized  by  close  application  and 
an  unfaltering  purpose  that  has  enabled  him  to  carry  forward  to  suc- 
cessful completion  the  task  that  has  claimed  his  time  and  energies. 

ALLISON  D.  THOMPSON. 

Allison  D.  Thompson  is  numbered  among  the  old  settlers  of  Cass 
county  and  makes  his  home  on  section  16,  Milton  township,  where  for 
a  long  period  he  has  carried  on  general  agricultural  pursuits.  He  has 
attained  the  age  of  seventy-three  years,  his  birth  having  occurred  in 
Delaware,  June  25,  1833.  His  father,  Shelley  Thompson,  was  also  a 
native  of  Delaware,  and  in  the  year  1836  sought  a  home  in  the  middle 
west,  settling  in  Milton  township,  Cass  county,  Michigan,  where  he 
took  up  land  from  the  government,  for  at  that  time  much  of  this 
portion  of  the  state  was  still  unclaimed  by  settlers  or  speculators.  The 
virgin  forests  stood  in  their  primeval  strength,  the  streams  were  un- 
bridged  and  the  land  uncultivated.  Shelley  Thompson  became  one  of 
the  pioneers  of  Cass  county  and  was  closely  identified  with  its  eafly 
history  as  it  was  reclaimed  for  the  uses  of  civilization,  and  its  wild  land 
was  transformed  into  productive  fields. 

Allison  D.  Thompson  was  but  three  years  of  age  at  the  time  of 
his  parents'  removal  to  the  middle  west,  and  was  reared  upon  the  old 
homestead  in  Milton  township.  The  mode  of  life  at  that  day  was  very 
diflferent,  for  pioneer  conditions  existed  on  all  hands,  and  invention  had 
not  brought  about  the  revolution  in  methods  of  farm  life  that  is  now 
familiar.      His  education  was  acquired  in  one  of  the  old  log  school 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  505 

houses  common  to  that  day,  and  he  shared  with  the  family  in  the  hard- 
ships of  frontier  hfe,  assisting  in  the  strenuous  task  of  developing  a  new 
farm.  He  has  always  remained  a  resident  of  Cass  county,  and  the 
changes  which  have  occurred  and  the  events  which  have  wrought  its 
history  have  left  their  impress  upon  his  memory,  so  that  he  is  well  in- 
formed concerning  the  county's  development  and  progress.  He  has 
been  married  twice,  his  first  union  being  with  Miss  Julia  Adams,  by 
whom  he  had  two  children,  a  son  and  daughter.  '^The  latter  is  Mrs. 
Belle  Parvis,  of  South  Bend,  Indiana,  and  the  son,  Jesse,  is  now  de- 
ceased. For  his  second  wife,  Mr.  Thompson  chose  Mary  E.  Parvis, 
whom  he  wedded  in  1870.  She  was  born  in  Delaware,  February  23, 
1849,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Solomon  and  Ellen  (Fowler)  Parvis,  who 
came  to  Berrien  county,  Michigan,  in  i860. 

For  two  years  af^er  his  first  marriage  Mr.  Thompson  was  a  resi- 
dent of  Howard  township,  and  for  twelve  years  lived  in  Pbkagon  town- 
ship, where  he  was  engaged  in  farming,  but  the  greater  part  of  his  life 
has  been  spent  in  Milton  township  and  he  is  well  known  as  one  of  its 
leading  settlers  and  representative  agriculturists.  Unto  him  and  his 
wife  have  been  born  four  children :  Bertha,  who  is  now  the  wife  of 
Bert  Kizer,  of  Niles,  Michigan;  Arthur,  who  was  born  in  Berrien 
.  county,  Michigan,  where  the  parents  lived  for  about  two  years,  his 
natal  day  being  December  3,  1874.  He  was  reared,  however,  in  Milton 
township,  Cass  county,  and  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  of  that 
township  and  of  Pokagon  township.  He  was  married  on  the  i6th  of 
May,  1895,  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Reid,  a  daughter  of  Alexander  and  Emma 
(Dupert)  Reid.  There  is  one  child  of  this  marriage  who  is  yet  living, 
Helen  May.  Two  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  D.  Thompson  are  de- 
ceased. Arthur  Thompson  is  now  looking  after  the  interests  of  the 
home  farm,  Avhich  comprises  one  hundred  and  fifty-nine  acres  of  rich 
land.  It  is  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  is  improved  with  many 
modern  equipments  and  accessories. 

Mr.  Thompson,  of  this  review,  is  a  member  of  the  Gleaners  and  his 
political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  Democracy.  He  has  a  very  wide 
and  favorable  acquaintance  in  Cass  county,  and  through  the  years  of 
his  residence  here  has  so  lived  as  to  win  and  merit  the  esteem  and 
good  will  of  all  with  whom  he  has  been  associated.  He  carried  on  • 
farming  actively  for  a  long  period  and  has  now  given  over  the  super- 
vision of  his  farm  to  his  son,  while  he  is  leading  a  more  quiet  life,  his 
rest  being  well  merited  because  of  his  activity  in  former  years. 

HENRY  ANDRUS. 

Henry  Andrus,  editor  of  the  Edwardsburg  Argus  and  a  prominent 
temperance  worker  of  Michigan,  was  born  in  Waterioo  township,  Lyon 
county,  Kansas,  near  the  town  oi  Wilmington,  on  the  26th  of  October, 
1861.      His  paternal   grandfather,    Hazzard   Andrus,   was  a   native  of 


504  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Kings  county,  New  York,  born  October  3,  1788,  and  in  1835  came  to 
Michigan  with  his  family.  He  had  been  married  in  the  Empire  state 
in  1824  to  Miss  Fannie  Bishop,  and  they  were  the  parents  of  nine 
children,  five  of  whom  are  deceased.  The  living  are:  James  H.,  of 
Edwardsburg;  Mrs.  Porter  Lybarker,  of  Mason  township,  Cass  county; 
Nelson,  of  Dayton,  Washington;  and  Riley,  who  is  living  at  Dayton, 
Oregon.  The  grandparents  remained  residents  of  Edwardsburg  until 
called  to  their  final  rest,  Hazzard  Andrus  passing  away  on  the  3d  of 
March,  1862,  while  his  wife,  long  surviving  him,  died  January  29,  1894. 

James  H.  Andrus,  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Ontwa  town- 
ship, at  the  north  bank  of  Eagle  lake,  July  30,  1837,  and  remained  a 
resident  of  this  township  until  i860,  when  he  went  to  Kansas,  where 
he  was  married  on  the  7th  of  October  of  that  year  to  Miss  Cylinda  M. 
Haring,  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Nancy  Haring,  who  had  also  removed 
from  Cass  county  to  Kansas  in  that  year.  In  1862  Mr.  Andrus  returned 
with  his  family  to  Michigan,  and  in  the  course  of  years  there  were  born 
unto  him  and  his  wife  four  children,  three  sons  and  a  daughter.  The 
latter,  Cora  M.,  died  July  2,  1877.  Those  still  living  are:  Henry; 
William.  Riley,  of  Michigan  City,  Indiana;  and  George  S.,  of  LaCrosse, 
Wisconsin.  The  mother,  who  was  a  native  of  New  York,  born  Decem- 
ber 9,  1840,  was  but  two  years  of  age  when  brought  by  her  parents' 
to  Michigan,  the  Haring  family  being  established  in  Mason  township. 
Her  death  occurred  October  4,  1903. 

James  H.  .\iidrus  enlisted  in  Company  L,  Second  Michigan  Cavalry 
Volunteers,  in  1864,  and  served  till  the  close  of  hostilities,  when  he 
received  his  honorable  discharge  and  returned  to  don  the  civilian's  garb. 

Henry  Andrus  was  brought  by  his  parents  to  Cass  county  in  1862, 
the  family  home  .being  established  in  Edwardsburg,  but  after  a  short 
time  a  removal  was  made  to  Mason  township,  and  later  to  Calvin  town- 
ship. In  the  year  1869,  however,  the  family  returned  to  Edwardsburg. 
Henry  Andrus  attended  the  district  schools  of  Mason  and  Calvin  town- 
ships, and  following  the  removal  to  Edwardsburg  continued  his  educa- 
tion in  the  high  school  of  this  city.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he 
began  working  in  the  office  of  the  Edwardsburg  Argus,  then  published 
by  John  B.  Sw^eetland,  and  remained  in  the  employ  of  that  gentleman 
for  nearly  twenty  years,  or  until  the  death  of  Dr.  Sweetland  on  the  19th 
of  February,  1899.  He  then  purchased  the  printing  office  of  the  heirs 
and  has  continued  the  publication  of  the  paper  to  the  present  time.  He 
IS  a  well  know  newspaper  man  and  his  journal  has  a  wide  circulation, 
which  makes  it  as  well  a  good  advertising  medium.  He  therefore  re- 
ceives a  good  patronage  in  that  direction,  and  the  Argus  has  proved  a 
profitable  investment. 

Mr.  Andrus  is  widely  Icnown  as  a  leading  Prohibitionist  of  MicTi- 
igan.  •  Throughout  his  entire  life  he  has  been  a  strong  advocate  of  the 
temperance  cause,  and  since  attaining  his  majority  has  gjven  his  ballot 
for  the  support  of  the  party  that  embodies  his  views  on  this  question. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  506 

In  1896  he  received  the  Prohibition  nomination  for  lieutenant  governor, 
and  in  1898  was  honored  by  his  party  with  the  nomination  for  auditor 
general,  while  in  1902  he  was  a  candidate  for  representative  to  the  state 
legislature.  He  is  now  serving  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  education 
of  Edwardsburg  and  for  twelve  years  has  held  the  position  of  director. 
Through  the  columns  of  his  paper,  and  individually  as  well,  he  has 
co-operated  in  many  movements  for  the  general  good,  and  is  the  cham- 
pion of  every  plan  formulated  and  measure  instituted  for  the  develop- 
ment of  his  city  along  the  lines  of  material,  individual  and  moral 
progress. 

On  the  31st  of  December,  1882,  Mr.  Andrus  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Ida  E.  Kitchen,  a  native  of  Columbia  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
a  daughter  of  Nelson  and  Subrina  (Eves)  Kitchen,  who  removed  with 
their  family  to  Cass  county  in  the  spring  of  1872.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Andrus 
have  become  the  parents  of  two  sons:  George  R.,  born  October  13, 
1883,  and  Charles  H.,  born  June  14,  1894. 

GEORGE  HAMMOND  REDFIELD. 

George  Hammond  Redfield,  who  follows  farming  and  also  oper- 
ates a  cream  separator  business  at  Edwardsburg,  is  a  native  of  Ontwa 
township,  born  August  21,  1855,  and  in  the  years  of  an  active  manhood 
has  made  a  creditable  business  record.  His  father,  George  Redfield, 
was  a  native  of  Connecticut,  born  October  6,  1796,  and  in  1800  went 
with  his  parents  to  Ontario  county.  New  York,  where  he  was  reared 
and  acquired  his  education.  His  youth  was  spent  upon  a  farm  about 
three  miles  from  Clifton  Springs,  New  York,  the  famous  hospital  resort. 
In  1825  and  1826  he  engaged  in  teaching  school  in  Milledgeville, 
Georgia,  which  was  then  in  the  heart  of  the  slave  country.  He  after- 
ward returned  to  his  father's  farm  and  aided  in  its  further  development 
and  improvement  up  to  the  time  of  his  marriage,  which  was  celebrated 
in  Ontario  county,  New  York,  on  the  9th  of  January,  1835,  the  lady  of 
his  choice  being  Miss  Julia  Mason,  of  Palmyra,  New  York.  They  be- 
came the  parents  of  three  children,  Ann  Maria,  Julia  and  Louis.  H.,  de- 
ceased. Coming  to  the  west,  they  settled  in  Ontwa  township,  Cass  county, 
Michigan,  in  183,5,  ^^d  in  Augxtst,  1848,  George  Redfield  was  called 
upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  his  wife.  In  September,  1851,  he  was  again 
married,  his  second  union  being  with  Jane  E.  Hammond,  a  daughter  of 
Judge  Hammond,  of  Essex  county,  New  York.  She  was  reared  and 
educated  in  the  Empire  state  and  her  death  occurred  in  1865.  By  this 
marriage  there  was  one  son  and  three  daughters,  the  eldest  being  George 
Hammond,  of  this  review.  His  sisters  are :  Bertha,  now  the  wife  of 
H.  E.  Bucklen,  of  Chicago;  Myra  J.,  the  wife  of  W.  C  Hewitt,  a  pro- 
fessor in  the  State  Normal  School  at  Oshkosh,  Wisconsin,  and  the 
author  of  a  work  on  political  science;  and  Abby,  deceased  at  the  age  of 
twenty-six.  All  of  the  children  of  the  second  marriage  were  bom  in 
Cass  county. 


506  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

On  coming  to  Michigan  George  Redfield,  Sr.,  took  up  his  abode 
upon  a  farm,  purchasing  eight  hundred  and  four  acres  of  raw  land 
from  the  government.  He  cultivated  this  tract,  which  was  located  in 
the  southeastern  part  of  Ontwa  township,  and  in  the  development  of  this 
property  contributed  largely  toward  the  substantial  improvement  of  the 
county.  His  attention  was  given  to  agricultural  pursuits  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  October  31,  1887.  He  was  a  lifelong  Democrat,  and 
in  early  life  took  an  active  part  in  politics.  In  1841  he  was  elected  rep- 
resentative to  the  state  legislature,  and  in  1842  and  1843  served  as 
state  senator.  He  was  also  presidential  elector  in  1844  and  in  1845  he 
was  appointed  state  treasurer  by  Governor  Barry.  In  1850  he  was 
appointed  secretary  of  state,  and  he  was  a  member  of  the  convention 
that  framed  the  constitution  of  Michigan.  Thus  he  was  most  active  in 
public  life,  and  left  the  impress  of  his  individuality  for  good  upon  the 
measures  which  have  formed  the  political  history  of  the  state.  He  had 
a  very  wide  and  favorable  acquaintance  among  the  distinguished  citi- 
zens of  Michigan,  and  his  name  is  engraved  high  on  the  roll  of  her 
honored  men. 

George  Hammond  Redfield  was  reared  upon  the  old  farm  home- 
stead, where  he  remained  until  1873,  when  he  became  active  in  the  oper- 
ation of  his  father's  grist  mill  in  Jefiferson  township,  there  residing  until 
1878.  He  then  removed  to  Mason  township,  locating  on  a  farm  which 
he  received  from  his  father,  comprising  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
w4iich  at  that  time  was  partially  improved. 

Mr.  Redfield  had  been  married  on  the  i8th  of  July,  1875,  to  Miss 
Julia  A.  Van  Antwerp,  a  native  of  Ontwa  township,  bom  December  t8, 
1851,  and  a  daughter  of  Simon  and  Louisa  (Hewitt)  Van  Antwerp. 
The  latter  was  a  daughter  of  Dethic  Hewitt,  one  of  the  honored  pioneer 
residents  of  Cass  county,  who  made  his  home  in  Edwardsburg  and  for 
forty  years  filled  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace.  Simon  Van  Ant- 
werp, father  of  Mrs.  Redfield,  was  a  native  of  the  Genesee  valley.  New 
York,  and  his  wife  was  born  in  Pennsylvania.  They  became  pioneer 
residents  of  Cass  county  and  the  present  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Redfield 
is  the  house  in  which  they  ate  their  first  meal  after  arriving  in  this 
county.  Mr.  Van  Antwerp  was  a  Republican  and  throughout  his  active 
business  career  carried  on  agricultural  pursuits,  but  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
four  years  retired  from  farming  and  removed  to  South  Bend,  Indiana, 
where  he  remained  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1866,  when  he  was 
sixty-one  years  of  age.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  two  sons 
and  four  daughters,  of  whom  Mrs.  Redfield  was  the  third  in  order  of 
birth.  The  others  were:  Lynn;  Elber,  who  died  in  infancy;  Louis; 
Daniel ;  and  Lucy.  All  were  born  in  Cass  county.  Mr.  Van  Antwerp 
was  twice  married,  his  first  union  being  with  Nancy  Halsted,  a  native 
of  New  York,  whom  he  wedded  in  Scotchville,  New  York.  They  were 
the  parents  of  three  children :  Louisa;  Jonas,  deceased;  and  Elsie.  The 
wife  and  mother  died  in  Calhoun  county,  near  Marshall,  Michigan,  and 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  507 

later  Mr.  Van  Antwerp  married  Louisa  Hewitt,  who  became  the  mother 
of  Mrs.  Redfield. 

Following  his  marriage  Mr.  Redfield  settled  in  Jefferson  town- 
ship, w4iere  he  lived  for  three  years,  and  then  removed  to  Mason  town- 
ship, where  he  made  his  home  until  1904,  when  he  took  up  his  abode  in 
Edwardsburg.  He  has  led  a  most  busy  and  useful  life,  winning  suc- 
success  as  a  farmer  by  the  capable  manner  in  which  he  has  cultivated  his 
fields  and  cared  for  his  crops.  He  has  also  operated  a  creamery,  and 
both  branches  of  his  business  have  proved  profitable. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Redfield  have  been  born  two  sons,  but  Louis 
Harold,  born  August  18,  1877,  died  on  the  loth  of  December,  1881. 
The  surviving  son,  George  Russell,  was  born  January  8,  189 1,  on  the 
old  homestead  farm  in  Mason  township.  Mr.  Redfield  has  never  fal- 
tered in  his  allegiance  to  the  Democracy,  supporting  that  party  since  age 
gave  to  him  the  right  of  franchise.  He  was  justice  of  the  peace  in  Ma- 
son township  for  twenty-two  years,  was  township  clerk  for  six  years 
and  was  also  township  treasurer.  He  has  also  been  a  member  of  the 
township  board,  has  taken  a  most  active  interest  in  politics,  has  proved 
a  capable  officer  and  has  done  everything  in  his  power  to  promote  the 
growth  and  insure  the  success  of  his  party.  He  belongs  to  the  Knights 
of  Pythias  lodge  at  Bristol,  Indiana,  and  to  the  Maccabees  tent  at  Un- 
ion, Michigan,  and  to  the  Michigan  State  Grange,  and  his  wife  also 
holds  membership  relations  with  the  last  two.  Mr.  Redfield  is  a  worthy 
and  prominent  representative  of  an  honored  pioneer  family  and  has 
carried  forward  the  work  wdiich  was  instituted  by  his  father,  becoming 
through  the  careful  direction  of  his  business  interests  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial citizens  of  this  part  of  the  state. 

ALFRED  SHOCKLEY. 

In  a  review  of  the  history  of  the  county  back  to  pioneer  times  it 
will  be  found  that  Alfred  Shocldey  was  a  resident  here  in  the  early  days 
and  he  now  makes  his  home  on  section  9,  Milton  township,  where  he  has 
a  good  farming  property.  He  has  passed  the  seventy-seventh  milestone 
on  life's  journey,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Sussex  county,  Dela- 
w^are,  on  the  17th  of  June,  1829.  His  father,  Littleton  Shockley,  was  a 
native  of  Maryland,  w^here  he  was  reared.  By  occupation  he  was  a 
farmer,  thus  providing  for  his  family.  In  the  year  1833,  he  came  west- 
ward to  Michigan,  settling  in  Milton  township,  Cass  county,  where  he 
took  up  land  from  the  g-ovemment.  Michigan  was  still  under  territorial 
rule,  and  there  were  more  Indians  than  w^hite  people  in  the  state.  The 
greater  part  of  the  land  was  still  unclaimed  and  the  work  of  improve- 
ment and  development  had  scarcely  been  begun.  At  long  distances 
could  be  seen  a  pioneer  cabin  to  show  that  an  attempt  was  made  to  claim 
the  district  for  the  uses  of  civilization.  Mr.  Shockley  cast  in  his  lot  with 
the  early  settlers  and  shared  in  the  arduous  task  of  reclaiming  the  re- 


^<^8  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

gion  and  developing  a  new  farm.  When  quite  young  he  was  left  an 
orphan  and  he  lost  all  trace  of  his  people,  so  that  little  is  known  con- 
cerning the  ancestral  history  of  the  family.  His  death  occurred  in  the 
'Sos,  and  thus  passed  away  one  of  the  worthy  pioneer  settlers  of  the 
community.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Emily  Messick, 
was  a  native  of  Delaware  and  was  there  reared.  She,  too,  reached  an 
advanced  age,  passing  away  in  h^r  eighty-second  year.  There  were 
eight  children  in  the  family,  four  of  whom  reached  adult  age. 

Alfred  Shockley  was  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth  and  was  a  little 
lad  of  five  summers  when  brought  to  Cass  county,  Michigan,  by  his 
parents.  He  was  reared  in  Milton  township  and  early  became  familiar 
with  the  experiences  of  pioneer  life.  The  family  had  removed  from 
Delaware  to  Richmond,  Indiana,  when  he  was  only  a  year  old,  and  in 
1833  they  came  to  Cass  county,  since  which  time  the  family  name  has 
figured  in  the  records  of  this  part  of  the  state  and  has  been  a  synonym 
for  good  citizenship  and  for  progressiveness.  The  Indians  were  numer- 
ous in  this  section  of  the  state  during  his  boyhood  days  and  he  has  many 
times  seen  wigwams  and  has  had  in  his  possession  various  things  made 
by  the  Indians.  He  came  to  know  much  of  their  manners  and  customs 
of  living  and  in  course  of  time  saw  them  supplanted  by  the  white  race, 
while  they  sought  reservations  farther  west.  His  education  was  acquired 
in  one  of  the  old-time  log  school  houses,  in  which  the  methods  of  teach- 
ing were  primitive,  as  were  the  furnishings  of  the  little  building.  He 
assisted  on  the  farm  when  he  became  old  enough  and  remained  upon  the 
home  place  until  his  father  died.  On  the  i6th  of  September,  1861,  in 
response  to  the  country's  call  for  aid,  Mr.  Shockley  offered  his  services 
and  was  enrolled  as  a  member  of  Company  L,  Second  Michigan  Cav- 
alry. He  served  as  a  private  until  August,  1865,  having  re-enlisted  in 
the  same  company  in  1862,  continuing  with  the  command  until  after 
the  cessation  of  hostilities.  He  was  offered  a  promotion  but  would  not 
accept  it,  content  to  do  his  duty  in  the  ranks.  He  drove  a  team  most  of 
the  time  and  was  with  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland. 

After  receiving  his  final  discharge  at  Jackson,  Michigan,  Mr. 
Shockley  returned  to  his  old  home  in  Milton  township,  Cass  county,  and 
engaged  in  general  farming  on  the  place  where  he  now  resides.  He 
made  further  preparation  for  having  a  home  of  his  own  by  his  marriage 
on  the  5th  of  November,  1865,  ^^  Miss  Victoria  Bower,  the  only  child  of 
John  and  Mary  (Gardner)  Bower  and  a  native  of  Groshen,  Indiana.  She 
.  was  reared,  however,  in  Niles,  Michigan.  Since  the  war  Mr.  Shockley 
has  resided  continuously  in  the  home  which  he  now  occupies,  with  the 
exception  of  one  year  spent  in  Niles.  His  farm  comprises  one  hundred 
and  thirteen  acres* of  land,  which  is  rich  and  productive  and  which  he 
now  rents,  thus  leaving  the  active  work  of  the  fields  to  others.  As  the 
years  went  by  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shockley  was  blessed  with 
eleven  children:  Addie,  now  the  wife  of  James  W.  Brown,  who  re- 
sides in  Clay  township,   Elkhart  county,   Indiana;  Emily  J.,  who  has 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  509 

passed  away;  Elizabeth  E.,  the  wife  of  Jehu  Huff,  of  Niles;  Elias  J.; 
Alfred  C,  a  member  of  the  police  of  Niles;  Victoria  May,  the  wife  of 
William  Needles,  of  Milton  township;  George  B.,  who  is  living  in 
Milton  township;  Sylvester  W.,  of  Niles,  who  served  for  three  years 
with  the  regular  army  in  the  Philippines;  Charles  H.,  who  is  a  rural 
mail  carrier  on  route  No.  i  from  Niles ;  Eva  E.,  the  wife  of  Julius 
Leech,  of  Milton  township;  and  Cora  A.,  who  is  at  home.  All  of  the 
family  were  born  on  the  farm  where  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shockley  now  reside. 
In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Shockley  is  a  Democrat  and  has 
served  as  constable  and  as  a  school  officer  in  an  early  day.  He  has  been 
a  resident  of  the  county  for  seventy-three  years  and  well  may  he  be  num- 
bered among  its  pioneers,  having  aided  in  making  the  county  what  it  is 
to-day.  He  has  been  active  in  its  upbuilding  and  development  and  has 
done  much  hard  work  in  clearing  land  and  promoting  its  agricultural 
interests,  especially  in  his  boyhood,  youth  and  earlier  manhood.  He  is 
now  the  oldest  settler  of  Milton  township  and  is  well  known  in  the 
county  as  a  man  of  genuine  worth,  whose  life  has  been  well  spent.  He 
has  always  been  busy  and  energetic  and  his  life  of  usefulness  has  won 
for  him  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  those  with  whom  he  has  been  asso- 
ciated. Almost  three-quarters  of  a  century  have  passed  since  Mr. 
Shockley  came  to  this  county  to  cast  in  his  lot  with  its  pioneers.  Peo- 
ple of  the  present  time  can  scarcely  realize  the  struggles  and  dangers 
which  attended  the  early  settlers,  the  heroism  and  self-sacrifice  of  lives 
passed  upon  the  borders  of  civilization,  the  hardships  endufed,  the  dif- 
ficulties overcome.  These  tales  of  the  early  days  read  almost  like  a 
romance  to  those  who  have  known  only  the  modern  prosperity  and  con- 
veniences. To  the  pioneer  of  the  early  times,  far  removed  from  the  priv- 
ileges and  conveniences  of  city  or  town,  the  struggle  for  existence  was 
a  stern  and  hard  one  and  these  men  and  women  must  have  possessed  in- 
domitable energy  and  sterling  worth  of  character,  as  well  as  marked 
physical  courage,  when  they  voluntarily  selected  such  a  life  and  suc- 
cessfully fought  its  battles  under  such  circumstances  as  prevailed  in  the 
northwest. 

M.  H.  CRISWELL,  M.  D. 

It  is  contended  by  many  that  the  practice  of  medicine  is  the  most 
important  work  to  which  .a  man  may  direct  his  energies,  and  all  accord 
the  profession  high  rank.  Not  only  must  the  successful  physician  pos- 
sess broad  and  accurate  knowledge  concerning'  the  great  principles  wfiich 
underlie  the  medical  and  surgical  science,  but  he  must  also  possess  a 
broad  humanitarian  spirit,  a  ready  sympathy  and  a  cheerful  nature 
which  inspires  hope  and  courage  and  proves  a  valued  supplement  to  his 
technical  knowledge.  In  these  qualities  Dr.  Criswell  of  CassopoHs  is 
well  equipped.  A  native  of  Knox  county,  Ohio,  he  was  bom  on  the 
loth  of  August,  1863,  his  parents  being  Benjamin  F.  and  Mary  E. 
(Walker)  Crisw^ell,  the  former  a  native  of  Stark  county,  Ohio,  and  the 


510  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

latter  of  Fredericktown,  Knox  county.  The  father  was  a  merchant 
tailor  by  trade  and  devoted  his  Hf e  to  that  occupation,  passing  away 
at  Akron,  Ohio,  when  seventy-one  years  of  age.  He  was  of  Scotch 
Hneage.  His  wife  died  when  only  forty-one  years  of  age.  In  their 
family  were  six  children,  of  whom  one  died  in  infancy. 

Dr.  Criswell  is  the  youngest  of  the  surviving  members  of  the  fam- 
ily and  his  youth  was  passed  in  Canton,  Ohio,  where  he  acquired  his 
literary  education  as  a  public  school  student.  He  began  the  study  of 
medicine  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  A.  V.  Smith  at  Canton  and  subse- 
quently spent  one  term  as  a  student  in  a  medical  college.  He  afterward 
devoted  three  years  to  the  business  of  a  traveling  salesman,  and  in  1887 
he  resumed  his  medical  studies  and  was  graduated  from  the  Home- 
opathic College  in  Chicago  with  the  class  of  1891.  He  then  located  for 
practice  in  Edwardsburg,  Michigan,  where  he  remained  for  about  nine 
years,  when  he  removed  to  Cassopolis  in  1900.  Here  he  has  since 
been  located,  and  his  business  has  reached  gratifying  proportions,  as  he 
has  demonstrated  his  ability  to  cope  with  the  intricate  problems  which 
continually  confront  the  physician  in  his  efforts  to  check  the  ravages  of 
disease  and  restore  health.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Northern  Indiana 
and  Southern  Michigan  Medical  Associations  and  also  the  American 
Medical  Association,  and  through  the  reports  of  those  bodies  he  keeps 
in  touch  with  what  is  being  done  in  the  line  of  medical  and  surgical  prac- 
tice. He  is  quick  to  adopt  any  new  method  or  idea  which  he  believes 
will  prove  of  practical  benefit  in  his  work  and  at  the  same  time  he  is 
slow  to  discard  the  old  and  time-tried  methods  whose  value  has  been 
proven. 

In  1891  occurred  the  marriage  of  Dr.  Criswell  and  Miss  Kate 
Stophlet,  a  daughter  of  David  Stophlet.  In  social  circles  they  occupy-  an 
enviable  position,  the  hospitality  of  the  best  homes  of  Cassopolis  and 
vicinity  being  extended  them.  Dr.  Criswell  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees,  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  and  he  gives  his  political  support  to  those  men  who  are  pledged 
to  support  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party.  For  fourteen  years 
he  has  practiced  in  Michigan  with  constantly  growing  success,  and  in 
Cass  county  is  accorded  a  position  of  prominence  among  the  representa- 
tives of  his  chosen  profession. 

LOT  BONINE. 

Few  men  are  more  prominent  or  more  widely  known  in  Penn  town- 
ship than  Lot  Bonine,  who  has  been  an  important  factor  in  agricultural 
circles,  having  conducted  extensive  interests  as  a  stock  raiser,  especially 
in  the  line  of  the  sheep  industry.  In  him  are  embraced  the  character- 
istics of  an  unbending  integrity,  unabating  energy  and  industry  that 
never  flags,  and  while  capably  conducting  his  business  affairs  he  is  at 
the  same  time  recognized  as  a  public  spirited  citizen,  thoroughly  inter- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  511 

ested  in  whatever  tends  to  promote  the  welfare  of  his  adopted  county. 
He  is  a  western  man  by  birth  and  training,  and  in  his  life  has  exemplified 
the  spirit  which  has  led  to  the  rapid  and  substantial  upbuilding  of  this 
section  of  the  country.  He  lives  on  section  34,  Penn  township,  and  is 
numbered  among  the  old  settlers  of  the  county.  His  birth  occurred  in 
Richmond,  Wayne  county,  Indiana,  on  the  i8th  of  July,  1825.  His 
father,  Isaac  Bonine,  w^as  a  native  of  Tennessee,  bom  at  the  family 
home  on  the  Holstein  river.  The  family  is  of  French  descent,  and  the 
paternal  grandfather  was  Daniel  Bonine,  who  for  many  years  resided 
in  Tennessee.  There  Isaac  Bonine  was  reared  and  it  was  subsequent  to 
his  marriage  that  he  sought  a  home  in  Indiana,  casting  in  his  lot  with 
the  pioneer  settlers  of  Wayne  county.  Again  he  took  up  his  abode 
upon  the  frontier,  when  in  1840  he  came  to  Cass  county,  Michigan, 
locating  in  Penn  township.  He  then  purchased  a  tract  of  land,  a  part 
of  which  had  been  improved,  and  he  at  once  began  the  task  of  its  fur- 
ther development  and  cultivation.  In  his  work  he  prospered,  and  as 
his  financial  resources  permitted  he  purchased  more  land  from  time  to 
time,  becoming  the  holder  of  extensive  realty  possessions.  He  was 
born  and  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Society  of  Friends  (Quakers) 
and  was  very  active  and  earnest  in  the  church  work.  He  manifested 
the  kindly,  considerate  and  gentle  spirit  so  characteristic  of  the  follow- 
ers of  that  sect,  and  he  bore  an  unassailable  reputation  for  integrity, 
not  only  in  business,  but  in  all  life's  relations  as  well.  He  voted  with 
the  Whig  party  until  its  dissolution,  when  he  joined  the  ranks  of  the 
Republican  party,  continuing  one  of  its  stalwart  supporters  until  his 
demise.  He  was  called  to  the  ofifice  of  highway  commissioner,  but  w^as 
never  an  aspirant  for  the  honors  nor  emoluments  of  ofifice,  content  to  do 
his  public  service  as  a  private  citizen.  He  married  Miss  Sarah  Tolbert, 
also  a  native  of  Tennessee,  and,  like  her  husband,  a  birthright  Quaker. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Tolbert  and  was  of  English  lineage,  so 
that  there  is  an  intermixture  of  French  and  English  blood  in  the  veins 
of  our  subject.  Isaac  Bonine  lived  to  be  about  eighty-three  years  of 
age,  while  his  wife  reached  the  age  of  eighty-two  years,  and  in  the 
passing  of  this  venerable  couple  Cass  county  lost  two  of  its  most  es- 
teemed pioneer  settlers.  In  their  family  were  eleven  children,  eight 
sons  and  three  daughters,  of  w^hom  two  died  in  childhood. 

Lot  Bonine  was  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth  and  is  the  only  one  now 
living.  He  was  fifteen  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  Cass  county, 
Michigan,  with  his  parents  in  1840.  He  had  gained  his  education  in 
the  schools  of  Richmond,  Indiana,  and  after  coming  to  Michigan  he 
spent  the  winter  months  as  a  student  in  a  little  log  schoolhouse,  which 
was  a  typical  ''temple  of  learning"  of  a  frontier  district.  Throughout 
the  remainder  of  the  year  his  time  and  energies  were  given  to  farm 
work,  as  he  took  his  place  in  the  fields  when  the  work  of  early  spring 
planting  was  begun.     In  fact  he  assisted  in  the  work  of  clearing  and 


512  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

developing  the  home  farm,  upon  which  he  remained  until  the  time  of 
his  marriage,  which  was  celebrated  in  1845,  ^^is  being  one  of  the  early 
weddings  of  the  county.  The  lady  of  his  choice  was  Miss  Susan  Donnell, 
who  died  a  number  of  years  later.  There  had  been  six  children  bom  of 
that  union,  of  whom  five  are  still  living,  namely :  Jonathan  D.,  John  N., 
Sarah  L.,  James  M.  and  Rose  E.  The  deceased  daughter  was  Estella. 
After  losing  his  first  wife  Mr.  Bonine  was  again  married,  his  second 
union  being  with  Miss  Amanda  I.  Price,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Rose 
A.  (Emery)  Price.  Her  father  was  born  in  Clark  county,  Ohio,  near 
Dayton,  and  came  to  Cass  county,  Michigan,  in  1829,  locating  in  what 
is  now  Penn  township,  as  one  of  its  pioneer  settlers.  Michigan  was 
still  under  territorial  rule  at  that  period.  It  required  men  of  considera- 
ble courage  and  determination  to  brave  the  dangers  and  hardships  of 
pioneer  life  in  a  country  where  the  work  of  improvement  had  as  yet  been 
scarcely  begun.  There  were  large  bands  of  Indians  still  in  the  state, 
the  forests  were  uncut,  the  streams  unbridged,  and  the  prairies  unculti- 
vated. Mr.  Price  belonged  to  that  class  of  honored  pioneer  residents 
to  whom  the  state  owes  a  debt  of  gratitude  for  what  they  accomplished 
in  the  early  development  of  the  commonwealth.  He  gave  his  attention 
to  farming  and  was  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  early  residents  of 
Cass  county.  His  father  was  John  Price,  a  carpenter  by  trade,  who 
was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  but  was  reared  in  New  Jersey, 
where  he  resided  until  his  removal  to  Ohio,  whence  he  came  to  Cass 
county  in  1828.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bonine  have  become  the  parents  of  two 
daughters,  but  one,  Effie  I.,  is  now  deceased.  The  other,  Arlie  I.  Bonine, 
is  living  in  Penn  township,  and  is  the  wife  of  James  O.  Graham.  She 
graduated  in  the  class  of  1901  in  the  Vandalia  High  School. 

At  the  time  of  his  marriage  Lot  Bonine  and  his  bride  began  house- 
keeping in  a  little  log  cabin  which  stood  upon  a  tract  of  land  in  Penn 
township.  There  he  lived  for  about  a  year,  devoting  his  time  to  the 
cultivation  of  the  farm  and  then  removing  to  his  father-in-law's  farm, 
upon  which  he  lived  for  two  years.  Following  the  discovery  of  gold  in 
California  he  was  attracted  to  that  state  by  its  mining  and  other  busi- 
ness opportunities,  and  went  via  New  York  and  the  isthmus  in  185 1, 
but  after  a  year  spent  in  California  he  returned  to  Cass  county  and 
once  more  settled  in  Ptnn  township,  locating  upon  the  farm  on  which 
he  now  lives  in  that  year — ^1853.  Again  his  home  was  a  log  cabin, 
but  though  it  was  of  small  dimensions  it  sheltered  brave  hearts  and  will- 
ing hands.  With  determined  courage  to  make  the  most  of  his  oppor- 
tunities Mr.  Bonine  began  clearing  his  land,  which  he  had  owned  from 
the  time  that  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age.  He  now  has  a  valuable 
farm  property  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  he  has  trans- 
formed from  a  raw  state  into  one  of  rich  fertility  and  productiveness. 
He  has  added  many  modem  improvements,  including  good  buildings 
and   fences  and  the  latest   improved   machinery.     In   connection  with 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  513 

the  tilling  of  the  soil  he  has  been  largely  interested  in  the^  raising  of 
stock,  making  a  specialty  of  sheep,  having  had  sheep  upon  his  farm  for 
over  sixty  years. 

Mr.  Bonine  votes  w^ith  the  Republican  party,  to  which  he  has 
given  earnest  and  stalwart  support  since  its  organization,  while  pre- 
vious to  that  time  he  was  an  old-line  Whig.  He  has  held  a  number  of 
local  offices  including  that  of  highway  commissioner  and  has  opened 
up  several  roads  in  his  township.  In  public  affairs  he  has  been  deeply 
interested  and  his  co-operation  could  always  be  counted  upon  as  a  help- 
ful measure.  He  has  ever  worked  for  the  good  of  the  county,  in  which 
he  has  now  lived  for  sixty-five  years,  and  he  has  paid  large  sums  in 
taxes,  whereby  the  work  of  public  improvement  has  been  carried  on. 
He  assisted  in  building  the  school  house  at  Vandalia  and  the  cause  of. 
education  finds  in  him  a  warm  friend.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Friends  church  and  his  life  has  been  in  conformity  with  its  teachings 
and  faith.  There  have  been  many  interesting  chapters  in  his  record  be- 
cause of  the  connection  with  pioneer  experiences,  and  also  by  reason 
of  his  sojourn  in  the  far  west  in  the  early  days  of  mining  excitement 
there.  Throughout  much  of  his  life,  however,  his  labors  have  been 
concentrated  entirely  upon  agricultural  and  stock  raising  interests  and 
he  has  found  ample  opportunity  for  the  exercise  of  his  talents  in  the 
every-day  duties  of  life.  He  has  won  success  through  earnest  and  per- 
sistent labor,  and  moreover  he  is  rich  in  the  more  desirable  qualities  of 
character — the  integrity  and  justice  and  consideration  which  work  for 
honorable  manhood  and  have  won  respect  and  esteen  in  every  land  and 
clime. 

GEORGE  W.  CARD. 

Cass  county  figures  as  one  of  the  most  attractive,  progressive  and 
prosperous  divisions  of  the  state  of  Michigan,  justly^  claiming  a  high 
order  of  citizenship  and  a  spirit  of  enterprise  which  is  certain  to  con- 
serve consecutive  development  and  marked  advancement  in  the  material 
upbuilding  of  the  section.  The  county  has  been  and  is  signally  favored 
in  the  class  of  men  who  have  controlled  its  affairs  in  official  capacity  and 
in  this  connection  the  subject  of  this  review  demands  representation  as 
one  who  has  served  the  county  faithfully  and  well  in  positions  of  distinct 
trust  and  responsibility.  He  is  now  filling  the  office  of  county  treasurer, 
to  which  he  has  been  elected  for  a  second  term.  His  birth  occurred  in 
Volinia  township  April  4,  1848,  and  he  is  a  representative  of  one  of  the 
honored  pioneer  families  of  this  portion  of  the  state.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  Jonathan  Gard,  was  born  in  Ohio  and  became  a  pioneer 
resident  of  Cass  county.  He  had  lived  for  some  time  in  Indiana  and  on 
removing  to  Cass  county  settled  on  what  is  known  to  this  day  as  Card's 
Prairie.  There  he  entered  land  and  improved  a  farm,  remaining  there 
up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  when  he  was  fifty-five  years 
of  age.     His  son,  M.  J.  Gard,  was  born  in  Indiana  and  came  with  his 


514  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

father  to  Cass  county  in  1829,  being  about  seven  years  of  age  at  the 
time  of  the  removal.  He  was  therefore  reared  and  educated  here  and 
almost  his  entire  Hfe  v^as  passed  in  Volinia  township,  where  he  died 
when  more  than  seventy-five  years  of  age.  He  was  a  prominent  citizen, 
who  held  all  the  offices  in  the  township,  including  that  of  supervisor, 
while  for  many  years  he  was  township  clerk.  His  study  of  the  political 
issues  and  questions  of  the  day  led  him  to  give  a  stalwart  support  to 
the  Republican  party  from  the  time  of  its  organization  until  his  death. 
Prior  to  its  formation  he  had  voted  with  the  Whig  party.  In  his  fraternal 
relations  he  was  a  Mason.  His  wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Olive 
Green  and  her  death  occurred  when  her  son  George  was  but  three  years 
of  age.  The  family  was  well  known  in  the  county  and  the  name  of 
Gard  has  been  closely  interwoven  with  the  history  of  development  and 
progress  here  from  early  pioneer  times.  George  W.  Gard  was  the  only 
child  born  unto  M.  J.  and  Olive  (Green)  Gard,  but  the  father  was  a 
second  time  married,  his  second  union  being  with  Susan  Fox,  by  whom 
he  had  seven  children. 

In  taking  up  the  personal  history  of  George  W.  Gard  we  present  to 
our  readers  the  life  record  of  one  who  is  very  widely  and  favorably 
known  in  this  part  of  the  state.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  his 
native  township  and  acquired  his  education  in  the  common  schools.  He 
afterward  engaged  in  teaching  school,  which  profession  he  followed  for 
one  hundred  and  twenty-tw^o  months,  devoting  the  winter  seasons  to 
that  work,  while  in  the  summer  months  he  engaged  in  farming.  He  had 
charge  of  the  largest  district  school  in  the  county.  There  was  an  as- 
sistant teacher  and  an  enrollment  of  ninety-seven  pupils.  His  fitness  for 
leadership  and  for  public  service  also  led  to  his  selection  for  various  of- 
fices. He  served  as  supervisor  for  nine  years,  was  justice  of  the  peace 
for  fourteen  years  and  also  township  clerk.  In  1902  he  was  elected 
county  treasurer  and  discharged  his  duties  with  such  ability  and  fidelity 
that  in  1904  he  was  re-elected  and  is  still  holding  the  office. 

Mr.  Gard  was  married  in  1872  to  Miss  Rachel  Kirby,  a  daughter 
of  the  Rev.  John  and  Mary  (Rouse)  Kirby  and  a  native  of  St.  Joseph 
county,  Michigan.  There  is  but  one  living  child  of  this  marriage,  Olive, 
who  is  now  acting  as  bookkeeper  for  Mr.  Smith  in  Cassopolis.  The  son, 
Manley  B.,  died  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years. 

Mr.  Gard  in  connection  with  his  property  in  Cassopolis  owns  a 
farm  of  eighty  acres  and  the  income  therefrom,  together  with  his  salary, 
enables  him  to  provide  a  very  comfortable  living  for  his  family.  He  is 
a  stalwart  Republican,  unfaltering  in  his  devotion  to  the  principles  of  the 
party,  and  in  addition  to  the  other  offices  which  he  has  filled  he  has 
served  as  secretary  of  the  schools  of  the  county  in  1888-9.  He  is  also 
prominent  in  Masonic  circles,  belonging  to  the  Blue  Lodge  of  Volinia, 
No.  227,  also  Kingsbury  Chapter  at  Cassopolis,  No.  78,  and  he  was  a 
charter  member  of  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees  lodge  at  Volinia. 
While  acting  as  justice  of  the  peace  he  settled  more  cases  by  compromis- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  515 

ing  than  in  any  other  way,  always  advising  such  a  plan  rather  than 
recourse  to  the  courts.  In  all  of  his  public  service  he  has  been  actuated 
by  an  earnest  desire  to  serve  his  constituents  faithfully  and  well  and  to 
promote  the  general  good  of  the  community  which  he  has  represented. 
Men  know  him  as  a  gentleman  of  unfaltering  honor  and  integrity,  and 
with  pleasure  we  present  the  record  of  his  life  to  our  readers. 

CHARLES  O.  HARMON. 

Charles  O.  Harmon,  who  since  1898  has  been  numbered  among  the 
representative  citizens  of  Cassopolis,  where  he  is  now  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  law  and  also  in  the  abstract  business,  was  born  in  Porter 
township,  Cass  county,  on  the  6th  of  March,  1866.  His  father,  John 
B.  HanTion,  was  a  native  of  Wabash  county,  Indiana,  and  came  to  this 
county  with  his  parents  when  about  six  months  old.  He  was  reared  in 
Porter  township  and  became  a  teacher  by  profession,  following  that 
calling  for  a  long  period  and  contributing  in  substantial  measure  to  the 
intellectual  progress  of  his  community.  He  was  married  in  Porter  town- 
ship to  Miss  Catherine  Eby,  a  native  of  Ohio  and  a  daughter  of  Gabriel 
and  Caroline  (Wagner)  Eby,  who  were  early  settlers  of  Porter  town- 
ship, coming  to  Cass  county  in  1848.  Her  father  still  resides  in  that 
township,  being  one  of  the  honored  pioneer  settlers  and  venerable  cit- 
izens of  his  community.  John  B.  Harmon,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  deeply  interested  in  politics  and  for  about  eighteen  years  served  as 
supervisor  of  his  township.  In  1898  he  was  elected  county  clerk  and 
served  in  that  office  for  two  years  and  one  month,  when  his  official  serv- 
ice was  terminated  in  death  on  the  28th  of  June,  1901.  He  was  a  most 
earnest  and  zealous  advocate  of  Republican  principles,  never  faltering 
in  his  allegiance  to  the  party.     In  the  family  were  four  children. 

Charles  O.  Harmon,  the  eldest,  was  reared  in  Porter  township, 
where  the  family  was  established  in  early  pioneer  days,  his  grandfather, 
William  Harmon,  having  been  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Cass  coun- 
ty, where  he  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  throughout  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  He  was  of  German  lineage.  Mr.  Harmon  of  this 
review  acquired  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  and  afterward 
attended  the  Northern  Indiana  Normal  School  at  Valparaiso,  Indiana. 
He  taught  school  to  a  considerable  extent  between  the  ages  of  sixteen 
and  twenty-two  years,  being  thus  closely  associated  with  intellectual 
progress  in  Cass  county.  His  fellow  townsmen,  recognizing  his  worth 
and  ability,  called  him  to  public  office  and  he  was  chosen  register  of 
deeds  in  1888.  He  entered  upon  the  duties  of  the  position  on  the  ist  of 
January,  1889,  when  only  twenty-three  years  of  age,  and  capably  served 
until  the  ist  of  January,  1893,  when  he  retired  from  office  as  he  had  en- 
tered it — ^with  the  confidence  and  good  will  of  all  concerned.  He  then 
went  to  the  department  of  state  at  Lansing  and  occupied  a  position  in 
the  compiling  room  until  July,  1896.     During  that  time  he  devoted  his 


516  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

leisure  hours  to  the  study  of  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Lansing, 
after  which  he  resigned  his  position  there  and  removed  to  Dowagiac, 
Michigan,  where  he  opened  an  office  and  entered  upon  general  law 
practice.  In  December  of  the  same  year  he  removed  to  Marcellus,  Mich- 
igan, where  he  remained  until  November,  1898,  and  then  came  to 
Cassopolis,  where  he  entered  into  partnership  with  Judge  Harsen  D. 
Smith.  In  December  of  the  same  year  they  bought  the  abstract  books 
of  Cass  county.  This  partnership  was  continued  until  1901,  when  Mr. 
Harmon  purchased  Judge  Smith's  interest  in  the  abstract  business.  In 
April  of  that  year  he  was  elected  count;^  clerk  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused 
by  the  death  of  his  father  and  served  throughout  the  remainder  of  the 
term,  or  until  the  31st  of  December,  1902,  since  which  time  he  has 
devoted  his  attention  to  the  abstract  business  and  the  practice  of  law. 
He  has  thoroughly  qualified  himself  for  the  legal  profession  and  his 
labors  have  been  attended  with  the  success  that  results  from  close  dil- 
igence, unremitting  effort  and  marked  capability  in  handling  the  in- 
tricate problems  that  continually  confront  the  lawyer  and  judge. 

On  the  6th  of  March,  18891,  Mr.  Harmon  was  married  to  Miss 
Catherine  Greenawalt,  a  daughter  of  Daniel  S.  and  Rebecca  (Planck) 
Greenawalt,  who  was  born  in  Newberg  township,  Cass  county.  Her 
parents  were  early  settlers  of  Cass  county,  Michigan.  By  her  marriage 
Mrs.  Harmon  has  become  the  mother  of  two  children,  but  one  died  in 
infancy,  while  Charles  Maxwell  is  still  at  home. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Harmon  is  connected  with  the  Masonic  lodge  and 
chapter  at  Cassopolis  and  also  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  Pierian  Lodge,  No. 
126,  and  in  politics  he  has  been  an  earnest  Republican  since  age  gave 
to  him  the  right  of  franchise.  He  is  likewise  a  prominent  member  of 
the  Baptist  church,  active  in  its  work  and  serving  as  superintendent  of 
the  Sunday-school.  Its  teachings  have  been  a  permeating  influence  in 
his  life  and  he  has  done  all  in  his  power  to  promote  the  church  work  and 
extend  its  influence.  His  business  integrity  is  above  question  and  in 
citizenship  and  in  social  life  he  has  displayed  those  sterling  traits  of 
character  which  in  every  land  and  clime  command  respect  and  confidence. 

ROBERT  DOOL. 

Among  tlie  enterprising  farmers  of  the  county  is  numbered  Robert 
Dool,  living  on  section  3,  Jefferson  township.  His  birth  occurred  in  the 
province  of  Ontario,  Canada,  near  the  St.  Lawrence  river,  on  the  21st 
of  June,  1838,  and  he  comes  of  Scotch  descent.  His  father,  William 
Dool,  was  a  native  of  Scotland  and  was  a  son  of  Thomas  Dool,  whose 
birth  occurred  in  the  same  country.  He  was  a  freeholder  of  Scotland 
and  a  man  of  considerable  prominence  and  influence  in  his  community. 
William  Dool  came  to  America.  He  married  Miss  Hester  Dobson,  and 
unto  them  were  bom  ten  children,  nine  sons  and  one  daughter. 

Robert  Dool,  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth  in  this  family,  was  reared 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  517 

in  his  native  land  and  acquired  his  education  in  the  common  schools. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-two  years  he  went  upon  the  lakes  as  foreman  on 
an  Americcan  express  boat  and  was  thus  employed  for  two  seasons.  In 
1863  he  came  to  Cass  county,  locating  in  Penn  township,  where  he  pur- 
chased a  farm,  upon  w^hich  he  resided  continuously  for  about  thirteen 
years,  or  until  1876,  when  he  sold  that  property  and  bought  land  on  sec- 
tion 14,  Jefferson  township.  His  time  and  energies  were  devoted  to  its 
^further  improvement  and  development  until  about  1901,  when  he  lo- 
cated upon  the  farm  where  he  now  lives,  on  section  3,  Jefferson  town- 
ship. His  landed  holdings  are  now  extensive,  comprising  four  hundred 
and  seventy-two  acres,  of  which  one  hundred  and  sixteen  acres  are  in 
LaGrange  township.  He  carries  on  the  work  of  the  farm  himself  and 
it  is  a  splendid  property,  the  land  being  very  productive  and  responding 
readily  to  the  cultivation  which  he  bestows  upon  it.  His  fields  are  well 
tilled  and  everything  about  the  place  is  kept  in  good  repair,  showing  the 
careful  supervision  and  painstaking  efforts  of  an  enterprising  owner. 

In  1880  Mr.  Dool  _was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Georgiana 
Hafer,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Hafer.  They  have  become  the  parents  of 
ten  children:  Bert,  Raymond,  Theo,  Fred,  Charles,  Ina  May,  Georgi- 
ana, Myrtle,  Reo,  and  Robert.  All  were  born  in  Jefferson  township 
and  were  here  reared.  Bert  is  now  a  resident  of  Seattle,  while  Theo 
is  married  and  resides  in  Vicksburg.  The  others,  however,  are  still 
under  the  parental  roof  and  most  of  them  are  attending  school. 

Since  age  gave  to  Mr.  Dool  the  right  of  franchise  he  has  been  a 
supporter  of  Democratic  principles  and  has  taken  an  active  and  helpful 
part  in  the  work  of  the  party.  He  is,  however,  somewhat  liberal  in  his 
views,  being  never  a  bitter  partisan.  He  was  elected  supervisor  of  Jef- 
ferson township  in  1889  and  filled  the  office  for  eleven  years,  his  re- 
election being  proof  of  the  trust  reposed  in  him  by  his  fellow  townsmen 
and  his  fidelity  thereto.  He  was  also  superintendent  of  the  poor  for 
three  years.  Forty-two  years  have  come  and  gone  since  he  arrived  in 
this  county,  during  which  period  he  has  directed  his  labors  along  well- 
defined  lines  of  business  activity.  He  has  been  energetic,  prompt  and 
notably  reliable  and  has  manifested  a  genius  for  devising  and  executing 
the  right  thing  at  the  right  time.  Moreover  he  has  an  excellent  fund 
of  that  quality  of  common  sense,  which  is  too  often  lacking,  and  which 
proves  the  reason  of  failure  in  many  a  life  record.  Added  to  this  he  has 
displayed  keen  perception  and  honesty  of  purpose,  and  thus  as  the  years 
have  gone  by  he  has  worked  his  way  upward  from  an  humble  financial 
position  to  one  of  afiiuence. 

HENRY  BLAKELY  HICKS. 

Henry  Blakely  Hicks  is  well  known  as  a  representative  of  farming 
interests  in  Jefferson  township,  his  home  being  on  section  31,  where  he 
owns  and  cultivates  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land.     This  consti- 


51S  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

tutes  a  well  improved  and  valuable  farm,  which  in  its  thrifty  appearance 
indicates  his  careful  supervision  and  practical  progressive  methods.  He 
realizes  that  diligence  and  close  application  are  the  basis  of  all  desirable 
success  and  through  this  means  he  has  won  the  prosperity  which  he  is 
to-day  enjoying. 

A  native  son  of  the  county,  Mr.  Hicks  was  born  in  Milton  township 
on  the  15th  of  October,  1845,  and  is  a  son  of  Richard  V.  and  Catherine 
(Ullery)  Hicks.  The  father  was  a  native  of  England  and  spent  the 
first  seventeen  years  of  his  life  in  that  country,  acquiring  a  good  educa- 
tion there.  Hearing  favorable  reports  concerning  opportunities  and 
advantages  in  the  new  world,  he  resolved  to  try  his  fortune  here  and 
crossed  the  Atlantic  to  the  United  States  in  1837,  making  his  way  direct 
to  Cass  county,  Michigan,  where  he  first  located  in  Ontwa  township. 
He  was  married,  however,  in  Shelby  county,  Ohio,  and  afterward  took 
up  his  abode  in  Milton  township,  Cass  county,  Michigan,  where  he  reared 
his  family.  He  has  for  many  years  been  a  resident  of  Milton  township, 
and  now^  makes  his  home  on  section  12.  He  has  been  closely  identified 
with  the  upbuilding  and  progress  of  the  county,  where  he  has  lived  for 
almost  seventy  years,  during  which  time  great  and  important  changes 
have  occurred  as  this  district  of  Michigan  has  put  aside  all  the  evidences 
of  frontier  life  and  emerged  into  modern  civilization,  great  improve- 
ment being  shown  in  all  lines  of  business  development  as  well  as  in  the 
intellectual  progress  of  the  county.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Catherine  Ullery  and  was  born  in  Ohio,  lived  to  be  seventy 
years  of  age. 

Unto  this  worthy  couple  were  born  nine  children,  of  whom  Henry 
Blakely  Hicks  is  the  second  in  order  of  birth.  He  was  reared  in  Milton 
township  and  at  the  usual  age  began  his  education,  attending  district 
school  No.  I  in  Milton  township.  There  he  mastered  the  elementary 
branches  of  learning,  w^hich  well  qualified  him  to  meet  the  practical  and 
responsible  duties  of  his  business  career.  Through  the  summer  months 
he  aided  in  the  farm  work,  remaining  at  home  after  he  had  attained  his 
majority  and  carrying  on  the  work  of  further  development  and  progress 
here  for  seventeen  years.  He  then  purchased  his  present  farm  in  1880, 
and  in  1891  he  located  thereon  and  has  since  made  it  his  home. 

February  10,  1891,  Mr.  Hicks  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Kate  L.  Miller,  a  daughter  of  Anton  and  Elizabeth  (Herald)  Miller  and 
a  native  of  Milton  township,  Cass  county.  She  was  born  May  i,  1866, 
and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools,  also  a  student  at  the  Dowa- 
giac  high  school.  She  is  a  lady  of  more  than  ordinary  education  and 
can  speak  fluently  the  English,  German  and  French  languages.  She  is 
a  lady  who  loves  good  books  and  is  by  nature  a  poet.  Her  best  compan- 
ions are  the  best  of  literature.  Her  father,  Anton  L.  Miller,  was  born 
in  Ravensburg,  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  June  16,  1821,  and  died  June 
20,  1896.  He  was  reared  in  Germany  and  educated  in  the  national 
schools.     He  was  thirty-five  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  America, 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  519 

He  was  a  stonemason  by  trade,  but  was  also  a  successful  agriculturist. 
He  was  a  kind  and  generous  man  and  a  Roman  Catholic  in  religion. 
Mother  Miller  was  born  September  26,  1833,  and  died  October  14,  1885. 
She  was  born  in  Schifferstadt,  Bavaria,  Germany,  and  was  a  young 
woman  of  twenty  when  she  came  to  America.  She  was  a  devout  Cath- 
oHc.  Mrs.  Hicks  is  a  member  of  the  Royal  Neighbors.  Unto  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hicks  have  been  born  a  daughter  and  son :  Hazel  A.,  who  is  at- 
tending school  in  the  eighth  grade  and  who  takes  vocal  and  instrument- 
al music;  and  Henry  B.,  who  was  seven  years  of  age  on  the  2nd  of 
October,  1905. 

The  family  have  a  pleasant  and  attractive  home  on  section  31, 
Jefferson  township,  where  Mr.  Hicks  owns  two  hundred  and  forty  acres 
of  land  that  is  rich  and  arable.  He  has  placed  excellent  improvements 
upon  the  property  and  everything  about  the  farm  is  kept  in  good  re- 
pair, while  the  latest  improved  machinery  is  used  in  tilling  the  soil  and 
caring  for  the  crops.  A  glance  from  the  passerby  would  indicate  that 
the  owner  is  a  man  of  progressive  spirit,  practical  and  systematic  in  his 
work.  There  is  every  evidence  of  careful  and  painstaking  supervision, 
and  in  his  business  Mr.  Hicks  has  prospered,  being  now  one  of  the  ener- 
getic men  of  his  community,  whose  labors  have  been  crowned  with  the 
acquirement  of  a  valuable  farm.  He  votes  with  the  Democracy,  keeps 
well  informed  on  questions  and  issues  of  the  day  and  has  taken  an  active 
interest  in  the  work  of  the  party,  for  he  believes  that  its  principles  con- 
,  tain  the  best  elements  of  good  government.  He  was  supervisor  of  Mil- 
ton township  for  four  years  and  in  1902  was  elected  supervisor  of  Jef- 
ferson township,  to  which  office  he  was  again  elected  in  1905,  so  that 
he  is  the  present  incumbent,  while  in  Milton  township  he  was  also  a 
highway  commissioner.  He  has  been  a  resident  of  Cass  county  through- 
out his  entire  life,  covering  a  period  of  sixty  years,  and  his  labors  have 
been  a  resultant  factor  in  bringing  about  its  present  advancement.  The 
character  of  Mr.  Hicks  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  he  is  a  Mason  in  good 
standing,  his  life  being  an  exemplification  of  the  teachings  and  tenets 
of  the  craft,  which  through  many  centuries  has  inculcated  principles  of 
mutual  helpfulness  and  brotherly  kindness  among  its  followers. 

WILLIAM  SALISBURY. 

Upon  a  farm  on  section  5,  Jefferson  township,  resides  William 
Salisbury,  who  is  numbered  among  the  old  settlers  and  venerable  citizens 
of  Cass  county.  He  has  traveled  life's  journey  for  more  than  eighty- 
two  years  and  has  been  a  resident  of  Cass  county  for  more  than  the  al- 
lotted psalmist's  span  of  three  score  years  and  ten,  having  come  to  this 
county  seventy-two  years  ago.  Respected  and  honored  by  all  who 
know'  him  and  with  a  wide  acquaintance,  his  life  record  cannot  fail  to 
prove  of  interest  to  our  many  readers  and  with  pleasure  we  present  his 
history  in  this  volume.     He  was  born  in  Huron  county,  Ohio,  August 


^20  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

8,  1823.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Emanuel  Salisbury,  removed  from 
the  east  to  Ohio,  where  his  last  days  were  passed.  His  father,  Robert 
Salisbury,  was  a  native  of  New  York,  where  he  was  reared  and  married, 
and  in  pioneer  times  he  became  a  resident  of  Ohio.  Removing  from  the 
Buckeye  state  to  Michigan  he  settled  in  Howard  township,  Cass  county, 
where  he  took  up  land  from  the  government.  Much  of  the  county  was 
still  unclaimed  and  he  cast  in  his  lot  with  those  who  have  borne  the 
hardships  and  privations  of  a  frontier  existence  and  have  planted  the 
seeds  of  civilization  and  prosperity  now  enjoyed  by  the  representatives 
of  a  later  generation.  He  improved  a  farm  and  remained  upon  the  old 
homestead  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  about  1866. 
There  was  only  one  store  and  one  grocery  in  Niles  at  the  time  of  his 
arrival  here.  It  was  a  long  distance  to  market  and  mill  and  the  settlers 
had  to  depend  largely  upon  what  they  could  produce,  not  only  for  food 
but  also  for  clothing.  Luxuries  were  few  and  oftentimes  comforts  were 
denied,  but  it  was  a  day  in  which  hospitality  reigned  supreme,  the  latch 
string  ever  hanging  out,  while  a  cordial  welcome  was  extended  to  friend, 
neighbor  or  stranger.  Robert  Salisbury  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Martha  Olmstead,  likewise  a  native  of  the  Empire  state.  Her  death 
occurred  in  Howard  township,  Cass  county,  when  she  was  about  sixty- 
six  years  of  age.  In  the  family  of  this  worthy  couple  were  eleven  chil- 
dren, four  daughters  and  seven  sons,  all  of  whom  grew  to  manhood  or 
womanhood. 

William  Salisbury,  the  sixth  child  and  the  only  surviving  member 
of  the  family,  remained  a  resident  of  Ohio  during  the  first  ten  years  of 
his  life,  and  then  came  with  his  parents  to  Cass  county,  the  family  home 
being  established  m  Howard  township,  where  they  lived  in  a  pioneer 
cabin,  sharing  in  the  hardships,  privations  and  dangers  incident  to  the 
establishment  of  a  home  in  a  frontier  district.  Only  a  short  time  before 
had  the  Indians  been  led  to  leave  their  hunting  grounds  in  this  part  of 
the  state  and  seek  new  fields  in  which  to  range  and  ply  their  customary 
pursuits  of  hunting  and  fishing.  In  fact  Mr.  Salisbury  has  seen  many 
specimens  of  the  red  men  in  this  part  of  the  state.  There  were  also 
various  kinds  of  wild  animals,  while  deer  and  other  kinds  of  wild  game 
were  to  be  had  in  abundance  by  the  settler  who  was  a  good  shot.  Few 
roads  had  been  laid  out,  and  at  certain  seasons  in  the  year  these  were 
almost  impassable,  especially  during  the  time  of  the  spring  rains.  It 
was  considered  a  big  undertaking  to  go  to  mill  and  market  in  those 
days  and  the  time  of  the  settlers  was  mostly  given  to  the  arduous  task 
of  clearing  away  trees  or  brush  and  improving  and  cultivating  the  fields. 
William  Salisbury  acquired  his  education  in  a  log  school  house  seated 
with  slab  benches  and  heated  by  a  fire-place.  Reading,  writing,  arith- 
metic and  sometimes  geography  and  grammar  were  taught  and  the  ses- 
sion of  the  school  was  held  for  only  a  few  months  during  the  winter 
season  when  tlie  children's  aid  was  not  needed  upon  the  home  farm,  for 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  521 

crops  had  been  harvested  and  the  work  of  the  farm  was  practically  over 
until  the  coming  of  another  spring.  Mr.  Salisbury  remained  at  home 
until  twenty-two  years  of  age,  doing  his  share  in  the  work  of  the  fields, 
and  then  started  out  in  life  on  his  own  account.  He  was  employed  by 
the  month  as  a  farm  hand  for  a  time  and  then  with  the  money  which 
he  had  saved  from  his  earnings  he  bought  a  tract  of  land  in  Jefferson 
township,  which  was  entirely  raw  and  undeveloped,  but  he  at  once  be- 
gan the  task  of  clearing,  plowing  and  planting,  and  in  due  course  of 
time  had  some  well  cultivated  fields.  He  resided  upon  that  property 
from  1845  ^^^til  1866,  when  he  purchased  the  farm  upon  which  he  now 
resides  and  vv^hich  has  been  his  home  through  forty  consecutive  years. 
A  great  change  has  been  wrought  in  its  appearance,  as  he  has  cleared 
the  land  and  placed  it  under  cultivation,  adding  substantial  buildings 
and  all  modern  equipments. 

On  the  2ist  of  October,  1845,  M^-  Salisbury  was  married  to  Miss 
Caroline  J.  Milliman,  a  native  of  Ohio,  who  came  to  Cass  county  in 
1842.  They  have  become  the  parents  of  four  children,  who  are  yet  liv- 
ing: Anne,  the  wife  of  Henry  Messenger,  of  Cassopolis;  Eliza,  who 
is  the  wife  of  James  H.  Farnum  and  also  lives  in  Cassopolis;  Arthena 
M.,  the  wife  of  Willet  Verry,  who  is  living  in  California;  and  Guy  L., 
of  Chicago.  After  losing  his  first  wife  Mr.  Salisbury  was  again  mar- 
ried, his  second  union  being  with  Miss  Anna  Cissna,  a  daughter  of  Jo- 
seph Cissna,  who  was  born  in  Detroit,  Michigan,  is  of  French  de- 
scent and  is  now  living  at  the  very  advanced  age  of  ninety-seven  years. 

Mr.  Salisbury  has  been  a  resident  of  Cass  county  for  seventy-two 
years  and  has  aided  in  making  the  county  what  it  is  to-day,  one  of  the 
leading  sections  of  this  great  commonwealth.  He  has  always  voted  for 
men  and  measures  rather  than  party  and  has  held  various  local  offices. 
He  served  on  the  school  board  for  twenty-two  years  and  has  always 
taken  an  active  part  in  public  affairs,  doing  everything  in  his  power  to 
promote  the  work  of  general  progress  and  improvement.  He  has  lived 
peaceably  with  his  fellow  men,  has  ever  been  straightforward  and  hon- 
orable in  all  his  dealings  and  would  sacrifice  his  own  interests  rather 
than  take  advantage  of  another.  He  has  never  had  a  lawsuit  in  all  his 
life  and  has  long  been  recognized  as  a  devoted,  faithful  and  exemplary 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He  has  lived  during  what 
has  been  the  greatest  age  of  invention  in  all  the  history  of  the  world, 
has  seen  the  building  of  the  railroads,  the  introduction  of  the  telegraph 
and  telephone,  the  construction  of  the  interurban  lines,  while  a  revolu- 
tion has  also  been  wrought  in  modes  of  living,  both  upon  the  farm  and 
in  the  city,  because  of  improved  machinery  and  the  introduction  of 
steam  and  electric  power.  It  is  a  marvelous  age  and  Mr.  Salisbury  has 
been  an  interested  witness  of  what  lias  been  accomplished  and  in  his 
special  department  of  life  has  kept  in  touch  with  uniform  progress. 


522  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


JESSE  H.  AUSTIN. 

Jesse  H.  Austin,  supx^rintendent  of  the  Cass  County  Infirmar)^  is 
a  native  of  the  neighboring  state  of  Indiana,  his  birth  having  occurred 
in  South  Bend  on  the  7th  of  November,  1875.  His  father,  W.  H. 
Austin,  was  a  native  of  Calhoun  county,  Michigan,  while  his  mother, 
who  in  her  maidenhood  was  Mary  Hartsell,  was  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania.    The  former  died  when  fifty-four  years  of  age. 

Jesse  H.  Austin,  their  only  son,  was  reared  in  the  city  of  his  na- 
tivity until  about  thirteen  years  of  age,  when  he  came  with  his  father 
to  Cass  county,  settling  in  LaGrange  township  upon  a  farm.  His  moth- 
er had  died  during  their  residence  in  South  Bend  and  the  father  after- 
ward married  Agnes  Townsend,  subsequently  removing  to  Grand  Rap- 
ids, Michigan,  where  his  last  days  were  passed.  Jesse  H.  Austin  re- 
mained with  his  father  until  he  had  attained  his  majority  and  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  through  the  period  of  his  youth  when  not  busy  with 
the  duties  of  the  schoolroom,  wherein  he  acquired  a  good  English  edu- 
cation. He  was  appointed  to  his  present  position  in  1904  and  has  since 
been  keeper  of  the  poor  farm,  in  which  position  he  has  displayed  good 
business  ability  and  discernment.  Under  his  guidance  the  farm  is  made 
a  paying  property,  the  fields  being  well  tilled,  while  good  stock  is  raised 
and  garden  products  are  also  cultivated. 

In  1903  Mr.  Austin  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Maude  Reams, 
a  daughter  of  George  Albert  and  Adella  (Salisbury)  Reams.  In  his 
political  view^s  Mr.  Austin  is  an  earnest  Republican,  supporting  the  party 
since  age  gave  him  the  right  of  franchise.  He  served  as  deputy  sheriff 
in  1901,  1902,  1903  and  a  part  of  1904,  and  during  that  time  was  a 
resident  of  Cassopolis.  He  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias  fraternity 
in  the  county  seat  and  has  recently  united  with  Backus  Lodge,  No.  55, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  and  has  taken  all  three  degrees,  making  him  a  Master 
Mason  and  a  member  of  the  Blue  Lodge.  He  has  a  wide  circle  of  friends 
in  this  county,  where  he  has  lived  from  the  age  of  thirteen  years.  Most 
of  his  life  has  been  devoted  to  the  public  service  and  he  is  regarded  both 
as  a  capable  officer  and  a  popular  citizen^  having  social,  genial  qualities 
which  win  him  warm  and  enduring  friendships. 

AMOS  SMITH. 

Amos  Smith,  now  deceased,  was  born  in  Erie  county,  Pennsylva- 
nia, August  7,  1829,  and  died  in  Battle  Creek,  Michigan,  at  seven  o'clock 
in  the  evening  of  September  18,  1900,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one  years, 
one  month  and  eleven  days.  He  was  a  son  of  Charles  F.  and  Emily 
(Leach)  Smith,  the  latter  a  daughter  of  James  Leach,  one  of  the  brave 
soldiers  of  the  war  of  1S12,  who  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Niagara 
Falls  on  the  26th  of  July,  1814. 

Amos  Smith  acquired  an  academic  education  in  the  county  of  his 


^r-v^yi^ 


GOC^ 


7^>i^«!^<5^ 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  523 

nativity  and  in  the  year  1848  came  to  Michigan,  where  his  first  work 
was  teaching  in  the  Geneva  district  school  in  Penn  township,  being 
then  about  nineteen  years  of  age.  The  following  winter  was  devoted 
to  teaching  in  Yazoo,  Mississippi,  and  upon  his  return  to  his  native  state 
he  taught  writing  and  bookkeeping  for  a  time  and  completed  his  own 
education  in  Clinton,  New  York.  He  had  received  instruction  in  writing 
from  P.  R.  Spencer,  the  originator  of  the  famous  Spencerian  system.^ 
In  the  fall  of  1852  he  returned  to  Cass  county  and  was  once  more  en- 
gaged in  teaching.  He  likewise  extended  his  efforts  to  surveying,  for 
he  had  made  a  study  of  that  profession  in  the  meantime,  and  he  became 
assistant  to  the  county  surveyor.  Later  he  was  made  deputy  county 
surveyor,  and  in  1854  was  elected  to  the  office  of  coimty  surveyor, 
discharging  the  duties  incumbent  upon  him  in  a  very  satisfactory 
manner.  During  the  next  fourteen  years  his  time  was  largely  given 
to  teaching  and  surveying,  and  so  well  did  he  discharge  the  duties  of  the 
different  offices  entrusted  to  him,  and  so  greatly  were  his  services  ap- 
preciated by  the  public  that  he  was  recognized  as  well  qualified  for 
further  political  honors,  and  in  1868  was  chosen  by  popular  suffrage  to 
the  responsible  position  of  state  senator,  being  elected  by  the  Republi- 
can party,  to  the  principles  of  which  he  was  devotedly  attached.  He 
was  also  supervisor  of  his  township  and  he  was  frequently  appointed 
guardian  and  administrator  of  estates,  performing  the  duties  of  those 
positions  in  connection  with  other  official  service.  Ever  alive  to  mat- 
ters of  public  importance,  he  was  one  of  the  most  influential  and  promi- 
nent men  of  his  county,  and  his  efforts  proved  of  far  reaching  value. 

On  the  22nd  of  November,  1855,  Mr.  Smith  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Martha  Jane  East,  who  was  born  in  Wayne  county,  In- 
diana, and  died  at  their  home  in  Cass  county  in  1882,  leaving  a  family 
of  three  sons:  C.  F.,  Fred  E.  and  George  D.  Smith.  On  the  4th  of 
October,  1883,  Mr.  Smith  was  again  married,  his  second  union  being 
with  Miss  Sue  Bogue,  who,  with  the  sons,  mourn  the  loss  of  a  devoted 
husband,  loving  father  and  wise  counselor.  In  the  year  of  his  first 
marriage  he  purchased  forty  acres  of  land,  which  he  continued  to  make 
his  home  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  although  he  steadily  increased  the 
boundaries  of  his  farm  by  additional  purchase  until  he  owned  over  three 
hundred  acres  of  rich,  productive  and  valuable  land.  In  connection 
with  the  tilling  of  the  soil  and  the  production  of  the  cereals  best  adapted 
to  the  climate  he  made  a  specialty  of  fruit  raising,  and  some  of  the  best 
fruit  of  Michigan  was  produced  upon  his  place.  He  was  ever  a  lover  of 
the  beautiful,  especially  as  manifest  in  flowers,  and  he  had  around  him 
many  superb  specimens  of  floriculture.  He  took  great  delight  and 
pleasure  in  working  with  his  flowers  and  his  study  of  conditions  and 
needs  of  plants  led  to  splendid  results. 

Mr.  Smith  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  several 
times  served  as  worshipful  master.     At  the  time  of  his  demise  he  was 


524  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

also  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arch  chapter  at  Cassopolis.  The  first 
master  of  his  lodge,  he  was  chosen  on  various  occasions  to  act  as  its  rep- 
resentative to  the  grand  lodge,  and  at  all  times  he  was  deeply  interested 
in  Masonry  and  in  the  work  of  the  order,  which  finds  the  exemplification 
of  its  principles  in  the  honorable  manhood  and  stalwart  devotion  of  its 
representatives.  A  man  of  much  public  spirit,  Mr.  Smith  ever  endeav- 
ored to  advance  the  best  local  interests  and  perhaps  labored  for  no 
other  cause  more  efficiently  than  for  the  public  schools  of  Vandalia, 
the  upbuilding  of  which  is  due  more  to  him  than  to  any  other  man.  His 
life  was  indeed  of  value  to  his  fellow  townsmen  because  of  his  reliability 
in  business,  his  faithfulness  in  office,  his  devotion  to  the  work  of  gen- 
eral progress  and  his  strict  regard  for  all  the  obligations  and  privileges, 
of  friendship.  He  was  highly  esteemed  wherever  known,  and  most  of 
all  where  best  known,  and  while  he  ever  displayed  commendable  char- 
acteristics, his  best  traits  were  reserved  for  his  family  and  his  imme- 
diate fireside. 

ALAMANDEL  J.  TALLADAY. 

Alamandel  J.  Talladay,  whose  name  is  enrolled  among  the  old  set- 
tlers of  the  county,  resides  on  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
on  section  3,  Jefferson  township,  and  is  one  of  the  best  known  citizens 
of  the  community.  He  was  for  twenty-five  years  in  charge  of  the  coun- 
ty farm,  and  over  the  record  of  his  public  service  there  falls  no  shadow 
of  wrong  or  suspicion  of  evil,  for  he  wa:s  ever  actuated  by  fidelity  to  the 
general  good  and  by  zeal  in  the  faithful  performance  of  the  work  en- 
trusted to  him.  He  has  always  lived  in  the  middle  west,  his  birth  hav- 
ing occurred  in  Osceola  township,  Elkhart  county,  Indiana,  on  the  31st 
of  October,  1845.  His  father,  Jesse  Talladay,  was  a  native  of  New 
York  and  became  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Indiana,  whence  he  after- 
ward removed  to  Michigan,  settling  in  Cass  county  in  1845.  They  set- 
tled in  Mason  township.  Mr.  Talladay  was  engaged  in  farming  up  to 
the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  his  forty-ninth  year  in  Jeffer- 
son township.  He  married  Miss  Sophia  Mechling,  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, who  went  to  Indiana  with  her  parents  and  there  gave  her  hand 
in  marriage  to  Jesse  Talladay.  She  lived  to  be  about  sixty-five  years  of 
age.  In  their  family  were  ten  children,  seven  of  whom  reached  years 
of  maturity. 

Alamandel  J.  Talladay,  the  third  child,  was  about  two  weeks  old 
when  brought  to  Mason  township,  Cass  county.  He  was  reared  upon 
the  old  family  homestead  there  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twelve  years, 
when  he  became  a  resident  of  Jefferson  township.  His  education  was 
acquired  in  a  district  school  near  the  family  home  and  through  the  va- 
cation periods  he  worked  in  the  fields  and  assisted  in  the  farm  labor  un- 
til after  he  had  attained  his  majority.  At  the  death  of  his  father  he  was 
appointed  administrator  of  the  estate  and  managed  the  business  in  ca- 
pable and  energetic  fashion.     In   1874  he  took  charge  of  the  county 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  525 

farm,  continuing  in  the  position  for  eight  years,  after  which  he  be- 
gan farming  on  his  own  account  in  Jefferson  township,  where  he  car- 
ried on  the  work  of  tilling  the  soil  for  five  years.  He  then  once  more 
took  charge  of  the  county  farm  and  was  its  superintendent  for  seven- 
teen years,  so  that  his  service  in  that  position  all  together  covered  twenty- 
five  years.  His  long  incumbency  stands  in  incontrovertible  evidence  of 
his  capability  and  the  trust  reposed  in  him  by  his  fellow  townsmen.  He 
brought  to  bear  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  the  same  earnest  purpose 
and  indefatigable  energy  that  have  always  characterized  him  in  the  man- 
agement of  his  private  business  interests,  and  he  not  only  carefully 
looked  after  those  who  were  dependent  upon  the  county's  bounty  but  also 
by  his  capable  control  made  the  farm  a  paying  institution. 

On  the  i8th  of  September,  1877,  Mr.  Talladay  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Elizabeth  George,  a  native  of  Monroe  county,  New  York, 
born  on  the  14th  of  August,  1857.  Her  parents  were  Luke  and  Maria 
(London)  George,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  near  London,  Eng- 
land. Crossing  the  Atlantic,  they  became  residents  of  the  Empire  state, 
and  in  1865  arrived  in  Cass  county,  Michigan,  taking  up  their  abode  in 
Cassopolis.  The  father  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  ^  follov^ing  that 
pursuit  in  order  to  provide  for  the  needs  and  wants  of  his  family.  Un- 
to him  and  his  wife  were  born  nine  children,  Mrs.  Talladay  being  the 
eighth  in  order  of  birth.  She  was  only  eight  years  of  age  when  brought 
to  this  state,  so  that  the  greater  part  of  her  life  has  been  passed  in  Cass 
county.  The  marriage  of  our  subject  and  his  wife  has  been  blessed  with 
three  sons:  Gideon  W.,  a  successful  merchant  now  engaged  in  the 
hardware  and  furniture  business  at  Cassopolis,  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  and  graduated  in  the  Cassopolis  city  schools  in  the  class 
of  1895.  He  is  also  a  graduate  of  the  Valparaiso  Normal  in  the  class 
in  the  winter  of  1896-97.  He  wedded  Miss  Jessie  Bachelor  and  they 
have  two  little  daughters,  Loween  and  Myrn.  He  is  one  of  the  suc- 
cessful merchants  of  Cassopolis.  Jesse  L.,  who  received  a  common 
school  education  and  also  graduated  in  the  Cassopolis  high  school,  has 
been  on  the  lakes  six  or  seven  years  as  a  sailor.  Ray  G.,  who  grad- 
uated in  the  eighth  grade,  and  was  in  the  eleventh  grade  of  the  Cassop- 
olis high  school,  was  also  a  student  at  the  Valparaiso  Normal.  He 
is  at  home.  All  were  born  in  Jefferson  township.  Mrs.  Talladay  has 
an  old  oaken  chest  which  her  great-grandmother  brought  from  England, 
and  it  is  hand  carved  and  over  a  century  old.  They  also  have  an  old 
almanac  published  in  1838. 

Mr.  Talladay  is  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land 
and  carries  on  the  farm  work  in  energetic  and  able  manner,  so  that  he 
annually  harvests  good  crops.  He  also  has  good  grades  of  stock  upon 
his  place  and  his  farm  is  divided  into  fields  of  convenient  size  by  well 
kept  fences.  In  his  work  he  is  systematic  and  methodical  and  his 
sound  business  judgment  is  manifest  in  the  excellent  results  which  have 
attended  his  labors.     In  politics  he  has  been  a  lifelong  Democrat  where 


526  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

state  and  national  questions  are  involved,  but  at  local  elections  votes 
independently,  considering  only  the  efficiency  of  the  candidate.  He  be- 
longs to  Backus  lodge,  No.  55,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Cassopolis,  also  Kings- 
bury Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  and  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church. 
They  are  highly  esteemed  in  the  communitiy  where  they  reside,  the 
hospitality  of  many  of  the  best  homes  being  cordially  extended  them. 
Mr.  Talladay  is  one  who  is  well  known  because  of  his  fidelity  to  public 
trust  and  his  many  good  qualities  have  gained  for  him  a  favorable 
position  in  the  regard  of  all  who  know  him. 

H.  C.  DAVIS. 

Among  the  thrifty  and  prosperous  farmers  of  Cass  county  is  num- 
bered H.  C.  Davis,  residing  on  section  35,  Jefferson  township.  He  dates 
his  residence  in  the  county  from  1840,  being  a  young  lad  of  but  four 
years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  arrival  here.  His  mind  bears  the  im- 
press of  many  of  the  early  historic  annals  of  the  state  as  well  as  of  later 
day  progress  and  development.  He  is  familiar  with  conditions  which 
existed  when  this  county  was  a  frontier  district,  when  most  of  its  res- 
idents lived  in  log  houses  and  when  the  homes  of  the  settlers  were  wide- 
ly scattered.  Only  here  and  there  was  a  mill  or  business  establishment 
which  could  furnish  the  settlers  with  needed  supplies  of  wearing  ap- 
parel or  food  products.  Journeys  were  taken  very  infrequently  be- 
cause of  the  poor  condition  of  the  roads  and  the  fact  that  the  labor 
of  all  the  people  was  needed  upon  the  farms  in  the  reclamation  of  the 
wild  land  for  the  uses  of  civilization. 

Mr.  Davis  of  this  review,  who  for  long  years  has  successfully  car- 
ried on  farming,  was  bom  in  Clark  county,  Ohio,  on  the  13th  of  Novem- 
ber, 1836.  His  father,  Reuben  B.  Davis,  was  a  native  of  West  Virginia, 
in  which  state  he  remained  until  early  manhood.  When  about  twenty- 
two  years  of  age,  however,  he  removed  westward  to  Clark  county,  Ohio, 
where  he  secured  a  tract  of  land  and  engaged  in  farming.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  that  state  to  Miss  Susanna  Smith,  whose  birth  occurred  in  Clark 
county  on  the  ist  of  February,  181 3.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Henry 
Smith,  who  was  born  in  New  Jersey  and  became  one  of  the  pioneer  res- 
idents of  the  Buckeye  state.  His  marriage,  however,  was  celebrated 
in  Virginia.  He  was  of  German  descent,  while  the  Davis  family  is  of 
Welsh  lineage.  Reuben  B.  Davis  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  eighty 
years,  while  his  wife  passed  away  at  the  extreme  old  age  of  ninety  years, 
her  death  occurring  in  Jeflferson  township.  They  had  removed  from 
Ohio  to  Cass  county  about  1840  and  became  identified  with  pioneer 
interests,  sharing  in  the  arduous  task  of  developing  the  land  and  estab- 
lishing a  home  in  the  midst  of  the  forest.  In  their  family  were  seven 
children,  of  whom  only  three  sons  reached  adult  age,  these  being:  H. 
C.  of  this  review :  James,  a  resident  farmer  of  Jefferson  township ;  and 
Elijah  P.,  who  is  living  in  Boulder  City,  Colorado. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  527 

H.  C.  Davis,  who  was  the  eldest  son  and  second  child  of  the  fam- 
ily, was  only  four  years  of  age  when  brought  by  his  parents  to  Mich- 
igan. The  family  home  was  established  in  Cass  county  and  he  has  re- 
sided uix)n  his  present  farm  for  sixty-five  years.  It  is  dear  to  him 
through  the  associations  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  as  well  as  of  his 
later  manhood.  In  early  life  he  received  loving  care  and  attention  from 
his  parents,  and  in  their  declining  days  he  gave  to  them  filial  aflfection, 
thus  repaying  them  for  their  devotion  in  his  youth.  At  the  usual  age 
he  entered  the  public  schools  and  acquired  a  knowledge  of  the  common 
branches  of  learning  that  equipped  him  for  life's  practical  duties.  His 
training  at  farm  labor  was  not  meager,  for  when  not  busy  with  his 
text-books  he  worked  in  the  fields,  assisting  in  plowing,  planting  and 
harvesting  as  crops  were  brought  to  their  fruition.  When  he  had  at- 
tained man's  estate  he  chose  a  companion  and  helpmate  for  life's  jour- 
ney, being  married  on  the  15th  of  June,  1863,  to  Miss  Samantha  Ros- 
brough,  one  of  the  native  daughters  of  Jefferson  township,  who  has 
spent  her  entire  life  in  this  part  of  the  county.  Her  parents  were  John 
and  Mary  (Richardson)  Rosbrough,  and  the  mother  came  of  Irish 
lineage,  while  the  father  was  of  German  descent.  The  home  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Davis  has  been  blessed  with  three  sons  and  two  daughters,  name- 
ly: Charles  E. ;  Henrietta,  now  the  wife  of  H.  K.  May,  of  Minnesota; 
Fred  S.,  a  resident  farmer  of  Jefferson  township;  Carrie,  the  wife  of 
Dr.  J.  F.  Condon,  who  is  living  in  Breckenridge,  Colorado,  about  one 
hundred  and  ten  miles  from  Denver;  and  Pliny,  of  Dowagiac. 

Mr.  Davis  is  now  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-nine  acres 
of  good  land  constituting  a  well  improved  farm.  His  entire  life  has 
been  given  to  the  occupation  to  which  he  was  reared  and  he  has  found 
in  this  work  a  good  source  of  income,  resulting  from  his  close  applica- 
tion, capable  management  and  straightforward  dealing.  His  first  home 
was  a  log  cabin  that  is  still  standing  upon  the  place.  It  was  erected  in 
1834  and  is  a  mute  reminder  of  the  great  changes  that  have  occurred. 
It  w^as,  however,  a  hospitable  home,  in  which  friends,  neighbors  and 
strangers  were  always  made  welcome.  As  the  financial  resources  in- 
creased, however,  this  primitive  dwelling  was  replaced  by  one  of  more 
modern  architecture  and  also  more  commodious.  There  have  also  been 
great  changes  in  methods  of  farming.  In  his  youth  the  sickle  was  used 
in  the  harvest  field  and  the  sheaves  were  bound  by  hand,  while  the 
threshing  was  done  upon  the  barn  floor,  the  grain  being  tramped  out  by 
horses  or  oxen.  Invention,  however,  brought  improved  farm  machin- 
ery and  Mr.  Davis  has  kept  in  touch  with  the  universal  progress  along 
such  lines.  He  now  has  a  splendidly  improved  farrn,  the  products  of 
which  find  a  ready  sale  upon  the  market,  and  thus  his  income  is  mate- 
rially increased  annually. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Davis  is  an  earnest  Democrat,  active  in 
the  work  of  the  party  where  issues  are  involved,  though  at  local  elec- 
tions he  frequently  votes  independently,  considering  only  the  capabil- 


528  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

ity  of  the  candidate.  In  1885-6  he  was  township  treasurer,  and  from 
1900  until  1904  inclusive  he  was  supervisor  of  his  township.  He  was 
also  school  officer  for  twenty-seven  years  and  the  duties  that  have  de- 
volved upon  him  in  these  connections  have  been  promptly,  faithfully 
and  capably  performed.  He  is  never  remiss  in  citizenship  nor  negli- 
gent in  business,  and  he  has  based  his  business  principles  and  actions 
upon  strict  adherence  to  the  rules  which  govern  industry  and  unswerv- 
ing integrity.  By  constant  exertion  associated  with  good  judgment 
he  has  raised  himself  to  the  position  which  he  now  holds,  having  the 
friendship  of  the  many  and  the  respect  of  all  who  know  him. 

NELSON  E.  THATCHER. 

The  agricultural  interests  of  Penn  township  find  a  worthy  repre- 
sentative in  Nelson  E.  Thatcher,  who  is  living  on  section  20.  Here  he 
owns  eighty  acres  of  land  and  is  carrying  on  farming  along  modern 
lines  of  progressive  agriculture.  He  was  born  in  Ontario  county.  New 
York,  on  the  30th  of  January,  1851,  and  comes  of  English  ancestry, 
the  family,  however,  having  been  founded  in  the  new  world  at  an  early 
period  in  its  colonization.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Israel  Thatcher, 
was  a  native  of  Greenfield,  Massachusetts,  and  removed  from  that  state 
to  New  York,  where  occurred  the  birth  of  Lyman  Thatcher,  father  of 
our  subject.  He  was  reared  to  the  occupation  of  farming  in  the  Em- 
pire state,  where  he  resided  until  about  1883,  when  he  came  to  Mich- 
igan, spending  his  remaining  days  within  its  borders.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  Lansing  in  1900.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Annie  E.  Trembley,  was  born  in  Ontario  county,  New  York,  and  there 
spent  her  girlhood  days,  her  father  being  John  Trembley,  who  was  of 
French  lineage  but  was  born  in  Paterson,  New  Jersey.  Mrs.  Thatcher 
passed  away  in  the  same  year  in  which  her  husband's  death  occurred, 
being  called  to  her  final  rest  on  the  2nd  of  February,  1900.  In  their 
family  were  eleven  children,  five  sons  and  six  daughters,  of  whom 
one  son  and  one  daughter  died  in  childhood,  while  the  others  grew  to 
manhood  or  womanhood. 

Nelson  E.  Thatcher,  who  was  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth  in  this 
family  of  eleven  children,  was  reared  in  his  native  county  and  is  in- 
debted to  the  public  school  system  for  the  educational  privileges  he  en- 
jo3^ed  in  his  youth.  During  the  summer  months  he  assisted  in  farm 
labor  and  remained  at  home  until  twenty-one  years  of  age,  when  he 
started  out  upon  an  independent  business  career.  He  has  since  won  a 
fair  measure  of  success,  which  is  attributable  entirely  to  his  own  well- 
directed  labor  and  unfaltering  diligence.  He  was  married  in  1874  to 
Miss  Mary  E.  Fenton,  who  died  in  March,  1884,  leaving  four  sons,  the 
youngest  being  about  sixteen  months  old.  These  were :  Sylvester  F.,  who 
is  now  a  resident  of  Portland,  Oregon ;  Nelson  K,  deceased ;  Holester  W., 
also  living  in  Portland;  and  Ernest  M.,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the  United 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  529 

States  army  and  died  in  the  Philippine  Islands.  After  losing  his  first 
wife  Mr.  Thatcher  was  again  married  in  1896,  his  second  union  being 
with  Lillian  S.  Brody,  the  widow  of  Frank  White  and  a  daughter  of 
Hugh  and  Annie  Brody.  Her  parents  and  grandparents  were  pioneer 
residents  of  Cass  county  and  she  was  Ixirn  upon  the  farm  on  section  20, 
Penn  township,  where  she  has  spent  the  greater  part  of  her  life.  Mr. 
Thatcher  came  to  Cass  county  in  1895.  He  afterward  went  to  North 
Dakota,  locating  at  Sheldon,  where  he  accepted  a  clerkship  in  a  general 
store.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  returned  to  Cass  county  and 
located  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  purchasing  the  interest  of  the 
old  Brody  homestead  from  the  other  heirs.  He  has  built  a  good  barn, 
has  improved  the  place  in  many  ways  and  has  now  an  excellent  prop- 
erty, attractive  in  its  appearance  and  equipped  with  all  modern  acces- 
sories. He  has  been  offered  a  good  price  for  his  farm,  showing  that 
it  is  one  of  the  valuable  properties  of  the  locality.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Democrat  and  he  belongs  to  the  Masonic  lodge  at  Vandalia.  Although 
his  residence  in  Cass  county  covers  a  comparatively  brief  period  he  has 
become  widely  and  favorably  known  and  the  circle  of  his  friends  is 
constantly  growing. 

NATHAN  JONES. 

Nathan  Jones,  a  retired  farmer  and  one  of  the  old  settlers  of  Cass 
county,  is  living  on  section  21,  Penn  township.  He  has  passed  the 
eighty-first  milestone  on  life's  journey,  his  birth  having  occurred  in 
Preble  county,  Ohio,  April  6,  1824.  His  father,  George  Jones,  was  a 
native  of  Georgia  and  was  a  son  of  George  Jones,  Sr.,  whose  birth  like- 
wise occurred  in  the  same  state,  whence  he  removed  to  Ohio  on  account 
of  slavery  in  the  south,  establishing  his  home  in  Preble  county.  He  was 
a  Friend  or  Quaker  in  his  religious  faith  and  he  lived  to  be  about  sixty- 
six  years  of  age.  After  spending  some  years  in  Ohio  he  sought  a  home 
in  Michigan,  locating  in  Penn  township,  Cass  county,  in  1829,  which 
was  several  years  before  the  admission  of  the  state  into  the  Union.  He 
was  accompanied  by  four  of  his  sons  and  they  took  an  active  and  help- 
ful part  in  the  development  and  early  progress  of  the  county.  The  fam- 
ily is  of  Welsh  descent,  but  the  first  representatives  of  the  name  in 
America  came  from  England  to  the  new  world. 

George  Jones,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  a  yoimg  man  when  his 
parents  removed  to  Preble  cotmty,  Ohio,  and  there  he  was  reared  to  the 
occupation  of  farming,  which  he  has  made  his  life  work.  He  came  to 
Cass  county,  Michigan,  at  the  same  time  his  father  and  brothers  sought 
a  home  in  this  state,  and  from  the  government  he  entered  a  tract  of  land 
in  Penn  township;  upon  which  not  a  furrow  had  been  turned  nor  an  im- 
provement made.  With  characteristic  energy,  however,  he  began  till- 
ing the  soil  and  planting  crops  and  in  due  course  of  time  had  developed 
a  good  farm.  He  had  lived  for  six  years  in  the  county  before  he  could 
enter  his  land  and  he  took  a  helpful  part  in  the  work  of  early  improve- 


530  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

ment  and  progress.  He  died  when  a  comparatively  young  man,  pass- 
ing away  at  the  age  of  thirty-two  years.  His  wife  bore  the  maiden  name 
of  Mary  Bogue  and  was  born  in  North  CaroHna,  where  her  girlhood 
days  were  passed.  She  removed  with  her  parents  to  Ohio.  Her  father 
was  Joseph  Bogue,  also  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  who  was  of  Quaker 
faith,  adhering  closely  to  that  religious  denomination  up  to  the  time  of 
his  demise.  Mrs.  Jones  reached  the  very  advanced  age  of  eighty-two 
years,  thus  long  surviving  her  husband.  In  their  family  were  six  chil- 
dren. 

Nathan  Jones,  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  was  only  five  years  of 
age  when  brought  by  his  parents  from  Preble  county,  Ohio,  to  Cass 
county,  Michigan,  and  he  was  reared  in  Penn  township  amid  the  wild 
scenes  of  pioneer  life,  sharing  with  the  fqinily  in  all  the  hardships, 
privations  and  trials  incident  to  the  settlement  of  the  frontier.  When 
a  boy  he  pursued  his  education  in  a  log  school  house,  sitting  upon  a 
slab  bench.  In  one  end  of  the  room  was  a  large  fire-place  and  the 
desks  were  made  of  slabs  laid  upon  pins  driven  into  the  wall.  The 
methods  of  instruction  were  also  primitive  and  he  frequently  made 
his  way  through  the  snow  for  three  miles  in  order  to  attend  school. 
The  family  were  left  in  somewhat  limited  financial  circumstances,  so 
that  his  privileges  were  comparatively  meager.  He  assisted  his  mother 
upon  the  old  home  farm  up  to  the  time  of  his  marriage,  which  occurred 
in  1847,  Miss  Lydia  Bonine  becoming  his  wife.  She  was  a  daughter 
of  Isaac  and  Sarah  Bonine,  who  settled  in  Cass  county  in  1842.  Mrs. 
Jones  was  born  in  Wayne  county,  Indiana,  and  died  in  this  county  in 
1899  when  about  seventy-one  years  of  age.  By  her  marriage  she  had 
become  the  mother  of  six  children,  namely:  Mary  E.,  Sarah  Inda, 
Isaac  B.,  George,  Warner  D.  and  one  who  died  in  infancy.  In  1900, 
Mr.  Jones  was  again  married,  his  second  union  being  with  Louisa  Jones, 
who  was  born  in  London,  England,  but  was  brought  to  the  United 
States  during  her  infancy. 

Mr.  Jones  has  been  a  resident  of  Cass  county  for  seventy-six  years 
and  throughout  that  entire  time  has  been  connected  with  agricultural 
pursuits.  He  owns  three  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Penn  township  and 
his  valuable  farm  with  its  excellent  improvements  and  richly  cultivated 
fields  indicates  a  life  of  thrift  and  enterprise.  He  is  a  stanch  Pro- 
hibitionist in  political  matters  and  formerly  was  a  Republican,  and 
for  many  years  has  served  as  township  supervisor  of  Penn  township. 
In  his  religious  faith  he  holds  to  the  church  of  his  ancestors  and  is  a 
Friend  or  Quaker.  His  life  has  been  ever  honorable  and  upright  and 
he  has  never  been  known  to  take  advantage  of  the  necessities  of  his 
fellow  men  in  any  trade  transaction.  Few  of  the  citizens  of  the  county 
have  so  long  resided  within  its  borders  and  his  name  is  indelibly  en- 
graved upon  the  pages  of  its  history.  His  memory  goes  back  to  the 
time  when  there  were  few  roads  through  the  forests  and  the  traveler 
often  found  his  way  by  means  of  a  blazed  trail.     There  were  no  rail- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  631 

roads,  no  telegraphs  nor  telephones  and  only  here  and  there  would  be 
found  a  little  clearing  to  indicate  that  the  work  of  improvement  had 
been  begun.  The  few  homes  were  mostly  log  cabins  and  similar  struct- 
ures were  used  for  school  purposes  or  houses  of  worship.  The  farm 
machinery  was  very  crude  as  compared  to  that  in  use  at  the  present  day. 
The  mowing  was  done  with  a  scythe  or  sickle,  the  gram  bound  by 
hand  and  was  threshed  out  with  oxen  or  horses.  Most  of  the  cooking 
was  done  over  a  big  fire-place  and  much  of  the  clothing  of  the  family 
was  woven  by  the  women  of  the  household.  Great  changes  have  oc- 
curred and  Mr.  Jones  has  kept  in  touch  with  the  universal  progress, 
rejoicing  in  what  has  been  accomplished  as  Cass  county  has  won  a 
place  among  the  leading  counties  of  this  great  commonwealth. 

GILBERT  WHITE. 

Gilbert  White,  a  retired  farmer  living  in  Cassopolis,  was  born  in 
Allegany  county,  New  York,  on  the  i8th  of  September,  1835,  and  in 
both  the  paternal  and  maternal  lines  comes  of  Irish  and  English  an- 
cestry His  parents  were  Albert  and  Rhoda  (Castleman)  White.  Ihe 
father  was  born  in  Seneca  county.  New  York,  and  in  the  year  1843 
emigrated  westward  to  Cass  county,  Michigan,  reaching  his  destina- 
tion on  the  loth  of  September.  As  a  pioneer  settler  he  was  identified 
with  the  work  of  early  progress  and  improvement  and  his  aid  could 
always  be  counted  upon  to  further  any  measure  for  the  local  good. 
His  time  and  energies  were  devoted  to  farming  and  he  contributed  to 
the  agricultural  prosperity  of  the  community.  He  voted  with  the 
Whig  party  until  its  dissolution  and  then  became  a  stanch  Democrat. 
His  death  occurred  November  25,  1876,  when  he  was  in  the  seventy- 
fourth  year  of  his  age.  His  wife,  also  a  native  of  the  Empire  state, 
died  in  Cass  county  when  about  fifty-five  years  of  age.  They  were 
the  parents  of  five  sons  and  one  daughter,  all  of  whom  reached  years 
of  maturity,  but  the  daughter  died  when  about  twenty-two  years  of 
age,  and  the  sons  have  also  passed  away  with  the  exception  of  Gilbert 
White  and  his  brother,  Nathaniel  White,  who  is  now  living  in  Penn 

township.  .      ,      f      -1 

Gilbert  White  was  the  youngest  son  and  fifth  child  m  the  family 
and  was  but  eight  years  of  age  when  he  became  a  resident  of  Cass 
county.  His  youth  was  passed  upon  the  old  family  homestead,  where 
he  early  began  work  in  the  fields,  aiding  in  the  work  of  plowing,  plant- 
ing and  harvesting.  The  district  schools  afforded  him  his  educational 
privileges  and  he  had  to  walk  two  and  a  half  miles  to  the  little  oM 
school  house  in  Penn.  His  education  was  therefore  acquired  under 
somewhat  unfavorable  ciraimstances.  His  training  at  farm  labor,  how- 
ever, was  not  meager  and  he  remained  at  home  assisting  in  the  work 
of  the  farm  until  twenty-one  years  of  age,  when  he  started  out  in 
life  on  his  own   account.     As   a  companion   and  helpmate   for  life's 


532  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

journey  he  chose  Miss  EHzabeth  Broner,  whom  he  wedded  in  1857. 
She  was  born  in  New  York  city  and  was  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Mary 
Broner.  She  came  to  Cass  county  in  1857  and  the  same  year  gave 
her  hand  in  marriage  to  Mr.  White. 

Following  his  marriage  Gilbert  White  purchased  his  father's  farm, 
took  up  his  abode  thereon  and  was  engaged  in  general  farm  work  until 
the  fall  of  1880,  when  he  came  to  Cassopolis.  He  then  retired  from 
active  business  and  enjoyed  a  well  earned  rest  for  a  number  of  years, 
but  in  1890  once  more  entered  the  field  of  business  activity  and  has 
since  been  engaged  in  dealing  in  agricultural  implements  in  addition 
to  looking  after  his  farm  property  in  Penn  township,  comprising  one 
hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land.  He  carries  a  good  line  of  farm  ma- 
chinery of  the  best  makes  and  his  patronage  is  extensive  and  is  con- 
stantly growing. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  White  have  been  born  three  children :  Frank 
A.,  now  deceased;  Evadell,  the  wife  of  Aaron  Reinhart,  who  resides 
upon  the  old  family  homestead;  and  Floyd  B.,  who  is  living  in  Cassop- 
olis. Mr.  White  belongs  to  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen, 
with  which  he  has  been  connected  for  twenty-three  years.  He  also 
holds  membership  relations  with  the  Benevolent  &  Protective  Order  of 
Elks  and  since  attaining  his  majority  has  given  his  support  to  the 
Democracy.  He  has  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  and  other 
local  positions  and  for  about  twenty  years  has  been  a  member  of  the 
school  board,  taking  an  active  interest  in  the  cause  of  public  education 
and  in  various  movements  and  plans  for  substantial  advancement  in 
the  county.  He  has  lived  in  the  county  for  sixty-three  years  and  his 
position  in  public  regard  has  been  w^on  through  a  strict  adherence  to 
high  and  manly  principles.  In  his  business  dealings  he  has  never  been 
known  to  take  advantage  of  the  necessities  of  his  fellow  men  in  any 
trade  transaction,  but  in  the  legitimate  channels  of  trade  has  gained 
the  competence  which  he  now  enjoys.  He  has  traveled  lifers  journey 
with  his  wife  for  almost  a  half  century  and  they  are  regarded  as  a  most 
estimable  couple  whose  names  should  be  engraved  high  upon  the  roll  of 
honored  pioneer  settlers  and  who  justly  deserve  prominent  mention  in 
the  history  of  this  part  of  the  state. 

THOMAS  J.  LILLEY. 

Thomas  J.  Lilley  is  numbered  among  the  early  settlers  of  Cass 
county  who  for  many  years  has  been  an  interested  witness  of  the 
changes  that  have  occurred  here  and  the  transition  that  has  been  wrought 
as  time  and  man  have  brought  the  county  to  its  present  position  of 
advancement  and  development.  He  lives  on  section  18,  La  Grange 
township,  and  is  the  owner  of  four  hundred  and  forty-six  acres  of  rich 
and  valuable  land,  but  leaves  the  work  of  tilling  the  soil  to  others, 
while  he  is  now  living  retired  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  well  earned  rest. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  533 

His  birth  occurred  in  LaGrange  township  on  the  13th  of  October,  1844, 
and  he  is  therefore  among  the  older  of  the  native  sons  of  the  county. 
His  parents  were  David  and  Sarah  (Simpson)  Lilley,  in  whose  family 
were  four  children.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Ohio  and  emigrating 
westward  cast  in  his  lot  with  the  pioneer  residents  of  Cass  county.  He 
entered  a  small  claim  from  the  government,  was  married  in  LaGrange 
township  and  reared  his  family  upon  his  home  farm  here.  He  was 
identified  with  the  making  of  Cass  county,  with  its  permanent  improve- 
ment and  substantial  development,  and  his  fellow  townsmen  recognized 
in  him  a  citizen  of  worth  and  value.  His  political  allegiance  was  given 
to  the  Democracy.  It  was  in  this  county  that  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Sarah  Simpson,  a  native  of  Virginia,  who  was  brought  to  Michigan  by 
her  parents  when  about  four  years  of  age.  Her  father  was  Thomas 
Simpson,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  this  part  of  the  state,  living  m 
LaGrange  township,  where  he  aided  in  the  reclamation  of  the  wild 
land  for  the  purposes  of  civilization.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  David  Lilley  long 
traveled  life's  journey  together,  the  former  passing  away  when  in  his 
eighty-first  vear  and  the"  latter  when  seventy-nine  years  of  age.  Of 
their  children  three  are  now  living,  Thomas  J.  being  the  eldest  and 
the  only  surviving  son.  His  two  sisters  are :  Matilda,  the  wife  of 
Austin  Charles,  o'f  Decatur,  Michigan ;  and  Catharine,  now  the  wife 
of  Orville  Wales,  of  Chicago. 

In  taking  up  the  personal  history  of  Thomas  J.  Lilley  we  present 
to  our  readers  the  life  record  of  one  who  has  a  wide  and  favorable  ac- 
quaintance in  Cass  county,  for  during  long  years  he  has  lived  within 
its  borders,  shaping  his  life  in  accordance  with  rules  of  upright  conduct, 
of  honor  in  business,  loyalty  in  citizenship  and  devotion  to  all  that  is 
commendable  in  friendship  and  home  life.  In  the  period  of  his  youth 
he  assisted  his  father  in  carrying  on  the  work  of  the  farm  and  m 
early  manhood  sought  a  companion  and  helpmate  for  life's  journey, 
being  married  in  1867  to  Miss  Nancy  Hurdle,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and 
Catherine  (Brown)  Hurdle.  Her  father  was  born  on  the  ocean  while 
his  parents  were  crossing  from  Germany  and  the  mother  was  a  native 
of  Ohio.  They  became  residents  of  Cass  county  in  1833,  settling  in 
Wayne  township,  where  they  cast  in  their  lot  with  the  pioneer  settlers. 
Mr.  Hurdle  did  his  full  share  in  improving  and  developing  this  region 
and  his  value  in  the  work  of  reclamation  was  acknowledged  by  all  who 
knew  of  his  career.  Mrs.  Lilley  was  born  on  the  family  homestead  in 
Wayne  township,  June  29,  1848,  and  has  lived  all  her  life  in  Cass 
county.  In  their 'family  were  three  daughters:  Lora,  the  wife  of 
John  Shephard,  who  resides  upon  the  old  homestead  in  LaGrange  town- 
ship: Birdie,  at  home:  and  Sadie,  the  wife  of  Dr.  L.  C.  Simmons,  of 
Shelbyville,  Indiana.  All  were  born  in  LaGrange  township,  where  Mr. 
Lilley  has  spent  his  entire  life.  He  has  carried  on  farming  throughout 
his  entire  business  career,  but  leaves  the  more  active  work  of  the  fields 
to  others  at  the  present  time.     His  possessions  embrace  four  hundred 


534  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

and  forty-six  acres  of  rich  and  arable  land  under  a  high  state  of  culti- 
vation and  well  improved  with  modern  equipments.  He  has  prospered 
in  his  business  affairs  and  he  now  rents  his  farm,  resting  in  the  en- 
joyment of  the  fruits  of  his  former  toil  and  in  the  competence  which 
comes  to  him  from  the  rental  of  his  place.  He  has  erected  many  build- 
ings in  the  county  and  has  lived  a  life  of  untiring  industry  and  enter- 
prise resulting  in  success.  He  votes  with  the  Democracy  but  has  never 
sought  or  desired  office,  preferring  to  give  his  undivided  attention  to 
his  business  affairs.  He  started  out  on  his  own  account  at  an  early  age 
and  has  steadily  worked  his  way  upward  undeterred  by  the  difficulties 
and  obstacles  that  one  always  meets  in  a  business  career.  These  on  the 
other  hand  seemed  to  serve  as  an  impetus  for  renewed  effort  and  his 
purposeful  action  and  sound  judgment  have  made  him  one  of  the 
prosperous  residents  of  the  community. 

JOSEPH  H.  JOHNSON. 

Joseph  H.  Johnson,  living  on  section  8,  Penn  township,  is  a  native 
of  Monroe  county.  New  York,  his  birth  having  occurred  about  six  miles 
east  of  Rochester  on  the  2nd  of  March,  1840.  His  father,  Job  John- 
son, was  a  native  of  England,  and  when  a  young  man  came  to  America, 
for  he  had  heard  favorable  reports  concerning  business  opportunities 
in  the  United  States  and  hoped  to  better  his  financial  condition  by  emi- 
grating to  the  new  world.  When  a  young  man  in  England  he  learned 
the  blacksmith's  trade  and  thus  had  a  good  foundation  upon  which  to 
build  the  superstructure  of  success  after  crossing  the  Atlantic.  Being 
favorably  impressed  with  his  adopted  land,  he  afterward  returned  to 
England  for  his  bride  and  was  married  there  to  Miss  Andulusia  Greg- 
ory, a  native  of  England,  whom  he  then  brought  with  him  to  the  United 
States,  arriving  here  about  1838.  They  located  in  Monroe  county.  New 
York,  where  they  resided  continuously  until  the  spring  of  1852,  when 
they  came  to  Cass  county,  Michigan.  Mr.  Johnson  secured  land  about 
a  mile  south  of  Vandalia,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming.  There  he 
died  at  the  age  of  fifty-three  years,  while  his  wife  passed  away  in  her 
fiftieth  year.  By  the  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Johnson  there  were  born 
five  children,  and  by  his  second  marriage — Miss  Fannie  Doyle  becoming 
his  wife — ^there  were  born  three  children. 

'  '  Joseph  H.  Johnson  is^  the  eldest  of  the  first  family,  and  in  Monroe 
county.  New  York,  he  spent  the  first  twelve  years  of  his  life,  becoming 
a  public  school  vStudent  there.  Subsequently  he  continued  his  studies  in 
Cass  county  following  the  removal  of  his  parents  to  Michigan.  His 
mother  died,  however,  when  he  was  only  about  thirteen  years  of  age, 
and  he  then  started  out  in  life  on  his  own  account.  He  worked  by  the 
month  during  the  summer  seasons  and  in  the  winter  attended  school. 
Desirous  of  gaining  a  good  education  and  realizing  its  value  as  a 
factor  in  a  successful  business  career,  .he  attended  Hillsdale  College  in 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  535 

1864,  providing  for  the  expenses  of  the  college  course  by  his  own  labor. 
After  his  marriage  he  rented  the  Bonine  farm  for  six  years,  and  then 
with  the  capital  which  he  had  acquired  through  his  own  earnings  he 
bought  a  tract  of  land  of  eighty  acres.  Later  he  spent  four  years  in  a 
jewelry  store  at  Columbus,  Indiana,  after  which  he  returned  to  Cass 
county  and  purchased  a  second  farm,  becoming  owner  of  the  property 
which  he  now  occupies.  Later  he  again  spent  two  years  in  Columbus  as 
a  bookkeeper  in  a  large  flouring  mill,  but  once  more  he  again  took  up 
his  abode  in  Cass  county,  making  his  home  with  his  brother. 

In  1867  Mr.  Johnson  married  Miss  Caroline  Davis,  a  daughter 
of  Allen  and  Hannah  Davis.  She  died  December  25,  1869,  leaving  one 
child  that  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Johnson  is  now  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres  of 
land  in  Penn  township  and  also  forty  acres  in  LaGrange  township.  He 
is  likewise  one  of  the  directors  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Cassopolis, 
in  which  he  has  been  a  stockholder  for  over  thirty  years.  In  fact  he  is 
one  of  the  oldest  stockholders  of  the  institution.  In  his  business  life 
he  has  been  thoroughly  reliable  and  all  that  he  possesses  is  attributable 
to  his  energy  and  careful  management.  Since  age  gave  to  him  the  right 
of  franchise  he  has  been  a  Republican,  actively  interested  in  the  work 
of  the  party  and  its  success  and  doing  all  in  his  power  for  the  extension 
of  its  local  influence.  He  has  served  as  township  supervisor  for  one 
term  and  was  also  township  treasurer  for  two  years,  and  he  is  now  a 
member  of  the  county  central  committee,  with  which  he  has  been  thus 
allied  for  a  number  oi  years.  His  interest  in  behalf  of  public  progress 
and  improvement  has  been  manifest  by  active  co-operation  in  many 
movements  for  the  general  good.  Starting  out  in  life  for  himself  at  the 
early  age  of  thirteen  years,  he  soon  became  acquainted  with  earnest  and 
unremitting  toil  and  gained  a  realization  of  the  fact  that  only  through 
close  and  persistent  effort  may  honorable  success  be  achieved.  He  has 
used  his  opportunities  to  the  best  possible  advantage,  and  as  the  years 
have  gone  by  he  has  wisely  invested  in  property  that  is  now  classed  with 
the  fine  farms  of  Penn  township. 

BENJAMIN  F.  GARWOOD. 

Among  the  early  settlers  who  have  long  been  witnesses  of  the 
growth  and  development  of  Cass  county  is  numbered  Benjamin  F. 
Garwood,  who  now  makes  his  home  on  section  3,  Penn  township,  where 
he  owns  a  Vvcll  improved  farm  of  ninety  acres.  He  still  gives  personal 
supervision  to  the  property  and  the  cultivation  of  the  fields  and  his  life 
,  record  in  this  respect  should  put  to  shame  many  a  man  of  much  younger 
vears,  who,  having  grown  weary  of  the  struggles  of  a  business  career, 
would  relegate  to  others  the  burdens  that  he  should  bear.  Mr.  Gar- 
wood  has   now   passed   the   seventy-ninth   milestone   on   life's   journey 


536  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

but  is  yet  a  factor  in  agricultural  circles  here,  giving  supervision  to  the 
care  of  his  farm. 

A  native  of  Logan  county,  Ohio,  he  was  born  on  the  19th  of 
May,  1827,  and  was  third  in  order  of  birth  in  a  family  of  eleven  chil- 
dren, five  sons  and  six  daughters,  all  of  whom  with  one  exception 
reached  adult  age.  Their  parents  were  William  and  Elizabeth  (Brown) 
Garwood,  the  father  born  in  Virginia  and  the  mother  in  North  Caro- 
lina. The  father  was  reared,  however,  in  Logan  county,  Ohio,  and 
was  there  married  to  Miss  Brown.  They  resided  for  a  long  period  in 
Ohio,  whence  they  came  to  Cass  county,  Michigan,  about  1845,  'ocat- 
mg  in  Jefferson  township,  but  Mr.  Garwood  soon  afterward  purchased 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  in  P'enn  township,  to  which  farm 
he  removed  his  family,  but  afterward  was  a  resident  of  Missouri  for 
some  time,  continuing  there  about  two  years,  when  he  returned  to 
Penn  township  to  reside  up  to  the  time  of  his  demise.  His  widow  sur- 
vived him  and  died  in  Missouri. 

Benjamin  F.  Garwood  was  about  eighteen  years  of  age  when 
he  came  with  his  parents  to  Michigan.  He  had  attended  the  district 
schools  of  Logan  county  and  he  continued  his  studies  in  the  district 
schools  of  Jefferson  township,  Cass  county,  which  he  attended  through 
the  winter  months,  while  during  the  remainder  of  the  year  he  worked 
at  farm  labor.  He  continued  to  assist  in  the  cultivation  of  the  fields 
and  in  harvesting  the  crops  until  his  marriage  on  the  27th  of  October, 
1853,  to  Miss  Catharine  Lamb.  There  were  four  sons  and  four 
daughters  born  of  that  marriage :  Elvira,  Mary  Ann,  William,  Charles, 
Lydia,  Warren,  Euceba  and  John  A.  The  mother  passed  away  Octo- 
ber 8,  1881.  On  the  12th  of  April,  1883,  Mr.  Garwood  was  again 
married,  his  second  union  being-  with  Malinda  T.  Bonine,  who  was 
born  in  Henry  county,  Indiana,  December  2,  1835,  and  was  a  daughter 
of  Simeon  and  Olive  (Elliott)  Thomas.  Her  first  husband  was  Jacob 
Bonme  and  to  them  were  born  two  children :  Lot  J.  and  Olive.  Mrs. 
Garwood  came  to  Michigan  about  1854.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Garwood 
are  old  settlers  of  Cass  county  and  are  widely  and  favorably  known. 
His  first  presidential  vote  was  cast  for  a  Republican  candidate.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Friends'  Church  and  his  life  has  been  in  svmpathy 
with  that  religious  sect,  whose  followers  exemplify  a  spirit  of  Christian 
patience,  consideration  and  virtue  that  has  made  them  widely  known 
and  has  awakened  a  universal  feeling  of  respect  for  the  denomination 
which  they  represent. 

ULYSSES  S.  EBY. 

Ulvsses  S.  Eby,  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  in  Cassopolis, 
w^here  his  thorough  understanding  of  iudicial  principles  and  careful 
preparation  of  cases  have  been  manifest  in  the  able  manner  in  which  he 
has  handled  in  the  courts  the  litigated  interests  entrusted  to  his  care, 
was  born  in  Porter  township,  this  county,  on  the  7th  of  August,  1864^ 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  53T 

his  parents  being  Gabriel  and  Caroline  (Wagner)  Eby.  The  father 
came  to  this  county  in  1842  and  has  remained  on  his  farm  ever  since. 
He  was  born  in  Ohio,  while  his  wife  is  a  native  of  Germany,  having 
been  born  near  the  Rhine. 

After  attending  the  common  schools  U.  S.  Eby  became  a  student 
in  Valparaiso  University  at  Valparaiso,  Indiana,  and  was  graduated  in 
law  in  June,  1900.  Prior  to  this  time  he  had  successfully  engaged  in 
teaching  school  in  Cass  county  and  following  his  admission  to  the  bar 
he  entered  at  once  upon  the  active  practice  of  his  profession,  in  which 
he  has  continued  since  with  a  large  and  distinctively  representative 
clientage.  The  true  measure  of  success  is  determined  by  what  one  has 
accomplished  and,  as  taken  in  contradistinction  to  the  old  adage  that 
a  prophet  is  not  without  honor  save  in  his  own  country,  there  is  par- 
ticular interest  attaching  to  the  career  of  the  subject  of  this  review, 
since  he  is  a  native  son  of  the  county  where  he  has  passed  his  active 
life  and  so  directed  his  ability  and  efforts  as  to  gain  recognition  as  one 
of  the  representative  citizens  and  able  lawyers  of  Cassopolis.  In  1896 
he  was  elected  county  clerk  and  held  the  position  for  two  years.  In 
1900  he  was  chosen  by  popular  suffrage  to  the  office  of  prosecuting  at- 
torney, in  which  capacity  he  also  served  for  two  years,  while  for  three 
years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  education. 

On  the  26th  of  September,  1888,  Mr.  Eby  was  married  at  Union, 
Michigan,  to  Miss  Clara  A.  Loupee,  a  daughter  of  Oscar  Loupee,  of 
Vandalia,  Michigan,  and  they  have  one  son,  Ulysses  Guy  Eby,  born 
August  25,  1889.  Mr.  Eby  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  the  Modern 
Maccabees,  which  he  joined  in  1892  as  a  charter  member  at  Jones, 
Michigan.  For  two  years  he  was  commander  of  the  tent.  In  politics 
he  is  a  stalwart  Democrat,  although  his  seven  brothers  are  all  Re- 
publicans. In  1890  he  joined  the  Free  Baptist  church  at  Union,  Mich- 
igan, and  is  still  identified  therewith.  He  is  a  respected  and  worthy 
citizen  of  Cassopolis,  where  his  professional  labors,  his  political  service 
and  his  fidelity  to  social  and  moral  obligations  have  made  him  a  man 
worthy  of  the  high  regard  and  esteem  which  is  uniformly  accorded 
him. 

PETER  EBY. 

Peter  Eby,  who  for  fifty-eight  years  has  been  a  resident  of  Porter 
township,  may  well  be  termed  one  of  the  old  settlers  of  the  county  and 
has  demonstrated  his  right  in  many  ways  to  rank  with  its  represent- 
ative citizens,  for  he  belongs  to  that  class  of  men  who  in  the  faithful 
performance  of  each  dav's  duties  of  every  public  task  devolving  upon 
him,  manifests  his  loyalty  and  interest  in  the  general  good.  He  re- 
sides on  section  6,  south  Porter  township,  and  is  a  native  of  Elkhart 
county,  Indiana,  born  on  the  Qth  of  August,  1848.  He  is  the  eldest 
son  of  Gabriel  and  Caroline  (Wagner)  Eby,  and  was  only  about  two 
months    old    when    the   parents   removed    from    Indiana    to    Mjichigan, 


538  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

settling  in  Porter  township.  He  has  therefore  been  a  lifelong  resident 
of  Cass  county  and  yet  resides  in  the  township  where  his  boyhood  and 
youth  were  spent.  He  remained  at  home  until  twenty-one  years  of 
age  and  assisted  in  clearing  up  and  improving  the  farm.  When  he  was 
about  twenty-five  years  of  age  he  bought  the  land  upon  which  he  now 
resides.  In  the  winter  seasons  he  attended  the  early  schools  of  the 
township,  spending  about  three  months  each  year  in  school,  while 
the  remainder  of  the  time  was  given  to  the  task  of  plowing,  planting 
and  harvesting.  He  continued  to  work  in  the  fields  for  the  benefit 
of  his  father  until  he  attained  his  majority. 

Mr.  Eby  won  a  companion  and  helpmate  for  life's  journey  when, 
in  1 87 1,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Carman,  a  daughter 
of  Chauncey  and  Elsie  J.  (Adams)  Carman,  who  was  born  in  Win- 
nebago county,  Illinois,  and  was  there  reared  to  the  age  of  thirteen 
years,  at  which  time  she  came  to  Porter  township,  Cass  county,  with 
her  parents.  Mr.  Eby  has  a  farm  of  eighty  acres,  upon  which  he  has 
made  all  of  the  improvements.  There  are  now  substantial  buildings 
upon  the  place,  good  machinery  and  well  tilled  fields.  He  raises  the 
cereals  best  adapted  to  soil  and  climate  and  also  has  some  good  stock 
upon  his  place,  but  his  attention  is  chiefly  given  to  the  cultivation  of  his 
fields. 

♦Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eby  have  been  born  three  children :  Florence, 
the  wife  of  George  Wagner,  of  Mason  township;  Raymond,  who  is 
upon  the  home  farm  and  who  married  Lois  E.  Richardson,  a  daughter 
of  Jesse  and  Clara  Richardson,  well  known  residents  of  Porter  town- 
ship; and  Ralph  C,  who  is  attending  college  in  South  Bend,  Indiana. 
The  attractiveness  of  Cass  county  as  a  place  of  residence  is  indicated 
by  the  fact  that  many  of  her  native  sons  have  remained  within  her 
borders  and  Mr.  Eby  may  be  classed  with  this  number,  as  he  was  but 
two  months  old  when  brought  to  Michigan.  He  early  became  familiar 
with  the  best  methods  of  cultivating  and  improving  land  and  on  at- 
taining his  majority  determined  to  devote  his  life  to  the  occupation  to 
which  he  was  reared.  Not  to  the  fact  of  any  fortunate  combination  of 
circumstances  has  he  prospered,  but  through  his  own  unfaltering  labor, 
perseverance  and  diligent  ef¥ort — qualities  which  may  be  cultivated  by 
all  and  which  ever  produce  the  best  results.  In  his  political  views  Mr. 
Eby  is  a  Republican,  active  in  the  support  of  the  party,  with  which  he 
has  been  allied  since  attaining  his  majority.  He  has  never  been  away 
from  his  present  farm  for  more  than  four  weeks  at  a  time  and  with 
persistent  purpose  has  carried  on  his  work,  being  today  one  of  the 
representative  agriculturists  of  the  community. 

HIRAM  SMITH. 

Hiram  Smith,  who  is  engaged  in  farming  on  section  20,  Calvin 

township,  was  born  in  Genesee  county.  New  York,  January  5,   1836. 

'  His  father,  Samuel  Smith,  -was  a  native  of  the  Empire  state  and  came 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  539 

to  Cass  county  in  1835,  locating  his  land  in  Calvin  township.  He 
found  here  a  pioneer  district,  but  was  pleased  with  its  prospects  and  in- 
dications for  future  development  and  resolved  to  make  his^  home  here. 
He  then  returned  to  the  Empire  state  and  brought  his  family  to  Mich- 
igan, taking  up  his  abode  upon  the  farm  now  known  as  the  James 
Bullen  place.  He  lived  to  be  seventy-two  years  of  age  and  his  life  was 
devoted  to  agricultural  pursuits,  whereby  he  provided  a  comfortable 
living  for  his  family.  His  wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Fannie  Fore- 
man and  was  also  a  native  of  New  York.     She  died  in  1893. 

Hiram  Smith  of  this  review  was  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  thir- 
teen children,  eleven  of  whom  reached  adult  age  and  only  one  was 
born  outside  of  Cass  county,  that  being  the  subject  of  this  review,  who 
was  but  six  months  old  when  he  was  brought  to  Michigan.  The  family 
home  being  established  in  Calvin  township,  he  was  reared  under  the 
parental  roof  and  pursued  his  education  in  the  public  schools,  the  little 
"temple  of  learning''  being  a  log  building  such  as  was  common  in  the 
early  days.  He  continued  to  make  his  home  with  his  parents  until 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  but  in  the  meantime  worked  as  a  farm  hand 
by  the  month  or  day,  his  earnings  going  to  his  father.  He  early 
learned  the  value  of  earnest,  unremitting  toil  and  upon  that  quality  has 
builded  his  success  in  later  life. 

Mr.  Smith  was  married  the  first  time  in  1859,  the  lady  of  his 
choice  being  Mrs.  Hannah  J.  Haden,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Lincoln 
and  the  widow  of  Joseph  Haden.  She  died  leaving  three  children  who 
were  born  of  her  second  marriage,  while  by  her  first  marriage  she 
had  six  children.  These  were:  Esther  Ann,  who  died  when  about 
two  years  old ;  George,  also  deceased ;  Addie,  the  wife  of  Jesse  Parker, 
of  Calvin  township;  William  B.,  a  hardware  merchant  of  Cassopolis; 
James  G.,  a  prominent  and  distinguished  citizen  of  this  county,  who  is 
represented  elsewhere  in  this  work ;  and  Mattie,  the  wife  of  Jacob  Keen. 
The  children  born  unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  were :  Charles,  a  resident 
of  Cassopolis;  Freddie,  a  farmer  of  Calvin  township;  and  Edward,  of 
Elkhart,  Indiana,  who  is  in  the  employ  of  the  railroad  company.  After 
losing  his  first  wife  Mr.  Smith  wedded  Miss  Alfretta  Allen,  a  daughter 
of  Jerry  Allen,  and  unto  them  were  born  five  children:  Stephen;  Dell, 
deceased;  Harmon;  Clark;  and  Frank. 

Mr.  Smith  has  been  a  resident  of  Calvin  township  for  seventy 
years  and  is  its  oldest  citizen  who  was  not  born  in  this  county.  He 
has  a  very  wide  and  favorable  acquaintance  and  has  always  taken  an 
active  and  helpful  part  in  m.easures  and  plans  for  the  public  good.  His 
political  allegiance  has  been  given  to  the  Republican  party  since  its 
organization  and  he  has  held  several  school  offices  in  the  township,  the 
cause  of  education  finding  in  him  a  warm  and  stalwart  friend.  He  be- 
longs to  Mathews  Artin  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  at  Calvin  Center,  being  en- 
titled to  membership  therein  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  he  enlisted  in 
1864  as  a  member  of  the  Twelfth  Michigan  Volunteer  Infantry  and 


^40  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  has  been  equally  loyal  to  his 
country  in  days  of  peace,  and  local  advancement  and  national  progress 
are  both  causes  dear  to  his  heart.  Through  his  business  career  he  has 
carried  on  farming  and  is  nov^  the  owner  of  ninety-two  acres  of  good 
land  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  Everything  about  his  place  is 
neat  and  thrrfty  in  appearance  and  his  labors  are  attended  with  a 
measure  of  success  that  mdicates  his  capable  management  and  unremit- 
ting diligence. 

REV.  WALTER  CLARK. 

Rev.  Walter  Clark  is  numbered  amgng  the  capable  agriculturists  of 
Penn  township,  living  on  section  5  and  for  many  years  he  has  also  de- 
voted much  of  his  time  to  the  work  of  the  ministry  as  a  preacher  of 
the  Brethren  church.     His  life  record  is  indeed  worthy  of  emulation, 
commanding  for  him  the  respect,  confidence  and  good  will  of  all.     He 
was  born   in   New  York,   September  23,    1837.      His  grandfather,   Eli 
Clark,  was  a  native  of  the  Empire  state  and  died  in  Ohio.     His  father, 
William  L.   Clark,   was  a  native  of  New  York  and  removed  to  Cass 
county,   Michigan,   about    1844,   settling  on  section  4,   Penn  township, 
where  he  developed  a  tract  of  land  hitherto  wild  and  unimproved.     He 
turned   the  first   furrows  upon  various  fields,  planted  his   seed  and   in 
due  course  of  time  gathered  good  crops.     After  residing  there   for  a 
number  of  years   he   removed   to   Bertrand   township,    Berrien   county, 
Michigan,  but  afterward  returned  to  Cass  county  and  settled  in  Silver 
Creek  township.      This  was  about   1852,   and   in    1856  he  removed  to 
Penn^  township,  where  he  resided  until   1861.     In  that  year  he  became 
a  resident  of  Pipestone  township,  Berrien  county,  Michigan,  where  his 
remaining  days  were  passed,  his  death  occurring  when  he  had  reached 
the  age  of  about  seventy-eight  years.     The  wife  of  William  L.  Clark 
was  in  her  maidenhood  Miss  Almira  West  and  she,  too,  was  born  in 
the  Empire  state,  while  her  death  occurred  in  September,   i860,  when 
she  was  forty-six  years  of  age.     In  their  family  were  eight  children,  of 
w^hom  Walter  Clark  is  the  eldest  son  and  also  the  eldest  now  living. 
When  about  seven  years  of  age  Walter  Clark  of  this  review  re- 
moved with  his  parents  to  Cass  county  and  here  he  has  since  lived  with 
the   exception   of  the  brief  intervals   spent   in   Berrien   county  when   a 
small  boy.     He  returned  to  Cass  county  in  1856  and  was  married  here 
in  1861  to  Miss  Maria  Gould,  who  was^  born  in  the  state  of  New  York. 
They  began  their  domestic  life  upon  the  farm  where  they  yet  reside 
and  their  marriage  was  blessed  with  one  daughter,   Almira,   now  the 
deceased  wife  of  Samuel  Rice.     There  was  one  daughter  by  this  mar- 
riage, Verna  Rice. 

Rev.  Clark  has  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fourteen  acres  situated 
on  section  5,  Penn  township,  and  his  land  is  productive,  yielding  good 
harvests  annually.  He  has  also  added  many  modern  improvements  to 
his  place  and   he  uses   good   machinery  in   cultivating  the  fields   and 


^rM.Z%     4i<tn^t 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  541 

caring  for  the  crops.  He  also  has  good  grades  of  stock  upon  his 
farm  and  the  property  is  the  visible  evidence  of  his  well-directed  labor 
and  life  of  thrift.  He  cleared  the  land,  erected  a  residence  and  barns 
and  has  fenced  the  tract,  first  enclosing  it  with  a  rail  fence  made  of 
rails  which  he  himself  split.  Industry  has-  been  the  dominant  factor  in 
his  life  and  his  Christian  faith  has  been  the  keynote  of  his  character. 
He  has  long  been  a  member  of  the  Brethren  church,  in  which  he  has 
served  as  elder  and  minister  and  in  the  work  of  which  he  has  taken  a 
very  active  and  helpful  part,  devoting  about  forty  years  to  the  work 
of  the  ministry,  during  which  time  he  has  exerted  a  wide  and  beneficial 
influence  in  behalf  of  the  religious  development  of  the  community. 
He  has  also  been  instrumental  in  erecting  three  houses  of  worship  in 
Cass  county.  In  poHtics  he  is  a  stalwart  Republican,  casting  his  bal- 
lot for  Abraham  Lincoln  in  i860  and  again  in  1864  and  for  each  presi- 
dential candidate  of  the  party  since  that  time.  He  has  been  officially 
connected  with  the  schools,  and  while  serving  as  a  member  of  the  board 
of  education  has  done  all  in  his  power  to  promote  the  cause  of  public 
instruction  in  his  locality. 

SAMUEL  B.  HADDEN. 

Samuel  B.  Hadden,  who  is  engaged  in  general  agricultural  pur- 
suits in  Ontwa  township,  is  a  native  son  of  New  York,  his  birth  hav- 
ing occurred  on  the  5th  of  October,  1837.  His  father,  Charles  D. 
Hadden,  was  born  in  Westchester  county.  New  York,  in  181 1  and  he, 
too,  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  devoting  the  greater  part  of  his  life 
to  the  work  of  tilling  the  soil.  In  early  manhood  he  w^as  married  in 
Tompkins  county.  New  York,  to  Miss  Nancy  Blythe,  a  native  of  Ire- 
land, who  came  to  this  country  when  a  little  girl  and  was  reared  in 
New  York.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hadden  became  the  parents  of  six  children, 
four  sons  and  two  daughters,  Mary,  George  M.,  Charles  A.,  deceased, 
Elizabeth  and  James  G.,  all  of  whom  are  natives  of  the  Empire  state. 
In  the  year  1867  the  father  left  New  York  and  came  with  his  family 
to  Cass  county,  Michigan,  settling  on  section  7,  Ontwa  township,  where 
he  secured  three  hundred  and  ninety-seven  acres  of  rich  land,  much 
of  which  had  been  improved.  With  characteristic  energy  he  took  up 
the  task  of  further  cultivating  and  developing  this  place  and  con- 
tinued to  make  it  his  home  until  his  death.  He  took  an  active  interest 
in  political  questions  and  in  the  work  of  the  party,  and  was  a  stanch 
Republican.  While  residing  in  New  York  he  served  as  supervisor  of 
his  township  for  three  years  but  he  never  sought  office  after  coming 
to  the  west  as  his  time  was  fully  occupied  by  his  business  cares  in 
relation  to  the  farm.  He  died  January  29,  1878,  and  was  survived  by 
his  wife  until  December,  1887,  when  she,  too,  was  called  to  her  final  rest. 

Samuel  B.  Hadden  was  reared  in  New  York  and  was  brought  up 
as  a  farmer,  assisting  his  father  in  the  cultivation  of  the  fields  upon- 


542  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

the  old  homestead  until  the  time  of  his  marriage,  which  occurred  Feb- 
ruary lo,  1870,  the  lady  of  his  choice  being  Miss  Matilda  Hadden,  a 
daughter  of  Gilbert  and  Harriet  (Adams)  Hadden,  who  came  from 
Westchester,  Putnam  county,  New  York,  to  Michigan.  She  was 
reared,  however,  upon  her  father's  farm  in  Putnam  county.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hadden  of  this  review  began  their  domestic  life  upon  the  old 
farm  homestead,  where  they  lived  for  a  year  and  then  removed  to 
Jefferson  township,  settling  on  a  farm  of  eighty  acres,  where  they 
resided  for  four  years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  Mr.  Hadden 
sold  his  property  and  returned  to  Ontwa  township,  locating  on  his 
farm  here,  and  he  built  a  pretty  home  on  the  seven  acres  just  west  of 
Edwardsburg.  He  owns  all  together  one  hundred  and  seventy-seven 
acres  in  this  township,  the  greater  part  of  which  is  well  improved, 
constituting  a  productive  property,  from  which  he  annually  gathers 
rich  harvests,  that,  finding  a  ready  sale  on  the  market,  bring  him  a 
very  gratifying  income. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hadden  have  been  born  five  children:  Hen- 
rietta, who  was  born  June  14,  1873,  is  the  wife  of  Frank  Stophlett,  a 
mail  clerk  of  Cass  county;  John  B.,  born  May  12,  1875;  Carrie,  born 
August  7,  1877;  Fred,  November  7,  1880;  and  Martha,  December  24, 
1882,  all  at  home,  and  all  were  born  upon  the  present  farm  in  Ontwa 
township  with  the  exception  of  Henrietta,  whose  birth  occurred  in 
Jefferson  township. 

Mr.  Hadden  is  a  Republican,  actively  interested  in  the  success  and 
growth  of  his  party,  and  he  belongs  to  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Ed- 
wardsburg. Coming  to  Cass  county  at  an  early  period  in  its  develop- 
ment he  is  numbered  among  its  pioneer  settlers  and  has  been  a  wit- 
ness of  the  progress  that  has  been  made  as  pioneer  conditions  have 
given  way  before  the  advancing  civilization.  He  has  done  his  full 
share  for  the  improvement  of  the  county  along  agricultural  lines  and 
in  the  careful  management  of  his  business  affairs  has  won  a  just  re- 
ward for  his  labor  in  a  comfortable  competence, 

DON  A.  FLETCHER. 

Don  A.  Fletcher  is  numbered  among  the  old  settlers  of  the  county, 
having  for  fifty-five  years  resided  within  its  borders,  so  that  he  has  been 
a  witness  of  many  great  changes  here.  His  memory  goes  back  to  the 
time  when  much  of  the  land  was  still  in  its  primitive  condition,  when 
there  were  no  railroads  or  telegraph  lines  and  when  the  now  thriving 
towns  and  cities  were  but  little  villages  or  had  not  sprung  into  existence. 
Today  the  country  has  been  divided  up  into  many  farms  and  the  fields  of 
waving  grain  and  the  well  kept  stock  all  indicate  a  population  of  pros- 
perous and  contented  people,  while  churches,  schools  and  other  evidences 
of  culture  are  numerous. 

Mr.  Fletcher  is  a  native  of  Wayne  county.  New  York,  born  on  the 


^  "^jZJz^^^-^ 


-^^   ^.^  ^  t^4^:Z. 


AND  DAUGHTER. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  543 

7th  of  April,  1837,  ^^^  comes  of  English  ancestry,  the  family  having 
been  established  in  New  England  at  an  early  period  in  its  colonization. 
His  paternal  grandparents  were  Russell  and  Rachel  Fletcher,  who  re- 
sided for  a  number  of  years  in  Vermont  and  afterward  removed  to 
Wayne  county,  New  York.  In  the  year  1846  Russell  Fletcher  made  his 
way  westward  to  Kalamazoo  county,  Michigan,  and  on  to  Cass  county, 
where  his  last  days  were  passed.  William  R.  Fletcher,  father  of  our 
subject,  was  born  in  the  Green  Mountain  state,  where  he  remained 
until  eighteen  years  of  age,  when  he  accompanied  his  parents  on  their 
removal  to  New  York.  He  was  married  in  Wayne  county  to  Miss 
Sarah  A.  Stearns,  whose  birth  occurred  in  that  county.  Following  his 
marriage  William  R.  Fletcher  located  on  a  farm  in  Wayne  county,  New 
York,  and  in  1846  he  removed  to  Michigan,  journeying  westward  in 
the  fall  of  that  year.  He  spent  the  winter  in  Cass  county,  and  in  the 
following  spring  removed  to  Kalamazoo  county,  where  he  remained  for 
three  years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  returned  to  Cass 
county,  settling  in  LaGrange  township,  and  for  many  years  he  was 
numbered  among  the  agriculturists  of  this  part,  of  the  state.  In  all  of 
his  work  he  was  practical  and  enterprising,  and  he  assisted  in  large  meas- 
ure in  the  development  and  upbuilding  of  this  part  of  Michigan.  He 
died  at  the  home  of  his  son,  D.  A.  Fletcher,  in  his  eighty-fourth  year, 
respected  and  honored  by  all  who  knew  him.  He  had  been  supervisor 
and  commissioner  of  highways,  and  whether  in  office  or  as  a  private  citi- 
zen he  was  always  interested  in  the  welfare  of  his  community  and  could 
be  counted  upon  as  a  co-operant  factor  in  measures  for  the  general 
good.  He  voted  with  the  Democracy.  His  wife  lived  to  be  about 
seventy-four  years  of  age.  She  came  of  an  old  Canadian  family  of 
French  ancestry.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Fletcher  were  born  five 
children,  three  daughters  and  two  sons,  all  of  whom  are  living  at  this 
writing. 

Don  A.  Fletcher,  the  eldest  of  the  family,  was  but  nine  years  of 
age  when  he  came  to  Michigan  with  his  parents,  and  he  has  resided  con- 
tinuously in  Cass  county  from  the  age  of  thirteen  years.  In  his  boy- 
hood days  he  attended  the  common  schools  and  in  the  summer  months 
was  trained  in  the  work  of  the  fields.  He  remained  with  his  parents 
until  twenty-five  years  of  age,  when  in  1862  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Sarepta  D.  Shurte,  a  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Mary  (Wright) 
Shurte.  She  was  born  in  LaGrange  Prairie,  in  Cass  county,  October 
29,  1838,  her  people  having  been  pioneer  settlers  of  this  section  of  the 

state^ They  came  here  when  only  a  few  homes  had  been  established 

within  the  borders  of  Cass  county,  and  were  closely  identified  with  its 
early  development.  The  year  following  his  marriage  Mr.  Fletcher 
located  upon  the  farm  where  he  now  lives  and  has  resided  here  contin- 
uously since,  although  he  spent  one  year  in  California.  In  1864  he  went 
across  the  plains  with  a  horse  train  by  way  of  Salt  Lake  City,  traveling 


644  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

across  the  long,  hot  stretches  of  sand  and  through  the  mountain  passes. 
He  returned,  however,  by  way  of  the  water  route,  crossing  the  Isthmus 
of  Panama  and  thence  saihng  to  New  York  City,  after  which  he  jour- 
neyed into  the  interior  of  the  country  and  ultimately  reached  his  home 
in*^  LaGrange  township.  He  is  today  the  owner  of  two  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  valuable  land  in  the  old  homestead  and  one  hundred  and 
twenty-six  acres  on  section  i6,  LaGrange  township.  He  has  on  his 
home  property  good  improvements,  while  the  fields  yield  to  him  rich  har- 
vests in  return  for  the  care  and  labor  he  bestows  upon  his  land.  Every- 
thing about  his  place  is  neat  and  thrifty  in  appearance,  and  his  work 
has  been  characterized  by  the  most  practical  and  resourceful  methods. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fletcher  have  been  born  three  sons  and  a 
daughter.  William  Isaac  is  now  a  resident  of  Oregon.  Mary  Lyle, 
the  wife  of  Byron  Poor,  of  Dowagiac,  Michigan,  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Dowagiac  High  School  in  the  class  of  1886.  She  has  been  one  of 
Cass  county's  successful  teachers  for  over  twelve  terms,  having  taught 
six  terms  in  one  district.  She  received  her  diploma  from  the  South 
Bend  Commercial  College  in  the  class  of  1890.  Ross  A.  took  a  course 
in  the  Dowagiac  High  School  and  graduated  in  the  South  Bend  Bus- 
iness College  in  the  same  year  as  his  sister  Lyle.  C.  Clare  is  a  grad- 
uate of  the  Cassopolis  High  School  in  the  class  of  1895.  Both  are 
assisting  in  the  cultivation  of  the  home  farm.  Mr.  Fletcher  can  look 
back  into  a  remote  era  of  the  county's  development  and  progress,  having 
for  fifty-five  vears  resided  here,  and  he  has  taken  an  active  part  in  the 
work  of  making  the  county  what  it  is  today.  He  can  remember  the 
time  when  few  of  the  roads  had  been  laid  out,  when  few  bridges  had 
been  built  and  when  only  here  and  there  could  be  seen  a  settlement  to 
indicate  that  the  work  of  development  and  cultivation  had  been  begun. 
He  has  always  voted  with  the  Democracy,  and  has  served  as  i-oad  corn- 
missioner  ancl  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  reviews.  Fraternally  he  is 
connected  with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen.  He  is  well 
known  in  the  county  where  he  has  lived  so  long  and  where  he  has  so 
directed  his  efforts  that  signal  success  has  attended  his  labors. 

SAMUEL  J.  LINCOLN. 

Samuel  J.  Lincoln,  who  is  filling  the  office  of  township  supervisor 
in  Penn  township  and  follows  the  occupation  of  farming  on  section  13, 
was  born  upon  the  old  homestead  farm  on  this  section  May  23,  1850. 
His  fatlier,  Bela  Lincoln,  w\is  a  native  of  New  York  and  became  a  resi- 
dent of  Cass  county  before  Michigan  was  admitted  into  the  Union,  the 
year  of  his  arrivalbeing  1833.  He  came  in  company  with  his  parents, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Samuel  Lincoln,  who  located  near  Vandalia.  Samuel 
Lincoln  was  a  scythe  maker  and  also  engaged  in  shoeing  oxen  in  the 
early  days.  An  industrious  man,  he  took  an  active  and  helpful  part  in 
the  early  development  of  the  county,  performing  much  of  the  arduous 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  6^5 

task  incident  to  the  settlement  of  a  frontier  district  and  its  conversion 
to  the  uses  of  civiHzation.  His  son,  Bela  Lincoln,  was  only  eleven 
years  of  age  at  the  time  of  the  arrival  of  the  family  in  Michigan  and 
was  therefore  reared  amid  the  environments  of  pioneer  life,  sharing  in 
the  hardships  and  trials  incident  to  establishing  a  home  in  a  frontier 
district.  Returning  to  Ohio,  he  was  there  married  to  Miss  Achsah 
DeCou,  who  was  born  in  Green  county,  Ohio.  After  their  marriage 
they  located  for  a  short  time  on  Young's  Prairie  in  Cass  county,  but 
soon  afterward  removed  to  section  13,  Penn  township,  Mr.  Lincoln 
trading  a  horse  for  forty  acres  of  land.  He  went  in  debt  for  the  horse, 
paying  for  it  at  the  rate  of  six  dollars  per  month.  For  four  years 
Mr.  Lincoln  was  in  the  employ  of  Charles  Jones  at  farm  labor.  He 
was  a  carpenter  by  trade  and  he  built  the  first  union  schoolhouse  in 
Cassopolis.  He  also  laid  out  the  plan  from  draft  and  put  in  the  founda- 
tion for  the  Custard  House  in  Cassopolis  and  prior  to  that  he  built 
a  sawmill  in  Penn  township,  after  which  he  operated  it  for  a  number 
of  years  or  until  it  was  destroyed  by  fire.  He  thus  figured  promi- 
nently in  industrial  interests  in  the  county.  Rebuilding  his  mill  he  con- 
tinued in  the  manufacture  of  lumber  for  a  few  years,  when  he  sold 
out  and  again  resumed  work  at  the  carpenter's  trade  and  at  the  same 
time  followed  the  millwright's  trade.  In  his  business  life  he  was  very 
industrious  and  energetic,  was  reliable  and  trustworthy  and  his  good 
workmanship  and  known  honesty  secured  for  him  a  liberal  patronage. 
He  was  highway  commissioner  at  one  time  and  always  gave  his  political 
allegiance  to  the  Republican  party,  taking  an  active  interest  in  its 
work  and  doing  all  in  his  power  to  promote  its  growth  and  insure  its 
success.  Living  in  Cass  county  from  early  pioneer  days  he  was  one  of 
the  best  known  citizens  within  its  borders  and  at  his  death  in  1881  the 
community  lost  one  of  its  honored  and  representative  men.  In  the 
family  were  two  children  who  grew  to  adult  age,  the  sister  of  our  sub- 
ject being  Mrs.  Beulah  Green,  the  wife  of  Elam  E.  Green,  of  Penn 
township. 

Samuel  J.  Lincoln,  whose  name  introduces  this  review,  was  reared 
and  educated  in  Penn  township,  attending  the  district  schools,  wherein 
he  mastered  the  common  branches  of  learning  usually  taught  in  such 
institutions.  He  then  remained  at  home  until  twenty-four  years  of 
age,  assisting  his  father  in  carpenter  work  and  following  that  pur- 
suit for  about  thirty  years.  He  was  thus  an  important  factor  in  build- 
ing operations  in  the  county  and  in  many  places  are  seen  evidences  of 
his  skill  and  ability  in  that  direction.  He  was  always  a  thorough  and 
accurate  workman  and  won  an  excellent  reputation  in  that  direction. 

In  1875,  ^^-  Lincoln  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Florence  A. 
Tompkins,  a  daughter  of  Jabez  Tompkins.  Mrs.  Lincoln  was  born  in 
Ohio  and  when  about  five  years  of  age  was  brought  to  Cass  county 
by  her  parents.  At  the  time  of  their  marriage  the  young  couple  located 
on  section  12,  Penn  township,  where  they  lived  for  about  four  years. 


546  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

when  his  father  died  and  he  returned  to  the  old  homestead  to  care  for 
his  aged  mother,  who  is  still  living,  having  reached  the  advanced  age 
of  seventy-nine  years,  her  birth  having  occurred  in  1828.  Unto  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Lincoln  have  been  born  three  sons  and  a  daughter :  Neva  J. ; 
Bela  J.,  who  is  married  and  now  studying  law  in  Detroit;  Clayton  D., 
a  stenographer  now  employed  by  the  Dodge  Pulley  Company  at  Misha- 
waka,  Indiana ;  and  Raymond  A.,  who  is  attending  school.  There  is  also 
one  granddaughter,  Mildred  D.  Barney. 

Mr.  Lincoln  now  gives  his  attention  to  the  produce  shipping  busi- 
ness at  Penn  and  rents  his  farm,  which  returns  to  him  a  good  income. 
Moreover  he  is  actively  interested  in  public  affairs  and  his  worth  and 
ability  are  widely  recognized  by  his  fellow  townsmen,  who  have  there- 
fore called  him  to  public  office.  He  was  elected  supervisor  of  Penn 
township  in  1903,  and  was  re-elected  in  1904  and  again  in  1905,  so 
that  he  is  the  present  incumbent  in  the  position.  He  belongs  to  the 
Masonic  lodge  at  Vandalia,  and  his  life  is  in  harmony  with  the  teach- 
ings and  tenets  of  the  craft.  He  has  always  been  an  earnest  Repub- 
lican and  his  public-spirited  interest  in  the  general  welfare  has  led  to 
hearty  co-operation  in  many  plans  and  movements  for  the  welfare  of 
the  community.  For  fifty-five  years  he  has  resided  in  Penn  town- 
ship, either  upon  his  present  farm  or  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  his 
present  home.  His  life  has  been  one  of  untiring  and  well-directed 
activity  resulting  in  gratifying  success. 

LEVI  J.  REYNOLDS. 

Levi  J.  Reynolds,  residing  in  Vandalia,  is  well  known  because  of 
an  active  and  honorable  business  career  and  also  by  reason  of  capable 
and  faithful  service  in  public  office  in  this  county.  He  is  numbered 
among  the  worthy  citizens  that  Ohio  has  furnished  to  Michigan,  and 
he  has  now  passed  the  seventy-sixth  milestone  on  life's  journey.  His 
birth  occurred  in  Portage  county,  Ohio,  July  18,  1830.  His  father, 
Edward  Reynolds,  was  a  native  of  Ireland  and  his  parents  were  of 
the  Catholic  belief  and  because  Edward  Reynolds  would  not  accept  the 
faith  he  was  driven  away  from  home  and  came  to  America  when  a 
young  lad  of  about  fourteen  years.  He  made  his  way  to  New  York 
and  in  the  Empire  state  was  employed  at  farm  labor.  Eventually  he 
became  a  resident  of  Cass  county,  Michigan,  where  he  arrived  in 
1847.  He  located  on  a  farm  on  the  borders  of  Calvin  and  Porter  town- 
ships and  throughout  his  remaining  days  devoted  his  attention  to  gen- 
eral agricultural  pursuits.  He  was  truly  a  self-made  man,  for  he 
started  out  in  life  amid  unfavoring  circumstances  and  with  no  influen- 
tial friends  or  inheritance  to  assist  him.  He  early  developed  a  self 
reliant  character,  however,  and  determined  spirit,  and  with  these  qual- 
ities to  aid  him  in  his  business  career  he  made  steady  advancement  and 
won  not  only  a  comfortable  competence  but  also  an  untarnished  name 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  547 

by  reason  of  his  genuine  worth  of  character.  He  married  Betsy  Miner, 
a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and  both  Hved  to  be  sixty-two  years  of  age. 
Mrs.  Reynolds  was  twice  married  and  by  her  first  husband,  Mr.  lies, 
she  became  the  mother  of  six  children,  while  by  her  marriage  to  Mr. 
Reynolds  seven  children  were  born.  Twelve  of  her  thirteen  children 
reached  adult  age,  Mr.  Reynolds  being  the  third  child  of  the  second 
marriage. 

He  was  reared  in  Knox  county,  Ohio,  until  nine  years  of  age,  when 
he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Steuben  county,  Indiana,  and  when  a 
young  man  of  seventeen  years  he  left  the  Hoosier  state  for  Cass  county, 
Michigan,  where  he  was  employed  at  farm  labor.  In  this  way  be  made 
a  start  in  life  and  when  he  had  saved  enough  from  his  earnings  to 
justify  his  purchase  of  a  farm  he  invested  in  land  in  Calvin  township. 
As  an  agriculturist  he  displayed  practical  methods,  was  systematic  in 
all  of  his  work,  and  in  the  tilling  of  the  soil  and  also  in  his  care  of 
his  stock,  he  showed  himself  to  be  an  energetic  farmer  with  good 
business  qualifications.  He  was  also  an  auctioneer  for  many  years, 
met  with  success  in  that  business  and  thus  became  one  of  the  best 
known  men  of  the  county. 

Mr.  Reynolds  has  been  married  three  times.  In  Cass  county  in 
1 85 1  he  wedded  Miss  Martha  A.  East  and  they  became  the  parents  of 
two  sons :  Austin  M.  and  Albert.  For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Reynolds 
chose  Sarah  A.  Story,  the  widow  of  Albert  Kennicott.  By  this  mar- 
riage there  were  two  daughters.  For  his  third  wife  Mr.  Reynolds 
chose  Mary  A.  Royer,  and  at  her  death  the  following  lines  were  written ; 

''Mary  A.  Royer  was  born  March  20,  1842,  in  Stark  county,  Ohio, 
and  died  March  17,  1905,  in  Vandalia,  Cass  county,  Michigan,  aged 
sixty-two  years,  eleven  months  and  twenty-seven  days.  In  early  child- 
hood she  moved  w4th  her  parents  to  Indiana,  where  she  resided  a 
number  of  years.  The  latter  part  of  her  life  was  spent  in  Vandalia, 
Michigan,  where  she  was  united  in  marriage  to  Levi  J.  Reynolds  in 
1886.  In  early  youth  she  became  a  Christian  and  has  since  been  a 
consistent  and  faithful  follower  of  Christ,  having  been  identified  with 
the  Church  of  Christ  since  1885  i^  Vandalia.  She  leaves  a  kind  and 
affectionate  husband  and  loving  brothers  and  sisters  to  mourn  their 
loss.  Her  pastor  frequently  called  to  see  her  during  her  sickness  and 
ever  found  her  the  same  kind,  patient  and  Christian  sufferer,  submitting 
her  will  to  the  will  of  the  Divine.  The  night  before  the  Angel  of 
Death  came  to  bear  her  Christian  spirit  home  she  left  the  following 
beautiful  lines: 

"  When  the  waiting  time  is  over. 

When  from  sin  and  sorrow  free, 
We  shall  meet  beyond  the  river, 
There  to  dwell  eternally.' 


548  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

"In  the  death  of  Mary  A.  Reynolds,  Vandalia  Chapter  235,  O.  E. 
S.,  lost  an  honored  and  greatly  esteemed  charter  member.'' 

In  his  political  affiliation  Mr.  Reynolds  is  a  stanch  and  unfaltering 
Republican,  who  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  political  affairs  and 
keeps  well  informed  on  all  the  questions  and  issues  of  the  day.  He 
served  as  sheriff  of  Cass  county  for  two  years  and  then  owing  to  the 
ill  health  of  his  wife  he  would  not  accept  a  second  nomination.  As 
justice  of  the  peace  he  rendered  decisions  which  were  strictly  fair  and 
impartial  and  during  many  years'  service  as  supervisor  of  Calvin  town- 
ship he  worked  earnestly  for  the  general  good  of  the  community.  He 
belongs  to  the  Masonic  fraternity,  holding  membership  in  the  lodge 
and  chapter,  and  he  is  a  most  earnest  and  devoted  member  of  the 
Christian  church,  in  which  he  is  now  serving  as  elder,  while  in  its 
work  he  takes  an  active  and  helpful  part.  His  influence  is  ever  given 
on  the  side  of  right,  justice,  truth  and  progress  and  at  all  times  he 
has  been  found  worthy  of  the  confidence  and  trust  which  have  been 
unifonnly  given  him. 

Calvin  K.  East,  who  married  the  sister  of  Levi  J.  Reynolds, 
was  born  in  Calvin  township,  Cass  county,  Michigan,  October  j\  1834, 
and  died  at  his  home  in  Vandalia,  April  17,  1906,  aged  seventy-one 
years,  six  months  and  ten  days.  He  was  married  December  25,  1854, 
to  Mabel  P.  Reynolds.  To  this  union  were  born  seven  children,  five 
of  whom  are  still  living:  Oscar  J.,  of  Muskegon;  Rollie  M.,  of  Niles; 
Bertha  Wright  and  Mary  Williams,  of  Traverse  City;  and  Harley 
M.,  of  Vandalia,  all  of  whom  were  present  to  comfort  their  mother,  up- 
on whom  the  affliction  falls  so  heavily.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Friends'  church  and  a  faithful  attendant  until  disease  laid  its  heavy 
hand  on  him,  and  had  for  a  few  months  kept  him  confined  to  his  home. 
He  leaves  besides  a  wife  and  five  children,  ten  grandchildren  and  many 
other  relatives  and  friends  to  mourn  his  loss.  Rev.  Stephen  Scott  of 
Penn  conducted  the  funeral  services.    Interment  in  Birch  Lake  cemetery. 

JACOB  McINTOSH. 

On  the  roll  of  pioneer  settlers  of  Cass  county  appears  the  name  of 
Jacob  Mcintosh  and  his  personal  qualities  and  life  of  activity  entitle 
him  to  the  position  of  prominence  that  is  uniformly  accorded  him. 
He  resides  on  section  33,  Penn  township,  not  far  from  the  place  of 
his  birth,  which  was  on  section  32  of  the  same  township,  his  natal  day 
being  March  15,  1840.  His  paternal  grandfather  was  Danfel  Mcintosh, 
a  native  of  Scotland.  He  was  a  wagon-maker  by  trade  and  in  early 
manhood  emigrated  with  his  fam^ily  to  the  new  world,  settling  at 
Baltimore,  Maryland,  where  he  carried  on  business  for  some  time.  He 
afterward  took  up  his  abode  in  Ohio  and  in  1832  came  to  Cass  county, 
Michigan,  locating  on  Young's  Prairie  in  Penn  township.  He  was  one 
of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  this  section  of  the  state  and  became  identified 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  54D 

with  the  territorial  interests  of  Michigan,  for  the  state  had  not  at 
that  time  been  organized.  He  purchased  a  claim  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  and  at  once  began  its  improvement.  At  the  time 
of  the  purchase  there  was  a  double  log  house  upon"  the  farm  and  this 
was  the  original  home  of  the  family  in  Cass  county.  As  the  years 
passed  he  added  more  modern  improvements  and  continued  his  farm 
work  along  progressive  lines  of  agriculture.  On  one  occasion  he  met 
with  an  accident  while  on  his  way  to  Tecumseh.  He  had  a  herd  of  horses, 
some  of  which  got  away,  and  he  went  to  hunt  them,  becoming  lost  in 
the  woods.  For  seven  days  and  six  nights  he  wandered  around  unable 
to  find  his  way  to  a  settlement.  The  horse  which  he  rode  also  got  away 
from  him  and  he  was  in  a  severe  snow  storm  and  his  feet  were  frozen 
so  badly  that  they  had  to  be  amputated  and  for  many  years  thereafter 
he  walked  upon  his  knees,  but  he  possessed  an  indomitable  spirit  and 
unfaltering  energy  and  he  did  a  man's  work  without  feet.  His  death 
occurred  when  he  had  reached  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-seven  years. 

William  Mcintosh,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Inverness, 
Scotland,  and  was  only  three  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  the  emigration 
of  his  parents  to  America.  He  lived  with  them  in  Baltimore,  Mary- 
land, and  eventually  removed  to  Ohio,  whence  they  came  to  Michigan 
about  the  time  of  the  removal  of  Daniel  Mcintosh  to  this  state. 
However,  he  afterward  returned  to  Ohio  and  was  there  engaged  in 
the  operation  of  a  sawmill  for  several  years.  Eventually,  however,  he 
returned  to  Cass  county  and  was  married  at  Three  Rivers,  St.  Joseph 
county,  to  Miss  Sarah  Mclntafifer,  who  was  a  native  of  the  Buckeye 
state  and  in  her  girlhood  days  was  brought  to  Michigan  by  her  father, 
Jacob  Mclntaffer,  who  was  of  German  descent.  He  settled  in  St. 
Joseph  county,  becoming  one  of  the  pioneers  of  that  part  of  the  state, 
and  in  connection  with  a  man  by  the  name  of  Buck  he  entered  nine 
hundred  acres  of  land,  upon  which  the  town  of  Three  Rivers  has  since 
been  built.  He  built  the  first  log  house  and  sawmill  upon  its  site 
and  took  a  very  active  and  important  part  in  the  work  of  early  de- 
velopment and  improvement  leading  to  the  present  prosperous  condi- 
tion of  that  section  of  the  state  today.  He  died  there  from  exposure 
and  was  buried  at  Three  Rivers.  His  daughter,  Mrs.  William  Mcin- 
tosh, died  when  seventy-five  years  of  age.  By  her  marriage  she  had 
become  the  mother  of  nine  children,  five  daughters  and  four  sons,  one 
of  whom  died  at  the  age  of  eight  years  and  another  when  about  six- 
teen years  of  age,  while  the  remaining  members  of  the  family  reached 
years  of  maturity. 

Jacob  Mcintosh  is  the  eldest  son  and  fourth  child  and  was  reared 
in  Penn  township  in  the  usual  manner  of  lads  of  pioneer  times.  He 
now  resides  upon  a  portion  of  the  farm  upon  which  his  birth  occurred. 
In  his  youth  he  enjoyed  the  educational  advantages  afforded  in  a  log 
school  house.  But  few  branches  of  learning  were  taught  and  it  has 
been  largely  through  reading,  experience  and  observation  in  later  years 


550  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

that  he  has  become  a  well  informed  man.  He  walked  to  school  two 
miles  in  tlie  winter  seasons  and  in  the  summer  months  aided  in  the 
work  of  the  farm,  assisting  his  father  in  the  fields  until  twenty-one 
years  of  age.  In  1861,  having  attained  his  majority,  he  responded  to 
his  country's  call  for  troops  and  enlisted  as  a  member  of  Company  D, 
Sixth  Michigan  Volunteer  Infantry,  with  which  he  went  to  the  front 
but  was  afterward  transferred  to  the  heavy  artillery.  He  served  for 
three  years  and  was  promoted  from  a  private  to  the  rank  of  corporal 
and  afterward  to  sergeant.  At  the  battle  of  Port  Hudson  on  the  27th 
of  May,  1863,  he  was  wounded  in  the  upper  part  of  the  right  leg 
by  a  minie  ball.  He  was  then  detailed  as  assistant  cook  so  that  he 
would  not  be  sent  to  the  hospital.  He  participated  in  the  entire  siege 
of  Port  Hudson  and  was  one  of  about  forty  who  charged  over  the 
works  on  the  30th  of  June,  1863,  ^  military  movement  that  has  be- 
come famous  in  history  as  Dwight's  charge.  When  the  siege  was 
begun  the  troops  were  under  command  of  General  Butler,  but  at  the 
time  the  charge  was.  made  over  the  works  General  Banks  was  in  com- 
mand. 

Following  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Mcintosh  received  an  honor- 
able discharge  at  Kalamazoo,  Michigan,  and  with  a  most  creditable 
military  record  returned  to  his  old  home  in  Penn  township,  where  he 
resumed  farming.  Throughout  his  active  business  career  he  has  car- 
ried on  general  agricultural  pursuits  and  as  a  companion  and  helpmate 
for  life's  journey  he  chose  Miss  Emily  J.  Rivers,  to  whom  he  was  mar- 
ried on  the  28th  of  November,  1865.  She  is  a  daughter  of  James  and 
Delilah  (Chase)  Rivers.  Her  birth  occurred  in  New  York,  in  which 
state  she  remained  until  twelve  years  of  age,  when  she  accompanied 
her  parents  on  their  removal  to  Mokena,  Illinois,  whence  they  came 
to  Cass  county,  Michigan,  in  1864.  At  the  time  of  his  marriage  Mr. 
Mcintosh  located  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  but  after  a  year 
removed  to  Cassopolis,  where  he  followed  the  trade  of  carpentering, 
becoming  a  well  known  contractor  and  builder  of  that  city.  He  was 
awarded  a  number  bf  important  contracts  and  continued  his  identifica- 
tion with  building  operations  until  about  1870,  when  he  returned  to 
the  farm.  He  has  cleared  his  land  here  and  erected  all  of  the  barns  and 
outbuildings  as  well  as  the  residence  and  in  connection  with  the  culti- 
vation of  his  fields  and  the  improvement  of  his  property  he  has  also  fol- 
lowed the  business  of  moving  and  raising  barns  and  other  buildings  for 
about  eight  years.  He  is  also  the  patentee  of  a  ratchet  gate  and  is 
quite  extensively  engaged  in  its  manufacture,  it  being  now  in  general 
use  in  this  and  adjoining  counties  of  Michigan  and  also  in  Illinois. 
The  gate  is  one  of  the  most  complete  of  the  kind  ever  placed  upon  the 
market.  It  can  be  raised  over  a  drift  of  snow  and  until  Mr.  Mcintosh's 
invention  was  perfected  this  was  one  of  the  great  problems  of  the 
farmer,  who  would  find  that  the  snow  would  drift  against  the  fences,, 
making  it  almost  impossible  to  open  a  gate.     His  farm  comprises  eighty 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  561 

acres  of  land,  which  responds  readily  to  the  care  and  cultivation  placed 
upon  it,  for  the  land  is  arable  and  productive. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mcintosh  have  been  born  the  following  named : 
Minnie  B.,  now  the  wife  of  Dr.  Don  A.  Link,  of  Volinia,  Cass  county; 
and  J.  Howard,  of  Chicago,  who  for  three  years  was  located  in  Ann 
Arbor,  Michigan,  but  is  now  engaged  in  the  abstract  business  in  the 
former  city. 

Mr.  Mcintosh  was  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Democratic  party, 
but  is  now  a  stanch  Republican  and  is  deeply  interested  in  the  politick 
issues  and  questions  of  the  day,  keeping  well  informed  upon  all  such, 
and  at  the  same  time  putting  fbrth  every  effort  in  his  power  to  promote 
Republican  successes.  He  has  been  called  to  serve  in  several  local 
positions,  has  been  highway  commissioner,  was  township  treasurer  and 
in  1886  was  elected  sheriff  of  Cass  county,  in  which  position  he  dis- 
charged his  duties  with  such  promptness  and  fidelity  that  he  was  re- 
elected in  1888.  He  was  also  justice  of  the  peace  and  constable  for 
seventeen  years  and  his  official  service  has  ever  been  characterized  by 
promptness,  accuracy  and  thorough  reliability..  He  is  now  undersheriff. 
He  is  a  charter  member  of  Albert  Anderson  Post  No.  157,  G.  A.  R., 
in  which  he  has  filled  several  positions  and  is  now  officer  of  the  guard. 
Through  his  association  therewith  he  maintains  pleasant  relations  with 
his  old  army  comrades  and  greatly  enjoys  the  reminiscences  of  the 
campfires.  He  likewise  belongs  to  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Work- 
men and  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  both  of  Cassopolis, 
and  he  holds  membership  in  the  Baptist  church  at  Brownsville  and 
erected  the  house  of  worship  there.  He  is  president  of  the  Anti- 
Horse  Thief  Association  of  Penn  township.  His  son,  J.  Howard  Mc- 
intosh, is  a  member  of  Backus  Lodge  No.  50,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and 
has  attained  the  32nd  degree  of  the  Scottish  rite  in  Chicago  Consistory, 
S.  P.  R.  S.  At  one  time  he  was  president  of  the  Wolverine  Club  at 
the  University  of  Michigan  for  two  years.  Sixty-six  years  have^  been 
added  to  the  cycle  of  the  centuries  since  Jacob  Mcintosh  began  his  life 
record  in  Penn  township,  where  he  has  lived  almost  continuously  since. 
He  has  never  made  his  home  beyond  the  borders  of  Cass  county,  so  that 
he  is  widely  known  here.  His  best  friends  are  those  who  have  known 
him  longest,  a  fact  which  indicates  an  honorable  life  and  exemplary 
principles.  His  work  has  been  of  a  character  resulting  beneficially  to 
the  county  as  well  as  to  himself  and  he  belongs  to  that  class  of  rep- 
resentative American  men  who  while  promoting  individual  welfare  also 
contribute  in  substantial  measure  to  the  good  of  the  community  with 
which  they  are  connected. 

GEORGE  M.  KINGSBURY. 

G.  M.  Kingsbury,  president  of  the  Cassopolis  Manufacturing 
Company  and  a  well  known  resident  of  Cassopolis,  was  for  many 
years  a  leading  merchant  of  the  city  and  was  a  valued  and  prominent 


552  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

factor  in  its  business  interests  because  of  his  connection  with  its  manu- 
facturing affairs  and  its  banking  business  as  a  director  of  the  First 
National  Bank.  He  was  born  in  LaGrange  township,  this  county,  on 
the  23rd  of  April,  1862,  and  represents  one  of  the  pioneer  families. 
His  father,  Asa  Kingsbury,  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and  came 
to  Cass  county,  Michigan,  during  an  early  epoch  in  its  development 
and  progress.  Establishing  his  home  in  Cassopolis,  he  became  a  prom- 
inent merchant  and  banker  here,  and  was  closely  identified  with  the 
early  upbuilding  and  progress  of  the  village.  He  belonged  to  that 
class  of  representative  American  citizens  who  while  promoting  individual 
success  also  contribute  in  large  measure  to  the  general  prosperity.  His 
fellow  townsmen,  recognizing  his  worth  and  ability  and  his  devotion 
to  the  general  good,  several  times  called  him  to  the  office  of  county 
treasurer.  His  death  occurred  when  he  had  reached  the  age  of  seven- 
ty-six yars,  and  he  left  behind  him  the  record  of  an  honorable,  upright 
and  successful  life.  He  was  married  twice,  and  in  his  family  were 
fourteen  children,  G.  M.  Kingsbury  being  the  ninth  in  order  of  birth. 

Under  the  parental  roof  in  Cassopolis  Mr.  Kingsbury  of  this  re- 
view spent  his  boyhood  and  youth,  his  time  being  divided  between  the 
duties  of  the  schoolroorh  and  the  pleasures  of  the  playground.  He 
afterward  attended  the  Jackson  High  School,  ifrom  which  he  was 
graduated  in  the  class  of  188 1,  and,  returning  to  Cassopolis,  he  here 
embarked  in  merchandising,  having  become  somewhat  familiar  with 
the  business  by  assisting  at  odd  times  in  his  father's  store.  For  eighteen 
years  he  was  a  representative  of  commercial  life  here,  conducting  a 
large  and  well  stocked  store  which  brought  to  him  a  good  patronage 
because  of  his  reliable  business  methods  and  his  earnest  efforts  to  please 
his  customers.  In  the  spring  of  1900,  however,  he  sold  his  store  to 
G.  L.  Smith,  since  which  time  he  has  given  his  attention  to  manufactur- 
ing interests,  being  president  of  the  Cassopolis  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, which  was  organized  in  the  fall  of  1899.  He  is  also  one  of  the 
directors  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Cassopolis,  and  his  name  is  an 
honored  one  on  all  commercial  paper. 

October  18,  1882,  Mr.  Kingsbury  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Stella  Powell,  a  daughter  of  Francis  I.  and  Mary  (Hufif)  Powell  and 
a  native  of  LaGrange  township.  Her  people  were  early  residents  of 
the  county,  the  name  of  Powell  figuring  in  connection  with  many  of 
the  early  events  which  constitute  the  pioneer  history  of  this  part  of 
the  state.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kingsbury  has  been  born  a  daughter, 
Charlotte,  who  is  now  at  home. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Kingsbury  is  a  stalwart  Democrat,  un- 
faltering in  his  devotion  to  the  party  and  active  in  its  work.  In  1892 
he  was  a  delegate  to  the  national  convention  at  Chicago.  He  has 
several  times  served  as  a  village  oflficer,  being  president  of  the  village 
board  for  four  years,  was  treasurer  for  a  number  of  years,  had  also 
been  trustee  and  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  cemetery. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  553 

Whatever  tends  to  promote  the  permanent  improvement  and  material 
progress  of  the  city  receives  his  strong  endorsement  and  hearty  co- 
operation. He  belongs  to  Backus  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Cassopolis, 
has  also  taken  the  degrees  of  capitular  and  chivalric  Masonry  and  is 
nov^  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  Prominent  in  the  ranks  of  the 
craft,  he  is  acting  as  grand  scribe  of  the  grand  chapter.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  is  v^idely 
recognized  as  one  of  Cassopolis'  leading  and  influential  citizens.  He 
possesses  keen  business  discernment  and  an  ability  which  enables  him 
to  readily  comprehend  a  business  situation  and  its  possibilities.  He 
has  therefore  vv^rought  along  lines  that  have  led  to  affluence  and  is  today 
one  of  the  substantial  residents  of  his  community. 

Since  the  above  was  compiled,  Mr.  Kingsbury  passed  away  and 
the  following  Masonic  obituary  is  appended: 

''Grand  Chapter  Royal  Arch   Masons  of  Michigan. 

"Jackson,  Mich.,  March  2,  1906. 
''To  all  Royal  Arch  Masons  wheresoever  dispersed: 

"For  the  second  time  within  the  year  are  we  called  upon  to  mourn 
the  loss  of  one  of  the  active  officers  of  our  Grand  Chapter  and  to  join 
the  funeral  cortege  to  pay  the  last  sad  homage  to  a  beloved  companion. 

"George  M.  Kingsbury, 
"r.  e.  grand  scribe. 

Died  at  his  home  in  Cassopolis,  Mich.,  Tuesday  evening,  February  27, 
1906.  Companion  Kingsbury's  failing  health  has  been  regarded  with 
much  anxiety  by  his  friends  for  several  years,  but  the  dread  scourge 
consumption  secured  too  "firm  hold  on  his  system  and  the  inevitable 
has  resulted. 

"George  M.  Kingsbury  was  born  at  the  old  family  home  in  Cas- 
sopolis, April  23,  1862.  At  the  age  of  14  he  went  to  Jackson  to 
finish  his  schooling,  afterwards  embarking  in  the  mercantile  business 
which  he  followed  until  1900.  At  the  organization  of  the  Cassopolis 
Manufacturing  Co.  in  1899,  he  was  made  its  president  and  general 
manager  and  continued  in  that  office  until  a  short  time  before  his  death. 

"Companion  Kingsbury  was  always  alive  to  the  business  interests 
of  his  home  village,  and  many  times  was  called  to  serve  it  in  official 
capacities.  He  was  president  for  four  years,  treasurer  for  six  years, 
member  of  the  school  board  six  years,  and  was  member  of  cemetery 
board  at  the  time  of  his  death.  In  every  position  he  gave  his  best 
efforts  and  his  administration  was  always  marked  by  a  move  in  the 
line  of  progress. 

"October  18,  1882,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Estelle 
Powdl  of  Dowagiac,  and  to  them  was  born  one  daughter,  Miss  Lottie, 
who  with  the  devoted  wife  are  left  to  mourn  their  irreparable  loss. 

"The  Masonic  record  of  Companion  Kingsbury  has  been  a  bright 


^5^  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

one.  He  was  raised  to  the  degree  of  Master  Mason  in  Backus  Lodge 
No.  55,  F.  &  A.  M.,  December  lo,  1883.  He  was  exalted  to  the  sublime 
degree  of  Royal  Arch  Mason  in  Kingsbury  Chapter  No.  78,  R.  A.  M., 
June  18,  1885,  and  first  appeared  in  Grand  Chapter  as  High  Priest 
in  1892,  serving  his  Chapter  in  that  position  for  twelve  years.  He 
was  elected  Grand  Master  of  the  Second  Veil  January  17,  igoo,  and 
has  been  steadily  advanced  by  his  companions  until  at  his  death  he 
was  acceptably  filling  the  station  of  Grand  Scribe. 

*'He  was  Knighted  in  Niles  Commandery  No.  12,  K.  T.,  Novem- 
ber 20,  1885,  and  received  the  degrees  of  Royal  and  Select  Master  in 
Niles  Council  No.  19,  R.  &  S.  M.,  April  16/  1903.  He  was  made  a 
member  of  Saladin  Temple,  A.  A.  O.  N.  M.  S.,  October  18,  1895. 

'The  funeral  of  Companion  Kingsbury  was  held  at  his  home 
March  2,  1906,  and  he  was  buried  in  Prospect  Hill  Cemetery  with 
Masonic  honors  under  the  auspices  of  Backus  Lodge  No  55,  Niles 
Commandery  No.  12,  headed  by  a  military  band  acting  as  escort.  The 
officers  of  the  Grand  Chapter  of  Michigan  were  in  attendance  to  honor 
the  memory  of  a  beloved  Companion. 

"As  a  token  of  respect  to  the  memory  of  this  distinguished  Com- 
panion and  of  our  affection  for  him  it  is  ordered  that  this  memorial 
be  read  at  the  first  regular  convocation  after  its  receipt,  and  that  it  be 
preserved  in  the  Memorial  Record  of  the  Chapter  prepared  for  that 
purpose.  It  is  further  ordered  that  the  Chapter  and  Altar  be  draped 
in  mourning  for  sixty  days  thereafter. 

"Thomas  H.  Williams, 

Grand  Hight  Priest. 
"Attest : 

"Charles  A.  Conover, 

Grand  Secretary. 

JUDGE  C.  E.  CONE. 

The  bench  and  bar  have  ever  been  a  civilizing  influence  in  the 
history  of  state  and  nation  and  Judge  Cone  is  actively  connected  with 
a  profession  which  has  important  bearing  upon  the  progress  and  stable 
.prosperity  of  any  section  or  community  and  one  which  has  long  been 
considered  as  conserving  the  public  welfare  by  furthering  the  ends  of 
justice  and  maintaining  individual  rights.  The  present  probate  judge 
of  Cass  county  is  a  gentleman  whose  superior  educational  attainments 
and  understanding  of  the  law  have  given  him  prominence  in  connection 
with  his  chosen  profession  and  won  him  the  position  which  he  now 
fills  through  appointment  of  Governor  Warner,  who  recognized  his 
ability  and  merits.  In  his  social  and  official  relations  he  is  well  known 
in  Cassopolis  and  Cass  county.  C.  E,  Cone  has  much  to  do  with 
public  interests  in  Cassopolis.  He  is  director  of  the  school  board  and 
has  been  a  helpful  factor  in  many  movements  for  the  general  good. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  566 

His  business  interests  have  been  in  the  Hne  of  law  practice  and  he  is 
recognized  as  one  of  the  most  able  attorneys  of  the  county,  possessing 
in  large  measure  the  qualities  which  contribute  to  success  at  the  bar, 
including  perseverance  and  an  analytical  mind,  which  is  at  the  same 
time  readily  receptive  and  retentive  of  the  fundamental  principles  and 
intricacies  of  the  law. 

Mr.  Cone  is  a  native  of  the  Empire  state,  his  natal  place  being 
Oswego,  New  York,  his  natal  day  April  25,  1867.  His  father,  Chester 
Cone,  was  also  born  in  New  York  and  was  a  cooper  by  trade.  Emigrat- 
ing westward,  he  settled  in  Van  Buren  county,  Michigan,  about  1868 
and  afterward  removed  to  Elkhart,  Indiana.  He  has  resided  in  south- 
ern Michigan  and  in  northern  Indiana  since  that  time,  making  his 
home  at  present,  in  1906,  in  Goshen,  Indiana.  His  wife,  who  bore 
the  maiden  name  of  Maggie  Rourk,  was  a  native  of  Canada,  where  her 
girlhood  days  were  passed.  She  died  when  her  son,  C.  E.  Cone,  was 
about  five  years  of  age,  leaving  three  children,  namely:  C.  E.  Cone; 
Mrs.  Millie  Keller,  who  died  in  Enid,  Oklahoma;  and  William  Cone, 
who  is  a  resident  of  Elkhart. 

C.  E.  Cone,  the  eldest  of  the  family,  was  only  about  a  year  old  at 
the  time  of  his  parents'  removal  from  the  Empire  state  to  Michigan. 
He  began  his  education  in  Elkhart  and  continued  his  studies  in  the 
schools  of  Goshen  and  of  Bristol,  Indiana.  He  engaged  in  teaching  in 
the  village  school  at  Bristol  and  for  seven  months  in  the  district  schools 
of  the  Hoosier  state.  Locating  at  Vandalia,  he  spent  about  fifteen 
months  in  a  general  store  owned  by  W.  R.  Merritt,  after  which  he 
engaged  in  teaching  for  one  year  as  assistant  principal.  During  this 
year  he  studied  and  earned  a  first  grade  teacher's  certificate  and  was 
elected  principal  the  following  year,  which  position  he  filled  for  four 
years.  Under  his  guidance  the  schools  made  satisfactory  progress, 
for  he  maintained  a  high  standard  of  excellence  and  put  forth  prac- 
tical effort  to  improve  the  schools  and  worked  for  their  permanent 
good.  He  attended  the  Agricultural  College  at  Lansing,  Michigan, 
where  he  studied  chemistry,  physics,  geology  and  astronomy.  Follow- 
ing this  work  he  took  the  state  teachers'  examination  and  won  a  life 
certificate  in  1891.  He  was  elected  county  commissioner  of  schools  in 
1893  ^^d  came  to  Cassopolis.  For  eight  years  he  occupied  that  posi- 
tion and  the  cause  of  education  has  ever  found  in  him  a  stalwart  friend, 
whose  labors  in  its  behalf  have  been  effective  and  far  reaching.  In 
1896  he  began  the  study  of  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  April, 
1899.  Following  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office  he  entered  at 
once  upon  the  active  practice  of  the  law,  opening  an  office  in  the  Chap- 
man building  on  the  8th  of  July,  1901.  In  his  practice  he  is  gifted 
with  a  spirit  of  devotion  to  wearisome  details  and  is  quick  to  com- 
prehend the  most  subtle  problems,  while  in  his  conclusions  he  is  en- 
tirely logical.  He  is  also  fearless  in  the  advocacy  of  any  cause  he 
may  espouse  and  few  men  have  been  more  richly  gifted  for  the  achieve- 


^56  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

ment  of  success  in  the  arduous  and  difficult  profession  of  the  law. 
He  has  twice  been  elected  circuit  court  commissioner  and  is  filling 
that  position  at  the  present  time.  On  the  election  of  Probate  Judge 
L.  B.  Pes  Voignes  to  the  circuit  bench,  Mr.  Cone  was  appointed  by- 
Governor  Warner  to  fill  the  vacancy  and  entered  upon  the  duties  of 
the  probate  office  September  7,  1906.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
village  council  and  has  been  found  a  co-operant  factor  in  many  move- 
Bients  and  plans  for  the  promotion  of  the  best  interests  of  Cassopolis. 
On  the  1st  of  December,  1886,  Mr.  Cone  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Grace  Forgus,  a  daughter  of  Wellington  and  Anna  (Evans) 
Forgus  and  a  native  of  New  Jersey.  Her  father  was  a  minister  of  the 
Episcopal  church.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cone  have  been  bom  five  chil- 
dren, the  eldest,  J.  Gorton,  being  now  eighteen  years  of  age.  The 
others  are  Grace,  Muriel  Wellington  and  Esther.  Mr.  Cone  is  a  prom- 
inent worker  in  Republican  ranks  and  has  been  secretary  of  the  Re- 
publican county  central  committee.  He  is  secretary  of  Kingsbury 
Chapter  No.  78,  R.  A.  M.,  and  belongs  to  a  number  of  other  frater- 
nities. 

HON.  JAMES  M.  SHEPARD. 

Hon.  James  M.  Shepard,  whose  marked  individuality  and  strength 
of  character  well  entitle  him  to  the  position  of  leadership  which  is 
accorded  him  in  Cass  county,  is  now  American  consul  at  Hamilton,  On- 
tario, and  has  figured  prominently  in  political  and  business  circles  in 
Cass  county  for  many  years.  He  is  a  native  of  North  Brookfield, 
Massachusetts,  where  he  was  born  on  the  24th  of  November,  1840. 
The  paternal  grandfather,  Jared  Shepard,  was  a  descendant  of  Thomas 
Shepard,  the  founder  of  Harvard  College.  The  family  is  of  English 
lineage  and  among  its  members  have  been  many  who  have  figured  prom- 
inently in  public  life  in  one  way  or  another.  Thomas  Shepard  came 
to  America  in  1638.  To  this  family  belonged  General  Shepard,  who 
put  down  Shay's  rebellion.  The  father  of  our  subject,  Rev.  James 
Shepard,  was  a  native  of  Hampden  county,  Massachusetts,  born  in 
1802,  and  was  a  minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He  was 
graduated  from  Westfield  Academy  and  in  his  holy  calling  he  exerted 
a  wide  and  beneficial  influence,  contributing  in  substantial  measure  to  the 
growth  and  development  of  his  party  and  at  the  same  time  taking  a  pro- 
nounced stand  upon  the  slavery  question,  his  influence  being  far  reach- 
ing in  behalf  of  opposition  to  that  institution  of  the  south.  At  length 
on  account  of  ill  health  he  was  forced  to  leave  the  ministry  and  his 
last  days  were  passed  on  Bunker  Hill,  Charlestown,  Massachusetts, 
where  he  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-two  years.  His  wife  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Lucy  Bush,  and  was  a  native  of  Westfield,  Massachusetts, 
born  in  1808.  She,  too,  was  of  English  Unease  and  lived  to  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  eighty  years.  In  the  maternal  line  she  was  descended 
from  the  nobility  of  England.     By  her  marriage  she  became  the  mother 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  557 

of  four  children,  one  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  Jared,  the  eldest,  was 
at  the  head  of  what  was  known  as  the  Foreign  Money  Department  of 
the  Suffolk  Bank  of  Boston,  the  original  '^Clearing  House,''  but  put 
aside  business  ambitions  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  and  joined 
the  Union  army  as  a  lieutenant,  his  death  occurring  near  New  Orleans 
while  he  was  in  the  service.  Esther  is  the  wife  of  Rev.  Daniel  Richards^ 
of  Somerville,   Massachusetts,  her  husband  living  a  retired  life  there. 

Hon.  James  M.  Shepard,  the  youngest  of  the  family,  was  edu- 
cated in  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  attending  the  Latin  school,  after-- 
ward  the  Wilbraham  Academy  and  subsequently  the  Wesleyan  Univer- 
sity. He  studied  medicine  and  dentistry  in  Boston  and  was  connected 
with  the  medical  department  of  the  navy  during  the  war  of  the  rebellion. 
He  went  out  first  with  the  Mansfield  guards,  a  regiment  of  Connecticut 
militia,  and  later  joined  the  medical  department  of  the  navy,  with 
which  he  continued  until  the  cessation  of  hostilities.  On  the  3rd  of 
September,  1868,  Dr.  Shepard  came  to  Cassopolis,  where  he  opened 
an  office  for  the  practice  of  dentistry,  which  he  followed  continuously 
until  1876,  when  he  purchased  the  Vigilant  and  has  been  sole  proprietor 
since  1878.  As  a  journalist  he  is  well  known  and  through  the  publica- 
tion of  his  paper  has  done  much  to  mold  public  thought  and  opinion. 
He  is  the  champion  of  every  progressive  movement  and  his  labors 
have  been  effective  in  securing  the  adoption  of  many  measures  that 
have  contributed  largely  to  the  public  good. 

Mr.  Shepard  is  even  more  widely  known  because  of  his  activity  in 
political  circles.  He  was  elected  to  represent  the  twelfth  district  com- 
prising Cass  and  Van  Burcn  counties,  in  the  state  senate  in  1878,  re- 
ceiving five  thousand  two  hundred  and  fifty-seven  votes  against  twelve 
hundred  and  eight  cast  for  Josiah  R.  Hendryx,  the  Democratic  can- 
didate, and  four  thousand  two  hundred  and  thirty  for  Aaron  Dyckman, 
the  candidate  of  the  National  or  Greenback  party.  While  a  member 
of  the  upper  house  of  the  general  assembly  Mr.  Shepard  was  made 
chairman  of  the  standing  committees  on  the  liquor  traffic  and  printing 
and  also  a  member  of  the  committees  on  education,  on  mechanical  in- 
terests and  on  engrossments.  He  proved  an  active  working  member  of 
the  senate  and  did  all  in  his  power  to  promote  the  welfare  of  the  com- 
monwealth. In  1882  he  became  clerk  of  the  committee  on  territories  in 
the  house  of  representatives  of  the  forty-seventh  congress  and  he  was 
private  secretary  to  Senator  Palmer  during  the  sessions  of  the  forty- 
eighth,  forty-ninth  and  fiftieth  congresses.  He  was  also  clerk  of  the 
senate  committee  on  agriculture  during  the  discussion  of  the  legisla- 
tive movements  leading  up  to  the  formation  of  a  department  of  agricult- 
ure, and  he  was  secretary  to  the  president  of  the  World's  Columbian 
Commission  at  Chicago  from  June,  1890,  until  the  final  official  report 
was  rendered  in  1896.  He  served  as  one  of  the  commission  of  chari- 
ties and  corrections  for  the  state  of  Michigan  under  the  administrations 
of  governors  Rich  and  Pingree,  which  position  he  resigned  upon  accept- 


658  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

ing  the  appointment  as  American,  consul  to  Hamilton,  Ontario,  on  the 
i6th  of  July,  1897. 

In  1870,  James  M.  Shepard  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Alice 
Martin,  the  eldest  daughter  of  Hiram  and  Margaret  (Silver)  Martin. 
They  have  two  children.  Melville  J.,  who  was  bom  November  18, 
1872,  is  assistant  bookkeeper  in  the  Beckwith  estate  at  Dowagic,  Mich- 
igan. He  married  Pearl  Lum,  of  Kalamazoo,  Michigan,  and  has  one 
son,  James  L.,  born  March  20,  1902.  The  daughter,  Blanche,  born 
November  2,  1878,  is  the  wife  of  Ernest  W.  Porter,  of  Newark,  New 
Jersey. 

Dr.  Shepard  is  a  member  of  Albert  Anderson  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of 
which  he  is  a  past  commander.  He  is  also  past  Chancellor  commander 
of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  fraternity,  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  the 
Maccabees,  and  is  a  32nd  degree  Mason.  He  has  a  very  wide  and 
favorable  acquaintance  among  the  prominent  men  of  the  state  and 
nation,  and  has  always  kept  in  touch  with  the  great  and  momentous 
questions  which  involve  the  welfare  of  the  country.  Moreover  in  local 
affairs  he  is  deeply  interested,  and  his  influence  and  aid  are  ever  given 
on  the  side  of  progress  and  improvement.  While  he  enjoys  the  respect 
of  many  with  whom  he  has  come  in  contact  in  connection  with  im,portant 
public  service,  in  his  home  town  where  he  has  long  lived  he  has  that 
warm  personal  regard  which  arises  from  true  nobility  of  character  and 
deference  for  the  opinions  of  others. 

JASPER  J.  ROSS. 

Jasper  J.  Ross,  filling  the  oflfice  of  township  supervisor  in  Mason 
township  and  residing  upon  a  farm  on  section  14,  was  bom  April  2, 
1858,  upon  this  place  which  is  yet  his  home.  He  therefore  belongs  to 
one  of  the  old  families  of  the  county.  His  father,  Richard  C.  Ross,  was 
a  native  of  Stark  county,  Ohio,  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years  accom- 
panied his  parents,  Jacob  and  Betsy  Ross,  to  Cass  county,  settling  first 
in  Edwardsburg,  in  Ontwa  township.  There  Jacob  Ross  took  up  forty 
acres  of  land,  which  was  wild  and  unimproved,  and  began  the  devel- 
opment of  a  farm.  Richard  C  Ross  also  secured  a  claim  from  the 
government,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ross  have  in  their  possession  one  of  the 
old  parchment  deeds  bearing  date  and  execution  of  September  10,  1838, 
and  bearing  the  signature  of  President  Martin  Van  Buren,  the  fourth 
deed  of  the  kind  found  in  Cass  county.  It  is  a  valuable  document  and 
heirloom  in  the  Ross  household.  This  was  in  December,  1832,  and 
they  were  among  the  original  settlers  of  the  county.  The  most  far- 
sighted  could  not  have  dreamed  of  the  development  and  progress  which 
were  soon  to  transform  the  district  into  a  region  of  rich  fertility  and 
productiveness,  and  yet  there  were  to  be  many  years  of  arduous  toil  on 
the  part  of  the  pioneers  and  subsequent  settlers  before  this  result  could 
be  accomplished.     The  grandfather  and  father  of  our  subject  were  both 


^^/^-^^J-  ^, 


>/2^^L4J 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  559 

active  in  reclaiming  the  wild  land  for  the  purposes  of  civilization,  and 
turned  the  first  furrow  upon  many  an  acre.  Having  arrived  at  years 
of  maturity,  Richard  C.  Ross  was  united  in  marriage  in  1848,  in  Mason 
township,  to  Miss  Mehitable  Bougart,  who  was  born  in  Geneseo,  New 
York,  April  i,  1815,  and  was  a  daughter  of  John  O.  and  Mehitable 
Bougart,  who  came  from  the  east  to  Michigan  in  1829,  settling  in 
Edwardsburg,  Cass  county.  Mrs.  Ross  was  then  a  little  maiden  of 
eight  summers,  and  was  therefore  reared  in  Michigan  amid  pioneer  sur- 
roundings and  environments.  The  homes  of  the  settlers  were  largely 
log  cabins  and  the  furnishings  were  very  primitive  and  meager  as 
compared  to  the  homes  of  the  present  day.  Mrs.  Ross  proved  to  her 
husband  a  faithful  companion  and  helpmate  for  life's  journey  and  pos- 
sessed many  excellent  traits  of  character  of  heart  and  mind,  which  en- 
deared her  to  all  who  knew  her.  She  reached  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-five  years  and  nine  months,  while  Richard  C.  Ross  departed 
this  life  on  the  22d  of  April,  1901,  at  the  very  venerable  age  of  eighty- 
seven  years.  His  early  political  allegiance  was  given  to  the  Whig  party, 
and  upon  the  organization  of  the  new  Republican  party,  formed  to  pre- 
vent the  further  extension  of  slavery,  he  joined  its  ranks  and  continued 
one  of  its  stalwart  advocates  until  his  demise.  He  took  a  very  active  and 
helpful  part  in  the  settlement  and  upbuilding  of  Cass  county,  and  his 
name  is  enrolled  among  those  to  whom  the  citizens  of  the  later  day 
owe  a  debt  of  gratitude  for  what  the  pioneers  accomplished  in  the  early 
period  of  development  here.  Unto  him  and  his  wife  were  born  two 
daughters  and  a  son,  the  sisters  of  our  subject  being  Mrs.  Julia  Ort, 
who  is  living  in  Mason  township,  and  Mrs.  Samantha  Luse,  whose  home 
is  in  Elkhart,  Indiana. 

No  event  of  special  importance  occurred  to  vary  the  routine  of 
farm  life  for  Jasper  J.  Ross  in  his  boyhood  days.  He  was  reared  upon 
the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  and  at  an  early  age  he  took  his  place 
in  the  fields,  aiding  in  the  plowing,  planting  and  harvesting.  His  edu- 
cation was  obtained  in  the  old  brick  schoolhouse  in  district  No.  5.  He 
has  never  been  away  from  the  farm  for  an  entire  week  in  his  life,  but 
has  applied  himself  earnestly  and  faithfully  to  his  farm  labor,  and  is  the 
owner  of  one  hundred  acres  of  rich  and  productive  land,  which  is  de- 
voted to  general  farming.  He  has  good  grades  of  stock  upon  his  place 
and  is  enterprising  in  his  work,  which  has  brought  him  the  success  which 
he  to-day  enjoys. 

Oin  Christmas  day  of  1887  Mr.  Ross  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Nettie  Cormany,  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Lydia  (Garl)  Cor- 
many,  and  a  native  of  Elkhart  county,  Indiana,  although  her  girlhood 
days  were  largely  passed  in  this  state.  Mr.  Ross  cared  for  his  parents 
until  their  deaths.  By  his  marriage  there  have  been  born'two  daughters, 
Bessie  M.  and  Shirley  M.,  both  at  home.  The  family  are  held  in  high 
esteem  in  the  community,  having  many  warm  friends. 


660  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Mr.  Ross  is  an  earnest  Democrat  in  his  political  views,  active  in 
the  interests  of  the  party,  and  has  held  all  of  the  tov^nship  offices  to 
which  he  has  been  called  by  his  fellow  townsmen,  who  recognize  his 
ability  and  his  loyalty  to  the  public  good.  He  has  served  as  township 
treasurer  two  terms,  has  been  highway  commissioner  and  in  1905  was 
elected  township  supervisor,  being  the  present  incumbent  in  the  office. 
Mr.  Ross  is  a  member  of  the  United  Brethren  church,  in  which  he  has 
served  as  trustee,  and  the  cause  of  education  finds  in  him  a  warm  friend, 
who  has  done  effective  service  in  behalf  of  the  school  as  a  member  of 
the  school  board  during  nine  years  incumbency  in  that  office.  He  has 
been  a  life-long  resident  of  the  county,  living  for  forty-eight  years  upon 
the  same  farm  and  has  been  closely  identified  with  its  development,  its 
agricultural  interests  and  its  political  welfare. 

JOHN  H.  PHILLIPS. 

John  H.  Phillips,  an  enterprising  citizen  and  merchant  of  Pokagon 
township,  who  is  also  filling  the  office  of  township  supervisor  and  exerts 
strong  and  beneficial  influence  in  behalf  of  public  affairs,  was  born  in 
the  western  part  of  Germany  on  the  12th  of  July,  1841.  His  father, 
John  Phillips,  was  a  native  of  the  same  country  and  was  a  shoemaker 
by  trade.  He  married  Miss  Helen  Hill,  likewise  a  native  of  Germany, 
and  they  became  the  parents  of  five  sons,  John  H.  being  the  fourth  in 
order  of  birth.  In  the  year  1856  the  father  crossed  the  Atlantic  to- 
America,  locating  first  in  New  Buffalo,  Berrien  county,  Michigan, 
where  he  purchased  forty  acres  of  raw  land.  This  was  covered  with 
timber,  which  he  cleared  away,  and  as  the  years  advanced  he  placed  his 
farm  under  a  very  high  state  of  cultivation  and  made  it  a  productive 
property.  There  he  remained  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1868. 
His  political  support  was  given  to  the  Democracy,  and  he  was  a  worthy 
and  public  spirited  citizen. 

John  H.  Phillips  spent  the  first  fifteen  years  of  his  life  in  the  land 
of  his  birth  and  then  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  emigration  to  the 
new  world.  Farm  work  early  became  familiar  to  him  and  he  gave  his 
attention  to  general  agricultural  pursuits  until  1864,  when,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-three  years,  he  enlisted  as  a  member  of  Company  F,  Eighth 
Michigan  Cavalry,  in  defense  of  the  Union.  He  served  with  that  com- 
mand until  the  close  of  the  war,  being  mostly  engaged  in  scouting,  and 
in  October,  1865,  he  was  mustered  out,  having  made  a  creditable  record 
by  his  faithful  performance  of  every  duty  that  was  assigned  him. 

When  the  country  no  longer  needed  his  aid  Mr.  Phillips  returned 
to  Berrien  county  and  entered  upon  his  active  business  career  as  clerk 
in  the  freighting  office  of  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  Company.  ^  He 
was  there  employed  until  1872,  when  he  came  to  Cass  county,  Michi- 
gan, settling  in  the  village  of  Pokagon.  Here  he  was  also  in  the  employ 
of  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  Company  until  1885,  when,  with  the 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  561 

capital  he  had  saved  from  his  earnings,  he  established  a  general  store, 
which  he  has  since  conducted,  being  an  enterprising  merchant  and  meet- 
ing with  very  desirable  success.  His  earnest  efforts  to  please  his  patrons, 
his  reasonable  prices  and  his  straightforward  dealing  constitute  the 
basis  of  his  prosperity  since  he  became  a  factor  in  mercantile  circles  in 
Pokagon. 

Mr.  Phillips  had  been  married  in  Berrien  county  in  1865  to 
Miss  Mary  Raiza,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  was  brought  to  America 
when  four  years  of  age,  and  was  reared  in  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Phillips  have  become  the  parents  of  thirteen  children,  seven  sons  and  six 
daughters.  In  his  religious  faith  Mr.  Phillips  is  a  Catholic,  and  in  his 
political  affiliation  is  a  stanch  Democrat.  In  1897  he  was  elected  town- 
ship  supervisor  and  has  since  held  the  office  by  re-election.  He  has 
also  been  township  clerk  for  a  number  of  years.  His  fraternal  relations 
are  with  the  Odd  Fellows  and  Masons,  and  he  is  true  to  the  teachings  of 
these  orders,  exemplifying  in  his  life  the  beneficent  spirit  upon  which 
the  lodges  rest.  He  has  been  found  capable  in  public  office,  trust- 
worthy in  his  business  relations  and  faithful  in  his  friendships,  and  thus 
the  consensus  of  public  opinion  concerning  L.  H.  Phillips  is  most 
favorable. 

JAMES  M.  EMMONS. 

James  M.  Emmons,  who  after  long  years  of  active  connection  with 
farming  interests  is  now  living  retired  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  well 
earned  rest,  is  one  of  the  old  settlers  of  Cass  county,  having  from  an 
early  period  been  a  witness  of  its  development  and  progress  as  modern 
conditions  have  replaced  those  of  pioneer  life.  He  was  born  in  Giles 
county,  Virginia,  on  the  6th  of  April,  1827,  and  has  therefore  passed 
the  seventy-eighth  milestone  on  life's  journey.  His  father,  William 
Emmons,  was  also  a  native  of  the  Old  Dominion  and  was  there  reared, 
turning  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits  as  a  life  work  after  he 
attained  his  majority.  In  the  fall  of  1828  he  came  with  his  family  to 
Michigan,  settling  in  Berrien  county,  which  was  then  a  largely  unim- 
proved tract,  the  work  of  development  and  progress  having  scarcely 
been  begun  within  its  borders.  All  around  stretched  the  native  forests 
or  the  unbroken  prairie  land,  and  it  remained  for  the  pioneer  settlers  to 
convert  the  district  into  a  productive  region  wherein  agricultural  and 
commercial  interests  might  be  profitably  conducted.  Mr.  Emmons  was 
a  leading  representative  of  industrial  interests,  operating  a  sawmill  in 
Berrien  county  until  1834,  when  he  removed  to  Cass  county,  settling  in 
Pokagon  township.  Here  he  took  up  forty  acres  of  land  from  the  gov- 
ernment, upon  which  not  a  furrow  had  been  turned  nor  an  improvement 
made,  and  he  also  bought  eighty  acres  from  Mr.  Ritter.  This  place 
he  improved,  carrying  on  the  work  of  the  fields  vear  after  year,  or  until 
called  to  his  final  rest.  He  was  married  in  Virginia  to  Miss  Elsie  Kirk, 
a  native  of  that  state,  and  unto  them  were  born  eight  children,  three 


562  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

sons  and  five  daughters,  of  whom  James  M.  Emmons  was  the  sixth 
child  and  second  son.  One  of  the  number  died  in  infancy.  The  father 
voted  with  the  Democracy  and  kept  well  informed  on  the  questions  and 
issues  of  the  day,  but  had  little  desire  for  public  office. 

James  M.  Emmons  was  about  five  years  of  age  when  his  father 
came  to  Cass  county,  and  here  he  was  reared  amid  the  wild  scenes  of 
frontier  life.  He  acquired  his  education  in  one  of  the  little  old-time  log 
school-houses,  where  the  methods  of  instruction  were  almost  as  primi- 
tive as  the  building  in  which  the  sessions  of  school  were  held.  His  train- 
ing at  farm  labor,  however,  was  not  meager,  for  he  early  began  work  in 
the  fields  and  remained  at  home  during  his  father's  life,  assisting  him  in 
the  arduous  work  of  the  farm.  There  he  remained  until  his  marriage, 
when  he  removed  to  his  present  place  of  residence,  comprising  two  hun- 
dred and  seventeen  acres  of  land  in  Pokagon  township.  He  has  since 
given  his  attention  to  the  further  development  of  this  property.  He 
built  first  a  log  cabin  in  which  he  lived  until  after  the  Civil  war,  when 
the  pioneer  home  was  replaced  by  a  frame  residence.  He  has  also  built 
barns  and  outbuildings  and  has  added  equipments  that  facilitate  the 
farm  work  and  make  his  labor  more  profitable. 

On  the  22d  of  February,  1852,  Mr.  Emmons  was  married  to  Miss 
Phebe  Hawkins,  who  came  from  Ohio  to  Michigan  with  her  parents, 
Daniel  and  Alvira  Hawkins,  who  were  early  settlers  of  Cass  county, 
where  Mrs.  Emmons  spent  the  days  of  her  girlhood.  She  has  had  no 
children  of  her  own,  but  out  of  the  kindness  of  their  hearts  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Emmons  have  given  homes  to  four  orphan  children,  two  sons  and 
two  daughters:  Emma,  now  the  wife  of  Solon  Straub  and  acting  as 
housekeeper  on  Mr.  Emmons'  farm;  Richard  Parsons;  Alvira;  and 
Orson. 

Mr.  Emmons  has  always  been  actuated  by  high  and  honorable  prin- 
ciples, by  a  conscientious  regard  for  his  obligations  to  his  fellow  men 
and  by  a  loyalty  to  duty  that  is  above  question.  For  twenty-one  years 
he  has  given  earnest  support  to  the  Prohibition  party  because  of  his  firm 
belief  in  temperance  principles  and  his  opposition  to  the  liquor  traffic. 
He  is  well  known  and  for  many  years  was  accounted  a  leading  farmer  of 
Pokagon  township,  but  at  the  present  writing  has  given  over  to  others 
the  care  and  improvement  of  his  farm,  while  he  is  enjoying  a  well  earned 
rest.  This  is  certainly  as  nature  intended,  and  he  is  not  only  a  retired 
citizen  of  Cass  county,  but  also  one  of  its  respected  and  honored  men, 
well  known  in  this  part  of  the  state  from  pioneer  times  down  to  the 
present. 

JOSEPH  HARPER. 

In  all  those  affairs  which  touch  the  general  interests  of  society, 
which  work  for  civic  integrity  and  virtue  and  for  loyalty  in  citizenship 
as  well  as  for  material  progress,  Joseph  Harper  was  deeply  interested, 
and  though  he  did  not  win  national  renown  and  was  perhaps  not  widely 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  563 

known  in  the  state,  he  was  in  his  home  community  a  man  of  prominence 
whose  influence  was  ever  found  on  the  side  of  progress  and  improve- 
ment. A  native  of  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  he  was  born  on 
the  19th  of  December,  1805,  and  when  about  thirty  years  of  age  came 
to  CassopoHs,  Michigan,  the  year  of  his  arrival  being  1835.  Here  his 
remaining  days  were  passed,  and  on  the  28th  of  August,  1894,  when  in 
the  eighty-ninth  year  of  his  age,  he  was  called  to  his  final  rest.  By 
trade  he  was  a  carpenter  and  joiner,  and  for  nearly  sixty  years  was  a 
prominent  figure  at  CassopoHs.  He  built  the  first  courthouse  and  was 
one  of  the  five  contractors  for  the  building  of  the  second  courthouse. 
Many  evidences  of  his  superior  handiwork  are  seen  in  substantial 
structures  in  the  county,  for  his  work  was  of  a  most  enduring  character, 
and  in  business  circles  he  sustained  an  unassailable  reputation  for  relia- 
bility. The  year  following  his  arrival  at  Cassopolis  Mr.  Harper  was 
married,  in  October,  1836,  to  Miss  Caroline  Guilford,  whose  birth 
occurred  in  Northampton,  Massachusetts,  September  4,  181 6.  They 
traveled  life's  journey  together  for  more  than  fifty-seven  years,  and 
Mrs.  Harper  survived  her  husband  until  the  29th  of  January,  1902. 
They  w^ere  the  parents  of  four  daughters,  all  born  in  Cassopolis.  Emily 
S.,  born  March  31,  1838,  was  married  August  20,  1857,  to  Jeremiah 
B.  Chapman,  and  died  January  7,  1902.  Melissa  C,  born  March  3, 
1 84 1,  was  married  March  28,  i860,  to  Joseph  Graham,  who  was  born  in 
Erie  county,  Pennsylvania,  February  5,  1838,  and  died  May  23,  1905. 
Janette,  born  October  27,  1843,  became  the  wife  of  Charles  L.  Morton, 
February  i,  1870,  and  died  February  27,  1880.  Maryette,  born  April 
12,  1846,  was  married  October  3,  1865,  to  Lowell  H.  Glover,  the  his- 
torian. All  of  the  deaths  in  the  family  occurred  in  Cassopolis,  and  the 
marriages  were  here  celebrated. 

Mr.  Harper  continued  his  building  operations  in  the  county  seat 
and  surrounding  districts  until  the  early  days  of  the  gold  excitement 
in  California,  when  he  made  his  way  to  the  Pacific  coast  and  spent 
several  years  working  in  the  mines.  He  afterward  went  to  Pike's  Peak 
and  later  to  Montana,  where  he  remained  for  about  three  years,  en- 
gaged in  mining  operations.  At  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  he  left 
home  to  serve  as  captain  of  Company  A,  Twelfth  Michigan  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  with  his  command  did  valiant  service  in  defense  of  the 
Union  cause. 

Mr.  Harper  gave  his  political  allegiance  to  the  Whig  and  then  to 
the  Republican  party,  and  was  one  of  the  first  justices  of  the  peace 
elected  after  the  admission  of  the  state  into  the  Union.  At  different 
times  he  was  called  to  the  office  of  register  of  deeds,  treasurer  and 
sheriff  of  the  county,  and  following  the  election  of  General  Grant  to  the 
presidency  Mr.  Harper  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Cassopolis,  and 
served  for  nine  years.  His  official  duties  were  ever  discharged  with 
promptness  and  fidelity.     He  and  his  wife  were  among  those  who  united 


564  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

with  the  Presbyterian  church  the  day  following  its  organization  in  1842. 
He  was  a  man  of  positive  opinions  and  of  incorruptible  integrity,  and 
was  respected  by  all  with  whom  he  held  social  or  business  relations. 

LEANDER  BRIDGE. 

Leander  Bridge  was  for  many  years  an  enterprising  and  prominent 
farmer  of  Cass  county,  where  he  took  up  his  abode  in  pioneer  days 
and  before  the  seeds  of  civilization  had  scarcely  been  planted  in  the 
western  wilderness.  He  bore  his  full  share  in  the  work  of  development 
and  progress  and  gained  and  retained  the  honor  and  respect  of  his  fellow 
men  as  the  years  went  by.  He  was  born  in  Angelica,  Allegany  county, 
New  York,  December  26,  1827,  a  son  of  Samuel  Bridge.  His  early 
boyhood  and  youth  were  spent  in  the  Empire  state,  but  when  nineteen 
years  of  age  he  came  to  Cass  county,  Michigan,  with  his  parents,  and 
spent  his  remaining  days  upon  what  became  known  as  the  old  Bridge 
homestead  farm,  the  then  site  of  the  village  of  'Marcellus.  However, 
at  the  time  of  his  arrival  here  there  was  no  village,  and  the  entire  dis- 
trict was  covered  with  the  native  growth  of  timber.  At  twenty-four 
years  of  age  Leander  Bridge  was  married.  He  started  in  life  on  his 
own  account  with  forty  acres  of  land,  which  he  brought  under  a  high 
state  of  cultivation,  performing  the  arduous  task  of  developing  the  fields 
and  making  the  farm  productive.  As  his  financial  resources  increased 
he  added  to  his  property  from  time  to  time  until  within  the  boundaries 
of  his  place  were  comprised  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  good  land. 
Throughout  his  entire  life  he  carried  on  general  agricultural  pursuits, 
and  for  about  six  years  he  was  also  engaged  in  the  grain  business.  For 
several  years  he  devoted  his  energies  to  the  conduct  of  a  grocery  store 
and  for  two  years  was  proprietor  of  a  meat  market.  He  was  likewise 
express  agent  for  a  time,  and  in  all  these  varied  interests  he  conducted 
his  business  affairs  with  capability  and  enterprise,  realizing  that  close 
application  and  unfaltering  diligence  constitute  a  sure  and  safe  basis 
upon  which  to  build  prosperity. 

It  was  in  1852  that  Leander  Bridge  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Harriet  A.  Bair,  who  was  born  in  Newberg,  Cass  county,  Michigan,  on 
the  23d  of  January,  1835.  His  death  occurred  August  11,  1880,  while 
his  widow,  surviving  for  more  than  two  decades,  passed  away  on  the 
i6th  of  April,  1902.  They  were  people  of  the  highest  respectability, 
enjoying  in  highest  regard  the  esteem  and  friendship  of  those  with 
whom  they  came  in  contact  through  business  or  social  relations.  Mr. 
Bridge  was  a  stalwart,  champion  of  Republican  principles,  and  in  his 
fraternal  relations  was  a  Mason.  He  was  also  a  very  active  and  help- 
ful member  of  the  United  Brethren  church  and  assisted  in  building  the 
house  of  worship  at  Marcellus.  These  connections  indicate  much  of  the 
character  of  the  man  and  show  forth  the  motive  power  that  prompted 
his  actions,  making  him  a  man  whom  to  know  was  to  respect  and  honor. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  565 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bridge  were  born  two  children:  William, 
who  was  born  March  17,  -1855,  died  in  infancy,  while  Mary  Alice,  bom 
March  20,  1856,  is  the  wife  of  Collins  J.  Joiner.  Her  husband  was  born 
in  the  western  reserve  of  Ohio,  on  the  23d  of  January,  1850,  and  was  a 
son  of  J.  C.  and  Mary  (Stafford)  Joiner,  in  whose  family  were  four 
daughters  and  three  sons.  He  came  to  Michigan  with  his  parents  in 
his  boyhood  days,  and  after  acquiring  a  good  education  engaged  in 
teaching  school  in  early  life  for  a  number  of  terms.  He  was  also  for 
a  number  of  years  station  agent  and  telegraph  operator  on  the  Michigan 
Central  Railroad.  In  1883  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Alice  Bridge 
and  removed  to  Jonesville,  where  he  engaged  in  merchandising  for  four 
years.  He  afterward  went  to  Quincy,  Michigan,  where  he  edited  and 
published  the  Quincy  Herald  for  five  years,  later  conducting  the  dry 
goods  store  there  for  some  time.  On  the  first  of  April,  1896,  he  entered 
'into  partnership  with  F.  T.  Ward  and  purchased  the  Hillsdale  Standard 
of  F.  W.  Rolston,  continuing  in  charge  of  the  paper  until  the  time  of 
his  demise,  which  occurred  December  17,  1898.  He  always  published  a 
thoroughly  modern  and  up-to-date  paper,  devoted  to  general  interests 
and  the  dissemination  of  local  news,  and  he  ever  stood  for  public 
progress  and  improvement,  using  his  influence  as  a  journalist  for  the 
betterment  of  the  communities  with  which  he  was  connected.  While 
living  in  Hillsdale  he  also  conducted  a  boot  and  shoe  store  for  a  few 
months  prior  to  his  death. 

Mrs.  Joiner  has  devoted  her  life  to  art  for  the  past  fifteen  years, 
having  been  a  student  under  Professor  Knight,  of  Hillsdale,  and  Pro- 
fessor Harding,  of  Jonesville.  She  does  now  superior  work  in  oil  and 
water  colors  and  pastel,  and  has  produced  some  highly  artistic  work 
in  landscape  and  marine  views,  flowers  and  portraits.  She  was  also  a 
teacher  of  music  for  many  years,  but  now  gives  her  attention  to  paint- 
ing and  has  gained  much  more  than  local  reputation  in  her  art.  Mrs. 
Joiner  is  well  known  in  this  part  of  the  county  both  by  reason  of  per- 
sonal worth  and  the  fact  that  she  is  connected  with  one  of  its  most  hon- 
ored pioneer  families,  and  she  deserves  prominent  mention  in  this 
volume. 

ARTHUR  E.  BAILEY. 

Arthur  E.  Bailey,  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Marcellus  News, 
was  born  in  Liverpool,  Medina  county,  Ohio,  in  1864,  his  parents  being 
James  E.  and  Hannah  Sophia  (Kirby)  Bailey,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  the  Buckeye  state.  The  father  was  of  English  lineage,  was  a 
wagon  maker  by  trade  and  died  three  years  after  the  birth  of  our  sub- 
ject, passing  away  in  the  feith  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of 
which  he  was  a  consistent  member.  His  wife,  who  was  also  of  English 
lineage,  survived  her  husband  for  but  a  brief  period.  She  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Baptist  church.  In  their  family  were  a  daughter  and  a  son, 
the  former,  Alice,  being  a  resident  of  Marcellus. 


56^  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

The  son,  Arthur  E.  Bailey,  largely  acquired  his  education  in  the 
schools  of  Cassopolis,  for  his  mother  removed  to  the  vicinity  of  that 
city  after  her  husband's  death,  and  the  children  were  reared  by  relatives. 
He  mastered  the  branches  taught  in  the  high  school  of  that  place,  after 
which  he  learned  the  printer's  trade  in  the  office  of  the  Vigilant  of 
Cassopolis,  under  the  direction  of  Messrs.  Shepard  &  Mansfield.  He 
entered  the  office  in  the  capacity  of  ''devil"  and  gradually  worked  his 
way  upward  until  he  had  become  manager  of  the  paper.  He  was  ap- 
pointed postmaster  at  Cassopolis  under  President  Harrison,  holding  the 
position  for  four  and  a  half  years  as  a  successor  of  L.  H.  Glover.  After 
retiring  from  that  position  he  purchased  the  Marcellus  News  of  C.  E. 
Davis  and  is  now  its  editor  and  proprietor.  The  paper  was  founded  in 
1877  and  at  present  is  a  six-column  quarto,  published  weekly.  It  has  a 
large  circulation,  has  a  good  advertising  patronage,  is  a  non-partisan 
sheet  and  is  ably  edited. 

In  October,  1892,  Mr.  Bailey  was  married  to  Miss  Fanchon  Stock- 
dale,  who  was  born  in  Jefferson  township,  Cass  county,  in  February, 
1872,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Anthony  and  Jeanette  (Smith)  Stockdale. 
Her  father  was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Jefferson  township.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Bailey  have  two  children:  Agnes,  who  was  born  in  August, 
1893;  and  Harold,  born  in  July,  1896.  The  parents  are  consistent  and 
faithful  members  of  the  Baptist  church,  in  the  work  of  which  Mr.  Bailey 
takes  a  very  active  part  and  is  now  serving  as  one  of  its  officers.  He 
belongs  to  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican.  He 
has  held  village  offices  in  Marcellus  and  is  now  serving  as  a  trustee.  He 
is  the  champion  of  everything  pertaining  to  the  welfare  and  upbuilding 
of  this  part  of  the  state,  and  his  efforts  in  behalf  of  public  improvement 
in  Marcellus  have  been  far-reaching  and  beneficial. 

HENRY  H.  BOWEN. 

Henry  H.  Bowen,  one  of  the  old  settlers  of  the  county,  who  has 
assisted  in  clearing  and  developing  four  farms,  and  thus  contributing 
in  large  measure  to  the  agricultural  improvement  of  this  section  of  the 
state,  is  now  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  good  and  well 
improved  land  on  section  16,  Porter  township.  He  is,  moreover,  one 
of  the  native  sons  of  Michigan,  his  birth  having  occurred  at  Plymouth 
Corners,  near  Detroit,  in  Washington  county,  on  the  20th  of  March, 
1839.  He  was  the  fourth  member  of  a  family  of  nine  children  born  of 
the  marriage  of  Joseph  and  Sallie  Ann  (Austin)  Bowen,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  New  York.  In  the  year  1840  Joseph  Bowen  came  with 
his  family  to  Cass  county,  settling  in  north  Porter  township,  and 
throughout  his  remaining  days  his  attention  was  devoted  to  general 
agricultural  pursuits,  which  indeed  he  made  his  life  work.  He  passed 
away  at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-nine  years,  respected  and  honored 
by  all  who  knew  him,  and  his  wife,  who  was  a  most  worthy  and  esti- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  567 

mable  lady,  also  departed  this  life  in  Cass  county,  her  remains  being 
interred  in  Porter  township. 

H.  H.  Bowen,  of  this  review,  lacked  eight  days  of  being  a  year  old 
when  brought  by  his  parents  to  Cass  county,  and  upon  the  old  home 
farm  in  Porter  township  he  was  reared.  At  the  usual  age  he  began  his 
education,  the  little  ''temple  of  learning"  being  a  log  building  such  as 
was  common  in  the  early  days.  Its  furnishings  were  primitive,  con- 
sisting of  rude  benches  and  a  table,  behind  which  the  teacher  sat  ruling 
over  the  little  kingdom.  The  room  was  heated  with  a  large  fireplace 
and  the  school  work  was  ungraded,  the  pupils  studying  the  branches 
that  they  wished.  The  larger  pupils  attended  only  through  the  winter 
months,  for  their  services  were  needed  upon  the  farms  during  the  spring, 
summer  and  fall  seasons.  Mr.  Bowen  remained  continuously  on  the 
old  farm  until  the  age  of  eighteen.  He  has  assisted  in  clearing  four 
different  farms  in  the  county.  In  his  youth  he  aided  in  the  arduous 
task  of  developing  new  land,  turning  the  first  furrows  on  many  an  acre. 
His  early  boyhood  was  largely  a  period  of  strenuous  toil,  but  he  de- 
veloped thereby  the  practical  knowledge,  and  gained  the  experience  that 
enabled  him  to  carefully  and  successfully  carry  on  farming  interests 
when  he  started  out  upon  an  active  business  career.  He  remained 
at  home  through  his  minority  and  when  twenty-four  years  of  age  was 
united  in  marriage  on  the  6th  of  April,  1863,  to  Miss  Diana  Charles, 
a  daughter  of  Rufus  K.  and  Emeline  (Joy)  Charles,  the  former  a  native 
of  North  Carolina  and  the  latter  of  New  York.  Mrs.  Bowen,  who  was 
the  eldest  of  their  three  children,  was  born  in  Porter  township,  Cass 
county,  September  13,  1842,  her  parents  having  there  located  at  an 
early  day  in  the  pioneer  epoch  of  Michigan's  history.  The  family  home 
was  upon  the  farm  and  she  was  trained  to  the  duties  of  the  household, 
so  that  she  was  well  qualified  to  take  charge  of  a  home  of  her  own  at 
the  time  of  their  marriage.  The  young  couple  began  their  domestic 
life  upon  a  part  of  the  old  Bowen  homestead,  where  they  yet  reside,  and 
Mr.  Bowen  devoted  his  time  and  energies  to  the  tilling  of  the  soil  until 
the  early  part  of  1865,  when,  in  response  to  the  country's  call  for  further 
aid  in  the  suppression  of  the  rebellion  in  the  south,  he  offered  his  serv- 
ices and  was  assigned  to  duty  with  Company  A,  of  the  Twenty-fourth 
Michigan  Volunteers,  serving  with  that  regiment  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  He  is  now  a  member  of  William  J.  May  Post,  No.  64,  G.  A.  R., 
at  Jones,  and  thus  maintains  pleasant  relations  with  his  old  army  com- 
rades. He  has  filled  various  offices  in  the  post,  including  that  of  com- 
mander. His  political  allegiance  has  always  been  given  to  the  Repub- 
lican party,  of  which  he  is  a  stanch  advocate,  and  he  has  labored 
earnestly  and  effectively  for  the  welfare  of  the  party  in  this  locality. 
His  first  presidential  ballot  was  cast  for  Abraham  Lincoln  in  i860,  and 
he  again  voted  for  the  martyred  president  in  1864.  In  fact  he  has 
assisted  in  electing  every  Republican  president  of  the  nation.  Called 
to  public  office,  he  has  served  as  constable  in  the  township,  was  also 


568  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

treasurer  and  filled  the  office  of  township  clerk  for  about  seven  years, 
the  duties  of  the  different  positions  being  discharged  in  a  capable, 
prompt  and  able  manner. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bowen  have  been  born  three  sons,  two  of  whom 
are  yet  living,  namely:  Barnard,  of  Constantine,  Michigan,  and  Frank 
Raymond,  who  is  living  in  Townsend,  Montana,  where  for  about  ten 
years  he  has  occupied  a  position  as  clerk  in  the  employ  of  one  firm, 
a  fact  which  indicates  his  fidelity  to  duty.  Rufus  K.  died  at  the  age 
of  nineteen  years.  The  home  farm  comprises  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  on  section  i6,  Porter  township,  and  he  has  a  well  im- 
proved property,  equipped  with  many  evidences  of  progress  along  agri- 
cultural Imes.  With  the  exception  of  his  first  year  Mr.  Bowen  has 
resided  continuously  in  Porter  township  throughout  his  entire  life,  and 
the  farm  upon  which  he  yet  resides  is  endeared  to  him  through  the  asso- 
ciations of  his  boyhood  as  well  as  those  of  later  manhood.  He  has 
always  been  a  busy  man,  working  persistently  and  earnestly,  realizing 
that  there  is  no  excellence  without  labor.  It  has  been  said  that  merit 
and  success  go  linked  together,  and  the  truth  of  this  assertion  is  proven 
in  the  life  history  of  such  men  as  H.  H.  Bowen,  who  has  prospered 
by  reason  of  his  diligence  and  sterling  worth,  and  he  well  deserves 
mention  in  this  volume  as  one  of  the  representative  early  settlers. 

JAMES  J.  MINNICH. 

ITie  Germans  and  their  descendants  have  always  been  noted  for 
their  thrift  and  enterprise.  To  the  German  farmer  the  middle  west  is 
indebted  for  the  beautiful  and  well-improved  farms,  in  the  states  of 
Michigan,  Indiana,  Illinois  and  Iowa.  Mr.  Minnich  is  a  true  represen- 
tative of  this  class  of  citizens  in  Cass  county,  Michigan.  He  comes 
from  Pennsylvania  German  ancestry  and  is  possessed  of  those  requisites 
which  go  to  make  the  successful  stockman  and  farmer.  He  is  a  nativq 
of  the  Keystone  state,  born  in  Snyder  county,  October  3,  1856,  and  the 
third  in  a  family  of  thirteen  children,  nine  sons  and  four  daughters, 
born  to  Elias  and  Sophia  (Garman)  Minnich.  There  are  eight  children 
living,  namely :  Peter,  a  resident  of  Three  Oaks,  Michigan,  is  a  farmer 
and  fruit  grower  and  is  married.  Mr.  Minnich  is  next.  Andrew,  a 
resident  of  Mason  township,  Cass  county,  is  a  manufacturer  of  cider 
and  jellies,  and  is  prosperous.  He  is  married.  Carrie,  wife  of  Rev. 
W.  C.  Swenk,  a  resident  of  Ida,  Michigan,  and  is  pastor  of  the  Evan- 
gelical church.  Charles  G.,  a  resident  of  Kalamazoo,  Michigan.  He 
is  a  composer  and  teacher  of  music.  He  graduated  under  Prof.  A.  P. 
Barlow.  He  is  married.  Ellsworth,  a  resident  of  Berrien  Springs, 
Michigan,  is  a  manufacturer  of  cider  and  jellies,  the  firm  being  styled 
the  American  Cider  Company,  and  he  is  married.  Jane  is  the  wife 
of  Willia:m  Stover,  a  resident  of  Berrien  county.  John,  a  resident  of 
Los  Angeles,  California,  is  a  machinist  and  millwright,  being  foreman  in 


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HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  569 

a  box  factory  known  as  the  California  Fruit  Association.     He  is  the 
youngest  Hving. 

Father  Minnich  was  born  in  Schuylkill  county,  Pennsylvania,  in 
1834,  and  he  is  yet  living  at  the  age  of  seventy-two.  He  was  educated 
in  both  the  German  and  English  languages,  and  was  a  teacher  of  writing 
in  the  early  years  of  his  manhood.  He  had  great  musical  talent.  His 
chosen  vocation  was  that  of  a  farmer.  When  he  had  reached  man's 
estate,  the  age  of  twenty-one,  he  had  no  capital.  He  was  about  four- 
teen years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Snyder  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  was  reared  and  married  there,  May  20,  1853,  to  Miss 
Sophia  Carman.  In  1866  he  emigrated  to  the  middle  west  and  located 
at  Bristol,  Indiana.  He  purchased  seventy-two  acres  of  land  in  Mason 
township,  Cass  county,  it  being  partially  improved,  and  then  traded  it  for 
One  hundred  and  eighty  acres  in  the  same  township.  He  there  resided 
for  fourteen  years,  and  then  sold  and  invested  in  forty  acres  in  Berrien 
county,  but  later  sold  thirty-three  acres  and  kept  seven  acres,  and  is  now 
living  retired  in  comfortable  circumstances.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
politics.  He  and  his  wife  are  devout  members  of  the  German  Evan- 
gelical Association.  Mother  Minnich  was  born  in  Snyder  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, May  20,  1835,  and  is  living.  She  is  a  kind  and  affectionate 
mother,  and  has  reared  her  children  to  lives  of  usefulness.  ' 

Mr.  Minnich,  of  this  review  proper,  was  about  nine  years  of  age 
when  he  became  a  resident  of  Bristol,  Indiana.  His  parents  being  poor, 
he  was  called  early  in  life  to  aid  them  in  making  a  home.  He  remained 
with  his  parents  and  gave  them  his  care  and  wage  till  the  age  of 
twenty-two,  which  indicates  that  he  surely  did  a  son's  part  in  the  care  of 
his  aged  father  and  mother.  He  received  a  very  meager  education, 
mostly  obtained  through  the  aid  of  his  estimable  wife.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-one  he  could  not  exhibit  ten  dollars  as  a  foundation  to  begin  life. 
He  chose  for  his  companion  in  life  Miss  Eliza  Kissinger,  who  has  proven 
to  be  a  wife  who  has  aided  him  with  her  wise  counsel  and  advice  in  the 
years  past,  in  the  building  of  their  pretty  home.  They  were  married  July 
30,  1876,  and  when  they  began  life  for  a  short  time  they  resided  with 
his  parents.  Then,  concluding  to  have  a  home  of  their  own,  they  took 
twenty  dollars  of  the  fifty  dollars  which  Mrs.  Minnich  had  saved  and 
purchased  a  little  cheap  outfit  of  furniture  and  set  up  a  little  home  of 
their  own,  but  after  a  short  time  ^hey  returned  to  reside  with  Mr.  Min- 
nich's  parents.  They  began  very  modestly  as  renters,  as  is  oftentimes 
said,  began  at  the  lowest  round  of  the  ladder  of  life,  but  they  made  a 
firm  resolution  to  make  a  success  of  their  lives.  The  first  land  they 
purchased  was  thirteen  acres  near  the  village  of  Sailor,  Michigan,  in 
1888,  and  they  went  in  debt  for  most  of  it.  There  was  not  a  sign  of  an 
improvement  on  the  little  place.  They  entered  into  the  work  with 
zealousness  and  erected  a  good  residence  and  excellent  outbuildings, 
and  resided  there  two  years,  then  renting  it,  and  removed  to  Berrien 


570  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

county,  and  there  they  Hved  four  years,  and  then  returned  to  Mason 
township,  this  being  in  1892,  and  here  resided  till  1904,  when  they  sold 
their  little  place.  They  then  moved  upon  the  farm  where  they  now  re- 
side, which  comprises  one  hundred  and  ten  acres  of  fine  land,  which  at 
that  time  was  terribly  run  down, — dilapidated  fences,  tumble-down 
buildings,  and  the  whole  place  presenting  a  very  discouraging  proposi- 
tion. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Minnich  set  to  work  with  that  true  German  charac- 
teristic to  make  a  model  farm,  which  they  surely  have  done.  They 
have  erected  a  pretty  country  residence,  fitted  up  in  city  style,  with 
large  and  commodious  rooms,  nicely  and  cosily  furnished,  and  handy 
and  homelike  for  the  housewife,  an  excellent  cemented  cellar,  the  water 
piped  through  the  house,  and  the  grounds  nicely  laid  out,  which  indi- 
cates hard  and  unremitting  toil.  New  fences  have  been  built,  also  a 
new  windmill,  the  outbuildings  have  all  been  overhauled,  arid  the  sur- 
roundings now  present  the  healthy,  clean  appearance  of  a  model  country 
home,  as  the  accompanying  engraving  indicates.  Mrs.  Minnich  is  one 
of  the  most  careful  and  efficient  wives,  who  knows  how  to  manage  and 
superintend  her  home.  She  is  a  native  of  Elkhart  county,  Indiana,  born 
September  2,  1858,  and  she  is  the  eldest  in  a  family  of  six  children,  two 
sons  and  four  daughters,  born  to  William  and  Caroline  (Stoner)  Kis- 
singer. There  are  five  of  the  children  living,  viz. :  Mrs.  Minnich  is 
the  oldest;  Frances,  widow  of  Cullen  Green,  a  resident  of  Elkhart, 
Indiana ;  Mary,  wife  of  William  Skeer,  a  resident  of  Elkhart,  Indiana, 
and  he  is  a  mechanic;  Charles  A.,  a  resident  of  Elkhart,  Indiana,  and  a 
moulder  by  trade,  wedded  Miss  May  Finch;  John  E.,  a  resident  of 
Mishawaka,  Indiana,  who  owns  property  in  that  place  and  also  in  South 
Bend,  Indiana,  is  a  pit  moulder  and  is  a  receiver  of  high  wages.  He 
wedded  Miss  Jennie  Lintsenmeyer.     He  is  the  youngest. 

Father  Kissinger  was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania, 
June  10,  1830,  and  died  July  28,  1895.  He  was  an  agriculturist.  He 
came  to  Stark  county,  Ohio,  with  his  parents  when  but  a  boy  and  was 
reared  and  educated  in  that  county.  He  received  a  good  education  in 
the  common  schools,  and  also  a  short  course  in  college.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Stark  county.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war,  serving  his 
country  till  he  received  his  honorable  and  final  discharge,  and  was  an 
ardent  Republican  in  politics.  In  the  early  years  of  his  life  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Dunkard  church.  He  came  to  Elkhart  county  in  an  early 
day  and  there  died.  Mrs.  Kissinger  was  bom  in  Stark  county,  Ohio, 
November  31,  1840,  and  died  October  11,  1878,  in  Elkhart  county. 
She  was"  reared  in  old  Stark  county.  She  was  always  known 
as  a  good  and  kind  womani,  good  and  charitable  to  the  poor 
and  needy.  Mrs.  Minnich  was  bbm,  reared  and  educated  in 
Elkhart  county,  Indiana.  To  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jacob 
Minnich  have  been  born  three  sons,  all  living,  viz. :     Charles  W.,  who 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  571 

v/as  educated  in  the  common  schools.  He  is  a  practical  stockman  and 
farmer.  He  is  now  located  at  Gray's  Harbor,  Washington,  near  the  Pa- 
cific ocean.  He  controls  three  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land  near 
there  and  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Idaho.  He  is  a  very 
prosperous  young  man.  He  wedded  Miss  Ida  Traub,  and  they  have  one 
little  son,  Paul.  Edwin  J.  is  located  in  Aberdeen,  Washington,  and  has 
four  lots  in  the  town  and  two  hundred  acres  near  Elma,  Washington. 
He  wedded  Miss  Myrtle  UUery.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Philippine  con- 
test, being  there  and  on  the  ocean  for  eighteen  months.  He  received 
his  honorable  discharge,  and  was  always  true  to  the  ''Stars  and  Stripes." 
Herbert  F.  is  the  youngest  and  is  also  located  at  Aberdeen,  Washington. 
He  is  a  young  man  who  commands  many  friends  by  his  open  and  frank 
disposition.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Minnich  may  well  be  proud  of  their  sons. 

Mr.  Minnich  is  a  Republican,  true  and  loyal  to  the  principles  of 
this  grand  old  party,  and  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for  Hayes,  hav- 
ing always  upheld  the  banner  of  Republicanism.  Officially  he  served  as 
highway  commissioner  for  two  terms.  For  his  honesty  of  character  the 
St.  Louis  &  S.  W.  Railroad  Company  in  the-  years  1900  and  1901  se- 
lected him  as  immigration  agent  in  the  states  of  Arkansas,  Texas  and 
the  Southwest,  and  presented  him  quarterly  passes  over  all  their  lines. 
For  his  efficiency  they  ofifered  him  a  good  salary  to  take  up  the  work, 
but  he  preferred  to  pursue  his  calling,  that  of  a  farmer.  Fraternally  he 
belongs  to  the  Grange.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  United 
Brethren  church  at  Sailor,  Michigan,  and  have  always  been  active  in 
the  Sunday-school  work.  He  is  a  lover  of  good  stock  and  has  the 
Duroc  swine  and  good  standard  bred  horses  and  cattle. 

In  the  years  1900  and  1901  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Minnich  took  an  ex- 
tended journey  to  the  Pacific  slope  to  visit  their  children  and  meet  their 
son  Edwin  on  his  return  from  the  Philippine  war.  They  had  a  lovely 
trip,  crossing  the  straits  to  Vancouver  Island,  and  then  returning  to  the 
east  through  Canada,  via  the  Canadian  Pacific,  passing  through  some  of 
the  most  beautiful  scenery  in  the  great  northwest.  We  are  pleased  to 
present  this  review  of  this  worthy  couple  to  be  recorded  in  The  Twen- 
tieth Century  History  of  Cass  County,  Michigan. 

ERNEST  SHILLITO,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Ernest  Shillito,  whose  capability  in  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion is  indicated  by  the  liberal  patronage  accorded  him  and  by  the 
favorable  mention  made  of  him  throughout  the  community  in  which 
he  makes  his  home,  was  born  in  Espyville,  Pennsylvania,  in  1864,  his 
parents  being  George  and  Amanda  (Slocum)  Shillito,  the  former  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  latter  of  Vermont.  The  father,  whose 
birth  occurred  in  Espyville,  was  of  Irish  descent,  his  father  having  emi- 
grated from  the  Emerald  Isle  to  the  United  States  in  1800.  George 
Shillito  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  became  well-to-do  through  the 


572  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

'  careful  management  of  his  agricultural  and  stock  buying  interests.  He 
held  membership  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  gave  his  politi- 
cal support  to  the  Republican  party.  He  died  in  1893,  at  the  age  of 
seventy  years,  and  is  still  survived  by  Mrs.  Shillito,  who  is  living  in 
Grove  City,  Pennsylvania,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years.  She  is  of 
English  descent  and  members  of  the  family  served  in  the  Revolutionary 
war.  She  belongs  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  has  been  a 
devoted  wife  and  mother  and  earnest  Christian  woman.  In  the  family 
[were  the  following  children:  Arthur  M.,  attorney-at-law  of  Chicago; 
Fred,  a  practicing  physician  at  Kalamazoo;  Amos  G.,  who  is  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  medicine  at  Independence,  Iowa ;  Georgiana,  the  wife 
of  Edw^trd  Fithian,  a  manufacturer  of  gas  engines  of  Grove  City, 
Pennsylvania ;  Ernest,  of  this  review,  and  Hosaih,  deceased. 

Dr.  Shillito,  whose  name  introduces  this  record,  was  reared  upon 
-his  father's  farm  and  after  attending  the  country  schools  became  a  high 
.  school  student  in  Linesville^  Pennsylvania,  while  subsequently  he  at- 
tended the  State  Normal  School  at  Edinboro,  Pennsylvania,  and  also 
Allegheny  College  in  that  state.  In  1886  he  entered  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  state  university  of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor,  and  was  gradu- 
ated from  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  Chicago  in  1888. 
He  then  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Marcellus  in 
July  of  that  year,  and  has  since  followed  his  chosen  calling  here  with 
splendid  success. 

In  18^7  Dr.  Shillito  was  married  to  Miss  Sadie  M.  Warsom,  who 
was  born  in  Sturgis,  Michigan,  in  1875.  Her  father  was  a  pioneer 
farmer  of  Indiana.  Dr.  Shillito  is  a  Republican  in  his  political  views 
but  has  never  sought  or  desired  office.  He  belongs  to  the  Masonic 
fraternity  and  to  the  State  Medical  Association,  and  through  his  con- 
nection with  the  latter  keeps  in  touch  with  the  advanced  thought  of  the 
medical  fraternity.  He  has  never  sought  activity  outside  of  the  regular 
routine  of  active  practice,  but  with  an  ability  that  enables  him  to  master 
the  difficult  problems  of  medical  and  surgical  practice  he  has  gained  a: 
gratifying  patronage. 

RAYMOND  S.  HALLIGAN,  M.  D. 

Although  one  of  the  younger  members  of  the  medical  fraternity 
in  Cass  county.  Dr.  Halligan,  who  is  practicing  in  Marcellus,  seems  not 
to  be  limited  by  his  years  in  the  extent  of  his  practice  or  in  the 
ability  with  which  he  copes  with  the  difficult  problems  that  continually 
confront  the  physician.  He  has  been  very  successful  in  his  work,  and 
is  now  accorded  a  gratifying  patronage.  He  was  born  in  Albion,  Ne- 
braska, in  1878,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Ellen  Halligan,  the  former  a 
native  of  Ireland  and  a  farmer  by  occupation. 

After  acquiring  his  literary  education  in  the  district  schools.  Dr. 
Halligan,   of   this   review,   having  determined  upon  the  profession  of 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  57a 

medicine  as  a  life  work,  spent  three  years  as  a  student  in  the  medical 
department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  and  was  afterward  a  student 
in  the  medical  department  of  the  Northwestern  University  at  Chicago^ 
Illinois,  in  1902.  He  then  entered  upon  the  active  work  of  his  profes- 
sion in  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  where  he  remained  for  eight  months,  and  was 
then  interne  at  a  hospital  at  Saginaw,  Michigan.  While  interne  he 
graduated  from  Saginaw  Medical  College  in  1903.  On  the  ist  of  June^ 
1903,  he  came  to  Marcellus,  where  he  has  since  been  remarkably  suc- 
cessful in  his  chosen  field  of  endeavor.  In  1904  Dr.  Halligan  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Anna  Kalthof¥,  a  daughter  of  Caspar  Kal- 
thoff,  of  Erie,  Pennsylvania.  She  died  September  12,  1904,  and  Dr. 
Halligan  wedded  Miss  Ethel  Apted,  of  Marcellus,  May  17,  1906.  They 
have  won  many  friends  among  the  residents  of  Marcellus,  the  hospi- 
tality of  the  best  homes  of  the  city  being  extended  to  them. 

Dr.  Halligan  belongs  to  the  Modern  Woodmen  camp  and  the  Mac- 
cabees tent,  and  he  is  medical  examiner  for  both  orders.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Republican,  but  without  political  aspiration,  preferring  to  give  his 
time  and  attention  to  his  professional  duties. 

FRANK  ENGLE. 

The  farming  interests  of  Pokagon  township  have  a  worthy  repre- 
sentative in  Frank  Engle,  who  is  living  on  section  14,  where  he  owns 
and  operates  a  good  farm  that  is  equipped  with  modern  conveniences 
and  improvements.  He  is  a  native  son  of  Michigan,  his  birth  having 
occurred  in  Van  Buren  county  on  the  i6th  of  September,  1855.  His 
father,  Benjamin  Franklin  Engle,  was  born  in  Allegany  county,  New 
York,  on  the  2nd  of  April,  1833,  and  was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth  in  a 
family  of  seven  children.  In  June,  1844,  when  a  youth  of  eleven  years, 
he  became  a  resident  of  Van  Buren  county,  Michigan,  to  which  district 
he  removed  with  his  parents.  There  he  spent  about  twenty-one  years, 
and  in  1865  he  came  to  Cass  county,  taking  up  his  abode  in  LaGrange 
township.  Upon  this  place  he  built  a  house  and  then  with  characteristic 
energy  began  the  improvement  of  his  eighty-acre  farm,  which  he  placed 
under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  In  addition  to  the  tilling  of  the  soil 
and  the  raising  of  cereals  best  adapted  to  soil  and  climate,  he  also  devoted 
considerable  attention  to  fruit  culture.  He  was  married  on  the  23d  of 
December,  1854,  to  Miss  Lovina  Elliott,  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  Elliott. 
This  union  was  blessed  with  five  children,  Frank,  May,  Silas,  Hattie 
and  Laura,  but  the  last  named  is  now  deceased.  All  were  born  in  Van 
Buren  county,  but  were  reared  and  educated  in  Cass  county.  In  the 
course  of  an  active  business  career  Mr.  Engle  was  always  respected  by 
reason  of  his  genuine  worth  and  fair  dealing,  never  being  known  to  take 
advantage  of  the  necessities  of  his  fellow  men  in  any  trade  transaction. 
In  politics  he  voted  with  the  Republican  party,  but  was  without  aspira-^ 
tion  for  office  for  himself.     His  wife  passed  away  February  3,  1901. 


6T4  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNtY 

Frank  Engle  spent  the  first  ten  years  of  his  life  in  the  county  of  his 
nativity  and  then  with  his  parents  took  up  his  abode  on  what  is  known 
as  the  old  farm  homestead  in  LaGrange  township.  He  assisted  in  the 
arduous  task  of  clearing  the  fields  and  planting  the  crops,  and  remained 
on  the  old  home  farm  until  1896,  when  he  removed  to  his  present  place 
of  residence— a  well  improved  farm  of  eighty  acres  in  P'okagon  town- 
ship. His  time  and  attention  have  since  been  given  to  the  further  de- 
velopment of  this  property  and  through  the  rotation  of  crops,  the  use  of 
modern  machinery  and  the  exercise  of  practical  common  sense  in  his 
work  he  has  won  a  comfortable  competence  and  made  for  himself  a 
place  among  the  substantial  agriculturists  of  his  community.  He  has 
set  out  a  good  orchard  on  his  place  which  yields  its  fruits  in  season, 
and  he  has  also  made  other  improvements  in  keeping  with  the  modern 
spirit  of  agricultural  progress.  ^^r-      t 

On  the  28th  of  March,  1878,  Mr.  Engle  was  married  to  Miss  Lx>u 
M.  Tremmel,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Martha  (Woods)  Tremmel. 
The  Woods  family  were  the  third  white  family  to  settle  in  Berrien 
county,  Michigan,  and  they  came  to  Cass  county  in  1854^  taking  up 
their  abode  in  Howard  township.  It  was  upon  that  place  that  Mrs. 
Engle  was  born  and  reared,  being  the  third  in  a  family  of  eight  children, 
of  whom  two  are  now  deceased.  Her  father  died  in  December,  1879, 
and  was  survived  by  his  wife  until  January,  1883,  when  she,  too, 
passed  away.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Engle  have  become  the  parents  of  three 
children  of  whom  two  are  living:  Lena,  born  August  31,  1879;  and 
Mable,  born  April  25,  1886.  The  youngest,  Walter,  was  born  January 
21  1889,  and  died  on  the  13th  of  June,  1904.  Mable  and  Walter  were 
born  in  Morgan  county,  Indiana,  while  Lena's  birth  occurred  on  the 
old  home  farm  in  this  county.  .    .    i- 

Mr  Engle  is  a  stanch  advocate*  of  temperance  principles,  as  is  indi- 
cated by  the  fact  that  he  exercises  his  right  of  franchise  in  support  of 
the  candidates  of  the  Prohibition  party.  He  belongs  to  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  of  Pokagon,  and  holds  membership  in  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church  at  Dowagiac.  In  all  life's  relations  he  is  found 
loyal  to  the  trust  reposed  in  him,  and  he  earnestly  espouses  and  sup- 
ports every  cause  in  which  he  believes. 

SAMUEL  F.  SKINNER. 

Samuel  F.  Skinner,  who  is  successfully  carrying  on  general  farm- 
ing on  section  12,  Porter  township,  was  bom  October  16,  1853,  in  this 
county  his  parents  being  Nathan  and  Sophia  (Dayhuff)  Skinner.^  He 
is  the  youngest  in  a  family  of  four  children,  one  of  whom  died  in  in- 
fancy His  youth  was  passed  in  his  native  township  and  his  education 
was  acquired  in  the  district  schools,  where  he  mastered  the  usual  branchy 
of  English  learning.  He  was  trained  to  farm  work  and  early  learned 
the  best  methods  and  time  of  planting  and  cultivating  the  fields,   so 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  575 

that  when  he  began  farming  on  his  own  account  he  had  good  practical 
experience  to  aid  him.  As  a  companion  and  helpmate  for  Hfe's  journey 
he  chose  Miss  Rachel  Maria  Roof,  a  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Catherine 
(Eberhard)  Roof,  the  parents  being  early  settlers  and  well  known  farm- 
ing people  of  Porter  township,  where  Mrs.  Skinner  was  born.  Her 
father  fs  now  deceased  but  her  mother  is  still  living,  and  has  reached 
the  very  advanced  age  of  eighty-seven  years.  Mrs.  Skinner  is  the  only 
daughter  and  the  younger  of  two  children,  her  brother  being  David 
Roof.  One  daughter  has  been  born  of  this  union,  Mary  R.,  who 
graduated  in  the  high  school  at  Vandalia  in  the  class  of  1895,  ^^d  she 
spent  almost  two  years  in  Albion  College  studying  music,  and  is  now 
a  teacher  of  instrumental  music.  It  was  November  26,  1874,  that 
Rachel  M.  Roof  gave  her  hand  in  marriage  to  Mr.  Skinner,  and  they 
located  upon  the  old  homestead  farm,  where  they  lived  for  one  year. 
On  the  expiration  of  that  period  they  removed  to  section  2,  Porter 
township,  where  he  carried  on  general  farming,  placing  his  fields  under 
a  high  state  of  cultivation.  There  he  resided  until  he  again  located 
upon  the  old  homestead  farm,  where  he  remained  until  1890,  when  he 
removed  to  his  present  place  of  residence  'on  section  12,  Porter  town- 
ship. Here  he  has  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  and  the 
soil  is  rich  and  alluvial,  responding  readily  to  the  cultivation  placed 
thereon,  so  that  he  annually  harvests  good  crops.  In  addition  to  the 
raising  of  the  cereals  best  adapted  to  soil  and  climate  he  is  also  engaged 
in  stock  raising,  making  a  specialty  of  high  grade  hogs.  In  both 
branches  of  his  business  he  has  met  with  very  gratifying  success  and  is 
now  one  of  the  prosperous  and  enterprising  agriculturists  of  Porter 
township. 

When  age  conferred  upon  Mr.  Skinner  the  right  of  franchise  he 
identified  his  interests  with  those  of  the  Republican  party,  which  he  has 
continuously  and  loyally  supported.  As  every  true  American  citizen 
should  do,  he  keeps  well  informed  on  the  questions  and  issues  of  the  day 
and  has  taken  an  active  and  helpful  part  in  the  support  of  the  party  in 
which  he  believes.  He  was  justice  of  the  peace  for  several  years,  ren- 
dering decisions  which  were  strictly  fair  and  impartial.  He  was  also 
constable,  and  in  1901  he  was  elected  township  supervisor,  to  which 
position  he  has  since  been  re-elected,  so  that  he  has  held  the  offke 
continuously  for  five  years,  being  the  incumbent  at  the  present  time. 
He  has  also  served  as  school  oflficer  since  he  attained  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years,  and  the  cause  of  education  finds  in  him  a  warm  and  helpful 
friend,  for  he  does  all  in  his  power  to  advance  the  success  of  the  schools 
through  the  employment  of  good  teachers  and  upholding  the  standard 
of  instruction.  He  belongs  to  Tent  No.  805,  Knights  of  the  Maccabees, 
at  Jones,  and  Mrs.  Skinner  to  the  L.  O.  T.  M.,  Hive  No.  353.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  that  village,  and  is  very 
active  and  helpful  in  church  work,  serving  as  one  of  the  trustees  and 
co-operating  in  various  lines  of  church  activity.    During  fifty-two  years 


576  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

he  has  Hved  in  Porter  township,  and  that  his  Hfe  has  been  honorable 
and  upright  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  many  of  his  stanchest  friends 
are  numbered  among  those  who  have  known  him  from  boyhood  to  the 
present  time. 

EDWARD  T.  MOTLEY. 

Edward  T.  Motley  is  now  the  owner  of  a  well  improved  farm 
comprising  two  hundred  and  thirty-one  acres,  situated  on  section  lo, 
Porter  township,  and  his  careful  supervision  and  practical  labors  are 
indicated  in  the  neat  and  thrifty  appearance  of  the  place.  He  is  one  of 
the  native  sons  of  this  township,  his  birth  having  here  occurred  on  the 
7th  of  October,  1848.  In  the  paternal  line  he  comes  of  English  Imeage. 
His  father,  James  Motley,  was  born  in  Lincolnshire,  England,  m 
August,  1805,  was  there  reared  and  educated,  and  in  that  country  was 
first  married.  He  had  one  daughter,  Elizabeth,  who  is  now  the  wife 
of  Samuel  H.  Gilbert,  one  of  the  early  settlers  and  worthy  citizens  of 
Porter  township.  It  was  in  the  year  1837  that  James  Motley  came  to 
Michigan,  settling  first  in  Washtenaw  county,  where  he  remamed  for 
three  years,  when,  in  1840,  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Porter  township, 
Cass  county  He  was  married  a  second  time,  Miss  Bethesda  McNiel 
becoming  his  wife  in  New  York.  She  was  born  in  New  York  and  was 
a  daughter  of  John  McNiel,  who  was  of  Scotch  descent.  The  parents 
of  our  subject  took  up  their  abode  on  section  23,  Porter  township,  in 
1840,  and  there  they  spent  their  remaining  days,  both  attaining  an  ad- 
vanced age,  James  Motley  passing  away  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years, 
while  his  wife  was  in  her  eighty-first  year  when  she  was  called  to  her 
final  rest.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  six  of  whom  reached 
maturity,  while  four  of  the  number  are  yet  living  at  this  writing,  in  1906. 

Edward  T.  Motley,  the  seventh  child  and  fourth  son  of  the  fami-ly, 
was  reared  in  the  usual  manner  of  farm  lads  in  a  pioneer  locality.  He 
had  few  advantages,  no  event  of  special  importance  occurring  to  vary 
the  routine  of  farm  life  for  him  in  his  boyhood  days.  He  lived  with 
his  parents  on  the  old  homestead  and  acquired  his  early  education  in 
the  district  schools,  while  later  he  enjoyed  the  benefit  of  a  course  in 
Kalamazoo  College.  He  was  engaged  in  teaching  in  the  winter  seasons 
for  about  ten  years  in  Cass  county,  and  in  Washington,  near  Walla 
Walla,  while  in  the  summer  months  he  followed  farming  on  the  old 
homestead,  and  there  resided  continuously  until  about  1901.      ^  ^ 

Mr.  Motley  was  first  married  in  1882,  the  lady  of  his  choice  being 
Miss  Florence  Sharp,  and  unto  them  was  bom  a  daughter,  Florence. 
The  wife  and  mother  passed  away  in  1885,  and  in  1896  Mr.  Motley 
was  again  married,  his  second  union  being  with  Mrs.  Sarah  A.  Driskel, 
a  daughter  of  Peter  Smith  and  the  widow  of  Oscar  P.  Driskel.  They 
resided  on  the  old  home  place  until  1901,  when  Mr.  Motley  purchased 
the  farm  whereon  he  now  resides.  It  comprises  two  hundred  and 
thirty-one  acres  of  good  land,  and  upon  the  place  is  a  substantial  fesi- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  577 

dence,  also  barns  and  outbuildings  for  the  shelter  of  grain  and  stock. 
The  farm  is  well  fenced,  there  is  good  improved  machinery,  and  in 
fact  all  of  the  equipments  of  a  model  farm  are  found  upon  this  place 
and  indicate  the  progressive  spirit  of  the  owner.  He  is  practical  in  his 
methods  and  has  therefore  accomplished  excellent  results,  being  now 
one  of  the  substantial  agriculturists  of  his  community. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Motley  is  an  earnest  and  unfaltering 
Republican,  and  has  been  called  to  various  township  offices.  The  first 
position  which  he  ever  held  was  that  of  township  clerk,  serving  therein 
for  two  years.  He  was  also  township  supervisor  of  schools  and  high- 
way commissioner  for  seven  years,  and  for  sixteen  years  he  acted  as 
justice  of  the  peace,  in  which  office  he  was  strictly  fair  and  impartial, 
rendering  decisions  which  were  seldom  reversed  by  the  higher  courts. 
He  was  also  school  inspector,  was  township  treasurer  for  one  year  and 
has  been  supervisor.  He  was  elected  to  the  last  named  office  in  1879, 
and  was  re-elected  in  1886  and  again  in  1887.  Then  after  an  interval 
of  seven  years  he  was  chosen  for  the  same  office  in  1898,  1899  and  1900, 
making  his  incumbency  in  the  office  cover  a  period  of  eight  years.  No 
higher  testimonial  of  capability  could  be  given  than  the  fact  that  he  has 
been  so  many  times  chosen  to  positions  of  political  preferment.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Grange  and  at  one  time  was  connected  with  the  Knights 
of  the  Maccabees.  He  has  been  a  lifelong  resident  of  Cass  county  and 
is  a  worthy  representative  of  a  prominent  pioneer  family.  The  name 
of  Motley  has  ever  stood  for  advancement  and  improvement,  not  only 
in  agricultural  lines  but  also  in  general  citizenship,  and  like  the  others 
of  the  family,  Edward  T.  Motley  has  given  his  allegiance  and  support 
to  many  movements  which  have  had  direct  and  important  bearing  upon 
the  welfare  and  upbuilding  of  the  county. 

BYRON  PIERO. 

Byron  Fiero  is  a  prominent  farmer  residing  on  section^  5,  La- 
Grange  township.  His  birthplace  was  a  little  log  cabin  in  this  town- 
ship and  his  natal  day  September  8^  1853.  His  father  was  Abram 
Fiero,  and  the  family  history  is  given  on  another  page  in  this  work  in 
connection  with  the  sketch  of  John  Fiero,  a  brother  of  the  subject  of 
this  review. 

Byron  Fiero  was  the  second  child  and  second  son  in  his  father's 
family  and  was  reared  upon  the  old  homestead  farm,  while  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  LaGrange  township  he  began  his  education,  which  was 
afterward  completed  in  the  high  school  of  Dowagiac.  Later  he  en- 
gaged in  teaching  school  for  seven  terms,  spending  five  terms  of  that  time 
as  teacher  in  district  No.  6  and  the  remainder  of  the  time  in  the  Dewey 
and  Maple  Grove  districts.  When  still  a  youth  he  became  familiar  with  all 
the  work  incident  to  the  development  and  cultivation  of  a  farm,  and 
during  the  greater  part  of  his  life  has  carried  on  general  agricultural 


578  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

pursuits.  He  was,  however,  engaged  for  three  years  in  the  dairy  busi- 
ness, deHvering  milk  to  Dowagiac.  He  has  one  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  of  land,  most  of  which  is  under  cultivation,  and  the  well  tilled 
fields  return  to  him  golden  harvests  for  the  labor  that  he  bestows  upon 
the  land. 

On  the  24th  of  December,  1874,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of 
Mr.  Fiero  and  Miss  Emma  Webster,  a  daughter  of  Nelson  and  Mary 
Webster.  She  died  leaving  one  child,  Winnie,  who  is  now  the  wife 
of  Harry  Larzalere,  of  LaGrange  township.  In  1888  Mr.  Fiero  was 
again  married.  Miss  Iva  Wright,  a  daughter  of  Milton  and  Elizabeth 
Myers  Wright,  becoming  his  wife.  They  have  a  pleasant  home  in  the 
midst  of  a  good  farm,  and  its  hospitality  is  greatly  enjoyed  by  their  many 
friends.  Mr.  Fiero  was  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Republican  party, 
but  for  some  time  has  given  his  political  allegiance  to  the  Democracy. 
He  became  candidate  of  his  party  for  probate  judge  in  1896,  but  lost  the 
election  by  twenty-one  votes.  He  has  filled  the  office  of  township  treas- 
urer in  LaGrange  township  for  two  terms,  and  in  the  discharge  of  all 
public  duties  has  been  prompt  and  faithful,  and  is  deeply  interested  in 
everything  pertaining  to  general  progress  and  improvement.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Modern  Woodmen  Camp  at  Dowagiac,  and  is  well  known 
in  the  county  where  his  entire  life  has  been  passed.  He  has  largely  con- 
centrated his  ejfiforts  upon  the  management  of  his  farm,  and  has  been 
found  reliable  m  business,  at  the  same  time  ever  manifesting  those  traits 
of  character  which  have  made  him  best  liked  where  best  known. 

SILAS  H.  THOMAS. 

The  connection  of  Silas  H.  Thomas  with  the  interests  of  Cass 
county  dates  back  to  an  early  period  in  its  development  and  settlement. 
He  is  now  a  resident  of  Vandalia,  where  he  is  enjoying  in  well  earned 
ease  the  fruits  of  his  former  toil.  He  was  for  many  years  closely  asso- 
ciated with  agricultural  interests  in  the  county  and  kept  in  touch  with 
the  onward  march  of  progress  along  agricultural  lines.  His  birth  oc- 
curred in  Grant  county,  Indiana,  on  the  14th  of  May,  1832.  His  pa- 
ternal grandfather  was  Elijah  Thomas,  a  native  of  South  Carolina,  who 
removed  from  that  state  to  Indiana,  taking  with  him  his  family  and 
casting  in  his  lot  with  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Wayne  county.  He  was 
the  father  of  Samuel  Thomas,  who  was  also  born  in  South  Carolina  and 
was  a  young  lad  at  the  time  of  his  parents'  removal  to  the  west.  He 
was  therefore  reared  and  educated  in  the  Hoosier  state  and  after  arriv- 
ing at  years  of  maturity  was  married  there  to  Miss  Sarah  Bogue,  a  na- 
tive of  North  Carolina  and  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Bogue,  whose  birth 
occurred  in  the  same  state.  In  religious  faith  they  were  Friends  or 
Quakers.  Soon  after  his  marriage  Samuel  Thomas  located  in  Grant 
county,  Indiana,  w^here  the  town  of  Marion  now  stands,  and  there  he 
was   engaged  in   farming  until  his  removal   to   Fenn  township,   Cass 


/0>Vl/3 


^  ^  UA^^^'-^''x^^^^ 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  579 

county,  in  1842.  Here  he  located  on  a  part  of  the  land  now  comprised 
within  the  corporation  limits  of  Vandalia  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town. 
He  reached  the  age  of  only  forty-nine  years  and  then  passed  away,  leav- 
ing behind  the  priceless  heritage  of  an  untarnished  name,  for  his  entire 
life  was  in  harmony  with  his  professions  as  a  member  of  the  Friends* 
church.  He  took  a  very  active  part  in  its  work  and  was  very  deeply 
interested  in  the  cause  of  moral  development  as  well  as  material  prog- 
ress in  his  community.  His  wife  long  survived  him  and  passed  away 
when  about  seventy-three  years  of  age.  In  their  family  were  seven  chil- 
dren, six  sons  and  a  daughter,  and  with  one  exception  all  reached  adult 
age,  while  four  are  still  living. 

Silas  H.  Thomas  of  this  review  was  the  third  child  and  third  son 
of  the  family.  He  continued  a  resident  of  his  native  county  during 
the  first  ten  years  of  his  life,  after  which  he  accompanied  his  parents 
on  their  removal  to  Cass  county.  He  was  reared  in  Penn  township, 
sharing  in  the  hardships  and  privations  of  existence  on  the  frontier. 
When  he  was  about  seventeen  years  of  age  his  father  removed  to  St. 
Joseph  county,  Michigan,  and  there  Silas  H.  Thomas  remained  for  six 
years,  after  which  he  returned  to  Penn  township.  No  event  of  special 
importance  occurred  to  vary  the  routine  of  farm  life  for  him  in  his  boy- 
hood days.  He  pursued  his  education  in  the  public  schools  and  worked 
in  the  fields  during  the  summer  months,  performing  the  farm  labor  with 
such  primitive  agricultural  implements  as  then  existed.  The  work  of 
the  farm  was  at  that  time  much  more  arduous  than  at  the  present,  when 
the  agriculturist  can  ride  over  his  fields  upon  the  planter  or  mower  and 
when  improved  machinery  of  various  kinds  takes  the  place  of  hand 
labor. 

On  the  7th  of  May,  1856,  Mr.  Thomas  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Elvina  Bogue,  a  member  of  one  of  the  well  known  and  prominent 
pioneer  families  of  southern  Michigan,  her  parents  being  Stephen  and 
Hannah  (East)  Bogue.  She  was  bom  in  Penn  township  January  19, 
1836,  and  has  spent  her  entire  life  in  this  township.  Her  parents  came 
to  Cass  county  in  183 1,  and  took  up  their  abode  on  Young's  Prairie 
when  much  of  the  land  was  still  in  its  primitive  condition.  The  break- 
ing plow  had  not  yet  turned  the  furrows  upon  many  a  tract  and  it  was 
only  here  and  there  in  the  edge  of  the  forest  that  clearings  had  been 
made.  The  Bogues  were  pioneer  settlers  and  the  name  is  closely  asso- 
ciated with  the  early  and  substantial  development  of  this  portion  of 
Michigan.  Mr.  Bogue  made  the  journey  on  horseback  from  Preble 
county,  Ohio,  and  afterward  returned  in  the  same  manner  to  his  old 
home,  where  he  then  made  arrangements  to  bring  his  family  to  the 
wilds  of  Michigan.  Mrs.  Thomas  was  the  third  in  a  family  of  six 
children.  Her  father  was  married  twice  and  Mrs.  Thomas  was  bom 
of  the  second  marriage. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  took  up  their  abode  upon  a  rented  farm,  on 


580  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

which  they  lived  for  three  years,  after  which  they  removed  to  the  woods 
on  section  34,  Penn  township,  their  home  being  a  little  log  cabin  twenty 
by  twenty-four  feet.  In  that  house  they  resided  until  1871,  when  the 
present  commodious  and  attractive  good  farm  residence  was  built.  As 
the  years  passed  Mr.  Thomas  continued  the  work  of  clearing  and  culti- 
vating the  land  and  he  added  to  his  original  purchase  until  he  now 
owns  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  He  placed  the  fields  under  a  high 
state  of  cultivation,  fenced  his  land  and  added  modern  equipments  and 
accessories.  His  time  and  energies  were  devoted  to  farm  work  until  he 
retired  from  active  business,  locating  in  Vandalia  in  1904.  In  the  mean- 
time, however,  he  had  lived  in  the  village  for  seven  years  and  had  then 
again  taken  up  his  abode  on  the  farm,  where  he  continued,  as  before 
stated,  until  he  came  to  occupy  his  present  home  in  1904. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  have  been  born  six  children:  James 
Arthur,  now  deceased;  Edwin  F.,  who  has  also  passed  away;  May  E., 
the  wife  of  Rev.  R.  W.  Gammon,  of  Pueblo,  Colorado,  a  minister  of 
the  Congregational  church  now  located  in  Decatur,  Illinois ;  Blanche  A., 
the  wife  of  C.  M.  Ratliff,  an  attorney  at  law  of  Marion,  Indiana,  and 
a  leading  worker  in  the  ranks  of  the  Republican  party,  now  serving  as 
chairman  of  the  county  central  committee  and  a  member  of  the  commit- 
tee for  the  congressional  district  comprising  Grant  and  Blackford  coun- 
ties, but  now  retired  from  the  practice  of  law  and  now  a  farmer;  Flor- 
ence A.,  the  wife  of  Rev.  Frank  Fox,  a  minister  of  the  Congregational 
church  at  Sioux  Falls,  South  Dakota;  and  Cora  A.,  who  died  in  1890. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  also  have  the  following  grandchildren,  namely: 
Grace  B.,  Carlton  R.,  Claude  F.,  Genevra  and  Mark  H.  Ratliff,  and 
Florence  E.,  Harold  W.,  Clement  S.,  Mary  A.  and  Rachel  Fox.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Thomas  reared  their  family  in  Penn  township  and  the  liv- 
ing children  were  all  married  there  with  one  exception.  Mr.  Thomas  is 
a  stalwart  Republican.  His  father  and  also  his  wife's  father  were  iden- 
tified with  the  Abolition  party  and  their  homes  were  stations  on  the 
famous  *'undergroiund  railroad,"  whereby  they  assisted  many  a  fugitive 
negro  on  his  way  to  freedom  in  the  north,  being  strongly  opposed  to  the 
system  of  slavery.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  are  members  of  the 
Society  of  Friends  or  Quakers  and  he  has  been  an  elder  in  the  church 
for  twenty-five  years  and  in  its  work  has  taken  a  very  active  and  help- 
ful part.  He  is  an  honest  man,  fearless  in  defense  of  what  he  believes 
to  be  right,  active  in  support  of  many  measures  and  movements  for  the 
general  good,  and  his  personal  worth  of  character  has  endeared  him  to 
a  large  circle  of  warm  friends. 

Since  the  above  was  written  Mr.  Thomas  lost  his  dear  companion 
in  life.  They  had  almost  passed  a  half  century  together  as  husband 
and  wife,  traveling  together  hand  in  hand,  and  had  shared  alike  the  joys 
and  sorrows  of  this  life  as  loving  husband  and  wife.  The  family  cir- 
cle is  now  broken,  and  the  vacant  chair  is  seen  in  the  home.    The  place 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  581 

of  mother  and  wife  can  never  be  filled  again.  We  append  the  obituarj 
of  Mrs.  Thomas,  which  appeared  in  The  Cassopolis  Vigilant  April  19, 
1906: 

•'  Elvira  Bogue  was  born  in  Penn  township  January  19,  1836,  and 
married  Silas  H.  Thomas,  who  survives  her,  May  7,  1856.  She  died  at 
her  home  in  Vandalia  April  12,  1906.  Six  children  were  bom  to  this 
union.  Three  preceded  the  mother  by  many  years  and  three,  Mrs.  Gam- 
mon of  Decatur,  Illinois,  Mrs.  Ratliff  of  Fairmount,  Indiana,  and  Mrs. 
Fox  of  Sioux  Falls,  South  Dakota,  were  with  her  the  last  few  days  of 
life  to  comfort  and  console  her  in  her  great  suffering.  There  were  also 
at  her  bedside  her  sister,  Mrs.  Amos  Smith,  and  brothers,  W.  E.  and  S. 
A.  Bogue.  Mrs.  James  E.  Bonine,  another  sister,  was  unable  to  be  pres- 
ent. While  her  life  had  many  shadows,  there  was  much  of  sunshine  and 
deep  love  for  family  and  friends.  A  few  more  weeks  would  have 
brought  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  her  married  life.  Instead  there  is  a 
grand  reunion  over  yonder.  A  life-long  member  of  the  Friends'  church, 
and  a  faithful  officer  in  the  same,  she  worked  and  prayed  and  overcame 
and  now  rests.  Funeral  services  were  conducted  by  Rev.  Stephen  Scott 
at  the  Friends'  church,  Vandalia,  Saturday  at  ten  o'clock.  Interment 
at  Prairie  Grove  cemetery.  Fifteen  members  of  the  Valentine  Associa- 
tion attended  the  funeral  and  each  one  impressively  placed  a  floral  offer- 
ing on  the  casket  of  the  departed  member." 

DAN  M.  HARVEY. 

A  valuable  farm  of  two  hundred  and  twenty  acres  on  section  3, 
Porter  township,  is  the  property  of  Dan  M.  Harvey,  who  is  accounted 
one  of  the  leading  and  representative  agriculturists  of  his  community, 
early  gaining  recognition  of  the  fact  that  success  is  the  outcome  of  in- 
dustry, determination  and  laudable  ambition,  who  has  throughout  an 
active  life  so  directed  his  efforts  that  excellent  results  have  attended 
his  labors.  His  life  record  began  on  the  i8th  of  February,  1842,  in 
Constantine  township,  St.  Joseph  county,  Michigan,  and  he  represents 
one  of  the  old  and  prominent  pioneer  families  of  the  state.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  Ephraim  Harvey,  was  a  native  of  Vermont,  and  was  a  son 
of  Philip  Harvey,  who  was  one  of  the  heroes  of  the  Revolutionary  war, 
who  came  to  America  from  the  north  of  England,  and  when  the  colonies 
attempted  to  throw  off  the  yoke  of  British  oppression  he  fought  for 
independence.  Norman  Harvey,  father  of  our  subject,  was  also  a  native 
of  Vermont.  In  early  manhood  he  heard  the  "call  of  the  west,"  and 
imbued  with  the  hope  of  enjoying  better  business  privileges  in  this  sec- 
tion of  the  country,  he  made  his  way  to  Michigan,  settling  in  St.  Joseph 
county  in  1832.  The  entire  district  was  largely  wild  and  unimproved 
and  he  took  up  land  from  the  government,  after  which  he  located  upon 
his  claim,  where  he  lived  for  some  time.  He  was  not  only  connected 
with  agricultural   interests,   however,   but  also  became  a   promoter  of 


582  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

industrial  interests  and  built  the  first  factory  and  was  a  partner  in  the 
first  carriage  foundry  and  woolen  mills  in  that  county.  He  also  built 
and  operated  a  large  grist  mill  and  established  the  first  hardware  and 
tinware  store  in  Constantine,  Michigan.  His  activity  and  enterprise 
proved  strong  and  potent  elements  in  the  development  of  his  part  of  the 
state  and  he  was  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  men  of  his  community, 
who  wielded  a  wide  influence  and  left  the  impress  of  his  individuality 
for  good  upon  the  work  of  upbuilding.  As  he  prospered  in  his  under- 
takings he  placed  considerable  money  in  the  safest  of  all  investments — 
real  estate — and  at  one  time  owned  more  land  than  any  other  man  in  the 
county.  He  was  extremely  successful  in  his  business  affairs  in  accumu- 
lating money  and  land,  and  his  prosperity  was  well  merited,  not  only 
by  reason  of  the  fact  that  he  possessed  keen  discernment  in  business 
affairs  and  unfaltering  diligence,  but  also  because  his  methods  were 
ever  straightforward  and  honorable,  and  w^ould  bear  closest  investiga- 
tion and  scrutiny.  He  also  aided  many  others  in  buying  farms,  and  in 
this  way  contributed  to  the  settlement  of  the  county.  He  was  a  good 
man,  honest  and  honorable  at  all  times,  and  was  never  known  to  take 
advantage  of  the  necessities  of  another  in  any  business  transaction.  He 
had  a  very  wide  and  favorable  acquaintance  in  the  county,  and  his 
death  was  the  occasion  of  deep  regret,  when  at  the  age  of  sixty  years 
he  was  called  from  this  life.  He  laid  out  many  roads  in  the  county 
and  otherwise  contributed  to  its  material  improvement.  He  started  the 
first  bank  in  Constantine,  and  afterward  organized  the  First  National 
Bank.  His  business  interests  were  of  a  character  that  contributed  not 
only  to  individual  success  but  also  to  the  public  prosperity,  and  his 
name  is  inseparably  interwoven  with  the  history  of  St.  Joseph  county, 
where  he  lived  and  labored  to  such  goodly  ends.  His  early  political  sup- 
port was  given  to  the  Whig  party,  but  upon  the  organization  of  the  new 
Republican  party  he  joined  its  ranks  and  remained  one  of  its  stalwart 
advocates.  He  held  many  township  offices  and  he  also  figured  in  mili- 
tary circles,  being  captain  in  the  state  militia.  In  early  manhood  he 
married  Miss  Rhoda  Moore,  a  native  of  Rupert,  Vermont,  and  a 
daughter  of  Seth  Moore,  who  was  also  born  there  and  was  of  Welsh 
descent.  Mrs.  Harvey  passed  away  at  the  age  of  fifty-four  years,  and 
like  her  husband  was  held  in  warm  regard,  for  she  possessed  many 
estimable  qualities  of  heart  and  mind.  This  worthy  couple  became  the 
parents  of  thirteen  children,  most  of  whom  reached  adult  age. 

Dan  M.  Harvey,  the  eighth  child  of  the  family,  was  reared  in  Con- 
stantine township  in  St.  Joseph  county,  and  was  educated  in  the  Union 
schools  at  Constantine  and  in  Hillsdale  College.  He  also  pursued  a 
commercial  course  in  Bryant  &  Stratton's  College  at  Detroit,  Mich- 
igan, and  was  thus  well  qualified  for  life's  practical  and  responsible 
duties  when  he  entered  upon  his  business  career.  He  was  thus  con- 
nected with  the  hardware  trade  at  Constantine,  where  he  established  a 
store  and  conducted  business  for  some  time.     On  disposing  of  his  hard^ 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  583 

ware  stock  he  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  and  also  carried  on  farm- 
ing and  stock  raising.  He  remained  a  resident  of  St.  Joseph  county 
until  1 87 1,  when  he  removed  to  his  present  farm^  on  section  3,  Porter 
township.  He  purchased  four  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land,  but  in 
recent  years,  wishing  to  retire  from  active  business  life,  has  sold  part 
of  the  place  and  now  owns  two  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  All  of  this 
land  he  operates  himself. 

On  the  25th  of  July,  1867,  Mr.  Harvey  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Mary  E.,  daughter  of  Philo  Hovey,  and  they  have  four  children : 
Helen,  died  in  infancy;  Delia,  now  the  wife  of  Rev.  Charles  Eastman, 
a  Baptist  minister;  D.  Elbert,  living  in  Constantine;  and  Mary  Alice, 
the  wife  of  Rev.  O.  V.  Wheeler,  a  minister  of  the  Baptist  denomination, 
who  occupies  the  pulpit  of  a  prominent  church  in  Chicago,  and  his  wife 
is  also  a  worker  in  the  church.  The  children  have  all  received  collegiate 
training.  D.  Elbert,  the  son,  is  foreman  in  the  Carbolite  Factory  in 
Constantine,  Michigan.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harvey  have  several  of  the  old 
parchment  deeds  executed  under  the  hand  and  seal  of  President  Andrew 
Jackson,  which  are  valuable  souvenirs  in  the  family. 

Mr.  Harvey  has  always  voted  the  Republican  ticket.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  in  his  life  exemplifies  the  benefi- 
cent spirit  of  the  craft.  He  is  well  known  in  Cass  county,  where  he 
has  now  lived  for  many  years,  and  he  has  gained  a  large  number  of 
friends  by  reason  of  his  cordial  manner,  kindly  disposition  and  affability. 
In  business  life  he  has  displayed  excellent  qualifications  and  now  he  is 
living  retired,  enjoying  the  fruits  of  former  toil. 

BRUCE    BEEBE. 

Bruce  Beebe  is  an  honored  veteran  of  the  Civil  war  and  a  citizen 
well  worthy  of  representation  in  the  history  of  Marcellus  and  Cass 
county,  because  he  displays  many  sterling  traits  of  character  and  the 
qualifications  of  good  citizenship  as  well.  He  was  born  in  Huron 
county,  Ohio,  August  27,  1840,  and  has  been  a  resident  of  Marcellus 
since  the  spring  of  1848,  when  he  came  to  Michigan  with  his  parents, 
Roswell  R.  and  Mary  (Young)  Beebe.  The  father  was  a  native  of 
Wilkesbarre,  Pennsylvania,  born  on  the  3d  of  November,  1806.  He 
accompanied  his  parents  on  their  removal  to  Ohio.  Both  his  father  and 
mother  were  natives  of  Connecticut,  were  of  English  descent  and  were 
representatives  of  ancestry  that  was  connected  with  New  England  his- 
tory from  early  colonial  days.  When  a  young  lad  Roswell  R.  Beebe 
accompanied  his  parents  on  their  removal  to  Ohio,  where  he  was  reared 
and  married.  He  devoted  his  entire  life  to  agricultural  pursuits,  thus 
providing  for  his  family.  His  political  allegiance  was  given  to  the 
Whig  party  until  its  dissolution,  when  he  joined  the  ranks  of  the  new 
Republican  party,  continuing  one  of  its  stanch  supporters  until  his  death 
in  April,  1893.     He  had  for  more  than  a  half  century  survived  his  wife, 


584  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

who  passed  away  in  1840,  when  her  son  was  only  two  weeks  old.  The 
father  afterward  married  again.  He  had  three  children  by  his  first 
marriage  and  two  by  the  second,  and  the  family  record  is  as  follows: 
Gideon  T.,  now  living  in  Marcellus;  Sally  Lee,  deceased;  Bruce,  of  this 
review;  Byron  R.,  who  is  also  living  in  Marcellus;  and  Mrs.  Wealthy 
Currier,  who  is  also  living  in  Marcellus. 

As  previously  stated,  Bruce  Beebe  was  a  lad  of  eight  years  when  he 
came  with  his  father  to  Michigan.  There  was  no  village  on  the  present 
site  of  Marcellus,  the  entire  tract  being  covered  with  the  natural  forest 
growth.  The  family  home  was  established  on  section  i,  Marcellus 
township,  on  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  from  sixty  acres 
of  which  the  timber  had  been  cut.  Upon  that  farm  Bruce  Beebe  aided 
in  the  arduous  task  of  further  developing  the  land  and  bringing  it  under 
a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He  shared  in  all  the  work  of  the  fields  and 
after  he  had  attained  his  majority  continued  to  engage  in  general 
agricultural  pursuits.  He  resided  upon  the  old  home  place  until  Sep- 
tember, 1897,  when  he  removed  to  the  village  of  Marcellus.  He  still 
owns,  however,  eighty  acres  of  the  farm  and  his  brother,  Byron  R.,  also 
owns  eighty  acres  of  it.  Bruce  Beebe  likewise  has  two  acres  within  the 
corporation  limits  of  Marcellus,  and  has  a  good  residence  which  he 
erected.  His  entire  life  throughout  his  business  career  has  been  devoted 
to  general  farming  pursuits  with  the  exception  of  three  years  which 
were  spent  in  the  army. 

It  was  on  the  nth  of  August,  1862,  that  Mr.  Beebe,  prompted  by 
a  spirit  of  patriotism  and  loyalty,  tendered  his  services  to  the  govern- 
ment and  became  a  member  of  Company  D,  Twenty-fifth  Michigan 
Volunteer  Infantry,  under  command  of  Colonel  Orlando  H.  Moore. 
He  participated  in  various  important  engagements,  including  the  battles 
of  Mumfordsville,  Kingston,  Tennessee,  Mossy  Creek,  Tunnel  Hill, 
Rocky  Face,  Georgia,  Resaca,  Cassville,  Ottawa  River,  Altoona,  Pine 
Mountain,  Lost  Mountain,  Gulp  Farm,  Kenesaw,  Atlanta,  East 
Point,  Otter  Creek,  the  siege  of  Atlanta  and  the  battles  of  Jonesboro, 
Rome  and  Cedar  Bluff.  He  was  thus  in  many  hotly  contested  engage- 
ments and  was  often  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight,  never  faltering  in  the 
performance  of  any  military  duty  assigned  him,  whether  it  called  him  to 
the  firing  line  or  stationed  him  on  the  lonely  picket  line.  After  about 
three  years  war  service  he  became  ill  and  was  sent  to  the  hospital,  from 
which  he  was  discharged  on  the  31st  of  March,  1865.  He  then  rejoined 
his  regiment  and  was  honorably  discharged  from  the  army  after  the 
close  of  the  war,  on  the  26th  of  June,  1S65,  being  at  that  time  in  North 
Carolina.  He  returned  home  with  a  most  creditable  military  record, 
and  he  deserves  the  credit  and  praise  which  should  ever  be  bestowed 
upon  the  loyal  soldier  who  defended  the  Union. 

On  the  nth  of  October,  1869,  Mr.  Beebe  was  married  to  Miss 
Gertrude  Lutes,  who  was  born  in  Marcellus,  October  11,  1851,  a 
daughter  of  William  H.  Lutes.     Her  father  married  Mrs.  Eugene  Sat- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  585 

terlie,  who  was  a  widow  and  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Schofield.  She 
was  a  native  of  New  York.  Mr.  Lutes  arrived  in  Michigan  in  1844, 
and  they  were  married  in  this  state.  Both  died  in  Cass  county,  Mr. 
Lutes  at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years,  while  his  wife  passed  away  when 
fifty-eight  years  of  age.  He  was  born  in  Wayne  county.  New  York, 
October  30,  1824,  and  died  in  Marcellus,  March  26,  1906.  When 
twenty  years  of  age  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Cass  county  and 
largely  made  his  home  in  the  vicinity  of  Marcellus  from  that  time  until 
his  death.  When  twenty-four  years  of  age  he  married  Mrs.  Eugene 
Satterlie,  who  died  September  7,  1884,  and  on  the  i6th  of  October, 
1888,  he  wedded  Mrs.  Emily  Sweet,  who  survives  him.  He  was  the 
father  of  two  children,  both  of  whom  are  living,  John  and  Mrs.  Beebe. 
He  also  had  an  adopted  daughter,  Mrs.  Hattie  Moore,  now  of  Chicago. 
An  earnest  Christian  man  he  joined  the  United  Brethren  church  in  early 
life,  and  some  years  afterward  he  united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  of  which  he  was  ever  afterward  a  devoted  and  faithful  member. 
At  the  time  of  the  Civil  war,  his  sympathy  being  wnth  the  Union  cause, 
he  offered  his  services  to  the  government  but  was  rejected.  In  con- 
nection with  Mr.  Kester  and  Joseph  Cromley  he  planted  the  three  trees 
in  front  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  which  add  so  much  to  its 
beauty. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Beebe  have  been  born  a  son  and  daughter: 
William  R.,  who  is  living  upon  his  father's  farm  and  is  married  and  has 
one  child,  Olin;  and  Grace  K.,  the  wife  of  Edward  Bond,  a  resident  of 
Marcellus.  The  family  is  widely  and  favorably  known  in  this  part  of 
the  county,  Mr.  Beebe  having  long  been  a  worthy  and  prominent  repre- 
sentative« of  agricultural  interests.-  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican  since^ 
age  conferred  upon  him  the  right  of  franchise.  In  times  of  peace  he  has 
been  as  faithful  to  his  country  as  when  he  followed  the  old  flag  upon 
southern  battlefields,  and  in  military  service  and  in  private  life  has  made 
a  creditable  record. 

HENRY   J.    FRENCH. 

Henry  J.  French,  proprietor  of  the  Eagle  Lake  Resort,  is  a  native 
of  Ontwa  township,  Cass  county,  born  on  the  i6th  of  December,  1863. 
The  father,  Caleb  French,  was  one  of  the  old  settlers  of  this  part  of  the 
state  and  contributed  in  substantial  measure  to  the  material  development 
and  progress  of  the  community.  He  was  a  native  of  Lancastershire, 
England,  borji  on  the  i6th  of  May,  1828,  and  in  his  native  place  was 
reared.  After  arriving  at  manhood  he  was  married  in  England  to 
Miss  Martha  lies,  also  a  native  of  that  country,  and  two  children, 
Charles  and  Thirza,  were  born  unto  them  ere  they  crossed  the  Atlantic 
to  the  United  States.  When  they  came  to  the  new  world  they  settled 
in  Baltimore,  Maryland,  where  they  lived  for  about  a  year,  and  in  1856 
arrived  in  Cass  county,  Michigan,  settling  in  Edwardsburg.  There  the 
father  followed  the  mason's  trade,  which  he  had  learned  in  his  native 


586  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

country.  After  about  a  year  spent  in  Edwardsburg  he  removed  to  near 
Eagle  lake,  where  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land,  the  greater  part 
of  which  had  been  improved.  His  first  wife  died  during  the  early  period 
of  his  residence  upon  that  farm,  passing  away  in  1861,  and  in  March, 
1863,  he  was  again  married,  his  second  union  being  with  Hannah  Salm- 
onson,  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  March  8,  1830.  Her  father  was  Richard 
Salmonson,  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  this  part  of  the  state,  and  she 
w^as  reared  in  Ontwa  township  amid  the  conditions  and  environments 
of  pioneer  life.  Henry  J.  French  was  the  only  child  born  of  the  father's 
second  marriage.  In  his  political  views  Caleb  French  was  a  Democrat, 
but  never  sought  or  desired  public  office,  preferring  to  give  his  undivided 
attention  to  his  business  interests,  and  he  died  upon  the  old  home  farm 
in  February,  1882.  He  was  well  known  and  well  respected  in  Cass 
county  and  enjoyed  in  large  measure  the  trust  and  good  will  of  his 
fellow  men. 

Henry  J.  French  was  reared  upon  the  farm  which  is  now  his  home, 
and  worked  with  his  father  until  the  latter's  death.  He  then  rented  the 
farm  from  the  other  heirs  for  ten  years  and  in  1892  by  purchase  be- 
came possessor  of  the  property.  In  1897  he  converted  the  tract  near 
the  lake  into  a  summer  resort,  calling  it  the  Eagle  Lake  Resort,  and  has 
many  visitors  here  during  the  summer  months.  He  has  made  this  a 
very  productive  place,  supplied  with  many  of  the  accessories  which  add 
to  the  pleasure  and  comfort  of  the  summer  sojourner.  In  his  general 
agricultural  pursuits  he  has  also  met  with  a  creditable  measure  of  suc- 
cess, having  conducted  his  interests  so  carefully  and  practically  that  he 
has  gained  very  gratifying  prosperity. 

On  the  31st  of  October,  1886,  Mr.  French  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Myrtle  D.  Lowman,  a  native  of  Jefiferson  township,  Cass  county, 
born  January  29,  1866,  and  a  daughter  of  John  Lowman,  whose  birth 
occurred  in  Ohio  in  1844.  He  was  brought  to  Cass  county  when  ten 
years  of  age  and  was  reared  in  Jefferson  township.  After  arriving  at 
years  of  maturity  he  wedded  Miss  Nancy  Keene,  who  was  born  in 
Calvin  township,  Cass  county,  in  1844.  Mrs.  French  was  the  eldest  of 
four  children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  and  by  her  marriage  she 
has  become  the  mother  of  two  sons:  Ford,  who  was  born  September 
8,  1892 ;  and  Harry,  who  was  born  April  8,  1895,  both  on  the  old  home- 
stead. 

In  his  political  affiliation  Mr.  French  is  an  earnest  Democrat  and 
keeps  well  informed  on  the  questions  and  issues  of  the  day,  but  is  with- 
out aspiration  for  public  office.  He  belongs  to  the  Woodmen  camp  at 
Edwardsburg  and  has  many  friends  among  his  brethren  of  the  fra- 
ternity. His  entire  life  having  been  passed  in  Cass  county  he  is  widely 
known,  and  he  has  made  an  excellent  reputation  as  a  thoroughly  relia- 
ble, energetic  and  progressive  business  man. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  687 

GEORGE   M.    HADDEN. 

George  M.  Hadden,  a  practical  and  progressive  farmer  who  is 
profitably  conducting  his  business  interests  on  section  13,  Milton  town- 
ship, is  a  native  son  of  the  Empire  state,  his  birth  having  occurred  in 
Wayne  county  on  the  4th  of  August,  1841.  His  father,  Charles  D. 
Hadden,  was  born  in  Westchester  county.  New  York,  in  181 1,  and  he, 
too,  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  devoting  the  greater  part  of  his  life 
to  the  work  of  tilling  the  soil.  In  early  manhood  he  was  married  in 
Tompkins  county.  New  York,  to  Miss  Nancy  Blythe,  a  native  of  Ire- 
land, who  came  to  this  country  when  a  little  girl,  and  was  reared  in 
New  York.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hadden  became  the  parents  of  the  following 
children:  Mary,  George  M.,  Charles  A.,  deceased;  Elizabeth  and  James 
G.,  all  of  whom  are  natives  of  the  Empire  state.  In  the  year  1867  the 
father  left  New  York  and  came  with  his  family  to  Cass  county,  Mich- 
igan, settling  on  section  7,  Ontwa  township,  where  he  secured  three 
hundred  and  ninety-seven  acres  of  rich  land,  much  of  which  had  been 
improved.  With  characteristic  energy  he  took  up  the  task  of  further 
cultivating  and  developing  this  place,  and  continued  to  make  it  his 
home  until  his  death.  He  took  an  active  interest  in  political  questions 
and  in  the  work  of  the  party,  and  was  a  stanch  Republican.  While  re- 
siding in  New  York  he  served  as  supervisor  of  his  township  for  three 
years,  but  he  never  sought  office  after  coming  to  the  west,  as  his  time 
was  fully  occupied  by  his  business  cares  in  relation  to  the  farm.  He 
died  January  29,  1878,  and  was  survived  by  his  wife  until  December, 
1887,  when  she,  too,  was  called  to  her  final  rest. 

George  M.  Hadden  spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  in  the 
east,  acquired  a  good  practical  education  in  the  public  schools  and  when 
twenty-six  years  of  age  came  with  his  parents  to  Michigan,  the  family 
home  being  established  in  Cass  county.  He  settled  with  his  father  upon 
the  farm  in  Ontwa  township  and  helped  to  clear  and  cultivate  that  place. 
There  he  resided  continuously  until  1875,  when  he  removed  to  his  pres- 
ent  farm  in  Milton  township.  The  place  originally  comprised  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land,  but  he  has  since  extended  its  bound- 
aries by  additional  purchase  until  he  now  has  a  valuable  property  of 
two  hundred  acres.  Here  he  carries  on  general  farming  and  raises  such 
stock  as  is  needed  for  home  consumption  and  for  carrying  on  the  work 
of  the  farm.  In  all  his  methods  he  is  practical  and  diligent  and  his 
energy  and  perseverance  have  been  the  strong  and  salient  factors  in  a 
successful  career. 

On  the  27th  of  December,  1871,  Mr.  Hadden  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Jane  Foster,  a  dau.^hter  of  Andrew  Foster,  who  entered  from  the 
government  the  farm  which  adjoins  the  homestead  property  of  Mr. 
Hadden.  Mr.  Foster  was  one  of  the  honored  pioneer  settlers  of  Cass 
county,  coming  to  this  state  from  Pennsylvania  in  1832.  Few  were 
the  residents  in  this  locality  at  that  time.     Occasionally  in  the  midst  of 


^SS  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

the  forest  the  smoke  might  be  seen  ascending  from  the  fire  in  some  Httle 
cabin  home,  but  there  were  long  distances  between  the  farms  and  the 
greater  part  of  the  country  was  covered  with  its  native  timber  growth. 
Mr.  Foster  took  an  active  and  helpful  part  in  reclaiming  the  region  for 
the  purposes  of  civilization  and  in  the  improvement  of  his  business  inter- 
ests, developing  an  excellent  farm,  which  gave  him  a  good  income.  He 
built  the  house  and  barn  which  are  still  standing  upon  his  old  home 
place.  This  is  one  of  the  landmarks  of  the  county,  having  for  long 
years  been  a  mute  witness  of  the  changes  that  have  occurred  and  illus- 
trating by  contrast  the  rapid  progress  that  has  been  made.  In  his  polit- 
ical views  Mr.  Foster  was  an  earnest  and  stalwart  Democrat,  and  was 
one  of  the  stockholders  in  the  National  Democrat  Mrs.  Hadden  was 
born  and  reared  on  the  old  farm  homestead  and  was  the  youngest  of 
eight  children,  six  of  whom  were  born  upon  this  farm.  Unto  our  sub- 
ject and  his  wife  were  born  four  sons  and  two  daughters,  namely: 
Charles  B.,  Mary,  Andrew  F.,  Robert  A.,  Margaret,  and  George  L.,  all 
natives  of  Cass  county,  five  having  been  born  on  the  old  homestead  farm 
in  Milton  township.  The  elder  daughter  is  now  the  wife  of  Victor 
D.  Hawkins. 

Mr.  Hadden  exercises  his  right  of  franchise  in  support  of  the  men 
and  measures  of  the  Republican  party  and  for  one  term  was  township 
treasurer,  but  has  had  little  aspiration  for  office,  although  in  citizenship 
he  is  always  loyal  and  progressive.  He  belongs  to  the  Woodmen  camp 
at  Edwardsburg  and  is  an  active  and  honored  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  there,  in  which  he  is  now  serving  as  elder. 

J.  FRED  EMERSON. 

J.  Fred  Emerson,  one  of  the  early  residents  of  Cass  county,  who  has 
long  witnessed  the  growth  and  development  that  have  wTought  many 
changes  here  and  brought  about  an  advanced  state  of  civilization,  was 
born  in  Ontwa  township,  where  he  still  lives,  owning  and  operating  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  rich  land.  His  father,  Matthew  Emerson, 
was  a  pioneer  resident  of  Cass  county,  coming  to  Michigan  when  this 
portion  of  the  state  was  largely  a  wild  and  unimproved  district.  He 
was  born  m  Concord  county.  New  Hampshire,  on  the  nth  of  December, 
1808,  and  was  there  reared  upon  his  father's  farm,  where  he  remained 
until  twenty-one  years  of  age._  The  paternal  grandfather,  Joseph  Emer- 
son, was  likewise  a  native  of  the  Old  Granite  state  and  became  a  farmer, 
devoting  his  entire  life  to  the  tilling  of  the  soil.  He  married  Miss  Su- 
sanna Flarvey,  a  descendant  of  Dr.  Harvey,  the  celebrated  discoverer 
of  the  system  of  the  circulation  of  the  blood.  Their  son  Matthew  was 
tlie  second  in  order  of  birth  in  a  family  of  five  children  and  was  reared 
and  educated  in  New  Hampshire,  where  he  early  became  familiar  with 
farm  work,  also  giving  a  portion  of  his  time  to  milling  and  school  teach- 
ing, following  the  latter  profession  for  two  or  three  terms.     He  was 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  589 

also  employed  in  a  hardware  store  in  Albany,  New  York,  and  in  1839^ 
attracted  by  the  business  opportunities  of  a  new  but  rapidly  developing 
western  country,  he  came  to  Cass  county,  Michigan,  taking  up  his  abode 
near  Edwardsburg.  He  there  planted  a  crop  of  wheat  on  what  is  now 
the  Harris  farm.  In  1841  he  removed  to  the  old  farm  homestead  on 
section  13,  Ontwa  township,  at  first  purchasing  eighty  acres  of  par- 
tially improved  land.  He  made  most  of  the  improvements  upon  the 
place,  however,  and  converted  it  into  a  splendid  property.  In  1848,  ow- 
ing to  ill  health,  he  was  compelled  to  rent  his  farm,  and  he  then,  entered 
the  employ  of  M.  G.  &  M.  Sage,  of  Adamsville,  remaining  in  their  serv- 
ice for  five  years,  when,  his  health  being  greatly  improved,  he  returned 
to  the  farm  in  1853.  He  was  then  engaged  in  its  cultivation  and  further 
development  until  his  life's  labors  were  ended  in  death  on  the  17th  of 
March,  1877.  He  had  prospered  in  his  undertakings  and  at  his  demise 
left  a  valuable  property  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  In  1841,  in 
Adamsville,  he  had  married  Miss  Alzina  Allen,  who  was  born  in  Ver- 
mont January  27,  1823,  and  was  twelve  years  of  age  when  she  came 
to  Cass  county  with  her  parents.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Reuben  Allen, 
who  came  of  the  same  stock  as  Ethan  Allen,  the  noted  hero  of  Ticon- 
deroga  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Mrs.  Emerson  was  the  eldest  of 
three  children,  the  brother  being  Joseph  Allen,  who  died  in  1889,  and 
the  sister  Antinette,  now  the  widow  of  Murry  Morse,  of  Jefferson  town- 
ship,  Cass  county.  It  was  in  the  year  1835  that  the  Allen  family  was 
established  in  Mason  township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Emerson  became  the 
parents  of  three  sons,  of  whom  the  second  died  in  infancy.  J.  Fred  is 
the  eldest  and  Allen  at  present  lives  in  Buchanan,  Michigan.  He  com- 
menced to  learn  the  trade  of  coach  and  carriage  making  at  seventeen 
years  of  age  in  the  city  of  Buffalo,  New  York.  In  September,  1879,  he 
went  to  Buchanan  and  worked  at  his  trade  a  number  of  years,  while  at 
present  he  is  engaged  in  the  furniture  and  undertaking  business.  He 
married  Miss  Ida  Weaver,  a  member  of  an  old  and  very  highly  respected 
family  of  the  vicinity.  The  father  was  a  Democrat  in  his  political  views 
and  served  for  many  years  as  justice  of  the  peace,  his  decisions  being 
strictly  fair  and  impartial.  His  religious  faith  was  indicated  by  his 
membership  in  the  Baptist  church. 

J.  Fred  Emerson  was  reared  upon  the  old  farm  homestead,  work- 
ing in  the  fields  through  the  summer  months,  or  until  after  the  crops 
were  harvested  in  the  late  autumn.  The  public  schoolsi  afforded  him  his 
educational  privileges.  He  was  married  October  23,  1878,  going  to- 
Vermont  for  his  bride,  who  in  her  maidenhood  bore  the  name  of  Delia 
A.  Thomas.  She  was  born  January  27,  1847,  ^^<^  died  November  24, 
1900.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Horace  and  Anna  ( Wainwrig^t)  Thomas, 
farming  people  of  the  Green  Mountain  state.  With  his  young  wife  Mr. 
Emerson  returned  to  Cass  county,  and  the  marriage  has  been  blessed 
with  two  children :  Ralph  W.,  who  was  born  November  S,  1879,  and 
is  now  a  bookkeeper  in  Elkhart,  Indiana;  and  Fred  Ray,  who  was  bom 


590  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

February  14,  1885,  and  is  at  home,  assisting  his  father  in  the  operation 
of  the  farm. 

Throughout  his  entire  life  Mr.  Emerson  has  devoted  his  attention 
and  energies  to  the  occupation  to  which  he  was  reared,  and  is  to-day  the 
owner  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  in  Ontwa  township,  all 
improved.  Upon  the  place  are  substantial  buildings,  good  farm  machin- 
er}^  and  other  modern  equipments  that  facilitate  the  work  of  the  farm. 
Mr.  Emerson  votes  with  the  Democracy  and  like  his  father  has  served 
for  a  number  of  years  as  justice  of  the  peace,  '^winning  golden  opinions 
from  all  sorts  of  people''  by  his  ''even-handed  justice."  His  life  has 
been  largely  passed  in  a  quiet  manner,  and  yet  he  has  displayed  the 
sterling  characteristics  of  an  honorable  manhood  and  loyal  citizenship. 

CARLETON  W.  RINEHART. 

Carleton  W.  Rinehart,  county  clerk  of  Cass  county  and  a  resident 
of  Cassopolis,  was  born  in  Porter  township  on  the  22nd  of  November, 
1869.  His  paternal  grandfather  was  a  native  of  Germany  and  his  mater- 
nal grandfather  was  born  in  Scotland.  The  former,  John  Rinehart,  be- 
came a  pioneer  resident  of  Cass  county  and  entered  from  the  govern- 
ment what  is  now  known  as  the  James  Bonine  farm  in  Penn  township, 
selling  it  some  years  later  to  the  gentleman  whose  name  it  bears.  He 
then  removed  to  Porter  township  and  improved  another  farm.  His 
son,  Abraham  Rinehart,  was  born  in  Virginia  and  when  thirteen  years 
of  age  removed  with  his  parents  to  the  vicinity  of  Dayton,  Ohio.  About 
1829  the  family  came  to  Cass  county,  and  he  was  reared  amid  the  wild 
scenes  and  environments  of  pioneer  life.  He  was  first  married  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Owen,  of  Illinois,  who  died  about  a  year  later,  and  he  after- 
ward married  Hannah  E.  Denton,  who  was  born  in  the  state  of  New 
York  and  was  brought  to  Cass  county  in  her  girlhood  days.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Rinehart  then  located  in  Porter  township  upon  a  farm,  where  he 
carried  on  general  agricultural  pursuits  for  many  years,  his  last  days 
being  spent  upon  the  old  homestead  there.  He  died  September  3,  1895, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years,  respected  and  honored  by  all  who 
knew  him.  In  politics  he  was  a  stanch  Republican,  and  he  was  a  prom- 
inent representative  of  the  Baptist  church,  becoming  a  charter  member 
of  the  Baltimore  Prairie  church.  In  its  work  he  took  an  active  and  help- 
ful interest,  and  his  life  was  ever  characterized  by  honorable,  strong  and 
manly  principles.  In  his  family  were  eleven  children,  six  of  whom 
reached  adult  age. 

Carleton  W.  Rinehart,  the  youngest  of  the  family,  was  reared  in 
his  native  township,  early  becoming  familiar  with  farm  work  in  all  of 
its  departments,  and  when  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age  he  joined  his 
brother  Clarence  in  the  purchase  of  all  the  stock  and  farming  imple- 
ments of  the  old  homestead,  after  which  they  carried  on  general  farm- 
ing.    Tlie  partnership  in  the  management  of  the  farm  was  maintained 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  591 

for  four  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  Carleton  W.  Rinehart  bought 
his  brother's  interest  and  operated  the  farm  alone  for  a  year.  On  the 
expiration  of  that  period  he  removed  to  Mason  township,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  farming  until  elected  county  clerk  in  1904.  In  addition  to 
the  tilling  of  the  soil  he  engaged  quite  extensively  in  raising,  buying  and 
shipping  fruit,  and  his  business  was  profitably  conducted. 

On  the  25th  of  November,  1891,  Mr.  Rinehart  was  married  to  Miss 
Grace  McKissick,  a  daughter  of  Moses  and  Clara  (Wilkinson)  McKis- 
sick.  Mr.  Rinehart  has  been  a  lifelong  Republican,  active  in  the  inter- 
ests of  the  party,  and  his  efforts  have  been  effective  and  far  reaching  in 
its  behalf.  As  a  public  officer  he  is  most  loyal  to  his  duty,  and  over  the 
record  of  his  public  career  and  his  private  life  there  falls  no  shadow  of 
wrong  or  suspicion  of  evil.  He  belongs  to  the  Freewill  Baptist  church 
at  Union  and  is  temperate  in  his  habits.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  his 
years  have  been  characterized  by  upright  manhood  and  by  strict  fidel- 
ity to  a  high  standard  of  moral  conduct. 

JOHN  W.  MECHLING. 

John  W.  Mechling  is  now  living  retired  in  the  village  of  Union 
but  for  many  years  was  closely  identified  with  industrial  interests,  de- 
voting his  time  and  energies  to  many  business  duties,  with  the  result 
that  success  attended  his  work  and  now  enables  him  to  rest  without 
recourse  to  further  labor.  He  was  born  in  Westmoreland  county, 
Pennsylvania  on  the  28th  of  July,  1828.  His  father,  Phillip  Mechling, 
was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and 
3^outh  in  tliat  state.  Removing  to  the  west  he  took  up  his  abode  in 
Elkhart  county,  Indiana.  He  spent  the  first  winter,  however — that  of 
1835 — in  South  Bend.  He  then  located  four  miles  east  of  Elkhart  and 
remained  a  resident  of  that  locality  until  called  to  his  final  home,  lack- 
ing but  one  month  of  being  ninety  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  demise. 
His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Charlotte  Shoemaker,  died 
in  1844.  Ill  their  family  were  thirteen  children,  of  whom  John  W. 
was  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  seven  daughters  and  six  sons,  but  all 
are  now  deceased  with  the  exception  of  Mr.  Mechling  of  this  review 
and  his  sister,  Mrs.  Mary  Jones,  who  is  now  eighty  years  of  age  and 
makes  her  home  in  Porter  township. 

John  W.  Mechling  spent  the  first  seven  years  of  his  life  in  the 
state  of  his  nativity  and  then  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  removal 
to  Indiana,  where  he  lived  for  a  decade.  About  1845  he  came  to  Cass 
county,  settling  in  Union,  where  he  worked  at  any  business  that  he 
could  find  to  do.  He  was  afterward  engaged  in  the  operation  of  a 
sawmill  and  also  gave  his  attention  to  buying  and  selling  produce,  but 
in  1 861  he  put  aside  all  business  cares  and  personal  considerations  and 
offered  his  aid  to  his  country,  then  engaged  in  the  Civil  war.  He  had 
watched  with  interest  the  progress  of  events  in  the  south,  had  noted 


692  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

the  threatening  attitude  of  the  slave-holding  community  and  determined 
that  if  an  attempt  was  made  to  overthrow  the  Union  he  would  strike 
a  blow  in  its  defense.  He  therefore  enlisted  as  a  member  of  Company 
A,  Chandler's  Horse  Guard,  serving  for  three  months.  He  afterward 
carried  the  mail  from  Bristol  to  Union  for  eight  years  and  subsequently 
was  engaged  for  a  number  of  years  in  blacksmithing  at  Union. 

Mr.  Mechling  was  married  in  1861  to  Miss  Lovisa  V.  Dibble,  and 
unto  them  were  born  two  daughters  and  one  son,  but  Lydia  L.  and 
Lottie  L,  are  both  deceased.  The  son,  John  D.,  still  resides  with  his 
father.  The  wife  and  mother  passed  away  April  11,  1904.  She  was 
an  estimable  lady,  having  many  good  traits  of  character  and  her  loss 
was  regretted  by  many  friends. 

Mr.  Mechling  is  now  retired  from  active  business  after  a  busy 
and  useful  life.  He  receives  a  pension  of  seventeen  dollars  per  month 
because  of  ill  health  incurred  by  his  service  in  the  war.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  has  taken  a  very  active  and  helpful  part 
in  public  affairs,  his  political  allegiance  being  given  to  the  Democracy,  of 
which  he  is  a  stanch  advocate.  He  served  as  deputy  sheriff  for  six 
years,  has  been  school  director  and  also  treasurer  of  school  district  No. 
9  for  fourteen  years.  He  was  likewise  road  overseer  for  many  years. 
He  has  been  a  resident  of  Cass  county  for  six  decades,  and  is  well  known 
in  the  county  as  one  of  its  pioneer  settlers.  He  has  now  passed  the 
seventy-seventh  milestone  on  life's  journey  and  is  a  venerable  and  re- 
spected man,  having  many  friends  in  Union  and  throughout  this  por- 
tion of  the  state. 

H.  SYLVESTER  CHAPMAN. 

H.  Sylvester  Chapman,  owner  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres  of 
as  fine  land  as  can  be  found  in  Cass  county,  resides  on  section  17,  Penn 
township.  He  was  born  in  Medina  county,  Ohio,  December  5,  1839, 
and  represents  one  of  the  old  families  of  New  England,  his  ancestors 
having  been  represented  in  this  country  through  various  generations. 
His  great-grandfather  was  Benjamin  Oiapman,  a  native  of  Vermont. 
His  grandfather,  Levi  Chapman,  who  was  also  bom  in  the  Green  Moun- 
tain state,  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  removed  to  Ohio  with  his 
family  at  an  early  date  in  the  history  of  Medina  county,  where  he 
took  up  his  abode. 

Amory  H.  Chapman,  his  son,  was  born  in  Enosburg,  Vermont,  and 
was  about  five  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  parents'  removal  to  the 
Buckeye  state.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  Medina  county  and  was 
married  there  to  Miss  Lucinda  Hastings,  a  native  of  New  York  and  a 
daughter  of  Walter  Hastings,  who  was  likewise  born  in  the  Empire 
state.  He  was  a  lumber  merchant,  who  engaged  in  rafting  lumber  down 
the  Susquehanna  river  to  Baltimore.  For  three  years  after  their  mar- 
riage Mr.  and  Mrs.  Amory  H.  Chapman  lived  in  Ohio,  and  then  came  to 


^^,  J^.    yS^j^cc^^ 


^^^<^-^--^::^^-^ 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  593 

Cass  county,  Michigan,  in  1845,  settling  in  Newberg  township!  Mr. 
Chapman  took  up  the  work  of  farming,  tilling  the  soil  which  hitherto 
was  uncultivated  and  unimproved.  For  many  years  he  was  an  active 
factor  in  agricultural  circles  and  his  death  occurred  in  Newberg  town- 
ship when  he  had  attained  the  advanced  age  of  eighty  years.  He  was  a 
man  of  good  principles,  who  fearlessly  espoused  any  cause  in  which  he 
believed  and  he  left  to  his  family  an  untarnished  name.  When  age  gave 
to  him  the  right  of  franchise  he  voted  with  the  Whig  party,  which  he 
supported  until  the  organization  of  the  Republican  party.  He  was 
closely  identified  with  the  upbuilding  of  the  county,  settling  in  the 
midst  of  the  forest  upon  his  arrival  here,  making  a  clearing  and  in  due 
course  of  time  developing  a  good  farm.  He  performed  all  the  arduous 
labor  incident  to  such  a  task,  shared  in  the  hardships  and  trials  of  fron- 
tier life  and  aided  in  laying  broad  and  deep  the  foundation  for  the  pres- 
ent development  and  progress  of  this  part  of  the  state.  In  his  family 
were  but  two  sons,  the  brother  being  Herman  L.  Chapman,  of  Mar- 
cellus,  Michigan. 

H.  Sylvester  Chapman,  the  elder  son,  was.  but  five  years  old  when 
his  parents  left  Ohio  and  came  to  Cass  county.  In  his  early  youth  he 
attended  school  in  Vandalia  and  afterward  pursued  his  studies  in 
Cassopolis.  Through  the  periods  of  vacation  he  aided  in  the  farm  work 
and  he  remained  at  home  until  nineteen  years  of  age,  when  he  began 
contracting  and  building,  possessing  considerable  natural  mechanical 
ingenuity  that  well  qualified  him  for  this  work.  He  built  what  is  now 
known  as  the  Chapman  school  in  Newberg  township  and  also  other  build- 
ings of  the  locality,  and  w^as  thus  identified  with  that  line  of  business 
until  the  time  of  his  marriage. 

Mr.  Chapman  has  l^een  married  twice.  In  April,  i860,  he  wedded 
Miss  Mary  Carrier  and  unto  them  were  born  two  children :  Irma,  now 
the  wife  of  Professor  Seth  C.  Wilson,  of  Spokane,  Washington,  who  is 
principal  of  the  schools  of  that  place;  and  Clif  C,  wdio  is  living  upon 
the  home  farm.  The  daughter  was  a  student  in  the  Valparaiso  Col- 
lege in  northern  Indiana,  and  has  taken  a  course  in  the  business  depart- 
ment of  the  University.  She  is  also  educated  in  instrumental  music. 
Following  the  death  of  his  first  wife  Mr.  Chapman  was  married  to  Miss 
Olivia  E.  Rudd,  a  daughter  of  Stephen  and  Lydia  (Green)  Rudd,  who 
were  early  settlers  of  Penn  township.  Mrs.  Chapman  was  born  in  that 
township  December  29,  1842,  and  was  married  first  to  John  H.  Under- 
wood, by  whom  she  had  one  son,  Hon.  Fred  Underwood,  who  is  now  a 
member  of  the  state  legislature  at  Bismarck,  North  Dakota.  Hon.  Fred 
Underwood  received  his  education  in  the  Cassopolis  high  school,  and 
was  a  student  in  the  Valparaiso  College,  also  in  the  Kalamazoo  Bus- 
iness College.    He  has  been  located  in  Dakota  since  188 1. 

At  the  time  of  his  marriage  Mr.  Chapman  concentrated  his  ener- 
gies upon  agricultural  pursuits.     He  began  farming  in  Newberg  town- 


^9^  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

ship,  where  he  remained  until  1S71,  when  he  went  to  CaHfornia,  whence 
he  returned  by  way  of  the  water  route  and  the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  On 
agam  reaching  Cass  county  he  purchased  the  farm  upon  which  he  now 
resides.  In  1881  he  went  to  North  Dakota  and  improved  a  farm  in  Ran- 
som  county,  spending  the  summer  months  there  during  four  years.  He 
still  owns  that  property,  comprising  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
land,  and  in  his  home  place  he  has  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres  of  very 
rich  and  productive  land,  no  finer  farm  property  being  found  in  the 
county.  In  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  in  1893  he  exhibited 
SIX  different  varieties  of  his  wheat  grown  on  his  farm,  and  was  awarded 
a  diploma  and  medal  for  the  superiority  of  the  cereal,  which  is  an  honor 
rare  for  old  Cass  county.  He  has  erected  a  very  attractive  residence 
which  stands  m  the  midst  of  a  well  kept  lawn,  and  his  barns  and  out^ 
buildings  are  in  keeping  with  ideas  of  modern  agriculture.  His  fields, 
too,  are  well  tilled  and  he  is  making  a  specialty  of  raising  cattle,  having 
a  fine  herd  of  thirty  head  of  Jerseys,  all  being  registered  stock.  He  has 
never  been  a  follower  in  business  lines,  but  is  a  leader  in  the  progress 
which  results  in  successful  accomplishment.  He  votes  with  the  Dem- 
ocrac>'  and  is  in  sympathy  with  the  platform  promulgated  at  Kansas 
City. 

The  beautiful  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chapman,  known  as  'Tinden 
Lea,''  IS  beautifully  finished  in  rare  woods,  and  the  entrance  to  the  pret- 
ty home  is  artistically  finished  in  sumach,  showing  the  beautiful  grains 
of  the  wood,  Avhile  the  library  is  finished  in  red  cedar,  and  the  work  was 
accomplished  by  Mr.  Chapman  himself.  In  fact,  the  residence  is  finished 
in  different  woods. 

EDWIN  N.  AUSTIN. 

Edwin  N.  Austin,  who  carries  on  general  agricultural  pursuits  in 
a  practical,  progressive  and  profitable  manner,  is  living  in  Pokagon 
township  and  is  to-day  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of 
land,  the  greater  part  of  which  is  under  cultivation,  giving  proof  in  its 
excellent  appearance  of  the  careful  supervision  of  the  owner.  A  native 
of  St.  Lawrence  county.  New  York,  Mr.  Austin  was  born  on  the  8th  of 
August,  1850.  His  father,  John  W.  Austin,  was  also  a  native  of  the 
Empire  state  and  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  Coming  to  the  west  he 
settled  in  Allegan  county  in  1863,,  taking  up  his  abode  upon  a  fartn, 
which  he  cultivated  and  improved  until  he  had  acquired  a  handsome 
competence,  when  he  retired  from  active  business  life  and  removed  to 
the  city  of  Allegan,  where  he  spent  his  remaining  days  in  the  enjoyment 
of  a  well-earned  rest,  his  death  there  occurring  in  1893.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  the  Empire  state  to  Miss  Lucinda  Sage,  who  was  born  in  New 
York  and  was  there  reared.  This  union  was  blessed  with  a  family  of 
four  sons  and  two  daughters,  all  of  whom  were  natives  of  the  Em- 
pire state.     As  the  result  of  study  and  investigation  concerning  the  po- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  595 

litical  questions  of  the  day  and  the  attitude  of  the  two  parties  Mr.  Aus- 
tin gave  his  supjjort  to  the  RepubUcan  organization,  and  at  all  times  he 
commanded  the  respect  and  confidence  of  his  fellow  men  by  reason  of 
an  honorable  and  upright  life. 

Edwin  N.  Austin  spent  the  first  twelve  years  of  his  life  in  the 
county  of  his  nativity  and  then  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  re- 
moval to  Allegaii,  Michigan,  where  he  resided  until  twenty-two  years 
of  age,  during  which  time  he  actively  assisted  his  father  in  the  work 
of  the  home  farm.  He  then  left  home  and  came  to  Cass  county,  tak- 
ing up  his  abode  upon  a  farm  in  Pokagon  township.  Here  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Rebecca  Simpson,  a  daughter  of  Moses  and  Sarah 
Simpson,  pioneers  of  Cass  county,  having  settled  within  its  borders 
when  the  white  residents  here  were  comparatively  few.  Mrs.  Austin 
was  born  and  reared  in  Pokagon  township. 

Moses  W.  Simpson,  deceased,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Pokagon, 
was  born  in  Pembroke,  New  Hampshire,  May  i6,  1808.  He  was  the 
eldest  in  the  family  of  Samuel  and  Rebecca  (Dickerman)  Simpson, 
which  consisted  of  seven  children,  four  sons  and  three  daughters.  The 
elder  Simpson  was  a  farmer  and  was  possessed  of  those  elements  of 
character  that  have  always  distinguished  the  sons  of  the  Granite  state. 
Moses  was  reared  on  the  farm,  and  the  rugged  hills  and  sterile  soil 
aided  in  the  development  of  a  robust  constitution  and  many  admirable 
traits  of  character.  He  early  evidenced  a  desire  for  books,  which 
was  fostered  by  his  parents,  and  he  received  a  liberal  academical  edu- 
cation. He  remained  under  the  parental  roof  until  he  was  twenty-five 
years  of  age,  and  at  that  time  he  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  H.  Blais- 
dell,  of  Hopkinton,  New  Hampshire,  where  she  was  born  September 
8,  181 1.  Her  parents,  Samuel  and  Dorothy  (Straw)  Blaisdell,  were 
of  English  parentage  and  New  England  birth.  In  1836  Mr.  Simpson 
and  wife  came  to  Pokagon  and  settled  on  the  farm  which  was  ever 
afterward  his  home.  He  took  an  active  interest  in  all  matters  pertain- 
ing to  the  advancement  of  the  township,  and  largely  identified  him- 
self with  its  growth  and  prosperity;  his  ability  was  soon  recognized 
by  his  fellow  townsmen,  and  he  filled  many  positions  of  trust  and 
responsibility  with  credit  to  himself  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  all.  His 
death  occurred  on  June  16,  1849.  I^  ^^e  accumulation  of  property 
Mr.  Simpson  was  successful.  His  social  qualities  were  of  a  high  order 
and  his  generosity  and  hospitality  were  proverbial.  He  left  two  daugh- 
ters, Rebecca,  now  Mrs.  Edwin  Austin,  and  Lydia  T.  After  the  death 
of  her  husband,  Mrs.  Simpson  assumed  the  management  of  the  estate, 
which  she  conducted  successfully  until  1850,  when  she  was  again  mar- 
ried, to  John  H.  Simpson,  brother  of  her  first  husband.  He  was  a 
native  of  New  Hampshire  and  a  man  universally  esteemed.  He  died 
August  19,  1879,  i^  ^^^^  fifty-sixth  year  of  his  age. 

Mrs.  Simpson  resided  upon  the  old  homestead  until  her  death, 
January  4,  1889,  a  lady  veiy  highly  esteemed. 


^96  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

For  two  years  after  his  marriage  Edwin  N.  Austin  lived  upon  his 
father-in-law's  farm  and  then  removed  to  his  present  place,  first  pur- 
chasing sixty  acres  of  land,  to  which  he  has  since  added  part  of  the 
old  Simpson  farm,  so  that  his  landed  possessions  now  comprise  one 
hundred  and  eighty  acres,  the  greater  part  of  which  is  under  cultivation. 
He  has  built  good  buildings  here  and  has  improved  the  property  until 
it  is  now  one  of  the  valuable  and  productive  farms  of  the  township.  In 
its  improvement  Mr.  Austin  has  displayed  good  business  ability,  execu- 
tive force  and  keen  discernment  and  in  his  business  relations  has  com- 
manded the  respect  of  those  with  whom  he  has  had  dealings. 

GEORGE  H.  TOLBERT. 

George  H.  Tolbert,  who  is  filling  the  position  of  township  treas- 
urer and  is  accounted  one  of  the  representative  and  enterprising  farm- 
ers of  Porter  township,  his  home  being  on  section  28,  was  born  in  this 
township  September  30,  1867.  His  father,  Seth  Tolbert,  was  a  native 
of  New  York,  where  his  childhood  and  youth  were  passed.  He  came 
to  Michigan  about  1845,  making  his  way  to  Cass  county,  and  here  he 
was  married  in  Porter  township  to  Miss  Sarah  Loupee,  a  sister  of  John 
Loupee  and  a  representative  of  one  of  the  old  and  well  known  pioneer 
families  of  the  county,  mention  of  whom  is  made  on  another  page  of 
this  work,  in  connection  with  the  sketch  of  John  Loupee.  Seth  Tolbert 
took  up  his  abode  in  Porter  township,  where  he  continued  to  reside  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  when  he  was  in  his  seventy-eighth  year.  He 
was  a  lifelong  farmer  and  was  one  of  the  early  representatives  of  agri- 
cultural interests  in  his  community,  where  he  carried  on  the  work  of 
tilling  the  soil  and  raising  crops  until  he  put  aside  the  active  work  of 
the  fields  in  his  later  years.  He  w^as  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church 
and  his  religious  faith  permeated  his  life  and  promoted  his  kindly  and 
considerate  relations  to  his  fellowmen  and  his  honorable  dealings  in  all 
trade  transactions.  .His  political  allegiance  was  given  to  the  Republi- 
can party  from  the  time  of  its  organization  until  his  demise.  His  widow 
is  still  living  at  this  writing,  in  1906,  and  yet  resides  upon  the  old 
homestead  fann.  In  their  family  were  ten  children,  of  whom  George 
H.  was  tlie  seventh  in  order  of  birth. 

In  his  youth  George  H.  Tolbert  was  reared  and  to  the  public  school 
system  of  the  county  he  is  indebted  for  the  educational  privileges  which 
he  enjoyed.  His  attention  was  divided  between  the  work  of  the  school- 
room, the  pleasures  of  the  playground  and  the  labors  of  the  fields  upon 
the  home  farm,  and  after  he  finished  his  education  he  gave  his  entire 
attention  to  general  agricultural  pursuits  on  the  old  homestead  up  to 
the  time  of  his  marriage. 

It  was  on  February  19,  1890,  that  he  was  joined  in  wedlock  to  Miss 
Linda  Harmon,  a  sister  of  Charles  O.  Harmon,  who  is  mentioned  else- 
where in  this  volume.    Mrs.  Tolbert  was  the  third  child  and  only  daugh- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  597 

ter  in  a  family  of  four  children,  and  was  born  in  Porter  township  March 
I,  1872,  where  her  girlhood  days  were  passed.  Their  home  is  now 
on  section  28,  Porter  township,  where  Mr.  Tolbert  owns  and  operates 
seventy-six  acres  of  land,  which  is  productive  and  valuable.  There  he 
carries  on  general  farming  and  stock-raising,  keeping  good  grades  of 
cattle,  horses  and  hogs  upon  his  place,  while  at  the  same  time  cultivating 
the  cereals  best  adapted  to  soil  and  climate  and  annually  harvesting 
good  crops.  He  votes  with  the  Republican  party,  having  been  reared 
in  that  faith,  while  his  matured  judgment  sanctioned  its  principles,  so 
that  he  has  given  his  allegiance  to  its  candidates  from  that  time.  He 
served  as  highway  commissioner  of  his  township,  and  in  1904  was  elected 
township  treasurer,  the  duties  of  which  office  he  discharged  so  capably 
that  he  was  re-elected  in  1905  and  is  now  filling  the  position.  He  and 
his  wife  belong  to  the  Grange  of  w^hich  he  is  now  master,  and  he  also  be- 
longs to  the  Modern  Woodmen  camp  at  Jones.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tolbert  are 
both  devoted  members  of  the  First  Baptist  church  in  Porter  township, 
and  they  are  both  interested  in  Sunday  school  work.  Mrs.  Tolbert  was 
superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school  for  five  years,  and  organist  of  the 
church  for  several  years,  and  she  was.  a  successful  teacher  in  Porter  town- 
ship for  two  years. 

JOHN  D.  ROCKWELL. 

Among  the  citizens  of  Cass  county  who  have  long  been  connected 
with  its  history,  their  residence  here  dating  back  to  an  early  period,  so 
that  they  are  entitled  to  rank  with  the  old  settlers,  is  John  D.  Rockwell, 
now  living  on  section  25,  Porter  township,  where  he  owns  a  good  farm. 
He  was  born  in  Huron  county,  Ohio,  September  8,  1842.  His  paternal 
grandfather  was  Caleb  Rockwell,  of  English  descent.  His  father,  Sam- 
uel R.  Rockwell,  was  a  native  of  Connecticut  and  was  there  reared.  In 
early  life  he  learned  and  followed  the  carpenter's  trade  and  also  carried 
on  farming.  The  reports  which  he  heard  concerning  business  oppor- 
tunities in  the  west  induced  him  to  seek  a  home  in  Michigan,  and  in 
the  fall  of  1844  h^  came  to  this  state,  taking  up  his  abode  upon  the  farm 
in  Porter  township,  Cass  county,  upon  which  his  son,  John  D.  Rock- 
well, now  resides.  He  had,  however,  been  a  resident  of  Huron  county 
for  a  brief  period  when  he  traded  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  in  that  county 
for  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  here  without  seeing  the  place. 
The  tract  was  an  unbroken  wilderness,  not  a  furrow  having  been  turned 
nor  an  improvement  made.  There  was  not  a  single  building  and  he 
built  a  small  frame  house  in  the  midst  of  the  forest  and  began  to  cut 
away  the  timber  and  clear  and  cultivate  the  land.  In  the  course  of  years 
where  once  stood  the  dense  forest  were  seen  waving  fields  of  grain, 
promising  rich  harvests  and  as  time  passed  he  became  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial citizens  of  the  community  as  the  result  of  his  carefully  directed 
business  affairs.  Pie  died  December  16,  1884,  in  his  eighty-first  year — 
one  of  the  venerable,  respected  and  honored  citizens  of  the  county.     He 


S98  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

was  a  resident  of  Constantine  for  about  twenty-two  years,  having  retired 
from  active  business  life,  the  evening  of  his  days  being  spent  in  the 
enjoyment  of  a  well  earned  rest.  He  was  also  justice  of  the  peace  in 
Porter  township  for  about  sixteen  years  and  for  a  similar  period  in 
Constantine  and  his  decisions  were  strictly  fair  and  unbiased,  neither 
fear  nor  favor  swerving  him  in  his  application  of  the  law  to  the  points 
at  issue.  His  political  allegiance  was  given  to  the  Democracy.  He 
was  an  honest  man,  whose  integrity  was  at  all  times  above  question  and 
by  reason  of  this  and  his  ability  he  was  called  upon  to  transact  many 
business  interests  for  other  people.  He  was  closely  identified  with  the 
early  history  of  Cass  county  and  his  labors  contributed  to  its  substantial 
progress  and  improvement.  He  married  Mary  Ann  Bushman,  a  native 
of  New  York,  who  was  born  near  Rochester  and  was  a  daughter  of 
George  Bushman.  She  died  in  1856  in  the  thirty-ninth  year  of  her 
age,  and  Samuel  R.  Rockwell  afterward  married  Celia  Butler.  There 
were  five  sons  of  the  first  union :  George  B.,  who  died  in  1904 ;  Fran- 
cis M.,  who  is  living  in  Three  Rivers,  Michigan;  John  D.,  of  this  re- 
view; Henry  O.,  who  passed  away  February  8,  i860;  and  Edson  W., 
who  is  living  in  Porter  township,  Cass  county.  The  children  of  the  sec- 
ond marriage  are :  Ralph,  who  died  about  1868;  and  Libby,  who  passed 
away  the  same  year. 

John  D.  Rockwell  was  only  two  years  of  age  when  brought  by  his 
parents  to  Cass  county,  the  family  home  being  established  in  Porter 
township,  where  he  was  reared.  His  education  was  acquired  in  the 
public  schools,  pursuing  his  studies  in  the  little  school-house  which  his 
father  built.  Throughout  the  period  of  his  minority  he  remained  upon 
the  home  farm,  assisting  in  the  labors  of  field  and  meadow  and  in  the 
care  of  the  stock.  He  was  thus  occupied  until  he  attained  his  majority, 
after  which  he  operated  the  home  farm  for  one  year.  In  1864  he  went 
to  Virginia  City,  Montana,  where  he  remained  until  1866,  being  engaged 
in  mining  in  that  locality.  He  then  returned  again  to  the  old  home- 
stead, where  he  has  since  resided,  his  attention  being  given  in  undivided 
manner  to  agricultural  interests. 

On  the  2 1  St  of  February,  1867,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of 
John  D.  Rockwell  and  Miss  Adelia  Miller,  a  daughter  of  Charles  F.  and 
Rebecca  (Odell)  Miller,  the  former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the 
latter  of  Ohio.  They  became  residents  of  Michigan  at  an  early  day, 
settling  in  St.  Joseph  county  in  1836,  when  the  work  of  improvement 
and  development  had  scarcely  been  begun  there.  They  established  a 
home  on  the  frontier,  casting  in  their  lot  with  the  pioneer  settlers  and 
sharing  in  the  hardships  and  trials  incident  to  life  in  the  far  west — for 
Michigan  was  then  a  border  state.  Mrs.  Rockwell  was  born  in  St. 
Joseph  county,  March  25,  1843,  ^^d  was  there  reared  and  educated.  At 
the  time  of  their  marriage  they  located  on  the  old  homestead  farm, 
which  has  since  been  their  place  of  residence.  As  the  years  went  by 
Mr.  Rockwell  gave  his  undivided  attention  and  energies  to  the  develop- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  599 

ment  and  cultivation  of  his  land  and  to  the  improvement  of  his  farm, 
which  is  now  a  valuable  property,  supplied  with  all  of  the  equipments 
and  conveniences  found  upon  a  model  farm  of  the  twentieth  century.  In 
1883  he  built  his  present  residence,  and  he  now  has  two  houses  upon 
the  place,  also  commodious  and  substantial  barns  and  outbuildings,  fur- 
nishing ample  shelter  for  grain  and  stock.  His  place  comprises  two 
hundred  and  twenty-seven  and  a  half  acres  of  good  land,  the  soil  being 
alluvial  and  responding  readily  to  the  care  and  labor  which  are  bestowed 
upon  the  fields  and  which  return  golden  harvests.  Mr.  Rockwell  per- 
sonally manages  and  operates  the  farm  and  is  a  wide-awake,  progressive 
agriculturist,  meeting  with  very  gratifying  success  in  his  chosen  life 
work. 

Three  children  were  born  unto  our  subject  and  his  wife,  namely: 
Jennie  G.,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  L.  N.  Ruch,  of  Chicago;  Hattie  L., 
the  wife  of  Phar  Stenberg,  who  resides  upon  the  old  homestead  in 
Porter  township;  and  Cora  B.,  who  was  born  December  22,  1874,  and 
died  February  16,  1875. 

Mr.  Rockwell  votes  with  the  Democracy,  when  national  questions 
are  involved,  but  at  local  elections  casts  an  independent  ballot,  support- 
ing the  men  whom  he  regards  as  best  qualified  to  take  charge  of  the 
business  interests  of  town  or  county.  He  has  been  school  treasurer  of 
his  district  for  twenty  years  and  could  have  held  other  offices  but  would 
not  accept,  preferring  to  concentrate  his  time  and  energies  upon  his 
business  affairs.  He  is  a  man  of  liberal  spirit  and  has  contributed  to 
many  good  causes.  He  belongs  to  the  Grange  and  is  intensely  inter- 
ested in  all  that  pertains  to  the  agricultural  development  of  the  county. 
He  has  been  a  resident  of  Porter  township  for  sixty-one  years  and  is 
one  of  its  pioneer  and  representative  citizens,  helping  to  make  the  county 
what  it  is  today.  His  name  is  closely  interwoven  with  its  history  and 
his  successful  career  should  serve  to  encourage  and  inspire  others,  for 
His  prosperity  is  largely  due  to  his  own  well  directed  labors,  capable 
business  management  and  keen  discernment. 

HENRY  C.  BENSON. 

Henry  C.  Benson  makes  his  home  on  section  3,  south  Porter  town- 
ship, and  was  born  December  11,  1845,  on  the  farm  where  he  now  re- 
sides. His  father,  Joseph  Benson,  was  a  native  of  Livingston  county, 
New  York,  and  came  to  Michigan  in  1843,  making  his  way  at  once  to 
Cass  county  and  took  up  his  abode  upon  the  farm  which  is  now  owned 
and  occupied  by  Henry  C.  Benson.  He  was  married  in  Porter  town- 
ship in  1844  to  Miss  Harriet  Weed,  a  daughter  of  Seth  and  Catherine 
Weed.  Her  father  was  for  many  years  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  held 
the  office  of  supervisor  and  other  local  positions,  the  duties  of  which 
were  always  promptly,  faithfully  and  capably  performed  by  him.  He 
was  a  prominent  man  and  teacher  in  the  county  and  exerted  a  strong 


600  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

and  beneficial  influence  for  the  intellectual  development  and  moral  prog- 
ress of  his  locality,  also  upholding  its  legal  and  political  status.  Joseph 
Benson,  for  many  years  an  enterprising  and  well  known  agriculturist 
of  the  county,  died  August  8,  1878,  when  sixty-six  years  of  age.  He 
was  at  one  time  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  at  all  times 
exemplified  in  his  life  the  beneficent  spirit  of  the  craft.  His  wife  long 
survived  him,  reaching  the  age  of  eighty-eight  years.  In  their  family 
were  two  sons,  Henry  C.  and  Joseph,  the  latter  still  a  resident  of  Porter 
township. 

Henry  C.  Benson  spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  under 
the  parental  roof.  He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  for  a 
short  time  continued  his  studies  in  South  Bend,  Indiana,  becoming  an 
apt  student  and  readily  mastering  the  common  branches  of  learning. 
At  the  age  of  seventeen  years  he  began  teaching,  which  profession  he 
followed  successfully  for  five  years  in  Cass,  Berrien  and  St.  Joseph 
counties.  He  was  at  the  same  time  engaged  in  farming  and  fruit-grow- 
ing, devoting  the  winter  seasons  to  educational  work,  while  the  summer 
months  were  given  to  agricultural  and  horticultural  pursuits. 

January  23,  1881,  Mr.  Benson  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Martha  V.  Roots,  a  daughter  of  Windsor  and  Mary  Ann  (Bennett) 
Roots.  Mrs.  Benson  was  born  December  5,  1862,  in  DeKalb  county, 
Indiana,  but  was  reared  in  Porter  township,  Cass  county,  and  is  the 
elder  of  two  daughters.  At  the  time  of  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Henry  C.  Benson  began  their  domestic  life  upon  the  old  homestead 
farm,  living  with  his  father  and  m.other  until  they  were  called  from  this 
life.  Two  children  grace  the  marriage  of  the  younger  couple,  namely: 
Ida  May,  now  the  wife  of  Lewis  Arnold,  of  Porter  township;  and 
Jennie  D.,  who  is  at  home. 

Mr.  Benson  owns  a  farm  of  more  than  two  hundred  acres,  which 
he  is  carrying  on.  He  has  placed  his  land  under  a  high  state  of  culti- 
vation and  annually  harvests  good  crops  as  a  reward  for  the  care  and 
labor  he  bestows  upon  the  fields,  and  in  addition  to  raising  the  cereals 
best  adapted  to  soil  and  climate  he  also  raises  some  stock,  mostlv,  how- 
ever, for  his  own  use.  He  has  a  well  improved  place  and  a  glance  will 
serve  to  indicate  to  the  passerby  the  progressive  and  practical  methods 
of  the  owner.  In  his  political  adherence  he  has  always  been  a  stalwart 
Republican,  interested  in  the  party  and  its  success  and  his  investigation 
into  the  questions  and  issues  of  the  day  has  led  him  to  believe  that  the 
Republican  platform  contains  the  best  elements  of  good  government. 
He  has  been  twice  elected  to  the  ofifice  of  justice  of  the  peace,  his  second 
term  expiring  in  July,  1906.  He  has  filled  the  position  for  eight  years 
and  has  ever  been  fair  and  impartial  in  his  movements,  basing  his  deci- 
sions upon  the  law  and  the  equity  of  the  case.  After  serving  as  justice 
of  the  peace  for  eight  years,  he  has  been  importuned  by  the  best  element 
to  again  assume  the  onerous  position,  and  without  a  dissenting  voice 
from  any  party,  which  speaks  volumes  for  his  integrity  and  manhood. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  601 

He  has  been  officially  connected  with  the  schools  through  a  long  period, 
serving  on  the  school  iioard  for  about  nine  years,  and  he  belongs  to  the 
Grange.  His  entire  life  has  been  passed  upon  the  farm  which  he  yet 
owns  and  occupies,  having  lived  here  for  sixty  years.  The  place  is  en- 
deared to  him  through  the  associations  of  his  boyhood  as  well  as  those 
of  later  years,  and  the  name  of  Benson  has  ever  stood  for  progress  along 
agricultural  lines,  in  which  regard  Henry  C.  Benson  fully  sustains  the 
reputation  of  the  family. 

SAMUEL  H.  GILBERT. 

On  the  list  of  pioneer  settlers  of  Cass  county  appears  the  name  of 
Samuel  H.  Gilbert,  who  is  now  living  on  section  23,  Porter  township. 
He  dates  his  residence  in  the  county  from  1835.  Few.  indeed,  have 
longer  resided  in  this  ix^rtion  of  the  state  or  have  for  a  greater  period 
witnessed  the  changes  that  have  been  wrought  here.  He  is  not  only 
familiar  with  the  history  of  the  county  from  hearsay  but  has  beai  an 
active  participant  in  the  work  that  has  led  to  its  present  development 
and  upbuilding.  The  story  of  pioneer  life  is  a  familiar  one  to  him,  for 
he  settled  here  in  the  days  when  the  homes  were  pioneer  cabins,  when 
mudi  of  the  work  of  the  fields  was  done  by  hand,  when  the  sickle  and 
scythe  formed  a  part  of  the  farm  implements,  when  the  houses  were 
lishted  bv  candles  and  when  the  cooking  was  largely  done  over  the  open 

Mr.  Gilbert  is  a  native  of  Onondaga  county,  New  York,  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  Lysander  township,  on  the  i8th  of  April  1824.  His 
father  Stq^hen  Gilbert,  was  born  in  Massachusetts  and  there  was  reared. 
When'a  young  man  he  left  New  England  and  went  to  New  York,  whence 
he  came  to  Michigan  in  1835,  making  his  way  direct  to  Cass  county. 
He  located  in  Porter  township,  and  at  once  became  engaged  m  the  ardu- 
ous task  of  developing  a  new  farm,  making  his  home  thereon  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  when  he  was  seventy-three  years  of  age.  His 
father,  Samuel  Gilbert,  was  a  native  of  Huntington  township,  Fairfield 
county,  Connecticut,  born  March  10,  1761,  and  was  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolutionary  war,  espousing  the  cause  of  the  colonists  when  they  could 
no  longer  endure  the  yoke  of  British  oppression.  He  saw  Major  Andre 
when  he  was  hanged  as  a  spy.  Mr.  Gilbert  was  under  the  command  of 
General  Washington  for  one  year  and  three  months  and  for  thirty  years 
of  his  life  received  a  pension  of  twelve  dollars  per  month  from  the  gov- 
ernment in  recognition  of  the  aid  which  he  had  rendered  to  his  country 
in  her  struggle  for  independence.  He  was  supposed  to  have  been  of 
English  descent  and  he  died  September  10,  1849.  Th^  mother  of  our 
subject  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Almira  Colgrove,  was  a  native  of  Rut- 
land, Vermont,  and  a  daughter  of  Calvin  Colgrove,  of  English  parent- 
age. She  lived  to  a  very  advanced  age,  passing  away  in  her  ninety-fifth 
year.     By  her  marriage  she  became  the  mother  of  five  sons  and  three 


^^2  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

faml^es"^''  ^^"^  ""^^"^^"^  ^"^"'^  ^^^  ^""^  ^"  '^^''^  '"^''"^  ^"^  reared 
Samuel  H  Gilbert  is  the  eldest  living  member  of  the  family  today. 
He  was  a  lad  of  eleven  years  when  his  parents  left  the  Empire  state  and 
came  west  to  Michigan,  locating  in  Porter  township,  where  he  pur- 
sued his  studies  in  a  log  school-house.  He  was  also  educated  in  a  sim- 
ilar school-house  in  New  York.  The  methods  of  instruction  were  very 
primitive,  in  keeping  with  pioneer  times  and  conditions,  and  he  pursued 
his  studies  only  in  the  winter  months,  for  throughout  the  remainder  of 
the  year  he  worked  in  the  fields  and  assisted  in  clearing  and  cultivating 
the  farm.  He  was  an  expert  in  handling  a  mall  and  wedge  and  was  a 
very  strong  man  in  his  younger  days.  All  the  farm  work  became  famil- 
iar to  him  from  actual  experience  and  he  assisted  in  the  fields  from  the 
time  of  early  spring  planting  until  after  crops  were  harvested  in  the  late 
autumn. 

Mr  Gilbert  was  married  on  the  31st  of  October,  1847,  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Motley,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Fannie  (Elkington)  Motley 
both  of  whom  were  of  English  lineage.  The  mother  died  in  Montreal 
Canada.  Mrs.  Gilbert  was  born  in  England,  July  5,  1829,  and  was  only 
six  months  old  when  her  parents  bade  adieu  to  friends  and  native  coun- 
try and  sailed  for  America.  Her  mother  died  when  the  daughter  was 
but  fourteen  months  old  and  the  father  afterward  married  Bethesda  Mc- 
Neil, by  whom  he  had  nine  children.  At  the  time  of  their  marriage  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Gilbert  located  on  the  farm  where  they  now  reside,  it  having 
been  their  place  of  residence  for  fifty-nine  years  and  he  has  owned  it 
for  a  year  longer.  Full  of  hope  and  courage  they  began  the  task  of 
establishing  a  home  here  in  the  midst  of  the  wilderness,  Mrs.  Gilbert 
carefully  managing  the- household  affairs,  while  Mr.  Gilbert  performed 
the  work  of  the  fields,  transforming  the  raw  and  undeveloped  land  into 
a  tract  of  rich  fertility,  from  which  he  annually  harvested  good  crops. 
In  all  of  his  work  he  has  been  practical  and  as  invention  has  given  to 
the  world  improved  farm  machinery  he  has  introduced  this  into  his  work 
and  thus  facilitated  his  labors.  There  is  little  similarity  in  the  methods 
of  farming  today,  and  those  which  were  followed  by  the  agriculturists 
a  half  century  ago.  Then  the  farmer  walked  back  and  forth  across  the 
fields,  guiding  his  handplow.  His  grain  was  cut  with  a  scythe  and 
bound  by  hand  into  sheaves.  Today  he  rides  over  the  fields  upon  the 
plow  and  the  cultivator  and  the  harvesting  machine  and  thresher  are 
familiar  sights  in  all  farming  localities. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gilbert  have  been  bom  eight  children,  of  whom 
four  are  now  living:  Ida,  the  wife  of  Frank  L.  Orr,  who  resides  in 
West  Pullman,  Illinois;  Orrin,  a  contractor  and  builder,  carrying  on 
business  in  Portland,  Oregon;  George,  a  farmer  of  Porter  township; 
Arthur,  a  twin  brother  of  George,  who  follows  farming  in  South  Da- 
kota ;  and  Helen,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight  years.  She  was  a 
student  in  Hillsdale  College,  Michigan,  and  afterward  engaged  success- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  603 

fully  in  teaching  school.  Mr.  Gilbert  has  led  an  honorable,  useful  and 
active  life.  He  has  always  been  a  strong  temperance  man  and  is  a  Pro- 
hibitionist in  his  political  views,  regarding  the  use  of  intoxicants  as  one 
of  the  most  important  questions  today  before  the  people.  He  has  never 
used  tobacco  in  his  life  and  none  of  his  sons  is  addicted  to  it.  He  and 
his  family  are  members  of  the  First  Baptist  church  in  Porter  township, 
in  which  he  has  served  as  trustee  for  many  years,  while  in  the  work 
of  the  church  he  has  taken  a  most  active  and  helpful  part.  He  is  today 
the  oldest  resident  in  Porter  township,  having  for  seventy-one  years 
made  his  home  within  its  borders  and  has  seen  the  country  develop  from 
a  wilderness  to  its  present  state  of  cultivation  and  improvement,  while 
cross-roads  villages  have  grown  into  thriving  towns  and  cities.  His 
life  has  been  actuated  by  many  noble  principles  and  toward  his  fellow- 
men  he  has  displayed  consideration  and  fairness  that  have  commanded 
uniform  confidence  and  esteem.  His  record  is  indeed  in  many  respects 
worthy  of  emulation,  showing  what  may  be  accomplished  through  earn- 
est and  persistent  effort  in  the  business  world  and  at  the  same  time 
displaying  sterling  traits  of  character  w^hich  work  for  development  along 
the  lines  of  truth,  righteousness  and  justice. 

JOHN  LOUPEE. 

John  Loupee,  who  for  twenty-five  years  has  resided  upon  his  pres- 
ent farm  on  section  21,  Porter  township,  where  he  owns  one  hundred 
and  fifty-four  acres  of  land,  was  born  in  Wayne  county,  Ohio,  August 
23,  1840.  His  father,  George  Loupee,  was  a  native  of  Germany  and 
the  days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  were  spent  in  that  country,  where 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Wilhelmina  Steiner,  also  of  German  birth. 
Crossing  the  Atlantic  to  America  with  the  hope  of  having  improved 
business  opportunities  in  the  new  world  they  located  in  Wayne  county, 
Ohio,  where  they  resided  until  coming  to  Michigan  about  1841,  at  which 
time  they  took  up  their  abode  in  Porter  township,  George  Loupee  enter- 
ing land  from  the  government.  He  was  not  long  permitted  to  enjoy 
his  new  home,  however,  and  had  scarcely  begun  the  work  of  transform- 
ing the  raw  wild  land  into  a  cultivable  farm  when  death  claimed  him. 
His  wife  lived  to  be  about  sixty-two  years  of  age.  There  w^ere  eight 
children  in  the  family,  all  of  whom  reached  manhood  or  womanhood. 

John  Loupee,  the  seventh  in  order  of  birth,  was  only  about  a  year 
old  when  brought  by  his  parents  from  Ohio  to  Cass  county,  and  he  has 
been  a  lifelong  resident  of  Porter  township  and  Is  indebted  to  the  public 
school  system  for  the  educational  privileges  which  he  enjoyed  and  w^hich 
fitted  him  for  life's  practical  and  responsible  duties.  Owing  to  the  death 
of  his  father  he  was  early  thrown  upon  his  own  resources,  working  by 
the  month  as  a  farm  hand.  He  was  thus  employed  throughout  the  pe- 
riod of  his  youth  and  until  his  labors  brought  him  capital  sufficient  to 
enable  him  to  engage  in  farming  on  his  own  account.     His    boyhood 


^04  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

therefore  was  a  period  of  earnest  and  unremitting  toil  with  few  advan- 
tages, educational  or  otherwise. 

In  June,  1862,  Mr.  Loupee  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Eliza 
Ann  Taylor,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Somner  Taylor,  who  became  a  resident 
of  Cass  county  sixty  years  ago  and  died  September  22,  1876.  In  his 
family  were  four  children.  Mrs.  Loupee  was  born  in  Huron  county,  New 
York,  March  2^,  1835,  ^^d  came  to  Cass  county  with  her  parents  in 
1845.  Her  father  was  one  of  the  pioneer  physicians  of  the  county,  who 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  here  in  the  early  days  when  it  neces- 
sitated long  rides  over  the  country  through  the  hot  summer  sun  or 
wnnter's  cold.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Loupee  have  been  born  three  daugh- 
ters :  Zella,  now  the  wife  of  Charles  Stearns  living  in  Porter  township, 
Cass  county;  Frances  O.,  the  wife  of  James  Stage,  living  on  the  home 
farm;  and  Edith  I.,  the  wife  of  William  Doane,  a  resident  of  Howard 
township,  Cass  county. 

At  the  time  of  his  marriage  Mr.  Loupee  located  in  south  Porter 
township  and  for  twenty-five  years  has  resided  on  his  present  farm, 
which  comprises  one  hundred  and  fifty-four  acres  of  land  that  is  rich 
and  arable.  He  now  rents  the  land,  leaving  the  active  work  of  the  farm 
to  others,  while  he  is  largely  living  a  retired  life.  His  political  views 
are  in  accord  with  the  principles  of  Democracy,  yet  he  has  never  been 
an  aspnant  for  office,  preferring  to  leave  office  holding  to  others,  while 
he  gives  his  time  and  energies  to  his  business  affairs.  He  belongs 
to  Siloam  lodge,  No.  35,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Constantine.  He  has 
for  sixty-five  years  made  his  home  in  this  county  and  has  been 
closely  identified  with  its  upbuilding,  especially  along  agricultural  lines. 
He  is  a  self-made  man  and  deserves  much  credit  for  what  he  accom- 
plished, for  he  started  out  in  life  in  early  boyhood  empty-handed, 
having  no  assistance  from  inheritance  or  from  influential  friends,  but 
depended  entirely  upon  his  own  labors,  realizing  that  hard  work  is  a 
sure  foundation  upon  which  to  build  success.  His  life  has  been  one  of 
earnest  toil,  and  as  the  years  have  gone  by  he  has  gained  a  fair  measure 
of  prosperity,  due  to  his  close  application  and  diligence. 

JOHN  O'DELL. 

John  O'Dell,  one  of  the  prominent  and  influential  farmers  and 
early  settlers  of  Porter  township,  living  on  section  16,  was  bom  Octo- 
ber 30,  1836,  in  this  township  and  is  therefore  one  of  the  oldest  native 
sons  of  the  county.  He  is  a  son  of  Nathan  and  Sarah  (Drake)  O'Dell. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  Nathan  G.  O'Dell,  Sr.,  was  born  in  Virginia, 
November  4,  1772.  The  progenitors  of  this  family  came  originally 
from  England,  and  although  for  many  generations  the  ancestors  of 
our  subject  lived  in  Virginia,  not  a  single  member  of  the  family  ever 
owned  slaves,  and  so  far  as  is  known  all  were  opposed  to  the  institution 
of  slavery.     Nathan  G.  O'Dell,  Sr.,  was  married  to  Miss  Rebecca  Kife, 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  605 

who  was  born  in  the  old  Dominion  in  July,  1780.  He  was  a  miller  by 
trade  and  owned  a  mill  in  Virginia,  where  in  connection  with  the  opera- 
tion of  the  plant  he  also  carried  on  farming.  Early  in  1800,  however, 
he  removed  with  his  family  to  Ohio,  settling  in  Wayne  county,  where 
he  took  up  land  from  the  government.  It  was  entirely  raw  and  unim- 
proved, but  his  strenuous  labors  soon  converted  it  into  a  productive 
farm.  He  likewise  owned  and  operated  a  grist  mill,  and  was  for  twenty- 
eight  years  associated  with  business  interests  in  the  Buckeye  state.  In 
1828  he  came  to  Michigan,  taking  up  his  abode  in  the  eastern  part  of 
what  is  now  Porter  township,  Cass  county.  Here,  too,  he  was  a  pioneer 
settler,  living  upon  the  frontier  and  sharing  with  others  in  the  hard- 
ships and  privations  incident  to  life  in  a  far  western  district.  He  con- 
tinued to  make  his  home  in  Porter  township  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  October,  1835,  ^^^  his  wife  followed  him  to  the  grave  two 
months  later.  In  their  family  were  nine  children :  Thomas,  the  eldest, 
born  June  22,  1796,  was  for  more  than  forty  years  a  minister  of  the 
Methodist  church.  He  went  to  Iowa,  where  he  devoted  his  life  to  his 
holy  calling  and  there  died  in  1861.  James,  born  September  13,  1798, 
married  Nancy  Carr  and  in  early  life  came  to  Michigan,  his  death 
occurring  in  St.  Joseph  county,  this  state,  September  24,  1835.  John, 
born  March  24,  1801,  died  in  Ohio,  August  19,  1826,  prior  to  the  re- 
moval of  the  family  to  Michigan.  Nathan  G.,  father  of  John  O'Dell 
of  this  review,  was  the  next  of  the  family.  Elizabeth,  born  May  21, 
1806,  was  married  in  Ohio,  May  19,  1835,  becoming  Mrs.  Metcalf. 
Enos  P.,  born  August  7,  1808,  went  to  Illinois,  where  he  followed 
farming  until  his  death  on  the  22d  of  February,  1852.  Lorenzo  Dow, 
born  October  9,  t8io,  was  a  member  of  congress  from  Ohio  and  died  in 
that  state  about  1883.  Rebecca,  born  May  17,  1812,  married  Tliomas 
Burns,  with  whom  she  came  to  Michigan,  and  her  death  occurred  in  this 
state  in  September,  1846.  Silas  P.,  born  April  15,  18 14,  died  at  the 
age  of  two  years,  on  the  29th  of  September,  1819. 

Nathan  G.  O'Dell,  Jr.,  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Ohio, 
October  i,  1803,  was  there  reared  and  was  married  in  that  state  in  1828 
to  Miss  Sarah  Drake,  whose  birth  occurred  April  10,  1810.  Imme- 
diately after  their  marriage  they  left  Ohio,  and  with  several  other 
families  came  to  Cass  county,  Michigan,  settling  in  Porter  township, 
where  Mr.  O'Dell  and  his  father  took  up  government  land.  He  there 
began  the  development  of  a  farm  and  in  the  course  of  years  brought 
this  land  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  Unto  him  and  his  wife  were 
born  five  children:  James  S.,  was  born  January  10,  1830.  He  married 
Jane  Travers,  who  died  about  a  year  afterward  leaving  a  child  a  few 
days  old,  who  died  when  about  nine  years  of  age.  Oti  the  27th  of  Feb- 
luary,  1859,  James  O'Dell  wedded  Caroline  Loupee,  who  was  born  in 
Wayne  county,  Ohio,  November  8,  1837,  while  her  parents  were  natives 
of  Germany.  James  O'Dfell  has  four  children:  Martha,  born  April  2t^, 
t86o;  Carrie  M.,  May  18,  1865;  Ida,  December  it,   1870;  and  Ross^ 


606  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

February  24,  1875.  Thomas,  born  June  30,  183 1,  married  Miss  Lavina 
Travers.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  was  a  leading  and  in- 
fluential factor  in  local  political  circles,  serving  as  justice  of  the  peace 
and  as  supervisor  and  also  as  a  member  of  the  state  legislature  of  Mich- 
igan. He  died  June  30,  1892,  leaving  a  famJly  of  six  children.  David, 
bom  March  27,  1833,  went  to  Iowa  and  there  enlisted  for  service  in  the 
Civil  war.  After  being  honorably  discharged  he  returned  to  Iowa  and 
died  soon  afterward.  Margaret  M.,  born  November  9,  1834,  was  mar- 
ried to  Henry  Brown,  who  died  in  1884.  She  is  still  living  in  Porter 
township.  John  is  the  subject  of  this  review.  The  mother  of  these  chil- 
dren died  in  October,  1836,  soon  after  the  birth  of  John  O'Dell,  and 
later  Nathan  G.  O'Dell,  Jr.,  was  married  to  Miss  Eliza  Shivel,  by  whom 
he  had  two  children.  Sarah  Wealthy,  the  eldest,  born  December  25, 
1842,  became  the  wife  of  John  Draper  and  died  while  her  husband  was 
serving  in  the  Union  army.  Nathan  Eben,  born  December  27,  1843, 
went  into  the  army  when  but  sixteen  years  of  age  and  remained  until 
the  close  of  the  war  in  1864.  He  married  Miss  Nettie  Motley,  and 
they  have  three  living  children  and  two  deceased. 

When  John  O'Dell  was  only  nine  years  of  age  he  was  bound  out 
to  Jacob  Lintz,  of  Constantine  township,  and  lived  with  him  for  nine 
years,  during  which  time  he  worked  at  farm,  labor  in  its  various  depart- 
ments. He  afterward  returned  to  Porter  township,  Cass  county,  where 
he  has  resided  continuously  since.  The  only  educational  privileges  he 
enjoyed  were  those  afforded  by  the  district  schools  and  he  had  little 
opportunity  for  that,  because  he  was  only  nine  years  old  when  his  father 
died,  and  he  was  thus  thrown  upon  his  own  resources  and  has  since 
had  to  provide  for  his  own  support.  He  was  married  in  Porter  town- 
ship, Cass  county,  to  Miss  Jane  A.  Smith,  a  daughter  of  D'eacon  and 
Cornelia  (Hart)  Smith.  She  was  born  in  Porter  township  May  30, 
1842,  and  there  spent  her  early  girlhood  days,  her  parents  being  old 
settlers  of  Cass  county.  At  the  time  of  her  marriage  the  young  couple 
took  up  their  abode  in  a  log  house  on  a  forty-acre  farm  on  section  16. 
Later  Mr.  O'Dell  sold  that  property  for  three  thousand  dollars  and 
bought  forty-three  acres  where  he  now  lives.  He  has  since  added 
seventy-eight  acres  to  this  place,  making  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty-one  acres.  It  is  fine  property,  well  improved  with  modem  equip- 
ments. There  are  good  buildings  upon  the  place  and  excellent  farm 
implements,  and  for  many  years  Mr.  O'Dell  carried  on  the  active  work 
of  the  fields,  but  is  now  renting  his  land,  leaving  the  practical  farm 
work  to  others,  although  he  still  gives  his  supervision  to  the  place. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  O'Dell  have  been  born  three  children :  Lucy, 
the  wife  of  O.  K.  Harvey,  of  Constantine,  Michigan :  Lydia  Grace,  the 
wife  of  Charles  Barnard,  who  is  also  living  in  that  place;  and  Dr.  John 
H.  O'Dell,  who  is  a  practicing  physician  of  Three  Rivers.  Mr.  O'Dell 
is  one  of  the  old  settlers  of  the  county,  and  has  been  identified  with  its 
upbuilding  and  progress  throusfh  a  long  period.     He  has  always  voted 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  GOT 

with  the  RepubHcan  party,  casting  his  ballot  for  Lincoln  in  i860  and 
again  in  1864,  and  for  each  man  at  the  head  of  the  ticket  of  that  party 
He  and  his  wife  belong  to  the  First  Baptist  church  at  Porter,  and  he  has 
led  a  life  of  integrity  and  uprightness,  worthy  the  regard  which  is 
uniformly  given  him.  He  has  now  reached  the  psalmist's  span  of  three 
score  years  and  ten,  and  his  entire  life  has  been  passed  in  this  county. 
He  can  remember  in  his  boyhood  days  of  the  forests  which  covered 
what  are  now  some  of  the  best  farms  in  the  county.  There  were  few 
roads  laid  out  through  the  wilderness,  and  often  one  followed  old 
Indian  trails  in  making  their  way  among  the  trees  to  a  given  point.  The 
work  of  development  and  upbuilding  seemed  scarcely  begun  and  Mr. 
O'Dell  shared  in  the  task  of  improving  the  county.  He  became  familiar 
with  the  arduous  work  of  developing  and  cultivating  new  land,  and  for 
many  years  was  closely  associated  with  agricultural  interests,  but  is 
now  living  retired,  having  a  good  property  which  returns  him  a  gratify- 
ing income,  thus  supplying  him  with  all  of  the  comforts  and  many  of  the 
luxuries  of  life.  He  can  tell  many  tales  of  pioneer  days  which  show 
the  onward  march  of  progress,  for  Cass  county  has  always  kept  pace 
with  the  work  of  improvement  elsewhere,  and  has  become  one  of  the 
leading  counties  of  this  great  commonwealth.  Although  it  was  once  a 
heavily  timbered  region  it  is  now  one  of  the  good  agricultural  districts  of 
the  state. 

E.  W.  BECKWITH. 

E.  W.  Beckwith,  formerly  engaged  in  merchandising,  but  now  de- 
voting his  attention  to  farming  on  section  14,  Jefferson  township,  rep- 
resents one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  this  part  of  the  state,  the  name 
of  Beckwith  having  been  interwoven  with  the  history  of  the  county 
from  1833  down  to  the  present  time.  It  has  always  stood  as  a  synonym 
for  business  integrity  and  for  loyalty  in  citizenship,  and  the  rec- 
ord of  our  subject  is  in  harmony  with  that  of  others  of  the  name. 
He  was  born  in  CassopoHs,  Michigan,  October  12,  1847.  His  father, 
Walter  G.  Beckwith,  was  a  native  of  West  Bloomfield,  New  York,  and 
came  to  Cass  county,  Michigan,  about  1833.  Few  settlements'  had 
been  made  in  this  portion  of  the  state  at  the  time,  and  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  see  there  were  uncut  forests  and  uncultivated  tracts  of  prairie. 
Only  here  and  there  had  a  clearing  been  made  to  show  that  the  work  of 
agricultural  development  had  begun,  while  the  now  thriving  cities  were 
but  small  villages,  or  had  not  yet  sprung  into  existence.  Mr.  Beckwith 
took  an  active  part  in  molding  the  early  public  policy  of  the  county.  He 
was  one  of  the  first  sheriffs  and  his  activity  touched  many  lines  that  have 
led  to  permanent  improvement  and  benefit  here.  He  was  president  of 
the  State  Agricultural  Society  for  about  fourteen  years,  a  position  which 
was  indicative  of  the  place  which  he  held  as  a  representative  of  farm- 
ing interests  and  of  the  high  regard  reposed  in  him  by  his  fellow  agri- 
culturists throughout  Michigan.     Far  sighted,  he  extended  his  time  and 


608  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

energies  not  only  to  his  business  affairs  but  to  public  interests  as  well, 
and  his  efforts  were  far  reaching  and  beneficial.  He  voted  with  the 
Democracy,  and  he  kept  well  informed,  not  only  on  political  questions, 
but  upon  all  issues  and  events  relating  to  the  progress  and  welfare  of 
the  country  at  large.  In  early  manhood  he  wedded  Miss  Eliza  Lee,  a 
native  of  West  Bloomfield,  New  York.  She  lived  to  be  about  sixty-five 
years  of  age,  while  Mr.  Beckwith  reached  the  advanced  age  of  seventy- 
six  years.  They  were  the  parents  of  only  two  children,  who  reached 
adult  age,  and  E.  W.  Beckwith,  of  this  review,  is  now  the  only  sur- 
viving  member  of  the  family. 

Upon  the  old  homestead  farm  in  Jefiferson  township  E.  W.  Beck- 
with became  familiar  with  the*  duties  and  labors  that  fall  to  the  lot  of 
the  agriculturist.  His  early  education  was  acquired  in  the  district 
schools  and  was  supplemented  by  study  in  the  Kalamazoo  Baptist  Col- 
lege. In  1868  he  established  a  shoe  store  at  Dowagiac,  in  which  he 
continued  for  ten  years,  or  until  1878,  since  which  time  his  attention 
has  been  given  m  undivided  manner  to  his  farm  pursuits.  He  has  ever 
labored  to  produce  maximum  results  with  minimum  effort,  which  is 
the  basis  of  all  business  success. 

In  1870  Mr.  Beckwith  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Clara  SulH- 
van,  who  died  leaving  two  sons:  Charles,  an  electrician  engaged  in 
business  in  Cleveland,  Ohio;  and  Walter,  at  home. 

Mr.  Beckwith  was  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Democracy,  and  his 
mature  judgment  has  led  him  to  the  belief  that  the  party  platform  con- 
tains the  best  elements  of  good  government.  He  has  labored  earnestly 
for  its  success  and  has  filled  a  number  of  local  offices,  acting  for  eighteen 
years  as  superintendent  of  the  poor.  He  belongs  to  the  Knights  of 
'Pythias  fraternity,  and  in  that  order  and  throughout  the  county  as 
well  he  is  esteemed  as  a  valued  citizen,  whose  interest  in  public  affairs 
has  been  of  an  active  and  helpful  nature.  His  co-operation  can  always 
be  counted  upon  to  further  any  movement  for  the  general  good  of  the 
community. 

C.  CARROLL  NELSON. 

'  Among  the  leading  citizens  of  Cass  county  whose  life  record  forms 
an  integral  part  of  the  history^  of  this  section  of  the  state  is  numbered 
C.  Carroll  Nelson,  who  is  now  living  a  retired  life  and  whose  position 
in  the  regard  of  other  pioneer  residents  of  the  state  is  indicated  by  the 
fact  that  he  is  now  serving  as  treasurer  of  the  Old  Settlers'  Association. 
His  career  has  been  a  long,  busy  and  useful  one,  marked  by  the  utmost 
fidelity  to  the  duties  of  public  and  private  life  and  crowned  with  the 
respect  which  is  conferred  upon  him  in  recognition  of  his  genuine 
worth.  His  name  is  inseparably  interwoven  with  the  annals  of  the  coun- 
ty, with  its  best  development  and  stable  prosperity.  He  is  one  of  Mich- 
igan's native  sons,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Washtenaw  county  on 
the  31st  of  July,  1835.     His  father,  I.  S.  Nelson,  was  a  native  of  Mas- 


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HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  609 

sachusetts,  born  in  Deerfield,  whence  he  came  to  Michigan  in  1830,  lo- 
cating in  Washtenaw  county,  where  his  remaining  days  were  passed, 
his  death  occurring  in  1837.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
EHza  Arms,  was  born  in  Conway,  Massachusetts,  and  following  the 
death  of  Her  first  husband  she  gave  her  hand  in  marriage  to  Rulef  D. 
Crego. 

C.  Carroll  Nelson  was  brought  to  Cass  county  in  1842,  when  a 
youth  of  seven  summers,  the  family  home  being  established  in  Newberg 
township,  where  he  was  reared  and  educated.  After  attending  the  com- 
mon schools  he  continued  his  studies  in  Hillsdale  College  for  two  years 
and  afterward  engaged  in  teaching  in  the  public  schools  through  the 
winter  months,  while  in  the  summer  seasons  his  labors  were  devoted  to 
the  work  of  the  farm,.  He  was  the  only  child  born  unto  his  parents  that 
grew  to  mature  years.  He  remained  at  home  with  his  mother  until 
twenty-one  years  of  age  and  then  started  out  in  life  on  his  own  account. 
With  a  full  realization  of  the  fact  that  advancement  can  be  most  quickly 
secured  through  close  application  and  unremitting  diligence,  he  worked 
persistently  and  energetically  and  in  due  course  of  time  he  gained  a 
place  among  the  representative  agriculturists  of  his  adopted  county.  He 
was  married  on  the  loth  of  August,  186 1,  to  Miss  Phebe  Pegg,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Reuben  and  Rebecca  (Hinshaw)  Pegg,  who  were  pioneer  settlers 
of  Cass  county.  Mrs.  Nelson  was  born  in  Penn  township  on  December 
12,  1840,  and  has  been  a  lifelong  resident  of  Cass  county.  Her  parents 
were  natives  of  Randolph  county.  North  Carolina,  and  came  to  Cass 
county  in  1828,  and  her  father  was  also  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  with- 
in the  borders  of  this  county.  They  were  married  at  what  was  then 
called  Whitmanville,  but  is  now  LaGrange,  and  they  located  in  Penn 
township,  where  they  continued  to  reside  until  called  to  the  home  be- 
yond. They  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  three  daughters  and  two 
sons,  of  whom  William  and  Sarah  are  now  deceased.  The  others  are: 
Mary,  Abijah  and  Mrs.  Phebe  Pegg  Nelson. 

The  young  couple  began  their  domestic  life  upon  a  farm  in  Penn 
township  and  in  1866  removed  to  Cassopolis,  where  Mr.  Nelson  estab- 
lished a  sash  and  door  factory  in  company  with  A.  H.  Pegg,  in  which 
business  he  continued  until  1877,  theirs  being  one  of  the  leading  pro- 
ductive industries  of  the  county.  In  that  year  Mr.  Nelson  met  with  an 
accident,  losing  his  left  arm  and  also  the  sight  of  one  eye.  In  the  same 
year  he  was  appointed  postmaster  and  entered  upon  the  duties  of  the 
office  in  1878,  filling  the  position  for  eight  years  and  eight  months  in  a 
most  capable  and  satisfactory  manner,  giving  a  public-spirited  and 
progressive  administration.  He  then  handed  over  the  keys  to  L.  H. 
Glover,  who  is  editor  of  this  volume,  and  in  July,  1887,  he  embarked 
in  the  undertaking  and  furniture  business,  in  which  he  continued  until 
January,  1904.  With  the  capital  he  had  acquired  and  which  was  suf- 
ficient to  supply  him  with  the  necessities  and  comforts  of  life  through 


610  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

his  remaining  days,  he  retired  from  active  business  and  is  now  enjoying 
a  well  earned  rest.  He  has  been  a  representative  of  agricultural,  indus- 
trial and  commercial  life  and  in  all  departments  of  labor  has  displayed 
perseverance  and  industry  combined  with  vmfaltering  business  integ- 
rity. 

In  politics  Mr.  Nelson  is  a  standi  Republican  and  in  1863  he  served 
as  supervisor  of  Penn  township.  He  was  also  superintendent  of  the 
poor  from  1873  ^^^til  1876  and  was  village  assessor  of  Cassopolis  for 
about  fourteen  years.  Upon  the  organization  of  the  Cassopolis  Library 
Association  in  March,  1871,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nelson  took  an  active  part  in 
its  work  and  have  since  done  all  in  their  power  for  the  interests  of  the 
library.  Mr.  Nelson  acted  as  president  of  the  association  during  the 
first  eight  years  of  its  existence  and  Mrs.  Nelson  was  one  of  its  di- 
rectors, the  first  meeting  being  held  at  their  home.  In  fact  they  were 
instrumental  in  establishing  the  library,  and  this  institution,  which  is 
now  a  credit  to  the  village  and  a  matter  of  local  pride,  owes  its  existence 
and  success  in  large  measure  to  their  efiforts.  For  nineteen  years  Mr. 
Nelson  has  been  treasurer  of  the  Pioneer  Society  and  active  in  its  work. 
He  is  also  connected  with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen  and 
his  wife  holds  membership  in  the  Disciples  church.  Mr.  Nelson  has 
been  a  resident  of  Cass  county  for  sixty-three  years  and  his  wife 
throughout  her  entire  life,  and  no  couple  are  more  deserving  of  esteem 
and  confidence  or  are  more  justly  entitled  to  representation  in  this 
volume  than  C.  Carroll  Nelson  and  his  estimable  wife.  His  entire  free- 
dom from  ostentation  or  self-laudation  has  made  him  one  of  the  most 
popular  citizens  of  Cass  county,  with  whose  history  he  has  now  been 
long  and  prominently  identified.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nelson  have  some  old 
and  rare  relics  of  "ye  olden  tyme.''  They  have  a  linen  table  cloth  which 
IS  over  a  century  old,  and  it  was  woven  by  Mr.  Nelson's  grandmother 
Nelson.  They  also  have  one  of  the  most  extensive  libraries  in  the  coun- 
ty of  Cass.  Mrs.  Nelson  has  several  rare  bound  volumes  of  collected 
views  and  engravings,  which  as  a  rare  collection  could  not  be  found 
in  southern  Michigan. 

ELBRIDGE  JEWELL. 

Elbridge  Jewell,  one  of  the  thrifty,  prosperous  and  enterprising 
farmers  of  LaGrange  township,  living  on  section  26,  is  a  native  son  of 
Cass  county,  born  on  the  8th  of  January,  1838.  His  father,  Hiram 
Jewell,  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  and  was  a  son  of  John  Jewell.  The 
family  was  established  in  the  east  at  an  early  period  in  the  colonization 
of  the  new  world.  John  Jewell,  removing  from  New  Jersey,  became  a 
resident  of  Ohio,  and  spent  his  last  days  in  Butler  county.  Hiram 
Jewell  came  to  Cass  county  in  1830,  settling  in  LaGrange  township, 
where  he  secured  government  land  that  was  raw  and  unimproved.  A 
part  of  Cassopolis  now  stands  upon  a  portion  of  his  farm.    He  improved 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  Oil 

a  tract  of  land  on  section  27,  and  there  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life. 
In  the  early  days  tlie  family  shared  in  the  hardships  and  trials  incident 
to  the  settlement  of  the  frontier,  but  afterward  enjoyed  the  comforts 
which  came  with  an  advancing  civilization.  In  his  work  he  was  ener- 
getic and  reliable,  making  for  himself  an  untarnished  name  and  enviable 
reputation  in  business  circles.  He  lived  to  be  eighty-two  years  of  age, 
while  his  wife  readied  the  age  of  sixty  years.  She  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Martha  Waldron,  and  is  supposed  to  have  been  a  native  of 
Ohio.  In  this  family  were  five  children,  two  sons  and  three  daughters, 
of  whom  two  died  in  early  life.  Those  still  surviving  are  Elbridge  and 
his  sister,  Miram,  who  is  the  widow  of  Henry  S.  Quick,  of  LaGrange 
township. 

Elbridge  Jewell,  the  third  child  and  second  son  in  the  father's 
family,  was  reared  upon  the  old  family  homestead  on  section  27,  La- 
Grange  township,  and  when  a  boy  pursued  his  studies  in  a  log  school 
house,  to  which  he  walked  a  distance  of  a  mile  and  a  half  through  the 
woods.  The  school  session  was  of  comparatively  short  duration,  for 
throughout  the  remainder  of  the  year  the  services  of  the  boys  and  girls 
of  the  neighborhood  were  needed  at  home,  as  there  was  much  arduous 
labor  incident  to  the  development  of  a  new  farm.  Mr.  Jewell  continued 
to  assist  in  the  cultivation  of  the  fields  upon  his  father's  place  until  after 
his  marriage,  which  important  event  in  his  life  occurred  in  1857,  the 
lady  of  his  choice  being  Miss  Sarah  J.  Bonnel.  They  located  on  a  farm 
on  section  27,  LaGrange  township,  there  residing  until  i860,  when  they 
removed  to  another  place.  In  1861,  however,  they  returned  to  the  old 
homestead  and  in  1865  removed  to  Iowa,  settling  in  Warren  county, 
northwest  of  the  city  of  Des  Moines.  After  a  brief  period,  however, 
they  again  took  up  their  abode  upon  the  old  home  farm  in  Cass  county, 
and  there  Mr.  Jewell  continued  to  engage  actively  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits until  1889,  when  he  went  to  Cassopolis,  where  he  remained  for 
five  years,  being  engaged  in  the  agricultural  implement  business.  When 
he  sold  out  he  located  on  the  home  farm  and  then  traded  that  property 
for  the  farm  upon  which  he  now  resides  on  section  26,  LaGrange  town- 
ship. He  has  here  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  acres  of  land  which 
i^  rich  and  arable  and  which  he  rents,  so  that  he  is  relieved  of  the  more 
arduous  duties  of  farm  life.  He  operated  a  threshing  machine  from 
1870  until  1887,  covering  much  territory  throughout  the  county  and 
finding  in  the  business  a  profitable  source  of  income. 

In  1880,  Mr.  Jewell  was  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  his  first 
wife,  who  died  on  the  12th  of  May  of  that  year.  On  the  14th  of  No- 
vember, 1880,  he  was  married  to  Lucy  A.  Davis,  a  daughter  of  Charles 
F.  S.  and  Susan  (Batchelor)  Davis.  Mrs.  Jewell  was  born  in  Dowagiac 
on  the  farm  owned  by  Samuel  Aarons,  January  28,  1859.  Her 
parents  had  come  to  Cass  county  about  1857,  from  the  state  of  Ohio. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jewell  have  become  the  parents  of  two  sons:  Hiram  E., 
a  telegraph  operator  of  Vicksburg,  Michigan;  and  Fred  C,  a  telegrapher 


6i^  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

living  at  home.  Mr.  Jewell  belongs  to  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen  of  Cassopolis,  and  he  has  many  friends  both  in  and  out  of 
the  order.  Having  always  lived  in  Cass  county,  his  acquaintance  has 
grown  as  the  years  have  gone  by,  and  the  circle  of  his  friends  has  been 
extended  as  his  genuine  worth  has  won  regard  and  confidence. 

He  has  swung  the  old  'Turkey  Wing"  cradles  from  morn  to  night. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jewell  have  one  of  the  ''old  Longfellow  clocks,"  which 
stands  over  six  feet  m  height  and  it  is  over  a  century  old,  but  keeps 
perfect  time.  It  is  a  rare  specimen,  and  not  such  another  relic  will  be 
found  m  the  whole  county  of  Cass.  His  father  had  the  large  frame 
made  himself.     They  have  a  Bible  which  was  printed  in  1839. 

WILLIAM  McGILL. 

William  McGill,  residing  in  Union,  is  a  native  of  Canada,  born  on 
the  22d  of  August,  1830,  and  in  his  life  has  displayed  many  of  the 
sterling  characteristics  of  the  Scotch  race.  His  father,  Andrew  McGill, 
also  a  native  of  the  land  of  hills  and  heather,  was  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation. He  was  reared,  educated  and  married  in  his  native  land,  and 
in  183 1,  accompanied  by  his  family,  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  the  new 
world,  taking  up  his  abode  near  Troy,  New  York.  There  he  spent  his 
remaining  days,  living  to  be  about  sixty-five  years  of  age.  His  wife 
Mrs.  Magaret  McGill,  also  a  native  of  Scotland,  died  in  her  eighty- 
eighth  year.  In  their  family  were  ten  children,  and  no  death  occurred 
in  the  family  circle  until  after  all  had  reached  mature  years.  There 
were  four  sons  and  six  daughters,  but  only  four  are  now  living. 

William  McGill,  of  this  review,  is  the  youngest  son  and  is  the  only 
representative  of  the  family  in  Cass  county.  He  was  about  six  months 
old  when  his  parents  left  Canada  and  came  to  the  United  States,  and  he 
was  reared  in  Rensselaer  county.  New  York,  pursuing  his  education  in 
the  schools  of  Stephentown.  His  youth  was  passed  upon  the  home  farm, 
and  he  assisted  in  its  cultivation  and  improvement  until  about  twenty- 
three  years  of  age.  He  came  to  Michigan  in  1866,  locating  in  St. 
Joseph  county,  and  bought  a  farm  in  Motville  township,  where  he 
remained  for  ten  years,  his  time  and  energies  being  given  to  its  devel- 
opment and  cultivation.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  traded  the 
property  for  four  hundred  acres  of  land  on  the  state  line,  three  miles 
from  Union.  As  his  financial  resources  have  increased  he  has  extended 
his  posessions  by  additional  purchase  from  time  to  time,  until  he  is  one 
of  the  most  extensive  land  owners  of  this  part  of  the  state,  having  about 
two  thousand  acres  more,  which  lies  across  the  border  line  in  Indiana, 
but  the  greater  part  is  in  Cass  county.  He  has  also  engaged  in  loaning 
money  for  many  years  and  buys  and  sells  horses,  and  frequently  he 
rents  out  both  hordes  and  cows.  His  business  extends  into  St.  Joseph 
county,  Michigan,  St.  Joseph  county,  Indiana,  to  Van  Buren,  Cass  and 
Berrien  counties,  and  he  is  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  influential 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  613 

residents  of  this  part  of  the  state.  He  has  been  very  successful  in  his 
business,  possessing  keen  foresight  and  broad  capacity  and  carrying 
forward  to  successful  completion  whatever  he  undertakes.  He  is  seldom 
at  error  in  matters  of  business  judgment,  and  his  enterprise,'  discrimina- 
tion and  industry  have  been  strong  and  salient  features  in  his  prosperity. 
Mr.  McGill  is  a  stalwart  Republican,  but  takes  no  active  part  in 
the  work  of  the  organization.  He  belongs  to  the  Presbyterian  church 
and  he  makes  his  home  in  Union.  He  is  today  the  largest  land  owner 
of  the  county.  His  life  record  shows  what  may  be  accottiplished  through 
close  application  and  unremitting  diligence.  He  had  no  special  ad- 
vantages w^hen  he  started  out  in  life,  but  he  was  not  afraid  to  work  and 
he  possessed  laudable  ambition.  He  has  made  good  use  of  his  opportu- 
nities and  has  prospered  from  year  to  year,  conducting  all  business  mat- 
ters carefully  and  successfully,  and  in  all  his  acts  displays  an  aptitude  for 
successful  management. 

JOHN  R.  COLLINS. 

Among  the  citizens  of  Mason  township  whose  worth  and  fidelity 
to  the  general  good  are  manifest  in  the  faithful  performance  of  public 
duties  is  numbered  John  R.  Collins,  who  is  now  filling  the  office  of  town- 
ship clerk.     He  resides  on  section  it,  Mason  township,  and  is  one  of  the 
native  sons  of  this  locality,  born  on  the  15th  of  July,  1853.     His  father, 
William  Collins,  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  came  to  Michigan  with  his 
father,  John  Collins,  who  took  up  their  abode  in  Cass  county  in  pioneer 
days,    settling   in    Mason  township   in    183 1.      He   found    the   district 
largely  wild  and  unimprovied.     Much  of  the  land  was  still  in  possession 
of  the  government,  and  he  took  up  a  claim  of  eighty  acres  Oh  section 
14.     With  characteristic  energy  he  began  the  cultivation  and  develop- 
ment of  a  farm,  artd  after  clearing  the  land  placed  it  under  the  plow. 
William  Collins  was  a  youth  of  twelve  years  at  the  time  of  the  rernovd 
of  the  family  from  Ohio  to  Michigan,  and  was  reared  upon  the  old 
homestead  on  section  14,  Mason  township,  where  he  early  became  famil- 
iar with  the  arduous  task  of  developing  new  land.     There  were  many 
hardships  and  trials  to  be  borne  in  those  days,  for  few  roads  had  been 
laid  out  and  many  of  the  now  thriving  towns  and  villages  had  not  yet 
sprung  into  existence,  so  that  the  settlers  had  to  go  long  distances  to 
market  and  mill.     Much  of  the  farm  work  was  done  by  hand,  arid  the 
machinery  then  in  use  was  very  crude  and  primitive.     Having  arrived 
at  years  of  maturity  William  Collins  was  united  in  marriage  in  Wiscon- 
sin to  Miss  Marietta  Peck,  who  was  born  in  Connecticut,  and  was  there 
reared  to  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  a  dau^-hter  of  Reuben  Peck.     She 
then  came  to  the  west  and  at  the  time  of  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
William  Collins  located  in  Mason  township,  where  they  lived  most  of 
their  lives.     The  father  died  on  the  ^3rd  of  October,  1902,  which  was 
the  seventv-fifth  anniversary  of  his  birth,  and  the  mother  passed  away 
in  1867.    Having  lost  his  first  wife,  William  Collins  was  again  married, 


614  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

his  second  union  being  with  Ellen  Dokey.  There  were  two  sons  of  the 
former  union:  John  R.,  of  this  review;  and  Fred  W.,  who  is  living  in 
Minnesota.  By  the  second  marriage  there  was  a  son  and  daughter, 
AVilliam  and  Sylvia.  The  former  is  now  Hving  in  Minnesota  but  the 
latter  died  in  childhood. 

John  R.  Collins  was  reared  in  Mason  township  and  pursued  his 
education  in  the  district  schools.  He  started  out  in  life  on  his  own 
account  when  fifteen  years  of  age,  working  by  the  month  as  a  farm  hand 
in  Mason  township,  being  employed  in  that  way  for  eight  years.  He 
was  married  on  the  30th  of  July,  1873,  to  Miss  Philoma  Curtis,  a 
daughter  of  Joseph  A.  and  Deborah  (Jordan)  Curtis,  a  native  of  Mason 
township,  where  she  has  spent  her  entire  life.  Unto  this  marriage  has 
been  born  one  son,  Nial  J.,  who  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years  is  living 
at  home,  assisting  in  the  operation  of  the  farm. 

John  R.  Collins  is  a  carpenter  by  trade,  having  learned  the  business 
when  a  youth.  He  followed  that  pursuit  for  a  number  of  years,  but 
now  concentrates  his  energies  upon  his  farming  operations,  and  is  the 
owner  of  a  good  tract  of  land  of  fifty-five  acres,  which  he  has  brought 
under  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  so  that  he  annually  harvests  good 
crops.  In  his  political  views  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  for  many  years 
served  as  township  clerk,  elected  the  last  time  in  April,  1905.  He  has 
taken  an  active  interest  in  public  affairs  and  does  all  in  his  power  to 
promote  the  material,  intellectual  and  moral  progress  of  the  community. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Gleaners,  and  religiously  with  the 
United  Brethren  church,  in  which  he  is  one  of  the  trustees.  He  takes 
a  most  active  and  helpful  interest  in  its  work  and  is  an  advocate  of  all 
that  is  right  and  just  in  man's  relations  with  his  fellowmen.  In  his 
own  business  career  he  has  never  taken  advantage  of  the  necessities  of 
others  in  any  transaction,  and  on  the  contrary  has  placed  his  dependence 
upon  the  safe  and  sure  qualities  of  enterprise  and  unfaltering  labor. 
Whatever  prosperity  he  has  enjoyed  is  due  to  his  own  persistent  purpose 
and  the  course  in  life  that  he  has  pursued  has  gained  for  him  the  uniform 
respect  and  good  will  of  his  fellowmen. 

WILLIAM  ARNOLD. 

William  Arnold,  a  prominent  old  settler  of  the  county,  whose  home 
is  on  section  12,  Mason  township,  is  classed  wnth  the  worthy  citizens 
that  Ohio  has  furnished  to  Michigan.  He  was  born  in  Cuyahoga  county, 
August  30,  1832,  and  is  descended  from  an  old  New  England  family. 
His  father,  Henry  Arnold,  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  born  July 
25,  1807,  and  his  youth  was  passed  in  his  native  state,  where  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Maria  Hewitt,  who  was  also  born  in  Massachusetts.  Re- 
moving to  the  west  they  took  up  their  abode  in  Cuyahoga  county,  Ohio, 
in  1828,  which  v^as  the  year  of  their  marriage.  There  they  resided  for 
about  eight  years,  when,  in  1835,  they  came  with  their  family  to  Cass 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  615 

county,  Michigan,  and  Mr.  Arnold  entered  a  tract  of  land  from  the 
government  in  what  is  now  Mason  township.  Not  a  furrow  had  been 
turned  nor  an  improvement  made  upon  the  place.  In  fact  he  had  to  cut 
his  way  through  the  woods  to  his  claim,  for  no  roads  had  been  laid  out. 
There  were  some  old  Indian  trails  through  the  forests,  but  the  trees 
stood  in  their  primeval  strength  and  there  was  little  evidence  of  future 
development  or  improvement  to  be  seen.  Mr.  Arnold  built  a  little  log 
cabin  with  a  stick  chimney.  There  was  a  large  ifireplace  which  occupied 
almost  one  entire  side  of  the  room,  and  this  not  only  furnished  heat  for 
the  little  cabin,  but  cooking  was  also  done  over  the  fire,  the  pots  and 
kettles  hanging  from  the  crane,  while  baking  was  done  by  placing  the 
iron  pans  amid  the  coals.  The  Arnold  family  is  one  of  the  oldest  pioneer 
families  of  the  county.  Few  indeed  were  the  settlers  living  within  its 
borders  at  the  time  they  arrived,  and  there  were  many  difficulties  to  be 
met,  owing  to  their  remoteness  from  towns  or  villages,  which  would 
afford  them  the  comforts  and  conveniences  of  life.  The  journey  west- 
ward had  been  made  with  teams,  for  it  was  long^  prior  to  the  era  of 
railroad  building  in  this  part  of  the  state.  Mrs.  Arnold  was  not  long 
permitted  to  enjoy  her  new  home,  but  during  the  period  of  her  resi- 
dence here  proved  a  worthy  pioneer  woman,  ably  assisting  her  husband 
in  his  efforts  to  establish  a  home  in  the  midst  of  the  wilderness.  She 
died  in  1844,  and  was  long  survived  by  Mr.  Arnold,  who  lived  to  the 
advanced  age  of  eighty-two  years.  By  that  marriage  there  were  born 
five  children,  three  of  whom  are  natives  of  Ohio.  For  his  second  wife 
the  father  chose  Lovica  Dille,  and  they  had  six  children.  His  third 
wife  was  Mrs.  Jerusha  Lake. 

William  Arnold,  whose  name  introduces  this  record,  was  the  second 
child  of  his  father's  first  marriage,  and  was  only  three  years  old  when  he 
was  brought  to  Cass  county,  the  family  locating  in  Mason  township. 
He  was  reared  in  this  township,  where  he  has  now  lived  for  seventy-one 
years.  When  a  boy  he  attended  the  district  school,  walking  two  miles 
to  a  little  log  school  house,  wherein  he  conned  his  lessons,  sitting  on 
a  slab  bench.  There  was  a  large  fireplace  in  one  end  of  the  room,  and 
the  few  pupils  were  arranged  around  the  teacher's  desk  to  receive  the 
instruction  in  reading,  writing,  arithmetic  and  perhaps  a  few  other 
branches  of  learning,  but  the  curriculum  was  quite  limited  at  that  day. 
Mr.  Arnold's  training  at  farm  labor,  however,  was  not  limited,  as 
from  an  eariy  age  he  was  set  to  the  tasks  incident  to  the  development  and 
cultivation  of  the  farm,  and  he  remained  at  home  until  he  had  attained 
his  majority.  On  the  day  that  he  became  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he 
started  out  in- life  on  his  own  account,  and  whatever  success  has  come 
to  him  in  later  years,  is  owing  entirely  to  his  persistent  effort  and  honor- 
able labors.  He  first  secured  a  situation  as  a  farm  hand  at  ten  dollars 
per  month  for  five  months,  and  he  worked  in  that  way  until  he  was  able 
to  carry  on  farming  on  his  own  account.  -t  o  f 

An  important  day  in  his  life  record  was  that  of  April  5,  1857,  at 


^1^  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

which  time  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Ada  Hatch,  a  daughter  of 
Ezra  and  Sarah  (Allen)  Hatch,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  the  state 
of  New  York,  and  in  their  family  were  six  children,  Mrs.  Arnold  being 
the  second.  Her  birth  occurred  in  Mason  township  in  1837,  and  the 
family  did  much  for  the  development  and  improvement  of  the  county. 

At  the  time  of  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arnold  located  upon 
the  farm  where  they  now  reside,  living  at  first  in  a  little  log  cabin  with 
Its  fireplace   and  primitive  furnishings,   and  over  that  open  fire   Mrs. 
Arnold  did  her  cooking.    They  started  with  very  little,  and  made  all  that 
they  possessed  by  hard  work  and  strict  attention  to  business.     The  im- 
provements upon  the  farm  are  the  visible  evidence  of  the  life  of  thrift 
and  mdustry  which  Mr.  Arnold  has  led,  all  having  been  made  by  him. 
As  the  years  have  passed  he  has  prospered  and  has  erected  here  a  com- 
fortable house,   good  barns  and   other  outbuildings  for  the  shelter  of 
grain  and  stock.     He  has  secured  the  latest  improved  machinery  to  facil- 
itate the  work  of  the  fields,  and  everything  about  his  farm  is  neat  and  at- 
tractive in  appearance.      He  began  with  only  fifty  acres  and  had  to 
incur  an  indebtedness  to  secure  that  amount,  but  he  soon  discharged 
his  financial  obHgation,  and  in  the  course  of  years  has  added  to  his 
property  from  time  to  time  until  his  farm  now  comprises  three  hundred 
acres  of  excellent  land,  and  he  gathers  from  the  fields  rich  crops  an- 
nually.     The   home   has   been   blessed   with   two   children:     Rudl    C, 
who  is  a  speculator;  and  Aileen,  who  is  at  home.     Mr.  Arnold  is  the 
oldest  continuous  resident  of  Mason  township,  having  lived  here  for 
more  than  the  psalmist's  allotted  span  of  three  score  years  and  ten. 
He  has  been  identified  with  the  growth  and  development  of  the  county 
and  is  familiar  with  its  history  from  pioneer  times  down  to  the  present. 
He  has  watched  each  progressive  movement  that  has  had  bearing  upon 
the  welfare  and  progress  of  this  portion  of  the  state,  and  has  done  his 
full  share  in  the  line  of  agricultural  development.     His  political  alle- 
giance has  been  given  to  the  Democracy.     His  life  has  indeed  been  a 
useful  one,  and  he  has  closely  adhered  to  the  golden  rule  as  his  life 
motto,  doing  unto  others  as  he  would  have  them  do  unto  him,  and  thus 
living  at  peace  with  all  men,  being  honest  in  his  business  dealings  and 
considerate  of  those  with  whom  he  has  come  in  contact.     Such  a  course 
in  life  is  well  worthy  of  emulation,  and  his  example  might  be  profitably 
followed,  for  his  life  history  proves  the  value  of  character  and  at  the 
same  time  shows  what  may  be  acomplished  through  earnest  labor,  for 
Mr.  Arnold  started  out  in  life  empty-handed  and  has  worked  his  way 
upward  from  a  humble  financial  position  to  one  of  affluence,  with  the 
aid  of  his  estimable  wife,  who  has  aided  him  in  counsel  and  advice  in 
,the  rearing  of  their  children  and  the  founding  of  their  happy  home. 
For  almost  a  half  century  have  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arnold  traveled  life's 
journey,  sharing  alike  the  joys  and  sorrows  of  this  life,  and  now  in 
the  golden  eve  of  their  lives  they  enjoy  that  peace  and  contentment 
which  Comes  of  a  w^ell  spent  life. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  617 

MARION  McNEIL. 

Marion  McNeil,  who  is  now  serving  as  township  treasurer  and 
resides  on  section  14,  Mason  township,  where  he  carries  on  general  agri- 
cultural pursuits,  was  born  on  this  farm,  his  natal  day  being  May  i, 
1862.  His  father,  H.  C.  McNeil,  was  a  native  of  Cayuga  county,  New 
York,  born  August  i,  1822,  and  was  a  son  of  James  McNeil,  who  was 
born  in  the  same  county.  H.  C.  McNeil  was  brought  to  Michigan  by 
his  parents  when  but  twelve  years  of  age,  the  family  home  being  estab- 
lished in  Cass  county,  upon  the  place  where  our  subject  now  resides. 
This  was  in  the  year  1835,  and  the  property  has  since  been  in  possession 
of  the  family.  The  grandfather  took  up  the  land  from  the  government, 
thus  coming  into  possession  of  a  claim  which  was  entirely  wild  and 
uncultivated.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McNeil  have  in  their  possession  one  of  the 
old  parchment  deeds,  which  dates  September  10,  1838,  and  it  is  signed 
by  President  Martin  Van  Buren— the  third  deed  of  its  kind  found  so 
far  in  the  county.  In  the  way  of  old  relics  they  have  an  old  bull's  eye 
watch,  which  is  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  old.  It  passed  down  from 
Mr.  McNeil's  great-grandfather,  and  it  was  given  him  by  a  soldier  in 
the  Irish  rebellion  of  Ireland,  about  the  seventeenth  century.  Mr. 
McNeil  at  once  began  the  development  and  improvement  of  the  farm, 
but  was  not  long  permitted  to  enjoy  his  new  home,  for  his  death  oc- 
curred a  few  years  later,  as  he  [>assed  away  in  1841. 

H.  C.  McNeil  was  reared  upon  the  home  farm  from  the  age  of 
twelve  years  and  shared  with  the  family  in  the  usual  experiences  and 
hardships  of  life  on  the  frontier.  He  early  became  fanliliar  with  the 
arduous  task  of  developing  a  new  farm,  and  for  many  years  was  closely 
associated  with  gieneral  agricultural  pursuits.  On  the  ist  of  January, 
1849,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Martha  A.  Ives,  who  Was  borrt 
in  Lewis  county.  New  York,  June  14,  18^9,  and  was  a  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Roxann  (Hubbard)  Ives^  who  were  born  in  New  York 
state.  They  removed  to  Calhoun  county,  Michigan,  in  1835,  and  thus 
in  both  the  paternal  and  maternal  lines  Mr.  McNeil  of  this  review  is 
descended  from  an  honored  pioneer  ancestry,  his  mother  having  been 
but  fourteen  years  of  age  when  she  came  with  her  parents  to  Cass 
county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  C.  McNeil  located  on  the  old  family  home- 
stead at  the  time  of  their  marriage,  purchasing  the  interests  of  the  other 
heirs  in  the  property.  By  trade  he  was  a  carpenter  and  joiner,  and  fol- 
lowed that  business  in  connection  with  farming,  erecting  many  buildings 
in  his  township.  He  was  well  known  in  the  county  by  reason  of  his 
activity  in  business  life,  his  capable  service  in  public  office  and  his  de- 
votion to  high  and  honorable  principles  in  his  social  and  home  relations. 
His  political  allegiance  was  given  to  the  Democracy,  and  he  held  many 
local  offices,  the  duties  of  which  he  discharged  with  absolute  loyalty  and 
fidelity.  He  was  township  clerk  for  fifteen  years  and  treasurer  for 
two  years,  while  for  a  long  period  he  acted  as  justice  of  the  peace,  ren- 


618  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

dering  decisions  which  were  strictly  fair  and  unbiased  and  which  "won 
him  golden  opinions  from  all  sorts  of  people."  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity  and  in  his  Hfe  exemplified  the  beneficent  and 
helpful  spirit  of  the  craft.  He  died  October  4,  1897,  and  thus  the 
community  lost  one  of  its  honored  and  representative  pioneer  settlers 
who  for  almost  two-thirds  of  a  century  had  lived  in  the  county.  There 
were  seven  children  in  the  family :  Harriet  Emma,  Mary  Adelaide, 
Carrie  Ellen,  Lenora,  Annetta,  Marion  and  Sherman,  all  of  whom  are 
now  living,  and  were  bom  upon  the  farm  which  is  now  the  home  of  our 
subject. 

Marion  McNeil  is  the  eldest  son  and  sixth  child  in  his  father's 
family,  and  was  reared  upon  the  old  family  homestead  to  farm  work, 
devoting  his  time  and  energies  to  the  labors  of  field  and  meadow  through 
the  summer  months.  He  was  educated  in  district  school  No.  5,  in 
Mason  township,  and  has  alwa3^s  continued  to  reside  upon  the  farm 
which  his  grandfather  entered  from  the  government  with  the  exception 
of  a  brief  period  of  one  year  spent  in  the  northern  peninsula  of  Michi- 
gan. He  was  married  on  the  i6th  of  March,  1892,  to  Miss  Mabel 
Bement,  a  daughter  of  George  and  Mary  (Walker)  Bement,  and  a 
native  of  Ontwa  township^  Cass  county. 

Mr.  McNeil  is  a  Democrat,  with  firm  faith  in  the  principles  of  the 
party,  and  has  taken  an  active  and  helpful  interest  in  its  work.  In 
1899  ^^  was  elected  township  treasurer  and  was  re-elected  in  1904, 
since  which  time  he  has  filled  the  office.  He  is  well  known  in  the 
county  where  he  has  always  resided,  representing  a  pioneer  family,  the 
name  of  McNeil  being  inseparably  associated  with  the  history  of  devel- 
opment and  progress  since  1835.  'The  work  which  was  instituted  by 
his  grandfather  and  carried  on  by  his  father,  has  been  continued  by 
him,  and  he  is  now  a  leading  agriculturist  of  his  community  with  a  val- 
uable farming  property  which  he  keeps  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation 
and  well  improved  with  modern  equipments. 

SIDNEY  J.  GRAHAM. 

Sidney  J.  Graham,  a  prominent  farmer  living  on  section  2,  Mason 
township,  w^as  born  in  Medina  county,  Ohio,  March  18,  1842.  His 
father,  Lyman  Graham,  was  a  native  of  Vermont,  and  after  leaving 
New  England  took  up  his  abode  in  the  middle  west.  He  settled  in 
Cass  county,  Michigan,  in  183  c;,  and  as  much  of  the  land  was  still  in 
possession  of  the  goveniment,  he  entered  a  claim  and  began  the  devel- 
opment of  the  farm  upon  which  his  son  Sidney  now  resides.  It  was 
in  the  year  1845  *hat  he  removed  his  family  to  this  place.  His  atten- 
tion was  given  to  its  cultivation  and  development,  and  as  the  years 
passed,  he  transformed  tlie  land  into  rich  and  productive  fields.  He 
was  of  Scotch  descent  and  displayed  in  his  life  and  character  many  of 
the  sterling  traits  of  the  Scotch  people.     His  political  allegiance  was 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  619 

given  to  the  Democracy,  and  he  died  in  Union,  Michigan,  at  the  age 
of  sixty-seven  years.  In  early  manhood  he  had  married  Miss  Sarah 
Knapp,  a  native  of  Ohio. 

Sidney  J.  Graham  is  the  only  child  of  their  marriage,  and  was 
three  years  of  age  when  his  parents  took  up  their  abode  in  Mason  town- 
ship, Cass  county,  so  that  he  was  reared  upon  the  farm  where  he  now 
lives,  early  becoming  familiar  with  the  practical  methods  of  tilling  the 
soil  and  caring  for  the  crops.  He  was  only  nineteen  years  of  age  when 
in  response  to  the  country's  call  his  patriotic  spirit  was  aroused,  and 
he  ofifered  his  aid  to  the  government,  becoming  a  member  of  Company 
H,  Twenty-first  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  joined  the  service  as  a 
private  for  three  months,  and  on  the  expiration  of  that  period,  it  being 
seen  that  the  war  was  to  be  a  prolonged  and  bitter  contest,  he  re-enlisted 
on  the  1 2th  of  August,  1861,  for  three  years'  service,  or  during  the 
continuance  of  hostilities.  At  this  time  he  became  a  member  of  Com- 
pany E,  Forty-ninth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  as  a  private 
until  the  close  of  hostilities.  He  once  more  enlisted  in  1864  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  same  company  and  regiment,  and  continued  with  the  army 
until  the  9th  of  June,  1864,  when  he  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of 
Buzzard's  Roost  by  a  gun  shot  in  the  left  arm.  On  the  20th  of  June, 
because  of  his  injuries,  he  received  an  honorable  discharge  after  a 
faithful  and  valorous  service  of  over  four  years.  His  military  record  is 
one  of  which  he  has  every  reason  to  be  proud,  and  he  is  numbered 
among  the  brave  boys  in  blue  to  whom  the  country  owes  a  debt  of 
gratitude  that  can  never  be  repaid  for  what  they  did  in  support  of  the 
Union  cause.  He  was  with  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  and  partici- 
pated in  all  of  the  battles  of  that  military  organization  until  he  was  in- 
jured. ^         _  ^   . 

In  the  spring  of  1866,  Mr.  Graham  located  on  his  present  farm, 
which  is  the  old  family  homestead  that  was  taken  up  as  a  claim  by  his 
father  He  made  further  arrangements  for  having  a  home  of  his  own 
by  his  marriage  on  the  first  of  June,  1866,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Bagley, 
a  daughter  of  Knapp  Bagley.  She  was  bom  in  Ohio  and  has  been  to 
him  a  faithful  companion  and  helpmate  on  life's  journey.  They  have 
become  the  parents  of  two  daughters:  Lulu,  the  wife  of  George  Rus- 
sell, who  is  living  in  Mason  township;  and  Myrtie,  who  married  Albert 
Keeley,  their  home  being  in  Calvin  township,  Cass  county. 

Mr  Graham  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  acres  of  well  im- 
proved land  and  now  rents  his  place,  thus  leaving  the  active  and  arduous 
work  of  the  farm  to  others,  while  he  is  enjoving  a  well-earned  rest. 
He  is  a  member  of  Carter  Post,  No.  96,  G.  A.  R.,  at  Union,  and  is  also 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  lodge  at  Edwardsburg.  His  political  alle- 
giance has  alwavs  been  ^iven  to  the  Republican  party,  and  he  has  taken 
an  active  and  helpful  interest  in  its  work,  doing  all  in  his  power  to 
secure  its  success.  With  the  exception  of  a  period  of  about  four  years 
spent  in  Ohio,  he  has  resided  continuously  in  Cass  county  for  six  dec- 


620  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

ades,  and  at  all  times  has  been  loyal  in  his  citizenship,  displaying  the 
same  devotion  to  the  public  welfare  that  he  manifested  when  at  the  out- 
break of  the  Civil  war  he  donned  the  blue  uniform  of  the  nation  and 
entered  his  country's  service.  His  farming  interests  have  been  carefully 
conducted  and  his  labors  have  resulted  in  bringing  to  him  a  goodly  meas- 
ure of  success. 

GABRIEL  EBY. 

No  history  of  Cass  county  would  be  complete  without  mention 
of  Gabriel  Eby,  who  is  the  oldest  living  resident  of  Porter  township, 
having  passed  the  eighty-eighth  milestone  on  life's  journey.  His  resi- 
dence is  on  section  6,  South  Porter  township,  and  from  pioneer  times 
he  has  remained  upon  this  farm,  an  interested  witness  of  the  changes 
that  have  occurred  and  the  transformation  that  has  been  wrought  as  the 
county  has  been  developed  from  a  wild  and  unimproved  region  into  one 
of  rich  fertility,  becoming  a  center  of  agricultural  development  in  Mich- 
igan. Mr.  Eby  was  born  in  Stark  county,  Ohio,  five  miles  east  of  Can- 
ton, on  the  27th  of  July,  1818.  His  paternal  grandfather,  David  Eby^ 
was  born  on  the  ocean  while  his  parents  were  en  route  frorn  Germany 
to  America  and  the  family  home  was  established  in  Virginia  in  early 
colonial  days.  His  father,  the  Rev.  John  Eby,  was  a  native  of  Virginia 
and  was  a  minister  of  the  United  Brethren  church,  who  devoted  his  en- 
tire life  to  the  cause  of  preaching  the  gospel.  He  exerted  a  wide  and 
beneficial  influence  in  behalf  of  moral  development  and  Avherever  he  went 
labored  earnestly  for  the  welfare  of  the  people  among  whom  he  located. 
He  became  a  pioneer  settler  of  Stark  county,  Ohio,  and  there  he  died 
in  the  sixty-second  year  of  his  age,  leaving  behind  an  honored  name  and 
a  memory  that  has  been  cherished  by  all  who  knew  him.  His  wife  bore 
the  maiden  name  of  Mary  M.  Dague  and  was  of  Pennsylvania  Dutch 
descent.  She  died  at  a  comparatively  early  age,  being  but  forty  years 
old  when  called  to  her  final  rest.  Rev.  Eby  afterward  married  again, 
his  second  union  being  with  Miss  Maty  Hamger,  and  by  the  two  mar^ 
riages  he  became  the  father  of  seventeen  children,  all  of  whom  reached 
adult  life.  By  the  first  marriage  there  were  nine  children,  eight  sons  and 
a  daughter,  while  of  the  second  unioti  four  sons  and  four  daughters 
were  born. 

Gabriel  Eby  was  the  seventh  child  and  sixth  son  of  the  first  mar^ 
riage,  and  was  reared  in  Stark  county,  Ohio,  amid  the  wild  scenes  and 
environments  of  pioneer  life.  The  work  of  improvement  and  cultiva- 
tion had  scarcely  been  begun  in  that  section  of  the  state  in  his  early 
youth.  Only  here  and  there  was  a  little  cabin  to  show  that  some  ad- 
venturous settlet*  was  endeavoring"  to  folmd  a  home  in  the  wilderness. 
He  was  sixteen  years  of  age  When  the  first  schoolhouse  was  built  in  his 
district  and  in  tolt^eqttence  his  educational  privileges  were  limited,  but 
through  experience  and  observation  he  has  gained  ^  good  practical  bus- 
iness knowledge.    He  was  nineteen  years  of  age  wh^n  he  left  Ohio  and 


AND  LITTLE  GRANDSON. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  621 

made  his  way  to  Elkhart  county,  Indiana,  but  later  he  returned  to  the 
county  of  his  nativity  and  was  there  married  in  1846  to  Miss  Caroline 
Wagner  With  his  bride  he  returned  to  Elkhart  county,  where  he  re- 
sided for  a  brief  period,  when,  in  1848,  they  removed  to  Cass  county, 
Michigan,  settling  in  Porter  township.  They  took  up  their  abode  upon 
the  farm  where  Mr.  Ebv  yet  resides  and  their  first  home  was  a  little 
loo-  cabin  sixteen  by  eighteen  feet,  in  which  they  lived  for  fifteen  years. 
He  had  up  to  this  time  always  lived  on  the  frontier,  first  m  Ohio,  later 
in  Indiana  and  now  in  Michigan,  and  the  hardships  and  privations  in- 
cident to  settlement  in  a  pioneer  country  were  familiar  to  him  and  were 
courageously  borne  in  his  attempt  to  establish  a  good  home  for  his  fam- 
ily He  lived  in  his  first  house  for  fifteen  years,  during  which  period 
it  was  roofed  three  different  times.  Later  he  built  a  brick  house,  manu- 
facturing the  brick  on  his  own  farm.  His  life  has  been  one  of  earnest 
and  unremitting  toil,  and  it  has  only  been  in  recent  years  that  he  has 
left  the  work  of  the  farm  to  others.  He  secured  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  on  coming  to  the  county  and  resolutely  began  the  task  of 
clearing  and  cultivating  this,  placing  it  in  the  course  of  time  under  a 
high  state  of  cultivation.  He  still  owns  eighty  acres  of  the  original 
tract,  having  sold  the  remaining  eighty  acres  to  his  son. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eby  were  born  eight  sons  and  one  daughter, 
and  the  family  circle  remained  unbroken  until  after  all  had  attained  years 
of  maturity.  'The  record  is  as  follows:  Catherine,  the  widow  of  John 
B.  Harmon  and  a  resident  of  Cassopolis;  Peter,  who  is  mentioned  on 
another  page  of  this  work;  Christian,  who  is  living  in  Antrim  county, 
Michigan ;  William,  who  is  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  in  Union, 
Cass  county ;  Samuel,  a  resident  of  Jones ;  Daniel  a  teacher  and  farmer 
living  in  Porter  township;  Gabriel,  who  is  devoting  his  attention  to 
fruit-raising  in  the  same  township;  Ulysses  S.,  who  is  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  law  in  Cassopolis;  and  David,  who  is  devoting  his  time  and 
energies  to  the  profession  of  teaching.  In  1891  the  family  were  called 
upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  the  wife  and  mother,  who  died  on  the  7th  of 
November  of  that  year.  In  1893  Mr.  Eby  was  again  married,  his  sec- 
ond union  being  with  Melissa  Morse,  who  was  born  in  Newark,  Wayne 
county,  New  York,  in  the  year  1844,  and  was  brought  to  Michigan  in 
1853  by  her  father,  E.  Z.  Morse. 

Mr.  Eby  cast  his  first  presidential  ballot  for  William  Henry  Harri- 
son in  1840,  and  continued  to  support  the  Whig  party  until  its  disso- 
lution, when  he  joined  the  ranks  of  the  new  Republican  party,  voting 
for  Lincoln  in  i860  and  again  in  1864.  Since  that  time  he  has  not 
voted  a  straight  ticket,  but  has  voted  for  the  men  whom  he  has  thought 
to  be  best  qualified  for  office,  being  fearless  in  support  of  his  honest 
convictions.  For  about  forty  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Free- 
will Baptist  church  and  has  always  taken  an  interest  in  the  material 
progress,    educational    development,    moral    advancement    and   political 


622  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

standing  of  his  community.  In  fact  he  gives  his  approval  and  in  many 
cases  his  co-operation  to  the  various  movements  v^hich  have  been  of  di- 
rect and  serviceable  benefit  to  the  county,  where  for  fifty-eight  years  he 
has  lived,  watching  its  development  from  a  pioneer  district  to  its  pres- 
ent advanced  state  of  progress  and  prosperity.  He  is  now  the  oldest 
living  settler  in  Porter  township  and  is  remarkably  well  preserved  for 
one  of  his  years.  He  has  led  a  busy,  useful  and  active  life,  living  at 
peace  with  his  fellowmen,  faithfully  performing  the  duties  that  have 
devolved  upon  him,  and  now  in  the  evening  of  his  days  he  can  look  back 
over  the  past  without  regret.  He  has  won  the  regard  and  friendship 
of  all  who  know  him  and  is  indeed  worthy  of  representation  in  the  his- 
tory of  this  county. 

E.  A.  PLANCK,  M.  D. 

He  whose  name  introduces  this  review  has  gained  recognition  as  one 
of  the  able  and  succesful  physicians  of  Cass  county,  and  by  his  labors, 
his  high  professional  attainments  and  his  sterling  characteristics  has 
deserved  the  respect  and  confidence  in  which  he  is  held  by  the  medical 
fraternity  and  the  local  public.  He  resides  in  Union,  where  he  is  prac- 
ticing his  profession,  and  he  is  also  serving  as  county  coroner. 

Dr.  Planck  is  a  native  of  Indiana,  his  birth  having  occurred  in 
LaGrange  county  on  the  27th  of  September,  1869.  His  father,  C.  K. 
Planck,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  a  miller  by  trade.  He  fol- 
lowed that  pursuit  in  Indiana  for  a  number  of  years,  and  in  1877  crossed 
the  border  into  Michigan,  settling  in  Porter  township,  Cass  county, 
where  he  is  still  living,  devoting  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits. 
He  married  Miss  Emma  Duesler,  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in  Sandusky 
county.  She,  too,  is  yet  living.  In  their  family  were  six  children,  three 
sons  and  three  daughters,  and  Dr.  Planck,  who  is  the  eldest  of  the  num- 
ber, was  a  youth  of  thirteen  years  when  the  family  came  to  Michigan. 
He  attended  school  in  Union,  living  during  that  time  with  Dr.  Bulhand, 
and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years  he  began  teaching,  which  profession  he 
followed  successfully  and  capably  for  seven  years'  in  the  district  schools 
of  the  county.  He  afterward  continued  his  studies  in  the  Northern 
Indiana  Normal  College  at  Valparaiso,  and  in  the  University  of  Illinois, 
and  thus  gained  broad,  general  information,  which  served  as  an  excel- 
lent basis  for  his  professional  knowledge.  Determining  upon  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine  as  a  life  work  he  matriculated  in  the  College  of  Physi- 
cians and  Surgeons  at  Chicago,  and  completed  the  regular  course,  being 
graduated  there  in  the  class  of  1894.  Immediately  afterward  he  located 
in  Union,  where  he  has  since  been  successfully  engaged  in  practice, 
and  that  he  is  capable  and  skillful  is  indicated  by  the  liberal  patronage 
extended  to  him. 

Dr.  Planck  was  united  in  marriage  in  18^2  to  Miss  Grace  E.  Hart- 
man,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Eliza  (Rinehart)  Hartman.  Three 
children  have  graced  this  marriage,  Joseph  W.,  George  E.  and  Lena, 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  623 

but  the  latter  died  at  the  age  of  fifteen  months.  Dr.  Planck  votes  with 
the  Republican  party  and  is  serving  for  the  third  term  as  county  coroner, 
having  been  elected  in  1898,  again  in  1902  and  a  third  time  in  1904. 
He  has  held  various  local  offices  in  his  township  and  his  duties  have 
been  promptly  and  faithfully  performed.  He  belongs  to  the  Knights  of 
the  Maccabees  and  to  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  in  his  life  work  finds 
ample  opportunity  to  exemplify  the  spirit  of  beneficence  and  helpfulness, 
which  is  the  basic  element  in  the  craft.  In  addition  to  a  large  private 
practice  he  is  examining  physician  for  many  insurance  companies  and 
he  belongs  to  Cass  County  Medical  Society,  the  Michigan  State  Med- 
ical Society,  the  Mississippi  Valley  Medical  Association  and  the  Amer- 
ican Medical  Association.  He  thus  keeps  in  touch  with  the  advance 
thought  of  the  profession,  and  by  reading  and  research  is  continually 
broadening  his  knowledge  and  promoting  his  efficiency.  He  is  widely 
recognized  as  an  able  physician,  not  only  by  the  general  public,  but  also 
by  the  medical  fraternity. 

CHARLES  OUDERKIRK. 

Charles  Ouderkirk,  a  representative  agriculturist,  thoroughly 
familiar  by  reason'  of  practical  experience  with  the  best  methods  of 
carrying  on  farm  work,  resides  on  section  4,  Mason  township,  where  he 
now  owns  and  operates  ninety-six  and  a  half  acres  of  land.  He  was 
bom  in  the  neighboring  state  of  Indiana,  his  birth  having  occurred  on 
the  banks  of  the  St.  Joseph  river  on  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Elk- 
hart, in  Elkhart  county,  October  8,  1843.  His  grandfather,  Adam 
Ouderkirk,  was  bom  in  Scotland,  where  he  spent  his  boyhood  and  youth, 
and  in  early  manhood,  seeking  better  business  opportunities  and  advan- 
tages, he  crossed  the  Atlantic,  locating  in  Ncav  York  city.  His  father, 
John  Ouderkirk,  is  a  native  of  Onondaga  county.  New  York,  where  he 
was  reared  and  educated.  Removing  westward,  he  settled  in  Elkhart 
county,  Indiana,  in  1841,  upon  a  tract  of  land  upon  which  the  city  has 
since  been  partially  built.  He  first  rented  land  and  afterward  removed 
to  a  farm  three  miles  northeast  of  Elkhart,  where  he  continued  to  make 
his  home  and  carry  on  general  agricultural  pursuits  up  to  the  time  of 
his  death,  which  occurred  when  he  was  in  his  seventv-ninth  year.  His 
life  was  a  busy  and  useful  one,  and  his  unfaltering  diligence  constituted 
the  key  which  unlocked  for  him  the  portals  of  success.  In  his  political 
allegiance  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  served  as  township  trustee.  John 
Ouderkirk  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  Wilkes,  a  native  of 
New  York,  whose  father  was  a  native  of  England.  Mrs.  Ouderkirk 
also  lived  to  a  very  advanced  age,  passing  away  in  her  eightieth  year. 
She  shared  with  her  husband  in  the  hardships  and  privations  of  pioneer 
life,  and  was  a  worthy  assistant  and  helpmate  to  him  on  life's  journey. 
In  their  family  were  five  children,  three  daughters  and  two  sons,  all  of 
whom  reached  mature  years,  the  family  record  being  as  follows :    Elma 


63*  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Jane  atid  Andrew  H.,  both  now  deceased ;  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  J.  M. 
McDonald,  of  South  Bend;  Charles,  of  this  review;  and  Amelia,  who  is 
the  wife  of  Orlando  Babcock,  of  Waverly,  Iowa. 

Charles  Ouderkirk  was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth  in  this  family 
and  was  reared  in  the  county  of  his  nativity,  acquiring  a  common  school 
education,  after  which  he  assisted  in  the  work  of  the  home  farm  until 
he  had  passed  his  twenty-first  birthday.  In  1865  he  enlisted  in  response 
to  his  country's  call  for  troops,  and  served  with  the  Union  army  as  a 
member  of  Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-second  Indiana  Vol- 
miteer  Infantry,  until  the  close  of  the  war,  acting  as  duty  sergeant. 
When  hostilities  had  ceased  he  returned  to  Elkhart  and  was  engaged 
in  farming  on  the  old  homestead. 

On  the  22d  of  January,  1872,  Mr.  Ouderkirk  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Louisa  Dickerhoof,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Abigail 
(Gearhart)  Dickerhoof,  the  former  a  native  of  Ohio  and  the  latter  of 
Pennsylvania.  She  had  a  twin  sister,  Lovina,  and  they  were  born  in 
Portage  county,  Ohio,  August  2,  1847,  being  only  two  years  old  when 
taken  by  their  parents  to  Indiana,  their  girlhood  days  being  passed  near 
Elkhart. 

In  the  year  1892  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ouderkirk  removed  to  Mason 
township,  Cass  county,  locating  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides. 
He  is  a  general  farmer  and  stock  man,  who  has  placed  his  fields  under 
a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  raises  good  grades  of  stock  which  find 
a  ready  sale  on  the  market.  There  has  been  nothing  especially  exciting 
in  his  life  history,  which  has  been  characterized,  however,  by  faithfulness 
to  duty  in  all  life's  relations.  Unto  him  and  his  wife  have  been  born 
three  children,  but  all  have  passed  away.  He  votes  with  the  Democracy, 
and  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  review.  He  is  a  member  of 
Elmer  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  at  Elkhart,  Indiana,  and  in  fraternal  and  social 
circles  is  esteemed  for  his  genuine  worth.  His  attention  is  given  to  his 
farm,  which,  comprising  ninety-six  and  a  half  acres  of  land,  has  been 
placed  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  is  now  an  excellent  tract,, 
returning  golden  harvests  for  the  care  and  labor  bestowed  upon  it. 

G.   H.  DENIKE,  M.   D. 

Dr.  G.  H.  Denike,  who  is  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  and 
surgery  in  Union,  was  born  in  Ottawa,  Canada,  on  the  15th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1864,  and  is  a  son  of  Andrew  J.  and  Delilah  (Snider)  Denike, 
who  were  also  natives  of  Canada.  The  paternal  grandfather  was  a  phy- 
sician in  England,  and  on  coming  to  the  new  world  settled  in  Canada 
at  an  early  day,  there  practicing  his  profession  up  to  the  time  of  his^ 
death,  which  occurred  when  he  was  in  his  sixty-seventh  year.  The 
mother  of  our  subject  was  of  Irish  lineage,  and  her  father  came  to 
Canada  from  Ireland  also  at  an  early  period  in  the  development  of  the- 
northern  country. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  625 

Dr.  Denike  was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth  in  a  family  of  three 
sons  and  three  daughters.  He  was  reared  and  educated,  in  his  native 
country,  attending  the  common  and  high  schools  and  also  Alexander 
University,  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  on  completing  a 
classical  course.  Determining  upon  the  practice  of  medicine  as  a  life 
work  he  took  up  study  in  Queen's  Medical  College  at  Kingston,  On- 
tario, with  broad  general  learning  to  serve  as  a  foundation  upon  which 
to  rear  the  superstructure  of  his  knowledge.  He  completed  his  col- 
legiate course  by  graduation  in  the  class  of  1882,  and  immediately  after- 
ward located  for  practice  at  Campbellsford,  Ontario.  He  was  afterward 
upon  the  road  for  about  four  years  as  examiner  for  insurance  companies, 
when,  in  1898,  he  came  to  Union,  where  he  has  since  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  medicine  and  surgery.  In  order  to  still  further  perfect  him- 
self in  his  chosen  calling  he  pursued  a  course  in  1904-05  in  Hahnemann 
Medical  College  and  Hospital  of  Chicago.  Afterward  he  resumed  his 
professional  labors  in  Union.  He  is  well  versed  in  the  principles  of 
practical  science,  and  that  he  possesses  skill  and  ability  is  indicated  by 
the  excellent  results  which  have  followed  his  efforts. 

Dr.  Denike  was  married  in  1888  to  Miss  Ida  A.  Wilson,  a  daughter 
of  George  Wilson,  of  Sterling,  Ontario,  in  which  place  she  was  bom 
and  reared.  This  union  has  been  graced  with  three  daughters.  Pearl, 
Nellie  May  and  Ollie.  The  family  occupies  an  enviable  position  in 
social  circles,  the  hospitality  of  the  best  homes  of  Union  and  the  sur- 
rounding district  being  freely  accorded  them.  Dr.  Denike  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Elkhart  Medical  Association,  of  Elkhart,  Indiana.  He  is  well 
known  as  a  physician  and  citizen,  and  is  prominent  and  popular,  both 
socially  and  professionally.  He  has  given  undivided  attention  to  his 
professional  duties  since  entering  upon  the  active  practice  of  medicine, 
and  a  liberal  patronage  is  now  accorded  him. 

CHARLES  A.  RITTER. 

Charles  A.  Ritter,  cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  CassopoHs, 
was  born  in  CassopoHs,  September  19,  1858.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
John  Ritter,  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  came  to  Michigan  in  1828, 
first  locating  in  Berrien  county,  but  the  following  year  he  removed  to 
Cass  county,  and  located  on  the  prairie  in  LaGrange  township.  He 
had  but  recently  completed  his  cabin  when  one  morning,  while  standing 
in  the  door,  he  was  struck  by  lightning,  his, death  occurring  in  the  year 
of  his  arrival  in  this  county.  He  left  a  family  of  three  sons  and  one 
daughter,  including  Joseph  K.  Ritter,  the  father  of  our  subject.  He 
was  the  youngest  and  was  reared  upon  the  old  homestead  farm  in  I^- 
Grange  township.  In  185 1  he  came  to  CassopoHs  and  engaged  in 
the  dry  goods  business.  In  1862  Mr.  Ritter  was  elected  county  treas- 
lirer,  and  served  in  that  capacity  foiir  years.  In  1865  he  again  went  into 
business,  and  continued  in  active  mercantile    life  until  1875.     He  was 


626  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

one  of  the  original  stockholders  and  a  director  in  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Cassopolis,  and  was  made  president  in  1884,  which  position  he 
held  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  July  30,  1891.  Joseph 
K.  Ritter  was  married  to  Miss  Amanda  F.  Kingsbury,  a  native  of 
Needham,  Massachusetts,  and  a  daughter  of  Asa  Kingsbury,  who  is  rep- 
resented on  another  page  of  this  work.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ritter  became 
the  parents  of  four  children,  one  died  in  infancy  and  one  daughter  at 
the  age  of  thirteen  years,  the  other  daughter,  Mrs.  Dr.  Funk,  is  living 
in  Cassopolis. 

Charles  A.  Ritter  is  the  second  child  of  the  family  and  was  reared 
in  Cassopolis.  On  the  ist  of  July,  1877,  he  entered  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Cassopolis  as  bookkeeper.  Soon  afterward  he  was  made  assist- 
ant cashier,  continuing  in  that  capacity  until  1891,  when  he  was  chosen 
cashier,  which  position  he  is  now  filling.  His  connection  with  the  bank 
covers  a  period  of  more  than  twenty-eight  years,  and  the  success  of  the 
institution  is  attributable  in  no  small  degree  to  his  efforts. 

On  the  13th  of  December,  1881,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of 
Mr.  Ritter  and  Miss  Mary  E.  Davis,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Eliza 
F.  (Saunders)  Davis.  Mrs.  Ritter  was  born  in  Trenton,  Michigan, 
but  was  reared  and  educated  at  South  Bend,  Indiana.  They  have  one 
son,  Joseph  K.,  who  is  yet  at  home  with  his  parents. 

Mr.  Ritter  was  a  trustee  of  the  village  of  Cassopolis  for  a  number 
of  years  and  also  president  of  the  village  board  for  two  terms,  and  he 
exercised  his  official  prerogatives  in  support  of  all  movements  which 
he  deemed  of  public  benefit. 

WILLIAM  H.   STRETCH. 

William  H.  Stretch  is  one  of  the  old  settlers  of  Cass  county,  and  as 
such  deserves  representation  in  this  volume,  for  through  many  years  he 
has  lived  within  its  borders,  his  mind  bearing  the  impress  of  the  early 
historic  annals  of  this  part  of  the  state.  He  resides  on  section  27, 
LaGrange  township,  and  is  numbered  am.ong  the  native  sons  of  Pokagon 
township,  his  birth  having  occurred  upon  the  old  Taylor  homestead 
there  on  the  21st  of  April,  1846.  His  father,  John  Stretch,  was  a  native 
of  Wayne  county,  Indiana,  and  came  to  Cass  county  when  only  six 
years  of  age  with  his  parents,  Joseph  and  Sarah  Stretch,  who  were 
among  the  first  settlers  of  the  county.  They  received  the  first  deed  to 
a  farm  in  their  locality.  Tlie  grandfather  cultivated  and  improved  a 
tract  of  land,  spending  his  entire  life  upon  the  farm  which  he  entered 
from  the  government,  his  efforts  contributing  in  substantial  measure  to 
the  material  improvement  of  this  part  of  the  county. 

John  Stretch  was  reared  in  Cass  county  amid  the  wild  scenes  and 
environments  of  pioneer  life.  The  primitive  home  of  the  family  was 
a  log  cabin,  and  the  members  of  the  household  shared  in  all  the  hard- 
ships and  trials  incident  to  life  on  the  frontier.     All  around  them  was 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  627 

unbroken  prairie  or  stretches  of  timber  land,  and  the  work  of  cultivation 
seemed  scarcely  begun.  Only  here  and  there  would  be  seen  a  little 
cabm  to  indicate  that  the  seeds  of  civilization  had  been  planted  which 
were  in  due  time  to  bring  forth  good  fruit.  John  Stretch  assisted  in  the 
arduous  task  of  developing  new  land  and  chose  as  his  life  work  the 
occupation  to  which  he  was  reared,  always  giving  much  of  his  time  and 
attention  to  farming.  However,  he  was  likewise  a  preacher  of  the  Ger- 
man Baptist  church,  and  in  this  connection  was  well  known  in  the 
county,  his  influence  and  efforts  being  of  no  restricted  order.  Both  by 
precept  and  example  he  led  many  into  the  better  way  of  life  and  his 
memory  is  still  cherished  by  a  large  number  of  those  who  were  his 
friends  and  neighbors  in  his  lifetime.  He  lived  to  be  about  sixty-five 
years  of  age.  His  early  political  support  was  given  to  the  Whig  party, 
and  upon  its  dissolution  he  joined  the  ranks  of  the  new  Republican 
party.  He  married  Miss  Emily  V.  McCoy,  a  native  of  Virginia,  who 
came  to  Cass  county  wnth  her  parents  when  about  five  years  of  age, 
and  was  here  reared.  She  is  still  living  in  her  eighty-first  year,  one  of 
the  most  highly  esteemed  old  ladies  of  the  county.  In  their  family  were 
five  sons,  all  of  whom  reached  mature  years,  and  they  also  reared  an 
adopted  daughter,  Mrs.  Anna  Scheline.  Mr.  Stretch,  of  this  review, 
is  the  eldest  of  the  five  children,  and  four  of  the  sons  are  now  living  in 
Cass  county,  while  George  is  a  resident  of  Berrien  county,  Michigan. 
The  others  are:  Joseph,  w^ho  resides  in  Pbkagon  township;  Isaac,  who 
IS  foreman  in  the  drill  shop  at  Dowagiac;  and  Ira,  who  is  living  upon 
the  old  homestead. 

William  H.  Stretch  was  reared  in  Pokagon  township  and  pursued 
his  education  in  the  common  schools.  He  assisted  in  clearing  the  farm 
in  his  boyhood  days  and  in  performing  the  various  duties  incident  to 
the  work  of  the  old  homestead.  He  continued  under  the  parental  roof 
until  twenty-four  years  of  age,  when  he  was  married.  He  first  wedded 
Miss  Margaret  J.  Collins,  who  died  leaving  one  son,  Clyde  L.  After 
losing  his  first  wife,  Mr.  Stretch  was  married  to  Mrs.  Edith  (Jewell) 
Goodrich,  who  was  killed  by  lightning.  His  present  wife  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Emma  Grace  White,  and  at  the  time  of  their  marriage 
was  the  widow  of  W.  W.  Van  Slyke.  Mr.  Stretch  made  his  home  in 
Pokagon  township  until  about  eight  years  ago,  when  he  sold  his  property 
there  and  removed  to  LaGrange  township,  settling  on  section  27,  where 
he  yet  resides.  He  has  been  a  life-long  resident  of  Cass  county,  having 
made  his  home  here  for  fifty-nine  years.  Any  movement  or  plan  for 
the  public  good  receives  his  earnest  attention  and  endorsement,  and  his 
aid  can  always  be  counted  upon  to  further  any  movement  that  promises 
to  result  beneficially  to  the  county.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  of  CassopoHs,  and  his  life  has  ever  been  honorable 
and  upright,  in  harmony  with  his  professions.  He  has  had  a  full  realiza- 
tion of  his  duties  of  citizenship,  and  also  of  his  duties  to  his  fellow  men, 
and  has  never  been  known  to  take  advantage  of  the  necessities  of  others 


628  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

in  any  trade  transaction.  In  fact  his  life  is  in  many  respects  worthy  of 
emulation  and  his  fellow  townsmen  speak  of  him  in  terms  of  regard 
and  esteem. 

JOSEPH  HESS. 

Joseph  Hess,  influential  and  enterprising,  has  found  in  his  intense 
and  well-directed  energy  the  key  that  has  unlocked  the  portals  of  suc- 
cess. Without  special  advantages  to  aid  him  at  the  outset  of  his  career 
he  has  nevertheless  persevered  in  his  work  and  has  today  valuable  land 
holdings  in  Cass  county.  He  resides  on  section  34,  Jefferson  town- 
ship, where  he  has  eighty  acres  of  land  and  in  addition  to  this  he  owns 
eighty  acres  of  the  old  family  homestead,  ninety-three  acres  on  section 
21,  Jefferson  township,  and  ninety-two  acres  in  Ontwa  township,  so 
that  his  landed  possessions  now  comprise  two  hundred  and  sixty-five 
acres,  some  of  which  he  rents.  Ohio  has  furnished  a  number  of  repre- 
sentative and  valued  citizens  to  Cass  county,  including  Mr.  Hess,  who 
was  born  in  Huntington  township,  Ross  county,  of  the  Buckeye  state, 
on  the  1 6th  of  August,  1846.  His  parents  were  Joseph  and  Belinda 
(Staines)  Hess,  both  of  whom  have  now  passed  away.  The  father 
'was  born  in  Huntingdon  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  spent  his  youth, 
subsequent  to  whrch  time  he  removed  to  Ohio,  locating  in  Ross  county 
about  18138.  There  he  lived  for  more  than  a  decade,  when  with  his 
family  he  came  to  Michigan  in  1849,  settling  in  Cass  county.  He  then 
located  in  Jefferson  township,  where  he  purchased  a  farm,  his  land  lying 
in  both  Jefferson  and  Ontwa  townships.  It  was  largely  raw  and  unim- 
proved when  it  came  into  his  possession  but  his  labors  soon  wrought 
a  transformation  in  the  appearance  of  the  property  and  the  once  uncul- 
tivated tract  began  to  yield  him  good  harvests  as  a  reward  for  the  care 
and  labor  he  bestowed  upon  the  fields.  His  entire  life  was  devoted  to 
farming  and  he  kept  in  touch  with  modern  progress  as  the  primitive 
machinery  was  replaced  by  improved  agricultural  implements  and  large 
and  commodious  buildings  were  erected  to  supercede  the  small  log  cabins 
of  pioneer  days.  In  all  matters  of  public  progress  he  was  deeply  inter- 
ested, rejoicing  in  what  was  accomplished  in  the  county  and  giving  his 
active  co-operation  to  any  plan  ,or  measure  for  the  public  good.  His 
study  of  the  political  issues  and  questions  of  the  day  led  him  to  support  the 
Democracy  and  upon  that  ticket  he  was  elected  supervisor  and  also  to 
other  local  offices,  the  duties  of  which  he  discharged  with  promptness 
and  fidelity.  As  a  member  of  the  school  board  he  proved  his  interest  in 
the  cause  of  education  by  his  advocacy  of  measures  that  tended  to  raise 
the  standard  of  public  instruction.  He  was  a  member  of  the  old  school 
Baptist  church  and  his  life  was  characterized  by  integrity  that  was  un- 
assailable, while  his  business  reputation  would  bear  the  closest  investiga- 
tion and.  scrutiny.  He  was  twice  married,  his  first  union  being  with  Miss 
Belinda  Staines,  who  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  was  of  Ger- 
man and  Swiss  descent.     She  died  "at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years,  after 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  629 

which  Mr.  Hess  was  again  married,  his  second  union  being  with  a  Mrs. 
Lewis.  There  were  eight  children  born  of  the  first  marriage  and  one 
son  by  the  second  marriage.  Of  this  number  four  are  still  living: 
Sarah,  who  was  the  wife  of  Richard  Turner,  a  resident  of  Chillicothe, 
Ohio;  Anna,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  May  3,  1838,  and  is  now 
keeping  house  with  her  brother  upon  the  old  homestead  farm;  Joseph, 
of  this  review;  and  John,  of  Chillicothe,  Ohio.  The  father  reached  the 
very  venerable  age  of  eighty-five  years  and  in  his  death  the  county 
mourned  the  less  of  one  of  its  representative  pioneer  settlers. 

Joseph  Hess,  the  youngest  member  of  his  father's  family,  was  a 
young  lad  when  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Ohio.  In  fact  he  had 
scarcely  attained  his  third  year.  His  sister  Anna,  too,  was  a  young 
child  and  both  were  reared  in  Jefferson  township  upon  the  farm  where 
they  have  been  keeping  house  for  many  years.  Mr.  Hess  was  educated  . 
in  the  district  schools  and  received  ample  training  at  farm  labor  under 
the  direction  of  his  father,  working  at  the  plow  from  an  early  age  and 
performing  all  such  farm  work  as  his  years  and  strength  permitted.  He 
afterward  purchased  the  interest  of  the  other  heirs  in  the  old  home  prop- 
erty. Both  he  and  his  sister  Anna  own  eighty  acres  of  land  in^  Jeffer- 
son township,  to  the  cultivation  and  improvement  of  which  he  gives  his 
energies  and  his  close  application  and  strong  purpose  are  winning  for 
him  success  that  increases  year  by  year.  He  also  has  ninety-three  acres 
of  land  on  section  21,  and  ninety-two  acres  in  Ontwa  township,  so  that 
his  farm  property  covers  two  hundred  and  sixty-five  acres,  some  of 
which  he  rents.  He  is  likewise  one  of  the  stockholders  in  the  creamery 
at  EdwardslDurg,  a  productive  industry  which  is  of  value  to  the  com- 
munity, furnishing  a  market  to  the  farmers  who  keep  a  large  number 
of  cows  and  who  sell  their  milk  to  the  institution. 

Mr.  Hess  has  been  a  lifelong  Democrat,  giving  inflexible  support 
to  the  principles  of  his  party.  He  belongs  to  Edwardsburg  camp.  No. 
1492,  M.  W.  A.  If  one  could  see  a  picture  of  the  county  as  it  appeared 
fifty-six  years  ago  when  Mr.  Hess  was  first  brought  here  there  would 
be  large  tracts  of  forest  in  which  not  a  tree  had  been  felled,  while  upon 
the  prairie  would  be  seen  the  native  grasses,  as  the  land  had  not  yet 
been  broken.  No  bridges  had  been  built  across  the  streams  and  few 
roads  had  been  laid  out  and  it  seemed  that  the  work  of  development 
and  improvement  lay  entirely  in  the  future.  The  Hess  family  bore  their 
full  share  in  the  work  of  upbuilding  and  the  name  has  ever  stood  as  a 
synonym  for  progressive  citizenship  and  reliability  in  business  during 
the  long  connection  of  the  family  with  Cass  county. 

GEORGE  M.  FIELDS. 

George  M.  Fields,  the  prosecuting  attorney  of  Cass  county,  is  pos- 
sessed of  legal  learning,  an  analytical  mind  and  a  readiness  in  grasping 
the  points  in  an  argument— qualities  which  combine  to  make  him  a  cap- 


630 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


able  awyer  of  the  Cass  county  bar.  While  his  professional  duties  call 
him  lai-gely  to  Cassopolis  he  continues  to  make  his  home  in  Dowagiac 
His  natal  day  was  December  14,  1868:,  and  his  birth  occurred  upon  a 
farm  in  Ottawa  county,  Ohio.  His  father,  Edward  Fields,  was  also  a 
native  of  that  county  and  is  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  still  resides 
upon  the  old  homestead  where  his  entire  life  has  been  passed  His 
parents  died  when  he  was  only  ten  years  of  age,  and  he  then  started 
out  in  hte  on  his  own  account,  since  which  time  he  has  been  dependent 
entirely  upon  lus  own  resources.  He  was  a  soldier  of  the  Civil  war 
serving  for  about  four  years,  and  he  lost  his  left  arm  while  participating 
in  the  battle  of  Kenesaw  Mountain.  He  married  Miss  Louisa  Hunt 
a  native  of  Seneca  county,  Ohio,  who  is  also  living.  In  their  family 
were  two  sons,  the  elder  being  Hosea,  who  is  an  attornev  bv  profession 
but  a  tanner  by  occupation.  "     ' 

George  M.  Fields,  reared  upon  the  old  family  homestead,  began  his 
education  m  the  country  schools  and  afterward  continued  his  studies  in 
the^high  school  at  Monroeville,  Huron  county,  Ohio,  where  he  com- 
pleted his  course  m  1889.  He  then  engaged  in  teaching  school  for  one 
year  m  the  Buckeye  state,  after  which  he  entered  the  Michigan  State 
University  at  Ann  Arbor  for  the  study  of  law  and  was  graduated  from 
the  law  department  in  the  class  of  1893.  He  was  then  admitted  to 
practice  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  opened  a  law  office  in  Toledo,  that 
state,  in  1894.  In  June,  1895,  he  came  to  Dowagiac,  where  he  entered 
into  partnership  with  Charles  E.  Sweet,  which  connection  was  con- 
tinued for  one  year,  since  which  time  he  has  been  alone  in  business.  He 
was  elected  circuit  court  commissioner  in  1900  and  prosecuting  attor- 
ney in  1902,  since  which  time  he  has  been  re-elected,  so  that  he  is  now 
serving  for  the  second  term.  He  was  also  city  attorney  of  Dowagiac  in 
1900. 

In  1895  occurred  the  marriage  of  George  M.  Fields  and  Miss  Emily 
F.  Bond,  of  Dowagiac,  by  whom  he  has  one  son,  Harold  B.  In  polit- 
ical affairs  Mr.  Fields  is  deeply  interested,  keeping  well  informed  on 
the  questions  and  issues  of  the  day  and  giving  his  aid  to  every  legitimate 
measure  which  he  believes  will  promote  the  success  of  the  party  and 
thereby  advance  the  good  of  the  state  and  nation.  Fraternally  he  is 
connected  with  the  Elks  Lodge,  No.  889  at  Dowagiac,  and  he  has  per- 
sonal characteristics  which  make  him  popular  with  his  fellow  towns- 
men, gaining  for  him  wide  friendships  and  favorable  regard.  Since 
locating  in  Dowagiac  his  practice  has  been  quite  extensive  and  of  an 
important  character  and  he  prepares  his  cases  with  provident  care  and 
wide  research. 

WILLIAM  F.  PUTERBAUGH. 

William  F.  Puterbaugh,  supervisor  of  Calvin  township  and  living 
on  section  18,  is  a  native  of  the  neighboring  state  of  Indiana,  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  Concord  township,  Elkhart  county,  on  the  25th  of 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  631 

Septemter,  1852.  He  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Sarah  (Patterson)  Puterj 
baugh.  His  paternal  grandfather,  George  P'uterbaugh,  was  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  the  great-grandfather,  a  native  of  Germany, 
was  the  only  representative  of  this  family  that  ever  came  to  Amer- 
ica as  far  as  the  knowledge  of  his  posterity  extends.  George 
Puterbaugh  was  reared  in  the  Keystone  state,  learned  the  millwright's 
trade  in  early  life  and  built  many  mills.  He  was  also  a  farmer  and  was 
quite  a  successful  business  man,  providing  liberally  for  his  family.  He 
was  also  a  minister  of  the  German  Baptist  church  and  took  an  active 
part  in  the  moral  development  of  the  communities  in  which  he  lived  and 

labored.  .  •     ^m,-  1 

Joseph  Puterbaugh,  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  m  Ohio  and 
in  the  year  1849  removed  to  Elkhart  county,  Indiana,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming.  For  many  years  he  followed  that  pursuit,  but  eventu- 
ally put  aside  business  cares  and  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  well  earned  rest 
made  his  home  in  the  city  of  Elkhart  during  the  last  ten  years  of  his 
life.  He  also  filled  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  and  was  assessor 
of  Concord  township.  Local  progress  and  national  advancement  were 
both  causes  dear  to  his  heart  and  his  active  co-operation  could  be  counted 
upon  for  the  benefit  of  any  plan  or  movement  intended  for  the  general 
good  of  his  county.  He  married  Miss  Sarah  Patterson,  who  was  born 
in  central  Indiana  and  died  in  Elkhart  county  in  her  sixty-fifth  year. 
She  was  of  Scotch  lineage  and  was  a  daughter  of  William  Patterson, 
who  was  born  in  the  state  of  New  York.  He  left  home  when  a  small 
boy  under  peculiar  circumstances  and  therefore  little  is  known  con- 
cerning the  ancestral  history  of  the  family. 

William  F.  Puterbaugh,  whose  name  introduces  this  record,  is  the 
eldest  in  a  family  of  three  sons  and  two  daughters.  He  was  reared  in 
Concord  township,  Elkhart  county,  Indiana,  and  at  the  usual  age  en- 
tered the  district  schools,  wherein  he  mastered  various  branches  of 
learning  that  qualified  him  for  life's  practical  and  responsible  duties. 
He  afterward  remained  at  home  until  about  twenty-six  years  of  age 
and  assisted  in  the  work  of  the  farm  from  the  time  of  early  spring  plant- 
ing until  crops  were  harvested  in  the  late  autumn.  Thus  he  gained 
practical  knowledge  of  the  business  which  he  has  made  his  life  work  and 
which  now  claims  his  time  and  energies. 

March  17,  1878,  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Puterbaugh  and 
Miss  Ida  M.  Dodge,  a  daughter  of  Eliphalet  and  Sarah  J.  (Riggs) 
Dodge.  Mrs.  Puterbaugh  was  a  native  of  Elkhart  county,  where  her 
parents  located  at  an  early  day,  and  there  her  girlhood  days  were  passed. 
She,  too,  was  a  student  in  the  public  schools  and  in  her  father's  home 
she  was  trained  to  the  duties  of  the  household,  so  that  she  was  well 
equipped  to  care  for  a  home  of  her  own  at  the  time  of  her  marriage. 
Supplementing  her  training  in  the  common  schools  she  took  a  full 
teacher's  course  at  the  Goshen  Normal,  at  Goshen,  Indiana,  graduating 


^32  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

in  the  class  of  1874,  and  was  a  successful  teacher  in  her  native  county 
of  Elkhart,  Indiana,  from  1872  to  1878.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Puterbaugh 
began  their  domestic  life  in  Concord  township,  Elkhart  county,  where 
he  engaged  in  farming.  He  lived  in  three  different  townships  of  that 
county,  remaining  for  four  years  in  Concord  township,  two  years  in 
Osolo  township  and  one  year  in  Baugo  township.  He  then  removed  to 
California,  in  1884,  and  spent  one  year  on  the  Pacific  coast,  crossing 
the  continent  each  time  by  rail.  When  he  again  came  to  the  middle 
west  he  established  his  home  in  Calvin  township,  Cass  county,  where  he 
purchased  the  farm  upon  which  he  has  since  resided.  Here  he  has  one 
hundred  and  seven  acres  of  good  land,  which  he  has  improved  in  many 
ways.  He  has  brought  his  fields  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and 
annually  harvests  therefrom  good  crops.  He  also  has  good  grades  of 
stock  upon  his  place  and  the  improvements  are  in  keeping  with  "the  mod- 
ern farm  properties  of  the  twentieth  century.  He  votes  with  the  Re- 
publican party,  and  in  1905  was  elected  to  the  ofifice  of  township  super- 
visor, which  position  he  has  since  filled.  He  has  also  been  officially 
connected  with  the  schools  of  this  community,  and  he  is  a  valued  and 
exemplary  member  of  the  Masonic  lodge  at  Cassopolis  and  of  the  Odd 
Fellows  lodge  at  Redfield,  Cass  county.  His  residence  in  the  county 
covers  about  twenty-two  years,  and  his  record  has  ever  been  such  as 
would  bear  close  investigation  and  scrutiny,  for  he  has  conducted  his 
busmess  affairs  honorably,  has  lived  at  peace  with  his  fellow  men  and 
has  wrought  along  lines  contributing  to  individual  success  and  to  the 
public  good  as  well. 

JOHN  LONGSDUFF. 

Long  a  resident  of  Cass  county,  John  Longsduff  has  therefore  wit- 
nessed much  of  its  growth  and  development  as  the  years  have  gone  by 
and  changes  have  been  wrought  that  have  transformed  it  from  a  frontier 
district  into  one  of  the  leading  counties  of  this  great  commonwealth. 
He  lives  on  section  8,  Calvin  township,  where  he  has  a  good  farm  prop- 
erty comprising  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  acres  of  rich  and  arable 
land.  Here  he  took  up  his  abode  in  1865  and  in  partnership  with  his 
wife  he  owns  this  property  and  gives  his  attention  to  its  further  develop- 
ment and  cultivation. 

His  life  record  began  in  Pennsylvania  on  the  20th  of  August,  1836. 
He  is  a  son  of  Martin  Longsduff,  also  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  a 
brother  of  George  Longsduff,  one  of  the  enterprising  citizens  of  this 
county.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Martin  Longsduff,  Sr.,  was  a  native 
of  Germany  and  in  that  country  was  reared  and  married.  Crossing 
the  Atlantic  to  the  new  world  he  became  one  of  the  early  residents  of 
Pennsylvania.  In  his  family  were  ten  children,  of  whom  Martin  Longs- 
duff, Jr.,  was  the  eldest.  He  was  a  native  of  the  same  state  and  was 
there  reared  and  educated.  He  was  married  twice  and  in  1834  re- 
moved from  Pennsylvania  to  Ohio,  taking  up  his  abode  in  Union  town- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  633 

ship,  Logan  county,  where  he  secured  a  tract  of  land  and  improved 
a  farm.  He  remained  a  resident  of  that  state  for  almost  four  decades 
and  came  to  Michigan  in  1872.  Here  he  spent  his  remaining  days, 
passing  away  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years.  In  his  religious  views  he 
was  a  Lutheran  and  he  exemplified  in  his  life  his  belief  in  the  teach- 
ings of  holy  writ.  The  mother  of  our  subject  bore  the  maiden  name 
of  Matilda  Quigley  and  was  a  native  of  Hagerstown,  New  Jersey, 
where  her  girlhood  days  were  passed.  She  was  the  second  wife  of  Mar- 
tin Longsduff,  his  former  union  having  been  with  a  Miss  Searfoss,  by 
wliom  he  had  one  daughter,  Elizabeth.  By  the  second  marriage  there 
were  born  eleven  children,  one  of  whom  died  in  early  youth,  while  ten 
reached  adult  age  and  four  of  the  number,  two  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters, are  still  living  and  are  residents  of  Cass  county. 

John  Longsdufif  was  only  about  a  year  old  when  his  parents  removed 
to  Logan  county,  Ohio,  where  they  remained  for  eleven  years,  and  he 
then  accompanied  them  on  their  removal  to  Michigan.  The  family 
home  was  established  in  Cass  county  near  Vandalia  and  he  grew  to  man- 
hood upon  the  farm  from  the  age  of  twelve  years.  His  educational 
privileges  were  those  afforded  by  the  public  schools  of  the  different 
localities  in  wiiich  he  resided.  The  period  of  his  minority  was  spent 
upon  the  old  family  homestead  and  he  assisted  in  the  operation  of  the 
farm  and  in  the  support  of  his  mother.  After  attaining  his  majority 
he  purchased  land  and  improved  a  farm  in  Penn  township.  On  the  9th 
of  February,  1865,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Martha  E.  Hull,  who  was 
t>om  on  the  farm  where  she  now  resides.  Her  parents  were  Isaac  and 
Maria  Hull,  who  came  from  Ohio  to  Cass  county  at  an  early  day.  In 
the  year  of  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Longsduff  located  where  they 
how  reside  and  his  labors  have  further  improved  the  property^  until  it 
is  now  a  splendidly  cultivated  farm.  In  connection  with  the  tilling  of 
the  soil  he  engaged  in  buying  and  shipping  hogs  for  a  number  of  years 
and  found  this  a  profitable  source  of  income. 

Mr.  Longsduff  exercises  his  right  of  franchise  in  support  of  the 
men  and  measures  of  the  Democracy  and  is  regarded  as  an  enterprising 
citizen  of  the  county,  who  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  public  affairs, 
his  efforts  proving  far  reaching  and  beneficial.  He  is  connected  with 
one  of  the  prominent  old  families  of  this  part  of  the  state  and  is  justly 
entitled  to  mention  among  its  representative  citizens. 

BARAK  L.  RUDD. 

Barak  L.  Rudd,  proprietor  of  the  Forest  Hall  Hotel,  at  Diamond 
Lake,  near  Cassopolis,  was  born  in  Newburg  township,  October  21, 
18:46,  and  belongs  to  that  class  of  citizens  who  find  in  the  faithful  per- 
formance of  each  day's  duties  opportunity  for  the  exercise  of  their  tal- 
ents and  energies  and  gain  through  their  industry,  perseverance  and 
diligence  the  success  which  is  the  desired  goal  of  all  business  endeavor. 

Mr.  Rudd  is  descended  from  New  England  ancestry.     His  father, 


634  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Barker  F.  Rudd,  was  a  native  of  Rutland,  Vermont,  born  in  1810,  and 
in  1834  he  came  to  Cass  county,  being  then  a  young  man  of  twenty- 
four  years.  He  found  here  a  district  largely  wild  and  unimproved,  and 
he  established  his  home  in  what  is  now  Newberg  township,  being  one 
of  the  first  settlers  of  the  county,  and  aiding  in  its  primitive  development 
and  progress.  He  assisted  in  organizing  the  township,  in  formulating 
its  plan  of  government  and  he  was  aftei;ward  called  to  the  offices  of 
justice  of  the  peace  and  supervisor.  In  politics  he  was  originally  a 
Whig,  and  upon  the  organization  of  the  new  Republican  party  joined 
its  ranks,  continuing  to  give  it  his  support  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred when  he  was  seventy  years  of  age.  In  early  manhood  he  mar- 
ried Lucinda  Brakeman,  a  daughter  of  Lewis  Brakeman,  who  was  cap- 
tain of  a  schooner  and  was  lost  on  Lake  St.  Clair.  The  Rudds  were  of 
Scotch  and  Irish  descent.  In  the  father's  family  there  were  four  daugh- 
ters and  four  sons. 

Barak  L.  Rudd,  the  second  son  and  fourth  child,  was  reared  upon 
the  old  family  homestead  and  in  his  youth  attended  the  common  schools, 
while  in  the  summer  months  his  attention  was  devoted  to  the  work  of 
plowing,  planting  and  harvesting.  He  was  a  young  man  of  but  seven- 
teen years  when  in  response  to  his  country's  call  for  aid  he  enlisted  in 
1863  as  a  member  of  the  Fourteenth  Michigan  Battery  of  light  artillery. 
He  joined  that  command  as  a  private  and  served  for  two  years,  or  until 
the  close  of  the  war,  being  largely  engaged  in  duty  in  the  vicinity  of 
Washington.  Following  the  cessation  of  hostilities  he  returned  to  his 
native  township,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming.  He  continued  to 
till  the  soil  until  1880,  when  he  turned  his  attention  to  commercial 
pursuits,  opening  a  store  in  Vandalia,  where  he  carried  on  business  for 
six  years,  or  until  1886.  The  same  year  he  was  elected  supervisor  of 
Penn  township,  and  was  also  chosen  to  the  office  of  county  clerk,  which 
position  he  held  for  four  years,  or  two  terms.  In  1891  he  purchased  the 
Forest  Hall  Hotel,  which  he  has  since  been  conducting.  It  is  a  well 
known  hostelry,  containing  about  forty  rooms,  and  is  pleasantly  situ- 
ated on  the  north  shore  of  Diamond  lake.  A  liberal  patronage  is  ac- 
corded, the  hotel  having  become  a  favorite  summer  resort,  and  in  con- 
nection with  its  conduct  Mr.  Rudd  also  maintains  a  boat  livery.  He 
closely  studies  the  needs  and  wishes  of  his  patrons,  and  does  everything 
in  his  power  for  the  comfort,  welfare  and  happiness  of  his  guests.  At 
the  same  time  he  manages  the  business  interests  of  the  house  with  capa- 
bility and  is  meeting  with  good  success. 

In  1880  Mr.  Rudd  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Alice  G.  Gep- 
hart,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Margaret  Gephart,  and  unto  them  has 
been  born  a  son,  Leo  B.  Rudd,  ^Hho  died  when  eleven  years  of  age. 
When  age  gave  to  Mr.  Rudd  the  right  of  franchise  he  acknowledged 
his  belief  in  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party,  and  has  since  been 
one  of  its  stalwart  advocates.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Albert  Anderson 
Post  No.  157,  G.  A.  R.,  and  maintains  pleasant  relationships  with  his 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  635 

old  army  comrades  at  the  camp  fires  and  in  the  work  of  the  organiza- 
tion. His  devotion  to  his  country  is  manifest  in  the  same  loyal  spirit 
of  helpfulness  and  progress  which  he  displayed  when  upon  southern  bat- 
tlefields he  fearlessly  defended  the  old  flag  and  the  cause  which  it  rep- 
resented. He  has  always  lived  in  Cass  county  and  the  fact  that  many 
of  his  stanchest  friends  are  numbered  among  those  who  have  known  him 
from  his  boyhood  days  down  to  the  present  is  an  indication  of  an  hon- 
orable and  upright  life. 

HENRY  CLAY  WALKER. 

Henry  Clay  Walker  is  one  of  the  prominent  old  settlers  of  Cass 
county  and  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war.  He  resides  on  section  5,  Cal- 
vin township,  being  owner  of  Brookside  farm,  which  is  a  well  improved 
property.  His  birth  occurred  in  LaGrange  township,  Elkhart  county, 
Indiana,  on  the  13th  of  September,  1841,  and  he  is  descended  from  an 
old  New  England  family.  His  father,  Lucius  Walker,  was  a  native  of 
Vermont,  in  which  state  he  spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth. 
He  became  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  has  devoted  his  entire  life  to 
that  calling.  About  1846  he  removed  to  Indiana,  establishing  his  home 
in  Elkhart  county.  He  married  Miss  Lydia  S.  Sanborn,  who  was  also 
a  native  of  New  England,  born  either  in  Vermont  or  New  Hampshire. 
They  became  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  nine  of  whom  reached  man- 
hood or  womanhood,  while  five  are  living  at  this  writing  in  1906. 

Henry  Clay  Walker,^ the  ninth  in  order  of  birth  in  his  father's 
family,  spent  his  youth  in  the  county  of  his  nativity.  In  1858  his  par- 
ents removed  from  the  farm  to  Bristol,  Elkhart  county,  and  he  remained 
at  home  until  the  time  of  his  enlistment  for  service  in  the  Civil  war. 
His  patriotic  spirit  was  aroused  by  the  continued  attempt  of  the  south 
to  destroy  the  Union,  and  in  August,  1862,  he  enrolled  his  name  among 
the  boys  in  blue  of  Company  I,  Eighty-eighth  Indiana  Volunteer  In- 
fantry. He  joined  the  army  as  a  private  and  served  until  the  follow- 
ing January,  when  he  was  honorably  discharged  on  account  of  physical 
disability  occasioned  by  illness. 

Following  his  return  to  Bristol,  Mr.  Walker  continued  his  educa- 
tion by  pursuing  a  course  of  study  in  the  Northern  Indiana  College  at 
South  Bend,  where  he  remained  for  one  year.  He  afterward  entered 
business  life  as  a  merchant  at  Vandalia,  Michigan,  opening  a  general 
line  of  goods  there.  He  was  also  postmaster  of  the  town  for  nine  years 
and  discharged  the  duties  of  the  position  in  connection  with  the  man- 
agement of  the  store,  in  which  he  met  with  a  fair  measure  of  success, 
enjoying  a  growing  trade  by  reason  of  his  fair  dealing  and  his  earnest 
desire  to  please  his  patrons.  In  1873,  however,  he  retired  from  com- 
mercial life  and  took  up  his  abode  upon  the  farm  on  which  he  now 
resides  on  section  5,  Calvin  township,  and  has  since  given  his  attention 
to  general  farming.     His  fields  are  well  tilled  and  the  place  is  equipped 


^36  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

with  many  modern  improvements,  including  the  best  machinery  for 
plowing,  planting  and  harvesting.  In  his  work  he  is  practical  and  me- 
thodical and  his  labors  have  been  so  carefully  directed  that  a  gratifying 
measure  of  prosperity  has  attended  him.  His  farm  comprises  two  hun- 
dred acres,  the  greater  part  of  which  is  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation 
and  it  is  appropriately  nam.ed  Brookside  farm. 

In  1872  Mr.  Walker  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Olive  M.  Hull, 
a  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Maria  Hull.  They  have  become  the  parents 
of  one  daughter  and  one  son,  but  the  former,  Minnie,  died  when  only 
three  years  of  age.  The  son,  T.  McKinnon  Walker,  an  accomplished 
pianist,  is  at  home. 

Mr.  Walker  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  public  affairs  and  his 
fellow  townsmen,  recognizing  his  fitness  for  positions  of  public  trust, 
have  called  him  to  a  number  of  offices.  He  has  served  as  township 
clerk,  occupying  that  position  while  in  Vandalia  and  for  three  terms 
has  been  township  treasurer  in  Calvin  township.  The  cause  of  educa- 
tion finds  in  him  a  stalwart  friend  and  all  matters  for  the  general  good 
receive  his  endorsement  and  co-operation.  He  has  been  justice  of  the 
peace  for  about  sixteen  years,  rendering  decisions  which  are  strictly 
fair  and  impartial  and  he  always  votes  w^ith  the  Republican  party.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  connected  wnth  Albert  Anderson  Post,  No.  258,  G.  A.R., 
at  CassopoHs,  and  has  filled  some  of  the  offices  in  that  order.  Through- 
out his  entire  life  he  has  manifested  the  same  spirit  of  loyalty  which 
prompted  his  enlistment  for  service  in  the  Civil  war. 

WILLIAM  H.  COULTER. 

William  H.  Coulter,  a  grain  dealer  of  Cassopolis,  was  born  in 
Howard  towmship,  this  county,  on  the  loth  of  October,  1842.  He  is  a 
son  of  James  Coulter  and  a  grandson  of  John  Coulter,  the  latter  a  native 
of  Ireland,  who  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Irish  rebellion.  He  came  to 
America  in  1798,  becoming  the  founder  of  the  family  in  the  new  world, 
establishing  his  residence  in  Cincinnati,  where  he  was  married.  At  a 
later  date  he  removed  to  Clinton  county,  Ohio,  and  in  1834  he  came  to 
Cass  county,  Michigan,  locating  over  seven  hundred  acres  of  land  in 
Howard  township.  The  journey  was  made  with  an  ox  team  and  John 
Coulter  cast  in  his  lot  with  the  pioneer  residents  of  this  part  of  the 
state.  Few  improvements  had  been  made  as  yet,  the  greater  part  of  the 
land  being  still  in  its  primitive  condition,  while  the  forests  were  uncut, 
the  streams  unbridged  and  the  sod  unturned  upon  the  prairies. 

James  Coulter,  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
and  on  coming  to  Cass  county  in  1835  located  in  Howard  township. 
He  was  then  a  young  man  and  he  bore  his  full  share  in  the  work  of 
early  improvement  and  progress  here.  After  two  years  he  returned  to 
his  native  state  and  was  then  married,  after  which  he  brought  his  bride 
back  to  Howard  tow^nship,  where  he  spent  his  remaining  days,  there 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  63T 

developing  and  improving  a  good  farm.  He  was  an  active  supporter 
of  the  Republican  party  and  held  various  local  offices.  His  early  politic 
cal  allegiance,  however,  was  given  to  the  Democracy,  and  he  voted  for 
Franklin  Pierce,  but  in  1856  he  cast  his  ballot  for  John  C.  Fremont, 
the  first  presidential  candidate  of  the  new  Republican  party.  In  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  he  was  a  very  earnest  and  active  worker 
and  in  Howard  township  he  erected  a  house  of  worship,  which  is  still 
standing.  He  died  in  his  sixty-sixth  year,  and  his  loss  was  deeply  re- 
gretted by  many  friends,  for  all  with  whom  he  had  come  in  contact 
knew  him  to  be  a  man  of  sterling  integrity,  of  steadfast  purpose  and  of 
unquestioned  honor.  He  married  Miss  Ann  Wilson,  a  native  of  Clin- 
ton county,  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  Amos  Wilson,  also  of  the  same 
county.  Her  father  was  a  Baptist  minister  and  was  of  Welsh  descent. 
Mrs.  Coulter  lived  to  be  eighty-three  years  of  age.  In  the  family  were 
seven  children,  all  of  whom  were  born  in  Howard  township,  Cass  county, 
and  of  this  number  two  sons  and  two  daughters  are  yet  living,  namely : 
Margaret,  the  wife  of  Ephraim  White,  who  is  living  upon  the  old  Coul- 
-  ter  homestead  in  Howard  township;  John,  a  prominent  politician  and 
farmer,  who  resides  in  the  same  township;  William  H.,  of  this  review r 
and  Sarah  A.,  the  wife  of  James  Douglas,  of  Marion,  Indiana.  ^ 

Mr.  Coulter  is  the  sixth  child  and  youngest  son  in  the  family.  No 
event  of  special  importance  occurred  to  vary  the  routine  of  farm  life 
for  him  in  his  youth.  He  was  reared  upon  the  old  family  homestead 
in  Howard  township  and  early  became  familiar  with  the  best  methods 
of  tilling  the  soil  and  caring  for  the  stock.  He  resided  upon  the  farm^ 
until  1892,  when  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  Cass  county  and  the  same 
year  took  up  his  abode  in  Cassopolis.  Following  the  expiration  of  his 
term  of  service  he  made  a  trip  to  California,  where  he  remained  from 
January  until  April,  enjoying  the  mild  climate  and  the  beauties  of  that 
sunny  land.  He  then  returned  to  his  farm  in  Howard  township,  where 
he  again  lived  for  two  years,  when  he  once  more  took  up  his  abode  in 
Cassopolis.  Here  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  grain  trade  in  company 
with  James  Johnson,  which  partnership  continued  for  a  year,  since  which 
time  Mr.  Coulter  has  had  different  partners.  He  is  now  associated  with 
John  Atkison  under  the  firm  style  of  Coulter  &  Atkison,  grain  ship- 
pers. He  has  done  quite  a  large  business  and  has  thereby  provided  an 
excellent  market  for  local  producers.  He  deals  in  grain,  produce  and 
coal  and  has  a  large  patronage,  so  that  he  makes  extensive  sales  an- 
nually. He  also  owns  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-seven  acres  in 
Jefferson  township,  which  is  valuable  and  productive  land  and  returns 
to  him  a  good  income. 

Mr.  Coulter  was  united  in  marriage  on  the  4th  of  January,  1866, 
to  Miss  Abigail  Vary,  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Mary  (Rogers) 
Vary,  who  was  born  in  Oneida  county,  New  York,  near  Rome  and  came 
to  Cass  county  in  t86o  when  she  was  twelve  years  of  age.  She  died  in 
1893  during  her  husband's  incumbency  in  the  office  of  sheriff,  and  on  the 


638  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

3rd  of  January,  1895,  Mr.  Coulter  was  again  married,  his  second  union 
being  with  Addie  Smith,  a  daughter  of  D.  B.  and  Charlotte  Smith.  They 
have  no  children  of  their  own,  but  have  adopted  a  daughter,  Maria  W. 
Mr.  Coulter  has  ever  manifested  the  interest  of  a  public  spirited  citizen 
in  all  matters  relating  to  the  general  welfare,  and  he  exercises  his  right 
of  franchise  in^  support  of  the  men  and  measures  of  the  Republican 
party.  He  desires  general  advancement  and  improvement  along  lines 
of  permanent  good,  and  in  his  views  relating  to  the  public  welfare  he 
is  practical  as  well  as  progressive.  He  holds  membership  in  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church,  of  which  he  is  a  trustee  and  in  the  work  of 
which  he  takes  an  active  and  helpful  part. 

DAVID  CLARENCE  THICKSTUN. 

David  Clarence  Thickstun,  a  well  known  dealer  in  lumber  and  coal 
in  Cassopolis,  was  born  in  Cassewago,  Crawford  county,  Pennsylvania, 
on  the  26th  of  May,  1850.  His  father,  David  Thickstun,  was  a  native 
of  the  same  locality  and  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  His  death  oc- 
curred at  the  place  of  his  nativity  when  he  was  about  sixty  years  of 
age.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Nancy  Erwin,  was  also 
a  native  of  Crawford  county,  where  she  died  when  fifty-seven  years  of 
age.     In  their  family  were  six  children,  who  reached  adult  age. 

David^  C.  Thickstun,  the  youngest,  was  reared  under  the  parental 
roof,  remaining  at  home  until  twenty-three  years  of  age,  when,  think- 
ing that  he  might  have  better  business  opportunities  in  the  middle  west, 
he  made  his  way  to  Lapeer,  Michigan,  where  he  secured  a  position  as 
bookkeeper  in  the  employ  of  J.  L.  Beringer  &  Company,  dealers  in  lum- 
ber. He  continued  with  that  house  until  his  removal  to  Cassopolis  to 
take  charge  of  a  branch  lumber  yard  here.  After  two  years  he  was 
admitted  to  a  partnership  in  the  business  in  Cassopolis  by  Mr.  Beringer, 
this  relationship  being  maintained  for  about  two  years,  when  he  pur- 
chased his  partner's  interest,  being  alone  in  business  until  1905,  when 
he  admitted  his  son-in-law,  Frank  E.  Arnold,  to  a  partnership  under  the 
firm  style  of  Thickstun  &  Arnold.  Mr.  Thickstun  has  now  been  engaged 
in  the  lumber  business  in  Cassopolis  for  twenty-seven  years  and  is  one 
of  the  best  known  and  most  prominent  business  men  of  the  town,  hav- 
ing a  liberal  patronage,  which  is  accorded  him  in  recognition  of  his 
straightforward  and  honorable  dealing,  his  reasonable  prices  and  his 
earnest  efforts  to  please  his  customers. 

Mr.  Thickstun  married  Miss  Hattie  May  Rogers,  a  daughter  of 
Stilman  M.  Rogers,  who  was  born  in  Mexico,  New  York.  Her  mother 
bore  the  maiden  name  of  Sarah  Runkle  and  was  a  native  of  Paterson, 
New  Jersey.  Mr.  Rogers  departed  this  life  at  the  age  of  fifty-seven 
years  and  his  wife  when  fifty-eight  years  of  age.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  ten  children,  five  sons  and  five  daughters,  of  whom  Mrs.  Thick- 
stun is  the  youngest.     Unto  our  subject  and  his  wife  have  been  born  two 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  639 

daughters:  Elnora,  the  wife  of  Frank  E.  Arnold,  who  is  engaged  in 
business  with  her  father;  and  Irma,  the  wife  of  Vernon  Tourje,  who  is 
abstract  clerk  in  the  Grand  Trunk  freight  office  at  Durand,  Michigan. 

In  his  political  affiliation  Mr.  Thickstun  is  a  Democrat,  while  fra- 
ternally he  is  a  prominent  Mason.  He  has  taken  the  degrees  of  the 
lodge,  chapter  and  commander}^,  is  also  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine 
and  belongs  to  the  Benevolent  &  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  also  to 
an  organization  of  lumbermen,  the  Hoo  Hoos.  He  has  been  a  represen- 
tative of  the  lumber  trade  in  Michigan  for  over  thirty  years  and  is  thor- 
oughly informed  concerning  the  business  in  all  its  departments.  He 
has  from  the  beginning  of  his  residence  in  Cassopolis  enjoyed  a  con- 
stantly increasing  trade  and  his  excellent  business  qualifications  and  en- 
terprise combined  with  strong  purpose  and  unfaltering  diligence  have 
constituted  tiie  source  of  his  prosperity.  He  found  in  the  middle  west 
the  business  opportunities  he  sought,  and  by  the  improvement  of  his 
advantages  made  steady  progress  until  he  is  now  classed  with  the  sub- 
stantial and  prosperous  residents  of  Cass  county. 

JONATHAN  H.  RENCH. 

Jonathan  H.  Rench,  formerly  identified  with  agricultural  interests 
and  now  a  well  known  resident  of  Cassopolis,  was  born  in  Clark  county, 
Ohio,  January  lo,  1842.  His  father,  Daniel  Rench,  was  a  native  of 
the  Buckeye  state  and  came  to  Cass  county  in  1856.  Two  years  after- 
ward he  removed  to  Calhoun  county,  Michigan,  where  his  remaining 
days  were  passed.  He  was  a  farmer  and  miller,  devoting  his  entire  life 
to  the  milling  business,  while  in  Ohio  and  in  Michigan  he  gave  his  atten- 
tion to  the  tilling  of  the  soil.  His  father  was  of  a  Pennsylvania  Dutch 
family.  Daniel  Rench  reached  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-seven  years 
ere  he  was  called  to  his  final  rest  in  Calhoun  county.  His  wife  bore 
the  maiden  name  of  Mary  Williams,  was  a  native  of  Ohio  and  died  in 
Calhoun  county,  Michigan,  in  the  eighty-fifth  year  of  her  age.  In  their 
family  were  twelve  children,  of  whom  two  passed  away  in  childhood, 
while  ten  reached  mature  years  and  seven  are  now  living. 

Jonathan  H.  Rench  is  the  ninth  child  in  his  father's  family  and 
was  sixteen  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  Cass  county.  Here  he  began 
working  by  the  month  as  a  farm  hand  and  he  has  since  been  dependent 
upon  his  own  resources,  so  that  he  may  well  be  termed  a  self-made 
man,  who  as  the  architect  of  his  own  fortunes  has  builded  wisely  and 
well.  It  was  about  the  time  of  his  arrival  in  Cass  county  that  he  cast 
his  first  presidential  vote  supporting  the  Democratic  nominee  for  presi- 
dent and  he  has  never  failed  to  vote  at  a  presidential  election  since  that 
time. 

In  1863  Mr.  Rench  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Percilla  J. 
Thorp,  a  daughter  of  Laben  and  Lydia  (Reams)  Thorp,  who  came  to 
Cass  county  at  an  early  epoch  in  its  development.     Mrs.   Rench  was 


640  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

bom  in  Jefferson  township,  Cass  county,  on  the  4th  of  January,  1846, 
and  has  spent  her  entire  Hfe  here.  At  the  time  of  their  marriage  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Rench  located  on  a  farm  in  Jefferson  township,  their  home 
being  a  log  house  in  which  they  lived  in  pioneer  style.  He  continued 
farming  there  for  about  ten  years,  when  he  removed  to  Cassopolis  and 
for  a  time  w^as  in  the  employ  of  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  Com- 
pany. Later,  however,  he  turned  his  attention  tO'  the  butchering  busi- 
ness, which  he  followed  for  eleven  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he 
invested  his  capital  in  fifty-five  acres  of  land  about  a  mile  and  a  quarter 
south  of  Cassopolis.  There  he  carried  on  farming,  but  at  a  more  recent 
date  he  sold  the  property  and  now  lives  just  outside  the  corporation 
limits  of  Cassopolis.  His  life  has  been  active,  his  years  characterized 
by  enterprise  and  diligence  and  he  is  now  in  possession  of  a  comfortable 
competence  which  has  come  to  him  through  his  own  labors. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rench  have  been  born  four  children :  Capitola, 
now^  the  wife  of  H.  D.  Badgley,  of  Cassopolis ;  Grant,  who  is  living  in 
Battle  Creek,  Michigan ;  Verna,  the  wife  of  S.  S.  Albright,  of  Sacra- 
mento, California ;  and  Delpha,  who  is  at  home.  Mr.  Rench  has  been  a 
lifelong  Democrat,  and  for  fourteen  years  he  has  filled  the  office  of 
supervisor  of  roads.  He  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Maccabees  fratern- 
ity, and  has  a  wide  acquaintance  in  Cass  county,  where  for  forty-nine 
years  he  has  made  his  home,  taking  an  active  and  helpful  interest  in  its 
public  affairs.  He  has  rejoiced  in  what  has  been  accomplished  as  the 
conditions  of  pioneer  life  have  been  done  away  with, through  the  efforts 
of  the  enterprising  citizens  in  behalf  of  general  improvement  and  ad- 
vancement. He  has  never  sought  to  figure  prominently  in  official  cir- 
cles, but  has  been  content  to  perform  his  daily  duty  and  found  in  labor 
the  reward  which  has  made  him  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of  his 
community,  now  enabling  him  to  live  a  retired  life. 

ZADOK  JARVIS. 

Few  residents  of  Cass  county  have  resided  longer  within  its  bor- 
ders than  has  Zadok  Jarvis,  who  for  almost  seventy-three  years  has  been 
a  citizen  here,  watching  with  interest  its  growth  and  development  as 
great  changes  have  occurred.  He  has  been  a  witness  of  its  various 
transition  stages  as  the  evidences  of  pioneer  life  were  replaced  by  the 
indications  of  a  more  advanced  civilization  and  as  the  county  has  taken 
on  all  of  the  improvements  of  our  modern  day  prosperity  and  progress. 
His  mind  goes  back  to  the  time  when  Cassopolis  was  but  a  small  village 
and  other  cities  of  the  county  had  not  yet  sprung  into  existence  or  were 
but  mere  hamlets.  He  remembers  where  there  were  great  stretches  of 
forest  where  now  are  seen  fields  of  waving  grain,  for  much  of  the  land 
at  that  time  was  still  in  possession  of  the  government  and  only  here 
and  there  was  a  little  cabin  to  indicate  that  the  work  of  clearing  and 
<ievelopment  had  been  begun.     There  was  much'  hard  labor  to  be  done 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  641 

in  those  early  days,  for  the  improved  farm  machinery  of  the  present 
time  was  unknown  and  much  of  the  work  had  to  be  done  by  hand.  Few 
of  the  household  comforts  now  so  common  were  then  enjoyed,  but 
there  was  a  spirit  of  hospitality  abroad  in  pioneer  districts  that  made 
those  early  homes  notable.  As  a  representative  pioneer  settler  Mr.  Jar- 
vis  certainly  deserves  mention  in  this  volume. 

He  was  born  four  miles  south  of  Richmond  in  Wayne  county,  In- 
diana, on  the  15th  of  December,  1827,  a  son  of  Zadok  and  Lucy 
(Owens)  Jarvis^  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  North  Carolina,  born  in 
Rowan  county.  After  living  for  some  time  in  Indiana  the  father  came 
with  his  family  to  Cass  county  in  1833,  locating  first  in  LaGrange  town- 
ship. He  was  a  lifelong  farmer,  always  following  that  occupation  in 
order  to  provide  for  those  dependent  upon  him  for  support.  In  many 
ways  he  was  identified  with  the  improvement  and  upbuilding  of  the 
county  and  aided  in  laying  broad  and  deep  the  foundation  upon  which 
has  been  builded  the  present  superstructure  of  progress  and  prosperity. 
He  voted  with  the  Democracy,  was  fearless  in  support  of  his  honest 
convictions  and  was  regarded  as  a  man  whom  to  know  was  to  respect 
and  honor.  His  death  occurred  in  his  sixty-eighth  year,  while  his  widow 
reached  the  very  advanced  age  of  ninety-seven  years,  being  perhaps  the 
oldest  citizen  of  Cass  county  at  the  time  of  her  demise.  In  the  family  of 
this  worthy  couple  were  seven  children,  four  sons  and  three  daughters, 
all  of  whom  reached  mature  years,  married  and  reared  families  of  their 
own  with  the  exception  of  one  sister,  who  was  married  but  had  no 

children. 

Mr.  Jarvis  of  this  review  was  the  sixth  child  and  youngest  son, 
and  was  a  little  lad  of  six  summers  when  he  came  with  his  parents  to 
Cass  county,  Michigan.  He  can  remember  many  incidents  of  those  early 
days— incidents  which  became  important  factors  in  the  history  of  the 
county.  His  education  was  obtained  in  the  pioneer  schools  and  he  re- 
ceived ample  training  at  farm  labor,  taking  his  place  in  the  fields  as 
Qoon  as  old  enough  to  handle  the  plow.  He  remained  with  his  father 
until  the  latter's  death  and  in  fact  he  is  the  only  surviving  member  of 
the  familv.  In  185 1  he  was  married  to  Miss  Rebecca  Simpson,  whose 
birth  occurred  in  Cass  county,  her  parents  being  Elias  and  Rachel 
Simpson,  who  were  pioneer  settlers  of  this  part  of  the  state. 

Immediatelv  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Jarvis  located  upon  the  farm 
upon  which  he  now  resides,  and  it  has  been  his  home  almost  continuously 
since  save  that  he  spent  about  three  years  in  Dowagiac.  The  farm  Avas 
covered  with  timber  or  stumps  at  the  time  it  came  into  his  possession 
and  he  entered  upon  the  difficult  task  of  preparing  the  fields  for  the 
plow.  He  has  cleared  most  of  the  farm  himself  and  for  fifty-four  years 
has  lived  in  LaGrange  township,  working  earnestly  and  persistently  year 
after  year  and  gaining  through  his  unfaltering  purpose  and  capable  man- 
agement the  reward  of  all  well-directed  labor.     He  now  owns  one  hun- 


642  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

dred  and  twenty  acres  of  good  land  and  in  1905  he  gave  to  his  son 
John  eighty  acres  of  land. 

Unto  Mr.  Jarvis  by  his  first  marriage  were  born  five  children, 
namely:  Henry,  Helen,  Francis,  Almanson  and  Almira,  the  last  two 
being  twins.  Having  lost  his  first  wife  Mr.  Jarvis  was  again  married, 
his  second  union  being  with  Margaret  Cudderback.  They  became  the 
parents  of  four  children :    Zed,  John  and  two  who  are  now  deceased. 

Mr.  Jarvis  voted  with  the  Republican  party  until  1872,  when  he 
became  a  Democrat.  He  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  township  board, 
was  at  one  time  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  belongs  to  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Dowagiac.  An  honorable  and  straight- 
forward life  characterized  by  recognition  of  the  rights  of  others  in  busi- 
ness has  made  Mr.  Jarvis  one  of  the  esteemed  and  prominent  old  settlers 
of  LaGrange  township.  He  can  remember  the  days  when  the  pioneers 
had  to  go  long  distances  to  market  or  mill  and  often  over  roads  that  in 
certain  seasons  of  the  year  were  almost  impassable.  There  were  no 
railroads  and  all  communication  with  the  outside  world  was  made  by 
private  conveyance  or  by  stage.  The  most  far  sighted  would  not  have 
dreamed  that  there  would  one  day  be  a  rural  mail  route  and  that  there 
would  be  telephonic  connections  between  the  towns  and  the  farm  homes. 
As  we  look  back  and  think  of  the  conditions  that  existed  in  those  early 
days  the  change  seems  marvelous,  and  yet  it  has  resulted  from  the  care- 
ful, laborious  effort  of  the  settlers  who  have  been  men  of  enterprising 
spirit  and  have  kept  pace  with  the  uniform  progress  and  improvement 
here.  Mr.  Jarvis  has  made  continual  advancement  in  his  business  ca- 
reer, keeping  in  touch  with  ideas  of  modern  farming  and  as  the  years 
have  gone  by  he  has  prospered  in  his  undertakings. 

WILLIAM  H.  C.  HALE. 

William  H.  C.  Hale,  county  commissioner  of  schools  and  a  resi- 
dent of  Cassopolis,  was  born  in  Wells  county,  Indiana,  on  the  6th  of 
July,  T853.  In  the  paternal  line  he  comes  of  Scotch  and  English  ances- 
try. His  grandfather,  Henry  Hale,  was  a  native  of  Maryland,  born  in 
1787,  whence  he  removed  to  Jefferson  county,  Ohio,  there  devoting  his 
time  and  energies  to  farming  until  his  later  years,  when  he  put  aside 
active  business  cares.  He  died  in  the  ninety-fourth  year  of  his  age. 
Stephen  Hale,  father  of  our  subject,  was  bom  in  Jefferson  county,  Ohio, 
was  reared  to  the  occupation  of  farming  and  made  that  pursuit  his  life 
work.  Removing  westward,  he  became  one  of  the  early  residents  of 
Wells  county  Indiana,  where  he  settled  about  1840,  and  in  January, 
1S64,  he  removed  to  Cass  county,  Michigan,  taking  up  his  abode  in  Cal- 
vin township,  where  he  was  engaged  in  general  agricultural  pursuits  up 
to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  when  he  was  sixty-six  years  of 
age.  Realizing  the  value  of  education,  he  was  deeply  interested  in  the 
cause  of  public  instruction,  and  for  some  years  served  as  a  school  di- 
rector.    In  politics  he  was  a  lifelong  Republican.     He  wedded  Miss 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  643 

Nancy  Reed,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  a  daughter  of  Arthur  Reed, 
who  was  born  in  Ireland.  Mrs.  Hale  passed  away  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
five  years.  By  her  marriage  she  had  become  the  mother  of  eleven  chil- 
dren, seven  daughters  and  four  sons,  of  which  number  seven  reached 
adult  age. 

Professor  William  H.  C.  Hale  of  this  review  was  the  third  son  and 
tenth  cliild.  He  was  reared  in  his  native  county  until  ten  years  of  age, 
when  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Cass  county,  and  after  acquiring  his 
preliminary  education  in  the  district  schools  he  entered  the  State  Nor- 
mal College  at  Ypsilanti,  Michigan,  completing  the  common  school 
course  in  1878.  He  then  engaged  in  teaching  school  for  several  years 
in  Cass  county,  after  which  he  returned  to  Ypsilanti  in  1889  and  com- 
pleted the  regular  normal  course  by  graduation  in  1891,  having  finished 
the  assigned  work  in  the  literary  and  scientific  departments.  He  re- 
ceived a  teacher's  life  certificate  for  the  state  of  Michigan  and  for  three 
years  he  was  principal  of  the  Ouinnesec  school,  after  which  he  returned 
and  taught  in  Cass  county  for  about  four  years.  He  was  then  elected 
county  commissioner  of  schools  in  1901  and  was  re-elected  in  1903,  so 
that  he  is  still  holding  the  office.  He  has  made  a  close  and  earnest  study 
of  the  needs  and  possibilities  of  the  schools  and  his  efforts  in  this  direc- 
tion have  been  attended  with  gratifying  success,  for  under  his  guidance 
the  standard  of  the  schools  has  been  raised  and  good  work  has  been 
done. 

Other  political  offices  and  honors  have  been  conferred  upon  Pro- 
lessor  Hale,  who  for  four  years  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  in  Cal- 
vin township.  His  decisions  were  strictly  fair  and  impartial  and  he 
proved  a  capable  officer.  He  was  also  school  inspector  in  the  same 
township  for  six  years  and  in  1900  he  took  the  United  States  census 
in  Calvin  township.  In  1884  he  was  the  Republican  candidate  for  coun- 
ty clerk,  but  that  year  witnessed  a  Democratic  landslide  and  he  failed 
of  election.  He  is  now  and  for  some  years  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Republican  county  central  committee  and  does  all  in  his  power  to  pro- 
mote the  growth  and  insure  the  success  of  his  party.  His  entire  life 
has  been  devoted  to  educational  work  and  official  duties,  and  over  the 
record  of  his  public  and  private  career  there  falls  no  shadow  of  wrong, 
for  his  labors  have  been  characterized  by  an  unquestioned  fidelity  to 
duty.  Earnest  effort,  close  application  and  the  exercise  of  his  native 
talents  won  him  prestige  as  an  educator,  while  his  personal  characteris- 
tics have  made  him  a  popular  citizen. 

ALLEN  M.  KINGSBURY. 

Allen  M.  Kingsbury,  resides  on  section  29,  LaGrange  township, 
where  he  owns  and  controls  valuable  farming  interests  and  in  addition 
to  carrying  on  agricultural  pursuits  he  is  also  acting  as  vice-president 
of  the  First  National  Bank  of  CassopoHs.     He  represents  one  of  the 


644  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

oldest  and  most  prominent  pioneer  families  of  Cass  county.  The  stu- 
dent of  history  cannot  carry  his  investigations  far  into  the  annals  of 
this  county  without  learning  of  the  close,  valuable  and  honorable  con- 
nection of  the  Kingsburys  with  the  events  which  have  molded  the  pol- 
icy and  shaped  the  development  of  this  part  of  the  state.  His  father 
was  Asa  Kingsbury,  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  who  came  to'  Michigan 
when  much  of  this  district  was  wild  and  unimproved.  In  his  family 
were  thirteen  children,  seven  sons  and  six  daughters,  of  whom  Allen 
M.  Kingsbury  is  the  third  child  and  second  son.  He  was  born  upon  the 
old  homestead  farm  in  LaGrange  township  and  was  there  reared  to 
manhood,  acquiring  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Oak  Grove,  Cass- 
opolis  and  Jackson  townships.  When  not  busy  with  his  text-books  he 
aided  in  the  work  of  field  and  meadow  and  continued  to  assist  his  father 
in  the  operation  of  the  home  farm^  until  twenty-one  years  of  age,  when 
he  started  out  in  life  on  his  own  account,  following  the  pursuit  to  which 
he  had  been  reared.  He  became  an  energetic  agriculturist  of  LaGrange 
township  and  as  the  years  have  gone  by  has  carefully  conducted  his 
farming  interests.  After  his  marriage  he  located  upon  the  old  home- 
stead for  a  year  and  then  removed  to  the  farm  upon  which  he  now 
resides  and  which  has  since  been  his  place  of  residence.  It  comprises 
two  hundred  acres  of  rich  and  arable  land,  which  responds  readily  to 
the  care  and  cultivation  that  is  bestowed  upon  it.  He  is  both  practical 
and  progressive  in  his  methods,  is  methodical  arid  systematic  in  his  work 
and  keeps  in  touch  with  the  most  advanced  ideas  of  modern  farming. 
He  is  also  numbered  among  the  stockholders  of  the  First  National  Bank 
of  Cassopolis  and  is  now  serving  as  its  vice-president. 

In  1877  Mr.  Kingsbury  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  May  L. 
Haynes,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Jackson  county,  Michigan,  and 
by  this  marriage  five  children  have  been  born:  Floy,  who  is  now  the 
wife  of  Fred  B.  I^mb,  a  resident  of  Perth  Amboy,  New  Jersey;  Jessie 
who  is  engaged  in  teaching  in  Lewistown,  Montana ;  Alberta,  who  is  a 
teacher  in  New  Jersey;  Allen  W.,  who  is  assisting  his  father  in  the  work 
of  the  home  farm ;  and  Catharine,  who  is  attending  school  in  Cassopolis. 
All  are  natives  of  Cass  county  and  were  reared  upon  the  old  family 
homestead. 

Mr.  Kingsbury  has  likewise  spent  his  entire  life  in  Cass  county 
and  is  a  w^orthy  representative  of  one  of  its  most  honored  and  promi- 
nent pioneer  families,  and  his  lines  of  life  have  been  cast  in  harmony 
therewith.  He  has  always  stood  for  good  citizenship  and  for  all  that 
is  straightforward  in  man's  relations  with  his  fellow  men,  and  he  re- 
ceives and  merits  the  confidence  and  good  will  of  those  with  whom  he 
has  been  associated.  Since  age  conferred  upon  him  the  right  of  fran- 
chise he  has  voted  for  the  men  who  are  pledged  to  support  the  princi- 
ples of  Democracy.  He  served  as  township  treasurer  of  LaGrange 
township  and  has  also  been  justice  of  the  peace,  rendering  decisions  in 
that  office  that  were  strictly  fair  and  impartial.     In  the  Masonic  fra- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  645 

temity  he  has  attained  the  Knight  Templar  degree  and  he  is  ever  true 
to  the  teachings  of  the  craft  whose  principles  make  for  good  citizenship 
and  for  honorable  manhood. 

REV.  O.  P.  MILLER. 

Rev.  O.  P.  Miller  is  active  in  both  church  and  temperance  work 
and  his  influence  has  ever  been  for  the  uplifting  and  benefit  of  his  fel- 
lowmen.  There  is  in  him  an  abiding  sympathy  and  charity  which  have 
won  for  him  the  deserved  confidence  and  good  will  of  his  fellow  towns- 
men and  his  efiforts  have  been  a  moving  force  in  the  moral  development 
of  the  community  in  which  he  has  long  made  his  home.  He  was  born 
in  Jefiferson  township,  Cass  county,  Michigan,  on  the  20th  of  Febru- 
ary, 1847,  his  parents  being  the  Rev.  John  P.  and  Mary  (Shrum)  Mil- 
ler, prominent  and  honored  residents  of  this  part  of  the  state.  In  their 
family  were  the  following  named :  Mrs.  Sarah  Garvy;  Adam,  de- 
ceased; Martha,  the  widow  of  Jeremiah  Keneston  and  a  resident  of  Jef- 
ferson township,  Cass  county;  Mrs.  Lydia  Weaver,  who  died  in  1898; 
Rev.  B.  R.  Miller,  who  is  living  in  Goshen,  Indiana;  Susan,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  thirteen  years;  O.  P.,  of  this  review;  and  Leander,  de- 
ceased. 

As  the  above  record  indicates,  Rev.   O.  P.   Miller  is  next  to  the 
youngest  of  the  family.     His  boyhood  days  were  quietly  passed  in  the 
usual  manner  of  farm  lands.     He  was  reared  in  Jefiferson  township  and 
his  education  was  acquired  in  the  common  schools.     When  not  busy 
with  his  text-books  he  often  aided  in  the  work  of  the  fields,  and  he  re- 
mained with  his  father  up  to  the  time  of  his  marriage,  which  event  was 
celebrated  on  the  20th  of  November,  1864,  Miss  Jane  Wade  becoming 
his  wife.     She  was  born  in  Canada  but  was  reared  in  Illinois  and  Mich- 
igan, her  parents  being  William  B.  and  Anna   (Gilmore)   Wade,  who 
removed  from  Canada  to  Illinois  and  afterward  came  to  this  state.    Mr. 
and   Mrs.   Miller  began  their  domestic  life  upon  a  farm  in  Jefiferson 
township,  where  they  resided  until  1881,  in  which  year  they  took  up 
their  abode  in  LaGrange  township,  two  miles  west  of  Cassopolis.     There 
Mr  Miller  carried  on  farming  until  1891,  in  which  year  he  was  ordained 
to  the  ministry  of  the  Christian  church  and  he  has  since  devoted  his 
life  to  preaching  the  gospel     He  is  now  located  in  Cassopolis.     He 
comes  of   a   family  of  ministers,   there  having  been  many  clergymen 
among  the  Miller  family.     In  the  father's  family  there  were  four  broth- 
ers who  became  preachers  of  the  word,  most  of  them  being  connected 
with  the  Church  of  the  Disciples  or  Christian  church.    ^  ^ 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  have  been  born  three  children :  ^  Edwin, 
who  is  living  in  Cassopolis;  Anna  O.,  now  the  wife  of  Lewis  Cays, 
of  the  same  city;  and  Alva,  who  is  at  home.  They  also  reared  two 
adopted  children,  Charles  Wade  and  Addie  Miller,  both  of  whom  be- 
came members  of  the  household  in  infancy. 


646 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 


At  one  time  Mr.  Miller  was  a  stanch  advocate  of  Democratic  prin- 
ciples but  in  later  years  has  been  associated  with  the  Prohibition  party, 
which  embodies  his  views  on  the  temperance  question.  He  has  done 
all  in  his  power  to  promulgate  temperance  principles  and  has  been  very 
active  in  the  work  of  the  church.  He  is  an  earnest  and  conscientious 
minister  of  the  gospel,  laboring  untiringly  for  the  adoption  of  the  relig- 
ious principles  in  which  he  believes  and  his  efforts  have  carried  consid- 
erable weight  and  influence  in  the  community.  All  who  know  him  re- 
spect him  for  his  fidelity  and  for  his  courageous  expression  of  the  views 
which  he  entertains  and  he  has  won  the  love  and  confidence  of  many 
by  his  sympathy  and  his  earnest  work  in  behalf  of  those  who  have 
needed  not  only  spiritual  but  material  aid  as  well. 

NELSON  J.  CROSBY. 

Nelson  J.  Crosby,  one  of  the  widely  known  citizens  of  Cass  county, 
who  has  figured  quite  prominently  in  political  affairs  and  is  now  engaged 
in  dealing  in  horses  in  Cassopolis  and  is  also  a  well  known  real  estate 
agent,  was  born  in  Lenawee  county,  Michigan,  on  the  3rd  of  February, 
1847,  and  is  descended  from  Irish  ancestry.     The  family,  however,  was 
founded  in  America  at  an  early  day,  the  grandfather,  William,  Crosby, 
having  been  a  native  of  New  York.     The  father,  Asaph  Crosby,  was 
also  born  in  that  state  and  settled  in  Lenawee  county  in  1835,  becoming 
one  of  its  pioneer  residents.     He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  devoting 
his  entire  life  to  that  pursuit,  and  on  his  removal  to  Cass  county  in 
1856  he  located  upon  a  farm  in  Penn  township,  which  he  greatly  im- 
proved, bringing  it  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  transforming 
it  into  a  valuable  tract.     He  lived  a  life  of  well-directed  energy  and 
unfaltering  enterprise.    In  early  manhood  he  wedded  Julia  Holmes,  who 
was  a  native  of  New  York  and  was  also  of  Irish  descent.     She  died  in 
1852  in  Lenawee  county  and  Mr.   Crosby  survived  for  twenty  years, 
passing  away  in  Cass  county  in  1872  when  more  than  sixty-six  vears 
of  age. 

Nelson  J.  Crosby  was  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth  in  a  family  of 
eight  children,  five  sons  and  three  daughters,  all  of  whom  reached  man- 
hood or  womanhood.  He  was  about  nine  years  of  age  at  the  time  of 
the  removal  of  his  father  to  Cass  county,  and  upon  the  old  family  home- 
stead in  Penn  township  he  spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth, 
acquiring  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Vandalia.  He  has  largely  been 
dependent  upon  his  own  resources  from  the  age  of  seven  years.  He 
was  only  five  years  old  at  the  time  of  his  mother's  death,  and  about  two 
years  later  he  began  working,  since  which  time  he  has  provided  largely 
for  his  dwn  support,  doing  any  labor  for  which  his  age  and  strength 
permitted  him  upon  the  farms  of  the  neighborhood.  Thinking  that  he 
would  find  other  occupation  more  congenial,  when  eighteen  years  of 
age  he  began  learning  the  cooper's  trade,  serving  an  apprenticeship  of 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  647 

one  year,  during  which  time  he  received  only  his  board  in  compensa- 
tion for  his  services.  He  afterward  worked  for  a  year  as  a  journey- 
man and  then  purchased  the  shop  in  which  he  had  learned  the  trade, 
thus  becoming  a  factor  in  the  business  life  of  Vandalia.  He  carried  on 
the  business  there  for  about  twelve  years,  meeting  with  good  success, 
after  which  he  disposed  of  his  shop  and  resumed  farming  operations, 
becoming  an  agriculturist  of  Penn  township,  where  he  engaged  in  till- 
ing the  soil  for  seven  years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  re- 
moved to  Cassopolis  and  was  appointed  undersheriff  under  Sheriff  Mac- 
intosh, occupying  that  position  for  four  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time 
he  was  elected  village  marshal  and  served  for  two  years.  He  then 
again  became  undersheriff  under  Sheriff  W.  H.  Coulter  and  after  two 
years  was  elected  sheriff  in  1896,  filling  the  office  for  one  term.  His 
previous  experience  as  undersheriff  had  well  qualified  him  for  the  posi- 
tion, the  duties  of  which  he  discharged  with  promptness  and  fidelity. 
Since  his  retirement  from  office  he  has  been  engaged  in  dealing  in 
horses  and  has  also  engaged  in  real  estate  operations,  handling  consid- 
erable valuable  property.  .  ,,.      -.t 

In  Tune,  1872,  Mr.  Crosby  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary 
Snyder,  a  daughter  of  Peter  Snyder.  He  has  been  a  stanch  Republican 
and  served  as  constable  in  Penn  township  for  a  number  of  y^rs  in 
addition  to  the  offices  previously  mentioned.  His  fraternal  relations 
are  with  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Masons.  He  has  taken  the  degrees 
of  the  lodge,  chapter  and  commandery,  in  which  he  has  filled  some  of 
the  offices,  and  he  is  also  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  having  crossed 
the  sands  of  the  desert  with  the  nobles  of  that  ancient  Arabic  order. 
Through  much  of  his  life  he  has  resided  in  Cass  county,  bang  identi- 
fied with  its  interests  and  giving  helpful  co-operation  to  many  move- 
ments that  have  been  of  direct  and  permanent  good  to  the  community. 

WILLIAM  C.  McCUTCHEON,  M.  D. 

By  the  consensus  of  public  opinion  Dr.  William  C.  McCutcheon 
is  accorded  a  creditable  position  as  a  representative  of  the  medical  fra- 
ternity of  Cass  county.  He  is  practicing  successfully  in  Cassopolis, 
where  he  is  accorded  a  liberal  patronage,  and  in  the  conscientious  per- 
formance of  his  duties  he  is  rendering  valuable  aid  to  his  fellowmen, 
while  his  fellow  members  of  the  medical  fraternity  recognize  his  de- 
votion to  a  high  standard  of  professional  ethics.  .  ,  ^  ^ 

Dr  McCutcheon  was  born  on  Seeley's  Bay  in  the  province  of  Onta- 
rio. Camda,  December  29,  1870,  and  is  the  eldest  in  a  family  of  three 
children,  whose  parents  were  James  and  Sarah  (Collmson)  McCutdi- 
eon,  the  former  a  native  of  Scotland  and  the  latter  o^  America.  ^  Dr 
McCutcheon  was  reared  in  the  place  of  his  nativity  and  continued  h^s 
education  in  the  Sydenham  High  School  and  at  the  Gananoque  Collegi- 
ate Institute,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  i8«».     ihe 


^^S  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

following  year  he  matriculated  in  Queens  University  for  the  prepara- 
tion for  the  medical  fraternity  and  after  completing  the  prescribed 
course  m  medicine  and  surgery  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of 
1894.  He  then  came  to  Cassopolis,  opening  an  office  here  on  the  i8th 
of  June  of  the  same  year,  and  has  continuously  practiced.  He  is  also 
a  licensed  physician  of  the  Royal  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 
of  Kingston  and  he  belongs  to  the  Cass  County  Medical  Association, 
the  Michigan  State  Medical  Society  and  the  American  Medical  Asso- 
ciation, thus  keeping  in  touch  with  the  onward  march  of  the  profession. 
In  1897  Dr.  McCutcheon  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Bertha 
Kingsbury,  a  representative  of  a  prominent  family  of  Cassopolis,  her 
father  being  the  late  C.  H.  Kingsbury,  who  was  one  of  the  pioneer 
settlers  of  this  county  and  a  son  of  Asa  Kingsbury.  Mrs.  McCutcheon 
was  born  in  this  county  and  has  many  warm  friends  among  those  who 
have  known  her  from  her  girlhood  days  as  well  as  among  the  acquaint- 
ances of  her  later  years.  Dr.  McCutcheon  is  a  valued  representative 
of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  in  which  he  has  attained  the  Knight  Tem- 
plar degree.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  but  is  without  aspiration 
for  office,  preferring  to  concentrate  his  energies  upon  his  professional 
duties.  He  is  now  local  surgeon  for  the  Grand  Trunk  Railroad,  and 
he  is  recognized  as  a  leading  member  of  his  profession  in  Cassopolis, 
which  is  indicative  of  the  large  measure  of  confidence  reposed  in  him 
by  his  fellow  townsmen.  There  is  perhaps  no  profession  which  calls 
for  greater  care,  precision  and  accuracy  than  does  the  practice  of  med- 
icine, where  the  issues  of  life  and  death  are  in  the  hands  of  the  physi- 
cian. ^  He  must  make  no  mistake  in  his  administration  of  remedial 
agencies  and  his  efforts  must  be  founded  upon  broad  and  comprehensive 
knowledge  of  the  scientific  principles  which  underlie  his  work.  Dr. 
McCutcheon,  with  a  keen  sense  of  conscientious  obligation,  follows  his 
chosen  calling,  rendering  valued  service  to  his  fellow  men  and  finding 
in  his  chosen  work  the  deserved  financial  reward  of  his  labor. 

HUGH  P.  GARRETT. 

The  people  of  the  younger  generation  cannot  realize  the  conditions 
which  were  met  and  the  work  which  has  been  done  by  the  early  settlers 
of  the  county.  The  traveler  of  today  noting  the  enterprising  towns  and 
villages  and  improved  farms,  the  substantial  homes  and  other  evidences 
of  prosperity  and  culture,  cannot  realize-  that  scarcely  more  than  a  half 
century  has  passed  since  the  greater  part  of  Cass  county  was  an  unde- 
veloped wilderness.  It  requires  stout  hearts  and  willing  hands  to  sub- 
due the  wilderness  and  plant  the  seeds  of  civilization  in  a  wild  district, 
and  early  settlers  certainly  deserve  the  praise  and  gratitude  of  those 
who  follow  later  and  enjoy  the  benefits  of  their  Ialx)rs.  Mr.  Garrett 
is  numbered  among  the  early  and  honored  residents  of  Cass  county, 
and  at  his  pleasant  home  on  section  31,  LaGrange  township,  is  enjoying 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  649 

the  fruits  of  his  former  toil.  His  mind  forms  a  connecting  link  be- 
tween the  primitive  past  and  the  progressive  present.  He  was  born  in 
Montgomery  county,  Ohio,  his  natal  place  being  in  Miami  township 
and  the  date  of  his'  birth  October  26,  1830.  His  father,  John  Garrett, 
was  born  near  Belfast,  Ireland,  and  when  twenty  years  of  age  crossed 
the  Atlantic  to  America,  thinking  that  he  might  enjoy  better  business 
opportunities  and  privileges  in  the  new  world  than  could  be  secured  on 
the  green  Isle  of  Erin.  He  landed  at  Philadelphia  and  made  the  jour- 
ney on  foot  across  the  Alleghany  mountains  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  whence 
he  afterward  went  to  Montgomery  county,  that  state.  He  had  no 
money  and  he  worked  at  anything  that  he  could  get  to  do  that  would 
yield  him  an  honest  living.  He  was  thus  employed  up  to  the  time  of 
his  marriage  to  Miss  Rosa  Petticrew,  a  native  of  Montgomery  county, 
Ohio.  He  then  turned  his  attention  to  farming,  and  in  partnership 
with  an  uncle  established  what  was  a  large  distillery  for  those  days  in 
Montgomery  county.  They  conducted  quite  an  extensive  business  not 
only  in  the  manufacture  of  whiskey,  but  also  engaged  largely  in  the 
raising  of  cattle  and  hogs,  which  they  fed  upon  the  refuse  of  the  dis- 
tillery. They  shipped  their  stock  by  canal  to  Cincinnati  and  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  conducted  a  prosperous  business.  At  length,  however, 
Mr.  Garrett  disposed  of  his  interests  in  Ohio  and  came  to  Michigan, 
arriving  in  Cass  county  on  the  2nd  of  April,  1848.  He  afterward  re- 
moved to  VanBuren  county,  this  state,  where  he  remained  until  called 
to  his  final  home  in  the  sixty-third  year  of  his  age.  His  widow  contin- 
ued to  reside  upon  the  old  homestead  farm  there  until  her  death,  which 
occurred  in  1878,  when  she  was  in  her  seventy-third  year.  This  worthy 
couple  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  three  sons  and  seven  daughters, 
all  of  whom  reached  adult  age  before  there  was  a  death  in  the  family. 
Five  of  the  number,  three  sons  and  two  daughters,  are  yet  living  at  this 
writing,  in  1906. 

Hugh  P.  Garrett,  the  eldest,  spent  the  first  seventeen  years  of  his 
life  in  his  native  state  and  during  that  period  worked  with  his  father 
and  attended  the  common  schools.  He  then  accompanied  his  parents 
to  Michigan,  locating  in  L^Grange  township,  Cass  county,  and  when 
about  twenty  years  of  age  he  started  out  upon  an  independent  business 
career,  since  which  time  he  has  relied  entirely  upon  his  own  efforts  for 
a  living.  Pie  was  first  employed  as  a  farm  hand  by  the  month  and  he 
also  spent  two  years  in  a  commission  warehouse  at  Lockington,  Shelby 
county,  Ohio.  Following  that  interval  he  returned  to  Cass  county  and 
here  he  sought  a  companion  and  helpmate  for  life's  journey,  being  mar- 
ried on  the  15th  of  November,  1854,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  White.  Losmg 
his  first  wife,^he  was  married  October  22,  1857,  to  Miss  Julia  A.  Dunn, 
and  unto  them  were  born  two  sons:  John  S.,  who  is^  now  a  resident 
farmer  of  Hamilton  township,  VanBuren  county,  Michigan ;  and  David 
E  who  makes  his  home  in  Fillmore  county,  Nebraska.  The  wife  and 
mother  died  October  9,  1874,  and  on  the  loth  of  April,  1876,  Mr.  Gar- 


650  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

rett  was  again  married,  Miss  Phoebe  Crawford  becoming  his  wife. 
She  died  leaving  three  children:  Charles  W.,  who  was  born  in  1877 
and  is  living  in  Howard  township;  Ralph  R,  who  also  resides  in  How- 
ard township;  and  Rosa  A.,  who  was  born  May  14,  1885,  and  died 
August  21,  1903.  Mr.  Garrett's  second  wife  had  a  son  and  daughter  by 
a  former  marriage:  William  H.  Garrett,  who  is  living  in  Nebraska; 
and  Emma  J.,  now  the  wife  of  James  McCarty,  of  Owosso,  Michigan. 
His  third  wife  had  one  daugther  by  a  former  marriage,  Mrs.  Viola  F. 
Jones,  the  wife  of  Warner  D.  Jones,  of  Cassopolis. 

At  the  time  of  his  first  marriage  Mr.  Garrett  rented  land  in  Wayne 
township,  whereon  he  resided  for  a  year.  He  afterward  lived  at  vari- 
ous places  and  he  found  his  second  wife  in  Franklin  county,  Indiana, 
where  he  resided  until  1865.  In  that  year  he  returned  to  Michigan  and 
bought  the  farm  where  he  now  resides.  In  1880  he  sold  this  property 
and  removed  to  Fillmore  county,  Nebraska,  settling  on  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres.  In  the  fall  of  1883  he  sold  this  farm  and 
returned  to  Cass  county,  where  he  purchased  the  old  homestead  upon 
which  he-  now  resides.  He  rents  his  land  at  the  present  time,  but 
gives  his  personal  supervision  to  the  property,  having  one  hundred 
and  five  acres  which  constitutes  a  valuable  farm  that  returns  him  a 
good  income.  He  has  been  a  Republican  since  the  organization  of 
the  party  ''under  the  oaks"  in  Jackson,  Michigan,  in  1854.  Previous  to 
that  time  he  had  voted  with  the  Whig  party  and  he  cast  his  first  presi- 
dential ballot  for  General  Winfield  Scott.  He  voted  twice  for  Lincoln 
and  twice  for  Grant,  also  for  McKinley,  and  in  fact  has  supported 
each  presidential  nominee  of  the  Republican  party.  He  has  kept  well 
informed  on  questions  and  issues  of  the  day  and  has  never  faltered  in 
his  allegiance  to  the  principles  which  he  espouses,  but  he  has  never 
sought  or  desired  political  preferment  for  himself.  He  was  reared  in 
the  faith  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  His  life  has  been  straightfor- 
ward, characterized  by  honesty  in  all  his  business  dealings,  and  he  is 
well  known  in  Cass  county  for  his  genuine  personal  worth. 

K  J.  RUSSEY. 

On  the  roster  of  county  officials  in  Cass  county  appears  the  name 
of  E.  J.  Russey,  who  is  serving  as  sheriff  and  who  makes  his  home  in 
Cassopolis.  His  birth  occurred  in  Howard  township  on  the  13th  of  Oc- 
tober, 1866.  His  father,  William  Russey,  was  a  native  of  Winchester, 
Tennessee,  born  in  181 1.  His  paternal  grandfather,  William  Russey, 
was  of  French  lineage  and  the  name  was  originally  DeRussey.  About 
182 1  the  grandfather  removed  with  his  family  to  Muncie,  Indiana,  where 
William  Russey,- then  a  youth  of  ten  years,  was  reared  and  educated. 
He  continued  a  resident  of  that  state  until  about  1856,  when  he  came 
to  Cass  county,  settling  at  Vandalia.  Here  he  was  engaged  in  the  hotel 
business  for  a  time,  but  later  removed  to  Howard  township,  locating 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  651 

on  a  farm,  where  he  resided  until  187/.  when  he  removed  to  Newberg 
township      There  he  carried  on  general  agricultural  pursuit,  and  his 
deltifoc^curred  there  on  the  i8th  of  March,  1892.    He  was  a  Republi(jn 
hf^lirics  and  was  justice  of  the  peace     His  -Merest  in^rnrnunity  a  - 
fairs  was  deep  and  sincere  and  arose  from  an  earnest  desire  for  public 
irogrS  and  improvement.     He  was  one  of  the  active  workers  of  the 
RepubHcan  partv  and  never  missed  an  election.     His  fraterna   rela  ion 
we?e  with  the  Masons,  and  his  life  exemplified  the  beneficent  spirit  of 
Te  cri ft  in  its  teachings  concerning  mutual  helpfulness  and  brortjeriy 
kindness.     He  lived  to  be  eighty  years  of  age  and  since  his  death  hrs 
^Lory  has  been  enshrined  in  the  hearts  of  -->, -Jjo^^^^f  J.^^ 
spected  him.     His  wife  bore  the  maiden  name  o^  ^ary  Biakeman   ana 
Te  was  a  native  of  St.  Clair  county,  Michigan,  bo'""  f^^Jj^^^S,  xS^o, 
and  in  1836  she  came  to  Cass  county  with  her  mother      Her  father 
rlntain  Lewis  G.  Brakeman,  was  drowned  in  Lake  St.   Clair  while 
comrnding  a  ve  sel.     The  mother,  Mrs.  Candace  Brakeman  afterward 
rem^ed  to  Cass  county,  settling  in  Newberg  township,  where  Mrs 
R^Iv  was  reared   the  family  being  among  the  early  pioneer  residents 
S^thatCir^M       Russey  has  watched  almost  the  entire  growth 
a^  develoC^^^  of  this  part  of  the  state,  watching  its  transition  from 
a  wilderneS^to  its  present  state  of  cultivation  and  improvement.     She 
tsnots^^nty-f..e  years  of  age  and  she  makes  her  home  wi  b  her  so„ 
F    T   Russev      She  was  married  in  this  county  and  became  the  mother 
S  five  "onT  iwo  0I  whom  are  now  deceased.    The  three  yet  living  are : 
WilHan    B     a  resident  of  Owosso,  Michigan;  Wiley,  who  is  a  twin 
Wher  of  WillSn  and  follows  farming  in  Newberg  township,  Cass 

''''''%LtALt:l^r':^^on  the  old  homestead  farm  in  Newl^g 

Ha  wood    a   da^ighter  of   William   and   Clarissa    (Easton)    Harwood 
1         ?rwn  in  N^ewbere  township  and  there  was  reared,  her  parents 
who  was  Doin  in  Aewucrg  hjwhc^    f  tjucspv  have  four 

-'  '\rLU^?s 'a^^e^ oJr^^^^^^  the  Maccabees.     He 

has  l^en  f  iffelong  resident  of  Cass  county,  being  connected  with  agri- 
cuUuXur  uits  u'ntil  called  to  public  office  w^emn  he  has  dischar^^^ 
his  dutie's  with  promptness  and  fidelity^  f '^"riwC  norTavor 
bility  that  devolves  upon  him,  he  has  displayed  "«*er  fear  nor  lavor 
in  the  exercise  of  his  duties,  and  his  course  has  made  him  a  menace  to 


652  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

all  representatives  of  the  criminal  class,  while  those  who  hold  them- 
selves amenable  to  law  regard  him  as  a  stalwart  defender  of  life,  liberty 
and  justice. 

ISAAC  S.  POUND. 

Isaac  S.  Pound  is  one  of  the  leading  old  settlers  of  Cass  county  and 
a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war.  Coming  to  southern  Michigan  at  an  early 
dav  he  has  assisted  in  making  the  county  what  it  is,  the  labors  of  the 
early  settlers  winning  for  it  a  place  among  the  leading  counties  of  this 
great  commonwealth.  His  mind  bears  the  impress  of  the  early  historic 
annals  of  southern  Michigan  and  he  can  relate  many  interesting  inci- 
dent"^ of  the  early  days  when  the  land  was  largely  unimproved  and  the 
work  of  development  had  been  scarcely  begun.  He  was  born  m  Ontario 
countv,  New  York,  September  22,  1837,  and  is  of  English  hneage.  His 
paternal  great-grandparents  came  from  England,  settling  in  New  Jer- 
sey. The  great-grandfather,  Thomas  Pound,  served  as  a  soldier  ot 
the  Revolutionary  war.  becoming  aide-de-camp  on  the  staff  of  General 
Washington  and  acting  for  a  part  of  the  time  as  staff  quartermaster. 
He  liad  three  sons,  Thomas,  Isaac  and  John.  The  second  was  the  grand- 
father of  our  subject  and  he,  too,  manifested  his  loyalty  to  his  coun- 
try bv  serving  in  the  war  of  18 12  as  a  private.  The  family  record  is 
notable  because  of  the  industry,  integrity  and  high  principles  of  its 
representatives.  There  has  never  been  a  drunkard,  a  pauper  nor  a  crim- 
inal among  the  Pounds  and  such  a  record  is  one  of  which  any  man 
might  well  be  proud.  . 

Thomas  Pound,  father  of  our  subject,  was  a  native  of  Orange 
county  New  York,  in  which  locality  he  was  reared  and  educated.  He 
was  married  in  that  county  to  Miss  Sallie  Smith,  also  a  native  of  that 
county  and  a  daughter  of  Isaac  Smith,  who  likewise  served  as  a  pri- 
vate in  the  war  of  18 12.  He  was  supposed  to  have  been  of  Irish  lineage. 
Following  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  Pound  removed  to 
Chemung  county,  New  York,  and  afterward  became  residents  of  Ontario 
county,  that  state,  where  they  resided  until  1844-  Hoping  to  enjoy  bet- 
ter opportunities  in  the  west  they  then  started  for  Michigan  and,  as  this 
was  before  the  era  of  railroad  transportation,  they  traveled  by  wagon, 
making  their  way  direct  to  Newberg  township,  Cass  county,  where  Mr. 
Pound  had  secured  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land.  The  tract  was 
entirely  wild  and  uncultivated,  not  an  improvement  having  been  made 
on  the  place.  He  first  built  a  log  house  about  sixteen  by  twenty-four 
feet  and  then  began  to  clear  the  land,  performing  the  arduous  task  of 
cutting  away  the  timber,  taking  out  the  stumps  and  preparing  the  fields 
for  the  plow.  In  due  course  of  time,  however,  his  land  was  placed  under 
cultivation  and  brought  forth  rich  harvests.  He  was  a  hard  working 
man,  energetic  and  enterprising,  and  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  lead- 
ing and  representative  early  citizens  of  his  community.  His  political 
allegiance  was  given  to  the  Whig  party  until  the  organization  of  the 


diNid^O    of   (Po'^-^yU^ 


^Hy^     ^M-A.^A.4^\c(,     /$^--l-'C-»,--«^ 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  6^* 

iRrS-j    and  was  for  some  years  survived  by  his  wite,  wno  rcci^ 

cSv     h's  edtKation  was  acquired  in  one  of  the  old-time  log  school- 

hou^ls"of  the  township,  with  i?s  slab  seats  and  other  primitive  furnish- 

nT  The  buldlg  was  heated  by  a  large  fireplace,  occupying  almost 

^  .ntirP  end  of  the  room     His  educational  privileges,  however,  were 

v"v1?m  ed   for  h  s  serv^c"    were  needed  upon  the  farm  and  he  assisted 

PanenI  (White)  Hinchman.     Mrs.  Pound  was  born  in  Boone  county 
WesT  Virginia,  and  was  seven  years  of  age  when  she  came  to  Cass 
county  wifh  h;r  parents,  who  settled  in  Si  ver  Creek  township      She 
waTthe  youngest  in  a  family  of  eleven  children.     At  the  time  of  his 
marr  age  S-.  Pound  brought  his  bride  to  the  farm  upon  which  he  now 
esSes  laving  lived  here  for  forty-five  consecutive  years  with  the  ex- 
ception of  a  brief  period  of  four  years  spent  in  Van  Buren  county  and 
hi  teini  of  service  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion.     In  August,  1864,  he 
responded  to  the  coumry's  urgent  need  for  troops,  enlisting  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Fourteenth  Michigan  Battery  of  Light  Artillery,  and  served 
until  July,  1865,  when,  the  war  having  closed,  he  was  mustered  out  as 
a  private  and  Returned  to  his  home.     The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Pound  has  been  blessed  with  six  children,  who  are  yet  living:     blla. 
now  the  wife  of  Fred  W.  Timm,  a  resident  of  Cassopolis;  Fred  J.,  a 
mail  carrier  living  in  Marcellus,  Michigan;  Eva  E.,  the  wife  of  Andrew 
T  Poe,  whose  home  is  in  Newberg  township;  Carrie,  the  wife  of  Thomas 
G    Barks  of  Vandalia;  Arthur  W.,  who  is  living  upon  the  old  home 
farm-  and  Jane,  the  wife  of  W.  Butler  of  Newberg  township. 

Throughout  his  entire  life  Mr.  Pound  has  followed  the  occupation 
of  farming,  and  is  now  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
arable  land,  which  he  has  brought  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation, 
and  it  is  known  as  "  The  Maple  Grove  Farm."  There  are  good  budd- 
ings upon  the  place  and  he  has  divided  the  land  into  fields  of  convenient 


654  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

size  by  well  kept  fences.  He  has  secured  many  of  the  late  improved 
farm  implements  and  in  all  of  his  work  is  progressive  and  enterprising. 
He  votes  with  the  Republican  party  and  is  unfaltering  in  his  advocacy 
of  its  principles.  He  has  attended  the  county  conventions  for  forty 
years  or  more,  usually  as  a  delegate,  and  his  opinions  have  carried 
weight  in. the  party  councils.  He  held  some  minor  offices,  and  at  all 
times  is  loyal  and  progressive  in  his  citizenship.  He  belongs  to  W.  J. 
May  post,  No.  65,  G.  A.  R.,  in  which  he  has  filled  all  of  the  chairs  save 
that  of  chaplain,  and  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Grange  for  more  than 
thirty  years.  His  residence  in  the  county  covers  a  period  of  sixty-one 
years,  and  he  has  been  closely  and  helpfully  identified  with  its  develop- 
ment and  progress.  When  the  family  located  in  Michigan  there  were 
only  about  twenty-five  voters  in  Newberg  township,  and  now  there  are 
about  five  hundred.  There  were  a  number  of  wild  animals  and  consid- 
erable wild  game,  including  bears,  wolves,  deer  and  turkeys  and  prairie 
chickens,  so  that  it  was  not  a  difficult  task  for  the  pioneer  settler  to 
secure  game  for  his  table.  This  was  largely  a  timber  region,  the  for- 
ests having  as  yet  been  uncut,  but  to-day  there  are  seen  waving 
fields  of  grain  where  once  stood  the  native  trees.  The  little  pioneer 
cabins  have  long  since  given  place  to  commodious  and  substantial  farrh 
residences,  while  here  and  there  towns  and  villages  have  sprung  up, 
containing  excellent  industrial  and  commercial  interests.  Mr.  Pbund 
rejoices  in  what  has  been  accomplished,  and  at  all  times  he  is  regarded 
as  a  citizen  whose  aid  can  be  counted  upon  to  further  every  movement  or 
measure  for  the  public  good. 

C.  H.  FUNK,  D.  D.  S. 

Dr.  C.  H.  Funk  is  engaged  in  the  practice  of  dentistry  in  Cassop- 
olis,  where  he  has  a  well  equipped  office,  and  in  his  work  he  keeps  in 
touch  with  modem  scientific  research  and  with  the  most  advanced  ideas 
and  methods  of  the  profession.  He  was  born  in  Elkhart,  Indiana,  May 
T?^  1S55.  His  father,  William  Funk,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania 
and  became  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Elkhart  county,  Indiana,  where 
he  carried  on  farming  and  milling.  He  was  of  German  descent,  as 
was  his  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Catherine  Myers.  In  their 
family  were  four  sons  and  five  daughters,  all  of  whom  reached  adult 
age  and  are  still  living  with  but  two  exceptions. 

Dr.  Funk  is  the  third  child  and  eldest  son.  He  was  reared  and 
educated  in  Elkhart  county,  pursuing  his  studies  in  Goshen,  Indiana, 
after  which  he  engaged  in  teaching  school  for  four  years  in  that  county. 
The  year  1878  witnessed  his  arrival  in  Cassopolis.  He  had  previously 
studied  dentistry  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Cummins,  of  Elkhart,  and  * 
he  practiced  for  four  years  in  Cassopolis.  He  afterward  attended  the 
Indiana  Dental  College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of 
1883,  when  he  once  more  resumed  practice  in  Cassopolis,  where  he  has 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  655 

remained  continuously  since.  By  reading,  investigation  and  study  he 
has  kept  in  touch  with  the  progress  made  by  the  dental  fraternity  and 
he  has  the  mechanical  skill  and  ability  without  which  no  member  of  the 
profession  attains  the  highest  success.  His  work  has  given  a  uniform 
satisfaction  and  his  patronage  is  large  and  growing.  He  is  also  inter- 
ested in  real  estate,  has  negotiated  some  important  property  transfers 
and  has  contributed  to  the  improvement  of  the  city  through  the  build- 
ing of  the  Ritter  &  Funk  block  and  the  postoffice  block  in  Cassopolis. 
He  is  also  interested  in  farming  in  connection  with  Mr.  Ritter,  so  that 
the  extent  and  scope  of  his  activities  have  made  him  a  prominent  busi- 
ness man  of  Cassopolis. 

Dr.  Funk  was  married  in  1890  to  Miss  Ellen  R.  Ritter,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Joseph  K.  and  Amanda  F.  (Kingsbury)  Ritter.  She  was  born 
and  reared  in  Cassopolis  and  has  become-  the  mother  of  two  sons,  Le- 
land  R.  and  Cyrus  R. 

Dr.  Funk  is  a  well  known  Mason,  having  taken  the  lodge  and  chap- 
ter degrees  in  the  craft.  He  is  an  honorary  member  of  the  Indiana 
State  Dental  Society,  a  member  of  the  Michigan  State  Dental  Society 
since  1885,  and  is  president  of  the. Southwest  Michigan  Dental  Society. 
He  sujDports  the  Republican  party,  giving  his  ballot  to  those  men  who 
are  pledged  to  uphold  its  principles,  and  in  the  work  of  the  organization 
he  has  taken  an  active  and  helpful  part,  serving  as  secretary  of  the  Re- 
publican county  central  committee.  His  residence  in  Cassopolis  covers 
twenty-eight  years,  during  which  time  he  has  served  for  five  years  on 
the  school  board  and  for  three  years  as  its  treasurer.  The  cause  of  edu- 
cation finds  in  him  a  warm  and  stalwart  friend  and  he  is  also  the  cham- 
pion of  every  progressive  movement  that  tends  to  prove  of  practical 
and  permanent  good  to  the  county.  He  is  wide-awake,  alert  and  enter- 
prising, and  is  a  typical  representative  of  the  citizenship  of  the  middle 
west  productive  of  the  rapid  and  substantial  advancement  of  this  sec- 
tion of  the  country. 

JOHN  ATKINSON. 

The  growth  and  substantial  progress  of  a  community  do  not  de- 
pend upon  the  eflforts  of  a  single  individual  but  are  the  result  of  the 
aggregate  endeavor  of  many  who  have  due  regard  for  opportunity  and 
exercise  their  powers  for  the  general  improvement  and  progress.  To 
this  class  belongs  John  Atkinson,  a  dealer  in  carriages,  wagons,  farm 
implements,  hay  and  grain  in  Cassopolis.  He  possesses  the  enterprising 
spirit  which  has  been  the  dominant  factor  in  the  upbuilding  of  the 
west.  He  is  a  western  man  by  birth,  training  and  preference,  having 
first  opened  his  eyes  to  the  light  of  day  in  Mason  township,  Cass  county, 
on  the  8th  of  May,  1858.  His  father,  Thomas  Atkinson,  was  a  native 
of  England,  and  in  an  early  day  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  the  new  world, 
settling  in  the  state  of  New  York,  whence  he  afterward  removed  to 
Elkhart,  Indiana.     On  leaving  that  locality  he  came  to  Cass  county, 


656  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Michigan,  where  he  met  his  death,  being  killed  when  forty-five  years 
of  age.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Jane  Ann  Ingledo, 
was  a  native  of  England  and  also  became  a  resident  of  New  Castle, 
Indiana.  She  long  survived  her  husband  and  died  in  Cass  county  at 
the  ripe  old  age  of  seventy-eight  years.  In  their  family  were  thirteen 
children,  eight  of  whom  reached  adult  age,  while  seven  are  now  living. 

Mr.  Atkinson  is  the  tenth  in  order  of  birth  in  the  family  of  thirteen 
children.  He  was  reared  in  his  native  township  and  remained  at  home, 
assisting  in  the  work  of  the  farm  in  his  early  youth  and  when  twelve 
years  of  age  beginning  work  as  a  farm  hand  in  the  neighborhood  by 
the  month.  The  first  pair  of  boots  which  he  ever  owned  were  paid  for 
by  a  month's  wages  at  farm  labor.  The  money  which  he  made  during 
his  minority  went  to  support  the  family.  He  was  only  about  five  years 
of  age  when  his  father  was  killed,  leaving  a  family  of  seven  children, 
one  of  whom  was  born  after  the  father's  demise.  The  family  were  left 
in  limited  financial  circumstances,  so  that  the  boys  had.  to  support  the 
mother  and  the  smaller  children.  Mr.  Atkinson  early  came  to  a  real- 
ization of  the  value  of  earnest  and  persistent  endeavor  and  by  his  close 
application  and  stalwart  purpose  he  made  good  progress  in  the  business 
w^orld.  After  working  by  the  month  for  eleven  years  Mr.  Atkinson 
went  to  Manistee  county,  Michigan,  and  engaged  in  lumbering  in  the 
midst  of  the  forests  of  that  district.  He  worked  for  a  part  of  the  time 
by  the  month,  spending  about  two  years  in  the  lumber  trade.  Leaving 
the  lumber  woods  he  came  to  Cass  coutity,  Michigan,  where  he  engaged 
in  the  manufactui^e  of  ties  for  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad.  He  also 
devoted  a  portion  of  his  time  to  farm  labor,  spending  two  and  a  half 
years  in  this  way,  on  the  expiration  of  which  period  he  came  to  Cassop- 
olis  and  engaged  in  shijDping  wood  and  in  baling  hay.  He  also  traded  in 
hay  and  wood,  getting  in  exchange  wagons  and  buggies  from  the  Stude- 
baker  Company  of  South  Bend,  Indiana.  He  also  traded  for  the  brick 
which  was  used  in  the  construction  of  the  first  hotel  in  the  town.  He 
has  now  one  of  the  largest  business  enterprises  of  Cassopolis,  his  trade 
representing  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  per  year.  He  is  in  the  grain 
business  in  addition  to  the  agricultural  implement  business,  and  in  the 
various  departments  of  trade  with  which  he  is  connected  he  has  secured 
a  liberal  patronage.  He  shipped  one  hundred  and  sixty  car  loads  of 
hay,  straw  and  grain  in  1900.  He  has  likewise  extended  his  efforts  to 
the  field  of  real  estate  operations,  buying  and  selling  farms.  He  makes 
a  specialty  of  heavy  farm  machinery  and  has  sold  threshing  machines 
to  the  value  of  fifteen  thousand  dollars  since  the  ist  of  February,  1905. 
He  also  handles  sawmill  machinery,  boilers  and  engines  and  does  all  of 
the  trade  in  this  line  in  the  county.  In  the  year  1905  he  sold  sixty- 
seven  head  of  horses.  He  has  a  farm  comprising  about  two  hundred 
acres  of  land,  and  as  has  been  indicated  his  business  interests  are  of  a 
varied  and  important  nature,  bringing  to  him  gratifying  success  by  rea- 
son of  his  careful  control,  capable  management  and  keen  insight. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  t)57 

On  the  15th  of  June,  1888,  Mr.  Atkinson  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Ida  Belle  Hunt,  who  was  born  in  Ontwa  township,  Cass  county, 
and  was  reared  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wesley  Hunt.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Atkin- 
son have  become  the  parents  of  five  children,  but  lost  their  daughter, 
Zerl.    The  others  are :    Maud,  Lucile,  Louis  and  Cyrus. 

Mr.  Atkinson  is  a  lifelong  Republican,  who  has  worked  earnestly  in 
behalf  of  the  party  but  has  never  sought  or  desired  office,  nor  would  he 
accept  any  political  preferment.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Wood- 
men camp  and  is  well  known  in  the  county  as  a  liberal  man  who  hns 
contributed  generously  to  the  support  of  many  measures  for  the  general 
good.  He  is  also  a  stalwart  advocate  of  the  temperance  cause,  working 
earnestly  in  behalf  of  the  party.  An  analyzation  of  his  life  record  shows 
that  energy  and  strict  attention  to  business  have  been  his  salient  char- 
acteristics and  have  constituted  the  secret  of  his  success.  He  has  sought 
to  live  honorably  and  peaceably  with  his  fellowmen,  practicing  the  golden 
rule  in  daily  affairs  and  at  all  times  he  has  enjoyed  in  full  measure  the 
confidence,  good  will  and  trust  of  those  with  whom  he  has  been  brought 
in  contact. 

HARSEN  D.  SMITH. 

Harsen  D.  Smith  is  a  prominent  attorney  of  Cassopolis  equally  well 
known  because  of  his  activity  in  political  circles.  He  has  chosen  as  a 
life  work  a  profession  in  which  success  results  only  from  individual 
merit,  from  comprehensive  knowledge  and  close  application,  and  his  high 
reputation  is  well  deserved  because  he  has  manifested  all  of  the  salient 
characteristics  demanded  of  the  successful  and  able  lawyer.  A  native 
of  Albion,  New  York,  he  was  born  on  the  17th  of  March,  1845,  ^^^  is 
a  son  of  E.  Darwin  and  Maria  (Arnold)  Smith,  the  former  a  native  of 
Connecticut  and  the  latter  of  New  York,  The  paternal  grandfather, 
Moses  B.  Smith,  was  a  minister  of  the  Universalist  church  and  had  a 
very  wide  and  favorable  acquaintance  in  the  western  part  of  the  Empire 
state,  to  which  he  removed  from  New  England.  He  was  of  Scotch  line- 
age, his  father,  Moses  Smith,  Sr.,  having  emigrated  from  the  land  of 
the  hills  and  heather  to  the  new  world.  E.  Darwin  Smith,  father  of  our 
subject,  was  a  manufacturer  of  agricultural  implements.  Following  his 
removal  to  New  York  he  devoted  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits. 
He  married  Miss  Maria  Arnold,  a  native  of  the  Empire  state  and  a 
daughter  of  Benjamin  Arnold,  who  was  of  English  descent.  They  be- 
came the  parents  of  three  children,  two  daughters  and  a  son. 

Harsen  D.  Smith,  who  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth,  acquired 
an  academic  education  at  Newark,  Wayne  county.  New  York,  where  he 
was  graduated.  He  afterward  engaged  in  teaching  school  in  that  state 
for  a  short  time,  and  in  1862  he  went  to  Iowa,  locating  at  Eldora,  where 
for  one  year  he  acted  as  principal  of  the  Eldora  Union  Schools.  He 
then  became  a  teacher  in  the  Iowa  Lutheran  College  at  Albion,  Iowa, 


««8  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

being-  professor  of  matheitiatics.  In  the  meantime  he  had  taken  tip  the 
study  of  law  and  for  a  period  was  a  student  in  the  office  of  Governor 
Eastman,  of  Iowa.  Subsequently  he  went  to  Rochester,  New  York, 
where  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Judge  Georg-e  F.  Danforth,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  court  of  appeals  of  the  Empire  state.  For  about  two  years  Mr. 
Smith  remained  in  that  office  and  was  then  admitted  to  the  New  York 
bar,  after  which  he  removed  to  Coldwater,  Michigan,  and  spent  about 
six  months^ in  the  office  of  E.  G.  Fuller.  He  afterward  removed  to 
Jackson,  Michigan,  and  entered  the  office  of  Hon.  W.  K.  Gibson.  In 
August,  1870,  he  removed  to  Cassopolis,  where  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  Hon.  Charles  W.  Clisbee,  with  whom  he  continued  for  two 
years.  He  then  practiced  by  himself  for  a  year,  after  which  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  Jndge  Andrew  J.  Smith,  that  connection  being  thus 
continued  until  Andrew  J.  Smith  was  elected  circuit  judge,  since  which 
time  Harsen  D.  Smith  has  been  alone  in  practice.  He  has  for  thirty-five 
years  been  a  representative  of  the  Cassopolis  bar  and  is  therefore  num- 
bered among  the  pioneer  attorneys, of  the  county.  He  has  gradually 
worked  his  way  upward,  demonstrating  his  ability  to  cope  with  intricate 
problems  of  jurisprudence  and  in  the  handling  of  his  cause  he  displays 
great  strength,  while  his  devotion  to  his  clients'  interest  is  proverbial. 

In  Octol^er,  1873,  Mr.  Smith  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sate 
R.  Read,  who  was  born  in  this  county  in  1853,  ^"^  ^s  a  daughter  of  S. 
T.  and  Rhoda  R.  (Hayden)  Read. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Smith  is  a  stalwart  Republican,  thor- 
oughly in  sympathy  with  the  principles  of  the  party.  He  was  elected 
and  served  as  chairman  of  the  Republican  County  Central  Committee 
for  ten  years,  was  a  member  of  the  State  Central  Committee  for  six 
years,  and  for  four  years  a  member  of  the  executive  committee.  He  is 
widely  recognized  as  one  of  the  foremost  Republicans  of  Michigan,  and 
his  efforts  in  behalf  of  the  organization  have  been  far  reaching  and  bene- 
ficial. In  1876  he  was  elected  prosecuting  attorney,  filling  the  office  for 
four  years,  and  in  1898  he  was  appointed  by  the  governor  to  the  posi- 
tion of  circuit  judge  to  preside  over  the  bench  of  a  new  circuit  until  an 
election  could  be  held.  He  served  in  that  capacity  for  one  year.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  state  pardon  board  for  about  seven  years,  but 
when  appointed  judge  resigned  that  position.  Following  his  retirement 
from  the  bench  he  was  reappointed  on  the  pardon  board.  He  was  nom- 
inated for  state  senator  in  1884,  but  that  was  the  year  of  the  D'emo- 
cratic  landslide.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  lodge,  chapter 
and  commanderv  in  the  Masonic  fraternitv  and  also  with  Saladin  Tem- 
ple of  the  Mystic  Shrine  at  Grand  Rapids.  He  has  been  very  success- 
ful in  his  practice,  beins:  connected  with  the  greater  number  of  the  im- 
portarft  cases  tried  in  his  district  and  his  broad  intellectuality,  great 
strength  of  character  and  determined  purpose  have  made  him  a  valued 
factor,  not  only  as  a  legal  practitioner  but  also  in  social,  fraternal  and 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  669 

political  circles.  He  has  done  much  to  mold  public  thought  and  opinion 
in  his  community  and  is  justly  clas^d  with  th(^  prominent  and  represen- 
tative citizens  of  Cass  county* 

JOHN  F.  SWISHER. 

John  F.  Swisher  devotes  his  time  and  energies  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits. More  than  a  century  ago  George  Washington  said  that  ''agri- 
culture is  the  most  honorable  as  well  as  the  most  useful  occupation  of 
man/'  and  the  truth  of  this  assertion  has  been  abundantly  verified  in  all 
the  ages.  Mr.  Swisher  has  given  his  entire  life  to  farm  work  and  now 
has  a  good  property  on  Section  8,  Silver  Creek  township,  which  is  the 
farm  upon  which  he  was  born,  his  natal  day  being  March  7,  1858.  His 
father,  John  T.  Swisher,  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  born  in  18 12,  and 
with  his  parents  he  removed  to  Ohio  when  seventeen  years  of  age,  the 
family  home  being  established  in  Preble  county.  There  he  grew  to  man- 
hood and  was  married  there  to  Miss  Millicent  Elliott,  a  native  of  South 
Carolina,  who  was  brought  to  Preble  county,  Ohio,  during  her  infancy 
and  was  there  reared.  Her  parents  died  when  she  was  a  small  child. 
She  remained  in  Preble  county  until  after  she  gave  her  hand  in  marriage 
to  Mr.  Swisher.  About  1849  ^hey  removed  to  Cass  county,  Michigan, 
settling  in  Silver  Creek  township,  where  their  remaining  days  were 
passed.  Mr.  Swisher  departed  this  life  in  his  seventy-ninth  year  and 
left  behind  him  that  priceless  heritage  of  an  untarnished  name,  because 
he  had  always  been  loyal  in  citizenship,  straightforward  in  business  and 
honorable  in  private  life.  He  took  an  interest  in  political  questions  and 
situations  and  was  a  stanch  Republican  who  held  various  township  of- 
fices, the  duties  of  which  were  capably  and  promptly  performed.  He 
was  a  devoted  member  of  the  Christian  church  and  was  a  leader  in  the 
work  of  building  the  house  of  worship,  while  in  the  various  church 
activities  he  took  a  helpful  part.  His  wife,  who  was  a  faithful  com- 
panion and  helpmate  to  him  on  life's  journey  and  who  displayed  many 
sterling  traits  of  heart  and  mind,  also  passed  away  in  Cass  county.  In 
their  family  were  nine  children,  four  sons  and  five  daughters-,  all  of  whom 
reached  adult  age. 

John  F.  Swisher,  the  youngest  of  this  family,  was  reared  upon  the 
old  homestead  farm,  where  he  now  lives.  His  early  educational  priv- 
ileges were  afforded  by  the  district  schools  of  Silver  Creek  township  and 
later  he  continued  his  studies  in  Battle  Creek  high  school.  During  the 
periods  of  vacation  he  worked  in  the  fields,  assisting  his  father  in  the 
task  of  developing  and  improving  his  land,  and  he  thus  gained  good 
practical  knowledge  of  the  best  methods  of  farm  work.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  1883  to  Miss  Alice  G.  Calvert,  and  unto  them  have  been  born 
two  children,  Clarence  and  Erma,  but  the  latter  died  January  9,  1891. 
She  won  the  first  premium  as  the  prettiest  girl  among  thirty-three  con- 
testants at  the  Dowagiac  fair  in   1890.     Her  loss  was  deeply  felt  by 


660  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

}ier  parents  and  many  friends.  Her  mother  survived  her  for  only  a  few 
months,  passing  away  August  2^,  1891,  at  the  comparatively  early  age 
of  thirty-three  years.  In  1893  Mr.  Swisher  was  again  married,  his 
second  union  being  with  Emma  J.  Benner,  the  widow  of  George  Nor- 
ton. There  is  one  child  of  this  marriage,  Neal,  who  is  now  eight  years 
of  age. 

Mr.  Swisher  has  been  a  general  stock  farmer  and  in  addition  to  till- 
ing the  soil  has  raised  high  grades  of  stock,  finding  both  branches  of 
his  business  profitable.  He  has  led  a  busy  and  useful  Hfe,  characterized 
by  thorough  understanduig  of  his  work,  by  diligence  m  all  that  he  does 
and  by  straightforward  dealing  at  all  times.  His  political  allegiance  is 
given  to  the  Republican  party,  and  he  is  a  firm  advocate  of  its  prin- 
ciples and  does  all  in  liis  power  to  promote  its  growth  and  extend  its 
influence.  In  1902  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  supervisor,  and  his 
capable  service  during  his  first  term  of  service  led  to  his  re-election  in 
1903.  His  religious  faith  is  indicated  by  his  membership  in  the  Chris- 
tian church,  in  which  he  is  now  serving  as  deacon,  and  for  twelve  years, 
with  the  exception  of  a  brief  interval  of  two  years,  he  has  been  con- 
tinuously superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school.  His  efforts  in  behalf 
of  the  church  have  been  far-reaching  and  beneficial  and  he  is  most  earnest 
and  zealous  in  his  labors  to  promote  religious  instruction  among  the 
young,  realizing  the  beneficial  effects  upon  one's  after  life.  He  has 
always  lived  in  this  county  and  is  a  valued  representative  of  a  worthy 
pioneer  family.  The  circle  of  his  friends  is  extensive  because  he  has 
ever  displayed  those  sterling  traits  of  character  which  in  every  land  and 
clime  command  confidence  and  regard. 

CHRIS  A.  HUX. 

Chris  A.  Hux,  well  known  in  financial  circles  in  Cass  county  as  the 
cashier  of  the  Lee  Brothers  &  Company  bank  at  Dowagiac,  is  a  native 
son  of  Michigan  and  seems  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  enterprise  and 
energy  which  have  been  the  dominant  factors  in  the  upbuilding  of  the 
middle  west.  His  birth  occurred  in  Grand  Haven  on  the  ist  of  June, 
1868.  His  father.  Christian  Hux,  was  a  native  of  Germany,  and  in 
that  land  spent  his  youth  and  acquired  his  education  in  the  schools  of 
Wurtemberg.  Crossing  the  Atlantic  to  America,  he  made  his  way  into 
the  interior  of  the  country,  locating  at  Lansing,  Michigan,  where  he 
followed  the  machinist's  trade,  which  he  had  mastered  in  his  native 
country.  He  later  was  engaged  in  similar  work  at  Grand  Rapids,  and 
subsequently  took  up  his  abode  in  Grand  Haven  in  1866.  There  he 
carried  on  business  as  a  machinist  until  his  removal  to  Owosso,  Mich- 
igan, where  his  last  days  were  passed,  his  death  occurring  when  he  was 
in  the  fifty-ninth  year  of  his  age.  He  had  married  subsequent  to  his 
arrival  in  the  new  world  Miss  Frederica  Lambert,  a  native  of  Wurtem- 
berg, Germany,  who  came  with  her  parents  to  the  United  States,  the 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  661 

family  settling  in  Lansing,  Michigan,  about  1864.'  She  is  still  living 
and  now  makes  her  home  in  Dowagiac.  The  members  of  the  family  are : 
Chris  A.,  of  this  review;  Lizzie,  the  wife  of  William  Elliott,  of  Owosso, 
Michigan;  Fred,  who  is  residing  in  Durand,  Michigan;  Emma;  and 
Charlie,  who  is  also  living  in  Owosso. 

Chris  A.  Hux,  the  eldest  of  his  father's  family,  spent  the  greater 
part  of  his  youth  in  Owosso,  whither  his  parents  removed  in  his  early 
boyhood  days.  He  spent  five  years  as  a  student  in  the  Flint  school  and 
was  afterward  sent  to  the  Fenton  public  schools.  After  putting  aside 
his  text  books  he  secured  a  position  in  the  employ  of  the  Michigan 
Central  Railroad  Company  in  the  freight  department  at  Owosso.  Later 
he  was  transferred  to  Jackson,  Michigan,  and  subsequently  sent  to 
Grand  Rapids,  to  Augxista  and  to  Dowagiac,  whence  he  went  to  Chi- 
cago Heights,  Illinois,  on  the  i3th  of  October,  1892.  In  1896,  however, 
he  returned  to  Dowagiac  and  became  cashier  in  the  private  bank  of  Lee 
Brothers  &  Company,  in  which  capacity  he  has  since  remained.  He  has 
thoroughly  acquainted  himself  with  the  banking  business  in  every  de- 
partment and  has  rendered  faithful  and  capable  service  to  the  house 
which  he  represents.  At  the  same  time  he  has  become  popular  with  its 
patrons  by  reason  of  the  uniform  courtesy  which  he  extends  to  them 
and  the  promptness  and  ability  with  which  he  discharges  the  business 
which  he  transacts  for  them. 

Mr.  Hux  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  in  which  he  has 
attained  high  rank.  He  is  now  a  past  eminent  commander  of  Niles 
Commandery  No.  12,  K.  T.,  has  also  attained  the  thirty-second  degree 
of  the  Scottish  rite  and  is  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  one 
of  the  youngest  Masons  in  Michigan  to  have  advanced  thus  far  in  the 
craft  and  is  a  worthy  exemplar  of  the  order,  being  in  hearty  sympathy 
with  its  principles  of  brotherly  kindness  and  mutual  helpfulness.  Al- 
though he  usually  gives  his  political  support  to  the  Republican  party, 
he  does  not  consider  himself  bound  by  party  ties  and  often  casts  an  in- 
dependent ballot  in  support  of  the  candidates  whom  he  thinks  best  qual- 
ified for  office.  He  is  very  widely  and  favorably  known  in  his  part  of 
the  county,  having  been  a  resident  of  Dowagiac  for  thirteen  years, 
his  business  and  social  relations  bringing  him  into  contact  with  many 
people,  and  he  easily  wins  their  friendship  and  regard  by  reason  of  the 
possession  of  those  sterling  traits  of  character  which  everywhere  com- 
mand respect  and  confidence. 

ANDREW  BARNHART. 

Andrew  Barnhart  is  one  of  the  old  settlers  of  Cass  county  now  liv- 
ing on  Section  18,  Silver  Creek  township.  Many  are  the  changes  that 
have  occurred  since  he  took  up  his  abode  in  this  portion  of  the  state 
and  the  traveler  of  today  can  scarcely  realize  that  it  has  been  within 
only  a  few  decades  that  this  county  was  covered  with  a  dense  growth  of 


662  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

forest  tr^es  and  that  the  work  of  clearing  and  developing  had  scarcely 
been  begun.  Mr.  Barnhart  is  moreover  one  of  the  most  venerable  cit- 
izens of  the  county,  having  reached  the  eighty-fourth  milestone  on  life's 
journey.  He  was  born  in  Preble  county,  Ohio,  about  1822  and  was  one 
of  a  family  of  ten  children,  six  sons  and  four  daughters,  who  were  born 
of  the  marriage  of  David  and  Sarah  (Shoemaker)  Barnhart,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  Indiana,  while  their  respective  parents  were  of 
German  birth.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  David  Barnhart  lived  to  a  good  old 
age  and  all  of  their  ten  children  grew  to  years  of  maturity,  although  but 
one  sister  of  our  subject  is  now  living,  Mrs.  Hulda  Young,  who  yet  re- 
sides in  Preble  county,  Ohio. 

Andrew  Barnhart  remained  at  home  during  his  boyhood  and  youth 
and  assisted  in  the  farm  work.  His  education  was  received  in  a  log 
schoolhouse  in  Preble  county  and  he  attended  school  for  only  a  brief 
period  during  the  winter  months,  while  during  the  remainder  of  the 
year  he  worked  at  farm  labor,  taking  his  place  in  the  fields  at  the  time 
of  early  spring  planting  and  continuing  to  assist  in  their  cultivation  until 
the  crops  were  harvested  in  the  late  autumn.  Farm  work  was  also  more 
difficult  than  at  the  present  time,  for  the  machinery  was  crude  and  much 
of  the  labor  was  done  by  hand.  Mr.  Barnhart  started  out  in  life  on 
his  own  account  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  coming  to  Michigan  on 
foot.  He  made  his  way  direct  to  Cass  county  and  settled  in  Silver 
Creek  township,  where  he  purchased  the  farm  upon  which  he  now  lives, 
paying  two  dollars  per  acre  for  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
which  was  all  covered  with  trees.  In  the  midst  of  the  green  trees  he 
began  clearing  the  land.  There  were  no  improvements  whatever  upon 
the  place  and  he  had  to  cut  down  the  timber  and  grub  out  the  stumps 
before  he  could  plow  and  plant  the  fields.  His  first  home  was  a  little 
log  cabin  about  sixteen  by  sixteen  feet  and  containing  only  one  room. 
When  he  had  made  arrangements  for  having  a  home  of  his  own  he  re- 
turned to  Ohio  and  was  married  in  Preble  county  to  Miss  Mary  Ann 
Fraze,  who  was  born  in  Preble  county,  Ohio.  He  returned  to  Ca&s 
county  with  a  team  and.  wagon  bringing  his  bride.  He  also  drove  two 
cows.  In  true  pioneer  style  the  young  couple  began  their  domestic  life 
on  the  western  frontier,  and  for  many  years  they  traveled  life's  journey 
together,  vsharing  with  each  other  its  joys  and  sorrows,  its  adversity 
and  prosperity,  but  in  1891  Mr.  Barnhart  was  called  upon  to  mourn  the 
loss  of  his  wife,  who  died  on  the  28th  of  January  of  that  year.  They 
had  no  children  of  their  own  but  adopted  three:  William.  Molt,  w4io 
died  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years;  Mrs.  Sarah  E.  Strackangast,  also  de- 
ceased ;  and  Mary  E.  Fraze,  who  is  the  only  one  now  living.  She  was 
born  in  Winchester,  Indiana,  and  is  the  wife  of  C.  A.  Green.  They 
reside  upon  the  old  homestead  with  Mr.  Barnhart. 

From  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  to  the  present  time  Mr.  Barn- 
hart has  continuously  been  a  resident  of  Cass  county  and  is  therefore 
numbered  among  its  pioneer  settlers.     He  is  now  the  owner  of  one  hun- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  663 

dred  and  eighty  acres  of  good  land  which  he  rents.  He  started  out  in 
life  practically  empty-handed  but  he  possessed  strong  determination  and 
unfaltering  enterprise  and  upon  this  as  a  foundation  has  builded  his 
success.  After  working  for  a  time  at  farm  labor  he  was  enabled  to 
make  purchase  of  his  land  at  the  very  low  price  at  which  property 
sold  in  those  days,  and  through  the  intervening  years  he  has  improved 
his  farm,  converting  it  into  a  valuable  place.  As  the  years  have  gone  by 
he  has  prospered  in  his  undertakings  and  is  now  in  comfortable  financial 
circumstances.  Such  a  life  record  should  serve  as  a  source  of  inspiration 
and  encouragement  to  others,  showing  what  may  be  accomplished  by 
unfaltering  energy,  diligence  and  perseverance.  For  long  years  he  gave 
his  political  allegiance  to  the  Republican  party,  but  because  of  his  pro- 
nounced views  on  the  temperance  question  and  his  belief  that  it  is  one 
of  the  dominant  issues  before  the  people,  he  joined  the  ranks  of  the 
Prohibition  party,  and  has  since  done  all  in  his  power  to  promote  its 
growth  and  insure  its  success.  He  has  for  many  years  been  a  member 
of  the  Christian  church,  has  served  for  a  long  period  as  one  of 
its  elders,  and  has  labored  effectively  and  earnestly  for  the  inter- 
ests of  the  denomination.  His  life  has  indeed  been  honorable 
and  upright  characterized  by  devotion  to  those  principles  which  work 
for  righteousness,  justice  and  truth,  and  now  in  the  evening  of  his  days 
he  can  look  back  over  the  past  without  regret,  knowing  that  he  has  never 
taken  advantage  of  the  necessities  of  his  fellowmen  in  any  business  trans- 
action nor  favored  any  movement  or  measure  that  would  prove  det- 
rimental to  his  town  or  county.  He  has  on  the  contrary  supported  all 
plans  for  the  public  good  and  is  justly  classed  with  the  representative, 
respected  and  honored  pioneer  citizens  of  Silver  Creek  township. 

MARK  JUDD. 

Mark  Judd,  a  pioneer  lumberman  and  sawmill  operator  of  Dowagiac, 
was  born  in  Fairfield  county,  Connecticut,  June  i8,  1833.  The  family 
is  of  English  lineage  in  the  paternal  line  and  William  Judd,  the  father 
of  our  subject,  was  also  a  native  of  Fairfield  coujity,  Connecticut,  where 
in  early  life  he  learned  and  followed  the  cooper's  trade.  Emigrating 
westward  in  1844,  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Silver  Creek  township,  Cass 
county,  Michigan,  where  he  located  upon  a  farm,  giving  his  attention 
to  its  cultivation  and  improvement  for  a  number  of  years.  His  last 
days,  however,  were  spent  in  Dowagiac,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of 
ninety-three  years.  His  wife,  Abigail  Beardsley,  was  also  a  native  of 
Connecticut,  and  died  in  New  York  when  her  son  Mark  was  only  about 
four  years  of  age.  In  the  family  were  four  sons  and  four  daughters. 
After  losing  his  first  wife  the  father  was  again  married. 

Mark  Judd,  the  youngest  of  the  eight  children,  came  to  Cass  county, 
Michigan,  when  about  twelve  years  of  age,  and  when  a  young  man  of 
seventeen  years  started  out  in  life  on  his  own  account,  working  as  a 


664  HISTORY  OF  GASS  COUNTY: 

farm  hand  by  the  month.  He  was  thus  employed  for  three  years,  when, 
thinking  that  he  might  find  other  occupations  more  congenial,  he  began 
learning  the  carpenter's  and  joirter's  trade,  which  he  followed  for  sev- 
eral years,  becoming  intimately  associated  with  building  operations  in 
Cass  county.  Watchful  of  opportunities  pointing  to  success,  he  was 
enabled,  in  1859,  as  the  result  of  his  enterprise,  diligence  and  frugality 
in  former  years,  to  establish  a  planing  mill,  of  which  he  became  one- 
third  owner  and  which  was  conducted  under  the  lirm  style  of  Ashley^ 
Case  &  Company.  The  firm  had  an  existence  of  about  four  years  in  its 
original  form  and  then  became  Case  &  Judd,  business  being  carried  on^ 
in  that  way  for  some  time,  when  Mr.  Judd  became  sole  owner.  This 
is  the  oldest  enterprise  of  the  kind  in  the  county,  or  in  fact  in  any  of 
the  adjoining  counties,  having  a  continuous  existence  of  almost  a  half 
century.  The  planing  mill  was  the  first  built  in  this  part  of  the  state, 
there  being  none  nearer  than  Kalamazoo.  The  mill  has  been  in  opera^ 
tion  throughout  all  these  years  and  its  manufactured  product  represents 
an  enormous  amount  of  lumber. 

Mr.  Judd  was  married  in  1864  to  Miss  Amanda  Still  well,  a  native 
of  Michigan,  and  they  now  have  three  sons :  William,  who  is  living  in 
Porter  township;  Allie,  the  wife  of  Arthur  Jewel,  of  Dowagiac;  and 
Lena,  the  wife  of  Dr.  George  W.  Green,  a  practicing  physician  of 
Dowagiac.  '. 

In  his  political  affiliation  Mr.  Judd  has  been  a  life-long  Republican; 
joining  the  party  on  its  organization.  He  has  held  several  offices,  act-: 
ing  as  alderman  for  two  years  and  in  other  connections  has  done  effec- 
tive service  for  the  welfare  and  progress  of  his  home  town.  He  is  a 
member  of  Dowagiac  Lodge,  No.  214,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  which  he  has 
attained  the  degree  of  Master  Mason,  and  he  is  also  connected  with  the 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen.  A  pioneer  business  man  of  Dow- 
agiac, he  has  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life  in  Cass  county  and  has 
been  identified  with  its  interests  both  in  behalf  of  public  progress  and 
through  his  business  relations.  He  stands  today  as  one  whose  success 
is  the  fitting  crown  of  earnest  and  honorable  labor.  Realizing  that  work 
—earnest,  persistent  work— is  the  basis  of  all  desirable  prosperity,  he  has 
in  his  business  career  spared  not  that  laborious  attention  to  detail  which 
is  one  of  the  chief  elements  of  success  and  as  the  outcome  of  his  clear 
judgment,  his  enterprise  and  diligence  he  is  today  classed  with  the  sub- 
stantial residents  of  his  adopted  county. 

HO'N.  JAMES  G.  HAYDEN. 

Hon.  James  G.  Hayden,  elected  to  the  state  senate  of  Michigan  in 
1904,  is  one  of  the  distinguished  and  honored  citizens  of  Cassopolis  and 
in  public  life  has  won  attention  and  esteem  by  reason  of  his  devotion  to 
duty  and  his  masterful  grasp  of  every  problem  that  has  been  presented 
for  solution.    His  life  record  began  in  Calvin  township,  Cass  county,  on 


6^^--'^%^-l^-*-<_-*:-7 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  605 

the  loth  of  November,  1854.  His  father,  Joseph  G.  Hayden,  was  a  na- 
tive of  New  York  and  a  pioneer  settler  of  this  part  of  the  state,  con- 
tributing in  substantial  measure  to  the  early  progress  and  improvement 
of  Cass  county.  He  was  of  Irish  lineage  and  died  when  his  son  James 
was  only  three  years  of  age.  The  mother,  who  bore  the  maiden  name 
of  Hannah  Lincoln,  was  a  native  of  Ohio  and  was  brought  to  Cass 
county  during  her  early  girlhood,  so  that  she  was  married  here.  She 
died  when  sixty-six  years  of  age,  and  .of  her  six  children,  one  died  in 
infancy. 

Hon.  James  G.  Hayden,  who  was  the  fourth  member  of  the  fam- 
ily and  the  third  son,  w^as  reared  by  an  uncle  in  Cassopolis  until  eight- 
een years  of  age,  when,  desirous  of  providing  for  his  own  support,  he 
engaged  to  w^ork  on  a  farm  by  the  month.  He  was  thus  employed  for 
two  years,  after  which  he  returned  to  Cassopolis  and  again  attended 
school  for  six  months.  He  then  entered  comm.ercial  life  as  a  clerk  in 
a  general  store,  where  he  remained  for  three  years,  after  which  he  pur- 
sued a  course  of  study  in  Bryant  &  Stratton's  commercial  college  in 
Chicago,  spending  a  year  in  that  institution.  Following  his  return 
home  he  engaged  in  farming  in  LaGrange  township,  devoting  his  ener- 
gies to  general  agricultural  pursuits  for  seven  years.  Whatever  he 
undertook  was  carried  forward  to  successful  completion  by  means  of 
his  unremitting  diligence  and  strong  purpose. 

In  1879  Mr.  Hayden  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Ruth  T. 
Kingsbury,  a  daughter  of  Asa  and  Mary  (Monroe)  Kingsbury.  Mrs. 
Hayden  was  born  in  Cassopolis,  her  people  having  been  early  settlers 
of  the  county.  In  1886  Mr.  Hayden  returned  to  Cassopolis  and  en- 
gaged in  the  grocery  business.  In  November  of  the  same  year  he  was 
called  by  popular  suffrage  to  the  ofifice  of  county  treasurer,  which  posi- 
tion he  filled  for  four  years  and  then  retired  in  1888,  enjoying  the  same 
confidence  and  trust  which  was  given  to  him  when  he  entered  office.  In 
the  meantime  he  continued  in  the  grocery  trade,  which  he  successfully 
conducted  for  seven  years,  and  then  gave  his  attention  to  the  hard  wood 
lumber  business  for  two  years.  When  that  period  had  passed  he  re- 
turned to  the  home  farm,  whereon  he  continued  for  seven  years,  when 
in  1902  he  once  more  took  up  his  abode  in  Cassopolis,  this  time  giving 
his  attention  to  the  real  estate  and  insurance  business,  in  which  he  has 
since  continued,  having  now  a  good  clientage.  He  handles  a  large 
amount  of  valuable  realty  each  year  and  he  is  thoroughly  informed  con- 
cerning property  in  this  part  of  the  state.  All  through  the  period  of  an 
active  business  career  Mr.  Hayden  has  also  maintained  a  deep  interest 
in  political  questions,  and  has  done  much  effective  work  for  his  party. 
In  1904  he  was  elected  state  senator  and  is  now  in  1906  a  member  of 
the  upper  house  of  the  Michigan  legislature.  His  first  office  was  that  of 
township  treasurer,  and  although  the  township  had  a  normal  Demo- 
cratic majority  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  lie  was  elected  on  the  Re- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

publican  ticket.  Over  the  record  of  his  official  career  there  falls  no 
shadow  of  wrong  or  suspicipri  of  evil,  and  he  has  proved  himself  an 
active  working  member  of  the  house,  unfaltering  in  his  support  gf  any 
measure  or  movement  which  he  deems  of  public  value  or  general  utility. 
He  has  also  been  president  of  the  Cass  County  Agricultural  Society  and 
of  the  Farmers'  Institute,  occupying  the  latter  position  for  three  years. 
Deeply  interested  in  the  agricultural  development  of  the  county,  his  la- 
tors  in  those  positions  proved  effective  and  far  reaching.  At  the  pres- 
ent writing  he  occupies  the  position  of  county  superintendent  of  the 
poor,  and  he  assumed  the  duties  of  postmaster  at  Cassopolis  March  i, 
1906. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hayden  have  become  the  parents  of  five  children. 
Asa,  who  was  born  in  1881,  is  a  graduate  of  the  high  school  of  Cas3opo- 
lis  and  of  the  law  department  of  the  state  university  at  Ann  Arbor  and 
is  now  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  chosen  profession  in  the  county 
seat.  Vera  is  a  graduate  of  the  state  normal  school  at  Ypsilanti,  Mich- 
igan, and  is  now  engaged  in  teaching  in  Kalamazoo.  Jay  G.  is  now  a 
student  in  the  state  university.  Hazel,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the  high 
school  at  Cassopolis  and  now  a  student  of  the  Western  State  Normal 
School,  is  now  at  home.  Robert  is  a  student  in  the  schools  of  Cassopo- 
lis, 

Mr.  Hayden  belongs  to  the  Masonic  fraternity,  in  which  he  has 
taken  the  Royal  Arch  degree.  He  is  likewise  connected  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and 
his  activity  is  nmnifest  in  many  linea.  He  is  president  of  the  Creamery 
Association  and  connected  .with  other  local  affairs,  and  his  efforts  in 
behalf  of  progress  along  agricultural  and  commercial  lines,  of  intel- 
lectual development  and  of  general  progress  have  been  effective  and 
beneficial.  He  lost  his  father  when  only  three  years  of  age  and  was 
left  with  no  inheritance.  He  educated  himself  and  he  had  some  hard 
knocks  when  a  boy,  but  he  developed  self-reliance  and  force  of  charac- 
ter and  has  steadily  worked  his  way  upward,  gaining  a  prominent  po- 
sition in  public  regard  and  honor,  his  course  reflecting  credit  upon  those 
who  have  honored  him.    . 

JOHN  BILDERBACK. 

When  the  tocsin  of  war  sounded  in  1861  men  from  all  walks  of 
life  flocked  to  the  standard  of  the  nation.  They  carne  from  the  counting 
houses,  the  offices,  the  shops  and  the  farms  and  representatives  of  all 
classes  mingled  and  met  together  with  the  one  common  purpose  of  de- 
fending the  Union.  There  has  been  on  the  pages  of  the  world's  history 
no  greater  record  of  loyalty  and  patriotism  than  was  displayed  by  the 
sons  of  the  north  when  the  supremacy  of  the  Federal  government  was 
threatened.  Mr.  Bilderback,  now  living  retired  in  Dowagiac,  was  among 
the  number  who  followed  the  stars  and  stripes,  making  a  creditable 
military  record  on  various  battlefields  of  the  south. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  667 

A  native  of  Preble  county,  Ohio,  he  was  born  on  the  i8th  of  June, 
1843,  and  was  of  German  Hneage.  His  father,  WilHam  Bilderback, 
was  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  and  when  a  young  man  went  to  Preble 
county,  Ohio.  Throughout  his  entire  Hfe  he  carried  on  farming,  and 
removed  from  Ohio  to  Michigan  in  1846,  setthng  in  Berrien  county, 
where  he  remained  until  1850,  when  he  came  to  Cass  county.  Here 
he  located  in  Silver  Creek  township,  about  three  miles  from  Dowagiac, 
and  as  the  years  came  and  went  he  worked  in  the  fields,  bringing  his 
land  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  annually  harvesting  good 
crops.  While  his  attention  was  chie%  directed  to  his  business  interests 
he  yet  displayed  a  commendable  and  patriotic  citizenship  and  was  ever 
loyal  to  the  public  good,  giving  his  co-operation  to  many  movements  for 
the  promotion  of  the  general  welfare.  He  served  as  highway  commis- 
sioner, and  as  justice  of  the  peace  rendered  decisions  which  were  strictly 
fair  and  impartial.  In  early  life  he  became  a  member  of  the  United 
Brethren  church  and  afterward  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
He  lived  as  a  worthy  Christian  gentleman  and  died  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
nine  years,  respected  and  honored  by  all  who  knew  him.  His  wife, 
who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Sarah  Nye,  was  born  in  Preble  county, 
Ohio,  in  1818,  and  spent  her  last  days  in  Cass  county,  where  she  passed 
away  in  1889,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one  years.  She  was  devoted  to  her 
family  and  was  always  faithful  to  the  ties  of  friendship,  and  her  death 
was  deeply  regretted  by  many  who  knew  her.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bilder- 
back were  born  three  sons  and  three  daughters.  Peter,  who  in  response 
to  the  country's  call  for  aid  became  a  private  in  the  Twelfth  Michigan 
Infantry,  died  at  Pittsburg  Landing  while  in  the  service  of  his  country, 
his  death  being  occasioned  by  arduous  military  duty  and  the  exposures 
and  hardships  incident  to  war.  William  W.  was  but  sixteen  years  of 
age  when  he  enlisted  and  was  but  a  boy  when  he  laid  down  his  life  upon 
the  altar  of  his  country.  Mary,  the  eldest  daughter,  is  now  the  wife  of 
D.  W.  Sammons,  a  resident  farmer  of  Silver  Creek  township.  Martha 
A.  is  the  wife  of  Jam.es  H.  Momany,  also  living  in  Silver  Creek  town- 
ship. Sarah  R.  is  the  wife  of  Elias  Smith,  a  resident  farmer  of  Pokagon 
township. 

John  Bilderback,  who  was  the  second  son  and  second  child  in  the 
father's  family,  was  only  two  years  old  when  the  parents  left  Ohio  and 
came  to  Michigan,  making  the  journey  westward  with  teams  after  the 
primitive  manner  of  travel  in  those  days  before  the  advent  of  railroad 
transportation.  They  first  lived  in  Berrien  county  and  Mr.  Bilderback 
of  this  review  was  a  lad  of  six  summers  at  the  time  of  the  removal  of 
the  family  to  Cass  county.  He  was  then  reared  in  Silver  Creek  town- 
ship and  pursued  his  studies  in  a  log  schoolhouse  such  as  was  common 
on  the  frontier.  In  one  end  of  the  room  was  a  large  fireplace  and  the 
furnishings  were  primitive  and  the  methods  of  instruction  were  very 
crude  as  compared  with  modern  ideas  of  education.  The  family  lived 
111  a  log  cabin  and  shared  in  the  usual  hardships  and  privations  of  pioneer 


ms  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

life.  It  was  not  until  1858  that  the  father  built  a  frame  house.  John 
Bilderback  remained  at  home  through  the  period  of  his  youth  and  as- 
sisted in  clearing  up  the  farm,  working  in  the  fields  through  the  summer 
months,  while  in  the  winter  seasons  he  pursued  his  study.  He  was  thus 
engaged  until  August,  1861,  when  at  the  early  age  of  eighteen  years 
'he  responded  to  the  country's  call  for  aid,  enlisting  for  service  as  a 
private  of  the  First  Michigan  Cavalry.  He  was  with  that  command  for 
about  four  and  a  half  years  and  was  then  honorably  discharged  as  first 
<iuty  sergeant,  at  which  time  he  was  attached  to  the  Army  of  the  Po- 
tomac. He  took  part  in  many  of  the  principal  battles  and  a  number  of 
the  lesser  ones  of  the  war.  He  was  never  wounded  nor  captured  and 
liis  experience  in  the  hospital  covered  only  three  days.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  that  A^ery  brief  period  he  was  continuously  on  active  duty 
during  the  four  and  a  half  years  of  his  connection  with  the  Union  army. 
His  last  service  was  in  the  west  at  Camp  Douglas,  Salt  Lake  City,  and 
he  participated  in  the  Grand  Review  in  Washington,  D.  C,  where  "wave 
-after  wave  of  bayonet  crested  blue''  swept  by  the  reviewing  stand  on 
which  stood  the  president  and  other  dignitaries  of  the  nation  cheering 
the  return  of  the  victorious  army,  whose  brilliant  efforts,  heroism  and 
patient  endurance  had  saved  the  Union.  Mr.  Bilderback  received  an 
honorable  discharge  at  Salt  Lake  City  and  returned  home  by  way  of 
San  Francisco,  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  and  New  York  City,  making  his 
way  to  Dowagiac. 

When  he  again  arrived  in  Cass  county  Mr.  Bilderback  took  up  his 
abode  in  Silver  Creek  township,  purchasing  a  tract  of  land  adjoining  his 
father's  farm.  As  a  companion  and  helpmate  for  life's  journey  he  chose 
Miss  Cynthia  A.  Becraft,  to  whom  he  was  married  on  Christmas  day 
of  1866.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Isaiah  and  Caroline  (Wallace)  Becraft, 
the  former  born  May  2,  181 1,  and  the  latter  on  the  4th  of  December, 
1817.  They  became  the  parents  of  four  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Bilder- 
back was  the  youngest.  She  has  one  brother  living,  W.  F.  Becraft,  who 
resides  in  Augusta,  Kalamazoo  county,  Michigan.  After  losing  his  first 
wife  Mr.  Becraft  was  again  married.  Of  this  union  there  were  five 
children,  of  whom  three  sons  are  living:  Julius  O.,  M.  C.  and  I.  W. 
Becraft.  Mrs.  Bilderback  was  born  near  Detroit,  but  in  Macomb  county, 
Michigan,  on  the  ist  of  November,  1843,  and  came  to  Dowagiac  with 
her  father  in  June,  1849,  since  which  time  she  has  been  a  resident  of  this 
county.  Her  father  was  prominent  in  public  affairs  in  an  early  day, 
serving  as  postmaster  of  Dowagiac,  also  as  deputy  sheriff  and  as  provost 
marshal  during  the  period  of  the  Civil  war.  He  was  closely  identified 
with  the  early  history  of  Cass  county. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bilderback  at  the  time  of  their  marriage  located  on 
a  farm  in  Silver  Creek  township,  where  he  engaged  in  general  agri- 
cultural pursuits  until  1899,  when  he  retired  from  active  business  cares 
and  removed  to  the  city.  While  farming  his  place  displayed  every  evi- 
dence of  careful  supervision  and  painstaking  effort.    The  land  was  trans- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  66^ 

formed  into  productive  fields  and  he  annually  harvested  good  crops,  and 
in  all  of  his  work  he  was  practical  and  energetic.  Unto  him  and  his 
wife  were  born  two  sons  and  two  daughters:  Ella  Grace,  who  is  now 
the  wife  of  D.  J.  Stilwell;  Jesse  N.,  a  mail  carrier  of  Dowagiac;  Vema 
C.,  who  is  the  wife  of  1.  C.  Scattergood,  who  is  living  in  Harrisburg^ 
Pennsylvania;  and  William  R.,  who  is  a  molder  residing  in  Dowagiac. 

Mr.  Bilderback  has  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  which  is  well  improved 
and  this  yields  to  him  a  good  financial  return.  He  is  a  Republican,  hav- 
ing given  inflexible  support  to  the  party  since  age  conferred  upon  him 
the  right  of  franchise.  He  has  been  called  to  various  positions  of  public 
trust,  serving  as  justice  of  the  peace,  as  supervisor,  as  township  treas- 
urer of  Silver  Creek  township  and  treasurer  of  the  school  district  for 
thirty-two  years,  resigning  the  last  named  position  when  he  removed  to 
Dowagiac.  He  is  and  has  been  supervisor  of  the  second  ward  of 
Dowagiac.  Every  public  duty  has  been  faithfully  performed  and  the 
trust  reposed  in  him  by  his  fellow  townsmen  has  been  well  merited.  That 
he  occupies  an  honored  position  in  Grand  Army  circles  is  indicated  by 
the  fact  that  he  has  been  commander  of  H.  C.  Gilbert  Post  No.  47, 
G.  A.  R.,  for  about  twelve  years.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
church  for  thirty  years,  and  Mrs.  Bilderback  also  belongs  to  this  church 
and  has  taken  a  most  active  and  helpful  part  in  its  work.  They  contribute 
generously  to  its  support  and  do  everything  in  their  power  to  promote 
its  activities  and  extend  its  influence  and  for  about  a  quarter  of  a  century 
Mr.  Bilderback  served  as  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school.  He  has 
no  business  interests  now  save  the  administration  of  estates,  but  various 
trusts  of  this  nature  have  been  given  to  him.  He  has  been  a  resident 
of  Cass  county  for  fifty-six  years  and  in  looking  back  over  his  history  it 
will  be  seen  that  there  are  many  commendable  elements  in  him,  as  dis- 
played in  his  patriotic  service  in  defense  of  the  Union,  in  his  straight- 
forward and  honorable  business  life,  in  his  devotion  to  duty  in  civic 
office  and  his  fidelity  to  the  ties  of  friendship  and  of  the  home.  He  is 
one  of  the  best  known  citizens  of  the  county  and  it  is  with  pleasure  that 
we  present  the  record  of  his  career  to  our  readers. 

EDD  W.  EASTON. 

Edd  W.  Easton  operates  and  occupies  a  fine  farm  of  two  hundred 
and  twenty  acres,  pleasantly  situated  on  section  21,  Silver  Creek  town- 
ship. It  was  upon  this  farm  that  his  birth  occurred  on  the  17th  of  Febru- 
ary, 1861.  Throughout  his  entire  life  he  has  lived  in  Silver  Creek  town- 
ship and  has  become  widely  recognized  as  an  enterprising,  progressive 
agriculturist,  whose  business  interests  are  capably  conducted  and  who  in 
all  his  dealings  is  upright  and  reliable.  His  father,  Thomas  Easton,  was 
a  native  of  Kentucky  and  came  to  Michigan  with  his  parents  when  a  boy, 
locating  in  Berrien  county,  where  he  was  reared  amid  pioneer  surround- 
ings.    When  a  young  man  he  removed  to  Cass  county  and  was  married 


670  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

here  to  Miss  Emily  Hinchman^  a  native  of  Virginia,  who  came  with  her 
parents  to  this  state  in  her  early  girlhood  days.  Following  their  mar- 
riage Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  Easton  located  on  Section  21,  Silver  Cteek 
township,  where  the  husband  devoted  his  time  and  energies  to  general 
agricultural  pursuits,  placing  his  land  under  a  high  state  Of  cultivation 
and  developing  an  excellent  farm.  He  continued  in  active  farm  work 
until  his  life's  labors  were  ended  in  death,  when  he  was  in  his  seventy- 
fifth  year.  He  is  still  survived  by  his  wife,  who  is  one  of  the  worthy 
pioneer  women  of  the  county.  In  their  family  were  four  children,  three 
sons  and  a  daughter,  namely:  Dr.  W.  W.  Easton,  who  is  living  in 
Dowagiac;  Jennie,  the  widow  of  William  Allen,  also  a  resident  of 
Dowagiac;  Dr.  J.  M.  Easton,  of  Decatur;  and  Edd  W.,  of  this  review. 

The  youngest  of  the  family,  Edd  W.  Easton,  was  reared  under  the 
parental  roof  upon  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  and  pursued  his  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools  of  the  township.  When  not  busy  with  his 
text-books  or  engaged  with  the  pleasures  of  the  playground  his  atten- 
tion was  given  to  the  work  of  the  farm,  and  in  early  life  he  became 
familiar  with  the  best  methods  of  cultivating  the  soil  and  caring  for  the 
crops.  He  remained  at  home  until  his  marriage,  which  was  celebrated 
on  the  14th  of  October,  1883,  the  lady  of  his  choice  being  Miss  Florence 
Mason,  a  daughter  of  A.  H.  and  Temperance  (Cross)  Mason,  the  former 
a  native  of  New  York  and  the  latter  of  Canada.  They  came  to  Cass 
county  in  an  early  day,  being  among  the  first  settlers  of  Dowagiac.  The 
father  is  a  carpenter  by  trade  but  has  conducted  a  hotel  and  planing  mill 
and  has  been  closely  associated  with  the  business  development  of  his 
adopted  city.  Mrs.  Easton  was  born  in  Dowagiac  August  7,  1862,  and 
is  the  seventh  in  order  of  birth  in  a  family  of  nine  children.  She  re- 
mained with  her  parents  during  the  days  of  her  girlhood  and  is  indebted 
to  the  public  school  system  of  her  native  city  for  the  educational  priv- 
ileges which  she  enjoyed.  At  the  time  of  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Easton  located  upon  the  fahn  where  he  has  since  resided  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  brief  period  spent  in  Dowagiac.  He  has  here  two  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  of  land  belonging  to  his  mother.  He  has  placed  the 
farm  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  it  richly  repays  his  efforts 
in  splendid  crops  which  the  fields  annually  yield.  Everything  about  the 
place  is  kept  up  in  good  condition  and  its  neat  and  thrifty  appearance 
indicates  the  careful  supervision  of  a  practical  and  progressive  owner. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Easton  have  been  born  two  daughters.  May, 
who  finished  the  eleventh  grade  in  the  Dowagiac  city  school,  took  the 
normal  course  in  1906,  and  also  has  taken  instrumental  music.  She  will 
take  charge  of  District  No.  Six  in  Silver  Creek.  Alma,  the  youngest, 
is  in  the  fourth  grade.  The  family  is  well  known  in  the  community 
and  have  many  warm  friends  here.  Mr.  Easton  is  an  earnest  Repub- 
lican in  his  political  views,  and  in  1904  was  elected  to  the  office  of 
supervisor  of  his  township,  in  which  capacity  he  served  for  a  year.  He 
has  been  a  school  director  for  a  number  of  years,  and  the  cause  of  edu- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  071 

cation  finds  in  him  a  wartn  friend.  In  fact  he  is  a  recognized  support^t 
of  all  progressive  movements,  and  his  c<)-op€ration  has  been  of  value  in 
measures  for  the  public  good.  He  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  the  Mac- 
cabees at  Dowagiac.  He  has  known  no  other  home  than  Cass  county 
nor  has  he  wished  to  change  his  place  of  residence.  The  lives  of  such 
men  are  an  indication  of  the  attractiveness  of  the  county  as  a  place  of 
residence  and  of  the  opportunities  here  afforded  to  the  citizens,  for  were 
conditions  otherwise  enterprising  men  like  Mr.  Easton  would  seek  homes 
elsewhere.  On  the  coritrary  they  recognize  that  they  have  good  ad- 
vantages here  and  they  are  always  laboring  to  promote  the  welfare  and 
progress  of  the  county,  while  at  the  same  time  carefully  conducting  pri- 
vate business  interests. 

HON.  HENRY  B.  WELLS. 

Hon.  Henry  B.  Wells,  whose  position  in  public  regard  has  long  been 
a  creditable  and  enviable  one  and  who  has  been  entrusted  with  various 
duties  of  a  public  nature,  showing  the  confidence  reposed  in  him  by  his 
fellow  townsmen,  makes  his  home  on  Section  28,  Wayne  township,  where 
he  conducts  and  cultivates  a  farm  of  two  hundred  acres.  Its  excellent 
improvements  are  indicative  of  his  progressive  spirit,  which  has  been 
manifest  in  all  the  associations  of  public  and  private  life. 

Mr.  Wells  is  a  native  of  the  state  of  New  York,  his  birth  having 
occurred  in  Otsego  county  on  the  4th  of  February,  1829.  His  father, 
Werden  Wells,  was  a  native  of  Rhode  Island  and  a  son  of  Joshua  Wells, 
who  was  a  son  of  one  of  seven  brothers  who  came  from  England  and, 
settling  in  Rhode  Island,  established  the  town  of  Wellsville.  When  a 
young  lad  Werden  Wells  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  removal  front 
New  England  to  Otsego  county,  New  York,  where  he  acquired  his  edu- 
cation and  was  married.  In  early  life  he  learned  the  trade  of  a  harness- 
maker  and  continued  in  that  business  for  a  number  of  years.  He  wedded 
Miss  Julia  Baker,  a  daughter  of  Henry  Baker  and  a  native  of  Otsego 
county,  New  York,  where  they  began  their  domestic  life,  remaining  there 
for  a  number  of  years.  In  1835,  however,  the  father  brought  his  family 
to  Michigan,  making  his  way  to  Kalamazoo  county,  where  he  took  up 
government  land  in  Charleston  township.  It  was  wild  and  unimproved, 
but  he  at  once  began  its  cultivation  and  developed  therefrom  a  good  farm, 
which  he  made  his  place  of  residence  until  he  was  called  to  the  home  be- 
yond, when  about  eighty-five  years  of  age.  His  first  wife  died  when 
forty-five  years  of  age  and  he  afterward  wedded  Mrs.  Elipha  Filkins,  a 
widow.  There  were  ten  children  born  of  the  father's  first  marriage  and 
two  of  the  second  marriage.    Of  the  first  family  only  three  are  now  living. 

Henry  B.  Wells,  the  second  child  and  second^  son  born  of  that 
union,  was  a  youth  of  seven  years  when  he  accompanied  his  parents  to 
Kalamazoo  county,  where  he  remained  until  nineteen  years  of  age.  He 
then  came  to  Cass  county  in  1848  to  enter  upon  an  independent  business 


672  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

career  here.  He  had  mastered  the  branches  of  learning  taught  in  the 
little  log  schoolhouses  of  the  early  days  and  feeling  the  necessity  of 
providing  for  his  own  support,  following  his  removal  to  this  county, 
he  at  once  began  working  for  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  Company 
at  or  near  Dowagiac.  He  was  employed  as  station  hand  at  Decatur,  and 
about  1 85 1  he  took  the  contract  for  loading  piles  for  the  railroad  com- 
pany, which  supplied  him  with  an  engine  and  train.  He  afterward  made 
arrangements  to  run  a  construction  train  for  the  company  and  continued 
in  that  department  of  the  railroad  service  until  1854,  when  he  was  called 
upon  to  take  charge  of  the  construction  of  the  St.  Mary  ship  canal,  which 
was  to  be  completed  by  the  following  May.  He  pushed  the  work  for- 
ward so  vigorously  that  he  had  fulfilled  the  terms  of  the  contract  by 
December  of  the  same  year.  In  1905,  fifty  years  after  the  work  was 
completed,  he  made  a  visit  to  the  canal.  Following  its  building  he  re- 
turned to  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  Company,  which  he  repre- 
sented as  wood  and  lumber  inspector  for  a  number  of  years.  He  was 
afterward  made  conductor  on  a  regular  train  of  that  line  running  from 
Marshall  to  Chicago,  in  w^hich  capacity  he  served  for  about  fifteen  years. 
Each  step  in  his  career  has  been  a  forward  one.  He  has  eagerly  watched 
his  opportunities  for  advancement  and  his  capable  service,  unflagging  in- 
dustry and  promptness  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  won  him  recog- 
nition and  gained  him  promotion.  Ambitious,  however,  to  engage  in 
business  on  his  own  account,  he  at  length  left  the  railroad  company 
and  with  the  money  which  he  had  saved  from  his  own  earnings  he  em- 
barked in  mercliandising  at  Dowagiac,  opening  a  general  store  in  1866. 
He  continued  in  that  business  for  four  years  and  was  then  in  the  grain 
trade  for  about  six  years.  In  1876  he  located  upon  the  farm  which  he 
had  purchased  in  1849  ^^^  which  he  had  carried  on  in  connection  with 
the  management  of  his  other  business  interests  from  the  time  that  it  had 
come  into  his  possession.  During  a  part  of  that  period  he  had  also  made 
his  home  upon  the  farm.  He  is  now  giving  his  undivided  attention  to 
agricultural  pursuits  and  is  the  owner  of  two  hundred  acres  of  land  which 
is  rich  and  productive.  The  fields  annually  return  good  harvests  and 
there  are  modern  improvements  upon  the  place  which  indicate  a  pro- 
gressive spirit. 

In  December,  1854,  Mr.  Wells  was  married  to  Miss  Phebe  Carr, 
a  daughter  of  Cary  and  Eliza  (Hazlett)  Carr.  Mrs.  Wells  was  born 
in  the  Empire  state  but  was  brought  to  Cass  county  when  eleven  years 
of  age  and  has  resided  here  continuously  since.  They  now  have  two 
living  children,  a  son  and  daughter:  Alice,  the  wife  of  Judge  Harry 
B.  Tuthill,  of  Michigan  City,  Indiana, ;  and  Elbert  C,  who  is  in  the 
mail  service  on  the  railroad  and  makes  his  home  in  Grand  Rapids. 

Mr.  Wells  is  a  stanch  Republican,  having  supported  the  party  con- 
tinuously since  its  organization.  He  voted  for  Fillmore  in  1852,  for 
Fremont  in  1856  and  Lincoln  in  i860  and  he  has  since  supported  each 
presidential  nominee  of  the  party.    He  has  been  township  treasurer  and 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  673 

supervisor  for  six  years  and  held  other  local  offices.  In  1866  he  was 
elected  to  the  legislature  to  represent  the  northern  district  of  Cass 
county  and  in  diat  position  as  in  local  offices  he  was  found  worthy  the 
trust  reposed  in  him,  discharging  his  duties  with  credit  to  himself  and 
satisfaction  to  his  constitutents.  In  the  Congregational  church  at  Dow- 
agiac  m  which  he  holds  membership  he  has  filled  most  of  the  offices, 
acting  as  treasurer,  trustee  and  in  other  positions  and  co-operating  in 
many  movements  for  the  extension  of  the  influence  of  the  church  and 
Its  power  as  a  moral  force  in  the  community.  He  has  been  a  continuous 
resident  of  Cass  county  for  fifty-seven  years,  active  in  all  things  per- 
taining to  its  good,  and  now  in  the  evening  of  life,  for  he  has  passed 
the  seventy-seventh  milestone  on  life's  journey,  he  receives  the  venera- 
tion and  respect  which  should  ever  be  accorded  those  of  similar  years 
whose  career  has  been  characterized  by  all  that  is  honorable  and  straight- 
forward. 

F.  H.  ROSS. 

The  German  poet,  Goethe,  has  said,  ''Merit  and  success  go  linked 
together,''  and  this  statement  finds  verification  in  the  life  record  of  F.  H. 
Ross,  who  by  his  diligence  and  unabating  energy  acquired  the  compe- 
tence that  now  enables  him  to  live  retired  in  the  enjoyment  of  well- 
earned  ease  at  his  pleasant  home  in  Dowagiac.  He  was  born  in  Essex, 
New  York,  August  3,  1834,  a  son  of  Henry  H.  Ross,  who  was  also  a 
native  of  that  county.  The  paternal  grandfather,  Daniel  Ross,  was  born 
in  Rosshire,  Scotland,  and  following  his  emigration  to  the  new  world 
became  a  manufacturer  at  Essex,  New  York,  where  he  was  connected 
with  the  operation  of  iron  works  and  also  the  conduct  of  a  lumber  indus- 
try. Henry  H.  Ross  followed  the  acquirement  of  his  literary  educa- 
tion by  the  study  of  law  and  became  a  practicing  attorney  in  the  village 
of  Essex,  New  York,  where  his  last  days  were  passed.  He  was  one  of 
the  electors  on  the  presidential  ticket  when  Zachary  Taylor  was  chosen 
chief  executive  of  the  nation.  .  His  ability  in  the  trial  of  important  law 
cases  won  him  prominence  and  enabled  him  to  command  high  fees.  For 
a  single  case  he  received  ten  thousand  dollars.  His  mind  was  keenly 
analytical,  logical  and  inductive  and  he  had  comprehensive  knowledge 
of  the  principles  of  jurisprudence  and  displayed  great  accuracy  in  their 
application  to  the  points  at  issue.  He  filled  the  office  of  judge  of  the 
circuit  court  in  New  York  and  was  also  a  general  of  the  state  militia, 
serving  as  aid-de-camp  on  the  staflf  of  General  McComb  at  the  battle  of 
Plattsburg.  He  lived  to  be  seventy-two  years  of  age  and  was  regarded 
as  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  honored  men  in  his  portion  of  the 
Empire  state.  His  wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Susanna  Blanchard 
and  was  a  daughter  of  Judge  Blanchard  of  Salem,  New  York,  who  was 
of  French  Huguenot  descent  and  became  a  distinguished  attorney  of  the 
Empire  state.  Mrs.  Ross  was  also  a  representative  of  the  family  of  Dt. 
Proudfoot,  who  was  a  noted  Presbyterian  minister.    She  was  reared  and 


674  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

educated  in  Salem,  which  was  the  place  of  her  birth  and  she  lived  to  be 
seventy-two  years  of  age.  In  the  family  were  seven  children,  two  daugh- 
ters and  five  sons,  all  of  whom  reached  adult  age,  while  the  daughters 
and  two  of  the  sons  are  yet  living,  namely :  John,  who  resides  in  Platts- 
burg,  New  York,  where  he  is  connected  with  manufacturing  interests; 
Frances  Ellen ;  and  one  daughter  who  is  living  in  New  York  City. 

F.  H.  Ross  of  this  review  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth  of  the 
seven  children.  He  acquired  a  common  school  education  in  Essex  and 
was  graduated  at  Burlington  College.  He  studied  law  but  on  account 
of  his  eyesight  was  compelled  to  relinquish  the  plan  of  following  the 
profession  and  came  west  to  Detroit,  where  he  entered  upon  his  business 
career  as  a  clerk  in  a  hardware  store.  In  i860  he  removed  to  Dowagiac 
and  established  a  hardware  business  on  his  own  account,  conducting  the 
same  with  success  until  1886,  when  he  disposed  of  his  stock  and  turned 
his  attention  to  the  real  estate,  loan  and  insurance  business,  in  which  he 
soon  secured  a  good  clientage,  continuing  in  that  business  until  1901, 
when  he  retired  altogether  from  active  connection  with  commercial  or 
industrial  interests.  He  won  a  fair  amount  of  prosperity  in  his  under- 
takings and  in  fact  accumulated  capital  sufficient  to  now  enable  him 
to  rest  in  the  enjoyment  of  his  fruits  of  his  former  toil,  having  all  of 
the  necessities  and  comforts  and  some  of  the  luxuries  of  life. 

Mr.  Ross  was  married  in  1859  to  Miss  Frances  Dixon,  daughter  of 
Captain  William  Dixon,  of  Burlington,  Vermont.  She  was  born  in  that 
city,  where  her  girlhood  days  were  passed  and  her  education  was  acquired. 
Two  children  have  blessed  this  union:  Frances  Minnie,  at  home;  and 
Susanna  D.,  who  became  the  wife  of  R.  W.  Sheldon  and  died,  leaving  a 
son,  Frederick  R.,  who  is  the  only  grandchild  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ross. 
In  his  political  affiliation  Mr.  Ross  is  independent,  voting  for  the  candi- 
dates whom  he  regards  at  best  qualified  for  office.  He 'has  served  as 
president  of  the  village  board,  but  has  never  been  an  office  seeker  and 
has  refused  to  become  a  candidate.  He  belongs  to  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity, in  which  he  has  attained  the  Royal  Arch  degree.  For  many  years 
he  has  been  identified  witH  the  interests  of  Dowagiac,  his  residence  here 
covering  four  decades.  The  town  contained  only  about  seven  hundred 
inhabitants  when  he  arrived,  and  from  that  time  to  the  present  he  has 
been  closely  associated  with  its  business  interests  and  its  material,  in- 
tellectual, moral  and  social  progress.  His  life  has  been  actuated  by  no 
mad  rush  for  wealth,  for  he  has  been  content  with  a  fair  share  of  the 
world's  goods  and  is  now  enjoying  life  in  well-earned  rest. 

CHARLES  T.  AMSDEN. 

Charles  T.  Amsden,  the  secretary  of  the  Dowagiac  Gas  &  Fuel 
Company  and  also  partner  in  a  grocery  enterprise  of  this  city,  possesses 
excellent  business  and  executive  ability  that  have  gained  him  prominence 
and  won  his  success  in  his  business  operations.     He  was  bom  in  Red 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  675 

Wing,  Minnesota,  on  the  31st  of  October,  1856.  The  ancestral  home 
of  the  family  in  this  country  was  in  New  York  and  one  of  its  representa- 
tives served  as  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  The  Amsdens  came  of 
English  lineage.  George  W.  Amsden,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born 
in  New  York  and  came  to  Michigan  in  1857,  while  at  the  present  writ- 
ing, in  1905,  he  is  living  in  Baldwin,  Kansas.  Following  the  occupa- 
tion of  farming  throughout  his  entire  business  career,  he  located  on  a 
farm  in  Wayne  township  when  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Cass  county 
and  while  residing  here  served  as  supervisor  of  Wayne  township  for 
a  number  of  years.  He  was  at  one  time  an  active  and  valued  member 
of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  his  political  support  has  long  been  given 
to  the  Republican  party.  He  now  makes  his  home  in  Baldwin,  Kansas, 
at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Caroline  Turner,  is  a  native  of  Ohio.  She  belongs  to  the  Congregational 
church.  In  their  family  were  seven  children:  Israel,  deceased;  Charles 
T.,  of  this  review ;  Israel,  the  second  of  the  name,  who  has  also  passed 
away;  Lois,  the  wife  of  Roland  E.  Morse,  a  grocery  merchant  of 
Dowagiac;  Clara,  the  wife  of  William  Stillwell,  a  farmer  of  Ocosto, 
Washington;  Ida,  the  wife  of  A.  C.  Vaughan,  who  is  also  a  farmer  of 
Ocosto;  and  Daniel  C,  who  is  engaged  in  the  hardware  business  at 
Dinuba,  California. 

Mr.  Amsden  of  this  review  was  reared  to  farm  life  and  early  became 
familiar  with  the  duties  and  labors  that  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  agricult- 
urist. He  was  only  about  a  year  old  when  brought  by  his  parents 
to  Michigan  and  he  pursued  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Cassopolis, 
after  which  he  engaged  in  teaching  school  for  four  years.  He  then 
became  connected  with  mercantile  interests  as  a  clerk  in  the  employ 
of  Mosher  &  Palmer,  grocers  of  Dowagiac,  with  whom  he  remained 
for  four  years.  He  then  embarked  in  the  grocery  business  on  his  own 
account  in  association  with  James  P.  Bond,  and  that  partnership  was 
maintained  for  four  years.  In  1888  Mr.  Amsden  and  Julius  Becraft 
purchased  the  Dowagiac  Republican  and  in  the  second  year  thereafter 
Mr.  Amsden  retired  and  embarked  in  the  grocery  business  in  connection 
with  Roland  E.  Morse,  with  whom  he  is  still  associated,  their  business 
being  a  profitable  enterprise  of  the  city.  In  1891  the  Dowagiac  Gas  & 
Fuel  Company  was  organized  and  the  following  year  the  plant  was 
installed.  Mr.  AmvSden  has  been  secretary  and  manager  since  that  time 
and  devotes  the  greater  part  of  his  attention  to  the  duties  of  this  office 
in  connection  with  the  management  of  the  interests  of  the  gas  company, 
which  has  given  to  its  patrons  good  service  and  is  a  valued  industrious 
enterprise  of  the  city. 

In  1882  Mr.  Amsden  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mrs.  Susan  E.  Jewel, 
a  native  of  Cass  county  and  a  daughter  of  John  N.  and  Mary  A. 
(Bonnell)  Jewel.  Her  father  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  In  his 
fraternal  relations  Mr.  Amsden  is  a  Mason,  having  attained  high  rank 
in  the  craft,  for  he  is  now  a  Knight  Templar  and  a  Shriner.     He  also 


ere  history  of  cass  county 

belongs  to  the  Elks  lodge,  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees,  the  Legion  of 
Honor  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  In  politics  he  is  an  unfaltering 
Republican,  and  has  served  for  two  terms  as  city  treasurer,  as  city  clerk 
for  one  term  and  as  alderman  for  the  second  ward  for  two  terms.  In 
the  discharge  of  his  official  duties  he  displays  the  same  fidelity  and  care 
which  are  manifest  in  the  management  of  his  private  business  interests 
and  in  Dowagiac  he  has  a  wide  and  favorable  acquaintance  resulting 
from  a  genial  manner  and  an  upright  life. 

THEODORE  F.   WILBER. 

Theodore  F.  Wilber,  an  honored  veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  who 
enlisted  in  defense  of  the  Union  when  only  seventeen  years  of  age, 
is  now  living  in  Dowagiac.  He  was  born  in  Seneca  county.  New  York, 
at  the  family  home  on  the  west  bank  of  Cayuga  Lake,  June  12,  1846. 
His  father,  Gideon  S.  Wilber,  was  also  a  native  of  Seneca  county, 
where  he  resided  until  1854,  when  with  his  family  he  came  to  the 
middle  west,  settling  first  on  a  farm  in  Wayne  township,  Cass  county, 
where  he  lived  for  about  a  year.  In  the  spring  of  1855  he  bought  a 
farm  in  La  Grange  township,  removed  tO'  that  property  and  continued 
to  make  his  home  there  throughout  his  remaining  days.  His  entire 
life  was  devoted  to  general  agricultural  pursuits  and  he  tilled  the  fields 
and  cultivated  the  crops  until  his  life's  labors  were  ended,  being  a  dili- 
gent, energetic  man.  He  was  also  a  public-spirited  citizen  and  his 
fellow  townsmen,  recognizing  his  worth  and  loyalty,  frequently  called 
him'  to  positions  of  trust  and  responsibility.  He  held  many  offices 
during  the  years  of  his  residence  in  this  county.  He  was  superintend- 
ent of  the  poor  for  about  fifteen  years  and  was  deputy  sheriff  for  two 
years.  He  gave  his  political  allegiance  to  the  Republican  party  from 
the  time  of  its  organization,  watched  with  interest  the  progress  of 
events  in  the  south  prior  to  the  Civil  War  and  when  the  Republican 
party  was  formed  to  meet  existing  conditions,  he  joined  its  ranks  and 
was  one  of  its  most  loyal  advocates.  For  forty  years  he  was  a  reader 
of  the  semi-weekly  New  York  Tribune  and  at  one  time  was  the  only 
subscriber  to  the  paper  in  this  part  of  the  country.  He  was  well  known 
in  the  county  as  a  man  of  public  spirit,  interested  in  everything  relating 
to  the  material,  intellectual  and  moral  as  well  as  political  progress  of 
the  community,  and  he  assisted  in  building  three  different  churches, 
although  he  did  not  ally  himself  with  any  denomination.  He  was,  how- 
ever, a  man  of  high  moral  principles  and  genuine  worth  who  was  re- 
liable in  business  affairs  and  at  all  times  commanded  and  merited  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  those  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  He 
married  Miss  Louisa  M.  Hause,  also  a  native  of  Seneca  county,  New 
York,  and  a  daughter  of  John  Hause,  whose  birth  occurred  in  the  Em- 
pire state  and  who  died  in  Cass  county  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years. 
The  death  of  Gideon  Wilber  occurred  when  he  had  reached  the  vener- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  677 

able  age  of  eighty-five  years.    In  his  family  were  five  children,  one  daugh- 
ter and  four  sons,  all  of  whom  are  living  with  one  exception. 

Theodore  F.  Wilber,  the  second  child  and  eldest  son,  was  about 
eight  years  of  age  when  brought  by  his  parents  to  Michigan  and  has  since 
remained  a  resident  of  Cass  county.  He  began  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  New  York  and  continued  his  studies  in  the  district 
schools  of  LaGrange  township.  Through  the  summer  months  he  aided 
in  the  work  of  the  fields  and  remained  at  home  until  seventeen  years  of 
age,  when,  in  response  to  his  country's  need,  he  enlisted  as«a  private 
of  Company  M,  First  Michigan  Cavalry,  in  1863.  With  that  command 
he  served  until  the  close  of  the  war  and  was  then  sent  among  the  Indians 
on  the  frontier  to  aid  in  the  suppression  of  the  uprisings  among  the  red 
race.  He  thus  did  duty  in  the  far  west  until  March,  1866,  after  serving 
for  nearly  three  years.  He  was  ever  a  faithful  and  loyal  soldier,  never 
faltering  in  the  performance  of  any  duty  that  devolved  upon  him  whether 
it  led  him  to  the  firing  line,  stationed  him  on  the  lonely  picket  line  or 
called  him  to  the  frontier. 

When  the  war  ended  Mr.  Wilber  returned  to  his  old  home  in  La- 
Grange  township  and  resumed  farming  on  his  father's  place.  He  gained 
intimate  knowledge  of  the  best  methods  of  tilling  the  soil  and  caring  for 
the  crops  and  v/as  thus  well  qualified  to  carry  on  farm  work  on  his  own 
account  when  he  established  a  home  for  himself.  He  was  married  on  the 
24th  of  December,  1868,  to  Miss  Fannie  Jennings,  a  daughter  of  Milton 
and  Margaret  (Burns)  Jennings.  Her  father  was  born  in  Connecticut. 
Her  mother  died  when  Mrs.  Wilber  was  only  two  years  old.  There 
were  three  children  in  the  family,  the  eldest  being  Charles,  who  en- 
listed for  service  as  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war  and  was  killed  in  battle. 
The  elder  daughter,  Martha,  is  now  deceased,  leaving  Mrs.  Wilber,  the 
youngest  member  of  the  family,  as  the  only  one  now  surviving  with  the 
exception  of  a  half  sister,  for  the  father  was  married  twice.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Wilber  have  one  son,  Fred  J.,  who  is  a  civil  engineer,  who  was 
graduated  on  the  completion  of  the  engineering  course  in  the  Michigan 
state  university  at  Ann  Arbor  in  1900  and  is  now  located  in  Buffalo, 
New  York. 

Mr.  Wilber  is  executor  for  the  father's  estate,  comprising  two  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  land,  and  in  the  management  of  this  property  dis- 
plays good  business  ability  and  executive  force.  He  belongs  to  H.  C. 
Gilbert  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Dowagiac,  and  is  now  senior  vice  commander. 
He  has  always  taken  an  active  part  in  the  work  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic  and  is  a  stalwart  advocate  of  the  principles  upon  which 
this  order  is  based.  He  enjoys  recounting  incidents  of  army  life  around 
its  campfires  amid  the  genial  companionship  of  his  old  army  comrades. 
He  was  but  seventeen  years  of  age  when  he  enlisted  and  twenty  years 
of  age  when  honorably  discharged  and  was  therefore  not  a  voter  until 
one  year  after  he  had  completed  his  term  of  military  service.  His  first 
presidential  ballot  was  cast  for  General  Grant  and  he  has  always  been 


678  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

an  advocate  of  the  Republican  party.  He  has  resided  in  this  county  for 
a  half  century  and  is  now  the  only  Wilber  here  representing  his  father's 
descendants.  He  is  well  known  and  his  strong  and  salient  character- 
istics have  been  such  as  have  won  for  him  favorable  regard  from  his 
lellowmen.  Great  changes  have  occurred  since  he  came  to  the  county 
as  the  work  of  improvement  has  been  carried  forward  and  Mr.  Wilber's 
mind  reverts  back  to  the  time  when  much  of  the  land  was  still  unculti- 
vated, when  there  were  considerable  stretches  of  forest  yet  uncut  and 
when  several  of  the  towns  which  are  now  the  centers  of  business  and  com- 
mercial enterprise  had  not  yet  been  founded.  He  has  ever  been  deeply 
interested  in  the  work  of  development  and  has  borne  his  full  share  in 
this  task,  manifesting  at  all  times  the  same  loyalty  which  he  displayed 
when  upon  southern  battlefields  he  followed  the  stars  and  stripes. 

H.  A.  CREGO. 

H.  A.  Crego,  known  throughout  Cass  county  as  Squire  Crego,  has 
for  thirty-six  years  been  justice  of  the  peace,  and  no  stronger  evidence 
could  be  given  of  capable  service  and  impartial  decisions  than  the  fact 
that  he  has  so  long  been  retained  in  the  office.  He  has  lived  in  Cass 
county  from  an  early  day  and  now  makes  his  home  on  section  29,  Vol- 
inia  township.  Moreover  he  is  entitled  to  representation  in  this  volume 
as  a  native  son  of  Michigan,  his  birth  having  occurred  on  the  2nd  of 
August,  1840,  in  Lenawee  county,  at  the  junction  of  the  Chicago  and 
Monroe  turnpikes.  His  parents  were  Rulef  D.  and  Eliza  (Arms) 
Crego.  The  father  was  born  in  the  Mohawk  valley  of  New  York  and 
there  remained  until  about  thirty  years  of  age,  when,  believing  that  he 
might  enjoy  better  business  opportunities  in  the  new  but  growing  west, 
he  made  his  way  to  Michigan,  settling  in  Lenawee  county.  He  had 
been  married  in  New  York.  His  first  wife  was  Mary  J.  Strannahan 
and  there  were  ten  children  born  of  that  marriage.  Following  the 
death  of  the  mother  the  father  married  again.  His  wife  was  a  native 
of  Conway,  Franklin  county,  Massachusetts,  and  was  there  reared.  She 
first  married  Ichabod  Nelson,  and  it  was  subsequent  to  his  death  that 
she  gave  her  hand  in  marriage  to  Rulef  D.  Crego.  By  this  marriage 
there  were  born  three  children,  of  whom  Squire  Crego  is  the  second. 
The  other  two,  however,  died  in  infancy,  so  that  the  subject  of  this 
review  is  the  only  surviving  member  of  the  entire  family. 

When  only  two  years  old  Squire  Crego  was  brought  to  Cass  coun- 
ty by  his  parents,  the  family  locating  in  Newberg  township,  where  he 
was  reared  in  the  usual  manner  of  farm  lads  of  that  period  and  locality. 
He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  and  shared  with  the  family  in 
the  pioneer  experiences  incident  to  the  establishment  of  a  home  on  the 
frontier.  The  father  died  when  the  son  was  eighteen  years  of  age  and  he 
and  his  mother  remained  in  Newberg  township  for  about  four  years 
thereafter,  when  Mrs.  Crego  also  passed  away.      Squire  Crego,  how- 


j&JA^j^^ 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  t)79 

ever,  continued  to  reside  in  the  same  township  for  some  time  there- 
after and  was  married  there  on  the  14th  of  February,  1863,  to  Miss  Mary 
Lynch,  a  daughter  of  George  and  Rebecca  Lynch,  who  Hved  in  Adams- 
ville.  New  York,  and  came  from  the  Empire  state  to  Michigan.  The 
birth  of  Mrs,  Crego  occurred  in  Adamsville,  and  at  her  death  she  left 
one  son,  Charles  C.  Crego,  who  is  now  a  salesman  in  a  department  store 
in  Washington.  In  1869  Mr.  Crego  was  married  to  Miss  Phebe  Hin- 
shaw,  who  died  leaving  one  son,  Frank  R.,  now  a  resident  of  Volinia 
township.  In  1897  occurred  the  marriage  of  Squire  Crego  and  Mary 
Jane  Newton,  who  was  born  upon  the  farm  where  she  now  resides  Jan- 
uary I,  1853,  her  parents  being  George  and  Esther  (Green)  Newton, 
who  came  to  this  county  in  pioneer  days,  the  father  in  1831  and  the 
mother  in  1834.  The  name  of  Newton  has  since  been  associated  with 
the  history  of  progress  and  development  here  and  has  always  stood  as 
a  synonym  of  good  citizenship. 

Squire  Crego  has  been  a  life-long  farmer  and  is  now  following 
agricultural  pursuits  on  section  29,  Volinia  township.  He  has  voted 
with  the  Republican  party  since  age  gave  to  him  the  right  of  franchise, 
and  has  been  honored  with  a  number  of  local  positions  of  public  trust, 
having  served  as  constable  and  as  township  clerk  in  Newberg  township, 
as  highway  commissioner  of  Volinia  township  and  as  justice  of  the 
peace  for  about  thirty-six  years.  His  positions  were  strictly  fair  and 
impartial  and  have  ^'won  golden  opinions  from  all  sorts  of  people." 
He  belongs  to  the  Methodist  Protestant  church  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  lodge  at  Volinia  and  also  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees.  He 
has  been  a  resident  of  the  county  for  sixty-four  years  and  in  1905  was 
elected  president  of  the  Pioneers'  Association. 

C.  L.  SHERWOOD. 

C.  L.  Sherwood  is  the  pioneer  druggist  of  Dowagiac  and  has  been 
connected  with  this  line  of  commercial  enterprise  in  Michigan  and  else- 
where for  fifty-two  years.  The  consensus  of  public  opinion  is  altogether 
favorable  regarding  his  business  qualifications,  reliability  and  enterprise 
and  no  history  of  the  commercial  development  of  Dowagiac  would  be 
complete  without  the  life  record  of  Mr.  Sherwood.  He  was  bom  in 
Erie  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  4th  of  September,  1838,  and  is  of 
English  lineage,  the  family  having  been  founded  in  America  by  three 
brothers  of  the  name  who  came  from  England  to  the  new  world  at  an 
early  period  in  its  colonization.  One  of  the  brothers  located  in  New 
York,  one  in  the  south  and  the  other  in  New  England.  The  grandfather 
of  our  subject  was  John  Sherwood,  a  resident  of  the  Empire  state.  His 
son,  P.  W.  Sherwood,  was  born  in  Tompkins  county,  New  York,  and 
became  a  minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He  was  reared 
and  educated  in  Pennsylvania  and,  determining  to  devote  his  life  to  the 
work  of  the  gospel,  he  prepared  for  the  ministry  and  for  forty-five  years 


680  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

labored  earnestly  in  advancing  the  cause  of  the  church  in  Pennsylvania, 
New  York  and  Ohio,  where  he  filled  various  pastorates.  His  influence 
was  a  potent  element  for  good  in  every  community  in  which  he  lived 
and  his  memory  remains  as  a  blessed  benediction  to  many  who  knew 
him  and  came  under  his  teaching.  His  last  days  were  spent  in  Ohio, 
where  he  passed  away  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years.  In  early  man- 
hood he  wedded  Miss  Orilla  Frye,  a  native  of  Vermont,  who,  however, 
was  reared  in  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania.  She  was  the  daughter  of 
John  Frye,  who  was  of  English  descent.  Her  death  occurred  in  1862 
when  she  was  about  forty-five  years  of  age.  Four  children  had  been 
born  of  that  marriage,  tw^o  sons  and  two  daughters,  of  whom  C.  L.  Sher- 
wood of  this  review  is  the  eldest.  The  others  are:  Lucy,  the  wife  of 
Gibson  J.  Strannahan,  of  Lima,  Ohio,  where  he  is  engaged  in  business 
as  an  employee  of  the  Standard  Oil  Company ;  Mary,  the  wife  of  P.  T. 
Mowry,  an  insurance  agent  of  Chicago,  Illinois;  and  Oscar  M.,  who 
died  when  about  thirty-six  years  of  age,  was  a  resident  of  Dowagiac, 
and  was  a  druggist. 

C.  L.  Sherwood  spent  the  first  thirteen  years  of  his  life  in  the  state 
of  his  nativity  and  then  moved  to  New  York.  In  1859  he  returned  to 
Pennsylvania,  settHng  at  Union  City,  and  in  1868  he  came  to  Dowagiac, 
Michigan,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  He  entered  the  drug 
business  at  Holley,  New  York,  and  continued  in  the  drug  trade  at 
Union  City,  Pennsylvania.  On  coming  to  Dowagiac  he  purchased  the 
drug  store  of  Howard  &  Halleck  and  he  also  purchased  the  stores  of 
M.  B.  Hollister  and  Asa  Huntington.  He  has  since  continued  in  busi- 
ness and  is  today  the  oldest  druggist  of  the  city.  He  has  a  well  equipped 
establishment,  neat  and  attractive  in  its  arrangement  and  he  carries  a 
large  and  well  selected  line  of  drugs  and  sundry  goods.  His  trade  has 
constantly  grown  with  the  development  of  the  town  and  surrounding 
country  and  almost  from  the  beginning  the  business  has  proved  a  profit- 
able one,  so  that  as  the  years  have  passed  Mr.  Sherwood  has  become 
one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of  his  community. 

In  1862  Mr.  Sherwood  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  W. 
Wood  and  unto  them  were  born  two  children,  but  both  died  in  child- 
hood. Mr.  Sherwood  is  identified  with  the  Benevolent  and  Protective 
Order  of  Elks,  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  and  the  Knights 
of  Honor.  He  is  also  a  very  prominent  Mason,  having  attained  the 
thirty-second  degree  of  the  Scottish  rite,  while  with  the  Nobles  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine  he  has  crossed  the  sands  of  the  desert.  His  political 
allegiance  has  long  been  given  to  the  Republican  party  and  he  served 
as  postmaster  in  Pennsylvania  under  appointment  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 
He  has  also  been  postmaster  of  Dowagiac  for  eleven  years  under  the 
administrations  of  presidents  Grant  and  Hayes  and  he  was  mayor  of 
Union  City,  Pennsylvania.  No  public  trust  reposed  in  him  has  ever 
been  betrayed  in  the  slightest  degree,  his  official  service  being  character- 
ized by  unfaltering  devotion  to  duty.     He  has  been  in  business  in  Dow- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  681 

agiac  for  thirty-eight  years,  the  firm  being  now  Sherwood  &  Burlingame, 
and  in  addition  to  his  store  he  owns  valuable  property  interests  here, 
including  two  business  blocks,  houses  and  lots.  All  that  he  possesses 
has  been  acquired  through  his  own  enterprising  efforts  and  his  life  rec- 
ord shows  what  may  be  accomplished  by  unremitting  diligence  and 
energy  that  never  flags.  He  has  not  made  the  accumulation  of  wealth, 
however,  his  sole  end  and  aim  in  life,  for  he  has  had  due  regard  to  the 
duties  of  citizenship,  of  home  life  and  of  social  relations  and  is  recog- 
nized as  a  man  of  genuine  personal  worth. 

GILBERT  CONKLIN. 

Gilbert  Conklin,  a  prominent  farmer  living  in  Silver  Creek  town- 
ship who^e  capable  management  of  his  business  interests  Is  indicated  by 
the  success  that  follows  his  efforts,  was  born  in  Otsego  county,  New- 
York,  March  17,  1839.  He  is  the  eldest  child  of  Abram  and  Belinda 
(Gilbert)  Conklin.  The  family  is  descended  from  three  brothers,  who 
came  from  England  to  America  in  early  colonial  days.  The  paternal 
grandfather,  Simeon  Conklin,  was  a  native  of  New  York,  born  in  Otsego 
county.  There  he  devoted  his  entire  life  to  agricultural  pursuits,  spend- 
ing his  last  days  upon  his  farm. 

Abram  Conklin,  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Otsego  county, 
and  in  185 1  came  to  Michigan,  locating  first  upon  a  farm  known  as  the 
Hess  property  in  LaGrange  township.  The  following  year,  however, 
he  removed  to  Silver  Creek  township  and  took  up  his  abode  on  the  east 
shore  of  Indian  lake,  where  he  developed  and  improved  a  farm,  giving 
his  attention  to  its  cultivation  for  many  years  thereafter.  In  fact  he 
resided  upon  that  property  until  his  death,  which  occurred  when  he  was 
in  his  seventy-sixth  year.  He  married  Miss  Belinda  Gilbert,  a  native 
of  Herkimer  county,  New  York,  and  a  daughter  of  William  B.  Gilbert 
of  the  same  county.  He  was  of  French  descent.  Mrs.  Belinda  Conk- 
lin died  upon  the  home  farm  in  Silver  Creek  township  at  the  age  of 
fifty-two  years.  There  were  eight  children  in  the  family,  one  of  whom 
died  in  infancy.  Tlie  others  are:  Gilbert,  of  this  review;  Simeon; 
Abram;  Jane;  George,  who  died  at  the  age  of  fourteen;  Charles;  and 
Lydia. 

Gilbert  Conklin  was  reared  in  the  county  of  his  nativity  and  ac- 
quired his  education  there  in  the  district  schools.  He  came  to  Cass 
county,  Michigan,  with  his  parents  and  remained  with  them  until  his 
marriage,  in  the  meantime  assisting  in  the  work  of  the  fields  and  the 
development  of  a  new  farm.  On  the  13th  of  February,  1862,  he  was 
joined  in  wedlock  to  Miss  Maria  Bedford,  a  daughter  of  George  and 
Ann  (Smith)  Bedford,  both  of  whom  were  bom  in  Lincolnshire,  Eng- 
land. They  spent  their  childhood  there  in  that  country,  were  married 
there  and  in  1835  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  America,  locating  near  Syra- 
cuse, New  York,  where  they  remained  for  about  six  years.     In   1841 


682  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

they  came  to  Michigan,  settling  in  Silver  Creek  township,  Cass  county, 
where  they  spent  their  remaining  days,  both  attaining  an  advanced  age, 
the  father  passing  away  when  he  had  reached  the  age  of  seventy-five 
years,  while  the  mother's  death  occurred  when  she  was  seventy-four 
years  of  age.  In  their  family  were  six  daughters  and  two  sons,  of 
whom  three  died  in  infancy.  Two  of  the  number  were  born  in  New 
York,  while  the  others  were  natives  of  Silver  Creek  township.  There 
are  four  daughters  and  a  son  living.  Mrs.  Conklin,  who  was  the  third 
child  and  second  daughter,  was  born  in  Silver  Creek  township,  June  5, 
1842,  and  has  been  a  life-long  resident  of  this  part  of  the  county.  At 
the  usual  age  she  began  her  education  in  the  district  schools  and  after- 
ward she  engaged  in  teaching,  which  profession  she  followed  success- 
fully up  to  the  time  of  her  marriage.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Conklin  began 
their  domestic  life  upon  the  farm  where  they  now  reside,  living  first  in 
a  small  frame  house  which  was  practically  nothing  more  than  a  little 
shanty  twelve  by  twenty  feet.  As  the  years  passed  by,  three  children 
were  added  to  the  family :  William  G.,  who  was  born  in  1863  ^^^  died 
in  1893  at  the  age  of  thirty  years;  Linda,  who  is  an  artist  now  living 
in  Chicago,  Illinois;  and  Dr.  Alice  I.  Conklin,  a  practicing  physician 
residing  in  Chicago. 

Mr.  Conklin  has  extensive  and  valuable  landed  interests  in  this 
county,  his  farm  comprising  three  hundred  and  forty-eight  acres  of  rich 
land  which  responds  readily  to  the  care  and  cultivation  he  bestows  upon 
the  fields,  bringing  forth  rich  and  abundant,^  harvests.  He  has  long 
been  recognized  as  an  enterprising  agriculturist  of  his  community  and 
he  has  a  well  improved  farm,  using  good  machinery  to  facilitate  the 
work  of  the  fields.  He  has  been  almost  a  life-long  resident  of  the 
county,  coming  here  in  his  boyhood  days  and  his  residence  here  now 
covers  more  than  a  half  century,  during  which  time  he  has  witnessed 
the  greater  part  of  the  development  and  improvement  of  this  portion 
of  the  state.  He  has  been  a  stanch  champion  of  the  cause  of  temper- 
ance and  is  an  earnest  prohibitionist,  working  eagerly  for  the  success 
of  his  party.  At  one  time  he  was  supervisor  of  his  township.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  is  district  trustee. 
His  life  has  been  honorable,  his  actions  manly  and  sincere,  for  at  all 
times  his  conduct  has  been  actuated  by  Christian  principles  and  devo- 
tion to  truth,  justice  and  right. 

ALBON  C.  TAYLOR. 

Albon  C.  Taylor,  supervisor  of  the  first  ward  of  Dowagiac,  was 
born  in  Franklin  county.  New  York,  April  8,  1861.  His  father,  Mar- 
shall W.  Taylor,  was  also  a  native  of  that  state  and  during  the  period 
of  the  Civil  war  espoused  the  Union  cause,  donned  his  country's  uniform 
and  went  forth  to  defend  the  stars  and  stripes.  He  died  while  serving 
as  a  soldier.     His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Jane  Abbott,  was 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  683 

a  native  of  Toronto,  Canada,  and  was  taken  by  her  parents  to  the  state 
of  New  York  when  only  four  years  of  age.  By  her  marriage  she  be- 
came the  mother  of  three  sons:  Arthur  J.,  who  is  now  residing  in 
Malone,  Frankhn  county,  New  York;  George  E.,  who  makes  his  home 
in  Kalamazoo,  Michigan;  and  A.  C,  of  this  review. 

Mr.  Taylor,  the  youngest  of  the  family,  was  reared  in  the  place 
of  his  nativity  until  sixteen  years  of  age  and  during  that  period  acquired 
his  education  in  the  district  schools.  He  then  left  home  and  made  his 
way  westward  to  Michigan,  settling  in  Allegan  county,  where  he  was 
employed  at  farm  labor  until  about  the  time  he  attained  his  majority. 
He  then  entered  upon  railroad  work  in  the  employ  of  the  Michigan  Cen- 
tral Railroad  Company,  securing  a  position  in  the  freight  department 
at  Kalamazoo.  He  came  to  Dowagiac  about  1892  as  foreman  of  the 
freight  house  for  the  Michigan  Central  Company,  spending  six  years 
in  that  capacity,  after  which  he  resigned  his  position  and  became  con- 
nected with  the  Dowagiac  Manufacturing  Company  in  the  molding 
department.  He  has  since  been  with  the  Round  Oak  Stove  Company, 
with  which  he  occupies  a  good  position. 

Mr.  Taylor  was  married  in  February,  1891,  to  Miss  Irma  Thomp- 
son, a  daughter  of  Dr.  W.  C.  and  Kate  Thompson.  She  was  born  in 
St.  Joseph  county,  Michigan,  and  has  spent  her  entire  life  in  this  county. 
By  her  marriage  she  has  become  the  mother  of  two  sons,  Curtis  and 
Glenn. 

Mr.  Taylor  votes  with  the  Republican  party  and  has  taken  an  active 
and  helpful  interest  in  its  work  and  in  promoting  its  success.  He  was 
also  supervisor  of  the  first  ward  in  1904  and  again  in  1905  and  is  now 
filling  the  position.  In  the  spring  of  1906  he  was  elected  as  city  treas- 
urer of  Dowagiac,  Michigan,  and  is  the  present  incumbent  of  this  office. 
He  is  vice-president  bf  the  Round  Oak  Relief  Association  and  was  one 
of  its  charter  members  and  organizers.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Modern 
Woodmen  camp.  Coming  to  Michigan  when  but  a  youth,  he  has  re- 
sided here  continuously  since,  and  his  life  history  is  well  know  to  the 
citizens  of  Cass  county  among  whom  he  has  now  lived  for  many  years. 

JOHN  MATER. 

Among  those  to  whom  fate  has  vouchsafed  an  honorable  retire- 
ment from  labor  in  recognition  of  former  toil  and  activity,  is  John 
Mater,  a  retired  farmer  living  in  Dowagiac.  He  was  born  in  Parke 
county,  Indiana,  June  7,  1838.  His  father,  George  Mater,  was  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania,  where  he  spent  the  days  of  his  youth.  The  paternal 
grandfather  was  George  Mater,  Sr.,  who  for  seven  years  was  a  soldier 
in  the  Revolutionary  war  under  General  Washington  and  valiantly 
fought  for  the  independence  of  the  nation.  On  leaving  the  Keystone 
state  George  Mater,  father  of  our  subject,  removed  to  Ohio  and  after- 
ward to  Indiana,  whence,  in   1844,  he  came  to  Michigan,  settling  in 


^84  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Pokagon  township,  Cass  county,  about  three  miles  south  of  Dowagiac. 
At  a  later  day  he  returned  to  Indiana  but  again  came  to  Michigan,  and 
then  once  more  went  to  Indiana,  while  his  death  occurred  in  Illinois 
in  1875,  when  he  was  seventy-four  years  of  age.  His  wife,  who  in 
her  maidenhood  was  Elizabeth  "Crum,  was  a  daughter  of  Zachariah 
Crum,  who  was  also  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  being  with  the  army  under 
command  of  General  Anthony  Wayne.  The  Mater  family  is  of  Ger- 
man lineage,  while  the  Crum  family  is  of  Holland  descent.  Mrs.  Mater 
died  when  forty-five  years  of  age.  By  her  marriage  she  had  become 
the  mother  of  thirteen  children. 

John  Mater  of  this  review  was  the  seventh  child  and  third  son.  He 
remained  under  the  parental  roof  until  fourteen  years  of  age,  when  his 
mother  died.  It  was  not  long  after  this  that  he  started  out  in  life  on 
his  own  account,  working  at  farm  labor  or  at  anything  he  could  find 
to  do  which  would  yield  him  an  honest  living.  When  about  fifteen 
years  of  age  he  returned  to  Michigan,  where  he  has  since  made  his 
home.  He  was  variously  employed  here  until  after  the  outbreak  of  the 
Civil  war,  when,  on  the  12th  of  August,  1861,  he  enlisted  as  a  member 
of  Company  B,  Ninth  Michigan  Volunteer  Infantry,  joining  the  army 
as  a  private.  He  served  until  October  7,  1862,  when  he  was  honorably 
discharged  on  account  of  disability.  On  the  4th  of  January,  however, 
he  re-enlisted  in  the  same  company  and  regiment  to  which  he  had  for- 
merly belonged  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  appointed 
corporal  six  months  after  his  first  enlistment  and  was  made  sergeant  in 
the  fall  of  1864.  He  was  altogether  for  about  three  years  in  the  serv- 
ice and  proved  a  brave  soldier,  being  a  worthy  representative  of  an 
ancestry  that  furnished  several  heroes  to  the  Revolutionary  war.  His 
regiment  was  taken  prisoner  at  Murfreesboro,  Tennessee,  on  the  13th 
of  July,  1862,  and  was  sent  to  Camp  Chase,  there  remaining  until  ex- 
changed in  the  following  September.  Mr.  Mater  became  ill  and  for 
this  reason  was  discharged.  The  regiment  was  under  command  of  Gen- 
eral Thomas,  acting  as  guard  at  headquarters,  and  remained  as  such 
from  the  battle  of  Stone  River  during  the  w^ar.  Mr.  Mater  received 
his  second  discharge  at  Jackson,  Michigan,  and  was  mustered  out  at 
Nashville,  Tennessee,  after  which  he  returned  to  his  home. 

On  the  29th  of  October,  1865,  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Mater 
and  Miss  Albina  Dewey,  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Mary  (Griffin) 
Dewey,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Indiana  and  became  pioneer  set- 
tlers of  Cass  county,  locating  in  Pokagon  township  April  21,  1839.  She 
is  a  granddaughter  of  Henry  Dewey,  who  was  also  one  of  the  pioneer 
residents  of  this  county  and  took  up  land  from  the  government  in  Pok- 
agon township,  where  he  developed  a  new  farm.  At  the  time  of  their 
marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mater  located  on  a  farm  in  Pokagon  township, 
and  there  resided  until  about  1890,  when  he  put  aside  business  cares, 
then  removing  to  Dowagiac.  For  many  years  Mr.  Mater  successfully 
and  ably  carried  on  the  work  of  the  fields,  producing  good  crops  and 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  685 

securing  a  gratifying  financial  income  as  he  placed  his  grain  on  the 
market.  He  was  practical  and  enterprising  in  all  his  farm  work  and 
the  neat  and  thrifty  appearance  of  his  place  indicated  his  careful  super- 
vision. Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mater  were  born  two  children:  Dn  Elmer 
Lincoln  Mater,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the  Chicago  Medical  College  and 
is  now  a  practicing  physician  in  Dowagiac;  and  Mary  Grace,  a  teacher, 
who  is  living  in  South  Haven,  Michigan. 

Mr.  Mater  still  owns  a  farm  of  eighty-nine  acres  of  rich  and  pro- 
ductive land,  and  this  returns  him  a  good  income.  He  is  a  member 
of  H.  C.  Gilbert  Post,  No.  47,  G.  A.  R.,  in  which  he  has  filled  nearly 
all  of  the  offices,  including  that  of  commander.  He  is  also  a  Mason, 
belonging  to  the  Blue  lodge  and  the  chapter  at  Dowagiac.  His  religious 
faith  is  indicated  by  his  membership  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
in  which  he  has  also  held  office,  taking  an  active  and  helpful  part  in  its 
work.  He  has  been  a  life-long  Republican,  and  has  done  much  for  the 
party  in  this  community,  serving  as  a  delegate  to  all  of  the  county  con- 
ventions since  his  return  from  the  army  and  doing  everything  in  his 
power  to  promote  the  growth  and  insure  the  success  of  the  political 
principles  in  which  he  believes.  He  represents  an  old  pioneer  family 
of  the  county,  having  for  sixty-two  years  resided  within  its  borders  and 
at  all  times  and  under  all  circumstances  he  has  been  as  loyal  to  his  coun- 
try and  her  welfare  as  when  he  followed  the  stars  and  stripes  on  south- 
ern battlefields.  Fidelity  to  duty  has  ever  been  one  of  his  strong  and 
salient  characteristics  and  his  integrity  in  business,  his  loyalty  in  citizen- 
ship and  his  honor  in  all  life's  relations  have  made  him  one  of  the  repre- 
sentative men  of  the  county. 

ALONZO  J.  HARDY. 

Alonzo  J.  Hardy,  w^ho  after  many  years'  connection  with  farming 
interests  in  Michigan  is  now  living  retired  in  Dowagiac,  certainly  de- 
serves the  rest  which  is  now  vouchsafed  to  him  and  his  life  record  brings 
to  mind  the  lines  of  the  poet: 

'*How  blest  is  he  who  crowns  in  shades  like  these 
A  youth  of  labor  with  an  age  of  ease." 

Mr.  Hardy  was  torn  in  Otsego  county,  New  York,  June  6,  1843. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  William  Hardy,  was  of  English  lineage,  but 
the  family  was  established  in  America  in  colonial  days  and  William 
Hardy  was  born  in  New  York.  His  son,  Peter  Hardy,  was  a  native 
of  Otsego  county,  that  state,  was  reared  to  the  occupation  of  farming 
and  made  that  pursuit  his  life  work.  He  continued  to  reside  in  the 
east  until  1862,  when,  thinking  that  he  might  enjoy  better  business  op- 
portunities in  the  middle  west,  he  came  to  Michigan,  settling  in  La- 
Grange  township,  Cass  county,  where  he  secured  a  tract  of  land  and 
engaged  in  farming  until   1869-.     He  then  removed  to  Dowagiac  and 


^S6  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

retired  from  active  business,  spending  his  remaining  days  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  a  well-earned  rest.  He  lived  to  be  seventy-two  years  of  age. 
In  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  he  held  membership  and  in  its  work 
was  deeply  interested,  doing  all  in  his  power  to  promote  the  various 
church  activities.  His  life  was  ever  upright  and  honorable  and  com- 
mended him  to  the  good  will  and  trust  of  his  fellow  men.  Prior  to  the 
Civil  war  he  was  a  stanch  opponent  of  the  system  of  slavery  and  advo- 
cated the  cause  of  abolition,  and  when  the  Republican  party  was  formed 
to  prevent  the  further  extension  of  slavery  he  joined  its  ranks.  He  was 
well  known  in  the  county  as  a  man  of  the  highest  respectability  and 
worth.  He  married  Miss  Lydia  Huntington,  also  a  native  of  Otsego 
county.  New  York,  and  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Huntington,  who  came 
of  New  England  ancestry,  removing  from  Vermont  to  the  Empire 
state.  Mrs.  Hardy  died  in  Cass  county  when  seventy-nine  years  of 
age.  In  the  family  were  but  two  sons,  A.  J.,  and  George  Hardy, 
who  live  together  in  Dowagiac. 

Mr.  Hardy  of  this  review  spent  his  boyhood  days  in  the  place  of 
his  nativity.  At  the  usual  age  he  entered  the  common  schools  and 
therein  mastered  the  elementary  branches  of  English  learning.  He  was 
nineteen  years  of  age  when  in  1862  he  responded  to  the  country's  call 
for  aid,  enlisting  as  a  member  of  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifty- 
second  regiment  of  New  York  volunteers  as  a  private.  He  served  for 
three  years  and  took  part  in  a  number  of  hotly  contested  engagements, 
including  the  battles  of  Cold  Harbor,  Reams  Station  and  Petersburg. 
He  was  with  the  army  as  it  followed  Lee  up  to  Appomattox,  where  the 
Confederate  forces  surrendered.  Mr.  Hardy  then  went  with  his  com- 
mand to  Washington  and  participated  in  the  Grand  Review  in  that  city, 
which  was  the  most  celebrated  military  pageant  ever  seen  on  the  western 
hemisphere,  thousands  of  soldiers  passing  in  review  before  the  stand 
upon  which  stood  the  President  watching  the  return  of  the  victorious 
army,  whose  efforts  and  bravery  had  saved  the  Union.  Mr.  Hardy  was 
mustered  out  at  Albany,  New  York,  having  made  an  excellent  military 
record. 

After  receiving  an  honorable  discharge  he  came  to  Michigan  in 
1865,  making  his  way  direct  to  Cass  county,  at  which  time  he  located 
upon  the  farm  in  La  Grange  township  that  he  still  owns.  For  many 
years  thereafter  he  was  engaged  in  general  agricultural  pursuits  and  as 
a  companion  and  helpmate  for  life's  journey  he  chose  Miss  Lina  E. 
Elliott,  to  whom  he  was  married  in  this  county  on  the  26.  of  September, 
1868.  She  is  a  daughter  of  the  Rev.  G.  C.  and  Calesta  (Elliott)  Elliott, 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  the  Mohawk  valley  of  New  York,  whence 
they  came  westward  to  Michigan  in  1868,  settling  in  LaGrange  town- 
ship, Cass  county.  Mrs.  Hardy  was  born  in  Otsego  county.  New  York, 
May  15,  1845,  ^^d  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth  in  a  family  of  five 
children,  two  daughters  and  three  sons.  Her  father  was  a  minister  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  she  was  reared  in  a  household  char- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  687 

acterized  by  culture,  refinement  and  high  principles.  She  acquired  her 
literary  education  at  Cazenovia  Seminary,  New  York,  and,  like  the 
others  of  the  family,  enjoyed  excellent  educational  privileges. 

At  the  time  of  his  marriage  Mr.  Hardy  took  his  bride  to  his  farm 
and  there  lived  continuously  until  1885,  when  he  removed  to  Dowagiac. 
He  continued  to  engage  in  the  cultivation  of  his  farm,  however,  until 
about  1899,  when  he  retired  from  active  business  life.  He  has  a  valu- 
able tract  of  land  of  one  hundred  and  ninety  acres,  well  improved.  The 
entire  place  is  under  the  plow  save  but  about  fifteen  acres,  which  is 
covered  with  timber.  He  brought  his  fields  under  a  high  state  of  culti- 
vation, built  good  fences  and  added  modern  improvements  to  his  farm 
and  as  the  years  passed  he  harvested  good  crops.  Thus  he  added  an- 
nually to  his  income  year  by  year  until  he  has  accumulated  a  gratifying 
competence  that  now  makes  it  possible  for  him  to  rest  from  further 
labor. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hardy  have  been  born  two  children,  a  daughter 
and  son.  The  former,  Grace,  is  now  the  wife  of  Dr.  H.  T.  Cole,  a 
practicing  physician  located  in  the  Champlain  Building,  Chicago.  The 
son.  Dr.  F.  C.  Hardy,  is  a  practicing  physician  of  Kendalville,  Indiana. 
Mrs.  Cole  has  a  son,  Gordon  Hardy  Cole,  and  Dr.  Hardy  has  one  child, 
Flint  Weidia  Hardy. 

In  his  political  views  A.  J.  Hardy  has  been  a  stanch  Republican 
from  the  time  age  conferred  upon  him  the  right  of  franchise  and  he  has 
done  all  in  his  power  to  promote  the  growth  and  insure  the  success  of 
his  party.  He  belongs  to  A.  C.  Gilbert  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  and  thus  main- 
tains pleasant  relations  with  his  old  army  comrades.  He  has  also  taken 
the  third  degree  of  the  Blue  lodge  in  Masonry,  while  his  wife  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  For  forty  years  Mr.  Hardy 
has  resided  in  this  county  and  his  wife  for  almost  a  similar  period. 
They  are  a  highly  esteemed  couple,  having  many  warm  friends,  while 
the  hospitality  of  their  own  home  is  greatly  enjoyed  by  those  who  know 
them.  Mr.  Hardy  has  led  a  busy  and  useful  life,  has  won  success 
through  earnest  effort  at  farming  and  is  now  living  at  ease  in  a  pleas- 
ant home  m  Dowagiac. 

DEXTER  GUSHING. 

Dexter  Gushing  was  numbered  among  the  old  settlers  of  Cass 
county  who  aided  in  making  it  what  it  is  today.  His  strenuous  labor 
and  progressive  spirit  contributed  to  the  result  that  has  been  accom- 
plished in  the  way  of  general  improvement  and  progress.  He  resided 
on  section  19,  Silver  Creek  township.  He  w^as  born  in  Oneida  county, 
New  York,  near  the  town  of  Deerfield,  April  17,  1828.  His  father, 
James  H.  Gushing,  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  in  which  state  he 
spent  his  boyhood  and  youth.  His  father,  Mathew  Gushing,  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  a  native  of  England  and  at  all  events  it  is  known 


QS8  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

that  the  family  was  established  in  America  in  early  colonial  days.  The 
mother  of  our  subject  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Amy  Dewey.  She  was 
born  in  Massachusetts  and  was  of  Scotch-English  lineage.  In  New 
York  she  gave  her  hand  in  marriage  to  James  H.  Cushing  and  they 
resided  for  some  time  in  Oneida  county  or  until  185 1,  when  they  came 
to  Michigan,  making  their  way  direct  to  Cass  county.  They  then  set- 
tled in  Silver  Creek  township,  where  Mr.  Cushing  purchased  a  farm 
upon  which  few  improvements  had  been  made.  He  began  the  further 
development  of  this  place  and  continued  to  carry  on  agricultural  pur- 
suits here  with  excellent  success,  transforming  his  property  into  a  wen- 
developed  farm,  upon  which  he  lived  until  called  to  his  final  rest  in  his 
seventy-fifth  year.  His  wife  was  in  her  eighty-ninth  year  when  she 
passed  away.  Their  family  numbered  ten  children,  five  sons  and  five 
daughters,  all  of  whom  reached  manhood  or  womanhood  with  one  ex- 
ception. Three  of  the  sons  are  yet  living  at  the  time  of  this  writing, 
namely :  George,  who  makes  his  home  in  Dowagiac ;  David,  who  is  liv- 
ing in  Silver  Creek  township;  and  Dexter. 

In  taking  up  the  personal  history  of  Dexter  Cushing  we  present 
to  our  readers  the  life  record  of  one  who  was  widely  and  favorably 
known  in  this  community.  He  was  the  third  son  and  sixth  child  in  his 
father's  family  and  was  reared  in  Oneida  county,  New  York,  to  the  age 
of  nine  years,  when  his  parents  removed  to  Oswego  county,  that  state^ 
there  residing  until  1852,  when  they  came  to  Cass  county,  Michigan, 
and  Mr.  Cushing  of  this  review  took  up  his  abode  in  Silver  Creek  town- 
ship. He  was  then  about  twenty-four  years  of  age  and  he  remained 
with  his  father,  assisting  him  in  the  work  of  the  home  farm  until  he 
married  and  established  a  home  of  his  own. 

It  was  on  the  31st  of  January,  1856,  that  Mr.  Cushing  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Jane  Gilbert,  a  daughter  of  William  B.  and  Cynthia 
(Sammonds)  Gilbert,  who  came  to  Cass  county  in  1838  and  were  there- 
fore among  the  early  settlers.  They  located  in  Silver  Creek  township, 
establishing  a  home  in  the  midst  of  the  wilderness  and  sharing  with 
other  frontier  settlers  in  the  various  hardships  and  trials  which  go  to 
make  up  the  life  of  the  pioneer.  Mrs.  Cushing  was  born  in  Otsego 
county,  New  York,  at  the  family  home  in  the  town  of  Springfield  on 
the  23d  of  September,  1835,  ^^^  was  therefore  a  little  maiden  of  three 
summers  when  she  was  brought  to  Michigan  by  her  parents.  She  was 
reared  under  the  parental  roof  with  a  family  that  numbered  three  sons 
and  three  daughters  and  she  was  trained  to  the  duties  of  the  household, 
so  that  she  was  well  qualified  to  take  charge  of  a  home  of  her  own  at 
the  time  of  her  marriage.  Her  education  was  obtained  in  the  district 
schools.  After  their  marriage  the  young  couple  located  on  a  farm  on 
section  20,  Silver  Creek  Jownship,  their  first  home  being  a  little  frame 
house  eighteen  by  twenty-two  feet.  It  soon  won  a  wide  reputation  for 
its  generous,  cordial  and  warm  hearted  hospitality  and  there  were  always 
visitors  there.    They  lived  in  this  house  for  about  twelve  years  and  dur- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COtJNtY 

ing  that  time  Mi*.  Cushiilg  cleared  and  developed  one  hlindretd  ^nd 
twenty  acres  of  land  Which  Was  all  coveted  w^ith  heavy  timber  v\^hen  he 
took  possession  of  that  place.  In  tht^  forest,  however,  he  developed  the 
fields  and  the  sunlight  soon  shone  doWn  upon  the  plowed  land  and 
ripened  the  harvests.  Later  Mr.  Gushing  removed  from  his  origirlal 
place  to  the  present  home  not  far  from  the  old  homestead.  He  lived 
in  the  county  for  about  fifty-five  years  altogether  and  always  gave 
his  time  and  energies  to  general  agricultural  pursuits.  He  was  also 
engaged  in  the  stock  busiliess,  buying,  selling  and  shi|>ping  stock  for 
about  thirty  years  and  finding  this  a  profitable  source  of  iiicome.  At 
the  time  of  his  death  he  owned  two  hundred  acres  of  land  situated  Dri 
sections  19  and  20,  and  the  farm  is  a  valuable  and  productive  one,  in- 
dicating in  its  well  improved  appearance  the  careful  supervision,  practi- 
cal methods  and  unfaltering  energy  of  the  owner. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gushing  were  born  two  childfeh:  William  G., 
w4io  is  a  merchant  at  Gushing  Gorners  in  this  county ;  and  Jentlie,  the' 
wife  of  Wallace  Trowbridge,  a  resident  farmer  of  Silver  Greek  town- 
ship. Mr.  Gushing  always  voted  with  the  Democracy  after  the  organi- 
zation of  the  party  and  believed  that  its  principles  contained  the  best 
elements  of  good  government.  He  belonged  to  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church  of  Silver  Greek  township,  contributed  generously  to  its 
support,  took  an  active  part  in  its  work  and  did  all  in  his  powef  to 
advance  the  various  church  activities.  He  passed  the  seventy-eighth 
milestone  on  life's  journey  and  his  was  a  useful  and  active  life  that  won 
for  him  the  unqualified  regard  and  confidence  of  his  neighbors  and 
friends.  He  could  look  back  to  the  time  when  this  county  was  largely 
unimproved.  The  uncut  forests  showed  that  the  white  man  had  scarcely 
penetrated  into  the  interior,  for  only  here  and  there  was  to  be 
seen  smoke  rising  from  a  little  cabin  to  show  that  a  home  had  been 
established  in  the  midst  of  the  wilderness.  Many  conditions  of  life 
were  very  crude  as  compared  with  those  of  the  present  day  and  much 
of  the  farm  work  was  done  by  hand.  The  people  depended  upon  what 
they  raised  for  the  comforts  of  life  and  much  of  the  clothing  was  not 
only  made  at  home  but  was  spun  and  woven  by  hand.  There  has  been 
a  great  transformation  in  the  methods  of  farming  and  as  the  years  passed 
by  Mr.  Gushing  kept  abreast  with  the  progress  along  agricultural  lines. 
On  the  occasion  of  his  death  the  following  lines  appeared  in  one  of  the 
local  papers : 

"Dexter  Gushing,  a  pioneer  of  Gass  county,  died  at  his  home  in 
Silver  Greek  last  Saturday,  September  8,  and  funeral  services  were  held 
Monday,  condilcted  by  Peninsular  Lodge  F.  &  A.  M.  of  Dowagiac,  of 
which  he  was  one  of  the  oldest  members. 

'^Mr.  Gushing  was  the  son  of  James  Gushing,  and  was  seventy- 
eight  year's  of  age.  He  was  both  a  county  and  township  pioneer,  hav- 
ing spent  almost  his  entire  life  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil  in  Silver  Creek. 

''He  is  survived  by  a  wife  and  two  children.     The  latter  are  Will 


690  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Cushing,  storekeeper  at  Gushing  Corners,  and  Mrs.  Wallace  Trowbridge, 
of  Indian  Lake.  One  brother,  George,  of  Dowagiac,  also  survives  him. 
Another  brother,  Dave,  died  last  spring. 

'*Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gushing  early  this  year  celebrated  the  fiftieth  anni- 
versary of  their  wedding." 

PHILO  D.  BEGKWITH. 

At  the  time  of  his  death  in  1889  Philo  D.  Beckwith  had  given 
Dowagiac  its  two  most  important  industries — the  drill  works  and  the 
stove  works.  He  had  given  them  to  the  city  and  the  world  in  the  sense 
that  he  had  invented  them.  But  it  was  even  a  greater  accomplishment 
when  he  established  the  manufacture  of  the  perfected  machinery^  on  a 
permanent  business  basis.  It  is  the  privilege  of  few  small^  cities  to 
possess  institutions  of  national  fame.  To  say  that  ''Dowagiac  is  the 
home  of  the  Round  Oak  stove"  would  establish  an  immediate  relation- 
ship between  many  thousands  of  homes  and  this  little  city  in  the  valley 
of  Dowagiac  creek.  To  the  millions  who  dwell  beyond  the  range  of 
Dowagiac's  influence  as  a  city,  there  comes  an  increasing  association  of 
the  name  of  city  with  the  name  of  Round  Oak  stoves  and  furnaces.  In 
so  far  as  Dowagiac's  development  is  the  result  of  her  largest  industry 
— and  citizens  never  fail  to  ascribe  first  place  to  the  stove  works  in  the 
factors  of  upbuilding — the  late  Mr.  Beckwith  was  a  founder  of  the 
city.  Thirty-five  years  of  unremitting  industry  and  business  judgment 
and  application  of  singxilar  inventive  genius  built  a  business  that  is  as 
inseparable  fromi  Dowagiac's  prosperity  as  the  railroad  itself. 

The  history  of  the  origin  and  growth  of  the  Round  Oak  works 
and  Mr.  Beckwith's  early  labors  and  struggles  in  establishing  his  manu- 
facturing enterprises  here  is  recounted  in  the  general  history  of  manu- 
facturing on  other  pages.  It  is  hoped  that  in  this  article  the  biographer 
may  we^ave  together  the  details  of  a  life  which  meant  so  much  for 
Dowagiac  and  the  world  and  satisfy- the  interest  which  is  everywhere 
felt  in  the  career  of  a  successful  man. 

When  Mr.  Beckwith  came  to  Dowagiac  in  1854,  only  half  a  dozen 
years  after  the  founding-  of  the  village  and  when  the  manufacturing 
along  the  banks  of  the  creek  and  the  few  stores  on  Front  street  con- 
tained in  themselves  little  promise  of  the  future,  he  himself  had  hardly 
made  a  fair  start  on  his  career,  although  he  was  nearly  thirtv  years  of 
age  and  doubtless  had  stored  up  in  mind  and  body  the  possibilities  of 
the  future.  His  early  life  could  hardly  be  described  as  years  of  oppor- 
tunity. Although  a  descendant  of  New  England  ancestors  whose  names 
were  associated  with  events  since  the  landing  on  Plymouth  Rock,  he 
was  not  born  in  affluence,  and  New  England  hardihood  and  rugged 
honesty  and  thrift  were  a  full  total  of  his  inheritance.  He  was  bom 
in  1825,  in  what  is  now  the  town  of  Eagle  in  Wyoming  county,  New 
York.    A  few  vears  later  his  father  died,  leaving  to  the  widowed  mother 


^    3^-^_^.^ /e^^jrzT^ 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  691 

the  care  and  bringing  up  of  the  son  and  a  younger  sister.  It  was  hard 
labor  with  the  needle  by  which  she  endeavored  to  eke  out  her  slender 
means  and  provide  for  herself  and  children  till  they  should  be  self- 
supporting.  Under  such  circumstances,  and  the  opportunities  of  pub- 
lic school  education  not  yet  having  been  supplied  in  that  part  of  Mew 
York,  the  son  Philo  lacked  the  training  which  we  now  consider  so 
essential  to  the  introduction  of  boys  into  serious  life.  .„        -r.     i 

At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  began  work  m  a  woolen  mill  at  Hagie, 
owned  by  a  maternal  uncle.     He  learned  a  great  deal  about  the  busi- 
ness during  the  next  two  years,  but  received  little  pay.     He  then  went 
to  live  with  another  uncle,  near  the  city  of  Rochester,  and  here  had  the 
good  fortune  of  attending  a  district  school  several  months.    Many  suc- 
cessful men  have  made  such  a  brief  period  of  education  worth  as  much 
as  an  entire  college  course.     Though  his  school  days  ended  there,  the 
development  of  his  mental  culture  and  appreciation  of  the  worid  and  the 
best  in  it  continued  all  his  years.     As  his  keen  business  mstinct  led  him 
step  by  step  to  material  success,  so  he  was  noted  for  his  thorough  valua- 
tion of  men  and  affairs,  and  his  culture  was  of  the  practical  kmd  that 
is  entirely  foreign  to  the  superficial  veneer  laid  on  by  academic  training. 
Mr  Beckwith  was  eighteen  years  old  when  he  married  Miss  Cath- 
erine Scott   a  girl  who  was  also  born  and  brought  up  at  Eagle,  New 
York    and 'who  was  his  companion  and  helper  throughout  the  strug- 
o-les  of  his  early  career  and  the  success  of  later  years.     In  i844_Mr. 
Beckwith  and  wife  became  residents  of  Michigan.     He  became  a  jour- 
nevman  in  a  woolen  mill  at  Battle  Creek  and  later  became  a  workman 
in  a  machine  shop.    Practical  in  his  ideas,  thrifty  and  always  looking  to 
future  advancement,  he  managed,  from  wages  of  a  dollar  a  day    to 
save  six  hundred  dollars  as  the  basis  for  subsequent  enterprises.     When 
he  came  to  Dowagiac  in  1854  he  had  this  amount  of  capital  and  the 
accumulated  skill  and  experience  of  the  previous  years.     It  is  a  we  1 
known  storv   and  told  in  detail  on  other  pages,  how  Mr.  Beckwith  built 
his  first  small  foundry  on  Front  street,  and  with  one  assistant  began 
making  plows  and  doing  general  repair  work,  at  first  relying  on  horse 
power  to  run  his  machinery;  how  he  next  developed  the  water  power 
on  the  creek  and  with  the  first  manufacture  of  a  primitive  form  of  the 
roller  grain  drill  entered  upon  the  first  series  of  the  larger  manufactur- 
ing with  which  his  name  and  efforts  were  thereafter  associated;  how 
he  invented  and  after  manv  discouragements  succeeded  m  making  a 
market  for  a  new  tvpe  of  stove,  which,  in  all  its  later  improvements 
for  durability  and  general  excellence  has  not  been  surpassed ;  and  finally 
how  his  factory  was  removed  to  its  present  site  and  has  grown  and 
been  enlarged  to  a  mammoth  business  institution,  which,  under  the  title 
of  "P    D    Beckwith  Estate,"  is  a  worthy  monument  to  the  life  and 
work  of  any  man.     But  that  the  city  might  not  lose  the  memory  of 
the  man  in  the  material  and  present  business  of  which  he  was  the  founder. 


692  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

his  grateful  family  erected  and  dedicated  to  his  memory,  in  January, 
1893,  the  beautiful  Beckwith  Memorial  Theatre,  where  the  expression 
of  art  and  the  uplifting  influences  of  life  may  always  be  encouraged, 
thus  beautifully  linking  the  aspirations  for  the  artistic  and  noble  with 
the  results  of  material  and  practical  accomplishment.  The  theatre,  as 
one  of  the  important  institutions  of  Dowagiac,  has  been  described  on 
other  pages.  It  is  not  inapt  in  this  connection  to  quote  some  of  the 
sentences  with  which  Col.  R.  G.  Ingersoll  dedicated  the  building  to  its 
worthy  uses,  in  memory  of  one  'Svho  lived  and  labored  here  and  left 
to  those  who  knew  him  best  the  memory  of  countless  loving  deeds — ^the 
richest  legacy  that  man  can  leave  to  man.  We  are  met  to  dedicate 
this  monument  to  the  memory  of  Philo  D.  Beckwith,  one  of  the  kings 
of  men.  This  monument,  this  perfect  theatre,  this  beautiful  home  of 
cheerfulness  and  joy,  this  home  and  child  of  all  the  arts,  this  theatre 
where  the  architect,  the  sculptor  and  the  painter  united  to  build  and 
decorate  the  stage  whereon  the  drama,  with  a  thousand  tongues,  will 
tell  the  frailties  and  the  virtues  of  the  human  race  and  where  music 
with  its  thrilling  voice  will  teach  the  source  of  happiness^— this  is  a 
fitting  monument  to  a  man  whose  memory  we  honor  and  one  who  had 
outgrown  the  cruel  creeds  and  heartless  dogmas  of  his  time,  one  who 
had  passed  from  superstition  to  science,  from  religion  to  reason,  from 
slavery  to  freedomi,  from  the  shadow  of  fear  to  the  light  of  knowledge, 
and  to  one  whose  heart  and  hands  were  in  partnership,  constituting  the 
firm  of  intelligence  and  industry,  and  whose  heart  divided  the  profits 
with  his  fellowmen;  to  one  who  fought  the  battle  of  his  life  alone  and 
whose  heart  grew  nobler  and  gentler  with  success ;  to  one  who  tried  to 
make  a  heaven  here,  who  believed  in  the  blessed  gospel  of  cheerful- 
ness, of  happy  lives,  of  laughter  and  love." 

In  the  strong  light  thrown  by  his  business  career  and  his  personal 
character  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  mention,  what  will  be  found  stated 
on  other  pages,  that  Mr.  Beckwith  was  closely  identified  with  many 
matters  of  citizenship  and  community  interest — as  mayor  of  his  city 
in  which  he  took  deepest  interest,  as  a  school  official,  as  head  of  the 
library  association  and  donor  of  the  lot  on  which  the  public  library 
stands,  and  in  all  movements  during  his  lifetime  which  afifected  the 
progress  of  his  city.  He  wrought  not  for  the  present  years  nor  for  his 
lifetime,  but  his  life  work  will  remain  the  cornerstone  of  Dowagiac 
when  much  that  now  seems  enduring  has  passed  entirely  away. 

JOHN  CLENDENEN. 

John  Clendenen,  who  is  engaged  in  farming  in  Silver  Creek  town- 
ship, owns  and  operates  one  hundred  and  ninety-five  acres  of  land,  and 
in  connection  with  the  tilling  of  the  soil  carries  on  stock  raising.  He 
was  born  in  the  township  where  he  yet  resides,  his  natal  day  being  De- 
cember 22,   i860.     His  father,  Oscar  Clendenen,  was  a  native  of  Vir- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  693 

ginia,  born  December  20,  1829,  and  came  to  Michigan  as  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Cass  county,  arriving  in  1848.  He  settled  in  Silver  Creek 
township,  vvhe're  he  carried  on  general  farming  and  there  his  death 
occurred  March  7,  1870,  when  he  ^;^as  about  forty  years  of  age.  He 
was'  well  known  in  the  community,  held  a  number  of  local  offices  and 
took  an  active  and  helpful  part  in  the  work  of  general  improvement  and 
development.  In  early  manhood  he  wedded  Miss  Harriet  Swisher,  who 
was  born  February  28,  1839,  ^^  Ohio,  in  which  state  her  girlhood  days 
were  passed.  She  came  with  her  parents  to  Michigan  and  is  still  living 
m  this  state.  By  her  marriage  she  became  the  mother  of  three  children : 
John,  of  this  review  ;  Frank ;  and  Florence,  who  was  born  October  7,  1870, 
and  died  November  3,  1900. 

John  Clendenen  was  reared  upon  the  old  homestead  farm  and  was 
educated  in  the  district  schools.  He  has  lived  all  of  his  life  in  Silver 
Creek  township  and  remained  at  home  up  to  the  time  of  his  marriage, 
which  important  event  in  his  life  was  celebrated  in  1883,  the  lady  of 
his  choice  being  Miss  Emma  Oyler,  a  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Catherine 
(Robinson)  Oyler.  The  father,  who  was  born  December  25,  1827, 
died  September  22,  1888,  and  the  mother,  born  October  14,  1826,  died 
March  3,  1886.  Mrs.  Clendenen  was  born  in  Pokagon  township,  Cass 
county,  and  spent  her  girlhood  days  in  her  parents'  home.  Mr.  Clen- 
denen took  his  bride  to  the  old  farm  homestead,  where  his  entire  life 
has  been  passed.  He  has  always  given  his  attention  to  general  agri- 
cultural pursuits  and  is  now  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  ninety-five 
acres  of  rich  atid  productive  land,  on  which  he  carries  on  general  farm- 
ing and  also  raises  stock.  Everything  about  his  place  is  kept  in  good 
condition.  The  fields  are  well  tilled,  the  buildings  are  in  good  repair 
and  he  uses  the  latest  improved  machinery  to  facilitate  the  work  of  the 
fields.  As  a  business  man  he  is  progressive  and  enterprising  and  his 
well  directed  labors  are  briiaging  him  gratifying  success. 

Mr.  Clendenen  has  always  been  deeply  interested  in  matters  per- 
taining to  the  general  welfare  and  his  fellow  townsmen  recognizing 
his  loyalty  to  American  institutions  and  his  interest  in  local  welfare 
have  Called  him  to  various  public  offices.  He  served  as  clerk  of  his 
township  for  two  years,  was  treasurer  for  two  years  and  highway  com- 
missioner two  years.  He  was  also'  justice  of  the  peace  for  many  years 
and  his  decisions  were  strictly  fair  and  impartial,  so  that  he  'Von  gold- 
en opinions  from  all  sorts  of  people."  In  1905  he  was  elected  super- 
visor of  his  township,  which  position  he  is  now  filling  and  in  this  office 
as  in  all  of  the  others  he  is  found  as  a  faithful  and  capable  official. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clendenen  have  been  born  five  children,  of 
whom  four  are  now  living,  Neil,  the  third  child,  being  deceased.  He 
was  born  November  i,  1890,  and  died  September  22,  189-2.  The  others 
who  still  survive  are  Bessie,  Luki,  Earl  and  Thelma.  In  his  political 
views  Mr.  Clendenen  is  a  Democrat,  deeply  interested  in  the  success 
and  welfare  of  his  party.     Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Master 


694  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Workers  and  his  religious  faith  is  indicated  by  his  membership  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  Silver  Creek  township.  He  takes  an 
active  and  helpful  part  in  church  w^ork  and  is  one  of  the  church  trustees. 
His  entire  life  has  been  passed  in  this  county  and  that  he  has  ever  mer- 
ited the  support  and  regard  of  his  fellowmen  is  indicated  by  the  fact 
that  many  of  his  stanchest  friends  are  numbered  among  those  v^ho  have 
knov^n  him  from  his  boyhood  days  down  to  the  present  time. 

GEORGE  D.  JONES. 

Among  the  representative  and  energetic  business  men  of  Dowagiac 
George  D.  Jones  is  numbered,  being  engaged  in  the  conduct  of  a  grocery 
store.  He  was  born  in  Preble  county,  Ohio,  August  2,  1827.  His 
father,  George  Jones,  was  a  native  of  Georgia  and  was  a  son  of  another 
George  Jones,  who  was  of  Welsh  birth  and  in  1829  became  a  resident 
of  Cass  county,  Michigan,  locating  on  Young's  Prairie  in  Penn  town- 
ship, the  family  being  'the  first  settlers  of  that  township.  George  Jones, 
Sr.,  grandfather  of  our  subject,  had  eleven  children,  all  of  whom  were 
married  when  they  came  to  Cass  county  and  took  up  their  abode  here. 
The  family  to  which  George  D.  Jones  belonged  was  the  smallest  ntimeri- 
cally  of  the  eleven  families,  there  being  but  six  children,  two  daughters 
and  four  sons.  In  early  manhood  George  Jones,  father  of  George  D. 
Jones,  had  removed  from  his  native  state  to  Ohio,  where  he  married 
Miss  Mary  Bogue,  who  was  born  in  North  Carolina.  They  located  in 
Preble  county,  Ohio,  where  he  engaged  in  milling  and  also  in  farming. 
In  the  year  1829  he  removed  to  Cass  county,  Michigan,  and  entered 
land  in  Penn  township,  on  what  is  now  known  as  Young's  Prairie.  He 
was  thus  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  this  part  of  the  state.  He  began  the 
improvement  and  development  of  the  farm  there  but  died  after  a  four 
years'  residence  in  this  state,  passing  away  in  the  thirty-second  year  of 
his  age.  His  children  were  Annie,  Stephen,  Nathan,  Sarah,  George  D. 
and  Charles,  but  the  last  named  died  in  youth. 

George  D.  Jones  is  the  only  one  of  his  father's  family  now  living 
and  was  but  two  years  of  age  when  brought  by  his  parents  to  Michigan. 
He  was  reared  upon  the  old  homestead  in  the  midst  of  the  green  woods 
and  attended  an  old  log  school  house  of  the  early  days.  He  assisted  in 
the  arduous  task  of  developing  and  improving  a  new  farm  and  remained 
with  his  mother  until  twenty-six  years  of  age,  when  he  was  married,  in 
1853,  to  Miss  Sarah  Pegg.  She  died  a  few  years  later  leaving  two 
children :  Flora  E.,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  William  Boling,  a  conductor 
on  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad  now  living  in  Galesburg, 
Illinois;  and  George  Elbert,  deceased.  For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Jones 
chose  Miss  Ella  O.  Rice. 

Remaining  a  resident  of  Penn  township,  he  carried  on  general 
farming  until  1864,  when  he  located  in  Dowagiac  and  the  following- 
year  he  engaged  in  the  shipping  of  live  stock,  in  which  business  he  con- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  696 

tinued  successfully  for  a  number  of  years.  In  1880,  however,  he  estab- 
lished a  grocery  store  and  is  the  pioneer  groceryman  of  this  place.  He 
was  also  the  first  stock  shipper  at  this  point.  He  has  for  seventy-seven 
years  been  a  resident  of  the  county  and  its  history  is  to  him  a  familiar 
story,  not  because  he  has  heard  related  the  events  of  the  early  days  but 
because  he  has  been  an  active  participant  in  the  work  of  improvement 
and  in  the  conditions  which  have  formed  its  pioneer  annals.  His  early 
political  support  was  given  to  the  Whig  party,  and  upon  its  dissolution 
he  joined  the  ranks  of  the  new  Republican  party,  of  which  he  has  since 
been  an  earnest  advocate,  voting  for  each  presidential  candidate  of  the 
party  from  1856  down  to  the  present  time.  .  He  has  filled  the  office  of 
township  clerk  for  several  terms,  was  supervisor  of  Penn  township  and 
justice  of  the  peace.  He  has  likewise  been  a  member  of  the  village 
board  of  Dowagiac  and  a  member  of  the  school  board,  and  the  cause 
of  education  finds  in  him  a  warm  and  stalwart  friend,  while  each  move- 
ment that  has  for  its  basic  element  the  welfare  of  the  community  receives 
his  endorsement.  There  is  perhaps  in  Dowagiac  and  his  section  of  the 
county  no  man  more  widely  known  than  George  D.  Jones,  and  no  his- 
tory of  the  community  would  be  complete  without  the  record  of  his  life. 

ABNER  M.  MOON. 

Abner  M.  Moon,  editor  of  the  Dowagiac  Herald,  also  filling  the 
office  of  justice  of  the  peace,  was  born  near  Paw  Paw,  Michigan,  in 
1849.  His  father,  Ambrose  F.  Moon,  was  a  native  of  Canandaigtia 
county,  New  York,  and  came  of  Danish  ancestry.  According  to  tra- 
dition it  was  at  a  time  when  there  was  a  war  in  progress  between  the 
English  and  the  Danes  that  three  brothers  of  the  name  came  to  the 
United  States  and  settled  in  New  York.  This  was  about  the  time  of 
the  war  for  independence  in  this  country\  In  the  '30s  Ambrose  F.  Moon 
left  the  Empire  state  and  removed  to  Van  Buren  county,  Michigan. 
He  owned  a  farm  but  was  particularly- well  known  as  a  bee  keeper 
and  traveled  all  over  the  country  in  the  interest  of  a  patent  bee  hive. 
He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  was  a  man  of  modest  unassuming  man- 
ner, but  of  genuine  worth,  and  died  in  Rome,  Georgia,  to  which  place 
he  had  removed,  and  there  started  a  Beekeeper's  Magazine,  in  1872. 
His  death  occurred  in  1884,  when  he  was  seventy  years  of  age.  His 
wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Emily  R.  Mack,  was  born  in  Ohio 
and  is  now  living  in  Redlands,  California,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six 
years.  She  is  of  Scotch  descent  and  by  her  marriage  she  became  the 
mother  of  two  children,  but  the  daughter,  Eva,  is  now  deceased. 

Abner  M.  Moon,  the  only  son,  was  a  student  in  the  public  schools 
c»f  Paw  Paw,  and  was  reared  to  farnn  life,  early  becoming  familiar 
with  the  labors  of  the  old  homestead  farm'.  When  twenty-one  years 
of  age  he  purchased  the  Lawton  Tribune,  which  he  published  for  a 
year  and  then  went  to  New  York  city,  where  he  edited  the  National 


6i^6  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Bee  Keepers'  Journal.  After  a  brief  period  he  returned  to  Paw  Paw 
and  a  year  later  went  to.  Rome,  Georgia,  where  he  joined  his  father 
and  began  the  pubhcation  of  a  b^keep^r's  journal,  called  the  Mood's 
Bee  World.  There  he  remained  for  four  years,  after  which  he  spent 
six  months  in  New  York  city,  and  returning  to^  Michigan,  established 
the  Marcellus  News,  which  he  published  for  four  years.  In  1881  he 
came  to  Dowagiac  and  began  the  publication  of  the  Dowagiac  Times, 
which  he  practically  conducted  until  1885,  when  he  was  appointed 
postmaster  under  Cleveland  and  sold  the  paper.  He  conducted  the 
office  for  four  years  and  during  that  time,  in  1887,  was  appointed . 
justice  of  the  peace,  and  ere  the  expiration  of  his  term  in  that  office 
was  appointed  city  clerk.  In  1890  he  was  elected  county  cferk  and 
retained  the  office  for  one  term,  after  which  he  returned  to  Dowagiac 
and  was  re-elected  justice  of  the  peace,  which  position  he  has  since 
filled,  with  the  exception  of  two  years.  He  has  also  held  the  office 
of  city  clerk  two  terms,  and  in  all  these  different  positions  has  been 
a  capable  official,  carefully,  systematically  and  efficiently  performed  the 
varied  duties  that  have  thus  devolved  upon  him  in  connection  with  the 
business  of  the  office.  In  April,  1903,  he  purchased  the  Dowagiac 
Herald,  a  weekly  paper  of  large  circulation,  of  which  he  has  since  been 
editor  and  proprietor.  It  is  a  Democratic  organ,  of  wide  influence, 
recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  journals  of  this  part  of  the  stajte,  and 
Mr.  Moon  is  classed  with  the  leading  representatives  of  journalism,  with 
excellent  business  discernment,  combined  with  editorial  skill,  as  is  mani- 
fest in  the  interesting  columns  of  the  Herald. 

In  1878  Mr.  Moon  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Dora  E.  Ellis, 
who  was  born  in  Hillsdale  county,  Michigan,  in  i860,  a  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Emeline  Elhs,  natives  of  Ohio.  Mr.  Moon  had,  been  mar- 
ried previously  to  Miss  Marian  E.  Guild,  and  his  second  wife  was 
Rachel  Xhompson,  by  whom  he  h^d.  three  children:  Kittie,  now  the 
widow  of  C.  A.  Caldwell  and  a  resident  of  Chicago;  Emmet,  who  is 
a  fruit  grpwer  of  Lawton,  Michigan;  ^nd  Hallie,  deceased.  The  chil- 
dren of  the  present  marriage  are  Ethel,  Don  and  lima,  the  son  being  his 
father's  assistant  in  business.  By  reason  of  his  activity  in  Democratic 
circles  and  his  championship,  through  the  colurrbns  of  his  paper  and 
as.  a  private  citizen,  of  many  interests  for  the  pul^lic  good,  Mr.  Moon 
is  regarded  as  one  of  the  foremost  and  valuable  residents  of  Dowagiac. 

ISAAC  WELLS,  Sr. 

Isaac  Wells,  Sr.,  is  one  of  the  old^  settlers  and  representative  citi- 
z(^ns.  of  Dowagiac  and  for  eighteen  years  has  been  connected  with  the 
Rpund  Oak  Stove  Company  as.  inspector  and  molder  of  clay,  a  business 
recor-d  \y.hi^h  is  certaiiily  cre4i]t^ble^,  for  his  long  retention,  in,  onie  posi- 
tion indicates  his  capability  and  fidelity. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  697 

Mr.  Wells  is  a  native  of  Green  county,  Ohio,  born  July  15,  1830. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  Felix  Wells,  was  a  native  of  Wales,  in  which 
country  he  was  married,  and  about  177&  or  1779  he  crossed  the  Atlantic 
to  the  new  world.  There  were  three  brothers  who  made  the  journey, 
one  of  whom  located  in  Virginia,  one  in  Kentucky  and  one  in  the  east. 
It  was  the  branch  of  the  family  from  which  Isaac  Wells  is  descended 
that  established  its  home  in  Kentucky  and  in  that  state  Charles  Wells, 
father  of  our  subject,  was  bom  February  23,  1790.  The  family  had 
been  located  there  in  early  pioneer  times  when  Kentucky  was  not  far 
removed  from  that  period  which,  because  of  the  always  constantly  waged 
Indian  warfare,  won  for  it  the  title  of  "the  dark  and  bloody  ground.'' 
On  leaving  his  native  state  Charles  Wells  became  an  early  settler  of 
Green  county,  Ohio,  and  from  that  place  made  his  way  direct  to  Cass 
county,  Michigan,  arriving  at  Edwardsburg  on  the  28th  of  October, 
183 1.  He  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade  and  was  the  first  representative 
Oif  that  occupation  in  Cass  county.  He  made  all  of  the  irons  for  the 
first  sawmill  in  the  county  and  the  settlers  came  for  miles  around  to 
secure  his  service  in  the  line  of  his  chosen  trade.  In  1835  he  removed 
to  Berrien  county,  Michigan,  settling  on  what  is  called  the  Indian  re- 
serve. There  he  pre-empted  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  which 
he  began  to-  cultivate  and  improve,  devoting  his  attention  to  his  farm- 
ing interests  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1838.  He  was  one  of 
the  early  settlers  of  Cass  county  and  also  of  Berrien  county  and  he 
aided  in  reclaiming  the  region  for  the  purposes  of  civilization.  His 
political  allegiance  was  given  to  the  Democracy.  He  had  been  married 
on  the  24th  of  March,  1814,  to  Miss  Susan  Briggs,  who  was  born  on 
the  Potomac  river  in  Virginia,  January  7,  1795.  She  survived  her  hus- 
band until  April  16,  1866.  In  their  family  were  nine  children:  Livona, 
born  in  1815;  Eliza,  born  in  1816;  Mary,  in  1818;  Joseph  B.,  in  1820; 
Francis,  October  15,  1823;  Mary,  in  1825;  Lewis,  in  1827;  Isaac,  in 
1830;  and  Ezra,  January  5,  1834.  Of  this  family  only  one  is  living, 
Isaac.     Lewis,  a  resident  of  Iowa,  died  April  20,  1906. 

Isaac  Wells,  Sr.,  was  the  eighth  in  order  of  birth  and  was  a  little 
more  than  a  year  old  when  brought  to  Cass  county  by  his  parents  in  1835. 
He  afterward  was  taken  by  them  to  Bertram  township,  Berrien  county, 
Michigan,  where  he  remained  until  1859,  when  he  returned  tO'  Cass  county 
and  here  engaged  in  farming  and  blacksmi thing.  He  located  on  McKin- 
ney's  Prairie  in  LaGrange  townships  where  he  engaged  in  general  agri- 
cultural pursuits  from'  1859  ^^^^^  1880,  placing  his  fields  under  a  high 
state  of  cultivation  and  harvesting  therefrom  good  crops.  In  the  latter 
year  he  removed  to  Dowagiac  and  w^as  engaged  in.  the  daiiry  bu^ness 
for  two  years.  He  then,  farmed  for  three  years  at  Silver  Creek  and 
Pokagon  townships  and  for  eightseen  years  has  been  connected-  with  the 
Round<  Oak  St>ove  Works,  as  inspector  and.  molder  ol  clay.  Hef  is.  one 
of  the  oldest  settlers  of  Cass  county  and  this  part  of  Michiganj  having 


698  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

spent  his  entire  life  in  this  section  of  the  state,  with  the  exception  of 
his  first  year. 

On  the  1 6th  of  December,  1857,  Mr.  Wells  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Sarah  J.  Herkimer,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Swobe) 
Herkimer  and  a  native  of  Montgomery  county,  New  York,  born  Oc- 
tober 22,  1837.  Her  parents  removed  to  Berrien  county,  Michigan,  in 
185 1.  By  her  marriage  she  has  become  the  mother  of  three  children: 
Emma  Z.,  the  wife  of  Glenn  Mead,  of  Dowagiac;  William  R.,  who 
married  Mary  vSteiner  and  is  living  in  Dowagiac;  and  Isaac  H.,  who 
married  Nellie  Melcher  and  is  living  in  the  same  city. 

Since  age  conferred  upon  him  the  right  of  franchise  Mr.  Wells 
has  been  a  stanch  advocate  of  the  Democracy,  its  principles  and  its  pol- 
icy. He  was  township  treasurer  of  LaGrange  township  for  fouf  years, 
was  also  highway  commissioner  for  six  years  and  has  held  other  local 
offices.  He  has  been  officially  connected  with  the  schools  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
Few  men  have  such  an  intimate  or  accurate  knowledge  of  the  history  of 
this  section  of  the  state  as  has  Mr.  Wells,  who,  as  before  stated,  has 
spent  almost  his  entire  life  in  this  part  of  Michigan.  When  the  family 
located  on  the  Indian  reserve  in  Bertram  township,  Berrien  county, 
there  were  five  white  families  and  four  hundred  and  eighty  Indians 
living  in  that  neighborhood.  When  he  was  in  his  eighth  year  he  acted 
as  interpreter  for  Topen  Bey  and  went  down  to  Tippecanoe  on  the 
Kankakee  river,  being  gone  ten  days  on  the  expedition.  He  could  speak 
the  Indian  tongue  as  readily  as  the  English  language.  When  he  re- 
turned home  he  received  as  a  present  a  fawn  skin  filled  with  honey, 
and  also  a  pipe  given  him  by  Topen  Bey,  the  war  chief's  son.  This  pipe 
is  now  in  the  museum  at  Cassopolis.  Mr.  Wells  is  one  of  the  charter 
members  of  the  Pioneer  Association  of  Cass  county,  was  its  president 
for  one  term,  vice-president  for  one  term  and  a  member  of  the  Report 
Committee  for  the  last  ten  years.  His  life  history  if  written  in  detail 
would  present  many  interesting  pictures  of  pioneer  life.  To  the  traveler 
of  today,  viewing  the  fine  farms,  attractive  homes  and  enterprising 
towns  and  cities  of  southern  Michigan,  it  is  impossible  to  realize  that 
it  is  within  the  memory  of  any  living  man  when  the  red  men  were 
more  numerous  here  than  the  representatives  of  the  white  race,  but 
such  is  the  case  with  Mr.  Wells.  He  can  remember  when  all  this 
region  was  covered  with  a  native  growth  of  timber,  when  the  streams 
were  unbridged  and  the  land  uncultivated.  It  required  much  arduous 
toil  to  bring  about  the  changes  that  have  brought  the  county  up  to  its 
present  high  state  of  cultivation,  development  and  improvement  and 
the  pioneers  bore  many  hardships,  trials  and  privations  while  perform- 
ing this  task.  Mr.  Wells  has  always  borne  his  full  share  in  the  work 
of  development  and  as  an  honored  pioneer  settler  of  southern  Michigan 
well  deserves  mention  in  this  volume. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  699 

OTIS  HUFF. 

Otis  Huff,  one  of  the  youngest  members  of  the  bar  of  Cass  county 
engaged  in  active  practice  in  Marcellus,  was  born  in  VoHnia  township 
on  the  1st  of  August,  1875.  His  father,  John  Huff,  was  a  native  of 
Clark  county,  Ohio,  being  born  in  1833  near  the  present  city  of  Spring- 
field. The  following  year  he  came  with  his  parents,  Amos  and  Marga- 
ret Huff,  to  Volinia  township,  Michigan,  who  settled  on  a  tract  of  land 
on  the  edge  of  Card's  prairie,  which  the  father  (grandfather  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch)  had  entered  from  the  government  the  previous  year, 
and  then  went  back  to  Ohio  after  his  family.  The  ancestry  of  the 
Huffs  can  be  traced  back  to  the  early  days  of  Pennsylvania.  Originally 
they  were  of  German  lineage.  The  grandfather  was  a  farmer  and 
mechanic  by  occupation. 

The  father,  John  Huff,  is  a  self-made  man.  In  his  younger  days 
he  helped  to  clear  the  wilderness  and  hue  the  way  for  civilization  as 
well  as  taking  every  advantage  in  those  early  days  of  securing  an  edu- 
cation from  the  meagre  school  system.  As  a  reward  he  became  a  teacher 
in  the  district  schools,  an  occupation  which  he  pursued  successfully  for 
many  years  afterward.  Later  he  became  the  owner  of  a  farm  adjoining 
the  old  homestead,  which  he  still  retains  and  by  adding  to  the  same  he 
is  the  possessor  of  a  handsome  property  which  yields  to  him  a  gratify- 
ing income. 

Very  few  men  follow  the  ups  and  downs  of  life  and  live  for  over 
seventy  years  continually  in  sight  of  the  place  where  their  childhood 
days  were  spent  and  yet  such  is  the  case  with  Mr.  Huff.  Becoming 
prominent  in  political  life,  for  over  twenty  years  he  was  supervisor  of 
his  township  and  was  several  times  elected  chairman  of  the  board  of 
supervisors.  At  one  time  he  was  also  nominated  by  his  party  for  state 
representative,  and  although  running  ahead  of  his  ticket  he  was  defeated 
by  a  small  majority.  On  May  12,  1873,  he  married  Eliza  Wright,  who 
was  born  in  Volinia  township  and  was  the  daughter  of  James  and  Sarah 
Wright,  pioneers  of  Cass  county.  To  this  union  were  born  three  chil- 
dren :  Amy,  Otis,  and  Harley,  but  tlie  last  named  is  now  deceased. 

Otis  Huff,  being  born  on  the  farm,  early  became  familiar  with  the 
duties  that  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  agriculturist.  He  attended  the  district 
schools  and  later  the  Valparaiso  Norma!  School.  At  eighteen  he  became 
a  teacher  and  after  teaching  a  year,  in  the  fall  of  1895  he  entered  the 
law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  the  class  of  1898.  While  in  college  he  became 
quite  prominent  as  an  orator.  On  January  9,  1899,  he  began  the  practice 
of  law  in  Marcellus,  where  he  has  since  met  with  good  success,  having 
been  connected  with  much  important  law  business,  wherein  he  has  dis- 
played his  ability  to  successfully  cope  with  the  complex  problems  of 
jurisprudence.     He  belongs  to  the  Modern  Woodmen  Camp  at  Marcel- 


TOO  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

lus,  of  which  he  is  clerk  and  he  is  also  a  member  of  the  Cass  County 
Bar  Association.     Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 

He  has  never  been  an  office  seeker  but  has  preferred  to  devote  his 
time  to  the  practice  of  his  profession.  His  law  office  is  a  model  of  neat- 
ness and  one  of  the  finest  in  the  county  and  is  hard  to  excel  even  in 
the  large  cities.  He  is  a  great  reader  and  literary  student,  fond  of 
books  and  is  himself  an  able  writer,  as  well  as  an  athlete  and  fond  of 
outdoor  sports  and  contests.  Being  an  expert  with  a  rifle,  for  a  vaca- 
tion of  three  or  four  weeks  nothing  pleases  him  better  than  to  take  a 
trip  during  the  beautiful  autumn  days  of  November  into  the  north  woods 
in  quest  of  deer  and  bear  and  other  big  game. 

In  one  respect  at  least  he  is  like  President  Roosevelt.  He  enjoys 
strenuous  life,  travel  and  adventure  and  more  than  one  has  remarked 
that  if  he  goes  any  place  something  is  sure  to  happen.  On  April  last, 
going  on  a  business  trip  to  California,  he  had  only  nicely  arrived  there 
and  was  only  a  few  miles  out  of  San  Francisco  at  the  time  of  the  great 
earthquake  and  fire  on  that  memorable  morning  of  April  i8,  and  being 
in  the  city  when  the  conflagration  was  at  its  height  he  lent  his  assist- 
ance in  helping  save  life  and  property. 

On  June  30,  1906,  the  anniversary  of  his  graduation  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Irene  Cropsey,  the  only 
daughter  of  George  and  Elsie  B.  Cropsey  of  Volinia,  who  are  among 
the  most  substantial  residents  of  that  township.  Miss  Cropsey  acquired 
her  early  education  in  the  schools  of  that  township  and  is  a  graduate  of 
the  Marcellus  high  school.  Later  she  became  one  of  the  successful 
teachers  of  the  county.  vShe  is  a  charming  and  accomplished  lady  and 
the  subject  of  our  sketch  was  fortunate  in  securing  such  an  able  and 
loving  companion  to  assist  in  brightening  his  pathway  through  life. 

CHARLES  STARRETT. 

On  the,  roster  of  officials  in  Dowagiac  appears  the  name  of  Charles 
Starrett,  who  is  now  serving  as  city  treasurer.  He  was  born  in  Ovid, 
New  York,  February  i,  1834,  and  represents  an  old  family  of  the  east. 
In  the  paternal  line  he  is  of  Scotch  and  Welsh  descent.  His  grand- 
father, Charles  Starrett,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  while  his  wife, 
Mrs.  Rachel  Starrett,  was  a  native  of  Connecticut.  Their  son,  James 
Starrett,  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  New  York  and  was  a  farmer 
by  occupation.  Fle  spent  his  entire  life  in  his  native  state,  where  he 
died  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Amy  Stout,  was  reared'  by  her  grandmother,  Mrs.  Amy  Blue, 
who  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey.  Her  grandfather  Blue  w^is  a  soldier 
of  the  RevokTtionary  wajr,  serving  in  immediate  command  of  General 
Washington,  whi^le  by  hitn  he  was  mustered  out  at  the  close  of  hostili- 
ties. John  Cay wood^  a  great-grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  also  a  sol- 
dier of  tlmr  Revolutionary  war,  so  that  the  military  history  of  his  anciestry 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  701 

is  one  of  which  he  has  every  reason  to  be  proud.  There  were  seven  chiN 
dren,  four  daughters  and  three  sons,  born  unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James 
Starrett,  of  whom  the  youngest  daughter  died  when  thirteen  years  of 
age  and  the  eldest  son  when  but  two  years  of  age.  Those  still  living  are : 
Mrs.  Jane  Runyan,  who  is  living  in  Clinton,  Michigan;  Charles,  of  this- 
review;  Mrs.  J.  S.  Ford,  of  Chicago;  Henry,  who  resides  in  Clinton, 
Michigan;  and  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Vandemark,  of  Clinton,  Michigan. 

Charles  Starrett  was  the  third  child  and  second  son  of  the  family 
and  was  reared  in  his  native  county  until  about  eighteen  years  of  age, 
the  public  schools  affording  him  his  educational  privileges.  He  came 
to  Michigan  in  October,  1852,  settling  first  at  Clinton,  where  he  secured 
employment  in  a  grist  mill.  He  was  also  engaged  at  dififerent  times  in 
farm  work  and  in  the  railroad  business,  while  for  a  time  he  was  connected 
with  railroading  on  the  Jackson  branch.  He  spent  the  following  year 
in  the  service  of  the  Michigan  Southern  &  Northern  Indiana  Railroad, 
first  as  brakeman  and  later  as  conductor.  For  eleven  years  he  continued 
in  railroading  and  during  the  last  two  and  a  half  years  of  that  time  he 
was  train  master  and  locomotive  dispatcher  at  White  Pigeon,  Michigan. 
He  came  to  Dowagiac  in  February,  1865,  and  engaged  in  the  hardware 
business  for  a  short  time.  He  then  built  a  planing  mill  and  sash  and 
blind  factory  in  company  with  Devendorf  &  Mason.  After  about  five 
years  he  sold  his  interest  in  this  business  and  about  1872  he  engaged 
with  the  Oliver  Chilled  Plow  Works  as  traveling  salesman,  representing 
the  company  for  about  ten  years  on  the  road.  He  was  for  about  four 
years  with  the  Gale  Manufacturing  Company  of  Albion,  Michigan,  and 
one  year  with  the  South  Bend  Chilled  Plow  Company.  On  the  expira- 
tion of  that  period  he  became  a  salesman  for  the  Round  Oak  Stove  Com- 
pany of  Dowagiac,  with  which  he  continued  for  about  nine  years,  when, 
on  account  of  poor  health,  he  retired  from  business  in  1904.  He  had 
led  a  busy,  useful  and  active  life  and  his  rest  from  labor  is  well  merited. 

Mr.  Starrett  has  filled  a  number  of  public  offices,  the  duties  of 
which  he  has  discharged  with  promptness  and  fidelity.  He  was  elected 
city  treasurer  of  Dowagiac,  has  been  alderman  for  two  years  and  a 
member  of  the  board  of  education  for  nine  years.  He  has  ever  been 
found  reliable  and  trustworthy  in  public  office,  discharging  his  duties 
with  promptness  as  well  as  ability. 

In  1857  Mr.  Starrett  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  McCollester,  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  McCollester.  She  was  born  in  White  Pigeon,  Mich- 
igan, and  was  reared  in  that  city.  Two  children  grace  this  marriage, 
Fannie  and  Lena.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Starrett  is  a  stalwart  Re- 
publican, having-  given  his  support  to  the  party  throughout  his  entire  life. 
He  belongs  to  the  Masonic  fraternity  of  Dowagiac,  his  membership  being 
in  Peninsula  lodge  No.  214,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Keystone  chapter  No.  36, 
R.  A.  M.,  Niles  commandery  No.  12,  K.  T.,  and  Saladin  temple  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine  at  Grand  Rapids.  He  was  master  of  his  lodge  for  one 
year  and  for  three  years  was  high  priest  of  the  chapter.     He  is  aa 


702  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

exemplary  member  of  the  craft  and  is  in  hearty  sympathy  with  its  tenets 
and  teachings.  Well  known  in  Dowagiac  where  he  is  now  filling  the 
office  of  city  treasurer,  he  is  respected  by  all  with  whom  he  has  come 
in  contact,  for  he  has  displayed  in  his  life  record  many  sterling  charac- 
teristics. 

AMOS  KNAPP. 

Retired  farmers  constitute  a  considerable  portion  of  the  population 
of  Dowagiac,  men  who  in  active  business  life  have  capably  directed 
'  their  efforts  along  well  defined  lines  of  labor,  managing  their  interests 
with  ability,  carefully  husbanding  their  resources  and  thus  securing  a 
competence  for  later  life.  To  this  class  belongs  Mr.  Knapp,  who  was 
born  in  Columbia  county,  New  York,  August  24,  183 1.  In  the  paternal 
line  he  comes  of  English-Holland  Dutch  descent.  His  father,  William 
B.  Knapp,  was  a  native  of  Dutchess  county.  New  York,  and  after  re- 
maining in  the  east  until  1843  sought  a  home  in  the  middle  west,  taking 
up  his  abode  in  Volinia  township,  Cass  county,  Michigan.  He  there 
remained  for  about  five  years,  giving  his  attention  to  the  task  of  devel- 
oping and  imiproving  the  farm,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  removed 
to  Silver  Creek  township,  where  his  death  occurred,  when  he  was  about 
seventy-seven  years  of  age.  His  political  allegiance  was  given  to  the 
Republican  party  for  a  number  of  years  but  prior  to  this  time  he  was  a 
Jacksonian  Democrat.  At  the  outbreak  oif  the  Civil  war,  however,  he 
espoused  the  cause  of  the  Republican  party,  which  proved  the  real  de- 
fense of  the  Union  in  the  Civil  war.  He  married  Miss  Mary  Finch,  a 
native  of  Columbia  county.  New  York,  and  she,  too,  died  upon  the  old 
home  farm  in  Silver  Creek  township  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years. 
In  the  family  of  this  worthy  couple  were  five  children,  three  daughters 
and  two  sons,  all  of  whom  reached  adult  age. 

Amos  Knapp,  the  second  child  and  eldest  son  in  his  father's  fam>- 
ily,  spent  the  first  eleven  years  of  his  life  in  the  countv  of  his  nativity 
and  then  came  with  his  parents  to  Cass  county,  Michigan.  The  first 
five  years  of  his  residence  here  were  spent  in  Voilinia  townshTp  and  he 
afterward  removed  to  Silver  Creek  township,  remaining  at  home  and 
assisting  in  the  development  of  his  father's  farm,  which  was  reclaimed 
for  the  purposes  of  cultivation  and  improvement.  He  was  married  there 
in  i8c;8  to  Miss  Abbie  M.  Farnam,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Abigail 
Famam.  She  was  born  near  Batavia,  New  York,  and  came  with  her 
parents  to  Michigan  about  184S.  so  that  the  Farnam-  family  were  also 
early  settlers  of  this  state.  They  took  up  their  abode  in  Van  Buren 
county. 

At  the  time  of  his  marriage  Mr.  Knapp  settled  in  Silver  Creek 
township,  where  he  devoted  his  attention  to  general  agricultural  pur- 
suits. He  cleared  up  a  farm  in  the  midst  of  the  wilderness,  cutting  out 
the  heavy  timber,  grubbing  up  the  stumps,  clearing  away  the  brush  and 
thus  preparing  his  land  for  the  plow.     He  bought  his  land  at  four  dol- 


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HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  703 

lars  per  acre.  As  the  years  passed  his  place  was  transformed  into  very 
rich  and  productive  fields  and  he  annually  harvested  good  crops.  For 
many  years  he  carried  on  general  agricultural  pursuits,  in  which  he 
met  with  gratifying  success,  but  eventually  he  sold  his  farm  and  re- 
moved to  Dowagiac  in  1895.  He  also  has  property  in  the  town.  He 
is  one  of  the  old  settlers  of  Cass  county,  having  resided  within  its  bor- 
ders for  sixty-three  years  and  he  has  been  identified  with  the  making  of 
the  county  along  lines  of  substantial  improvement  and  progress.  He 
was  township  clerk  in  Silver  Creek  township  for  many  terms  and  no 
public  oir  private  duty  reposed  in  him  has  ever  been  betrayed  in  the 
slightest  degree.  He  has  always  taken  an  active  part  in  public  affairs, 
doing  everything  in  his  power  to  make  the  county  on  a  par  with  the 
older  counties  of  this  great  commonwealth.  His  worth  is  widely 
acknowledged  and  all  who  know  him  esteem  him  for  his  many  sterling 
traits  of  character. 

GEORGE  W.  HUNTER. 

Cass  county  with  its  rich  lands  offers  splendid  opportunities  to  the 
agriculturist  and  the  stock-raiser  and  Mr.  Hunter  is  numbered  among 
those  who  are  successfully  'devoting  their  energies  to  general  agricult- 
ural pursuits.  He  makes  his  home  on  section  34,  Wayne  township, 
where  he  owns  and  cultivates  a  good  tract  of  land.  He  was  born  in 
Cassopolis,  Michigan,  on  the  30th  of  September,  1843,  ^^d  is  a  son  of 
M.  V.  Hunter.  At  that  time  the  father  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land 
from  one  of  his  brothers  and  afterward  added  an  additional  tract  of 
eighty  acres.  He  partially  cleared  the  first  eighty  and  G.  W.  Hunter 
of  this  review  has  cleared  seventy  acres  of  the  second  eighty,  having 
led  a  life  of  intense  and  well  directed  energy.  He  was  educated  in  what 
is  known  as  the  White  school  in  Wayne  township  and  therein  mastered 
the  common  branches  of  English  learning.  During  the  periods  of  vaca- 
tion he  worked  in  the  fields  and  after  permanently  putting  aside  his 
text-books  gave  his  undivided  attention  to  the  further  cultivation  and 
development  of  this  property. 

On  the  7th  of  November,  1866,  Mr.  Hunter  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Eveline  Van  Hise,  who  was  born  in  Decatur 
township,  Van  Buren  county, .  Michigan,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
William  O.  and  Eliza  (Bell)  Van  Hise.  The  mother  came  to 
Cass  county  about  1831  and  here  lived  up  to  the  time  of  her  marriage. 
They  were  among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  the  county  and  Mrs.  Hunter 
was  ten  years  of  age  when  she  accompanied  her  parents  on  their  removal 
to  Wayne  township.  Unto  our  subject  and  his  wife  have  been  born  seven 
children :  Ina,  now  the  wife  of  Fred  B.  Wells,  a  resident  farmer  of  La- 
Grange  township;  Lizzie,  the  wife  of  Isaac  Schurte;  Ada,  the  wife  of 
Darwin  Garrett,  of  Dowagiac.  Michigan ;  Minah  V. ;  Phebe,  the  wife 
of  Arthur  Rudolph,  of  Dowagiac;  Millard  wedded  Iva  Swisher,  a  resi- 
dent of  Dowagiac;  Clara,  at  home.    All  were  born  and  reared  upon  the 


T04  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

farm  where  the  parents   still   reside  and   Phebe  engaged   in  teaching 
school  in  Dowagiac  and  Cass  county  for  about  six  years. 

Mr.  Hunter  has  been  a  life-long  Democrat,  and  his  fellow  towns- 
men, recognizing  his  worth  and  ability,  have  called  him  to  office.  He 
served  for  two  terms  as  township  treasurer  and  was  justice  of  the  peace 
for  one  term  and  in  both  offices  discharged  his  duties  with  promptness 
and  fidelity.  In  his  farm  work  he  has  been  equally  faithful  and  in  his 
business  life  has  never  been  known  to  take  advantage  of  the  necessities 
of  his  fellowmen  in  any  trade  transaction.  Mr.  Hunter's  father  was  a 
man  who  was  highly  respected  by  all  in  his  time.  He  was  the  first 
sheriflf  of  old  Cass  county  and  was  appointed  by  General  Cass  before 
Michigan  was  a  state. 

DANIEL  SMITH. 

There  is  much  said  at  the  present  time  about  corruption  in  public 
office  and  about  the  infidelity  of  those  in  whom  public  trust  has  been 
reposed.  This  may  be  true  to  a  great  extent  in  the  larger  cities,  but  it  is 
certainly  not  true  in  smaller  cities  and  towns  where  the  residents  of  any 
community  have  opportunity  to  investigate  the  records  of  a  public  official 
and  where  his  life  liistory  is  as  an  open  book  to  which  all  have  access. 
Daniel  Smith  is  among  the  office  holders  of  Dowagiac  and  his  devotion 
to  public  service  has  been  of  benefit  to  the  community  which  has  en- 
trusted him  with  the  care  of  its  interests.  He  is  well  known  and  enjoys 
in  full  measure  the  regard  of  his  fellowmen. 

A  native  of  Pennsylvania,  Mr.  Smith  was  born  in  Lancaster  county 
on  the  28th  of  March,  1840.  His  father,  John  Smith,  was  a  native 
of  Germany  and  remained  in  that  country  during  the  period  of  his  boy- 
hood and  youth,  being  reared  to  the  occupation  of  farming.  He  heard 
favorable  reports,  however,  concerning  America,  its  business  opportuni- 
ties and  advantages  along  other  lines,  and  when  twenty-one  years  of 
age  he  resolved  to  try  his  fortune  in  the  new  world  and  crossed  the  " 
x\tlantic.  He  located  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  re- 
sided for  a  number  of  years,  coming  thence  to  Michigan  in  1857,  ^^ 
which  time  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Berrien  county,  where  he  resided  for 
six  months.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period-  he  removed  to  Pokagon 
township,  Cass  county,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming.  His  remain- 
ing days  were  given  to  the  work  of  tilling  the  soil  and  caring  for  the 
crops,  and  he  was  active  in  his  farm  work  until  sixty-nine  years  of  age, 
when  his  life's  labors  were  ended  in  death.  In  early  manhood  he  had 
wedded  Frances  Fulton,  a  native  of  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania, 
who  died  in  Cass  county  in  the  sixty-fifth  year  of  her  age.  Eleven  chil- 
dren were  added  to  the  household  as  the  years  passed  by,  six  sons  and 
five  daughters,  and  of  this  number  seven  reached  years  of  maturity. 

Daniel  Smith,  who  was  the  fourth  child  and  second  son,  was  seven- 
teen years  of  age  when  he  came  to  Cass  county.  He  had  previously 
begun  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Pennsylvania  and  after  coming  to 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  705 

Michigan  lie  worked  upon  the  home  farm  with  his  father  in  its  de- 
velopment and  improvement  until  twenty-one  years  of  age,  when  he 
felt  that  his  first  duty  was  to  his  country,  which  at  this  time  was  en- 
gaged in  the  Civil  war.  His  patriotic  spirit  was  aroused  and  he  could 
no  longer  content  himself  at  the  plow,  so  putting  aside  business  cares 
he  offered  his  services  to  the  government,  enlisting  on  the  21st  of  Au- 
gust, 1861,  as  a  private  of  Company  M,  First  Michigan  Cavalry.  He 
remained  with  that  command  until  February  8,  1862,  when  he  was 
honorably  discharged  on  account  of  disability,  after  which  he  returned 
to  his  home.  He  remained  in  Michigan  until  September,  1863,  when 
he  once  more  went  to  Pennsylvania  and  there  he  enlisted  in  the  Twenty- 
first  Pennsylvania  Cavalry  on  the  8th  of  February,  1864.  He  partici- 
pated at  the  battle  of  Weldon  Railroad  and  in  the  military  movement 
in  front  of  Petersburg  he  was  wounded  in  the  left  leg,  which  necessi- 
tated the  amputation  of  that  member  below  the  knee.  When  he  had 
recovered  his  health  he  was  honorably  discharged  December  26,  1865, 
and  again  came  to  Michigan,  settling  upon  a  farm  in  Pokagon  township, 
Cass  county. 

On  the  ist  of  December,  1867,  Mr.  Smith  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Sarah  A.  McCoy,  a  daughter  of  Richard  and  Maria  McCoy,  who 
VN^ere  early  settlers  of  Cass  county,  and  their  daughter,  Mrs.  Smith,  was 
born  in  Pokagon  townsliip,  where  her  girlhood  days  were  passed  and  her 
education  w^as  obtained. 

At  the  time  of  his  marriage  Mr.  Smith  located  in  Dowagiac  and 
was  employed  as  a  salesman  in  a  store  for  about  sixteen  years — a  fact 
which  indicates  his  entire  capability  and  trustworthiness.  He  lias  been 
supervisor  of  the  third  w^ard  for  ten  years  and  this  fact  stands  in  incon- 
trovertible evidence  of  his  loyalty  in  office.  At  one  time  he  was  alder- 
man of  the  city  from  the  third  ward  and  his  personal  popularity  is  indi- 
cated by  the  fact  that  he  was  elected  on  the  Democratic  ticket  in  a  ward 
which  usually  gives  a  strong- Repu1:)lican  majority.  Mr.  and  Mrs  Smith 
have  no  children  of  their  own,  but  have  reared  an  adopted  daughter, 
Ruth,  who  is  now  the  w^ife  of  Nathan  J.  White.  Almost  a  half  century 
has  come  and  gone  since  Mr.  Smith  came  to  Cass  county  and  he  is 
therefore  numliered  among  the  old  settlers.  He  is  familiar  with  its 
liistory  in  man}^  of  its  phases,  having  been  a  w^itness  of  or  participant 
in  the  events  which  have  shaped  i4s  policy  and  promoted  its  development. 
In  all  matters  of  citizenship  he  has  been  the  embodiment  of  loyalty  and 
in  public  office  as  well  as  in  military  service  has  rendered  valuable  aid 
to  the  county.  He  has  a  deep  and  sincere  attachment  for  the  stars  an(; 
stri])es  and  is  indeed  a  patriotic  American  citizen. 

WILLIAM  JARVIS. 

The  farm  w^hich  is  the  place  of  residence  of  William  Jarvis  was  also 
his  birthplace.  It  is  situated  on  Section  34,  Wayne  township,  and  there 
Mr.  Jarvis  first  opened  his  eyes  to  the  light  of  day  on  the  5th  of  De- 


706  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

cember,  1844.  He  is  a  son  of  Norman  Jarvis,  who  was  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  this  county,  following  the  occupation  of  farming  for  many 
years.  He  was  born  in  North  Carolina  in  18 19,  and  was  a  son  of  Ed- 
ward Jarvis,  likewise  a  native  of  the  old  North  state.  The  grandfather 
was  a  farmer  and  about  1823  settled  in  Cass  county,  Michigan,  being 
one  of  the  first  residents  within  its  borders.  The  family  home  was  es- 
tablished in  LaGrange  township,  where  the  grandfather  purchased  some 
land,  becoming  owner  of  about  two  hundred  acres,  most  of  which  was 
raw  and  unimproved.  He  cleared  the  tract,  however,  and  reared  his 
family  upon  this  place. 

Norman  Jarvis  was  only  four  years  of  age  when  brought  by  his 
parents  to  Michigan  and  amid  the  wild  scenes  of  frontier  life  he  was 
reared  upon  the  old  homestead,  the  family  living  in  a  log  cabin,  while  his^ 
education  was  acquired  in  a  log  schoolhouse.  He  shared  with  the  other 
members  of  the  family  in  the  hardships  and  privations  incident  to  pioneer 
life  and  also  assisted  in  the  arduous  task  of  developing  new  land.  When 
about  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  bought  land  in  LaGrange  township, 
coming  into  possession  of  about  tw^o  hundred  acres  that  was  partially 
improved.  He  had  been  married  a  short  time  previous  to  Miss  Margaret 
Simpson,  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in  the  year  1823.  She  was  reared  in 
her  native  state  and  with  her  parents  came  to  Cass  county,  Michigan,  at 
an  early  day.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jarvis  became  the  parents  of  ten  children, 
seven  daughters  and  three  sons,  all  of  whom  are  living.  In  his  polit- 
ical views  the  father  was  a  Democrat  and  kept  well  informed  on  the 
questions-  and  issues  of  the  day.  He  prospered  in  his  business  under- 
takings and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  the  owner  of  two  hundred  and 
seventy  acres  of  rich  and  productive  land,  the  greater  part  of  which 
had  been  improved  by  him.  He  passed  away  in  1903  at  the  age  of 
eighty-three  years,  respected  and  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him. 

Upon  the  old  homestead  in  LaGrange  township  William  Jarvis 
spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth,  there  remaining  until  his 
marriage,  which  occurred  on  the  22d  of  February,  1868.  He  then  re- 
moved to  the  farm  adjoining  the  old  homestead — a  tract  of  land  of  one 
hundred  and  forty  acres,  a  part  of  which  he  improved  during  the  two 
years  which  he  spent  there.  In  1872  he  went  to  Dowagiac,  where  he 
turned  his  attention  to  the  butchering,  business,  remaining  there  for  about 
seven  months.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  bought  a  farm  of 
eighty  acres  east  of  Decatur,  in  Decatur  township,  and  cleared  ten  acres 
of  that  place,  living  thereon  for  seven  months.  In  the  fall  of  1873  he 
came  to  his  present  farm  which  then  comprised  eighty  acres  of  land  to 
which  he  has  since  added  a  tract  of  forty  acres,  so  that  his  place  now 
comprises  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  which  is  rich  and  productive. 
Here  he  has  made  his  home  for  thirty-two  years  and  has  gained  a  good 
living  by  his  careful  management  of  his  business  and  by  his  practical 
and  progressive  methods  in  cultivating  the  fields  and  caring  for  the  crops. 

Mr.  Jarvis  w^as  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Arbesta  Park,  a  native 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  707 

of  Medina  county,  Ohio,  born  December  lo,  1849,  ^^^  ^  daughter  of 
John  and  Fannie  Park,  who  removed  to  Dowagiac  in  1865,  there  spend- 
ing their  remaining  days.  Mr.  Park  was  a  stock  buyer  and  a  well  known 
business  man,  carrying  on  active  work  in  the  cultivation  and  develop- 
ment of  the  fields.  Mrs.  Jarvis  was  reared  in  Ohio,  being  about  seven- 
teen years  of  age  when  the  parents  came  to  Cass  county.  By  her  mar- 
riage she  has  become  the  mother  of  two  sons  and  a  daughter:  John 
P.,  who  was  born  at  Dowagiac  on  the  21st  of  May,  1872;  William,  who 
was  born  upon  the  present  home  farm  April  17,  1882;  and  Bessie,  who 
was  born  June  22,  1888.  All  were  educated  in  the  schools  of  Wayne 
township.  The  wife  and  mother  was  called  to  her  final  rest  February  17, 
1903,  and  her  death  was  deeply  regretted  not  only  by  her  immediate 
family  but  also  by  many  friends.  Mr.  Jarvis  exercises  his  right  of 
franchise  in  support  of  the  Democratic  party.  Through  sixty-one  years 
he  has  lived  in  Cass  county  and  has  witnessed  many  changes  here  during 
that  period.  From  his  early  youth  he  has  followed  farming  save  for  a 
brief  interval  and  for  almost  a  third  of  a  century  has  lived  upon  his 
present  place  which  shows  in  its  excellent  improved  condition  the  care- 
ful supervision  of  a  careful  and  painstaking  owner. 

SOLOMON  CURTIS. 

Solomon  Curtis,  who  has  reached  the  age  of  four  score  years,  is 
one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Cass  county.  No  writer  has  ever  given 
adequate  description  of  the  conditions  which  are  met  on  the  frontier. 
When  one  faces  the  elements  of  nature  in  their  rude  and  rough  out- 
lines they  are  removed  from  the  comforts  of  an  older  civilization.  This 
Mr.  Curtis  has  done  and  his  labors  have  been  a  valued  factor  in  reclaim- 
ing this  district  for  cultivation  and  improvement.  He  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Springfield,  Otsego  county,  New  York,  January  26,  1826. 
His  father,  Stephen  Curtis,  was  a  native  of  the  Empire  state  and  died 
when  his  son  Solomon  was  but  thirteen  years  of  age.  The  mother, 
Mrs.  Edna  (Thorn)  Curtis,  was  also  a  native  of  New  York  and  died 
when  the  subject  of  this  review  was  only  two  weeks  old.  The  father  was 
three  times  married  and  had  a  family  of  twelve  children.  By  the  first 
union  there  were  nine  children,  by  the  second  two  and  by  the  third  mar- 
riage one  child,  the  mother  of  our  subject  being  the  second  wife.  The 
daughter  of  that  marriage  died  in  early  childhood. 

Following  the  death  of  his  father  Solomon  Curtis  came  to  Mich- 
igan, making  his  way  to  Cass  county  in  1839  ^^  company  with  one  of 
his  half  brothers.  He  located  in  Pokagon  township,  living  with  his 
brother  until  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  when  he  continued  his  edu- 
cation in  the  schools  of  Niles  and  also  attended  the  seminary  at  Albion, 
Michigan.  He  worked  by  the  month  in  the  summer  seasons  and  care- 
fully saving  his  earnings  he  was  at  length  enabled  to  purchase  a  tract 
of  land  in  Rockford  township,  Eaton  county,  Michigan.     He  afterward 


708  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

traded  that  property  for  some  land  in  Berrien  township,  Berrien  county, 
Michigan,  which  he  eventually  sold  but  bought  another  farm  in  the  same 
township  on  the  Cass  county  line,  where  he  lived  for  twelve  years.  In 
his  farm  work  he  was  determined  and  energetic,  carrying  forward  to 
successful  completion  whatever  he  undertook.  He  was  practical  in 
his  methods,  yet  progressive  in  all  that  he  did  and  as  the  years  passed 
by  he  converted  his  places  into  well  developed  and  highly  improved 
farms. 

Mr.  Curtis  was  married  in  185 1  to  Miss  Louisa  W.  Wilson,  a 
daughter  of  Samuel  Wilson,  of  Oronoke  tow^nship,  Berrien  county. 
Mrs.  Curtis  was  born  in  New  York  but  w^as  reared  in  Massachusetts  and 
her  death  occurred  in  this  state,  November  27,  1900.  There  were  three 
children  of  that  marriage,  all  of  whom  died  in  early  life. 

After   living   for   twelve   years   upon   his   second   farm   in   Berrien 
county  Mr.  Curtis  sold  that  property  and  bought  a  farm  in  Silver  Creek 
township,    Cass   county,    whereon   he   lived    for  three  years.      He  then 
again  disposed  of  his  farm  and  at  that  time  bought  land  in  Penn  town- 
ship, Cass  county,  where  he  lived  for  nineteen  years.     After  disposing  of 
that  property  to  a  purchaser  he  removed  to  Dowagiac  in  1885  ^^^  ^^^ 
twenty-one  years  has  resided  ih  this  city.     He  is  one  of  the  oldest  set- 
tlers of  Cass  county  and  has  been  identified  closely  Avith  its  growth  and 
development.     He  has  seen  the  county  emerge  from  the  period  of  its  in- 
fancy to  that  of  latter  day  progress  and  civilization.     That  he  located 
here  at  an  early  day  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  he  paid  only  five  dollars 
per  acre  for  ninety  acres  of  land,  which  is  today  worth  at  least  fifty 
dollars  per  acre.     He  is  well  known  throughout  the  county,  having  taken 
an  active  interest  in  public  aflfairs  and  in  all  that  pertains  to  the  welfare 
and  progress  of  his  community.     He  voted  for  General  John  C.  Fremont 
and  for  Abraham  Lincoln  both  times,  also  for  Garfield,  and  was  a  stal- 
wart Republican  from  the  organization  of  the  party  until  1884.     His  first 
presidential  ballot,  however,  was  cast  for  Zachary  Taylor.     In  1884  Mr. 
Curtis  severed  his  allegiance  with  the  Republican  party,  and  joined  the 
ranks  of  the  Prohibition  party.     He  has  since  cast  his  ballot  for  its  pres- 
idential candidates,  while  at  local  elections  he  votes  independently.     He 
\i^as  a  candidate  for  justice  of  the  peace  on  the  Prohibition  ticket.     He 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  for  sixty  years 
and  has  been  deeply  interested  in  church  work  in  its  various  departments. 
His  life  has  ever  been  honorable  and  upright,  characterized  by  fidelity  to 
all  that  tends  to  elevate  mankind  and  to  promote  his  moral  nature.     He 
has  been  a  champion  of  temperance  and  of  Christianity  and  now  in  the 
evening  of  his  life  he  can  look  back  over  the  past  Avithout  regret  and 
forward  to  the  future  without  fear.     He  is  respected  by  all  Avho  know 
him  because  of  his  fidelity  to  the  right  and  by  reason  of  his  honorable 
character  and  long  residence  in  this  county  we  take  pleasure  in  present- 
ing the  record  of  his  career  to  our  readers. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  709 

WILLIAM  E.  BOGUE. 

William  E.  Bogue,  a  prominent  and  representative  farmer  of  Penn 
township,  resides  on  Section  29,  which  is  the  farm  upon  which  he  was 
born  on  the  i6th  of  March,  1841.  His  father,  Stephen  Bogue,  was  a 
native  of  Perquimans  county,  North  Carolina,  born  on  the  17th  of 
October,  1790,  and  there  he  remained  until  twenty-one  years  of  age. 
He  was  twice  married,  the  mother  of  our  subject  being  Mrs.  Hannah 
(East)  Bogue,  a  native  of  Grayson  county,  Virginia,  born  on  the  i6th 
of  December,  1798.  It  was  in  181 1  that  Stephen  Bogue  left  the  south 
and  removed  to  Ohio,  taking  up  his  abode  in  Preble  county,  where  he 
was  married.  The  year  1831  witnessed  his  arrival  in  Cass  county. 
Michigan  was  still  under  territorial  rule  at  that  time  and  the  work  of 
improvement  and  progress  was  just  being  begun  in  various  sections.  In 
1829  he  had  entered  land  from  the  government,  having  made  a  trip 
across  the  country  on  horseback  to  this  locality  and  when  he  brought  his 
family  to  Michigan  settled  upon  the  land  and  began  the  improvement  of 
the  farm,  which  hitherto  was  entirely  wild  and  uncultivated.  For 
many  years  he  successfully  carried  on  general  agricultural  pursuits  there 
and  died  at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-eight  years.  His  wife  lived 
to  the  very  advanced  age  of  ninety-three  years  and  was  identified  with 
the  interests  of  Cass  county  from  183 1  until  her  demise.  Mr.  Bogue 
built  the  first  grist  mill  at  Vandalia,  laid  out  the  town  and  gave  to  it 
its  name.  He  was  a  very  prominent  and  influential  man,  active  in  the 
work  of  public  progress,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  were  numbered  among 
the  honored  pioneer  residents  of  this  portion  of  the  state. 

The  ancestry  of  the  family  can  be  traced  still  farther  back.  It 
is  definitely  known  that  the  first  representatives  of  the  name  in  America 
came  from  Scotland  to  the  new  world  and  that  the  family  was  found 
in  North  Carolina  during  an  early  epoch  in  the  colonization  of  that  state. 
The  grandfather,  Joseph  Bogue,  was  born  in  North  Carolina.  There 
were  four  children  in  the  family  of  Stephen  Bogue,  who  are  still  living, 
of  whom  William  E.  is  the  third  in  order  of  birth.  The  others  are: 
Elvira  B.,  the  wife  of  Silas  H.  Thom/as,  a  resident  of  Vandalia,  Michi- 
gan; Sue  B.,  the  widow  of  Amos  Smith,  who  was  a  prominent  citizen  of 
the  county;  and  Stephen  A.,  living  in  Vandalia. 

William  E.  Bogue  is  the  eldest  son  and  was  reared  upon  the  home 
farm,  where  he  has  spent  his  entire  life  with  the  exception  of  three  years 
passed  in  Chicago,  when  he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  International  Har- 
vester Company.  In  his  boyhood  days  he  attended  the  public  schools 
and  also  worked  in  the  fields  through  the  summer  months,  early  becom- 
ing familiar  with  all  the  duties  and  labors  that  fall  to  the  lot  of  the 
agriculturist.  As  a  companion  and  helpmate  for  life's  journey  he  chose 
Miss  Elenora  Sigerfoos,  whom  he  wedded  in  St.  Joseph  county,  Michigan, 
in  1863.  She  died  several  years  later,  leaving  three  children :  Myrta, 
now  the  wife  of  B.  H.  Fowder,  of  Chicago;  William  Carlton,  in  the 


710  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

employ  of  the  International  Harvester  Company  of  Chicago;  and  Ralph 
F.,  a  druggist  of  the  same  city,  who  married  Bernice  M.  McKinney. 
The  elder  son,  William  C.  Bogue,  wedded  Miss  Bertha  Arnold,  of  Porter 
township,  Cass  county.  After  losing  his  first  wife  Mr.  Bogue  was  mar- 
ried to  Lena  Gladding,  the  widow  of  Joseph  McKinney  and  a  native 
of  Ohio,  where  her  girlhood  days  were  passed.  By  her  former  marriage 
she  had  two  children :  J.  Wayne  McKinney,  who  is  with  the  International 
Packing  Company  of  Chicago;  and  Bernice  M.,  the  wife  of  Ralph  F. 
Bogue,  son  of  our  subject.  Mr.  Bogue  has  four  grandchildren:  Cecil 
M.,  Max  A.  and  Gerald  D.  Bogue,  who  are  children  of  William  C. 
Bogue;  and  Kenneth  Carlisle,  the  son  of  Ralph  F.  Bogue. 

Throughout  the  greater  part  of  his  life  William  E.  Bogue  has  car- 
ried on  general  agricultural  pursuits  and  is  the  owner  of  a  valuable  and 
productive  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  located  about  three 
miles  east  of  the  courthouse  in  Cassopolis.  He  now  rents  the  land,  but 
still  gives  supervision  to  the  farm.  For  many  years  he  was  active  in  its 
cultivation  and  management  and  he  added  to  it  many  modern  equip- 
ments and  accessories,  while  his  labors  were  energetic  and  resourceful, 
so  that  he  won  thereby  a  good  financial  return  for  his  work.  He  ex- 
ercises his  right  of  franchise  in  support  of  the  men  and  measures  of 
the  Republican  party,  and  for  one  year  he  was  clerk  of  the  township, 
for  two  years  township  treasurer  and  for  some  years  justice  of  the 
peace.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  to  the  Friends' 
church,  in  which  he  was  reared.  His  life  has  ever  been  actuated  by 
unfaltering  fidelity  to  the  principles  which  govern  strict  and  imswerving 
integrity,  and  in  public  office  his  "course  was  characterized  by  prompt- 
ness and  jcapability  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties.  Having  lived  all  of 
his  life  in  this  county,  he  is  familiar  with  many  of  the  events  which 
have  shaped  its  history  and  formed  its  policy  and  he  is  classed  today 
with  the  leading  and  representative  pioneer  settlers. 

JOHN  P.  FIERO. 

John  P.  Fiero,  having  chosen  agricultural  pursuits  as  a  life  work, 
is  giving  his  time  and  energies  to  the  task  of  tilling  the  soil,  caring  for 
the  crops  and  raising  stock  on  section  26,  Wayne  township.  His  birth 
occurred  in  Sandusky  county,  Ohio,  on  the  ist  of  November,  1850,  and 
he  is  the  eldest  in  a  family  of  three  sons  and  three  daughters  whose 
parents  were  Abram  and  Fannie  (Thorp)  Fiero.  The  paternal  grand- 
father, Peter  Fiero,  was  a  native  of  the  state  of  New  York,  was  of  Hol- 
land Dutch  descent,  and  spent  his  last  days  in  Branch  county,  Michigan. 
The  maternal  grandfather,  John  Thorp,  was  also  a  native  of  the  Empire 
state,  and  it  was  in  the  same  state  that  Abram  Fiero  and  Fannie  Thorp 
were  born.  After  residing  for  some  time  in  Ohio  they  came  to  Cass 
county,  Michigan,  in  the  spring  of  1853,  locating  in  LaGrange  township, 
where  the  father  engaged  in  farming.     His  entire  life  was  devoted  to 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  711 

agricultural  pursuits,  and  he  gave  to  the  work  of  the  fields  his  undivided 
attention  until  his  life's  labors  were  ended  in  death,  when  he  was  sixty- 
six  years  of  age.  At  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  he  was  a  stanch  advo- 
cate of  the  Republican  party,  which  stood  as  the  defender  of  the  Union 
cause  during  that  dark  hour  in  our  country's  history,  but  later  he  be- 
came liberal  in  his  political  views.  At  one  time  he  served  as  super- 
visor of  his  township  and  he  was  always  active  in  public  affairs,  giving 
hearty  support  and  co-operation  to  any  movement  which  tended  to  bene- 
fit his  community.  In  his  family  were  three  sons  and  three  daughters, 
namely :  John  P. ;  Byron ;  William ;  Samantha,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
five  years;  and  Caroline  and  Lucy,  both  of  whom  are  deceased. 

John  P.  Fiero  was  in  his  third  year  when  he  was  brought  by  his  par- 
ents to  Michigan,  and  upon  the  home  farm  in  LaGrange  township  he  was 
reared.  His  early  educational  privileges  afforded  by  the  district  schools 
were  supplemented  by  study  in  Dowagiac  and  in  Kalamazoo  Commer- 
cial College,  which  he  attended  for  seven  months.  He  afterward  en- 
gaged in  clerking  for  a  time  in  Dowagiac  in  1873,  but  later  resumed 
farming  in  LaGrange  township,  where  he  remained  for  about  a  year. 
He  then  located  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides  and  he  has  resided 
here  continuously  since.  The  improvement  of  the  property  is  due  to  his 
care  and  labor  and  to  his  progressive  spirit.  As  his  financial  resources 
have  increased  he  has  extended  the  boundaries  of  his  property  and  his 
landed  possessions  now  aggregate  one  hundred  and  eighty  acres  in 
Wayne  township.  His  home  farm  comprises  one  hundred  and  eighty 
acres,  which  is  well  improved.  The  fields  have  been  brought  under  a 
high  state  of  cultivation  and  are  surrounded  by  well  kept  fences.  He 
uses  modern  machinery  in  the  care  of  his  crops,  and  everything  about  his 
place  is  neat  and  thrifty  in  appearance,  showing  the  owner  to  be  a  prac- 
tical man,  who  in  his  care  of  his  farm  is  painstaking  and  energetic.  He 
is  also  one  of  the  stockholders  of  the  Dowagiac  creamery. 

In  1875  Mr.  Fiero  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Samantha  Root, 
a  daughter  of  Eber  and  Eliza  (Wells)  Root,  who  were  early  settlers 
of  Cass  county.  The  mother  was  the  first  landlady  of  Cassopolis.  In 
pioneer  times  they  took  up  their  abode  in  this  county  and  Mr.  Root  served 
as  one  of  the  early  sheriffs,  and  his  name  was  associated  with  other  events 
relating  to  the  county's  history  and  its  development.  Mrs.  Fiero  was 
born  in  Cassopolis  on  the  8th  of  October,  1847,  and  by  her  marriage  has 
become  the  mother  of  four  children:  Ray,  who  is  living  in  Louisiana; 
Cecil,  deceased ;  Charles,  w^ho  has  also  passed  away ;  and  Eliza,  the  wife 
of  Frank  McMichael,  of  LaGrange  township. 

Mr.  Fiero  votes  with  the  Democratic  party  and  he  was  elected  to  the 
office  of  supervisor  of  Wayne  township  in  1890.  He  was  also  chosen 
town  clerk  and  filled  that  position  for  several  terms  in  Wayne  township. 
He  was  treasurer  of  the  Farmers'  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company  for 
four  years  and  is  well  known  in  the  county,  where  in  his  varied  relations 
he  has  ever  been  found  worthy  the  trust  and  confidence  reposed  in  hirn. 


7i2  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

His  activity  has  ever  been  of  a  practical  nature  crowned  with  results. 
He  sees  to  the  center  of  things  and  he  sees  from  the  center  to  the  outer- 
most circumference  of  possibility.  He  looks  upon  the  world  from  no 
false  position;  has  no  untried  standards  and  is  a  man  of  strong  convic- 
tions which  he  earnestly  maintains. 

BURGETTE  L.  DEWEY. 

Burgette  L.  Dewey,  the  senior  representative  of  mercantile  inter- 
ests in  Dowagiac  and  the  county  in  years  of  continuous  connection  with 
commercial  interests,  was  born  in  C3neida  county,  New  York,  October 
13,  1845.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Harry  Dewey,  was  a  native  of 
Vermont,  in  which  state  he  spent  his  boyhood  and  acquired  his  educa- 
tion. He  was  oi  French  and  Irish  lineage  and  on  leaving  New  Eng- 
land became  a  resident  of  New  York.  His  father,  Lambert  B.  Dewey, 
was  a  native  of  Oneida  county,  born  on  the  7th  of  May,  18 16.  He  was 
reared  to  the  occupation  of  farming  and  followed  that  pursuit  in  New 
York  until  1859,  when  he  removed  to  Marcellus,  Cass  county,  Michi- 
gan, where  he  engaged  in  general  agricultural  pursuits.  Later  he  made 
his  home  for  a  time  in  Van  Buren  county,  this  state,  and  subsequently 
came  to  Dowagiac,  where  his  last  days  were  passed,  his  death  occurring 
July  15,  1899,  when  he  was  in  his  eighty-fourth  year.  He  was  a  mem^ 
ber  of  the  Christian  church  and  lived  an  exemplary  life  in  harmony 
with  his  professions.  Lambert  B.  Dewey  was  married  in  the  Empire 
state  to  Miss  Delia  A.  Story,  a  native  of  Oneida  county.  New  York, 
who  is  now  living  in  her  eighty-third  year.  She  is  of  Irish  lineage. 
Her  grandfather.  Captain  Enoch  Story,  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier 
who  won  his  title  by  service  in  the  colonial  army  during  the  war  for 
independence.    It  is  supposed  that  he  was  a  native  of  Ireland. 

Burgette  L.  Dewey,  an  only  child,  came  Avith  his  parents  to  Mich- 
igan in  1859  when  a  youth  of  fourteen  years.  He  had  begun  his  educa- 
tion in  the  district  schools  of  New  York  and  later  he  attended  a  high 
school  in  Michigan,  while  in  1865  ^^  pursued  his  studies  in  Eastman's 
Business  College  at  Poughkeepsie,  New  York.  Being  graduated  on  the 
completion  of  a  business  course,  he  returned  to  Michigan  and  in  1865 
came  to  Dowagiac,  since  which  time  he  has  been  connected  with  the  • 
commercial  interests  of  this  place.  He  began  here  as  a  clerk  and  in 
1873  he  embarked  in  business  on  his  own  account  as  a  dealer  in  dry 
goods  and  carpets.  He  has  since  continued  in  this  line  and  is  now  the 
oldest  dry  goods  merchant  in  the  town.  He  has  a  well  appointed  estab- 
lishment, carrying  a  good  line  of  merchandise,  and  he  is  also  inter- 
ested in  other  business  enterprises  outside  of  the  city.  He  has  been 
very  successful  as  the  years  have  gone  by.  During  his  first  year  in 
Dowagiac  he  worked  for  nothing,  but  gradually  he  advanced  and  his 
capable  service  was  recognized  by  a  liberal  wage.  Saving  his  earnings, 
he  was  at  length  enabled  to  start  in  business  on  his  own  account  and 


^^^^^5^  ^  Ss^^ 


0)^^^m~^U/c  ^  JSWt^^^, 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  713 

is  today  a  prosperous  merchant,  enjoying  in  large  measure  the  confi- 
dence and  support  of  the  pubhc. 

On  the  13th  of  October,  1867,  Mr.  Dewey  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Sarah  E.  Green,  of  Battle  Creek,  Michigan,  a  daughter  of 
William  H.  Green.  She  was  born  in  Poughkeepsie,  New  York,  Feb- 
ruary 13,  1844,  and  has  become  the  mother  of  three  children:  Harry 
B.,  now  deceased;  Harriet,  the  wife  of  W.  C.  Porter,  of  Buchanan, 
Michigan;  and  Fred  L.,  who  is  a  partner  with  his  father  in  the  conduct- 
ing of  the  business. 

Mr.  Dewey  has  been  a  life-long  Republican,  having  firm  faith  in 
the  principles  and  ultimate  triumph  of  his  party.  He  was  the  second 
mayor  of  Dowagiac,  and  whether  in  office  or  out  of  it  has  been  a  co- 
operant  factor  in  many  measures  for  the  general  good.  He  is  a  promi- 
nent Mason  who  has  attained  the  thirty-second  degree  in  the  Scottish 
rite  and  he  likewise  belongs  to  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of 
Elks.  He  has  been  engaged  in  business  in  Dowagiac  for  forty  years, 
is  proprietor  of  the  largest  store  here  and  has  a  very  wide  acquaintance 
throughout  the  city  and  surrounding  country.  His  good  qualities  are 
many  and  his  genial  disposition  and  unfailing  courtesy  to  his  patrons 
as  well  as  his  honorable  dealing  have  been  factors  in  his  success. 

HAMILTON  SHELDON  McMASTER,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Hamilton  Sheldon  McMaster,  the  oldest  practicing  physician  of 
Dowagiac,  who  has  also  taken  an  active  and  helpful  part  in  the  advance- 
ment of  the  city's  welfare  and  improvement,  was  born  in  West  Sparta, 
Livingston  county,  New  York,  in  1842.  His  father,  Robert  McMaster, 
also  a  native  of  West  Sparta,  was  of  Scotch-Irish  lineage.  The  paternal 
grandfather,  Ebenezer  McMaster,  was  born  in  Morristown,  New  Jersey, 
and  was  the  son  of  Edward  McMaster,  who  was  born  in  Dublin,  Ire- 
land, and  came  to  the  United  States  with  his  father,  Richard  McMaster, 
a  sea-faring  man,  before  the  Revolutionary  war.  Edward  McMaster, 
then  a  boy,  spent  his  youth  in  this  country  and  at  the  outbreak  of  hostil- 
ities with  the  mother  country  enlisted  in  the  continental  army,  serving 
throughout  the  war  which  won  independence  for  the  nation.  He  was 
held  as  a  prisoner  on  one  of  the  British  warships  for  a  time.  His  father, 
Richard  McMaster,  sailed  in  a  privateer  during  the  conflict  and  died  at 
sea.  The  three  generations  before  our  subject  were  farmers.  The 
grandfather,  Ebenezer  McMaster,  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  ninety- 
five  years,  dying  at  West  Sparta,  New  York.  Robert  McMaster,  his 
son,  and"  the  father  of  Dr.  McMaster,  became  a  well-to-do  agriculturist 
and  prominent  citizen  in  his  home  locality.  His  political  allegiance  was 
given  to  the  old-line  Whig  party  until  its  dissolution,  when  he  advocated 
the  Republican  cause  and  supported  Lincoln.  His  business  affairs  were 
carefully  conducted  and  he  became  a  well-to-do  farmer.  His  death  oc- 
curred January  13,  1866,  when  he  was  fifty-five  years  of  age.    His  wife, 


714  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Lucy  L.  Hamilton,  was  born  near  Rut- 
land, Vermont,  and  died  in  Missouri,  November  22,  1882,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-six  years.  She  was  of  Scotch  Hneage,  the  Hamiltons  coming  to 
this  country  soon  after  the  arrival  of  the  Mayflower  in  Plymouth  harbor. 
Representatives  of  the  name  settled  in  Vermont  and  the  family  furnished 
soldiers  to  the  Revolutionary  war,  Mrs.  McMaster's  grandfather  having 
been  one  of  the  heroes  who  fought  for  liberty.  The  parents  of  Mrs. 
McMaster  were  Stoddard  and  Mary  (Sheldon)  Hamilton,  who  lived  for 
a  time  in  Vermont,  but  afterward  removed  to  New  York.  Mrs.  Ham- 
ilton died  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety  years,  while  her  mother  passed 
away  in  Rochester,  New  York,  at  the  very  venerable  age  of  one  hun- 
dred and  two  years.  Mrs.  McMaster  was  a  Baptist  in  religious  faith, 
holding  membership  in  the  church  at  Dowagiac.  By  her  marriage  she 
became  the  mother  of  eight  children,  namely :  Hamilton  S. ;  William 
Henry,  a  farmer  residing  in  Shelbyville,  Missouri;  Marion  E.,  who 
follows  farming  near  Monroe,  Missouri,  and  is  an  inventor  of  note; 
Mary  E.,  the  wife  of  Myron  L.  Ward,  a  fruit  grower  of  Alvin,  Texas; 
Emerson  P.,  an  agriculturist  residing  at  Machias,  New  York;  Albert  C. 
and  Gilbert  C,  twins,  who  died  when  about  five  years  of  age;  and  Rob- 
ert P.,  also  deceased. 

Dr.  McMaster,  the  eldest  of  the  family,  was  reared  upon  the  old 
homestead  farm  and  attended  the  district  schools  during  their  yearly 
sessions  until  ten  years  of  age.  Afterward  he  worked  through  the  sum- 
mer months  in  the  fields  and  continued  his  education  only  through  the 
winter  seasons.  He  remained  in  the  district  schools  until  eighteen  years 
of  age,  after  which  he  attended  the  Dansville  and  Lima  seminaries,  both 
in  New  York,  and  in  the  latter  institution  was  a  pupil  under  Frances 
E.  Willard,  the  famous  temperance  reformer.  He  also  attended  Albion 
(Michigan)  College  for  two  years,  having  come  to  this  state  in  1867. 
His  preparation  for  the  practice  of  medicine  was  begun  in  the  office  and 
under  the  direction  of  Dr.  H.  L.  Baker  at  Blissfield,  Michigan,  and  he 
attended  medical  lectures  at  Eclectic  Medical  College  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
previous  to  entering  Bennett  Medical  College  of  Chicago,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  the  spring  of  187 1. 

Dr.  McMaster  located  for  practice  at  Battle  Creek,  Michigan,  but 
after  a  few  months  came  to  Dowagiac,  where  he  entered  into  partner- 
ship with  Dr.  Cyrus  J.  Curtis  in  the  office  which  he  still  occupies.  This 
partnership  continued  for  two  years,  after  which  he  spent  eighteen 
months  at  Grand  Rapids,  when  he  returned  to  Dowagiac,  where  he  still 
remains.  He  is  the  oldest  physician  of  the  city  and  although  a  general 
practitioner,  makes  a  specialty  of  chronic  diseases,  in  which  he  has  been 
very  successful.  Well  qualified  by  thorough  preliminary  training  for 
his  chosen  life  work,  he  has  continually  promoted  his  efficiency  through 
reading,  investigation  and  experiment  and  has  thus  kept  in  touch  with 
the  march  of  the  profession. 

At  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  Dr.  McMaster  responded  to  the  coun- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  716 

try's  call  for  aid,  enlisting  on  the  6th  of  August,  1862,  when  but  twenty 
years  of  age.  He  enrolled  his  name  at  West  Sparta,  New  York,  in 
company  with  his  brother,  William  H.  McMaster,  and  they  were  assigned 
'  to  duty  with  Company  B,  One  Hundred  and  Thirtieth  New  York  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  with  which  both  served  until  the  cessation  of  hostilities. 
After  a  year's  service  the  regiment  was  changed  to  cavalry  in  1863  and 
became  known  as  the  Nineteenth  New  York  Cavalry  and  also  as  the 
First  New  York  Dragoons.  This  regiment  was  included  in  Fox's  ''three 
hundred  lighting  regiments."  It  was  engaged  in  sixty-six  battles,  not 
including  various  skirmishes,  and  formed  a  part  of  General  Wesley  Mer- 
ritt's  brigade  of  Devon's  division  and  General  Phil  Sheridan's  corps. 
He  was  mustered  out  at  Clouds  Mills,  Virginia.  His  brother  was 
wounded  in  a  skirmish  in  the  Shenandoah  valley.  Of  five  farmer  boys 
who  enlisted  together  Dr.  McMaster  and  his  brother  were  the  only  ones 
to  return  to  their  homes.  The  doctor  lay  in  a  hospital  at  Washington 
with  typhoid  fever  for  some  time  and  while  still  there  he  was  made 
nurse  and  ward  master.  While  thus  engaged  he  conceived  the  idea  of 
reading  medicine,  a  determination  which  he  carried  out  upon  returning 
home. 

In  1872  Dr.  McMaster  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Florence  Steb- 
bins,  who  was  born  in  Worcester,  Massachusetts,  in  1848  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Edward  Sawyer  and  Harriet  (Goddard)  Stebbins,  the  for- 
mer a  native  of  Vermont  and  the  latter  of  Massachusetts.  Her  uncle, 
Delenor  Goddard,  was  editor  of  the  Boston  Advertiser  for  a  number  of 
years  and  the  Goddards  were  a  very  prominent  family  of  Massachusetts, 
while  the  Stebbins  were  descended  from  Revolutionary  stock.  Unto  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  McMaster  have  been  born  three  children:  Gertrude  Louise, 
now  the  wife  of  William  E.  Sweet,  a  plumber  of  Dowagiac ;' Edward  S., 
who  is  head  bookkeeper  for  the  Dowagiac  Manufacturing  Company ;  and 
Robert  P.,  who  was  a  bookkeeper  and  died  in  April,  1904,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-seven  years. 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  McMaster  hold  membership  in  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church  and  are  people  of  the  highest  respectability,  who  have  long 
occupied  a  prominent  and  enviable  position  in  social  circles  in  the  city 
where  they  reside.  The  doctor  belongs  to  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen  and  to  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  while  in  the  line  of 
his  profession  he  is  connected  with  the  State  Eclectic  Medical  Associa- 
tion, of  which  he  was  chosen  the  first  secretary,  being  honored  with  the 
office  for  twenty  years.  He  has  also  been  a  member  and  vice-president 
of  the  National  Eclectic  Medical  Association.  He  was  a  Lincoln  Repub- 
lican and  afterward  became  a  Prohibitionist.  He  also  voted  twice  for 
William  Jennings  Bryan  and  is  now  a  socialist.  In  community  affairs  he 
has  taken  considerable  interest  and  his  labors  have  not  been  without  bene- 
ficial effect.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  school  board  of  Dowagiac 
and  was  the  first  health  officer  of  the  city.  At  one  time  he  was  the  owner 
of  a  farm  north  of  the  city,  one-half  of  which  lay  within  the  corporate 


716  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

« 

limits  and  this  has  been  subdivided  and  platted  and  is  now  known  as  Dr. 
McMaster's  first  and  second  additions  to  the  city  of  Dowagiac.  In  con- 
nection with  his  practice  he  and  his  sons  cultivate  ginseng  and  are  devel- 
oping a  business  of  considerable  importance  in  this  line.  Dr.  McMaster 
is  very  widely  known  in  Cass  county  and  has  had  a  notable  and  honor- 
able life  history.  A  man  of  push  and  progress,  difficulties  have  van- 
ished before  him  as  mist  before  the  morning  sun.  He  has  no  untried 
standards  and  he  is  a  man  of  strong  convictions,  quick  to  discern  the 
right  and  unfaltering  in  his  maintenance  thereof.  He  is  a  lover  of  soci- 
ety and  of  his  friends  and  association  with  him  means  pleasure,  expan- 
sion and  elevation. 

WILLIAM  M.  FROST. 

William  M.  Frost,  who  has  passed  the  Psalmist's  span  of  thre^ 
score  years  and  ten,  being  now  in  his  seventy-fourth  year,  makes  his 
home  in  Dowagiac,  but  for  many  years  was  an  active  factor  in  agricult- 
ural circles.  A  native  of  New  York,  he  was  born  in  Otsego  county  on 
the  13th  of  October,  1832,  and  was  the  eldest  in  a  family  of  five  children, 
two  daughters  and  three  sons,  all  of  whom  reached  adult  age.  Their 
parents  were  Elijah  and  Prudence  Ann  (Cory)  Frost,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  New  York.  The  paternal  grandfather  was  David  Frost, 
who  became  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Otsego  county,  New  York.  He 
married  Jane  Gilbert  and  reared  a  family  of  twelve  children.  His  death 
occurred  upon  the  old  homestead  in  the  east. 

Elijah  Frost,  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  OtsegO'  county 
and  early  became  familiar  with  farm  labor  as  he  worked  in  the  fields 
for  his  father,  following  the  plow  and  harvesting  the  crops.  Believ- 
ing that  the  west  furnished  good  business  opportunities  he  started  for 
Michigan  in  1844  and  made  his  way  direct  to  Cass  county,  locating  on 
Pokagon  prairie  in  Pokagon  township.  He  purchased  a  farmi  on  which 
he  lived  for  about  twelve  years,  when  he  sold  that  property  and  crossed 
the  line  into  Berrien  county,  where  he  lived  two  years.  He  then  re- 
turned to  Cass  county,  settling  in  Silver  Creek  township,  where  he 
died  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years.  Throughout  his  entire  life 
he  followed  agricultural  pursuits  in  order  to  provide  for  his  family 
and  the  success  which  he  enjoyed  was  due  entirely  to  his  enterprising 
efforts  and  capable  m.anagement.  In  early  life  he  was  an  old-line  Whig, 
supporting  the  party  until  its  dissolution,  when  he  joined  the  ranks 
of  the  new  Republican  party  upon  its  organization.  Coming  to  Cass 
county  in  pioneer  days  he  found  here  what  was  practically  a  wilderness. 
The  few  homes  of  the  early  settlers  were  widely  scattered,  the  forests 
largely  stood  in  their  primeval  strength  and  the  streams  were  un- 
bridged.  In  fact  the  work  of  development  had  been  scarcely  begun 
and  he  had  ample  opportunity  to  aid  in  the  work  of  early  improve- 
ment and  progress.  He  married  Prudence  Ann  Cory,  also  a  native  of 
New  York  and  a  daughter  of  Samiuel  and  Rachel  Mallory)  Cory,  who 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  71T 

located  in  the  Empire  state  at  an  early  day,  coming  to  New  York  from 
Connecticut.  Mrs.  Frost  was  a  granddaughter  of  a  Revolutionary 
soldier.  She  survived  her  husband  for  a  number  of  years  and  died  in 
the  ninetieth  year  of  her  age  in  Silver  Creek  township,  being  one  of 
the  oldest  settlers  of  the  county  in  age  and  also  in  years  of  residence 
here.  Of  her  family  of  five  children  only  two  are  now  living,  the  other 
being  Kenyon  D.  Frost,  who  resides  in  Cass  county. 

William  M.  Frost  spent  the  first  twelve  years  of  his  life  in  the 
state  of  his  nativity  and  then  came  with  his  parents  to  Michigan,  ar- 
riving here  on  the  first  of  October,  1844.  He  acquired  his  education 
in  common  and  select  schools  of  Niles  and  when  not  busy  with-  his 
textbooks  remained  at  home,  assisting  in  the  work  of  the  farm.  The 
family  experienced  many  of  the  usual  hardships  and  trials  of  pioneer 
life  and  with  the  others  of  the  family  Mr.  Frost  worked  in  the  fields, 
converting  the  once  wild  and  raw  land  into  a  productive  tract.  At 
the  age  of  twenty  years  he  began  teaching  school,  holding  his  first 
school  in  a  little  log  cabin  in  Silver  Creek  township.  He  followed  the 
profession  for  about  nine  years,  having  the  ability  to  impart  clearly 
and  readily  the  knowledge  to  others  that  he  had  acquired,  so  that  he 
was  recognized  as  one  of  the  capable  educators  of  this  part  of  the  state. 
He  was  in  the  schoolroom  during  the  winter  months,  while  in  the 
summer  seasons  he  folloAved  the  plo'W. 

He  first  was  married  in  1856  to  Miss  Mary  Jane  Dalton,  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Catherine  (Cooper)  Dalton.  She  was  born 
in  the  city  of  Rochester,  New  York,  May  2,  1836,  and  came  Avith  her 
parents  to  Michigan,  locating  at  Three  Rivers,  whence  they  afterward 
removed  to  Cass  county,  INTrs.  Frost  being  about  fourteen  years  of  age 
at  that  time.  Upon  his  marriage  Mr.  Frost  rented  a  farm  which  he 
cultivated  for  about  three  vears,  this  being  located  in  Niles  township, 
Berrien  county.  Fie  lived  frugally  and  economically  during  that  period 
and  as  the  result  of  his  industry  was  enabled  in  the  spring  of  i860 
to  purchase  a  farm  in  Silver  Creek  township,  whereon  he  took  up  his 
abode.  The  farm  was  all  covered  with  timber  at  the  time  of  the  pur- 
chase, and  in  the  midst  of  the  forest  he  began  developing  the  fields  and 
clearing  away  the  trees,  grubbing  out  the  stumps  and  burning  up  the 
brush.  In  the  course  of  time  the  sunshine  flooded  the  fields  and  ripened 
the  grain.  In  all  of  his  farm  work  he  kept  abreast  with  the  progress 
incident  to  agricultural  life,  using  good  improved  machiner}^  and  fol- 
lowing modern  methods  in  all  that  he  did.  Owing  to  his  careful 
direction  of  his  business  interests  and  his  unfaltering  energy  he  ac- 
quired a  gratifying  competence  and  in  i88g  removed  to  Dowagiac, 
where  he  has  since  remained.  For  some  years  he  continued  tO'  give 
personal  supervision  to  his  farm  and  the  place  is  now  carried  on  through 
the  work  of  a  man  whom  he  employs  by  the  year.     He  has  one  hun- 


718  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

dred  and  eighty  acres  of  well  improved  land  all  under  the  plow  save 
about  fifteen  acres  and  good  crops  are  annually  harvested. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frost  have  been  bom  three  children:  Emily 
C,  the  eldest,  who  died  at  age  of  ten  years;  Elizabeth,  now  the  wife 
of  E.  E.  Aliger,  of  Dowagiac;  and  Carrie  Lucile,  at  home.  Mr.  Frost 
in  early  manhood  proudly  cast  his  fii*st  presidential  ballot  for  John  C. 
Fremont,  the  first  candidate  of  the  Republican  party.  He  voted  also 
for  Abraham  Lincoln  and  has  supported  each  presidential  nominee  at 
the  head  of  the  ticket  from  that  time.  He  has  held  a  number  of  local 
offices,  to  which  he  has  been  called  by  his  fellow  citizens,  who  recognize 
his  worth  and  his  fidelity  to  public  duty.  He  has  been  superintendent 
of  Silver  Creek  township  public  school,  which  position  he  held  for 
twelve  years  and  was  supervisor  of  Silver  Creek  township  for  seven 
years.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  for 
a  half  century  and  has  taken  an  active  and  helpful  interest  in  its  work 
and  upbuilding,  filling  various  official  positions  in  connection!  there- 
with. His  house  was  always  called  the  preacher's  home,  its  hospitality 
being  extended  to  all  ministers  visiting  the  neighborhood.  Looking 
back  into  the  past  it  will  be  found  that  Mr.  Frost  has  for  sixty  years 
lived  in  this  county  and  he  is  therefore  largely  authority  on  matters 
relating  to  its  history.  Great  changes  have  occurred  and  a  wonderful 
transformation  ha_s  been  wrought  since  those  early  days  when  the 
forests  were  uncut,  land  uncultivated  and  homes  unbuilt.  The  work 
of  progress  has  been  made  by  slow  but  steady  stages  and  those  who 
have  contributed  to  the  upbuilding  and  development  of  the  county  de- 
serve much  credit,  especially  those  who  have  shared  in  the  trials  and 
hardships  of  frontier  life  as  Mr.  Frost  has  done. 

CLYDE  W.  KETCHAM. 

Clyde  W.  Ketcham,  one  of  the  younger  members  of  the  Cass  county 
bar  who  is  making  rapid  advancement,  resides  at  Dowagiac  and  is  a 
native  son  of  the  county,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Volinia  township 
in  1876.  He  is  a  son  of  Dr.  W.  T.  Ketcham,  well  known  in  the  count}, 
and  was  a  student  in  the  public  schools  of  Dowagiac,  being  graduated 
from  the  high  school  with  the  class  of  1894.  WTien  it  came  to  the  time 
when  he  should  decide  upon  a  choice  of  work  as  a  life  occupation  he  de- 
termined upon  the  practice  of  law  and  entered  the  law  department  of  the 
Michigan  State  University  at  Ann  Arbor  in  1899.  Completing  the  regu- 
lar three  years'  course,  he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1902  and  entered 
upon  the  active  work  of  the  profession  in  Dowagiac  in  partnership  with 
Charles  E.  Sweet.  After  a  year  he  opened  an  independent  office,  pur- 
chasing the  practice  and  the  law  library  of  F.  J.  Atwell,  one  of  the  pio- 
neer attorneys  of  Cass  county.  He  has  been  eminently  successful  and 
bids  fair  to  become  a  leading  member  of  the  bar,  having  already  attained 
success  and  prominence  that  many  an  older  practitioner  might  well  envy. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  719 

Imp<:)rtant  litigated  interests  have  been  entrusted  to  his  care  and  his  care- 
ful handhng  of  these  has  led  to  the  winning  of  decisions  favorable  to  his 
clients. 

On  the  6th  of  September,  1899,  Mr.  Ketcham  was  married  to  Miss 
Clarice  Bushnell,  a  native  of  Grand  Rapids  and  a  daughter  of  Asa  Bush- 
nell,  a  wood  carver  and  worker  in  wood  in  that  city.  Mr.  Ketcham  be- 
longs to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  his  wife  to  the  Congre- 
gational church.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Masons  and  the 
Maccabees,  while  in  the  line  of  his  profession  he  holds  membership  rela- 
tions with  the  Cass  County  Bar  Association.  In  his  political  views  he 
is  a  Republican,  and  from  1897  until  1899  served  as  justice  of  the  peace. 
His  energies  are  now  concentrated  upon  his  professional  duties  and  he 
is  well  known  as  a  sincere  and  earnest  practitioner,  having  comprehen- 
sive knowledge  of  the  principles  of  both  civil  and  criminal  law. 

SIMEON  CONKLIN. 

Do'wagiac  has  among  its  inhabitants  many  men  who  in  success- 
ful business  careers  have  won  the  competence  that  now  enables  them  to 
live  retired.  To  this  class  belongs  Simeon  Conklin,  who  at  one  time 
was  actively  and  successfully  engaged  in  general  farming  in  Cass  county 
but  is  now  living  in  a  pleasant  home  in  Dowagiac,  surrounded  by 
many  of  the  comforts  which  go  to  make  life  worth  living,  having  put 
aside  further  business  cares.  He  was  born  in  Otsego  county,  New 
York,  February  15,  1841.  His  father,  Abram  Conklin,  also  a  native  of 
that  county,  was  there  reared  and  married  and  in  an  early  day  came 
westward  to  Michigan,  where  he  invested  in  property,  purchasing  land 
in  Lagrange  township,  where  he  lived  for  a  short  time.  He  afterward* 
removed  to  Silver  Creek  township,  where  he  died  when  seventy  years 
of  age.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Malinda  Gilbert,  was 
also  bom  in  Otsego  county.  New  York,  and  lived  to  be  about  fifty 
years  of  age.  In  the  family  were  eight  children,  three  daughters  and 
five  sons,  six  of  whom  grew  to  manhood  and  womanhood.  There 
are  now  living  four  sons  and  a  daughter,  namely:  Gilbert,  who  is 
residing  in  Silver  Creek  township;  Simeon,  of  this  review;  Abram>, 
who  makes  his  home  in  Dowagiac ;  Jane,  also  a  resident  of  Silver  Creek 
township;  and  Charles,  living  in  Dowagiac. 

Simeon  Conklin  was  the  second  of  the  eight  children  and  was 
but  a  small  boy  when  brought  by  his  parents  to  Michigan,  so  that  he 
was  reared  and  educated  in  Silver  Creek  township,  attending  the  Indian 
Lake  school  in  his  boyhood  days.  When  not  busy  with  his  textbooks 
he  remained  at  home,  assisting  in  the  work  of  the  farm  until  he  had 
passed  his  twenty-first  birthday.  He  was  married  in  1869  to  Miss 
Charlotte  Swisher,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Melissa  Swisher.  Mrs. 
Conklin  w^as  bom  in  Preble  county,  Ohio,  and  was  but  a  small  girl 
when  brought  to  this  county  by  her  parents.     Upon  coming  to  this 


720  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

county  they  located  in  Pokagon  township.  During  that  time  Mr.  Con- 
klin  gave  his  attention  and  energies  to  the  further  cultivation  of  the 
fields  which  he  brought  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  sO'  that  he 
annually  harvested  good  crops.  He  used  the  latest  improved  machinery 
and  conducted  his  work  along  modern  lines  of  agriculture  until  1895, 
when  he  put  aside  business  cares  and  took  up  his  abode  in  Dowagiac. 
He  still  owns,  however,  his  farm,  comprising  two  hundred  acres  of 
good  land,  which  he  rents. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Conklin  have  been  born  four  children  but 
Myrtle  and  Cora  are  now  deceased,  while  the  other  daughters,  Lillie 
and  Nora,  are  at  home.  Mr.  Conklin  has  spent  nearly  his  entire  life 
in  Cass  county  and  has  always  voted  the  Republican  ticket  since  age 
gave  to  him  the  right  of  franchise.  He  has  a  wide  and  favorable  ac- 
quaintance and  has  been  successful  in  a  financial  way.  His  friends 
are  many  and  the  number  is  constantly  increasing  as  the  circle  of  his 
acquaintance  widens. 

HENRY  G.  ROSEWARNE. 

Henry  G.  Rosewarne,  acting  as  township  clerk,  his  home  being 
in  section  7,  Milton  township,  was  born  upon  this  farm  February  17, 
1867.  The  family  is  of  English  lineage,  and  the  grandfather  was 
Dr.  John  V.  Rosewarne,  who  became  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Cass 
county,  reaching  Milton  township  in  1834,  and  was  identified  with 
many  events  which  shaped  the  early  annals  of  this  part  of  the  state. 
He  was  born  in  the  parish  of  Gwinear,  county  of  Cornwall,  England, 
in  the  year  1789.  He  was  a  pupil  of  the  celebrated  Sir  Astley  Cooper, 
and  from  him  received  the  early  teaching  which  made  him  so  success- 
ful in  after  lite  as  a  physician  and  surgeon.  In  the  county  of  Corn- 
wall he  enjoyed  for  many  years  an  extensive  and  lucrative  practice, 
living  in  the  township  of  Wadebridge  until  he  removed  to  this  country. 
In  the  year  1829  he  emigrated  to  America  with  his  family  and  settled 
upon  the,  shrn'e  of  Canandaigua  Lake,  New  York,  where  he  lived  in 
quiet  retirement  until  1832.  In  that  year,  cholera  having  made  its  first 
appearance  in  this  county,  he  was  requested  by  the  citizens  of  Canan- 
daigua to  go  to  the  city  of  New  York  while  it  was  raging  there  to  in- 
vestigate the  causes  of  that  new  plague  and  determine  the  proper  treat- 
ment of  it  in  all  its  phases.  Among  the  eminent  physicians  of  New 
York  he  achieved  a  high  reputation,  not  only  for  the  skillful  treatment 
of  that  disease,  but  also  for  eminence  in  his  profession  generally.  Aft- 
er coming  to  this  country.  Dr.  Rosewarne  did  not  practice  his  profes- 
sion in  the  ordinary  acceptance  of  that  term,  but  for  more  than  thirty 
years  he  cheerfully  and  gratuitously  gave  his  services  whenever  re- 
(juested  with  like  assiduity  to  the  rich  and  the  poor,  and  there  were 
few  families  in  the  community  that  were  not  at  some  time  benefited 
by  his  professional  skill.    A  lover  of  nature,  he  enjoyed  the  seclusion  of 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  T21 

the  lake  shore  where  he  so  long  dwelt,  and  although  not  seeking  gen- 
eral society,  he  was  eminently  sociable  and  hospitable.  His  coming 
was  always  welcome,  whether  to  assuage  the  pains  of  sickness  or  re- 
ceive the  hospitality  of  his  friends.  He  had  passed  so  much  of  his  life 
in  that  locality,  devoting  his  talents  and  acquirements  to  the  relief  of 
others,  and  had  proved  himself  so  kind  and  true  and  so  generous  in  his 
friendship  that  his  loss  was  so  keenly  felt  by  the  community  as  to  se- 
cure among  them  an  enduring  and  affectionate  remembrance.  He  died 
at  Canandaigua,  New  York,  August  19,   1863,  aged  seventy-six  years. 

Charles  F.  Rosewarne,  father  of  our  subject,  was  a  native  of  Corn- 
wall, England,  and  was  only  nine  years  of  age  when  he  accompanied 
his  father.  Dr.  John  V.  Rosewarne,  to  America.  He  was  reared  in 
New  York,  and  with  the  family  came  to  Michigan  in  1834.  He  re- 
mained for  about  ten  years,  after  which  he  returned  tO'  New  York, 
where  he  engaged  in  business  as  railroad  contractor  through  the  suc- 
ceeding decade.  He  built  many  railroads  in  the  ^ast,  and  was  thus 
closely  associated  with  the  substantial  improvement  and  development 
of  that  section  of  the  country,  for  it  has  been  said  that  railroad  build- 
ing is  the  most  important  agency  in  the  settlement  of  a  community, 
furnishing  the  means  whereby  the  natural  resources  of  the  county  that 
have  been  transformed  into  marketable  commodities  can  be  placed  in 
trade  circles.  In  1849  Mr.  Rosewarne  returned  to  Cass  county  and 
settled  upon  the  farm  where  his  son,  Henry  G.,  now  resides.  His  fath- 
er owned  a  sawmill  and  Charles  F.  Rosewarne  was  also  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  lumber.  He  continued  an  active  representative  of  in- 
dustrial interests  in  this  county  for  a  number  of  years,  and  died  at  the 
advanced  age  of  eighty-one.  His  political  allegiance  was  given  to  the 
Democracy,  and  he  held  various  local  offices  in  the  township,  including 
that  of  township  treasurer.  He  was  well  known  in  the  community, 
and  was  a  recognized  leader  in  public  affairs,  leaving  the  impress  of 
his  individuality  and  activity  upon  many  measures  for  the  public  good. 
He  Avas  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sarah  A.  Smith,  a  native  of  Con- 
necticut and  a  daughter  of  Hezekiah  Smith,  who  was  descended  from 
Mayflower  ancestry,  the  family  having  been  established  in  Massachu- 
setts during  the  period  of  early  colonization  in  New  England.  Mrs. 
Rosewarne  still  survives  her  husband  and  is  now  seventy-seven  years 
of  age.  In  the  family  were  eight  children,  five  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters, and  with  the  exception  of  one  son  all  are  yet  living. 

Henry  G.  Rosewarne  is  the  youngest  of  the  family  and  the  only 
one  who  now  resides  in  Cass  county.  He  w^as  reared  upon  the  old  fam- 
ily homestead  and  acquired  his  education  in  the  common  schools,  devo- 
ting liis  time  to  the  labors  of  the  field  when  not  occupied  with  his  text 
books.  In  1888  he  went  to  Chicago,  and  for  four  years  was  engaged  in 
the  hardware  business  in  that  city.  In  1892  he  returned  to  the  old  home- 
stead in  Cass  county,  where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  general  farm- 


722  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

ing.  Everything  about  his  place  is  in  keeping  with  the  ideas  of  modern 
farming,  there  being  fair  buildings,  the  latest  improved  machinery, 
well  kept  fences  and  highly  cultivated  fields.  Mr.  Rosewarne  realizes 
that  diligence  is  the  basis  of  all  success,  and  by  his  unremitting  effort 
has  won  a  creditable  place  among  the  substantial  agriculturists  of  the 
county.  The  farm  'comprises  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  acres,  and 
Mr.  Rosewarne  is  engaged  in  general  agricultural  pursuits  and  dairy- 
ing, having  a  good  business  in  both  departments. 

On  the  7th  of  September,  1898,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of 
Henry  G.  Rosewarne  and  Miss  Eva  I.  Dinan,  a  daughter  of  John  M. 
and  Ellen  (Smith)  Dinan,  who  became  pioneer  settlers  of  Cass  county, 
Michigan.  They  are  still  living,  and  yet  remain  residents  of  this  coun- 
ty. Their  daughter,  Mrs.  Rosewarne,  was  born  in  Jefferson  township, 
Cass  county,  was  educated  in  the  home  school  and  in  the  Ferris  Indus- 
trial School.  Prior  to  her  marriage  she  successfully  engaged  in  teach- 
ing for  three  years.  Mr.  Rosewarne  has  taken  an  active  part  in  poli- 
tics and  has  held  various  offices,  to  which  he  has  been  called  by  his 
fellow  tow^nsmen,  who  recognize  his  worth  and  ability.  He  was  treas- 
urer of  Milton  township  in  1896-7,  has  been  justice  of  the  peace,  and  in 
1900  was  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy  in  the  office  of  township  clerk. 
He  was  then  elected  in  1901,  and  has  been  elected  each  succeeding  year, 
so  that  he  is  still  the  incumbent  in  this  position.  His  entire  life  has 
been  passed  in  Cass  county,  and  his  record  is  as  an  open  took  which 
all  may  read.  He  has  never  attempted  to  take  advantage  of  the  neces- 
sities of  his  fellowmen,  but  has  lived  so  as  win  their  respect  and  con- 
fidence, and  has  made  a  creditable  record  in  business  and  political  cir- 
cles. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rosewarne  have  a  copy  of  the  parchment  deed 
which  was  executed  June  25,  1834,  and  bears  the  signature  of  Presi- 
dent Jackson,  this  being  one  of  the  valued  documents  of  the  county. 

MALCOM  A.  CAMPBELL. 

Malcom  A.  Campbell  is  serving  as  alderman  from  the  third  ward 
in  Dowagiac  and  is  closely  associated  with  industrial  interests  here 
through  his  conduct  of  a  blacksmith  and  wagon  shop.  He  is  also  en- 
gaged iji  the  sale  of  buggies  and  wagons  and  has  a  business  which  is 
proving  profitable.  Moreover  he  deserves  the  success  which  comes  to 
him  because  his  life  has  teen  characterized  by  close  application  and  un- 
faltering diligence.  ''Through  struggles  to  success"  is  the  usual  rule 
of  the  business  world  and  this  axiom  finds  verification  in  the  life  of  Mr. 
Campbell,  who  has  worked  his  way  upward,  winning  a  fair  mieasure 
of  prosperity  and  at  the  same  time  making  a  record  for  business  in- 
tegrity that  any  man  might  be  proud  to  possess. 

A  native  of  Canada,  Mr.  Campbell  was  born  in  Lampton  county, 
Ontario,  on  the  i6th  O'f  September,  1861.  His  father,  Duncan  Camp- 
bell,   is   supposed   to  have  been   a   native  of   Scotland   and   settled   in 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  723 

Canada  in  early  life.  There  he  cleared  a  tract  of  land  and  followed 
farming  until  his  death,  which  occurred  when  he  was  about  fifty-seven 
years  of  age.  He  had  married  Sarah  McCalpine,  also  a  native  of 
Scotland,  who  still  resides  upon  the  old  homestead  in  Canada.  By 
her  marriage  she  became  the  mother  oi  eight  children,  five  daughters 
and  three  sons,  all  of  whom!  reached  adult  age. 

Malcom  A.  Campbell,  who  name  introduces  this  record,  was 
the  fourth  child  and  second  son  in  that  family,  and  was  reared  upon 
the  old  homestead  farmi  in  his  native  county.  At  the  usual  age  he  en- 
tered the  country  schools  and  therein  acquired  a  fair  English  educa- 
tion, and  when  not  busy  with  his  text  books  he  aided  in  the  work  of 
the  fields,  but,  thinking  that  he  would  prefer  a  trade  rather  than  to 
follow  the  plow,  he  began  learning  blacksmdthing  w^hen  sixteen  years 
of  age  at  a  small  town  called  Aughrimi.  He  served  an  apprenticeship  of 
three  years,  and  after  completing  his  term  of  indenture  started  out  to 
work  as  a  journeyman,  following  blacksmithing  at  different  places  in 
Canada  and  the  United  States.  His  first  work  in  the  states  was  in  1886 
at  Saginaw.  Michigan.  He  was  afterward  employed  in  other  points, 
and  subsequently  he  returned  to  Canada,  where  he  remained  for  about 
three  years,  on  the  expiration  of  which  period  he  went  to  Nebraska, 
locating  at  Plum  Creek,  where  he  resided  for  a  short  time.  He  then 
again  went  to  Canada,  and  the  period  of  his  residence  at  this  time  cov- 
ered about  six  years.  Again  crossing  the  border  into  the  United 
States,  he  settled  at  Detroit,  Michigan,  and  afterward  removed  to  Ply- 
mouth, this  state,  whence  in  1894  he  came  to  Dowagiac,  where  he  has 
since  made  his  home.  He  was  employed  at  journeyman  work  by  the 
man  that  owned  the  shop  which  is  now  Mr.  Campbell's  property,  being 
thus  engaged  for  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  embarked  in 
business  on  Iiis  own  account  on  Pennsylvania  avenue,  where  he  re- 
mained for  one  year.  He  was  also'  in  business  on  Front  street  for  four 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  removed  to  his  present  location, 
having  purchased  the  property  here  about  t\vo  years  before.  This  is 
the  shop  in  which  he  first  worked  on  coming  tO'  Dowagiac,  and  here  he 
carries  on  blacksmithing  and  the  manufacture  of  w^agons,  doing  all 
kinds  of  repair  w^ork  as  well,  and  at  the  same  time  he  engages  in  the 
sale  of  wagons  and  buggies.  He  likewise  has  the  agency  for  the  Ala- 
mo gas  and  gasoline  engines.  His  business  has  reached  considerable 
extent  at  the  present  time,  and  his  energy  and  watchfulness  of  all  de- 
tails pointing  to  success  have  contributed  to  a  very  gratifying  pros- 
perity. 

Mr.  Campbell  was  married  in  1886  to  Miss  Julia  Brown,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Dugald  and  Mary  (McCullum)  Brown.  Mrs.  Campbell  was 
also  born  in  Canada,  and  by  this  marriage  there  are  three  children : 
Gordon  Lloyd,  John  Harvey  and  Grace. 

Mr.    Campbell  has  been  interested  in  public  affairs  to  the  extent 


724  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

of  becoming  a  co-operant  -factor  in  many  plans  formulated  for  public 
progress  and  practical  improvement.  He  is  a  stanch  and  earnest  Re- 
publican, and  is  now  serving  as  a  member  of  the  city  council,  repre- 
senting the  third  ward,  in  which  connection  he  exercises  his  official 
prerogatives  to  promote  measures  of  reform  and  improvement.  He 
belongs  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Order  of  For- 
esters and  the  National  Protective  Legion.  There  have  been  no  excit- 
ing chapters  in  his  life  record,  but  he  possesses  those  sterling  traits 
which  work  for  good  citizenship,  for  activity  and  honor  .  in  business 
and  for  fidelity  in  private  life. 

WILLIS  M.  FARR. 

Willis  M.  Farr,  a  well  known  representative  of  industrial  inter- 
ests in  Cass  county  now  living  in  Dowagiac,  was  born  at  New  Haven 
in  Macomb  county,  Michigan,  August  i,  1844.  His  father,  Henry  F. 
Farr,  was  a  native  of  New  York  and  in  his  boyhood  days  came  to 
Michigan  with  his  father,  Samuel  Farr,  who  was  a  pioneer  of  this 
state.  The  grandfather  traveled  westward  with  an  ox  team  and  located 
first  in  Macomb  county,  where  in  the  midst  of  the  forest  he  built  a  log 
cabin  and  improved  a  farm,  giving  his  attention  to  the  cultivation  and 
development  of  his  land  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  Henry  F.  Farr 
was  but  a  small  lad  when  the  family  took  up  their  abode  upon  the  old 
homestead  property  in  Macomb  county  and  the  occupation  to  which 
he  was  reared  he  made  his  life  work,  carrying  on  farming  in  that 
county  until  he,  too,  was  called  to  his  final  rest.  He  married  Julia  Ann 
Clemens,  a  native  of  New  York,  in  which  state  she  remained  until 
about  tAventy  years  of  age,  when  she  came  to  Michigan  with  her  par- 
ents, who  settled  in  Macomb  county.  There  her  remaining  days  were 
passed.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  Farr  had  a  family  of  four  sons,  of  whom 
two  died  in  infancy.  The  brother  of  our  subject,  M.  S.  Farr,  is  a 
stock  raiser  and  ranchman  of  Venango,  Nebraska.  He  there  owns  eleven 
square  miles  under  fence  in  Perkins  county  and  is  one  of  the  leading 
stockmen  of  his  part  of  the  country. 

Willis  M.  Farr,  the  eldest  of  the  four  children,  was  reared  in  the 
place  of  his  nativity  until  eighteen  years  of  age,  when  he  went  to  New 
York,  where  he  spent  the  succeeding  year  in  teaching  school.  He  then 
returned  to  Michigan  and  attended  school  in  Mount  Clemens,  after 
which  he  resumed  teaching.  In  the  spring  of  1864  he  went  to  Chicago 
and  after  tramping  the  streets  of  the  city  for  two  weeks  in  search  of 
employment  he  secured  the  position  oif  bundle  boy  in  a  wholesale  and 
retail  store.  He  was  thus  engaged  for  about  six  months,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  he  responded  to  the  country's  call  for  aid,  enlisting  as  a 
member  of  Company  C,  Fift}^-ninth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry  as  a 
private.  He  served  for  thirteen  months  and  participated  in  the  cam- 
paign under  General  Thomas  from  December,  1864,  until  June,   1865. 


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HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  725 

He  was  never  excused  from  duty  during  the  service  om  account  of  ill- 
ness or  from  any  other  cause,  but  always  faithfully  remained  at  his  post 
and  at  the  close  of  the  war  received  an  honorable  discharge  at  San 
Antonio,  Texas. 

When  the  country  no  longer  needed  his  aid  Mr.  Farr  returned  to 
Chicago  and  soon  afterward  wxnt  upon  the  road  as  a  commercial  trav- 
eler, spending  two  and  a  half  years  in  that  way  in  Illinois,  Indiana  and 
Michigan.  His  next  venture  was  as  a  wholesale  merchant,  dealing  in 
notions,  and  at  one  time  he  utih'zed  three  wagons  in  the  trade.  He 
continued  in  that  business  for  about  ten  years,  meeting  with  very  grat- 
ifying success.  After  disposing  of  his  stock  of  notions  he  purchased 
a  fourth  interest  in  the  business  of  the  firm  of  Warner,  Tuttle,  Farr  & 
Company,  the  original  manufacturers  of  the  shoe  grain  drill  at  Dowagiac. 
He  remained  with  the  house  for  about  a  year  and  then  sold  out  his  in- 
terest, after  which  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Stark  for  the 
manufacture  of  the  common  sense  sand  band.  Later  he  bought  out  Mr. 
Stark's  interest  and  is  now  sole  proprietor  of  the  business,  which  is  rec- 
ognized as  one  of  the  productive  industries  of  this  part  of  the  state. 

Mr.  Farr  was  married  June  26,  1873,  to  Miss  Sarah  Doolittle,  a 
daughter  of  Lorin  and  Phoebe  (Worth)  Doolittle.  She  was  born  at 
Huron,  Wayne  county.  New  York,  and  was  there  reared.  Mr.  Farr 
is  a  member  of  H.  C.  Gilbert  Post,  No.  47,  G.  A.  R.,  and  he  has  taken 
an  active  and  helpful  part  in  its  work.  In  t88o  he  served  as  a  member 
of  the  city  council  of  Dowagiac.  He  is  well  known  in  the  county  and 
his  co-operation  has  been  given  to  many  movements  which  have  had 
direct  and  important  bearing  upon  the  welfare  and  progress  of  the  county. 
He  has  been  greatly  interested  in  the  promotion  of  the  movement  for 
the  erection  of  a  soldier's  monument  and  but  for  him  this  movement 
would  never  have  succeeded.  In  all  matters  of  citizenship  he  manifests 
the  same  loyal  and  patriotic  spirit  that  characterized  his  service  as  a 
soldier  upon  the  battlefields  of  the  south. 

ABRAM   CONKLIN. 

Abram  Conklin,  who  after  long  and  close  connection  with  farming 
interests  in  Cass  county  is  now  living  retired  in  Dowagiac,  is  one  of  the 
worthy  citizens  that  the  Empire  state  has  furnished  to  southern  Michi- 
gan. He  was  born  in  Otsego  county,  New  York,  August  18,  1S45, 
and  IS  the  third  son  of  Abram  and  Belinda  (Gilbert)  Conklin,  of  whom 
mention  is  made  on  another  page  of  this  work  in  connection  with  the 
sketch  of  Simeon  Conklin.  The  subject  of  this  review  was  but  a  small 
boy  when  he  came  to  Cass  county  with  his  parents,  and  on  the  old 
homestead  farm  in  Silver  Creek  township  he  was  reared.  He  attended 
the  Indian  Lake  school,  thus  acquiring  a  fair  education,  as  he  mastered 
the  branches  of  learning  there  taught.  He  also  spent  one  season  as 
a  student  in  Dowagiac.     Through  the  summer  months  he  assisted  in 


726  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

the  labors  of  the  field  and  m,eadow  and  became  famiUar  with  the  best 
methods  of  tilHng  the  soil  and  caring  for  stock.  He  continued  to  give 
his  father  the  benfit  of  his  services  until  the  time  of  his  marriage, 
v^hich  important  event  in  his  life  occurred  in  1878,  the  lady  of  his 
choice  being  Miss  Nellie  Flickinger,  a  daughter  of  Peter  and  Mary 
(Smith)  Flickinger.  Mrs.  Conklin  was  bom  in  Medina  county,  Ohio, 
and  became  a  resident  of  this  county  when  a  young  lady  of  about  nine- 
teen years,  her  parents  locating  on  a  farm  in  Silver  Creek  township. 
At  the  time  of  her  marriage  Mr.  Conklin  took  her  as  a  bride  to  a  farm 
in  the  same  township,  and  he  was  there  afterward  engaged  in  farming 
until  1900,  when  he  put  aside  the  work  of  the  fields  and  took  up  his 
abode  in  Dowagiac,  but  still  owns  a  good  farm  property,  comprising 
one  hundred  and  forty-eight  acres  of  land,  which  is  well  improved, 
being  supplied  with  good  buildings  and  modern  equipments.  It  is  all 
under  the  plow  with  the  exception  of  eight  acres.  He  has  improved 
this  place  and  made  it  what  it  is  today — a  valuable  farm  property — 
Mr.  Conklin  personally  clearing  all  of  it  wath  the  exception  of  twenty 
acres. 

Unto  our  subject  and  his  wife  has  been  born  a  son,  Lee  A.,  who 
is  attending  business  college  at  Battle  Creek,  Michigan,  and  who  for 
two  years  was  a  student  in  the  Conservatory  of  Music  at  Oberlin, 
Ohio.  He  also  spent  two  years  in  the  Musical  Conservatory  of  Chica- 
go, and  has  thus  been  provided  with  excellent  privileges  for  the  culti- 
vation of  his  talent  in  the  line  of  his  art.  Mr.  Conklin  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Cass  county  for  a  half  century,  and  his  mind  bears  the  impress 
of  many  of  the  historic  events  which  have  occurred  here.  He  has  al- 
ways A^oted  the  Republican  ticket,  and  is  known  as  a  man  fearless  in  de- 
fense of  his  honest  convictions,  politically  or  otherwise.  The  family 
is  a  representative  pioneer  one  of  the  county,  and  Mr.  Conklin  wears 
worthily  the  honored  family  name. 

JOHN  A.  LINDSLEY. 

The  lumber  interests  of  Michigan  have  always  been  an  important 
source  of  the  state's  revenue  and  have  formed  one  of  the  leading  ele- 
ments in  its  business  development  and  commercial  progress.  The  vast 
forests  have  furnished  excellent  opportunities  for  the  lumberman,  and 
in  every  community  in  the  state  men  of  enterprise  have  been  connected 
with  the  trade  in  its  various  branches  and  its  kindred  industries.  Mr. 
Lindsley  is  a  well  known  lumberman  of  Dowagiac,  where  he  is  also 
operating  a  planing  mill.  He  was  born  in  Allegany  county,  New 
York,  January  15,  1858.  His  father,  Leman  Lindsley,  was  also  a  na- 
tive of  the  Empire  state  and  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  came  to 
Michigan  in  1863,  locating  in  Hartford,  Van  Buren  county,  where  he 
carried  on  general  agricultural  pursuits  up  to  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  when  he  was  forty-five  years  of  age.     He  was  of  Scotch- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  727 

Irish  descent  and  displayed  in  his  Hfe  many  of  the  steriing  characteris- 
tics of  his  ancestry.  He  wedded  Miss  Mary  Engle,  also  a  native  of 
New  York,  who  died  in  Michigan  when  sixty-five  years  of  age.  In 
the  family  were  three  children,  of  whom  John  A.  is  the  eldest.  The 
second  son,  Edwin  M.,  is  a  partner  of  our  subject  in  the  manufacture 
and  sale  of  lumber  in  Dowagiac,  while  Washington,  the  youngest  son, 
is  a  resident  of  Decatur,  Indiana. 

John  A.  Lindsley  spent  the  first  five  years  of  his  life  in  the  state 
of  his  nativity  and  then  came  to  Michigan  with  his  parents,  the  family 
settling  in  Van  Buren  county,  where  he  was  reared  and  obtained  his 
education.  He  pursued  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Hartford  and 
later  pursued  a  business  course  in  the  Northern  Indiana  Normal  School 
Tit  Valparaiso.  Returning  to  Michigan,  he  entered  upon  his  business 
career  in  1880  as  a  lumber  merchant  at  Hartford,  where  he  continued 
until  1885,  when  he  sold  out  there  and  removed  to  Dowagiac.  Here 
he  established  a  lumber  yard  and  has  continued  in  business  for  more 
than  twenty  years.  He  also  owns  and  operates  a  planing  mill,  and  his 
trade  has  long  since  reached  extensive  proportions,  making  his  business 
one  of  the  profitable  enterprises  of  the  city.  This  is  due  to  individ- 
ual energy  and  careful  management,  Mr.  Lindsley  possessing  in  large 
measure  the  qualities  of  success,  which  are  earnestness,  diligence  and 
perseverance. 

In  1880  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  John  A.  Lindsley  and 
Miss  Mary  Spalding,  a  daughter  of  A.  N.  Spalding  of  Hartford.  They 
have  a  family  of  five  children:  Mrs.  Lula  Estell;  John  Victor,  who  is 
manager  of  the  mill  work  department  for  the  extensive  house  of  Sears, 
Roebuck  &  Company  of  Chicago;  Augustus  R.,  who  is  clerk  in  The 
Fair  at  Chicago;  Leman  O.,  w^ho  is  attending  a  business  college  at 
South  Bend,  Indiana;  and  William. 

Mr.  Lindsley  exercises  his  right  of  franchise  in  support  of  the 
men  and  measures  of  the  Republican  party  and  is  deeply  interested  in 
its  success  and  growth,  doing  all  in  his  power  to  promote  its  influence 
and  secure  the  adoption  of  its  principles.  He  served  as  supervisor  of 
the  first  ward  and  has  been  alderm^an  several  times.  He  is  recognized 
as  one  of  the  leading  men  of  his  tow^n  and  county.  He  has  garnered 
in  the  fullness  of  time  the  generous  harvest  which  is  the  just  recom- 
pense of  indomitable  energy,  spotless  integrity  and  unflagging  enter- 
prise. 

PETER   HANNAN. 

Peter  Hannan,  now  living  retired  in  Dowagiac,  dates  his  residence 
in  Cass  county  from  1854.  He  was  in  former  years  closely  associated 
with  industrial  and  agricultural  pursuits,  and  is  still  the  owner  of  a 
valuable  farming  property  in  Silver  Creek  township.  He  was  bom  in 
Geneseo,  Livingston  county,  New  York,  on  the  12th  o-f  May,  1829, 
and  was  one  of  a  family  of  four  sons  and  two  daughters,  whose  parents 


728  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

were  Peter  and  Mary  Hannan,  the  former  of  Irish  Hneage  and  the  lat- 
ter of  French  descent.  Peter  Hannan,  Sr.,  was  a  native  of  Ireland, 
and  came  to  America  at  the  time  of  the  rebelHon  in  his  own  country 
in  company  with  three  brothers.  They  located  in  Livingston  comity, 
New  York,  and  Peter  Hannan,  Sr.,  there  followed  the  occupation  of 
farming  for  a  number  of  years.  While  living  in  the  east  his  wife  died 
during  the  early  boyhood  of  their  son  Peter.  The  father  afterward 
disposed  of  his  interests  in  the  Empire  state  and  removed  to  Wiscon- 
sin, where  he  spent  his  remaining  days,  reaching,  however,  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  seventy-nine  years.  All  of  the  children  grew  to  man- 
hood or  womanhood,  but  only  two  of  the  family  are  now  living,  Will- 
iam Hannan  being  a  resident  of  Wisconsin. 

Peter  Hannan,  whose  name  introduces  this  record,  was  the  fourth 
member  of  his  father's  family  and  the  second  son.  He  was  reared  in 
the  state  of  his  nativity,  spending  the  first  eighteen  years  of  his  life 
under  the  parental  roof,  when  he  left  home  and  has  since  been  depend- 
ent upon  his  own  resources  for  a  livelihood  and  for  the  success  that 
he  has  achieved.  He  had  acquired  a  fair  knowledge  of  the  common 
branches  of  English  learning  in  the  public  schools,  and  through  the 
summer  months  had  worked  in  the  fields  upon  his  father's  farm.  When 
he  started  out  for  himself  he  was  employed  as  a  farm  hand  by  the 
month,  and  in  this  way  made  his  start  in  life.  As  a  companion  and 
helpmate  for  life's  journey  he  chose  Miss  Mary  McStravich,  whom  he 
wedded  in  1852.  They  located  on  a  farm  in  Livingston  county,  New 
York,  where  they  resided  for  about  two  years,  when,  in  1854,  they 
came  direct  to  Cass  county,  Michigan,  settling  in  Dowagiac.  Here 
Mr.  Hannan  turned  his  attention  to  the  manufacture  of  baskets,  which 
he  followed  successfully  for  about  seventeen  years,  developing  a  large 
and  important  industry.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  turned 
his  attention  to  farming  in  Silver  Creek  township,  Cass  county,  and 
continued  in  active  agricultural  work  for  a  number  of  years.  He  still 
owns  this  property,  which  is  a  well  developed  farm.  Although  his  at- 
tention was  given  to  the  work  of  tilling  the  soil  and  caring  for  the 
crops,  he  continued  to  reside  in  Dowagiac,  and  has  lived  in  the  same 
house  for  over  forty  years.  It  is  situated  in  what  is  known  as  Ham- 
ilton's addition  to  the  city,  and  the  deed  which  he  holds  was  signed  by 
Patrick  Hamilton  and  his  wife.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hannan  have 
been  born  three  sons,  who  are  yet  living:  W.  W.,  of  Detroit,  who  is  a 
prominent  real  estate  dealer  of  that  city;  Charles  R.,  of  Boston,  Massa- 
chusetts, who  is  representative  for  Swift  and  Armour  at  a  salary  of 
twenty-five  thousand  dollars  per  year;  and  Frank  E.,  who  is  engaged 
in  the  real  estate  business  with  his  brother,  W,  W.  Hannan.  There 
were  two  children,  John  and  Mary,  who  passed  away.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hannan  celebrated  their  fiftieth  wedding  anniversary  in  1902.  The 
occasion  was  a  most  delightful  one  and  will  long  be  remembered  by 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  729 

their  many  friends  who  participated  therein.  To  their  children  they 
have  given  excellent  educational  advantages,  and  their  sons  are  college 
graduates,  W.  W.  Hannan  having  completed  a  course  of  study  in  the 
Michigan  University  at  Ann  Arbor,  Charles  in  Yale  College,  at  New 
Haven,  Connecticut,  while  Frank  completed  his  education  at  Orchard 
Lake,  Michigan.  The  two  older  sons  are  millionaires  and  their  present 
enviable  positions  in  business  circles  are  attributable  to  their  own  efforts 
and  capability. 

Mr.  Hannan  has  been  a  resident  of  Dowagiac  and  Cass  county 
for  tnore  than  a  half  century  and  has  been  closely  identified  with  its 
growth  and  development.  He  has  supported  both  the  Democratic  and 
Republican  parties.  In  early  manhood  he  was  a  Douglas  Democrat, 
but  in  1864,  when  the  country  was  involved  in  the  Civil  war,  he  be- 
lieved in  sustaining  the  policy  of  the  president  and  cast  his  ballot  for 
Abraham  Lincoln,  since  which  time  he  has  supported  each  nominee  at 
the  head  of  the  Republican  ticket,  while  his  sons  have  followed  in  his 
footsteps  in  this  respect.  He  is  a  member  of  Dowagiac  lodge.  No.  214, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  is  well  known  in  the  county  as  a  man  of  'genuine 
personal  worth,  whose  life  has  been  guided  by  high  and  manly  princi- 
ples, characterized  by  consideration  for  the  rights  and  privileges  of 
others.  He  has  likewise  upheld  his  honest  convictions  unswervingly, 
and  now  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years  he  receives  the  respect,  ven- 
eration and  regard  of  all  with  whom  he  has  been  brought  in  contact. 

FRANK  ATWOOD. ' 

Frank  Atwood,  a-  retired  farmer  who  has  held  various  offices  and 
in  the  faithful  performance  of  his  duty  has  manifested  his  devotion  to 
the  general  welfare,  was  born  in  Wayne  township,  Cass  county,  Aug- 
ust 12,  1852,  and  now  lives  in  Dowagiac.  His  paternal  grandfather 
was  Wells  H.  Atwood,  a  pioneer  of  this  county,  who  came  to  Michigan 
in  the  summer  of  1836.  Few  were  the  settlements  that  had  been  made 
in  this  portion  of  the  state.  The  forests  were  largely  uncut  and  the  land 
uncultivated,  and  it  remained  to  such  sturdy  and  brave  pioneer  residents 
as  Mr.  Atwood  to  reclaim  the  region  from  the  domain  of  the  red  man 
for  the  uses  of  civilization.  He  established  a  farm,  upon  which  he 
reared  his  family,  including  Lafayette  Atwood,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject. He  was  born  in  Cattaraugus  county,  New  York,  and  was  brought 
to  Cass  county  by  his  parents  in  1836,  being  reared  upon  the  home 
farm'  in  Wayne  township.  He  was  only  about  twelve  years  of  age  at 
the  time  of  the  arrival  here,  and  his  youth  was  passed  upon  his  father's 
farm,  where  he  assisted  in  the  arduous  task  of  developing  new  land  and 
cultivating  the  fields  as  his  age  and  strength  permitted.  In  Wayne 
township  he  was  married  to  Miss  Adaline  Allen,  a  native  of  New  York, 
who  came  to  Cass  county  with  her  parents  in  an  early  day,  the  family 
liome  being  established  in  Wayne  township.     Following  their  marriage, 


730  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lafayette  At  wood  located  upon  a  farm  in  Wayne  town- 
ship, where  they  Hved  for  many  years.  He  was  a  rehable,  energetic 
and  enterprising  agriculturist  of  the  community  and  was  well  known 
as  a  leading  representative  of  farming  interests.  He  continued  to  give 
his  supervision  to  his  farm  until  1902,  when  he  removed  to  Dowagiac 
and  made  his  home  with  his  son  Frank  until  his  death  March  18,  1906. 
He  was  one  of  the  honored  and  venerable  pioneer  settlers  of  the  com- 
munity and  his  residence  in  the  county  covered  the  allotted  psalmist's 
span  O'f  three  score  years  and  ten.  His  memory  formed  a  connecting 
link  between  the  primitive  past  and  the  progressive  present,  for  few 
men  had  more  intimate  knowledge  of  the  history  of  the  county  from 
the  days  of  its  early  development  to  the  period  of  later  day  progress 
and  prosperity  than  had  Lafayette  Atwood.  His  wife  died  in  1862, 
and  of  their  children  two  died  in  infancy. 

Frank  Atw^ood  is  no-w  the  only  member  of  the  family  living.  He 
was  reared  and  educated  in  Wayne  township,  and  in  Dowagiac  also 
attended  school.  When  not  busy  with  his  text  books  he  worked  in  the 
fields  upon  the  old  homestead  and  assisted  his  father  in  the  develop- 
ment and  improvement  of  the  farm  for  many  years.  In  1874  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Belle  Ingling,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Jane  Ingling 
and  a  native  of  Penn  township,  Cass  county,  where  her  parents  had 
located  in  pioneer  times.  At  their  marriage  the  young  couple  took  up 
their  abode  on  the  old  homestead  farm'  and  Mr.  Atwood  was  actively 
and  successfully  engaged  in  general  agricultural  pursuits  until  1902, 
when  he  removed  to  Dowagiac,  where  he  is  now  living  retired.  His 
business  affairs  were  capably  and  successfully  conducted  for  many 
years,  and  thus  annually  he  was  able  to  add  to  his  capital,  which  is 
now  sufficient  to  supply  him  with  all  of  the  necessities  and  comforts 
of  life  without  recourse  to  further  business. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Atwood  have  been  born  three  children :  Fred, 
who  is  now  living  in  Wayne  towUvShip;  Fay,  who  resides  upon  the  old 
homestead;  and  Cora,  the  wife  of  Glenn  Chamberlain,  of  Dowagiac. 
The  old  homestead  property  comprises  two  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  valuable  land,  and  is  now  being  operated  by  Mr.  Atwood's  second 
son.  In  afifairs  relating  to  the 'progress  and  improvement  of  the  com- 
munity Mr.  Atwood  has  always  taken  a  deep  interest  and  helpful  part. 
He  was  township  clerk  for  six  years,  school  inspector  for  two  years, 
and  supervisor  for  nine  years.  In  his  political  affiliation  he  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat. He  has  been  treasurer  of  the  Farmers'  Mutual  Fire  Insurance 
Company  of  Dowagiac  since  1902,  and  is  now  -secretary,  and  has  been 
administrator  of  several  estates.  He  is  well  known  in  the  county  as 
one  who  is  ever  true  to  a  trust  reposed  in  him,  and  in  all  the  fifty-three 
years  of  his  residence  in  Cass  county  he  has  maintained  a  high  stand- 
ard of  conduct,  both  for  public  and  private  life.     He  is  connected  with 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  731 

the  Modern  Woodmen  camp  at  Dowagiac,  and  at  all  times  and  under 
all  circumstances  has  been  found  worthy  of  the  regard  and  esteem'  of 
his  fellow  men. 

NORRIS  RICHARDSON. 

Norris  Richardson,  an  honored  veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  resides  in 
Cassopolis.  He  has  figured  prominently  in  events  relating  to  the  wel- 
fare and  substantial  improvement  of  the  county,  was  at  one  time  county 
treasurer,  and  is  numbered  among  the  old  settlers.  There  are  few  na- 
tive sons  of  the  county  who  have  resided  longer  within  its  borders,  for 
his  birth  occurred  in  Calvin  township  on  the  25th  of  December,  1835. 
His  father,  Hiram'  Richardson,  was  born  in  Hardin  county,  Ohio,  was 
there  reared  and  came  to  Michigan,  a  single  man,  in  1827.  Much  of 
the  land  was  still  in  possession  of  the  government  at  that  time,  and  he 
entered  a  claim  in  Calvin  township,  upon  which  not  a  furrow  had  been 
turned  or  an  improvement  made.  In  fact,  there  were  few  settlers  in 
the  township  and  only  here  and  there  was  seen  a  clearing,  in  the  midst 
O'f  which  would  be  found  a  log  cabin,  to  indicate  that  the  seeds  of  civili- 
zation had  been  sown  which  were  in  due  time  to  bear  rich  fruit.  He 
was  married  in  Calvin  township  to  Miss  Catharine  Reed,  whose  birth 
occurred  in  either  Hardin  or  Logan  county,  Ohio.  Her  father  was 
John  Reed,  who  came  to  Cass  county  about  1826  or  1827  and  took  up 
his  abode  in  Penn  township  adjoining  Diamond  lake.  He,  too,  secured 
a  claim.,  but  he  did  not  improve  it,  selling  it  soon  afterward  to  Mr. 
Macintosh.  Mrs.  Richardson  was  quite  young  when  brought  to  this 
county  by  her  parents,  and  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  she  located 
with  her  husband  in  Calvin  township  upon  the  farm  which  he  had  en- 
tered fromi  the  government  and  on  which  they  resided  until  about  1853. 
They  then  removed  to  Allegan  county,  Michigan,  where  Mr.  Richard- 
son departed  this  life  at  the  age  of  sixty-four  years,  while  his  wife 
lived  to  be  about  fifty-four  years  of  age,  she  dying  on  the  homestead  in 
Calvin  township.  Following  her  death,  Hiram  Richardson  was  mar- 
ried to  Mrs.  Nancy  "Eastman.  By  his  first  marriage  there  were  nine 
children,  five  of  whom'  reached  adult  age,  Avhile  of  the  second  marriage 
there  were  three  children,  of  whom  tw^o  gained  years  of  maturity. 

Norris  Richardson  is  the  third  child  of  the  first  marriage.  He  was 
reared  in  Calvin  township  and  pursued  his  education  in  one  of  the  old- 
time  log  school  houses  such  as  w^ere  common  in  pioneer  districts.  The 
furnishings  of  such  an  institution  were  very  primitive  and  the  methods 
of  instruction  were  almost  equally  crude.  His  mother  died  when  he 
was  only  thirteen  years  of  age  and  he  then  started  out  in  life  for  him- 
self, working  by  the  month  as  a  farm  hand.  In  this  way  he  gained  a 
livelihood  until  after  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war,  when  his  patriotic 
spirit  was  aroused  by  the  attempt  of  the  south  to  overthrow  the  Union, 
and  he  joined  a  Michigan  regim»ent,  but  was  not  accepted.     The  com- 


732  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

paiiy,  ho'wever,  disbanded  and  he  went  to  Joliet,  Illinois,  where  he  en- 
hsted  as  a  member  of  Company  F,  Twentieth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infan- 
try, and  with  that  company  served  as  a  private  for  two  years,  after 
which  he  was  honorably  discharged  on  account  of  physical  disability, 
receiving  his  discharge  from  General  Grant.  When  he  had  somewhat 
recovered  his  health,  however,  he  re-enlisted  in  1863  as  a  member  of 
Company  L,  Ninth  Iowa  Cavalry,  with  which  he  served  until  the  3rd 
of  February,  1866,  when  he  was  once  more  honorably  discharged.  He 
was  commissioned  as  an  officer,  holding  the  rank  of  first  lieutenant  of 
Company  L,  and  was  also  adjutant  of  the  regiment.  His  military  serv- 
ice covered  more  than  four  years  and  was  fraught  with  much  danger, 
while  his  course  was  characterized  by  unfaltering  fidelity  to  duty.  He 
was  at  Frederickstown,  Missouri,  in  1861,  and  the  same  year  the  regi- 
ment went  down  the  Mississippi  river,  landing  at  Cape  Girardeau.  He 
afterward  participated  in  the  siege  of  Columbus,  Kentucky,  and  under 
General  Grant  returned  up  the  Ohio  river,  participating  in  the  battle 
of  Fort  Henry  in  1862,  also  in  the  engagement  at  Fort  Donaldson  and 
the  battles  of  Shiloh  and  Corinth.  His  first  siege  was  at  the  last  named 
place,  and  after  the  capitulation  of  that  city  he  went  with  his  regiment 
to  Jackson,  Tennessee,  where  he  made  a  raid.  Soon  afterward  he  was 
honorably  discharged,  and  during  the  second  term  of  his  enlistment 
he  participated  in  but  few  battles,  operating  with  the  movements  of  the 
army  in  Arkansas.  He  was  never  in  the  hospital,  but  was  on  active 
duty  all  of  the  time  wnth  v/hich  he  was  connected  with  the  army.  Dur- 
ing both  terms  of  enlistment  he  had  charge  of  the  records  of  the  com^ 
panics  and  at  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  sent  on  an  official  mission 
to  St.  Louis  to  do  special  duty  by  order  of  the  general  commander  of 
the  department.  He  received  his  second  discharge  at  Little  Rock  and 
returned  home  with  a  most  creditable  military  record.  No  man  could 
ever  say  aught  against  his  bravery  or  his  loyalty,  and  he  deserves  the 
gratitude  which  the  nation  will  never  cease  to  feel  for  all  the  brave 
boys  in  blue  w^ho  fought  for  the  defense  of  the  L^nion. 

When  the  war  was  over  Mr.  Richardson  returned  to  Cass  county, 
Michigan,  and  was  married  in  1866  to  Miss  Susan  Adamson,  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Sarah  (Erwin)  Adamson,  who  removed  from  Colum- 
biana county,  Ohio,  to  Cass  countv  in  1853.  Her  father  purchased  a 
farm  from  Hiram  Richardson  and  the  wife  of  our  subject,  who  was 
bom  in  Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  was  reared  upon  the  old  family 
homestead  in  this  county.  Following  his  nuarriage  Norris  Richard- 
son removed  to  Warren  co-unty,  Iowa,  where  he  remained  for  three 
years  and  then  returned  to  Cass  county,  locating  on  the  old  homestead. 
He  bought  land  in  Porter  township  and  afterward  sold  that  property 
and  bought  another  farm.  He  continued  actively  in  farming  until 
1895,  when  he  put  aside  the  more  arduous  duties  of  the  fields,  having 
been  elected  to  the  position  of  county  treasurer.     He  then  located  at 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  T3S 

Cassopolis  and  filled  the  office  for  four  years,  having  been  re-elected  in 
1897.  He  was  also  called  to  various  township  positions,  and  at  all 
times  discharged  his  duties  with  promptness  and  fidelity.  At  the  same 
time  he  has  continued  the  ownership  of  his  farms  in  Porter  and  New- 
berg  townships. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Richardson  have  been  born  a  son  and  daugh- 
ter: Carmi  Claud,  who  is  now  a  resident  farmer  of  Porter  township; 
and  Ethel  Frances,  who  died  in  October,  1899. 

Mr.  Richardson  has  been  a  lifelong  Republican,  as  was  his  father 
before  him.  He  is  now  the  commander  of  Albert  Anderson  Post,  No. 
157,  G.  A.  R.,  having  been  honored  with  this  position  for  about  ten 
years.  He  has  taken  a  very  active  and  helpful  interest  in  the  work  of 
the  post  and  has  done  an  able  and  valuable  service  in  looking  after  the 
interests  of  the  soldiers  in  this  county.  He  has  likewise  attained  the 
chapter  degree  in  Masonry,  and  in  his  life  exemplifies  the  beneficent 
.spirit  of  the  craft.  His  activity  has  touched  upon  many  lines  of  general 
interest,  and  he  has  never  been  found  remiss  in  any  duty  of  citizen- 
ship. Moreover,  his  business  career  has  been  commendable,  for  at  the 
early  age  of  thirteen  years  he  started  out  in  life  on  his  own  account, 
and  he  may  therefore  be  truly  called  a  self-made  man.  Through  the 
exercise  of  his  native  talents  and  energies  and  the  careful  utilization 
of  his  opportunities  he  has  become  the  owner  of  valuable  property  in- 
terests which  now  enable  him  to  live  retired.  His  life  record  is  in 
many  respects  worthy  of  emulation,  for  he  has  displayed  splendid  qual- 
ifications in  military  and  political  service  and  in  the  business  interests 
which  have  brought  him  in  contact  with  his  fellow  citizens. 

LAURENCE  B.  PATTISON. 

Laurence  B.  Pattison,  a  farmer  and  representative  citizen  of  Poka- 
gon  township  living  on  section  25,  was  born  in  Ann  Arbor,  Michigan, 
March  5,  1838,  a  son  of  Daniel  H.  and  Alrina  (Davis)  Pattison,  both 
of  whom  were  natives  of  the  state  of  New  York,  the  mother  having 
been  bom  in  Allegany  county.  The  father  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade, 
and  after  learning  and  following  that  business  for  some  time  became  a 
shoe  merchant.  Unto  him  and  his  wife  were  born  four  daughters  and 
four  sons,  of  whom  Laurence  was  the  second  son  and  second  child. 
The  family  record  is  as  follows:  Edwin,  deceased;  Laurence;  Rosella, 
who  has  also  passed  away;  Harriet;  Daniel;  Mary;  Eunice;  and  Will- 
iam, deceased.  All  reached  adult  age,  although  three  have  now  passed 
aw^ay.     The  death  of  the  father  occurred  in  1868. 

Laurence  B.  Pattison  w^as  reared  to  manhood  in  Manchester, 
Michigan,  acquired  a  public  school  education  and  there  became  famil- 
iar with  farm  work  in  all  its  departments.  Thinking  that  he  might 
have  better  business  opportunities  in  the  west,  he  came  to  Cass  county 
on   the   loth   of   February,    i860,   and   entered   the   employ   of   Henry 


734  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Stretch,  for  whom  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  for  about  two  years. 
In  the  latter  part  of  1861  he  left  that  employ  and  went  to  Dowagiac, 
Michigan,  where  he  spent  a  part  of  the  winter,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1862  he  located  on  Little  Prairie,  being  employed  by  Jasper  Vancuren 
until  January,  1864. 

On  the  19th  of  that  month  Mr.  Pattison  was  married  to  Miss 
Hannah  Van  Vlear,  a  native  of  Pokagon  township,  Cass  county,  born 
September  16,  1844.  Her  parents  were  George  and  Kate  (Ferris) 
Van  Vlear,  pioneer  settlers  of  Cass  county,  who  took  up  their  abode 
here  in  1833,  coming  to  Michigan  from  Ohio.  They  were  married  in 
Ohio,  and  on  leaving  that  state  settled  upon  a  farm  which  is  now  the 
home  of  Mr.  Pattison.  In  their  family  were  five  children,  three  of 
whom  were  born  in  the  Buckeye  state,  while  two  were  born  in  Cass 
county.  John  and  Phebe,  twins,  are  deceased,  and  Lewis,  the  fourth 
child,  has  also  passed  away.  The  others  are  Katherine  and  Hannah. 
Mrs.  Pattison  was  educated  in  Pokagon  township,  pursuing  her  studies 
in  an  old  log  school  house.  At  the  time  of  his  marriage  Mr.  Pattison 
rented  one  hundred  and  ten  acres  of  land,  u^xDn  which  he  lived  for 
twenty-two  years.  He  then,  in  1886,  removed  to  the  farm  which  he 
recently  owned,  having  purchased  the  place  some  years  before  from 
Mrs.  Pattison's  father.  It  comprised  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  land,  which  is  rich  and  arable,  and  the  well  tilled  fields  annually  re- 
turned to  him  excellent  harvests,  while  his  crops  found  a  ready  sale 
on  the  market.  He  recently  sold  this  place,  however,  and  bought  a 
farm  in  Wayne  township  consisting  of  one  hundred  and  forty  acres, 
formerly  known  as  the  Coply  farm. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pattison  have  been  born  two  sons  and  a  daugh- 
ter: Estelle,  born  December  4,  1864;  Wilbur,  who  was  born  January 
16,  1866,  and  died  January  10,  1883;  and  Adelbert,  born  December 
27,  1 87 1.  All  are  natives  of  Cass  county.  In  his  political  views  Mr. 
Pattison  is  a  Democrat  where  national  issues  are  involved,  but  at  local 
elections  votes  independently  and  has  taken  an  active  part  in  political 
interests  in  his  home  locality.  He  belongs  to  Pokagon  lodge,  No.  36, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  is  also  connected  with  the  United  Workmen  of 
Dowagiac.  His  residence  in  Cass  county  covers  a  period  of  forty-five 
years,  during  which  time  he  has  worked  persistently  and  energetically 
and  all  the  success  that  he  has  achieved  is  attributable  entirely  to  his 
own  efforts,  his  present  farm  being  the  visible  evidence  of  his  life  of 
thrift  and  industry. 

L.  L.  LAWRENCE. 

L.  L.  Lawrence,  well  known  as  a  representative  of  agricultural 
circles  in  Volinia  township,  resides  on  section  11.  He  was  born  in  this 
township  May  13,  .1853,  and  was  the  eldest  of  the  three  sons  whose  par- 
ents were  Levi  B.  and  Esther  (Copley)  Lawrence.     The  father  arrived 


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HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  735 

ill  Cass  county  about  18,32,  when  the  work  of  improvement  and  prog- 
ress had  scarcely  been  begun  here.  He  took  up  land  from  the  govern- 
ment, and  for  a  long  period  carried  on  general  agricultural  pursuits,  his 
life's  labors  being  ended  in  death  when  he  was  about  seventy-six  years 
of  age. 

When  a  youth  of  about  six  years  L.  L.  Lawrence  entered  the  pub- 
lic schools  and  attended  as  opportunity  offered  until  he  had  mastered 
the  branches  of  learning  taught  therein.  He  also  early  acquainted  him- 
self with  farm  labor,  taking  his  place  in  the  fields  almost  as  soon  as  old 
enough  to  handle  the  plow.  He  continued  to  assist  in  the  work  of  cul- 
tivating croi^ts  upon  the  old  homestead  up  to  the  time  of  his  marriage, 
which  occurred  in  1879.  He  wedded  Miss  Rosa  Emmons,  and  they  have 
three  children,  Eula,  Esther  and  a  little  infant  son,  John  K. 

The  home  farm  comprises  two  hundred  and  thirty-five  acres  of 
good  land  devoted  to  general  agricultural  pursuits,  and  in  addition  to 
the  tilling  of  the  soil  and  the  care  of  his  crops  Mr.  Lawrence  followed 
carpentering  for  a  number  of  years.  He  possesses  good  mechanical 
skill  and  ingenuity,  and  is  thus  enabled  to  keep  everything  about  his 
place  in  excellent  condition,  his  buildings,  fences  and  farm  implements 
all  being  in  good  repair.  He  is  somewhat  independent  in  his  political 
views,  but  perhaps  favors  more  largely  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party.  He  belongs  to  the  Masonic  lodge  at  Marcellus  and  is  a  support- 
er of  all  measures  that  have  for  their  object  the  general  welfare.  In 
manner  he  is  genial  and  the  circle  of  his  friends  embraces  many  who 
have  known  him  from  his  boyhood  days  down  to  the  present  time,  which 
is  an  indication  that  his  life  has  ever  iDcen  worthy  of  the  regard  of  those 
with  whom  he  has  been  associated. 

JOHN  J.  RITTER. 

John  J.  Ritter,  treasurer  of  the  Farmers'  Mutual  Fire  Insurance 
Company,  of  Dowagiac,  was  born  in  LaGrange,  Cass  county,  on  the 
6th  of  July  1848.  His  father,  David  M.  Ritter,  was  born  in  Indiana 
in  1828,  and  was  only  five  years  of  age  when  brought  to  Michigan  by 
his  father,  John  S.  Ritter,  who  made  his  way  to  Berrien  county  and 
afterward  settled  in  Cass  county  when  David  M.  Ritter  Avas  only  six 
years  of  age.  He  v/as  therefore  reared  here  amid  the  wild  scenes  and 
environments  of  pioneer  life,  and  was  educated  in  the  old-time  schools. 
He  spent  his  youth  and  also  the  years  of  his  manhood  upon  the  same 
farm,  thus  living  for  many  years  in  LaGrange  township.  His  entire 
life  w^as  devoted  to  agricultural  pursuits,  and  he  passed  away  in  August, 
1865,  respected  by  all  who  knew  him.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Malinda  A.  Reneston,  was  a  native  of  Indiana  and  came  to 
Cass  county  in  early  girlhood  with  her  father,  William  Reneston,  who 
operated  the  first  carding  mill  in  the  county.  Mrs.  David  Ritter  died 
w^hen  sixty-two  years  of  age.     In  the  family  were  three  sons:    John  J., 


736  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

of  this  review;  William  R.,  who  was  a  resident  of  Berrien  county, 
Michigan,  and  died  June  i8,  1906;  and  Joseph  A.,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  nine  years. 

John  J.  Ritter  is  now  the  only  representative  of  the  family  in  Cass 
county.  He  was  reared  in  LaGrange  township  upon  the  farm  which 
he  now  owns  and  .which  was  the  property  of  his  father  at  an  early  day. 
His  preliminary  education  was  acquired  in  the  district  schools  and  he 
also  attended  school  in  Dowagiac.  He  was  but  sixteen  years  of  age 
at  the  time  of  his  father's  death,  w^hen  he  took  charge  of  the  home 
farm  and  assumed  the  care  of  his  mother.  The  management  of  the 
property  was  a  great  responsibility  for  a  youth  of  his  years,  but  he  ably 
performed  the  task  devolving  upon  him  and  displayed  excellent  ability 
and  keen  discrimination  in  the  management  of  his  afifairs.  He  was 
first  married  in  1870  to  Miss  Cynthia  A.  Bucklin,  a  daughter  of  Will- 
iam P.  and  Mary  A.  Bucklin.  She  died  May  5,  1897,  leaving  one  son, 
Dr.  Jesse  W.  Ritter,  who  is  engaged  in  the  practice  of  dentistry  in 
Charleston,  Illinois.  For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Ritter  chose  Christiana 
Norton,  the  widow  of  Abraham  Ackerman.  They  were  married  in 
1898.  By  her  first  marriage  Mrs.  Ritter  had  two  children :  Estella, 
the  wife  of  Charles  Schmitt,  a  hardware  merchant  of  Dowagiac,  car- 
rying on  business  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Schmitt  Brothers;  and 
Abe,  who  died  when  twenty-one  years  of  age. 

Leaving  the  farm,  Mr.  Ritter  located  in  Dowagiac  about  1887  and 
engaged  in  the  grocery  business,  which  he  carried  on  for  about  nine 
years.  About  1900,  however,  he  disposed  of  his  store.  He  has  held 
various  official  positions,  including  that  of  road  commissioner,  in  which 
position  he  did  very  capable  service  in  the  improvement  of  the  roads 
in  the  county.  He  has  been  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  cemetery  about 
twelve  years,  and  president  of  the  association  about  three  years.  He 
was  elected  treasurer  of  the  Farmers'  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company 
in  Dowagiac  January  9,  1906,  and  is  now  filling  the  position  in  a  most 
capable  and  able  manner.  He  still  owns  a  valuable  farm  comprising 
two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  well  improved  land  in  LaGrange  town- 
ship, which  he  rents.  His  political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  Democ- 
racy where  national  issues  are  involved,  but  at  local  elections  he  casts 
an  independent  ballot.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen 
camp,  and  he  contributes  to  the  support  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  although  not  a  member  of  the  organization.  He  has  been  a 
lifelong  resident  of  Cass  county,  living  here  for  fifty-seven  years,  and 
has  taken  an  active  interest  in  its  progress  and  development.  He  is  in- 
deed a  representative  of  one  of  its  oldest  families,  the  name  of  Ritter 
having  long  figured  honorably  in  connection  with  agricultural  interests, 
business  life  and  public  affairs.  Wherever  known,  Mr.  Ritter  commands 
the  esteem,  and  confidence  of  many  friends,  and  Dowagiac  numbers 
him  among  her  representative  citizens. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  737 

ELIAS    PARDEE. 

EHas  Pardee,  now  living  retired  in  Dowagiac  after  a  life  of  business 
activity  and  usefulness  that  has  brought  him  well  merited  success,  was 
born  in  Knox  county,  Ohio,  October  7,  1826.  His  father,  Isaac  Pardee, 
was  a  native  of  New  York,  born  in  1781.  The  paternal  grandfather 
of  our  subject  was  a  native  of  France  and  in  early  life  became  a  resident 
of  the  Empire  state,  being  accompanied  by  two  brothers  on  his  emigra- 
tion to  the  new  world.  All  of  the  Pardees  in  this  country  are  repre- 
sentatives of  families  founded  by  these  three  brothers.  It  was  about 
the  closing  period  of  the  Revolutionary  war  that  Isaac  Pardee  was  born 
and  in  the  place  of  his  nativity  he  was  reared  and  educated.  In  early 
life  he  learned  and  followed  the  shoemaker's  trade  and  in  18 16  he  re- 
moved to  Knox  county,  Ohio,  locating  about  twelve  miles  west  of  Mount 
Vernon  in  Bloomfield  township.  There  he  engaged  in  general  farming 
until  his  removal  to  Michigan  in  1850,  at.  which  time  he  located  in  Ber- 
rien county,  where  he  died  on  the  31st  of  August,  1850.  His  wife, 
Lucy  Dickerman,  was  a  native  of  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  and  died 
in  Berrien  county,  Michigan,  September  5,  1850.  In  the  family  were 
two  sons  and  two  daughters,  who  reached  adult  age.  Of  this  number 
Smith  Pardee  lived  to  be  eighty-five  years  of  age  and  passed  away  in 
Clayton  county,  Iowa.  Mary  is  the  widow  of  Andrew  Foster  and  is 
now  living  in  Brooking,  Iowa,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years.  Susan 
died  in  Middlebury,  Elkhart  county,  Indiana,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
nine  years. 

Elias  Pardee,  the  youngest  of  the  family,  spent  the  days  of  his 
boyhood  and  youth  in  his  native  place,  remaining  on  the  home  farm 
until  eighteen  years  of  age  and  acquiring  his  education  in  one  of  the 
old-time  log  school  houses  of  that  day.  In  1844  he  started  out  in  life 
on  his  own  account,  making  his  way  to  Berrien  county,  Michigan. 
There  he  worked  as  a  lumberman,  chopping  cord  wood  and  grubbing 
white  oak  grubs.  He  was  employed  by  the  day  and  his  life  was  a  strenu- 
ous one  fraught  with  unremitting  and  arduous  toil.  In  1850  he  came 
to  Dowagiac,  where  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Michigan  Central 
Railroad  Company  as  a  laborer  at  the  freight  house.  He  was  thus  en- 
gaged until  1858,  when  he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  freight  and 
express  agent,  in  which  capacity  he  served  for  four  years.  Saving  his 
money,  he  at  length,  through  his  diligence  and  frugality,  had  acquired 
sufficient  capital  to  enable  him  to  invest  in  farm  lands  and  he  bought 
a  place  in  Pokagon  township,  Cass  county,  near  Dowagiac.  He  then 
rented  the  farm  but  retained  the  ownership  thereof  until  1865,  when 
he  disposed  of  all  of  his  farming  interests.  In  1876  he  purchased  the 
Sister  Lakes  summer  resort,  paying  one  hundred  dollars  per  acre  for  the 
property.  He  at  once  began  its  improvement  and  converted  the  place 
into  a  resort  for  the  entertainment  of  summer  visitors,  building  cottages, 
a  hotel,  a  dance  hall  and  skating  rink.     In  fact,  he  made  all  of  the  im- 


T38  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

provements  at  the  resort,  which  he  conducted  successfully  until  January, 
1886,  when  he  disposed  of  this  interest.  Since  that  time  he  has  lived 
retired  from  the  active  management  of  business  affairs  save  for  the 
supervision  of  his  investments. 

Mr.  Pardee  was  married  in  1853  to  Miss  Lydia  Rice,  a  daughter 
of  Moses  and  Annis  Rice,  and  a  native  of  New  York,  in  which  state 
her  girlhood  days  were  passed.  Her  death  occurred  April  4,  1901.  In 
his  political  views  Mr.  Pardee  was  a  Republican  until  the  Cleveland 
administration.  He  has  served  as  assessor  of  the  city  and  was  alderman 
in  1870.  He  has  a  wide  acquaintance  in  the  county,  where  he  has  now 
resided  for  fifty-four  years  and  has  taken  an  active  and  helpful  interest 
in  its  growth  and  the  promotion  of  its  welfare.  He  occupies  a  fine  resi- 
dence, which  was  built  in  1861  and  is  one  of  the  best  homes  in  Dowagiac. 
During  the  forty  years  of  his  connection  with  Cass  county  he  has  trav- 
eled in  all  of  the  western  states,  making  fourteen  trips  to  the  Dakotas, 
Montana  and  the  northwest.  He  has  traveled  altogether  more  than  one 
hundred  thousand  miles  on  hunting  trips,  which  was  the  occasion  of  his 
many  visits  to  the  northwest.  He  has  seen  the  Rocky  mountains  and 
the  bad  lands  of  Dakota,  has  crossed  the  plains  about  six  times  and 
hunted  buflfaloes  on  the  western  prairies  until  they  were  extinct.  He 
began  making  these  western  trips  in  1872  and  continued  to  do  so  each 
year  until  1883.  His  experiences  have  been  of  a  varied  and  interesting 
nature  and  have  to  some  extent  been  fraught  with  the  hardships,  dangers 
and  privations  incident  to  western  frontier  life.  He  has  carefully  man- 
aged his  business  affairs,  however,  as  the  years  have  gone  by  and  his 
labors  are^  now  crowned  with  success,  which  makes  it  possible  for  him 
to  enjoy  well-earned  ease  amidst  the  fruits  of  his  former  toil. 

EUGENE  B.   GILBERT. 

Eugene  B.  Gilbert  is  numbered  among  the  early  settlers  of  Cass 
county.  The  story  of  pioneer  life  has  never  been  adequately  written 
and  only  those  who  have  gone  through  such  experiences  can  really  know 
of  the  conditions  that  exist  upon  the  frontier,  which  has  little  or  no 
railroad  communication  with  older  points  and  must  therefore  be  deprived 
of  many  of  the  advantages  and  comforts  that  are  found  in  districts 
which  have  long  been  settled.  Mr.  Gilbert's  memory  forms  a  connecting 
link  between  the  progressive  present  and  the  primitive  past  when  the 
settlers  were  denied  many  of  the  comforts  and  conveniences  which  are 
now  enjoyed  by  the  citizens  of  Cass  county.  He  lives  on  section  29, 
Silver  Creek  township,  where  he  owns  a  good  farm.  His  birth,  how- 
ever, occurred  in  the  town  of  Springfield  in  Otsego  county.  New  York, 
September  21,  1833,  and  he  is  a  son  of  W.  B.  Gilbert,  better  known  as 
*'Uncle  Tommy''  Gilbert.  His  paternal  grandfather  was  a  sea  captain 
and  the  owner  of  the  ship  on  which  he  sailed.  The  vessel,  however, 
was  confiscated  and  he  was  thrown  into  an  English  prison  at  the  time 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  739 

of  the  Revolutionary  war.  He  lost  all  his  wealth  and  died  while  being 
held  as  a  prisoner  of  war.  His  wife  afterward  returned  to  England, 
where  her  last  days  were  spent.  Mr.  Gilbert,  however,  was  of  French 
birth  but  had  become  a  citizen  under  the  English  government. 

W.  B.  Gilbert  was  born  in  New  York  state  and  was  reared  by  an 
uncle,  Jimmie  BeGau,  in  Otsego  county,  New  York.     When  a  young 
man  he   engaged   in  teaming  to   Michigan  from  Albany  and  Buffalo, 
New  York,  prior  to  the  era  of  the  building  of  the  canal.     He  also  en- 
gaged in  burning  lime,  furnishing  all  of  the  lime  for  George  Clark  on 
Lake  Otsego  and  for  many  buildings  of  that  period.     His  children  were 
all  born  in  Otsego  county.     He  served  in  the  war  of  1812,  enlisting  as 
a  private,  but  became  an  officer,  and  later  he  was  granted  a  pension  and 
given  eighty-six  acres  of  land  in  Michigan  in  recognition  of  the  aid 
which  he  rendered  the  government  during  the  second  military  struggle 
with  England.     On  leaving  the  east  he  came  to  Michigan  in  1838  and 
in   1839  removed  his   family  to  Cass  county,  settling  in  Silver  Creek 
township  when  there  was  not  twelve  acres  of  land  cleared  in  the  entire 
township.     He  bought  five  eighty-acre  tracts,  all  wild  and  unimproved, 
and  at  once  began  converting  the  raw  land  into  productive  fields.     He 
had  to  clear  away  the  timber  and  upon  his  farm  he  built  a  log  house. 
Nearly  all  of  the  homes  in  the  county  were  thus  constructed  in  that 
early  day.     The  task  of  developing  and  improving  a  farm  was  a  very 
arduous  and  strenuous  one,  but  he  carried  on  his  labors  unfalteringly  and 
in  the  course  of  time  his  land  became  rich  and  productive.     The  trading 
was  done  at  Niles  and  at  St.  Joseph,  Michigan,  which  were  then  the 
nearest  commercial  centers.     Mr.  Gilbert  continued  a  resident  of  this 
county  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  when  he  was  in  his 
seventy-fourth  year.     He  was  justice  of  the  peace  for  many  years  and 
his  decisions  were  characterized  by  the  utmost  fairness  and  impartiality 
— a  fact  which  is  indicated  by  his  long  continuance  in  office.     He  was 
one  of  the  prominent  and  influential  men  of  his  day,  and  his  eff'ortsi 
for  the  community  and  its  development  were  far-reaching,  effective  and 
beneficial.     He  engaged  in  speculating  in  land  to  a  considerable  extent, 
buying  and  selling  property  and  making  his  money  in  that  way.     He 
became  very  familiar  with  land  values  and  was  seldom  at  error  in  mat- 
ters of  business  judgment.     In  politics  he  was  a  Whig  in  early  man- 
hood and  upon  the  dissolution  of  the  party  he  joined  the  ranks  of  the 
new  Republican  party,   of  which   he  became  a   stanch   advocate.      He 
was,  moreover,  a  well-read  man  and  had  a  library  of  fifteen  hundred 
volumes  in  New  York.     He  was  interested  in  everything  pertaining  to 
his  country  and  her  welfare  and  his  reading  not  only  embraced  social, 
economic  and  political  problems  but  also  took  in  much  of  the  literature 
of  the  past  and  present.     He  married  Miss  Cynthia  Sammons,  a  native 
of  New  York,  who  was  born  on  the  banks  of  Sharon  Springs,  her  father 
clearing  a  place  there.     He  was  Casey  Sammons,  and  was  of  German 
birth,  while  her  mother  belonged  to  an  old  Prussian  family.     Mrs.  Gil- 


740  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

bert  was  in  her  seventy-third  year  at  the  time  of  her  death.  She  was  a 
worthy  pioneer  woman  who  bravely  shared  with  her  husband  in  the 
hardships  and  trials  incident  to  frontier  life  and  did  her  best  to  care 
for  her  family  and  provide  a  comfortable  home  for  them.  She  became 
the  mother  of  six  children,  three  sons  and  three  daughters,  all  of  whom 
reached  years  of  maturity,  but  only  two  of  the  number  are  now  living, 
namely :  Mrs.  Jane  Cushing,  who  is  mentioned  on  another  page  of  this 
work;  and  Eugene  B. 

In  taking  up  the  personal  history  of  Eugene  B.  Gilbert  we  present 
to  our  readers  the  life  record  of  one  who  is  widely  and  favorably  known 
in  this  county.  He  was  the  fifth  child  in  his  father's  family  and  the 
third  son,  and  was  in  his  sixth  year  at  the  time  of  the  removal  from 
New  York  to  Cass  county.  He  began  work  when  a  very  young  lad,  for 
his  services  were  needed  upon  the  home  farm  and  he  was  fourteen 
years  of  age  before  a  school  was  built  in  this  township.  To  a  limited 
extent  he  pursued  his  studies  in  a  log  schoolhouse,  but  his  educational 
privileges  were  meager  and  it  has  been  through  his  own  efforts,  his 
reading,  observation  and  experience  that  he  has  broadened  his  knowl- 
edge, becoming  a  well  informed  man.  He  assisted  in  clearing  the  land 
which  his  father  secured  on  coming  to  the  county  and  has  resided  con- 
tinuously upon  the  old  homestead  from  the  age  of  five  years. 

On  the  20th  of  February,  1864,  Mr.  Gilbert  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Susan  Tice,  a  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Sallie  Ann  (Lockwood) 
Tice,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  the  state  of  New  York,  her  mother 
having  been  born,  in  Newberg.  They  came  to  Michigan  about  1850, 
settling  in  Niles,  and  afterward  removed  to  Silver  Creek  township.  Mrs. 
Gilbert  was  born  in  Albany,  New  York,  August  9,  1843,  ^^^  came  with 
her  parents  to  Cass  county  when  about  seven  years  of  age.  She  was 
here  reared  in  a  pioneer  home  in  the  midst  of  the  forest  and  thus  became 
acquainted  with  the  conditions  of  frontier  life.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Gilbert  have  been  born  a  daughter  and  son:  Mary  L.,  who  is  now  the 
wife  of  Louis  Rudolph,  of  Dowagiac;  and  William  I.,  who  resides  upon 
the  home  farm.  He  married  Miss  Lizzie  Bissett,  a  daughter  of  Alex- 
ander and  Isabelle  (Barker)  Bissett.  .  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William 
Gilbert  has  been  born  a  little  daughter,  lone. 

As  stated,  Eugene  B.  Gilbert  has  followed  farming  throughout  his 
entire  life  and  is  today  the  owner  of  about  five  hundred  acres  of  valu- 
able land,  of  which  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  is  located  in  Berrien 
county  and  the  remainder  in  Cass  county.  His  house  is  on  the  east  bank 
of  Indian  Lake  and  is  known  as  Gilbert  Castle.  It  is  one  of  the  land- 
marks of  the  county,  being  the  second  house  built  on  the  banks  of  the 
lake.  Few  men  have  more  intimate  knowledge  of  the  history  of  the 
county  and  events  which  have  formed  its  annals.  He  can  remember 
when  the  Indians  were  very  numerous  in  this  part  of  the  state  and 
remembers  seeing  the  chief  'To  Pole"  Pokagon.  His  father  assisted  in 
removing  the  Indians  to  Kansas  under  government  contract.     Mr.  Gil- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  741 

bert  has  lived  in  this  part  of  the  state  for  sixty-seven  years,  has  been 
closely  identified  with  its  interest's  and  has  done  much  for  its  substantial 
development  and  improvement.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  but  he 
would  never  accept  office,  although  he  could  undoubtedly  have  filled 
public  positions  very  creditably  had  he  consented  to  become  a  candidate. 
He  is  a  man  of  independent  spirit,  not  bound  by  any  creed,  belief  or 
fraternal  ties.  He  forms  his  own  opinions  and  is  honest  in  upholding 
them  and  his  life  has  been  characterized  by  principles  of  integrity  and 
honor,  while  his  business  career  has  displayed  unfaltering  diligence  and 
perseverance. 

MYRON   STARK. 

Myron  Stark,  living  retired  in  Dowagiac,  although  for  many  years 
he  was  a  leading  and  enterprising  merchant  here,  was  born  in  New 
York,  May  30,  1836.  He  represented  an  old  family  of  the  Empire 
state,  as  it  is  definitely  known  that  his  great-grandparents  lived  in  New 
York,  for  it  was  there  that  his  grandfather,  John  Stark,  was  born,  reared 
and  made  his  home.  Erastus  Stark,  his  father,  also  a  native  of  New 
York,  came  to  Cass  county,  Michigan,  in  1838,  locating  at  Summer- 
ville,  and  in  1840  he  purchased  a  farm  in  Silver  Creek  township,  where 
he  cultivated  and  improved  his  land.  He  was  one  of  the  first  settlers 
of  that  township  and  aided  in  subduing  the  wilderness  and  extending 
the  frontier.  As  the  years  passed  he  developed  a  good  property,  his 
fields  being  very  productive,  and  he  remained  upon  that  place  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  when  he  was  fifty-four  years  of  age.  He  also 
built  a  sawmill  and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber  in  connection 
with  farming  interests.  He  filled  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  for 
many  years  and  his  decisions  were  strictly  fair  and  impartial.  He  held 
membership  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  taking  an  active  part 
in  its  work,  and  he  was  also  an  exemplary  Mason.  He  married  Matilda 
Cook,  a  native  of  New  York,  who  died  in  1839,  when  about  twenty- 
seven  years  of  age.  There  were  three  sons  by  that  marriage.  Philander 
died  in  1850.  John  K.,  who  was  born  in  central  New  York  in  October, 
1833,  came  to  Michigan  with  his  parents  in  1848  and  assisted  in  clear- 
ing and  developing  the  home  farm,  now  known  as  the  Robert  Bielby 
property.  In  the  winter  seasons  he  cut  and  hauled  logs  and  in  the 
summer  months  engaged  in  the  active  work  of  tilling  the  fields  and 
caring  for  his  crops.  He  married  Eliza  J.  Cushing,  a  daughter  of  Otis 
and  Clarissa  Cushing,  in  the  year  1855,  and  in  1857  removed  to  Mis- 
souri, but  in  1859  returned  to  Michigan.  In  June,  1 861,  he  enlisted 
for  service  in  the  Civil  war  as  a  member  of  the  Second  Michigan  Cav- 
alry and  a  year  later  r-eceived  an  honorable  discharge  on  account  of 
disability.  In  1869  he  joined  the  Michigan  Conference  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  and  has  become  one  of  the  most  prominent  church 
builders  of  that  denomination.  His  first  charge  was  the  Paw  Paw 
church,  and  since  that  time  he  has  served  various  churches,  both  on  the 


742  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

*  country  circuit  and  in  large  cities,  becoming  one  of  the  strong  divines 
representing  Methodism  in  this  state.  His  wife  died  in  1884.  Six  chil- 
dren were  born  unto  them,  three  sons  and  three  daughters,  all  of  whom 
are  now  living  with  the  exception  of  the  youngest,  who  died  in  1902. 
Rev.  Stark  was  again  married  in  1895.  He  is  now  chaplain  in  the 
Soldiers'  Home  at  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan. 

Myron  Stark,  whose  name  introduces  this  record,  was  the  youngest 
of  the  three  sons  of  his  father's  family  and  was  only  two  years  old 
when  brought  to  Cass  county  by  his  parents.  He  remained  at  home 
until  nineteen  years  of  age,  assisting  in  the  sawmill  and  in  the  farm 
work.  He  then  went  to  London,  Canada,  in  1855,  remaining  for  a 
year  in  that  locality,  after  which  he  returned  to  Cass  county  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Silver  Creek  township.  In  1862  he  established  a 
wagon  and  blacksmithing  shop  at  Cushing  Corners,  where  he  remained 
until  1877.  In  1876  he  patented  w^hat  is  known  as  Stark's  Common 
Sense  Sand  Band,  and  removed  to  Dowagiac  the  following  year,  after 
which  he  devoted  five  years  to  handling  this  patent,  which  he  sold  in 
every  state  in  the  Union,  and  also  in  Canada,  France  and  Germany. 
He  started  without  capital,  but  he  built  up  a  fine  business  and  in  1883 
sold  his  interest  and  retired  with  a  handsome  competence.  The  business, 
however,  is  still  being  carried  on.  In  that  year  Mr.  Stark  purchased 
the  grocery  store  of  Mart  Green  in  Dowagiac  and  was  identified  with 
commercial  interests  in  the  city  until  1888,  when  on  account  of  ill  health 
he  sold  his  store,  since  which  time  he  has  been  retired  from  active  busi- 
ness cares.  His  inventive  mind  is  continually  reaching  out  along  new 
lines  of  thought  and  progress,  and  in  1900  he  patented  a  tire  machine, 
which  is  befng  manufactured  on  a  royalty  basis  at  Lansing,  Michigan. 
The  machine  is  for  taking  off  and  replacing  tires  on  heavy  wheels. 

On  Christmas  day  of  1857  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Myron 
Stark  and  Miss  Sarah  Harris,  a  daughter  of  Alvin  and  Peggy  (Shull) 
Harris.  She  was  born  in  New  York  and  by  her  marriage  has  become 
the  mother  of  six  children :  Henry,  now  deceased ;  Matilda,  the  wife  of 
Chester  Southwork,  of  Dowagiac;  Ida,  Almira  and  Amanda,  all  de- 
ceased ;  and  Jessie,  the  wife  of  Wiley  Messenger,  of  Dowagiac,  who  is  a 
traveling  man. 

Mr.  Stark  has  been  a  life-long  Republican  and  has  taken  an  active 
interest  in  the  party,  holding  various  official  positions  through  many 
years.  At  the  present  time  he  is  county  agent  for  the  state  board  of 
corrections  and  charities,  is  game  warden  for  Cass  county  and  the  ad- 
joinin.e:  counties  and  is  superintendent  of  the  poor  for  the  city  of  Dowag- 
iac. He  is  also  superintendent  of  the  humane  society  of  the  county  and 
his  official  labors  have  been  of  a  far  reaching  and  beneficial  nature. 
He  has  been  a  Mason  since  i860  and  for  several  years  served  as  master 
of  the  Dowagiac  lodge.  His  residence  in  Cass  county  covers  a  period 
of  sixty-eight  years  and  no  man  has  been  more  closely  or  honorably 
identified  with  its  interests  and  development.     He  has  made  a  creditable 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  T43 

name  in  business  circles,  has  manifested  his  loyalty  and  patriotic  spirit 
in  office  and  in  private  life  has  displayed  those  sterling  traits  of  char- 
acter which  everywhere  win  regard  and  command  confidence. 

JAMES   H.  KINNANE. 

James  H.  Kinnane,  successfully  practicing  law  in  Dowagiac,  was 
born  in  Kalamazoo  county,  Michigan,  in  1859.  ^^^  father,  Patrick 
Kinnane,  is  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  in  1856  came  to  the  United  States, 
locating  upon  the  farm  in  Kalamazoo  township,  Kalamazoo  county, 
Michigan,  on  which  he  yet  resides  at  the  venerable  age  of  eighty-three 
years.  He  has  always  devoted  his  energies  to  agricultural  pursuits, 
has  prospered  in  his  undertakings  and  now  in  the  evening  of  life  is  en- 
joying the  fruits  of  his  former  toil  in  well  earned  ease.  His  political 
views  accord  with  the  principles  of  the  Democracy,  and  his  religious 
faith  is  that  of  the  Catholic  church.  He  wedded  Miss  Mary  Sullivan, 
a  native  of  Ireland,  who  is  now  seventy-two  years  of  age.  She  crossed 
the  Atlantic  in  1855,  becoming  a  resident  of  Kalamazoo  county,  Michi- 
gan, where  in  1858  she  gave  her  hand  in  marriage  to  Patrick  Kinnane. 
She,  too,  is  a  communicant  of  the  Catholic  church. 

James  H.  Kinnane,  the  eldest  in  their  family  of  nine  children,  was 
reared  upon  the  home  farm  and  attended  the  district  schools,  subse- 
quent to  which  time  he  entered  the  high  school  in  the  city  of  Kala- 
mazoo, from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1881.  He  after- 
ward spent  a  year  at  the  Baptist  college  in  Kalamazoo  and  then  entered 
the  law  department  of  the  Michigan  university  at  Ann  Arbor  in  the 
fall  of  1883.  He  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1885,  ^fter  which  he 
opened  an  office  in  Kalamazoo,  practicing  there  for  ten  years.  In  189(1 
he  was  appointed  by  President  Cleveland  as  special  agent  for  the  allot- 
ment of  land  in  severalty  to  the  Indians  under  a  general  act  of  congress. 
He  continued  in  the  position  for  two  years.  In  1898  he  came  to  Do- 
wagiac, where  he  has  been  in  practice  continuously  since,  with  more 
than  ordinary  success.  In  1892  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Winans 
as  .one  of  the  three  commissioners  to  revise  the  highway  laws  of  the 
state  and  did  effective  service  on  the  committee. 

In  1887  James  Kinnane  was  married  to  Harriet  E.  Blaney,  whose 
birth  occurred  in  Kalamazoo  county  in  1864,  her  parents  being  John 
H.  and  Mary  (Robinson)  Blaney,  the  former  a  native  of  the  United 
States  and  in  business  a  well  known  real  estate  dealer  of  Kalamazoo. 
He  was  also  active  in  public  life  there  and  filled  the  offices  of  city  mar- 
shal and  city  treasurer.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kinnane  have  been 
born  two  sons  and  a  daughter:  Charles,  Catherine  and  Robert.  The 
parents  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church,  and  Mr.  Kinnane  belongs 
to  the  Benevolent  &  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  the  Knights  of 
Columbus.  He  has  been  a  Republican  since  1896,  previous  to  which 
time   he   was   a    stalwart   advocate   of  Democratic  principles,   and    for 


744  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

six  years  had  acted  as  chairman  of  the  Democratic  county  central  com- 
mittee of  Kalamazoo  county.  He  is  a  man  fearless  in  defense  of  hi -5 
honest  convictions,  however,  and  v^hen  he  became  convinced  in  his  own 
mind  that  Republican  principles  were  more  conducive  to  good  govern- 
ment he  fearlessly  renounced  his  allegiance  to  the  Democracy.  While 
living  in  Kalamazoo  he  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  in  1886-7  and  was 
city  attorney  from  1889  until  1891.  In  Dowagiac  he  has  served  as 
city  attorney  for  the  past  three  years  and  the  various  duties  of  a  public 
nature  which  have  devolved  upon  him  have  been  faithfully,  promptly 
and  efficiently  performed.  He  is  president  of  the  Cass  County  Bar 
Association  and  also  a  member  of  the  Michigan  Bar  Association  and 
one  of  its  board  of  directors,  and  his  official  connection  with  the  former 
is  an  indication  of  his  standing  with  the  profession  in  the  county  in 
which  he  makes  his  home.  Popular  in  social  circles,  he  has  many 
friends  and  in  his  grasp  and  greeting  there  is  always  welcome.  Ho 
is  genial,  companionable  and  entertaining  and  is  recognized  as  a  popular 
citizen  as  well  as  a  prominent  lawyer  of  Dowagiac. 

FRANK  L.  HARTSELL. 

Frank  L.  Hartsell,  a  contractor  of  Dowagiac,  who  for  many  years 
has  been  connected  with  building  operations,  so  that  many  of  the  finci 
residences  and  leading  structures  of  the  city  stand  as  monuments  to 
his  ability,  skill  and  labor,  is  a  native  son  of  Cass  county,  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  Silver  Creek  township  on  the  loth  of  July,  1858, 
His  father,  John  Hartsell,  who  was  born  in  Ohio,  came  to  Cass  county 
about  1835  and  was  one  of  its  first  settlers.  The  days  of  chivalry  and 
knighthood  in  Europe  cannot  furnish  more  interesting  tales  than  our 
own  western  history,  and  yet  the  establishment  of  homes  upon  the  frontier 
meant  sacrifices,  hardships  and  sometimes  death;  but  there  were  some 
men,  however,  brave  enough  to  meet  the  conditions  that  must  be  faced 
and  undertake  the  task  of  reclaiming  the  wild  west  for  the  purposes 
of  civilization.  Among  this  number  was  John  Hartsell,  who,  coming  to 
Cass  county,  entered  upon  the  work  of  clearing  and  developing  a  farm 
in  the  midst  of  the  w^ilderness.  As  the  years  passed  he  placed  his  land 
under  cultivation  and  his  fields  became  rich  and  productive.  In  politics 
he  was  a  Democrat,  but  without  aspiration  for  office.  He  married  Miss 
Mary  Ann  Bach,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  they  became  the  parents  of 
five  children,  all  of  whom  reached  adult  age.  The  father  passed  away  at 
the  age  of  seventy-seven  years,  but  the  mother  is  still  living  in  her 
seventy-fifth  year. 

Frank  L.  Hartsell  was  the  fourth  child  and  eldest  son  in  the  father's 
family.  He  was  reared  in  hi^  native  township  to  the  pursuits  of  farm 
life  until  seventeen  years  of  age.  When  a  young  lad  of  six  he  entered 
the  public  schools  and  therein  mastered  the  common  branches  of  learn- 
ing.   He  also  early  took  his  place  behind  the  plow  and  continued  to  aid 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  745 

in  the  work  of  the  fields  until  he  had  attained  the  age  of  seventeen, 
when,  thinking  that  he  would  find  other  pursuits  more  congenial,  he  left 
home  and  took  up  his  abode  in  Dowagiac  to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade. 
He  has  since  followed  the  business,  and  when  twenty-four  years  of  age 
he  began  contracting  on  his  own  account,  so  that  he  is  today  one  of  the 
oldest  contractors  in  years  of  connection  with  building  operations  in 
Dowagiac.  He  has  erected  many  buildings  in  Cass  county  and  at  De- 
catur, Niles  and  Buchanan,  and  other  places  in  adjoining  counties.  In 
fact,  he  is  one  of  the  best  known  contractors  and  builders  in  this  part 
of  the  state,  and  the  important  work  that  he  has  done  is  indicated  in 
many  fine  and  substantial  structures.  His  work  has  always  been  char- 
acterized by  thoroughness  and  he  has  kept  resolutely  to  the  terms  of 
a  contract,  being  thoroughly  reliable  in  all  his  business  undertakings. 

Mr.  Hartsell  w^as  married  in  1893  to  Miss  Lettie  Schook,  and  unto 
this  union  have  been  born  three  children :  Lelia  M.,  Helen  P.  and 
Harold  H.  In  addition  to  his  home  Mr.  Hartsell  has  other  property  in 
Dowagiac,  including  three  houses  and  lots.  His  own  residence  is  a  fine 
dwelling  on  Main  and  Pokagon  streets,  atld  is  the  center  of  a  gracious, 
charming  and  cordial  hospitality.  In  his  political  affiliation  Mr.  Hart- 
sell is  a  stalwart  Democrat,  earnestly  working  for  his  party  and  its 
interests,  and  he  is  now  serving  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  aldermen. 
His  labors  in  behalf  of  public  progress  have  been  far  reaching  and 
beneficial  and  he  has  intense  sympathy  with  every  movement  calculated 
for  the  general  welfare  and  substantial  development  of  the  county. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees.  His  entire  life  has  been  passed 
in  Cass  county,  and  he  has  therefore  witnessed  much  of  its  growth  and 
development,  his  memory  going  back  to  a  time  when  this  district  was 
sparsely  settled.  That  many  of  his  stanchest  friends  are  numbered 
among  those  who  have  known  him  from  his  boyhood  down  to  the  present 
time  is  an  indication  that  his  life  has  been  straightforward  and  up- 
right. 

J.  O.  BECRAFT. 

J.  O.  Becraft,  postmaster  of  Dowagiac  and  secretary  of  the  Round 
Oak  Stove  Company,  was  born  April  27,  1850,  in  the  city  in  which  he 
yet  makes  his  home.  His  father,  Isaiah  S.  Becraft,  was  a  native  of 
New  York  and  came  to  Cass  county,  Michigan,  in  1848,  as  one 
of  the  first  settlers  of  Dowagiac.  He  was  connected  with  mer- 
cantile interests  here  for  many  years  and  contributed  in  substantial 
measure  to  the  material  progress  and  to  the  upbuilding  and  ad- 
vancement of  the  city.  He  held  many  offices  and  was  one  of  the 
prominent  and  influential  residents  of  Dowagiac.  At  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  ocairred  in  1864,  he  was  serving  as  deputy  provost  mar- 
shal and  special  agent  for  United  States  secret  service.  In  politics  he 
was  a  stalwart  Republican  from  the  organization  of  the  party  and  fra- 


746  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

ternally  was  a  prominent  Mason,  who  exemplified  in  his  life  the  benefi- 
cent spirit  of  the  craft.  His  death  occurred  when  he  was  fifty-two 
years  of  age.  His  wife,  who  in  her  maidenhood  was  Carohne  Wallace, 
was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  a  daughter  of  James  and  Betsy 
(Belknap)  Wallace.  Mrs.  Becraft  Hved  to  the  advanced  age  of  seventy- 
two  years.     In  their  family  were  seven  children,  six  of  whom  reached 

adult  age.  r    ,     r      -i       u 

J.  O.  Becraft  is  the  third  child  and  second  son  of  the  family.  He 
was  reared  in  Dowagiac  and  pursued  his  education  in  the  schools  of  this 
city  He  started  out  upon  his  business  career  as  a  clerk  m  a  grocery 
store  and  spent  about  two  and  a  half  years  as  station  agent  at  Cassop- 
olis  and  a  similar  period' at  Dowagiac.  He  afterward  accepted  a  clerical 
position  in  the  postoffice  here  and  later  became  assistant  postmaster, 
which  position  he  capably  filled  for  many  years.  He  was  first  appointed 
postmaster  by  Benjamin  Harrison,  was  re-appointed  by  President  Mc- 
Kinley  and  is  now  serving  for  the  third  term  in  that  office  by  appoint- 
ment of  President  Roosevelt.  The  consensus  of  public  opinion  is  alto- 
gether favorable  concerning  the  service  which  he  has  rendered  in  this 
connection,  for  he  has  given  a  businesslike  administration,  has  system- 
tized  the  affairs  of  the  office  and  care  and  promptness  are  exercised  in 
the  performance  of  all  the  duties  connected  with  the  care  of  the  mails. 

Aside  from  his  official  service  Mr.  Becraft  has  been  identified  with 
business  interests  in  Dowagiac.  For  about  fifteen  years  he  has  been  con- 
nected with  the  P.  D.  Beckwith  Stove  Company  and  is  now  acting  as 
secretary  of  the  company,  the  business  being  carried  on  under  the  style 
of  the  Round  Oak  Stove  Company.  He  is  also  a  stockholder  in  the 
Farmers  &  Merchants  Bank  at  Benton  Harbor  and  the  Lee  Paper  Com- 
pany at  Vicksburg,  Michigan.  His  business  investments  have  been  well 
placed  and  are  the  source  of  a  gratifying  and  desirable  income. 

Mr.  Becraft  was  married  in  1870  to  Miss  Harriet  H.  Britton,  and 
they  have  one  son,  Fred  E.,  who  is  now  assistant  postmaster.  Mr.  Be- 
craft belongs  to  the  Modern  Woodmen  camp,  to  the  Elks  lodge,  and  is 
a  Mason,  a  Knight  Templar  and  a  Shriner.  In  his  political  vict'S  he 
has  always  been  a  stalwart  Republican,  and  in  addition  to  the  office  ot 
postmaster  he  has  served  as  city  recorder  for  fifteen  years,  was  secretary 
of  the  school  board  for  sixteen  years  and  has  filled  other  offices,  to  which 
he  has  been  called  by  a  constituency  who  recognize  that  according  to 
the  merit  system  he  is  entitled  to  the  offices  and  well  deserves  the  honor 
and  trust  thus  reposed  in  him.  He  is  today  the  oldest  native  citizen  of 
Dowagiac  and  one  of  its  most  prominent  residents. 

GEORGE  E.  BISHOP. 

The  commercial  interests  of  Dowagiac  find  a  worthy  representa- 
tive in  George  E.  Bishop,  who  is  now  engaged  in  dealing  in  hardware 
with  a  well  appointed  store  and  a  good  trade.     He  was  bom  in  Genesee 


-0, /^-^^ 


HrSTORY   OF   CASS   COUNTY  T47 

county,  New  York,  March  X2,  1849.  His  father,  Horace  L.  Bishop, 
-was  also  a  native  of  that  county  and  a  son  of  Isaac  Bishop,  whose  birth 
occurred  In  Massachusetts  in  1758,  a  fact  which  indicates  that  the  family 
was  estabhshed  in  New  England  in  early  colonial  days.  Isaac  Bishop 
was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolutionary  war  and  was  but  seventeen  years 
of  age  when  he  enlisted  in  the  American  army,  serving  for  six  ye^rs  ih 
defense  of  fhe  cause  of  Hberty.    Tlie  Bishop  family  is  of  English  lineag^. 

Horace  L.  Bishop  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  remained  a  resi- 
dent of  the  Empire  state  lintil  1855,  when  he  came  westward  to  Michi- 
gan, settling  in'  Hillsdale  county.  He  married  Emeline  Allison,  a  native 
of  New  York  and  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Allison,  who  was  born  in 
Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  The 
death  of  Mr.  Bishop  occurred  in  1893  when  he  was  in  his  seventy-third 
yekr,  but  His  wife  is  now  living  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years,  hav- 
ing been  born  in  1828.  Her  father  was  a  soldier  of  the  war  of  18 12, 
enlisting  from  Washington  county,  'Pennsylvania.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Horace  L.  Bishop  were  born  six  children,  two  daughters'  and_four  sons, 
all  of  whom  reached"  years  of  maturity  and  are  living  at  this  writing. 

George  E.  Bishop,  the  eldest  son  and  second  child  of  the  family,  is 
the  only  one  now  residing  in  Cass  county.  He  was  six  years  of  age 
when  he  i-embved  with  his  parents  to  Hillsdale  county,  Michigan,  and 
there  his  youth  was  passed,  while  his  education  was  acquired  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  that  county.  He  remained  at  home  until  .more  than 
t^?venty  years  of  age,  wheii  he  started  out  upon  ah  independent  business 
cai*eer,  securing  a  clerkship  in  a  country  ^tore,  while  later  he  was  em-, 
ployed  in  the  town  of  Allen  in  Hillsdale  county. '  He  was  for  ten  years 
a  salesman  in' the  employ  of  C.  H.  Winchester  in  Allen,  the  time,  how- 
ever/being  divided  by  a  period  of  two  and  a  half  years  spent  in  Cold- 
water,  Michigan.  He  came  to  Dowagiac  in  January,  1881,  and  bought 
all  interest  in  a  hardware  business,  becoming  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Bishop  &  Dickinson.  This  relation  was  maintained  until  January,  1883, 
when  the' junior  partner' sold  out  to  W.  M.  Vrooman  and  the  firm  of 
Bishop  &  Vrodman  was  then  formed,  having  a  continuous  existence 
until  1896.  In  that  year  Mr.'  Bishop  purchased  Mr.  Vroonnan's  interest 
arid  conducted  the  business  alone  until  January,  1904,  when  he  admitted 
Isaac  Armstrong  to  a  partnership  and  the  Bishop  Hardware  Company 
was  thus  organised.  Since  becoming  connected  with  this  enterprise 
Mr.  Bishop  has  labored  earnestly  and  effectively  to  enlarge  the  scope 
of  its  uadert-akings  and  has  developed  ^n. excellent  .business,  which  has 
constantly  grown,  in  .ext:ent  and-  importance.  He  was  also  secretary  of 
the  Dowagiac  M^nufaaturing  Company  during  the  early  period  of  its 
e:?^istence  and^  has  don^  all  in  his  power  to  further  commercial  and  in- 
dustriaLactivity  in  the  city  and  thus  promote  its  prosperity  and  growth, 
fpr  the.  welfare  of  every  community  ^depends  upon  ite  business  interests.^ 
,  :     Aside  {.rom-  his  cgmmercialiHarauits, Mr.  Bishop  has  also  labored 


748  HISTORY   OF   CASS   COUNTY 

for  the  welfare  of  his  adopted  city,  giving*  active  co-operation  to  many 
plans  and  measures  that  have  had  direct  bearing  upon  general  progress. 
In  politics  he  is  an  earnest  and  unfaltering  Republican  with  firm  belief 
in  the  ultimate  triumph  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party.  Upon 
that  ticket  he  was  elected  mayor  in  1888  and  again  in  1897,  succeeding 
P.  D.  Beckwith  as  chief  executive  in  the  former  year.  On  bothocca- 
sions  he  gave  a  public-spirited  and  businesslike  administration,  exercis- 
ing his  official  prerogatives  to  advance  reform  and  improvement,  using 
practical  methods  in  working  toward  ideals  in  citizenship.  He  has  also 
been  a  member  of  th«  school  board  for  about  six  years  and  the  cause 
of  education  has  found  in  him  a  stalwart  friend,  whose  labor  has  been 
effective  in  its  behalf. 

In  1877  Mr.  Bishop  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Jennie  D. 
Dickinson,  of  Coldwater,  Michigan,  a  daughter  of  Higby  and  Mary  W. 
(S'waine)  Dickinson.  The  Swaines  were,  one  of  the  old  Massachu- 
setts families,  her  mother's  father  was  a  native  of  Nantucket  Island, 
and  was  a  whaler  on  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  oceans,  having  frequented 
many  of  the  South  American  ports,  especially  Santiago  and  Valparaiso, 
which  were  devastated  only  recently  by  the  terrible  earthquake,  similar 
to  the  famous  San  Francisco  disaster.  Mrs.  Bishop  was  born  on  a  farm 
in  Branch  county  and  obtained  her  education  in  the  schools  of  this 
city.  Four  children  grace  this  marriage:  Edith,  who  is  now  the  wife 
of  John  Crawford,  of  Pokagon  township;  Dickinson  H.,  who  is  assist- 
ing his  father  in  the  store;  Mary  and  George  K,  who  are  at  home.  The 
family  is  one  well  known  in  the  community  and  the  members  of  the 
household  occupy  an  enviable  position  in  social  circles.  Mr.  Bishop 
is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  pos- 
sesses a  social,  genial  nature  which  renders  him*  popular  with  a  large 
circle  of  friends.  As  the  years  have  passed  he  has  demonstrated  that  suc- 
cess comes  as  the  legitimate  result  of  perseverance,  energy  and  diligence. 
Without  special  advantages  to  aid  him  he  has  worked  his  way  upward, 
winning  for  himself  a  creditable  place  in  business  circles.  He  is  to- 
day the  oldest  hardware  merchant  in  Dowagiac  and  has  long  main- 
tained a  prominent  position  in  commercial  circles,  not  only  by  reason 
of  his  success,  but  also  owing  to  the  straightforward  and  honorable  busi- 
ness methods  he  has  ever  followed. 

WILLARD   WELLS. 

Willard  Wells,  who  has  been  closely  connected  with  building  opera- 
tions in  Dowagiac  as  a  contractor,  but  is  now  living  retired,  was  born 
in  Montgomery  county,  New  York,  on  the  16th  of  September,  1829, 
and  is  therefore  in  his  seventy-seventh  year.  He  was  the  second  in 
order  of  birth  in  a  family  of  ten  children  born  unto  Ira  and  Maria 
(Woodworth)  Wells,  who  were  also  natives  of  Montgomery  county. 
The  father  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  in  later  life  but  engaged 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  741> 

in  business  as  a  boot  and  shoe  merchant  in  his  early  years.  He  re- 
moved from  Montgomery  county  to  Onondaga  county,  New  York,  and 
became  a  resident  of  Orleans  county  in  the  same  state  in  1855.  There 
he  was  engaged  in  merchandising  one  year,  but  later  he  resumed  farm- 
ing which  he  carried  on  until  about  twenty  years  prior  to  his  death, 
when  he  retired  from  active  business  life  and  took  up  his  abode  in 
Medina,  New  York.  He  was  a  leading,  active  and  helpful  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  served  as  class  leader  for  forty 
years.  His  Christian  faith  permeated  his  entire  life,  established  his 
conduct  toward  his  fellowmen  and  made  him  a  man  w^hom  to  know 
was  to  respect  and  honor.  While  living  in  Montgomery  county  he 
was  married  to  Maria  Woodworth,  and  he  reached  the  advanced  age 
of  eighty-five  years,  w^hile  his  wife  passed  away  at  the  ripe  old  age  of 
seventy-eight  years.  Of  their  ten  children  six  reached  years  of  maturity, 
while  four  are  now  living,  namely :  Charles  H.,  who  is  living  in  San 
Diego,  California;  Willard,  of  this  review;  Mary,  the  wife  of  John 
Wells,  who  is  living  in  Orleans  county,  New  York;  and  Frances,  the 
wife  of  Judson  Hill,  of  Quincy,  Branch  county,  Michigan. 

Willard  Wells  was  a  youth  of  six  years  wdien  his  parents  removed 
from  his  native  county  to  Onondaga  county.  New  York,  and  there  the 
days  of  his  youth  were" passed,  while  his  education  was  acquired  in  the 
public  schools.  Thinking  that  he  might  enjoy  better  opportunities  in 
the  middle  west  he  came  to  Michigan  in  1855,  spending  the  winter  in 
Wayne  township,  Cass  county.  In  the  spring  of  1856  he  took  up  his 
alx)de  in  Dowagiac,  and  for  a  long  period  was  identified  with  business 
affairs  here.  He  had  l^ieen  married  in  Onondaga  county.  New  York,  in 
1852  to  Miss  Harriet  Henderson,  a  native  of  that  county.  On  locating 
in  Dowagiac  Mr.  Wells  began  working  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  his  first 
work  being  on  the  construction  of  the  home  of  Thomas  Gilbert  on  the 
east  bank  of  Indian  lake.  He  was  employed  as  a  carpenter  until  1861, 
when,  with  the  money  that  he  had  saved  from  his  earnings  he  bought 
a  farm  in  Wayne  township,  locating  thereon  and  devoting  his  time  and 
energies  to  general  agricultural  pursuits  through  the  succeeding  four 
years.  In  1865  he  again  took  up  his  abode  in  Dowagiac,  where  he 
began  contracting  and  building  on  his  own  account,  continuing  in  that 
line  of  business  until  about  1890.  He  was  one  of  its  first  builders  and 
.  many  of  the  substantial  structures  of  the  city  stand  as  monuments  to  his 
skill  and  enterprise.  He  enjoyed  a  liberal  patronage  for  a  long  period 
and  then,  wath  a  comfortable  competence,  retired  to  private  life. 

In  1904  Mr.  Wells  was  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  his  wife, 
who  died  in  Dowagiac  on  the  30th  of  October  of  that  year.  She  was 
the  mother  of  four  children,  but  only  one  is  now  living,  Dora,  the  wife 
of  R.  W.  Van  Antwert,  who  is  living  in  Dowagiac.     , 

Mr.  Wells  has  made  his  home  in  Cass  county  for  a  half  century, 
and  therefore  the  principal  events  of  its  history  are  know^n  to  him, 
while  upon  memory's  w^all  hang  many  pictures  of  pioneer  experiences 


750  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

and  incidents.  He  has  been  a  lifelong  Republican,  active  in  the  interest 
of  the  party,  for  he  believes  that  its  principles  contain  the  best  elements 
of  good  government.  He  was  elected  for  supervisor  for  six  years  of 
the  second  ward  of  Dowagiac,  was  elected  a  trustee  of  the  village  and 
was  chosen  to  the  position  of  alderman  for  three  terms,  after  Dowagiac 
became  a  city.  His  official  duties  were  very  promptly  and  faithfully 
performed  and  he  has  stood  strong  in  the  advance  of  progress,  reform 
and  improvement  for  the  city  and  county.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity  and  in  his  life  has  exemplified  the  beneficent  prin- 
ciples of  the  craft,  which  is  based  upon  mutual  kindliness  and  brotherly 
helpfulness.  There  have  been  no  exciting  chapters  in  his  life  record 
and  yet  it  contains  many  elements  worthy  of  emulation,  showing  what 
can  be  accomplished  by  determined  purpose  and  faithful  effort,  for 
whatever  success  he  has  achieved  is  attributable  entirely  to  his  own  labors 
and  perseverance. 

HUGH  E.  AGNEW. 

Perhaps  no  one  agency  in  all  the  world  has  done  so  much  for 
public  progress  as  the  press,  and  an  enterprising,  well  edited  journal  is 
a  most  important  factor  in  promoting  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of  any 
community.  It  adds  to  the  intelligence  of  the  people  through  its  trans- 
mission of  foreign  and  domestic  news  and  through  its  discussion  of  the 
leading  issues  and  questions  of  the  day,  and,  more  than  that,  it  makes 
the  town  or  city  which  it  represents  known  outside  of  the  immediate 
locality,  as  it  is  sent  each  day  or  week  into  other  districts,  carrying  with 
it  an  account  of  the  events  transpiring  in  its  home  locality,  the  advance- 
ment and  progress  there  being  made,  and  the  advantages  which  it  offers 
to  its  residents  along  moral,  educational,  social  and  commercial  lines. 
During  much  of  his  life  Mr.  Agnew  has  been  connected  with  journalistic 
work,  helping  to  pay  his  way  in  school  by  that  means,  and  his  power  as 
a  writer  and  editor  is  acknowledged  among  contemporaneous  jour- 
nalists. 

One  of  Michigan's  native  sons,  Hugh  E.  Agnew  was  born  in  Hills- 
dale January  31,  1875,  ^^e  second  in  a  family  of  four  children,  two  sons 
and  two  daughters,  born  to  Allen  and  Rhoda  (Mason)  Agnew,  namely: 
Ruey,  wife  of  Gilbert  Keller,  a  general  merchant  of  Topeka,  Indiana; 
Hugh  E.,  whose  name  introduces  this  review;  Claudia,  wife  of  Professor 
C.  D.  Albert,  one  of  the  faculty  of  Cornell  University,  of  which  insti- 
tution he  is  also  a  graduate,  and  he  is  now  a  resident  of  Ithaca;  and 
Paul  G.,  a  resident  of  Washington,  D.  C,  and  a  member  of  the  Bureau 
of  Standards  for  the  Government.  Mr.  Allen  Agnew  is  a  native  of 
Livingston  county,  New  York,  born  in  1844,  ^^^  is  now  a  resident  of 
Hillsdale,  Michigan,  living  retired  from  the  active  duties  of  a  business 
life.  In  the  early  part  of  his  industrial  career  he  was  an  agriculturist, 
but  later  became  a  merchant.  During  the  Civil  war  he  offered  his 
services  to  the  government,  becoming  a  member  of  Battery  I,  First  Mich- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  751 

igan  Light  Artillery,  his  first  service  being  with  the  Army  of  the  Po- 
tomac, while  later  he  was  with  the  Army  of  Tennessee.  He  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  his  political  affiliations,  and  his  first  presidential  vote  was  cast 
for  Grant.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  Mrs.  Agnew,  who  was  born  in  Fulton  county,  Ohio,  in  1849, 
is  also  living. 

Mr.  Hugh  E.  Agnew  was  reared  in  Hillsdale  county,  Michigan, 
except  five  years  that  his  parents  lived  in  Kunkle,  Ohio,  receiving  his 
education  in  its  common  schools,  and  is  a  graduate  of  the  Hillsdale  High 
School  of  the  class  of  1895,  also  of  the  Hillsdale  Commercial  College 
of  the  class  of  1892,  and  in  1898  graduated  from  the  Ypsilanti  Normal, 
from  which  he  holds  a  life  certificate.  After  completing  his  education 
he  assumed  the  superintendency  of  the  Portland  City  Schools,  there  re- 
maining for  three  years,  and  in  1901  he  entered  the  literary  department 
of  Michigan  University,  graduating  therefrom  in  the  class  of  1902. 
Immediately  following  that  event  Mr.  Agnew  went  to  Howell,  Michi- 
gan, as  superintendent  of  schools,  there  remaining  for  one  year,  and  in 
1903  came  to  Dowagiac  and  entered  upon  his  journalistic  career  by 
purchasing  the  Dowagiac  Repiiblican,  a  semi-weekly  eight  page  quarto. 
He  is  the  owner  of  the  finest  press  in  the  county,  a  two-revolution  Cot- 
trell,  and  he  also  has  two  job  presses.  His  paper  is  the  leading  organ  of 
the  Republican  party  in  the  county,  with  a  circulation  of  about  fifteen 
hundred.  Its  editor  is  candid  in  the  expression  of  his  opinions,  and 
strives  to  give  the  true  status  of  the  news  generally.  He  does  a  general 
printing  business  and  has  arranged  to  add  a  book-binding  department, 
which  will  make  it  the  most  complete  printery  in  Cass  county. 

On  the  26th  of  August,  1902,  Mr.  Agnew  married  Miss  Marie 
Le  Gault,  and  one  little  son  has  been  born  to  them,  Clifton  Allen.  Mrs. 
Agnew  is  a  native  of  Cheboygan,  Michigan,  born  June  21,  1878,  and  is 
of  French  descent.  She  received  her  education  in  the  Cheboygan  High 
School,  also  graduated  at  the  Ypsilanti  Normal  in  1898,  and  then  en- 
tered the  Michigan  University  at  Ann  Arbor.  After  completing  her  edu- 
cation she  was  engaged  in  teaching  at  Newberry,  Michigan,  Her  par- 
ents are  both  deceased.  In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Agnew  is  a  Re- 
publican, and  he  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for  McKinley.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  a  member  of  the  B.  P.  O.  E.  No.  889,  of  Dowagiac. 

M.  O.  HADDEN. 

Few  residents  of  Cass  county  have  longer  resided  within  its  borders 
than  M.  O.  Hadden,  of  Dowagiac,  who  has  lived  in  this  part  of  the  state 
through  six  decades.  He  is  of  Scotch  descent  and  manifests  in  his  life 
many  of  the  sterling  characteristics  of  his  ancestry.  He  was  born  in 
Cayuga  county,  New  York,  October  22,  1845.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, Charles  Hadden,  was  a  native  of  Scotland  and  after  leaving  the 
land  of  hills  and  heather  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  the  new  world.     He 


752  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

settled  in  New  York,  where  he  died  of  yellow  fever.  His  son,  Louis  W. 
Hadden,  a  native  of  Westchester  county,  New  York,  was  born  in  1805, 
and  was  reared  in  the  place  of  his  nativity.  In  his  youth  he  learned  the 
blacksmith's  trade  and  in  early  manhood  he  came  westward  to  Michigan, 
settling  here  before  the  country  became  involved  in  the  financial  panic, 
owing  to  the  issuance  of  bank  notes  by  private  banks,  the  currency  be- 
coming known  as  wildcat  money.  Mr.  Hadden  located  in  Pontiac,  Mich- 
igan, but  afterward  returned  to  New  York.  Again  in  i8zj.6,  however, 
he  came  to  Michigan,  settling  in  Volinia  township,  Cass  county,  estab- 
lishing the  first  blacksmith  shop  in  the  township.  He  afterward  removed 
to  Wayne  township,  settling  on  Section  25,  where  he  also  opened  a 
blacksmith  shop,  follow^ing  the  business  for  a  long  period.  In  later  years 
he  also  engaged  in  farming  in  the  same  locality  and  his  life  was  one  of 
untiring  industry  and  enterprise,  his  success  being  the  result  of  his  per- 
vSeverance  and  labor.  His  last  days  were  spent  in  Dowagiac,  where  he 
died  in  his  eighty- fourth  year.  He  was  a  life-long  Democrat,  never 
faltering  in  his  allegiance  to  the  party  and  he  held  membership  in  the 
Baptist  church,  living  an  upright,  honorable  Christian  life.  He  mar- 
ried Joanna  Gould,  who  was  born  in  Cayuga  county,  New  York,  where 
her  girlhood  days  were  passed.  Her  mother  w^as  a  distant  relative  of 
President  Monroe.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hadden  were  married  in  Cayuga 
county,  New^  York,  and  both  spent  their  last  days  in  Dowagiac,  Mrs. 
Pladden  passing  away  when  eighty  years  of  age.  In  their  family  were 
seven  children,  of  whom  two  died  in  infancy,  while  five  reached  man- 
hood or  womanhood.  These  are:  Charles,  now  deceased;  Mary,  the 
wife  of  George  McCormack,  of  Jackson,  Michigan;  Armantha,  the  wife 
of  Hiram  Adams,  of  Volinia  township;  and  Cyrena  Jennetta,  the  wife 
of  Samuel  Edwards,  of  Jackson,  Michigan. 

M.  O.  Hadden  is  the  sixth  child  in  a  family  of  seven  children  and 
the  only  son  now  living.  He  was  less  than  a  year  old  when  brought  by 
his  parents  to  Cass  county  and  was  reared  upon  the  homestead  farm  in 
Wayne  township.  When  a  boy  he  attended  the  common  schools  and  at 
the  age  of  about  fourteen  years  began  learning  the  blacksmith's  trade 
with  his  father,  with  whom  he  worked  until  about  seventeen  years  of 
age.  He  continued  upon  the  home  farm,  assisting  in  the  task  of  devel- 
oping and  cultivating  the  fields  and  during  that  time  he  also  bought  land 
for  himself,  and  eventually  became  the  owner  of  the  old  homestead. 
He  added  to  his  property  from  time  to  time  until  his  landed  posses- 
sions were  quite  extensive.  He  has  since  sold  some  of  the  property  but 
still  has  one  hundred  and  seventy  acres  of  good  land  in  Wayne  and 
Volinia  townships.  He  placed  his  land  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation 
and  gathered  good  crops  each  year,  while  his  grain  found  a  ready  sale 
upon  the  market.  He  kept  everything  about  his  place  in  good  condi- 
tion and  in  all  of  his  farm  work  was  progressive  and  enterprising.  At 
length,  however,  he  retired  from  general  agricultural  pursuits,  and  in 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  753 

1903  removed  to  Dowagiac,  where  he  is  now  residing  in  the  enjoyment 
of  the  fruits  of  iiis  former  toil. 

Mr.  Hadden  was  married  first  in  1868  to  Miss  Adahne  Ferguson, 
who  was  born  and  reared  in  Indiana  and  was  a  daughter  of  Richard 
Ferguson.  She  died  in  1902,  leaving  two  children:  Iva,  now  the 
wife  of  Jacob  Spade,  of  Kalamazoo;  and  Herbert  M.,  a  farmer  living 
in  Wayne  township.  Mr.  Hadden  married  his  present  wife  in  No- 
vember, 1903.  She  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Sarah  Swisher,  was  the 
widow  of  Jerry  Foltz  and  was  born  in  Preble  county,  Ohio,  April  13, 
1845,  her  parents  being  John  and  Millecent  (Elliott)  Swisher,  who 
came  to  Michigan  about  185 1,  settling  in  Silver  Creek  township.  Her 
father  died  when  eighty-two  years  of  age  and  her  mother  when  sev- 
enty-two years  of  age.  In  the  family  were  ten  children,  all  of  whom 
reached  years  of  maturity  with  one  exception,  Mrs.  Hadden  being 
the  fourth  in  order  of  birth.  She  was  first  married  to  George  Strackan- 
gart  and  they  had  one  daughter,  Ida,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  Dr. 
Elmer  Mater,  of  Dowagiac.  The  mother  afterward  married  Jerry 
Foltz. 

Mr.  Hadden  has  been  a  lifelong  Republican,  but  has  never  sought 
or  desired  ofifice,  although  he  is  interested  in  the  growth  of  his  party 
and  its  success.  He  is  a  prominent  and  valued  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  belonging  to  the  blue  lodge  of  Dowagiac.  Sixty  years  have 
been  added  to  the  cycle  of  the  centuries  since  he  came  to  Cass  county 
and  in  this  time  he  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  public  measures,  co- 
operating in  many  movements  for  the  general  good.  He  has  a  wide 
acquaintance  with  the  people  of  the  county,  has  been  found  to  be  a 
reliable  and  enterprising  business  man  and  at  all  times  has  stood  for 
improvement  along  material,  intellectual,  social,  political  and  moral  lines. 
In  his  business  affairs  he  has  prospered  as  the  result  of  his  keen  dis- 
crimination, close  application  and  unfaltering  diligence.  He  is  today 
the  owner  of  a  large  farm,  to  which  he  makes  frequent  trips  in  his  auto- 
mobile, thus  giving  personal  supervision  to  the  development  of  the  prop- 
erty. 

CHARLES  ELLIOTT  SWEET. 

Charles  Elliott  Sweet,  who  has  exerted  a  strong  and  beneficial  in- 
fluence in  behalf  of  the  Republican  party  in  Cass  county,  Michigan,  and 
is  a  representative  member  of  the  bar  at  Dowagiac,  was  bom  in  Van 
Buren  county,  Michigan,  on  the  nth  of  March,  i860.  The  paternal 
grandfather  was  Ezra  Sweet,  who  removed  from  Vermont  to  New  York 
during  the  boyhood  of  his  son,  Joseph  Elliott  Sweet,  who  was  born  in 
the  former  state.  Ezra  Sweet  was  commissioned  a  corporal  in  the  New 
York  militia  in  1823.  He  wedded  Miss  Mary  Smith,  a  daughter  of 
David  Smith,  the  great-grandfather  of  Charles  Elliott  Sweet,  and  a 
native  of  Vermont,  who  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war  as  a  private 
in  both  the  infantry  and  artillery  ranks,  and  Charles  Elliott  Sweet  now 


754  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

has  in  his  possession  his  pension  papers  which  entitles  him  to  eighty-one 
dollars  and  ninety-three  cents  pension  for  each  year  of  his  natural  life. 
He  had  served  with  the  Rhode  Island  regiment. 

Joseph  Elliott  Sweet,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Windom 
county,  Vermont,  and  after  a  residence  of  a  number  of  years  in  the  Em- 
pire state  removed  to  Michigan  in  1840.     He  engaged  in  teaching  school 
in  Bellevue,  Battle  Creek  and  Paw  Paw  for  a  number  of  years,  and 
then  entered  upon  tlie  study  of  medicine  in  the  state  university  at  Ann 
Arbor.     He  was  licensed  to  practice  about  1850  and  entered  upon  the 
active  work  of  the  profession  in  Mattawan,  Van  Buren  county,  whence 
he  removed  to  Keeler  about  1859.     ^^^  continued  in  the  active  practice 
of  medicine  and  surgery  until  1874,  when  he  retired  from  the  profession 
and  removed  to  Hartford,  Van  Buren  county,  where  his  last  days  were 
spent,  his  death  there  occurring  in  1903,  when  he  had  reached  the  ven- 
erable age  of  eighty-three  years.     He  enjoyed  more  than  a  local  reputa- 
tion for  his  skill  in  the  practice  of  medicine  and  surgery  and  was  consid- 
ered an  exceptionally  well  informed  man  in  his  profession,  so  that  he 
was  frequently  called  in  for  consultation  on  important  cases.     He  held 
membership  in  the  Congregational  church,  was  one  of  its  active  workers 
and  served  as  a  deacon.     Fraternally  he  was  connected  with  the  Masons 
and  the  Odd  Fellows,  while  his  political  support  was  given  to  the  Re- 
publican party.     He  held  township  and  village  offices  and  for  many  years 
served  on  the  school  board  and  at  all  times  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties 
he  was  prompt  and  faithful,  looking  to  the  general  good  rather  than  to 
personal  gain  or  aggrandizement.     A  stanch  champion  of  the  Union 
cause,  he  was  eager  to  enlist  in  the  Union  army  but  was  rejected  by 
the  medical  examiner.     He  stood  as  the  defender  of  all  that  he  believed 
to  be  right  and  just  between  man  and  his  fellowmen  and  supported  every 
movement  that  he  believed  would  contribute  to  the  upbuilding  of  the 
race  or  of  his  community.     He  wedded  Mary  Adalyn  Adsett,  who  was 
born  in  the  state  of  New  York  and  died  in  i860,  at  the  age  of  thirty 
years.     Her  parents  came  to  Michigan  at  an  early  day,  locating  near 
Paw  Paw.    Mrs.  Sweet  was  an  only  child  and  her  mother  died  when  she 
was  very  young.     Mrs.  Sweet  became  a  music  teacher  and  was  a  lady 
of  more  than  ordinary  ability,  of  superior  culture  and  of  fine  character. 
She,  too,  held  membership  in  the  Congregational  church.     By  her  mar- 
riage she  became  the  mother  of  three  children:     Elliott,  who  died  in 
childhood ;  Mary  A.,  the  wife  of  Perley  E.  Wilson,  a  veteran  of  the 
Civil  war  at  Mobile,  Alabama ;  and  Charles  Elliott,  of  this  review.    After 
losing  his  first  wife  the  father  married  Rachel  E.  Pletcher,  a  native  oi 
New  York  and  unto  them  were  born  four  children;  Clara  B.,  who  is  now 
the  widow  of  Mr.  Wellett  and  is  engaged  in  teaching  school  in  Van 
Buren  county:  Edward,  who  died  in  childhood;  William  E.,  a  salesman 
for  the  Marshal  Furnace  Company,  and  a  resident  of  Dowagiac;  and 
Fred  E.,  who  is  living  in  Dowagiac. 

Charles  Elliott  Sweet  attended  school  in  his  native  town  and  in 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  755 

1884  entered  the  law  office  of  Spafiford  Tryon  of  Cassopolis,  under  whose 
direction  he  pursued  his  reading  for  two  years.  In  the  meantime  he 
taught  school  and  followed  that  profession  for  sixteen  years  altogether 
in  Van  Buren  and  Cass  counties.  On  the  4th  of  October,  1886,  at 
Cassopolis,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  in  the  same  year  was  elected 
justice  of  the  peace,  filling  the  office  until  1889  and  practicing  his  pro- 
fession in  the  meantime.  In  the  fall  of  1886  he  was  also  elected  circuit 
court  commissioner  for  Cass  county  and  filled  the  position  for  two  terms. 
In  the  fall  of  1890  he  entered  the  law  department  of  the  University  of 
Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor  and,  completing  a  two  years'  course  in  one 
year,  was  graduated  in  1891.  He  had  been  practicing  at  Dowagiac  since 
his  admission  to  the  bar  and  returned  from  the  university  to  this  city, 
where  he  again  took  up  the  active  duties  of  the  profession.  He  de- 
clined a  renomination  for  office  of  justice,  as  his  practice  had  increased 
to  generous  proportions  and  left  him  little  leisure  time  for  official  serv- 
ice. He  now  has  a  distinctively  representative  clientage  and  has  been 
connected  with  much  of  the  important  litigation  tried  in  the  courts  of 
this  district.  Possessing  an  analytical  mind,  he  is  also  strong  in  his 
reasoning  and  logical  in  his  deductions  and  he  presents  his  cause  with 
a  clearness  and  conciseness  that  never  fails  to  impress  his  hearers  and 
seldom  fails  to  win  the  verdict  desired.  He  has  been  attorney  for  the 
receivers  of  the  Citizens  National  Bank  and  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Niles,  is  attorney  for  Lee  Brothers  &  Company's  bank  of  Dowagiac,  is 
local  attorney  for  the  Dowagiac  Manufacturing  Company  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Cass  County  Bar  Association.  In  his  library  he  has  about 
one  thousand  volumes  which  is  probably  the  best  and  largest  law  librar}^ 
in  the  county. 

In  1887  Mr.  Sweet  was  married  to  Miss  Grace  L.  Rouse,  a  daughter 
of  Lyman  V.  and  Mary  E.  Rouse,  the  former  a  physician,  who  has 
long  been  a  practitioner  of  Dowagiac.  Mrs.  Sweet  was  born  in  this  city  in 
1867  and  became  the  mother  of  three  children:  Elizabeth  Adalyn;  Don- 
ald E.,  deceased;  and  Lucian  Fred.  Mr.  Sweet  was  married  to  Miss 
Gertrude  M.  Toll  for  his  second  wife.  She  is  a  daughter  of  David  H. 
and  Martha  L.  Toll,  the  fonner  a  retired  miller  living  in  Niles. 

Prominent  in  Masonic  circles,  Mr.  Sweet  is  a  Knight  Templar  and 
also  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason.  He  is  a  past  master  of  Peninsular 
Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  past  high  priest  of  Keystone  Chapter,  R. 
A.  M.,  a  member  of  Niles  council,  R.  &  S.  M.,  past  emiinent 
commander  of  Niles  commandery,  K.  T.,  and  past  second  lieutenant 
commander  of  Dewitt  Clinton  Consistory,  S.  P.  R.  S.,  and  past  illustrious 
potentate  of  Saladin  Temple,  A.  A.  O.  N.  M.  S.  He  likewise  belongs 
to  the  Grand  Lodge  in  Michigan,  in  which  he  is  deputy  grand  master. 
He  is  the  oldest  past  commander  of  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees  in 
Dowagiac  and  is  a  past  chancellor  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  also 
belongs  to  the  lodges  of  the  Odd  Fellows,  Elks.  Owls,  Royal  Arcanum 
and  Foresters  and  is  a  member  of  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star  of 


756  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Dowagiac.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Sweet  is  a  stalwart  Republican.  He 
was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  in  the  spring  of  1886  and  in  the  fa!ll 
of  the  same  year  was  chosen  circuit  court  commissioner  and  served  for 
two  terms.  In  1892  he  was  elected  prosecuting  attorney  and  by  re-elec- 
tion was  continued  in  office  for  four  years,  while  for  five  terms  he  has 
been  city  attorney  of  Dowagiac.  His  long  continuance  in  one  position 
indicates  the  confidence  reposed  in  him  by  his  fellow  townsmen  as  well 
as  his  personal  popularity.  In  1904  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  Repub- 
lican National  Convention  at  Chicago  from  the  fourth  congressional  dis- 
trict of  Michigan  and  was  made  the  Michigan  member  of  the  com- 
mittee to  notify  President  Roosevelt  of  his  nomination  and  went  upon 
that  mission  to  Oyster  Bay  on  the  27th  of  July,  1904.  He  has  several 
times  been  a  member  of  the  Republican  County  Central  Committee,  has 
always  taken  an  active  part  in  party  politics  and  is  recognized  as  one 
of  the  Republican  leaders  of  this  part  of  the  state.  He  is  a  speaker  of 
ability  and  has  addressed  many  audiences  about  the  issues  of  the  cam- 
paigns. Mr.  Sweet  is  widely  recognized  as  a  man  of  influence  and  prom- 
inence not  alone  by  reason  of  his  activity  in  political  circles  but  also  owing 
to  the  high  position  which  he  has  attained  as  a  member  of  the  Cass 
county  bar  and  likewise  by  reason  of  his  personal  worth. 

JAMES  ATWOOD. 

James  Atwood,  a  retired  farmer  residing  in  Dowagiac,  is  the  owner 
of  six  hundred  acres  of  rich  and  productive  land  and  derives  therefrom 
an  excellent  income,  which  now  enables  him  to  rest  from  further  toil 
and  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  former  labor.  During  the  greater  part  of 
his  life  he  carried  on  agricultural  pursuits  but  in  the  days  of  the  early 
discoveries  of  gold  in  California  he  went  to  the  Pacific  coast.  He  has 
now  passed  the  seventy-seventh  milestone  on  life's  journey,  having  been 
born  in  Cattaraugus  county.  New  York,  January  28,  1829.  He  was 
the  third  child  in  a  family  of  three  sons  and  two  daughters  born  unto 
Wells  H.  and  Sarah  (Kelley)  Atwood.  The  father  was  a  native  of 
Vermont  and  in  early  life  removed  from  New  England  to  New  York^ 
where  he  followed  the  occupation  of  farming.  In  1836  he  came  to 
Michigan,  settling  in  Wayne  township,  Cass  county,  where  he  took  up 
land  from  the  government,  securing  three  tracts  of  eighty  acres  each. 
Here  he  improved  a  farm  and  was  closely  identified  with  the  early  de- 
velopment and  pioneer  history  of  the  county.  His  was  the  seventh 
family  to  locate  in  Wayne  township.  For  many  years  he  successfully 
carried  on  general  agricultural  pursuits  but  in  his  later  years  removed  to 
Dowagiac,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-four  years.  He  was  a 
pioneer  merchant  of  the  city,  dealing  in  dry  goods  and  also  conducting 
a  general  store.  He  had  a  wide  and  favorable  acquaintance  throughout 
the  county  by  reason  of  his  close  connection  with  the  development  and 
improvement  of  this  part  of  the  state.     His  wife,  who  was  commonly 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  757 

known  as  Aunt  Sallie,  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts  and  died  in  1849. 
One  of  their  sons,  Lafayette  Atwood,  was  a  resident  of  Dowagiac,  and 
is  now  deceased. 

James  Atwood  of  this  review  was  only  about  eight  years  of  age 
when  brought  by  his  parents  to  Michigan.  He  was  reared  upon  the 
old  home  farm  in  Wayne  township,  Cass  county,  and  began  his  educa- 
tion in  a  log  cooper  shop,  where  a  session  of  school  was  held.  He  like- 
wise pursued  his  studies  in  log  school  buildings,  attending  for  only  a 
few  months  during  the  winter  seasons,  while  throughout  the  remainder 
of  the  year  his  time  and  attention  was  given  to  the  active  work  of 
developing  and  cultivating  new  land.  He  remained  at  home  until  he 
was  of  age,  assisting  in  the  active  work  of  the  farm.  He  clerked  for 
a  time  in  Dowagiac  and  at  different  times  has  been  identified  with  agri- 
cultural and  mercantile  interests.  In  1852  he  went  to  California  by  way 
of  New  Orleans  and  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  spending  two  years  on 
the  Pacific  coast  in  search  of  the  precious  metal.  He  returned  home  by 
way  of  New  York  and  brought  back  with  him  as  the  result  of  his  mining 
ventures  sufficient  money  to  enable  him  to  purchase  a  farm.  Thus  he 
gained  his  first  real  start  in  life. 

Mr.  Atwood  was  married  in  1856  to  Ann  Eliza  Allen,  a  daughter 
of  Gideon  Allen.  She  was  born  in  Yates  county.  New  York,  January 
31,  1837,  and  was  brought  to  Cass  county  by  her  parents  about  1842, 
the  family  locating  in  Wayne  township.  Her  mother  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Sarah  Ann  Larrowe  and  in  the  family  there  were  six  children, 
four  daughters  and  two  sons,  Mrs.  Atwood  being  the  third  in  order  of 
birth.  She  has  one  brother,  Henry  Allen,  who  is  living  in  Wayne  town- 
ship, and  a  sister,  Clementine,  who  is  the  wife  of  H.  R.  Taylor. 

At  the  time  of  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Atwood  located  on  a 
farm  in  Wayne  township,  Cass  county,  where  he  carried  on  general  ag- 
ricultural pursuits  for  ten  years,  when  in  1866  he  removed  to  Dowagiac 
but  still  continued  to  conduct  his  farms  for  some  time  thereafter.  He 
also  engaged  in  the  stock  business,  buying  and  shipping  for  about  fifteen 
years,  finding  this  a  source  of  gratifying  profit.  He  was  also  engaged  in 
the  grocery  business  for  about  a  year.  He  now  owns  three  farms,  all  in 
Wayne  township,  comprising  over  six  hundred  acres  of  land,  which  he 
rents  and  which  brings  to  him  a  good  income.  He  also  loans  money 
and  with  the  exception  of  the  supervision  of  his  farms  and  his  loans  he 
is  living  retired,  enjoying  a  rest  which  he  has  truly  earned  and  richly 
deserves.  He  has  been  practical  in  his  methods,  thoroughly  reliable  at 
all  times  and  his  business  integrity  and  enterprise  have  been  the  source 
of  his  success. 

Mr.  Atwood  has  voted  for  the  candidates  of  both  Democratic  and 
Republican  parties,  casting  his  ballot  for  those  whom  he  thinks  best 
qualified  for  office.  He  is  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Cass  county,  having 
spent  seventy  years  here.  He  and  his  wife  have  traveled  life's  journey 
together  for  a  half  century,  celebrating  their  golden  wedding  on  the 


758  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

26th  of  January,  1906,  and  sharing  with  each  other  in  the  joys  and  sor- 
rows, the  adversity  and  prosperity  which  checker  the  careers  of  all.  Mr. 
Atwood  has  intimate  knowledge  of  the  history  of  this  county  as  it  has 
emerged  from  pioneer  conditions  to  take  on  all  the  evidences  of  an  ad- 
vanced civilization.  He  has  an  intimate  knowledge  of  the  history  of  the 
county  in  its  various  phases,  and  at  all  times  has  stood  as  an  advocate  of 
improvement  and  upbuilding,  giving  his  co-operation  to  many  progressive 
public  measures. 

GENERAL  A.  M.  FISH. 

General  A.  M.  Fish,  who  won  the  rank  of  brigadier-general  by 
active  field  service  in  the  Civil  war  and  who  was  connected  with  the 
military  interests  of  the  country  continuously  from  1854  until  1870,  is 
now  living  retired  in  Dowagiac.  He  made  a  splendid  record  while  fol- 
lowing the  stars  and  stripes  and  he  deserves  the  gratitude  which  the 
country  feels  for  the  ''toys  in  blue"  who  stood  unfalteringly  in  defense 
of  the  Union  during  the  dark  days  of  civil  strife.  He  is  one  of  Mich- 
igan's native  sons,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  White  Pigeon  town- 
ship, St.  Joseph  county,  on  the  5th  of  September,  1835.  His  father 
was  E.  T.  Fish,  a  native  of  Hartford,  Connecticut.  Tracing  the  ancestry 
of  the  family  back  through  several  generations  it  will  be  noted  that  they 
have  always  been  distinguished  for  valor  and  loyalty  and  that  the  fam- 
ily has  been  worthily  represented  in  the  various  wars  in  which  the  coun- 
try has  participated.  There  were  several  soldiers  in  the  Revolutionary 
war  and  also  in  the  war  of  181 2,  while  others  fought  for  American  in- 
terests in  the  Mexican  war  and  fifty  members  of  the  family  served  in  the 
war  of  the  rebellion.  The  family  comes  of  Prussian  ancestry.  The  pa- 
ternal grandfather  of  General  Fish  was  a  major  with  the  colonial  troops 
in  the  war  for  independence,  serving  throughout  the  period  of  hostili- 
ties under  the  immediate  command  of  General  Washington,  acting  for 
a  part  of  the  time  as  one  of  Washington's  body  guards. 

E.  T.  Fish,  father  of  General  Fish,  was  a  drum  major  of  the  First 
Connecticut  Volunteer  Infantry  in  the  war  of  181 2.  He  removed  to  St. 
Joseph  county,  Michigan,  in  1834,  locating  on  White  Pigeon  prairie  in 
White  Pigeon  township,  where  he  lived  for  about  eight  years,  when  in 
1842  he  came  to  Cass  county,  settling  in  Mason  township,  where  he  de- 
voted his  remaining  days  to  general  agricultural  pursuits,  his  death  occur- 
ring when  he  had  reached  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years.  His  early  po- 
litical allegiance  was  given  to  the  Democracy,  which  he  supported  until 
about  1850,  when  he  became  a  know-nothing.  When  the  Republican 
party  was  formed  to  prevent  the  further  extension  of  slavery  he  joined 
its  ranks  and  remained  one  of  its  stalwart  advocates  until  his  demise. 
His  wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Ruby  Leumien  and  was  a  native  of 
Bristol,  Rhode  Island.  She  was  descended  from  French  ancestry,  her 
parents  having  been  born  in  France.  Eight  children,  four  sons  and  four 
daughters,  were  born  unto  E.  T.  and  Ruby  Fish,  namely:    John  L.,  who 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  759 

was  a  soldier  of  the  Union  army  in  the  Civil  war;  Horace,  who  also  be- 
came a  soldier;  George,  who  died  before  the  war;  Laura,  who  reached 
her  eighty-second  year,  dying  May  7,  1905,  was  the  widow  of  Collins 
Fraser;  Harriet,  deceased;  Maria,  who  died  in  Kansas  in  1905;  and 
Cynthia,  the  wife  of  Thomas  J.  Mealoy,  of  Vandalia,  Cass  county, 
Michigan,  who  was  a  soldier. 

General  A.  M.  Fish,  who  was  the  sixth  child  and  third  son  in  his 
father's  family,  was  brought  to  Cass  county  by  his  parents  when  but 
seven  years  of  age  and  through  the  succeeding  decade  remained  upon  the 
home  farm  assisting  in  the  labors  of  the  fields  when  not  busy  with  the 
duties  of  the  schoolroom  or  the  pleasures  of  the  playground.  He  re- 
ceived an  appointment  as  a  cadet  at  West  Point  and  was  graduated  from 
the  Government  Military  Academy  in  the  class  of  1853.  He  first  joined 
the  United  States  dragoons  and  was  sent  to  Fort  Kearney  in  Nebraska. 
Soon  afterward  he  was  made  brevet  second  lieutenant  and  was  commis- 
sioned a  full  second  lieutenant  in  1854,  thus  serving  until  1857,  when  he 
w^as  promoted  to  the  rank  of  first  lieutenant  and  in  1859,  following  the 
resignation  of  various  southern  officers,  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  captain  and  placed  in  command  of  Company  C  of  the  Third  United 
States  Dragoons.  In  i860  he  was  still  further  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
major  and  at  the  outbreak  of  hostilities  between  the  north  and  the  south 
he  was  made  a  colonel  of  the  volunteers,  while  subsequently  he  was 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  brigadier-general  and  assigned  to  command  of  a 
regiment  of  infantry,  which  he  commanded  at  the  battle  of  Shiloh.  He 
afterward  was  in  command  of  several  different  regiments,  being  shifted 
from  one  to  another  and  during  some  of  the  time  he  was  serving  on 
special  detached  duty  on  the  staff  of  different  generals.  He  was  for  a 
time  on  the  staff  of  General  Sherman  and  he  formed  the  acquaintance  of 
many  of  the  distinguished  and  gallant  leaders  of  the  war.  At  times  he 
commanded  infantry  troops  and  again  was  in  charge  of  cavalry  troops. 
He  participated  in  many  of  the  hotly  contested  engagements  which  led 
to  the  final  victory,  including  the  battles  of  Shiloh,  luka,  Corinth  and 
Moscow,  Tennessee,  the  siege  of  Vicksburg  and  the  raid  after  General 
Price  through  Missouri.  He  was  also  in  the  engagement  at  Nashville, 
Tennessee,  and  the  sieges  of  Mobile  and  Spanish  Fort.  He  was  wounded 
five  times,  at  Corinth,  afterward  at  Texas,  New  Mexico,  Mississippi  and 
later  at  Spanish  Fort.  He  sustained  a  light  bayonet  wound  at  Nashville 
and  a  sword  wound  at  Spanish  Fort.  This  one,  however,  did  not  cause 
him  to  retire  from  active  duty.  He  was  in  the  United  States  service 
as  a  soldier  continuously  from  1854  until  1870,  for  when  the  Civil  war 
was  ended  he  was  sent  with  his  command  to  the  frontier  and  aided  in 
keeping  peace  on  the  western  border. 

At  length  General  Fish  resigned  and  returned  to  Wisconsin,  where 
he  remained  until  1905,  when  he  came  again  to  Cass  county,  Michigan, 
where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  He  built  a  residence  in  Dowagiac, 
which  he  is  now  occupying.  .  General  Fish  was  married  to  Miss  Alceba 


760  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Prosser,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Abram  and  Melissa  (Chapin)  Prosser,  who 
came  from  Oneida  county,  New  York,  to  Michigan  about  1853.  Mrs. 
Fish  died  in  1867,  about  ten  years  after  their  marriage.  There  were 
four  children  born  of  that  union,  namely :  Arthur,  now  deceased ;  Cyn- 
thia, the  wife  of  George  Adkinson,  of  Baraboo,  Wisconsin;  Howard, 
who  is  living  on  the  Florida  coast;  and  William  Elmo,  who  is  in  the 
Fourteenth  United  States  Cavalry  as  first  major  and  is  now  on  the  island 
of  Luzon  in  the  Philippines. 

General  Fish  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and 
has  taken  a  very  active  interest  in  the  organization.  He  is  now  living 
retired  in  a  comfortable  home  in  Dowagiac.  Sixteen  years  of  his  life 
was  devoted  to  his  country  and  her  service  and  he  made  a  splendid  mil- 
itary record,  his  course  during  the  Civil  war  being  characterized  by  im- 
faltering  devotion  to  the  Union  cause  and  the  faithful  performance  of 
every  duty  which  devolved  upon  him,  his  own  zeal  and  courage  often 
inspiring  the  men  who  served  under  him  to  deeds  of  valor.  Wlhen  in 
civil  life  he  has  largely  spent  his  time  in  the  middle  west  and  his  mem- 
ory goes  back  to  a  pioneer  epoch  in  the  history  of  this  county,  for  he  was 
brought  to  Cass  county  by  his  parents  at  an  early  day,  when  the  work  of 
improvement  and  progress  had  scarcely  begun  in  this  portion  of  the  state. 

KENYON  BLY. 

Kenyon  Bly,  whose  home  is  on  section  14,  Marcellus  township,  has 
had  a  successful  business  career,  in  which  unfaltering  enterprise,  close 
application  and  diligence  have  been  the  dominant  qualities  leading  to 
very  desirable  success.  Having  passed  the  eighty-third  milestone  on  life's 
journey,  he  is  now  living  retired  upon  a  farm  which  is  valuable  and  pro- 
ductive, and  which  is  the  visible  evidence  of  his  life  of  industry.  He 
was  born  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  Greene,  in  Chenango  county. 
New  York,  April  24,  1823.  The  Blys  are  of  English  descent  and  the 
family  was  established  in  America  in  early  colonial  days.  Some  of  the 
representatives  of  the  family  served  as  soldiers  of  the  Revolutionary 
war,  while  others  defended  American  interests  in  the  war  of  1812. 
His  parents  were  Job  and  Freelove  (Watson)  Bly,  natives  of  Rhode 
Island  and  Connecticut  respectively.  Following  their  marriage,  which 
was  celebrated  in  New  England,  the}^  removed  to  New  York, 'spending 
their  remaining  days  upon  a  farm  in  Chenango  county.  The  father 
died  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years,  while  the  mother  reached  the  very 
advanced  age  of  ninety-seven  years.  They  were  both  representatives  of 
old  New  England  families  and  became  residents  of  New  York  in  pioneer 
times.  In  their  family  were  nine  children,  but  only  Kenyon  Bly  is  now 
living.  His  brother,  Henry  W.  Bly,  was  born  in  Rhode  Island  and  be- 
came a  resident  of  Marcellus  township  in  1852.  He  first  purchased 
eighty  acres  of  land  and  afterward  became  the  owner  of  three  hundred 
acres,  on  which  he  paid  fourteen  per  cent  interest.     It  was  all  wood- 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  761 

land,  which  he  cleared  and  cultivated,  placing  many  modem  improve- 
mentvS  upon  the  farm  and  developing  it  until  it  became  a  splendid  prop- 
erty. He  resided  upon  tliat  place  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  and  his 
labors  found  a  good-  reward  in  the  splendid  crops  which  he  harvested. 
He  was  practical  in  all  that  he  did,  and  accomplished  whatever  he  under- 
took. Moreover  he  w^as  prominent  and  influential  in  public  affairs  and 
for  twenty-nine  consecutive  years  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  in  his 
township.  He  was  also  supervisor  of  his  township  and  his  political  al- 
legiance was  given  to  ti  e  l^eniocracy.  He  was  married  twice,  but  had  no 
children.  The  other  membeis  of  the  family  were:  Joseph,  who  died 
in  New  York;  Stephen;  Gardner;  Mrs.  Electa  Gibson;  Kenyon,  O'f  this 
review;  Mrs.  Olive  Beardsley;  Mrs.  Rebecca  Page;  and  Lewis. 

Kenyon  Bly,  spending  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  in  the 
county  of  his  nativity,  resided  there  to  the  time  of  his  marriage.  In 
early  life  he  worked  for  ten  dollars  per  month  in  sawmills,  his  labor  con- 
tinuing for  about  eighteen  hours  out  of  the  twenty-four.  He  paid  for 
one  farm  by  working  by  the  month  and  he  owned  several  good  farms 
while  still  a  resident  of  the  east.  He  has  always  been  a  man  of  great 
energy  and  determination,  accomplishing  whatever  he  undertakes,  and 
his  life  record  should  serve  to  inspire  and  encourage  others  who  started 
out  as  he  did,  without  capital. 

In  1852  Mr.  Bly  chose  a  companion  and  helpmate  for  life's  jour- 
ney w^hen  he  was  married  to  Miss  Louesa  Co^Deland,  who  was  born  in 
Chenango  county,  New  York.  Following  their  marriage  they  resided  for 
two  years  near  Lockport,  New  York,  after  which  they  returned  to  Che- 
nango county  and  purchased  a  farm,  lying  partly  in  that  and  partly 
across  the  border  in  Broome  county,  the  residence,  however,  stand- 
ing in  Chenango  county.  Upon  that  farm  Mr.  Bly  remained  for  twenty 
years.  The  place  comprised  one  hundred  acres,  for  which  he  paid  the 
sum  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per  acre.  This  farm  is  still  in 
his  possession.  In  December,  1876,  however,  Mr.  Bly  removed  from 
New  York  to  Cass  county,  Michigan,  in  order  to  take  care  of  a  brother. 
This  brother  died  in  January,  1877,  and  the  valuable  farm  of  four  hun- 
dred and  ten  acres  w^hich  he  owned  was  inherited  by  Kenyon  Bly  of  this 
review,  who  removed  to  the  farm  in  March,  1877.  The  land  lies  at, 
what  is  known  as  Bly's  Corners,  which  settlement  is  older  than  the  vil- 
lage of  Marcellus.  In  addition  to  this  property  Mr.  Bly  also  owns  the 
Centennial  block  in  Marcellus.  At  one  time  his  estate  was  valued  at 
forty  thousand  dollars.  He  has  since  disposed  of  a  large  part  of  his 
property  to  others,  but  retained  the  deeds  to  the  same.  The  property 
upon  which  he  resides  is  operated  as  a  grain  and  stock  farm  and  as 
high  as  twenty-six  hundred  bushels  of  wheat  have  been  raised  thereon 
in  a  single  season.  Fine  stock  is  also  raised  and  the  place  is  noted  for 
the  excellence  of  its  products  and  for  the  high  grade  of  stock  which  is 
here  produced.     Mr.  Bly  was  a  very  busy  man  until  about  eight  years 


762  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

ago,  when  he  suffered  from  paralysis,  and  since  that  time  has  not  been 
active  in  business.  He  has  valuable  propertv  interests,  however,  which 
supply  him  with  the  comforts  and  luxuries  of  life. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bly  lived  to  celebrate  their  fiftieth  wedding  anniver- 
sary, and  two  more  years  of  married  life  were  vouchsafed  to  them  ere 
they  were  separated  by  the  death  of  Mrs.  Bly,  on  the  30th  of  June,  1904, 
when  she  was  seventy-three  years  of  age.  They  had  traveled  life's  jour- 
ney happily  together,  sharing  with  each  other  its  joys  and  sorrows,  its  ad- 
versity and  prosperity.  They  never  had  any  children  and  this  fact 
perhaps  drew  them  more  closely  together. 

Mr.  Bly  cast  his  first  presidential  ballot  for  Henry  Clay,  and  has 
been  a  stalwart  Democrat  since  1861.  He  and  his  wife  were  members  of 
the  Episcopal  church  at  Greene,  New  York,  for  many  years,  and  after 
removing  to  the  west  Mrs.  Bly  united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  at  Marcellus.  Mr.  Bly  assisted  in  building  the  church  in  New 
York  and  has  always  been  the  champion  of  those  interests  and  move- 
ments which  tend  to  benefit  the  material,  intellectual,  social  and  moral 
welfare  of  a  community.  His  life  has  been  active  and  honorable  and  the 
traits  of  sterling  manhood  which  he  has  ever  manifested  have  gained 
for  him  a  prominent  position  in  public  regard,  while  those  with  whomi  he 
has  been  held  intimately  entertain  for  him  warm  friendship.  He  is  now 
one  of  the  venerable  citizens  of  Marcellus  township,  having  passed  the 
eighty-third  milestone  on  life's  journey,  and  his  record  may  well  serve 
as  a  source  of  encouragement  to  the  young  and  an  inspiration  to  the 
aged. 

ROLAND  LEWIS. 

Roland  Lewis,  who  is  engaged  in  the  drug  business  in  Dowagiac, 
where  he  has  been  a  representative  of  mercantile  interests  since  1890, 
w^as  born  in  Marion  county,  Ohio,  July  6,  1856.  His  father  was  Eben 
Lewis,  a  native  of  Albany,  New  York.  He  dates  his  ancestry  back  to 
Francis  Lewis,  who  was  born  in  Wales  and  came  to  America  in  colonial 
days.  He  was  prominent  in  public  life,  being  closely  connected  with 
many  events  shaping  the  history  of  the  nation,  and  was  one  of  the  sign- 
ers of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  There  were  five  brothers  who 
came  to  America,  settling  in  dififerent  states.  One  was  a  resident  of 
Connecticut,  another  of  Virginia,  one  of  South  Carolina,  a  fourth  of 
New  York  and  a  fifth  of  Pennsylvania.  Francis  Lewis  was  the  father 
of  Ebenezer  Lewis,  the  great-grandfather  of  our  subject.  The  grand- 
father, Ebenezer  Lewis,  was  a  pioneer  farmer  of  Marion  county,  Ohio, 
to  which  place  he  removed  when  his  son,  Eben  Lewis,  was  but  three 
years  of  age.  There  the  last  named  was  reared  to  manhood  amid  nioneer 
conditions  and  surroundings.  He  married  Miss  Hattie  McWilliams, 
and  throughout  his  entire  life  he  followed  the  occupation  of  milling, 
making  that  pursuit  the  one  which  provided  his  family  with  a  comfort- 
able living.    He  died  when  about  wsixty-three  years  of  age,  and  his  wife 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  763 

is  now  living  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years,  making  her  home  in 
Marion  county,  Ohio.  In  their  family  were  five  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters, all  of  whom  reached  adult  age,  while  three  sons  and  one  daughter 
are  living  at  this  writing. 

Roland  Lewis  is  the  fifth  child  and  fourth  son  in  his  father's  fam- 
ily. He  was  reared  in  the  county  of  his  nativity  and  pursued  his  educa- 
tion in  the  country  schools  and  also  in  a  high  school  at  Columbus  Grove, 
Ohio.  He  afterward  spent  two  years  as  a  student  in  the  Northern 
Indiana  Normal  College  at  Valparaiso,  Indiana.  This  was  in  1879  ^^^ 
1880,  and  in  1881  he  removed  to  Freeport,  Illinois,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  drug  business,  making  his  home  at  that  place  until  1885. 
He  then  removed  to  Nevada,  Iowa,  where  he  established  a  drug  store 
on  his  own  account,  continuing  at  that  point  for  four  years,  when  he 
sold  out  and  removed  to  Michigan,  arriving  in  Dowagiac  in  1890.  He 
then  purchased  an  interest  in  the  store  which  he  has  since  conducted. 
The  firm  of  Lewis  &  Simmers  was  established,  but  in  the  following 
September  Mr.  Lewis  purchased  his  partner's  interest  and  continued  alone 
in  business  under  his  own  name  until  1898,  when  the  firm  of  R.  Lewis 
&  Company  was  formed,  a  partner  being  admitted.  This  is  a  well 
equipped  establishment,  and  its  neat  and  tasteful  arrangement,  mod- 
erate prices  and  the  efforts  of  the  proprietor  to  please  his  patrons  have 
secured  a  large  and  growing  business. 

Mr.  Lewis  was  married  in  1885  to  Miss  Ella  Wood,  a  daughter  of 
Nathan  Wood,  of  Deep  River,  Indiana,  and  they  now  have  one  child, 
Claire,  who  is  at  home.  Mr.  Lewis  is  an  earnest  Democrat  in  his  polit- 
ical views  and  has  taken  an  active  part  in  advancing  the  welfare  and 
promoting  the  growth  of  Democracy  in  this  locality.  Since  1897  he 
has  served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  public  works  and  has  proven  a 
most  capable  official.  For  twenty-eight  years  he  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity  and  is  most  loyal  to  its  teachings,  being  in  hearty 
sympathy  with  the  principles  of  the  craft.  He  is  also  connected  with  the 
Modern  Woodmen.  His  residence  in  the  county  now  covers  a  period  of 
sixteen  years,  and  the  fact  that  he  has  been  continuously  in  mercantile 
life  has  gained  him  a  wide  acquaintance,  while  his  business  methods  and 
personal  traits  of  character  have  won  for  him  an  enviable  place  in  the 
warm  reof^rd  of  many  friends  as  well  as  of  those  who  have  known  him 
only  through  business  relations. 

ROBERT  H.  WILEY. 

Robert  H.  Wiley,  the  secretary  of  the  Farmer's  Mutual  Fire  In- 
surance Company  of  Dowagiac,  is  numbered  among  the  native  sons  of 
Cass  county,  his  birth  bavins:  occurred  in  Wayne  township  on  the  7th 
of  December,  t8zio.  His  father  was  William  G.  Wiley,  a  native  of  New 
York  and  a  son  of  John  B.  Wilev,  who'  was  born  in  Ireland,  but  in  early 
life  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  the  United  States  and  settled  in  New  York 


764  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

city.  He  became  a  resident  of  Cass  county,  Michigan, .  about  1836, 
being  numbered  among  its  settlers  when  this  was  a  frontier  region,  giv- 
ing httle  promise  of  rapid  development  of  improvement.  By  trade  he 
was  a  cooper.  Before  coming  to  Michigan,  however,  he  lived  at  differ- 
ent times  in  New  Jersey  and  Ohio  and  it  was  in  those  states  that  Will- 
iam G.  Wiley,  father  of  our  subject,  was  reared.  He,  too,  arrived  in 
Cass  county  in  1836,  at  which  time  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Cassopolis, 
where  he  worked  at  the  cooper's  trade,  which  he  had  learned  under  the 
direction  of  his  father.  He  also  lived  for  a  number  of  years  in  Wayne 
township,  and  his  last  days  w^ere  spent  in  LaGrange  township,  where  he 
died  in  his  fiftieth  year.  He  filled  the  office  of  supervisor  in  both  town- 
ships and  was  a  progressive  and  public-spirited  citizen,  who  labored 
earnestly  for  the  promotion  of  general  progress  and  improvement  in  the 
community  in  which  he  had  cast  his  lot.  He  married  Miss  Harriet  Sifert, 
a  native  of  Ohio,  who  came  to  Cass  county  during  her  girlhood  days. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Lemuel  Sifert,  who  was  born  in  this  country 
but  was  of  Dutch  descent.  In  the  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wiley  were 
four  children,  two  daughters  and  two  sons,  all  of  whom  reached  mature 
years. 

Robert  H.  Wiley  is  the  eldest  of  his  father's  family  and  was  reared 
in  Wayne  township  to  the  age  gf  fourteen  years.  He  acquired  a  com- 
mon school  education  and  remained  under  the  parental  roof  until  he 
had  reached  his  majority,  assisting  in  the  work  of  the  fields.  When 
twenty-three  years  of  age  he  left  his  home  and  in  1864  crossed  the 
plains  to  California  by  way  of  Salt  Lake  City,  remaining  for  about  a 
year  on  the  Pacific  coast.  He  made  the  return  trip  by  way  of  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama  and  New  York  city  to  Cass  county  and  resumed 
farming  in  LaGrange  township.  Following  his  marriage  he  located 
with  his  bride  on  a  farm  in  that  township,  and  he  still  owns  the  property, 
where  for  many  years  he  carried  on  general  agricultural  pursuits,  annu- 
ally harvesting  good  crops  as  the  result  of  the  care  and  labor  which  he 
bestowed  upon  the  fields.  In*  1897,  however,  he  retired  from  active 
agricultural  pursuits  and  removed  to  Dowagiac.  The  same  year  he  was 
appointed  secretary  of  the  Farmers'  Mutual  Insurance  Company  and 
has  been  four  times  re-elected  to  the  office,  w^hich  he  now  holds. 

Mr.  Wiley  was  married  in  1867  to  Miss  Bina  C.  Hill,  a  daughter 
of  B.  W.  and  Paulina  Hill.  Mrs.  Wiley  was  born  in  Michigan  and  unto 
this  marriage  there  has  been  born  a  daughter,  Harriet,  who  is  at  home 
with  her  parents.  Mr.  Wiley  has  served  in  a  number  of  official  posi- 
tions, acting  for  twelve  years  as  supervisor  of  LaGrange  township.  He 
was  elected  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  having  throughout  his  entire  life 
been  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  party.  His  realty  holdings  embrace  three 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  good  land  in  LaGrange  township  and  this 
property  returns  to  him  a  gratifying  income.  During  sixty-five  years 
he  has  lived  in  the  county  and  has  watched  its  development  as  it  has 


-HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  765 

emerged  from  the  forest  and  become  a  highly  irnproved  and  cultivated 
district  with  thriving  towns  and  cities  and  fine  farms.  He  has  done  his 
full  share  in  reclaiming  the  wild  land  for  cultivation  and  at  all  times  has 
been  a  supporter  of  public  measures  that  have  resulted  beneficially  in 
upholding  the  legal  and  political  status  of  this  part  of  the  state. 

C,    C    ALLISON. 

Mr.  C.  C.  Allison,  whose  position  as  dean  of  the  newspaper  frater- 
nity of  Cass  county  is  fortified  by  fifty  years  of  experience  with  the  paper 
of  which  he  is  now  editor  and  publisher,  was  born  at  Blackberry,  Illinois, 
in  September,  1840.  He  has  lived  in  Cassopolis  almost  continuously 
since  he  was  eight  years  old.  Shortly  after,  the  National  Democrat  be- 
gan its  career,  and  in  1855,  a  boy  of  fifteen,  he  formed  the  connection 
which  has  lasted  through  life.  A  printer's  apprentice,  learning  to  stick 
type,  do  the  mechanical  work  and  the  many  other  details  of  a  print- 
ing office,  he  was  seven  years  in  preparing  himself  for  full  responsibil- 
ity of  publisher  and  editor,  during  which  time  he  worked  about  a  year 
in  Dowagiac  with  the  Cass  County  Tribune  and  then  the  Republican. 
In  1862  the  stock  company  who  controlled  the  National  Democrat  gave 
him  the  charge  of  its  issue,  and  by  purchasing  the  plant  two  years  later 
he  assumed  a  proprietorship  which  has  continued  to  this  day. 

Mr.  Allison  served  as  postmaster  of  Cassopolis  during  Cleveland's 
second  term.  Interested  in  the  cause  of  local  schools,  he  has  served 
some  fifteen  years  as  member  of  the  school  board  and  for  about  ten  years 
past  has  been  moderator.  Aside  from  this  service  to  the  public  and  a 
steady  activity  and  membership  with  the  local  lodge  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity  for  many  years,  he  has  kept  his  attention  and  energies  without 
variation  focused  on  his  newspaper,  and  the  success  he  has  gained  in  life 
he  prefers  to  be  identified  with  this  vocation  rather  than  with  any  minor 
honors  or  services. 

On  St.  Valentine's  day  of  1890  Mr.  Allison  married  Miss  May 
F.  Tompkins.  She  was  born  in  Lansing,  a  daughter  of  John  Tompkins. 
Their  two  children  are  Waldo  and  Kate. 

DANIEL  EBY. 

Daniel  Eby,  residing  on  section  21,  Porter  township,  was  bom  in 
this  towmship  April  21,  1858.  He  is  the  sixth  chiI3  and  fifth  son  in  a 
family  of  eight  sons  and  one  daughter,  whose  parents  were  Gabriel  and 
Caroline  (Wagner)  Eby.  He  was  reared  upon  the  old  family  home- 
stead in  Porter  township  and  began  his  education  in  the  district  school 
near  his  father's  farm.  His  early  educational  privileges,  however,  were 
supplemented  by  a  year  and  a  half's  study  in  Valparaiso  Normal  School 
at  Valparaiso,  Indiana,  and  he  also  attended  the  Sturgis  school  in  Mich-^ 
igan.     When  eighteen  years  of  age  he  began  teaching,  being  first  em- 


766  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

ployed  as  teacher  of  district  school  No.  12,  in  Porter  township.  He  has 
also  taught  in  Newberg,  Mason  and  Calvin  townships,  and  for  thirty- 
years  has  devoted  a  part  of  his  time  and  attention  to  educational  work. 
He  has  also  been  engaged  in  farming  and  has  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
one  acres  of  good  land,  which  he  carefully  cultivated  and  improved,  mak- 
ing it  a  productive  tract. 

On  the  19th  of  March,  1884,  Mr.  Eby  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Ida  Douglas,  a  daughter  of  Sylvester  Douglas  and  a  native  of  St. 
Joseph  county,  Michigan.     They  have  one  son,  Leo  S.,  now  at  home. 

Mr.  Eby  has  been  a  lifelong  Republican,  active  and  earnest  in  the 
interests  of  his  party  and  doing  all  in  his  power  to  promote  its  success. 
He  was  elected  township  clerk  in  1884  and  has  been  re-elected  to  this 
office  each  year  until  his  incumbency  covers  a  period  of  twenty-two 
years — a  service  greater  than  that  of  any  other  clerk  in  the  county.  In 
the  spring  of  1906  he  was  elected  supervisor  of  Porter  township.  He 
has  held  different  local  school  offices  and  has  done  much  to  promote 
the  cause  of  public  instruction.  He  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  the  Mac- 
cabees and  to  the  Grange.  His  entire  life  has  been  passed  in  Porter 
township  and  the  Ebys  are  among  the  old  and  esteemed  families  of  the 
county.  His  father  cut  the  road  to  the  farm,  for  at  that  time  there  was 
no  public  highway  in  this  part  of  the  county.  Daniel  Eby  has  a  very  wide 
and  favorable  acquaintance  and  his  life  work  has  been  of  a  nature  which 
commands  for  him  the  respect  and  goodwill  of  all  with  whom  he  has  been 
brought  in  contact. 

JERRY  O'ROURKE. 

Jerry  O'Rourke,  a  prominent  and  influential  farmer  of  Silver  Creek 
township,  living  on  section  21,  was  born  in  this  township  December 
6,  1853.  ^^^  father,  Timothy  O'Rourke,  was  a  native  of  Ireland  and  in 
early  h'fe  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  America.  He  became  a  resident  of 
Cass  county  about  1841,  settling  in  Silver  Creek  township.  He  mar- 
ried Margaret  Haggerty,  also  a  native  of  Ireland,  who  came  to  America 
with  her  parents  in  her  girlhood  days.  The  Haggerty  family  was  also 
established  in  Cass  county  in  pioneer  times.  Mr.  O'Rourke  died  when 
only  forty-one  years  of  age  and  was  long  survived  by  his  wife,  who 
passed  away  in  1893  at  the  age  of  seventy  years.  In  their  family  were 
three  children,  who  reached  adult  age. 

Jerry  O'Rourke,  the  second  child  and  only  son,  grew  to  maturity, 
was  reared  in  his  native  township  and  acquired  a  common-school  edu- 
cation. He  is  a  stanch  Democrat,  who  throughout  the  period  of  his  man- 
hood has  taken  a  deep  and  active  interest  in  public  affairs  and  does  all 
in  his  power  to  promote  the  growth  and  insure  the  success  of  his  party. 
The  first  office  which  he  ever  held  was  that  of  supervisor,  being  elected 
to  the  position  in  1887  and  serving  for  four  consecutive  years.  He  was 
again  chosen  in  1894,  and  at  that  time  by  re-election  continued  in  office 
for  seven  years,  so  that  his  incumbency  as  supervisor  covers  altogether 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  T67 

a  period  of  eleven,  years.  He  has  also  served  as  a  member  of  the  Dem- 
ocratic county  committee,  and  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  campaign 
work.  He  was  the  first  Democrat  ever  elected  to  office  in  his  town- 
ship, and  the  fact  that  he  has  so  long  been  continued  in  positions  of 
political  preferment  indicates  his  personal  popularity  and  the  confidence 
reposed  in  him. 

For  many  years  Mr.  O'Rourke  was  interested  in  dealing  in  stock. 
He  rents  his  farm,  however,  a  part  of  the  time.  He  has  one  hundred 
acres  of  land  which  is  rich  and  productive,  and  he  also  buys  and  sells 
land,  speculating  to  a  considerable  extent,  in  which  undertaking  he  has 
made  some  money.  He  has  always  resided  in  this  county  and  is  well 
known  here  because  of  his  business  activity,  his  official  service  and  his 
connection  with  various  fraternal  organizations.  He  belongs  to  the 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  the  Knights  of  the  Mac- 
cabees, and  has  a  very  wide  and  favorable  acquaintance  in  the  county. 

MILTON  P.  WHITE,,  M.  D. 

The  medical  profession  is  one  of  the  leading  factors  in  all  civilized 
parts  of  the  globe,  also  one  of  the  most  arduous,  as  well  as  useful.  The 
mild,  cheerful  and  sunny  physician  in  the  sick  chamber  is  oftentimes  more 
penetrative  in  healing  than  the  remedies  he  may  prescribe.  Dr.  White 
of  this  review,  who  has  been  a  physician  and  surgeon  in  Dowagiac  for 
almost  twenty  years,  is  so  well  known  in  the  northern  part  of  Cass  coun- 
ty that  he  needs  no  special  introduction  to  the  citizens  of  the  city  of 
Dowagiac.  He  is  a  native  of  Cass  county,  born  near  the  village  of 
Wakelee  December  19,  1852,  and  is  the  youngest  of  seven  children,  six 
sons  and  one  daughter,  born  to  John  and  Hannah  (Baker)  White.  There 
are  three  of  the  children  living,  the  eldest  being  Henry,  a  resident  of 
California,  w4io  went  to  the  Pacific  slope  in  search  of  gold  in  the  fifties, 
and  yet  remains  a  miner ;  Jasper,  a  prosperous  farmer  in  Penn  township, 
receiving  his  education  in  the  common  schools;  Dr.  White  is  the  next 
in  order  of  birth. 

John  White,  the  father,  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and  was 
reared  in  his  native  state  until  reaching  manhood,  there  learning  the 
blacksmith's  trade.  He  first  located  in  Cass  county  when  the  county 
seat  was  officially  but  not  actually  situated  on  the  banks  of  Diamond 
lake,_  and  there  had  a  foundry  and  blacksmith  shop.  He  later  bought  a 
farm  in  VoHnia  township.  Politically  he  was  a  Jackson  Democrat. 
His  death  occurred  when  Dr.  White  was  fourteen  years  of  age.  Mother 
White  was  a  native  of  the  Keystone  state  of  Pennsylvania,  descending 
from  old  German  ancestry,  and  she  was  reared  a  Quaker.  She  was  of 
a  sweet,  lovable  and  affectionate  nature,  and  her  prayers  and  admoni- 
tions will  ever  remain  as  a  beacon  to  her  children.  She  died  a  true 
Christian  mother,  whose  whole  life  was  a  sweet  reflection  of  the  good 
deeds  done  to  others. 


768  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Dr.  White  was  reared  in  Cass  county,  receiving  his  primary  edu- 
cation in  the  district  schools,  and  then  attended  a  select  school  at 
Buchanan  until  he  could  pass  his  teacher's  examination.  He  then  taught 
a  winter  term  near  Niles,  the  following  year  depositing  the  first  one 
hundred  dollars  he  had  made  in  the  bank,  and  then  entered  the  North- 
ern Indiana  Normal  School  at  Valparaiso  to  better  prepare  himself  for 
a  teacher.  And  here  let  us  say  Dr.  White  made  his  own  way  by  working 
at  any  employment  that  was  honorable  which  would  aid  him  in  securing 
an  education.  Besides  teaching  the  country  school  he  also  taught  one 
year  in  Galien,  Berrien  county,  and  during  all  this  time  he  was  spending 
his  money  in  acquiring  a  higher  education  to  fit  him  for  the  study  of 
medicine.  He  took  the  business  and  literary  course  at  the  Northern  In- 
diana Normal  and  during  the  summer  and  fall  of  1876  he  was  in  the  of- 
fice of  Dr.  Beer,  of  Valparaiso,  to  read  medicine.  He  next  entered  the 
medical  department  of  the  Northwestern  University  at  Chicago,  in  1877, 
where  he  continued  until  his  graduation  in  1880.  He  then  returned  to 
his  home  in  Wakelee,  and  after  some  persuasion  on  the  part  of  his  dear 
old  mother  he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Wakelee.  His 
practice  steadily  grew,  and  he  remained  there  six  and  a  half  years,  on 
the  expiration  of  which  period,  in  the  fall  of  1886,  he  located  in  the 
pretty  city  of  Dowagiac,  where  his  practice  has  steadily  grown,  and 
today  he  is  one  of  the  leading  physicians  in  the  city.  His  home  is  located 
at  the  corner  of  Telegraph  and  Center  streets,  and  it  is  ever  open  to 
his  and  his. wife's  many  friends. 

Dr.  White  wedded  Miss  Rosella  Carman  September  14,  1882,  and 
to  this  union  have  been  born  three  children,  one  son  and  .two  daugh- 
ters, all  living,  namely :  Baker  T.,  a  student  in  the  now  Northern  In- 
diana University  at  Valparaiso ;  Ruth,  in  the  senior  year  in  the  city  high 
school  of  Dowagiac;  and  Cora  M.,  in  the  fifth  grade  of  the  city  schools. 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  White  are  endeavoring  to  educate  their  children  well. 
Mrs.  White's  father  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years,  and  hef  mother 
is  yet  living  on  the  old  homestead  near  Schoolcraft,  Michigan,  aged 
eighty-four  years.  Mrs.  White  was  born  in  Kalamazoo  county,  Mich- 
igan, January  24,  1856,  was  reared  in  her  native  county,  and  received 
her  higher  education  in  the  Northern  Indiana  Normal  School.  Polit- 
ically Dr.  White  is  a  Republican,  having  cast  his  first  presidential  vote 
for  Hayes.  He  has  strong  temperance  principles.  Officially  he  was 
mayor  of  Dowagiac  in  1901  and  1902,  and  fraternally  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  blue  lodge  of  Masons  and  the  council.  He  is  an  honored 
member  of  the  Cass  County  Medical  Association,  being  twice  president 
of  the  society,  a  member  of  the  Michigan  State  Medical  Society,  the 
American  Medical  Association,  also  Kalamazoo  Academy  of  Medicine. 
He  is  examining  physician  for  the  Penn  Mutual,  the  Mutual  Life  of 
New  York,  the  Northwestern  of  Milwaukee,  and  is  one  ot  the  United 
States  pension  examiners,  which  office  he  has  held  for  nine  years.     Mrs. 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  769 

White  is  a  member  of  the  Nineteenth  Century  Literary  Club,  which  is 
composed  of  the  leading  ladies  of  Dowagiac.  Besides'  his  city  property 
Dr.  White  has  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  good  land  in  Pokagon 
township  and  several  houses  for  rent  in  Dowagiac.  He  is  surely  to  be 
commended  for  the  success  he  has  achieved  from  the  fact  that  he  began 
his  professional  career  without  capital,  but  now  in  the  prime  of  his  man- 
hood he  has  a  competency  which  enables  him  to  live  in  comfort.  We  are 
pleased  to  present  this  brief  review  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  M.  P.  White  to  be 
preserved  in  the  Twentieth  Century  History  of  Cass  County. 

L.  BURGET  DES  VOIGNES. 

The  profession  of  the  law,  when  clothed  with  its  true  dignity  and 
purity  and  strength,  must  rank  first  among  the  callings  of  men,  for  law 
rules  the  universe.  A  prominent  representative  of  the  bar  of  south- 
ern Michigan  is  L.  Burget  Des  Voignes,  now  judge  of  the  thirty-sixth 
judicial  circuit  of  Michigan.  Born  at  Mt.  Eaton,  Wayne  county,  Ohio, 
October  14,  1857,  he  is  a  son  of  Louis  A.  Des  Voignes  and  a  grand- 
son of  Peter  Des  Voignes.  The  last  named  was  a  native  of  Berne, 
Switzerland,  where  he  w^as  engaged  in  the  dry  goods  business,  and  was 
well  known  in  his  native  city  as  a  man  of  excellent  judgment  and  no- 
bleness of  character.  With  his  wife  and  three  sons,  Augustus,  Jules  and 
Louis,  he  came  to  America  in  1844,  the  family  home  being  established 
at  Mt.  Eaton,  Ohio,  and  there  the  father  engaged  in  the  shoe  business. 
He  allied  his  interests  with  the  Whig  party,  and  when  the  Republican 
party  was  formed  he  joined  its  ranks,  remaining  a  stalwart  supporter  of 
its  principles.  He  was  a  memter  of  the  Lutheran  church,  and  in  that 
faith  he  passed  away  in  1861. 

Louis  A.  Des  Voignes,  the  father  of  him  whose  name  introduces 
this  review,  was  eleven  years  of  age  when  the  family  home  was  estab- 
lished in  America.  In  1855  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Savilla  A.,  a 
daughter  of  John  Messner,  of  Mount  Eaton,  Ohio.  The  young  couple 
took  up  their  abode  in  that  city,  which  continued  as  their  home  until 
about  1863,  when  Mr.  Des  Voignes  was  burned  out  by  the  rebels.  He 
then  entered  the  service  and  removed  to  Mendon,  Michigan,  where  for 
five  years  he  was  employed  as  clerk  in  a  store,  arid  for  seven  years  was 
engaged  in  the  drug  business.  The  wife  and  mother  died  on  the  20th 
of  July,  1887. 

L.  Burget  Des  Voignes  received  his  early  educational  training  in 
the  Mendon  schools,  graduating  from  the  high  school  of  that  city  in 
1876,  and  then  entered  upon  the  study  of  law.  In  1877  he  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  of  St.  Joseph  county,  but  in  the  same  vear  entered  the  law 
department  of  the  Michigan  University  at  Ann  Arbor,  in  which  he  was 
graduated  the  following  year,  1878.  He  then  removed  to  Marcellus, 
Michigan,  and  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession.  Hfe  has 
largely  mastered  the  science  of  jurisprudence,  and  his  deep  research  and 


770  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

thorough  preparation  of  every  case  committed  to  his  care  enable  him  to 
meet  at  once  any  contingency  that,  may  arise.  He  is  an  active  member 
of  the  Republican  party,  and  his  ability  has  led  to  his  selection  for  pub- 
lic honors.  From  1888  to  1891  he  held  the  office  of  circuit  court  com- 
missioner, under  appointment  from  Governor  Luce,  while  from  1891 
until  1893  he  was  prosecuting  attorney  of  Cass  county,  declining  a  re- 
nomination  at  the  end  of  his  term.  For  five  years  he  was  a  member  of 
the  board  of  education  in  Marcellus^,  a  member  of  the  village  council  for 
three  years,  and  for  thirteen  years  held  the  office  of  town  attorney. 
He  stumped  the  county  for  the  Republican  state  committee  in  1880, 
being  an  orator  of  much  ability,  and  during  the  years  1884,  1888,  1892 
he  was  a  delegate  of  the  state  committee  and  was  also  a  member  of  the 
County  Republican  Committee. 

In  1896  Governor  Rich  appointed  him  judge  of  probate  to  fill  the 
vacancy  occasioned  by  the  death  of  Judge  Bennett  and  at  that  time  he 
removed  to  the  village  of  Cassopolis  with  his  family,  where  he  now  re- 
sides. He  was  nominated  and  elected  for  three  successive  terms  for 
that  office,  serviug  a  period  of  over  ten  years,  and  during  this  time 
was  also  a  member  of  the  Cassopolis  board  of  education  six  years.  In 
1905  he  was  elected  judge  of  the  thirty-sixth  judicial  circuit,  and  is 
now  occupying  the  bench  in  that  circuit. 

In  1880  Mr.  Des  Voignes  was  united  in  marriage  to  Allie  M.  Clapp, 
a  native  of  St.  Joseph  county,  Michigan  and  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Clapp, 
of  Mendon,  that  county.  One  child  has  been  born  of  that  union,  Jules 
Verne,  now  a  student  in  university,  who  has  written  a  number  of  arti- 
cles for  Mumsey's,  Argosy  and  other  magazines,  and  is  a  promising 
young  man.  In  his  fraternal  relations  Mr.  Des  Voignes  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  order,  being  a  Knight  Templar,  and  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias.  He  ranks  high  at  the  bar  and  in  political  circles,  and  Cass 
county  numbers  him  among  her  leading  and  influential  citizens. 

DONALD  A.  LINK,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Donald  A.  Link,  whose  death  by  drowning  August  15,  1906, 
deprived  the  Cass  county  medical  fraternity  of  one  of  its  valued  mem- 
bers, he  having  been  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  and  surgery  in 
Volinia  and  the  surrounding  country,  was  born  in  Canada  on  the  22nd 
of  October,  1865.  His  father,  Alexander  Link,  was  also  a  native  of  that 
country  and  by  occupation  was  a  lumberman.  Crossing  the  border  into 
the  United  States,  he  located  at  Superior,  Wisconsin,  but  his  last  days 
were  passed  in  Canada,  where  he  died  in  1904.  He  was  of  Pennsyl- 
vania Dutch  descent.  In  early  manhood  he  had  married  Ann  Cameron, 
also  a  native  of  Canada,  while  her  parents  were  born  in  Scotland.  She 
still  survives  her  husband  and  is  about  seventy-three  years  of  age.  In 
their  family  were  six  sons  and  two  daughters,  all  but  one  of  whom  are 
yet  living,  namely:     J.  A.,  who  resides  in  Superior,  Wisconsin;  Adam 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  771 

J.,  who  is  living  in  Alberta,  Canada,  where  he  is  government  inspector 
of  claims  in  the  government  office;  Catherine,  the  wife  of  Rev.  Malcolm 
McLellan,  D.  D.,  of  Edinburgh,  Scotland;  Donald  A.,  of  this  review; 
William  K.,  also  living  in  Superior,  Wisconsin,  assistant  manager  of  the 
Superior  Coal  Company;  Robert  J.,  who  is  likewise  living  in  Superior, 
Wisconsin;  Ronald  F.,  a  marine  engineer  of  Canada;  and  Margaret  E., 
of  Gravenhurst,  Canada.     The  last  named  is  the  only  one  unmarried. 

Dr.  Link  acquired  a  common  school  education  at  Lindsey,  Ontario, 
and  afterward  pursued  a  three  years'  course  in  medicine  in  McGill  Uni- 
versity at  Montreal,  Canada,  while  later  he  was  graduated  from  the  De- 
troit College  of  Medicine  with  the  class  of  1895.  The  same  year  he 
located  for  practice  in  Cassopolis,  Michigan,  where  he  remained  for 
about  three  years  and  then  removed  to  Dawson  City  in  the  Yukon  ter- 
ritory in  Alaska.  He  continued  there  for  about  two  and  a  half  years 
and  in  1900  returned  to  Cass  county,  locating  at  Volinia.  He  had  a 
good  practice  here  and  was  popular  with  all  classes.  He  had  gone  to 
Gravenhurst,  Ontario,  in  August  to  visit  his  mpther,  and  while  on  a 
conoe  trip  up  Moon  river,  in  the  district  of  Muskoka,  met  the  sad 
death  which  has  been  mentioned. 

In  December,  1895,  occurred  the  marriage  of  Dr.  Link  and  Miss 
M.  Blanch  Mcintosh,  the  only  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Emily  Mcintosh, 
who  are  mentioned  on  another  page  of  this  work.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Link 
had  a  daughter,  Margaret  E. 

Dr.  Link  maintained  fraternal  relations  with  the  Knights  of  the 
Maccabees,  the  Benevolent  Order  of  Elks  and  the  Masons  and  had 
taken  the  Royal  Arch  degree  in  the  last  named  organization.  In  the 
line  of  his  profession  he  was  connected  with  the  Cass  County  Medical 
Society  and  the  Michigan  State  Medical  Society.  He  was  conscientious 
and  zealous  in  his  practice,  finding  in  the  faithful  performance  of  each 
day's  duty  strength  and  inspiration  for  the  labors  of  the  succeeding  day. 

JAMES  M.  TRUITT. 

The  Truitt  family  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  Cass  county,  and  the 
name  is  indissolubly  connected  with  its  annals  from  an  early  epoch  im  its 
history.  Peter  Truitt,  the  father  of  him  whose  name  introduces  this 
review,  was  born  in  Slatterneck,  Sussex  county,  D'elaware,  February 
7,  1 80 1,  a  son  of  Langford  and  Esther  A.  (Schockley)  Truitt.  On  the 
25th  of  February,  181 9,  Peter  Truitt  married  Mary  Simpler,  whose 
father  was  a  soldier  in  both  the  Revolutionary  and  war  of  1812,  and 
their  children  were  John  M.,  Elizabeth  C,  Henry  P.,  David  T.  and 
I-^ngford.  By  his  marriage  to  Isabel  McKnitt,  Peter  Truitt  became  the 
father  of  Mary  J.  and  Esther  A.  His  third  wife  was  Deborah  McKnitt, 
and  their  only  child  was  James  M.,  and  his  fourth  wife  was  Sarah  (Mc- 
Knitt) Lane,  In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Truitt  was  first  a  Whig, 
and  later  joined  the  ranks  of  the  Republican  party,  and  for  a  number  of 


772  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

years  he  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace.  At  the  early  age  of 
fourteen  years  he  united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  there- 
after living  a  consistent  Christian,  ever  exemplifying  in  his  life  the 
noblest  elements  of  manhood. 

James  M.  Truitt,  a  representative  farmer  and  stock-raiser  of  Cass 
county,  was  bom  in  Milton  township,  this  county,  April  28,  1837.  This 
township  has  practically  been  his  home  throughout  his  entire  life,  and 
everything  tending  to  advance  the  best  interests  of  this  region  has  re- 
ceived his  earnest  support  and  attention.  During  his  boyhood  days  he 
attended  school  in  a  little  log  schoolhouse  near  his  home,  and  for  a 
number  of  years  thereafter  he  operated  a  threshing  machine  with  his 
brother  Henry.  In  1856  he  assumed  the  management  of  the  old  home- 
stead, there  remaining  until  i860,  when  he  took  up  his  abode  on  another 
farm,  and  in  1878  he  moved  to  Edwardsburg  and  engaged  in  the  agri- 
cultural implement  business,  there  also  becoming  director  of  the  Ber- 
rien County  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company.  Returning  again  to  his 
home  in  Milton  township,  he  has  since  devoted  his  attention  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  Having  been  reared  in  this  vocation,  he  is  eminently 
successful,  and  has  long  been  numbered  among  the  progressive  and  suc- 
cessful farmers  of  the  township. 

On  the  22nd  of  April,  i860,  Mr.  Truitt  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Margaret  Hicks,  who  was  born  in  Niles,  Michigan,  in  1839.  Her  par- 
ents were  John  and  Lettie  Hicks,  natives  of  England,  but  their  mar- 
riage was  celebrated  in  Niles,  and  Margaret  was  their  only  child.  Dur- 
ing her  infancy  she  was  left  an  orphan  and  was  reared  by  her  uncle, 
Perry  Hicks.  Mr.  Truitt  is  an  earnest  supporter  of  Democratic  prin- 
ciples and  he  received  the  appointment  of  deputy  revenue  collector  of 
the  second  division  of  the  fourth  district,  including  eight  counties,  and 
this  important  position  he  occupied  for  four  years.  He  held  the  office 
of  county  drain  commissioner  of  Cass  county  from  1896  to  1899,  was 
justice  of  the  peace  in  Milton  township  for  twelve  years  and  deputy 
sheriff  two  years.  In  his  fraternal  relations  he  is  an  Odd  Fellow,  and  in 
Masonry  has  reached  the  Knight  Templar  degree.  He  is  a  charter 
member  of  the  Grange,  and  has  served  as  president  of  the  Patrons  of 
Industry  of  Milton  township,  from  which  he  was  transferred  to  the  Al- 
liance order  and  again  elected  president.  Mr.  Truitt  does  not  regard 
lightly  his  duties  of  citizenship  and  his  obligations  to  his  fellow  men. 
He  is  honorable  in  his  dealings,  straightforward  in  all  life's  relations 
and  commands  uniform  respect  throughout  Cass  county. 

CHARLES  G.  BANKS. 

In  the  death  of  Charles  G.  Banks  Cass  county  lost  one  of  her  most 
prominent  and  useful  citizens.  He  was  numbered  among  the  early 
settlers  of  Cassopolis,  and  was  a  citizen  whom  to  know  was  to  respect 
and  honor  because  of  his  worth  and  ability.    He  was  bom  in  Chenangt> 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  .77.3 

county,  New  York,  on  the  13th  of  January,  1825,  a  son  of  Walter  O. 
and  Polly  (Dunbar)  Banks.  The  father's  iDirth  occurred  on  the  Hud- 
son river  at  New  Baltimore,  New  York,  in  1792,  and  his  father,  Adam 
Banks,  was  a  native  of  Germany.  Both  Adam  and  Walter  O'.  Banks 
were  ship  builders.  The  latter  was  married  to  Miss  Polly  Dunbar,  who 
was  born  in  Saratoga,  New  York,  in  1 794,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Nehe- 
miah  Dunbar.  At  the  time  of  their  marriage  the  young  couple  settled 
near  McDonough  in  Chenango  county,  New  York,  in  18 13,  and  Mr. 
Banks  there  built  a  log  house,  in  which  his  family  of  ten  children  were 
born,  including  Walter  O.  Banks,  who  was  the  fifth  son.  The  rafters  of 
the  log  house  were  round  poles  from  the  wood.  There  was  not  a  sawmill 
within  a  distance  of  forty  miles.  When  removing  from  the  old  house 
Walter  O.  Banks  blocked  out  and  made  a  cane  from  a  rafter,  which  he 
gave  to  his  son,  Charles  G.  This  was  in  i860,  and  the  cane  is  still 
in  the  possession  of  the  family.  Many  interesting  incidents  of  pioneer 
times  were  related,  and  Mr.  Banks  often  told  a  humorous  story  con- 
ceining  Ben  Wilson,  who  he  said  used  to  drive  across  the  country  from 
the  Otselic  to  the  Chenango  river,  a  distance  of  forty  miles,  making 
the  journey  with  a  heavy  wagon,  following  a  road  that  was  made  by 
blazing  trees.  The  wolves  and  bears  would  sometimes  follow  him, 
and  Mr.  Banks  related  that  one  time  when  alone,  in  his  dilemma  to 
keep  the  wolves  out  of  his  wagon,  he  began  singing  a  song,  which  was 
all  that  was  necessary  to  make  the  animals  leave. 

Charles  G.  Banks  was  reared  in  the  place  of  his  nativity  and  was 
educated  in  the  common  and  select  schools,  studying  for  a  time  under 
Mrs.  Warren  at  Macedonia,  New  York.  On  leaving  that  institution  he 
became  a  student  in  Oxford  Academy,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
in  the  class  of  1841.  He  worked  in  order  to  pay  his  tuition  and  roomed 
with  a  young  man,  the  two  boarding  themselves.  Thus  he  pursued  his 
college  education,  and  on  the  completion  of  the  course  he  made  his  way 
westward  to  Cassopolis,  where  he  engaged  in  teaching  school  for  several 
years.  It  was  his  intention  to  build  an  academy,  but  on  account  of  ill 
health  he  had  to  abandon  his  work  as  an  educator.  He  taught  in  the 
district,  select  and  high  schools  for  eight  years,  and  proved  a  capable 
teacher,  whose  ability  was  widely  recognized  by  all  who  came  under  his 
instruction  or  knew  of  his  methods.  In  1848  he  began  surveying,  and 
was  elected  county  surveyor  about  that  time.  The  first  survey  he  made 
was  for  his  father-in-law,  Pleasant  Norton,  in  Jefferson  township  in  the 
vicinity  of  Mud  lake.  The  plat  had  forty-three  angles.  He  surveyed 
the  greater  part  of  Cass  county,  and  in  this  connection  accomplished  an 
important  work.  He  was  elected  many  times  as  county  surveyor,  and 
followed  the  profession  for  a  half  century.  No  man  was  more  familiar 
with  the  county  than  he,  and  it  was  said  of  him  that  he  knew  every 
crook  and  corner  in  Cass  county.  In  1854  he  began  keeping  books  for 
S.  T.  &  L.  R.  Read,  prominent  merchants  of  Cassopolis,  with  whom 


774  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

he  remained  for  six  years,  during  which  time  he  frequently  went  with 
them  to  buy  goods.  He  afterward  went  into  business  with  John  Tiet- 
sort,  under  the  firm  name  of  Banks  &  Tietsort,  which  connection  was 
continued  from  1863  to  1873.  At  a  former  date  he  had  been  associated 
in  business  with  W.  W.  Peck  for  about  three  years,  and  after  his  re- 
tirement from'  commercial  life  in  1873  ^^  gave  his  attention  largely  to 
surveying.  He  w^as  without  doubt  the  best  infoiTned  man  on  section 
corners  and  old  survey  lines  in  Cass  county.  He  wrote  a  fine  record  and 
possessed  a  memory  that  enabled  him  to  recall  and  repeat  with  accuracy 
early  events,  and  with  all  he  was  an  honest,  upright  man.  In  all  of  his 
business  transactions  he  was  successful,  and  as  the  years  passed  accum- 
ulated a  comfortable  competence. 

On  the  T4th  of  November,  1850,  Mr.  Banks  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Amanda  Norton,  the  second  daughter  of  Pleasant  Nor- 
ton. She  w^as  born  December  22,  1831,  in  Champaign  county,  Ohio, 
and  was  brought  to  Michigan  by  her  aunt,  Mattie  Norton,  when  she 
was  six  months  old,  the  journey  being  made  on  a  pony  tO'  Jefferson 
township,  Cass  county.  Mrs.  Banks  remained  a  lifelong  resident  of 
this  county,  and  passed  away  September  4,  1893.  She  had  become  the 
mother  of  three  children:  James  K.,  who  is  now  cashier  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Sheldon,  North  Dakota ;  Emma  J.,  the  wife  of  M.  L. 
Howell,  a  prominent  attorney  of  Cassopolis,  whom  she  married  October 
II,  1870;  and  Cora  L.,  who  on  the  4th  of  September,  1886,  became  the 
wife  of  Alfred  T.  Osmer. 

Mr.  Banks  was  in  former  years  identified  with  the  Democratic 
party,  but  afterward  usually  voted  for  temperance  men.  He  served  as 
township  superintendent  of  schools,  township  clerk  and  always  took 
an  active  and  helpful  interest  in  public  affairs.  His  death  occurred  at 
the  home  of  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Cora  L.  Osmer,  in  Dowagiac,  where  he 
had  been  living  about  a  year,  June  11,  1906,  after  an  illness  of  long 
standing.  The  body  was  brought  to  Cassopolis  and  placed  by  the 
side  of  his  wife  in  Prospect  Hill  cemetery.  He  had  a  very  wide 
acquaintance  •  in  the  county,  where  he  had  resided  almost  continuously 
since  the  fall  of  1844,  covering  a  period  of  about  sixty-two  years.  He 
was  therefore  a  witness  of  almost  its  entire  development,  and  assisted 
in  the  work  of  transition  as  pioneer  conditions  were  replaced  by  the  ev- 
idences of  an  advanced  civilization  and  modern  prosperity. 

COY  W.  HENDRYX. 

For  a  number  of  years  Coy  W.  Hendryx  has  practiced  at  the  bar 
of  Cass  county,  and  during  that  time  his  rise  has  been  gradual,  but  he 
today  occupies  a  leading  position  among  the  representatives  of  the  legal 
profession  in  Dowaeiac.  His  renutation  has  been  won  through  earnest, 
honest  labor,  and  his  high  standing  is  a  merited  tribute  to  his  ability. 
He  was  born  in  Cuba,  Allegany  county.   New  York,  July  20,    1861, 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  775 

and  is  a  son  of  James  and  Eunice  (Try on)  Hendryx.  His  grandfather, 
Nathan  H.  Hendryx,  was  a  native  of  New  York,  and  in  Madison  coun- 
ty, that  state,  his  son,  James  H.,  was  born.  In  the  family  of  James  and 
Eunice  Hendryx  were  seven  children.  The  father  was  a  stanch  advocate 
of  Democratic  principles,  and  his  death  occurred  in  1873. 

Coy  W.  Hendryx  was  reared  to  manhood  in  the  county  of  his  na- 
tivity, Allegany,  and  his  early  educational  training  was  received  in  the 
graded  schools  of  Cuba.  He  next  entered  Cook  Academy  at  Havana, 
New  York,  and  for  a  time  thereafter  conducted  his  studies  in  the  col- 
lege at  Newton,  near  Philadelphia,  graduating  in  that  institution  in 
1878.  During  the  following  two  years  he  was  engaged  in  teaching 
school,  and  then  became  principal  of  the  schools  at  Qarksville,  New 
York.  In  1879  Mr.  Hendryx  came  to  Dowagiac,  Michigan,  and  be- 
gan the  preparation  for  his  chosen  profession  by  entering  a  law  office, 
and  three  years  later,  in  October,  1882,  was  admitted  to^  the  bar.  In 
December,  1886,  he  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  United  States  courts. 
His  practice  has  since  gradually  increased,  as  he  has  demonstrated  his 
ability  to  successfully  handle  the  intricate  problems  of.  jurisprudence, 
and  today  he  has  a  large  clientage,  which  connects  him  with  the  leading 
litigated  interests  of  the  circuit.  A  Democrat  in  his  political  affiliations, 
he  has  held  the  office  of  circuit  court  commissioner,  and  in  1886  was  ap- 
pointed United  States  commissioner  for  the  western  district  of  Michi- 
gan, an  office  he  held  twelve  years. 

In  1885  Mr.  Hendryx  was  united  in  marriage  with  Harriette,  a 
daughter  of  Charles  G.  Guilford,  a  prominent  farmer  of  Cuba,  Allegany 
county,  New  York.  She  was  bom  and  reared  in  that  city,  completing 
her  education  in  Alfred  University.  Three  children  have  been  born  of 
this  union,  Ruth,  Irene  and  Olive.  Mr.  Hendryx  is  a  Mason  and  is  also 
identified  with  the  Legion  of  Honor.  He  is  a  broad-minded,  progres- 
sive man  and  public-spirited  citizen,  and  in  all  life's  relations  is  found 
true  to  all  the  duties  of  professional  and  social  life. 

FRANK  P.  JARVIS. 

Frank  P.  Jarvis,  who  follows  the  occupation  of  farming,  was  born 
August  18,  1852,  in  LaGrange  township,  where  he  still  nmkes  his  home. 
His  father,  Norman  Jarvis,  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  this  coun- 
ty, where  for  many  years  he  followed  the  occupation  of  farming.  He 
was  born  in  North  Carolina  in  1819  and  was  a  son  of  Zaddock  Jarvis, 
likewise  a  native  of  the  old  North  state.  The  grandfather  was  a  farmer 
and  about  1834  settled  in  Cass  county,  Michigan,  being  one  of  the  first 
residents  within  its  borders.  The  family  home  was  established  in  La- 
Grange  township,  where  the  grandfather  purcliased  some  land,  becom- 
ing owner  of  a1x)ut  two  hundred  acres,  most  of  which  was  raw  and  un- 
improved. He  cleared  the  tract,  however,  and  reared  his  family  upon 
this  place. 


776  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

Norman  Jarvis  was  only  four  years  of  age  when  brought  by  his 
parents  to  Michigan  and  amid  the  wild  scenes  of  frontier  life  he  was 
reared  upon  the  old  homestead,  the  family  living  in  a  log  cabin  while  his 
education  was  acquired  in  a  log  schoolhouse.  He  shared  with  the 
other  members  of  the  family  in  the  hardships  and  privations  incident 
to  pioneer  life  and  also  assisted  in  the  arduous  task  of  developing  new 
land.  When  about  tw^enty-one  years  of  age  he  bought  land  in  LaGrange 
township,  coming  into  possession  of  about  two  hundred  acres  that  was 
partially  improved.  He  had  been  married  a  short  time  previous  to 
Miss  Margaret  Simpson,  a  native  of  Ohio,  bom  in  the  year  1823.  She 
was  reared  in  her  native  state  and  with  her  parents  came  to  Cass  county 
at  an  early  day.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jarvis  became  the  parents  of  ten  chil- 
dren, seven  daughters  and  three  sons,  all  of  whom  are  living,  Frank  P. 
being  the  fifth  child  and  second  son.  In  his  political  views  the  father 
was  a  Democrat  and  kept  well  informed  on  the  questions  and  issues  of 
the  day.  He  prospered  in  his  business  undertakings  and  at  the  time  of 
his  death  was  the  owner  of  two  hundred  and  seventy  acres  of  rich  and 
productive  land,  the  greater  part  of  which  had  been  improved  by  him. 
He  passed  away  in  1903  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years,  respected  and 
esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him. 

Frank  P.  Jarvis  was  reared  upon  the  old  homestead  farm  and  as- 
sisted his  father  in  its  cultivation  and  improvement  until  twenty-four 
years  of  age,  when  he  made  arrangements  for  having  a  home  of  his  own 
by  his  marriage,  on  the  14th  of  February,  1876,  to  Miss  Clara  CoQper, 
a  daughter  of  Cicero  and  Hannah  (Reams)  Cooper.  The  father  was  a 
native  of  Jefferson  township,  Cass  county,  born  in  February,  1840,  and 
was  there  reared  and  educated.  After  putting  aside  his  text-books  he 
learned  and  followed  the  carpenter's  trade.  He  voted  with  the  Dem- 
ocracy up  to  the  time  of  his  demise,  which  occurred  in  1869.  Mrs. 
Cooper  was  born  in  Jefferson  township,  Cass  county,  on  the  29th  of 
October,  1839,  and  was  there  reared,  both  she  and  her  husband  being 
pioneer  people  of  this  part  of  the  state.  They  became  the  parents  of 
two  sons  and  three  daughters,  of  whom  one  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Jar- 
vis, who  was  the  second  daughter  and  third  child  of  the  fiamily,  was 
reared  upon  the  old  home  farm  in  Cass  county. 

At  the  time  of  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jarvis  located  on  a 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres  in  LaGrange  township,  the  greater 
part  of  which  had  been  cutivated,  and  there  they  resided  for  fourteen 
years.  In  1891,  however,  Mr.  Jarvis  sold  that  property  and  removed 
to  Pokagon  township,  settling  on  section  25,  where  he  purchased  one 
hundred  and  fifty-nine  acres  of  improved  land.  To  the  further  cultiva- 
tion and  development  of  this  place  he  has  since  devoted  his  energies  and 
now  has  an  excellent  farm,  from  which  he  annually  harvests  good  crops. 
To  him  and  his  wife  have  been  born  two  children,  but  Burton,  who  was 
born  January  3,   1878,  died  in  infancy.     Norman,  born  September  28, 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  777 

1880,  in  LaGrange  township,  is  still  at  home.  Mr.  Jarvis  is  a  Democrat 
where  national  issues  are  involved,  but  at  local  elections  regards  only 
the  capability  of  the  candidate  and  often  casts  his  ballot  without  regard 
for  party  ties.  He  has  contributed  in  substantial  measure  to  the  agri- 
cultural development  of  the  county  and  at  the  same  time  has  promoted 
his  individual  success  until  he  is  now,  classed  among  the  men  of  affltience 
in  Pokagon  township. 

VIRGIL  TURNER. 

Virgil  Turner,  a  representative  of  farming  interests  in  Ontwa  town- 
ship, was  born  in  Sullivan  county,  New  York,  December  18,  1837,  a 
son  of. Henry  and  Lydia  A.  (Johnson)  Turner,  who  were  also  natives 
of  the  Empire  state,  where  they  were  reared  and  married.  The  father 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade  in  early  life  and  became  a  contractor  and 
builder.  Both  he  and  his  wife  continued  residents  of  New  York  until 
called  to  their  final  rest.  In  their  family  were  five  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters, of  whom  Virgil  Turner  is  the  third  child  and  third  son.  Two  of  the 
sons  died  while  serving  their  country  in  the  Union  army,  these  being  John 
and  Andrew.  The  others  are  Virgil,  Nelson,  Nathaniel,  Susan  and 
Alice,  all  of  whom  were  born  and  reared  in  New  York. 
''  Virgir  Turner  remained  under  the  parental  roof  and  worked  for 
his  father  until  eighteen  years  of  age,  when  he  started  out  in  life  on  his 
own  account.  Thinking  that  he  would  have  better  business  opportuni- 
ties in  the  west,  he  came  to  Adamsville,  Cass  county,  and  began  working 
for  M.  G.  &  N.  Sage  of  Ontwa  township,  with  whom  he  continued  for 
about  a  quarter  of  a  century.  He  learned  the  miller's  trade  in  their 
employ  and  became  an  expert  workman.  That  he  was  ever  faithful  and 
loyal  to  his  employers  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  he  was  retained  in 
their  service  for  so  extended  a  period. 

Mr.  Turner  has  been  twice  married.  In  1856  he  wedded  Miss  Ann 
Caldwell,  a  daughter  of  \yilliam  Caldwell,  who  was  born  in  Ireland, 
which  was  also  the  native  country  of  Mrs.  Turner.  She  there  spent 
her  girlhood  days  and  when  a  young  lady  came  to  the  United  States, 
making  her  home  with  relatives  in  Cass  county.  Her  death  occurred 
in  1883,  ^^^  ^he  was  survived  by  her  three  children:  Alice,  who  is  now 
engaged  in  teaching  school ;  and  Milton  E.  and  Etta  E.,  twins,  who  were 
born  and  reared  in  this  county.  For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Turner  chose 
Mrs.  Digama  Adams,  the  widow  of  M.  S.  Adams,  of  an  old  pioneer 
family  of  Cass  county  and  a  farmer  by  occupation. 

In  1876  Mr.  Turner  located  on  land  known  as  the  Snow  lot,  com- 
prising eighty  acres,  and  there  he  made  some  good  improvements.  He 
resided  there  until  the  time  of  his  second  marriage,  when  he  removed 
to  his  present  farm,  which  belonged  to  his  wife.  The  place  comprises 
one  hundred  and  sixty-five  acres  of  land,  the  greater  part  of  which  is 
under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.     He  is  energetic  and  enterprising  in 


T78  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

his  farm  work  and  his  labors  have  been  attended  with  a  gratifying 
measure  of  success.  In  his  poHtical  views  he  is  a  Democrat,  has  served 
as  a  member  of  the  school  board  for  eighteen^  years  and  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  review  for  ten  years.  He  belongs  to  St.  Peter's 
Lodge  No.  io6,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Edwardsburg,  and  has  been  identi- 
fied therewith  for  thirty-five  years,  during  which  time  he  has  been  most 
loyal  to  its  teachings  and  tenets,  exemplifying  in  his  life  the  beneficent 
spirit  of  the  craft,  which  is  based  upon  mutual  helpfulness  and  brotherly 
kindness. 

HENRY  KIMMERLE. 

Henry  Kimmerle,  born  in  Butler  county,  Ohio,  in  1830,  was  of 
German  parentage.  His  father  and  mother,  Jacob  and  Catherine  (Hass) 
Kimmerle,  came  from  the  fatherland  in  early  life  and  settled  first  in  Phil- 
adelphia and  afterward  moved  to  Ohio,  where  the  father  died.  Soon 
after  his  death  Henry,  at  the  age  of  four  years,  with  his  mother  and 
other  relatives  came  to  Cass  county,  where,  with  the  exception  of  six 
years,  his  entire  life  was  spent. 

At  the  time  of  his  coming  to  Cass  county  the  country  was  new  and 
undeveloped,  schools  were  of  the  primitive  type  and  were  few  and  far 
between.  These  conditions,  together  with  the  fact  that  the  family  was 
in  meager  circumstances,  gave  Henry  very  limited  opportunities  for  an 
early  education,  and  what  he  did  receive  was  almost  entirely  the  re- 
sult of  his  own  efforts. 

In  every  respect  he  was  a  self-made  man,  and  being  of  an  observ- 
ing and  inquiring  turn  of  mind,  he  gained  knowledge  in  the  school  of 
experience,  his  education  continuing  throughout  his  whole  life.  He  gave 
careful  thought  and  attention  to  any  subject  in  which  he  became  inter- 
ested, searching  for  the  truth.  He  was  not  easily  influenced  or  biased 
by  the  opinions  of  others. 

His  dominant  characteristics  were  originality  and  concentration  of 
thought  and  purpose;  faithfulness  to  his  affairs  in  life  and  an  indomit- 
able will  to  succeed  in  whatever  he  undertook.  The  possession  of  these 
qualities,  coupled  with  the  fact  that  he  was  early  thrown  upon  his  own 
resources,  won  for  him  a  degree  of  success  in  the  financial  world  en- 
joyed by  few  of  his  contemporaries. 

In  1849,  when  less  than  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  with  but  a  few 
dollars  in  his  pocket,  he  joined  a  party  of  prospectors  and  started  for 
the  gold  fields  of  California,  little  realizing  the  trials  and  hardships  he 
would  be  called  upon  to  endure.  The  party's  provisions  were  drawn 
by  oxen,  and  in  relating  the  experiences  of  those  early  days  Mr.  Kim- 
merle has  often  been  heard  to  say,  that  he  walked  the  entire  distance 
to  California.  This  is  no  doubt  true,  as  it  was  only  by  favoring  the 
oxen  in  every  possible  way  that  the  party  was  able  to  get  any  of  them 
through  alive.  As  it  was  many  died  from  overwork,  starvation  and 
thirst,  necessitating  the  leaving  of  some  of  the  wagons  along  the  way 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  779 

while  the  burdens  of  the  others  had  to  be  reduced  to  smaller  propor- 
tions. After  six  months  of  travel  and  hardships  the  party  reached  the 
promised  land,  where  six  years  were  spent  by  Mr.  Kimmerle  amidst  the 
exciting  scenes  of  the  great  Eldorado.  He  engaged  in  mining  for  a 
short  time  only,  and  then  spent  several  years  in  freighting  goods  by 
mule  pack  trains  up  the  mountains  to  the  miners.  Money  was  plentiful 
but  food  scarce.  He  often  sold  flour  at  one  dollar  a  pound  and  eggs  at 
fifty  cents  apiece. 

In  1855  he  returned  to  Cass  county  by  the  way  of  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama  and  New  York,  bringing  with  him  enough  gold  to  lay  the 
foundation  of  his  future  prosperity.  The  following  year  he  married 
Mary  J.  Hain,  only  daughter  of  David  Hain  of  LaGrange  township, 
and  lived  in  the  Hain  household  four  years,  when  he  bought  an  ad- 
joining farm  and  built  a  house.  On  this  spot,  four  miles  west  of  Casso- 
polis,  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days — forty-five  years.  Most  of 
the  land  was  covered  with  a  heavy  growth  of  timber,  requiring  much 
time  and  labor  to  clear  off  and  convert  into  a  farm,  which  now,  with 
the  buildings,  is  one  of  the  best  in  the  county. 

Mr.  Kimmerle  was  far-sighted  and  conservative  in  business  and 
active  both  in  mind  and  body  to  the  close  of  his  life.  While  conserva- 
tive and  careful  in  business  he  was  benevolent  and  kind,  and  free  from 
avarice.  He  sympathized  with  those  less  fortunate  financially  than 
himself,  and  his  dealings  were  always  just  and  honorable  with  never  a 
suspicion  of  dishonesty  nor  a  desire  to  take  advantage  over  those  with 
whom  he  dealt.  Through  his  easy  business  methods  with  the  needy  and 
deserving  people  of  his  community  many  were  enabled  to  get  a  start, 
and  rightfully  looked  upon  him  as  a  friend.  In  politics  Mr.  Kimmerle 
was  a  life-long  Democrat,  and  while  never  seeking  an  office,  he  was  al- 
ways interested  in  both  national  and  local  politics. 

He  died  in  March,  1905,  and  is  survived  by  his  widow  and  three 
children — Charles  Henry,  Mrs.  Josephine  Hoy,  Mrs.  Mary  King.  Two 
sons,  Schuyler  and  WilHam,  died  in  early  childhood,  and  one  daughter, 
Lois,  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years. 

JOHN    H.    WATSON. 

John  H.  Watson,  who  after  many  years  of  active  connection  with 
farming  interests  is  now  living  retired  in  Dowagiac,  was  a  native  of 
Ohio,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Warren  county  on  the  ist  of  May, 
1833.  He  is  a  son  of  Robert  Watson,  a  native  of  Virginia,  who  settled 
in  Ohio  at  an  early  period  in  the  colonization  of  the  latter  state  and 
aided  in  its  pioneer  development.  Later  he  again  made  his  way  to  the 
frontier,  when  he  came  to  Michigan,  taking  up  his  abode  in  Niles  about 
1838.  This  section  of  the  state  was  then  largely  wild  and  unimproved 
and  he  aided  in  planting  the  seeds  of  civilization  and  of  development 
which  in  later  years  have  borne  rich  fruits.     He  was  a  miller  by  occu- 


780  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

jjation  and  worked  in  some  of  the  first  mills  in  Niles.  Later  he  removed 
to  Silver  Creek  township,  Cass  county,  where  he  invested  his  earnings 
in  land  and  engaged  in  farming  until  he  came  to  Dowagiac  in  1865. 
He  had  led  a  busy  and  useful  life  and  on  locating  in  this  city  he  retired 
from  active  business  cares,  spending  his  remaining  days  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  a  well  earned  rest.  He  lived  to  the  ripe  old  age  of  seventy-nine 
years.  From  the  organization  of  the  Republican  party  he  was  one  of 
its  strong  and  stalwart  advocates,  and  he  held  a  number  of  township 
offices,  the  duties  of  which  were  faithfully  performed,  for  he  believed 
it  the  privilege  as  well  as  the  duty  of  every  American  citizen  to  uphold 
his  political  views  and  to  do  what  work  he  could  in  behalf  of  his  county, 
state  or  nation.  His  life  was  ever  upright  and  honorable.  He  held 
membership  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  was  a  licensed  min- 
ister of  that  denomination.  His  influence  was  ever  on  the  side  of  right 
and  truth  and  his  influence  was  a  potent  element  for  good  in  every 
community  where  he  was  known.  In  early  manhood  he  married  Miss 
Sarah  Hannan,  a  native  of  Ohio,  in  which  state  her  girlhood  days  were 
passed.  During  her  last  days,  however,  she  was  a  resident  of  Wayne 
township,  Cass  county,  where  she  died  at  the  very  advanced  age  of 
eighty-four  years.  In  the  family  were  nine  children,  one  of  whom 
died  in  infancy,  while  five  of  the  number  are  yet  living,  namely: 
Wealthy  Ann,  the  wife  of  John  Robinson;  Mary  Ellen,  the  wife  of 
Lewis  Emmons,  of  Pokagon  township;  Matilda,  the  wife  of  John  Hart- 
sell,  who  is  residing  in  North  Wayne,  Cass  county;  Archibald;  and 
John. 

John  H.  Watson  was  the  fifth  child  and  third  son  in  the  family  and 
was  only  five  years  of  age  when  brought  by  his  parents  to  Michigan. 
The  first  few  years  were  spent  at  Niles  and  he  was  about  nine  years 
old  when  he  came  to  Cass  county  with  his  parents.  He  remained  upon 
the  old  home  farm  until  twenty-one  years  of  age,  assisting  in  the  arduous 
task  of  cultivating  and  developing  new  land  and  transforming  it  into 
productive  fields.  In  early  manhood  he  chose  a  companion  and  help- 
mate for  life's  journey,  being  married  in  1854  to  Miss  Ceretta  Powers, 
a  daughter  of  N.  H.  Powers,  who  was  born  in  Ohio  and  died  in  May, 
1903.  In  1855,  the  year  following  his  marriage,  Mr.  Watson  removed 
to  Carroll  county,  Iowa,  and  located  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres,  upon  which  he  lived  for  three  years,  but  preferring  Michigan  to 
Iowa,  he  return  to  Cass  county  and  took  up  his  abode  in  Pokagon  town- 
ship, where  he  purchased  land,  and  thereon  devoted  his  time  and  ener- 
gies to  general  farming  until  1899.  In  that  year  he  retired  from  active 
business  life  and  removed  to  Dowagiac,  where  he  has  since  made  his 
home,  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  former  toil. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Watson  were  born  four  children:  Emma,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  two  years;  Charles  H.,  who  was  bom  in  Greene 
county,  Iowa,  August  31,   1858,  and  is  now  a  resident  of  Woodford 


HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY  781 

county,  Arkansas,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  lumber  business;  Alma  L., 
the  wife  of  Leslie  Byers,  of  Dowagiac;  and  Eugene  L.,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  thirty-three  years. 

Mr.  Watson  has  sold  his  farm,  which  was  in  Pokagon  and  La 
Grange  townships,  and  is  now  living  a  retired  life  in  Dowagiac.  He 
has  been  a  resident  of  Cass  county  throughout  his  entire  life  with  the 
exception  of  a  very  brief  period.  He  has  also  given  his  political  alle- 
giance to  the  Democracy,  but  he  has  been  without  aspiration  for  office, 
preferring  to  devote  his  time  and  energies  to  his  business  affairs  until 
later  years,  when  he  is  now  enjoying  a  well-earned  rest. 


The  Publishers,  in  acknowledging  their  indebtedness  to  the  Editor,. 
Mr.  L.  H.  Glover,  whose  true  historical  instinct,  keen  memory  for  dates 
and  facts  and  unabating  interest  in  every  department  of  the  undertaking 
insure  to  the  public  the  faithfulness  of  the  endeavor  and  the  value  of 
the  volume  as  a  history  of  the  county,  take  this  opportunity  in  the 
closing  pages  of  the  volume  to  give  a  brief  sketch  of  the  life  of  the 
Editor. 

Having  considered  on  previous  pages  the  sources  of  emigration  of 
the  early  settlers,  it  is  not  surprising  to  find  that  Mr.  Glover,  like  so 
many  of  his  fellow  citizens,  is  a  native  of  New  York  state.  Born  in 
Orleans  county,  February  25,  1839,  he  is  none  the  less  practically  a 
native  son  of  Michigan,  since  his  parents  moved  west  to  White  Pigeon 
prairie,  in  St.  Joseph  county,  in  the  same  year.  His  father,  Orville  B. 
Glover,  who  was  born  at  Upton,  Mass.,  April  11,  1804,  died  at  Edwards^ 
burg  in  1852;  and  his  mother,  Julia  Ann  (Carr)  Glover,  who  was 
born  at  Albion,  N.  Y.,  June  28,  1818,  died  at  Buchanan,  Mich.,  in  1893. 

The  family  came  to  Edwardsburg  in  1840,  and  when  the  boy, 
Lowell,  first  came  to  a  knowledge  of  circumstances  and  events  beyond 
the  walls  of  his  own  home  he  looked  about  upon  the  people  and  the  en- 
vironments which  characterized  the  Edwardsburg  of  sixty  years  ago. 
Edwardsburg  in  those  days  was  the  metropolis  of  the  county,  and  by 
its  situation  on  the  Chicago  road  had  a  thriving,  bustling  air  such  as 
stimulated  more  than  one  boy  to  rise  above  the  commonplace  in  life. 

Mr.  Glover's  early  experiences  were  marked  by  a  brief  period  in 
the  village  school  and  by  a  period  spent  as  a  clerk  in  one  of  the  early 
mercantile  enterprises  of  Edwardsburg.  An  accident  by  which  he  lost 
his  right  hand  when  about  sixteen  years  old  limited  his  choice  of  pur- 
suits, and  it  was  about  this  time  that  his  decision  to  become  a  lawyer 
became  a  definite  aim  to  be  striven  for  without  ceasing. 

After  a  residence  at  Edwardsburg  until  April,  1861,  he  moved 
to  Cassopolis  that  he  might  have  the  association  and  opportunities  of 
study  offered  in  a  lawyer's  office.  His  preceptor  was  the  late  Judge 
Daniel  Blackman,  to  the  value  of  whose  example  and  the  strength  of 
whose  character  Mr.  Glover  never  ceases  to  give  credit.     In  October,. 


782  HISTORY  OF  CASS  COUNTY 

1862,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  after  an  examination  in  open  court, 
and  as  elsewhere  mentioned,  is  at  this  date  the  oldest  lawyer  in  length 
of  active  practice  in  the  county.  Mr.  Glover  has  been  a  life-long  Demo- 
crat and  confesses  to  having  often  offered  himself  upon  the  altar  of 
sacrifice  as  that  party's  nominee  to  various  offices.  In  April,  1862,  he 
began  official  service  through  his  election  as  a  justice  of  the  peace  of 
LaGrange  township,  and  with  the  exception  of  one  year  has  held  that 
office  to  the  present  time.  Under  Cleveland's  first  administration  he 
held  the  office  of  postmaster,  serving  from  September,  1885,  to  Novem- 
ber, 1889.  The  only  break  in  his  long  residence  and  professional  activity 
in  Cassopolis  was  occasioned  by  his  service  as  deputy  commissioner  of 
the  state  land  office  at  Lansing  in  1891-92. 

Mr.  Glover  is  himself  a  true  pioneer  of  the  county  and  took  for 
his  wife  the  daughter  of  one  of  the  prominent  pioneers  of  Cassopolis 
and  the  county.  October  3,  1865,  he  married  Miss  Maryette,  youngest 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Caroline  Harper.  The  one  daughter  of  their 
marriage,  Fanny  Eugenia,  is  the  wife  of  John  F.  Ryan,  of  Marquette, 
Mich. 

Since  the  death  of  C.  W.  Clisbee,  in  1889,  Mr.  Glover  has  been 
historian  of  the  Pioneer  Society.  Before,  as  well  as  since  that  time, 
he  has  been  enthusiastic  in  his  interest  in  Cass  county  history.  His 
painstaking  care  in  the  preservation  of  historical  material  and  his  recog- 
nized cyclopedic  knowledge  of  Cass  county,  led  to  his  selection  as  the 
editor  of  this  history,  and  it  is  a  simple  statement  of  fact  that  the  worthy 
fulfillment  of  the  publishers'  purposes  is  due  to  the  conscientious  thor- 
oughness of  the  Editor. 


R^/ 


CASS  COUNTY,  MICHIGAN 

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JAMES  W.  CRAVEN 
December,  1983