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I








MUSKEGON~ COUNTY








HISTORIC MICHIGAN
LAND OF THE GREAT LAKES
Its Life, Resources, Industries, People, Politics, Government, Wars,
'Institutions, Achievements, the Press, Schools and Churches
Legendary and Prehistoric Lore
Edited by
George N. Fuller, A.M. (Harvard), Ph.D. (Univ. of Mich.)
Secretary of the Michigan Historical Commission
and
Secretary of the Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society


Also
In Volume Three
an account of
MUSKEGON COUNTY
Edited by
JAMES L. SMITH
VOLUME III
Published by
National Historical Association, Inc.
and Dedicated to the
Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society
in Commemoration of Its Fiftieth Anniversary








Table of Contents
CHAPTER I-EARLY SETTLEMENT
INDIAN OCCUPATION-FRENCH EXPLORERS-THE FUR TRADE-ENGLISH OCCUPATION-NORTHWEST TERRITORY-MUSKEGON COUNTY-EARLY       SETTLEMENT OF EACH TOWNSHIP _ --- —... —. ---------—. --- —-       17-29
CHAPTER II-COUNTY ORGANIZATION AND GOVERNMENT
DERIVATION OF NAME MUSKEGON-POLITICAL PRESSURE AGAINST ORGANIZATION OF MUSKEGON COUNTY-COUNTY ERECTED IN 1859 —MEETING OF FIRST
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS-ORGANIZATION OF EACH TOWNSHIP-COUNTY BUILDINGS —LISTS OF COUNTY OFFICERS --- —---—. ----..         --..-4 30-41
CHAPTER III-TRANSPORTATION
INDIAN TRAILS-PIONEER ROADS-FIRST HIGHWAYS-STAGE COACHES-FIRST
RAILROADS IN COUNTY IN 1868-SUBSEQUENT RAILROADS-ELECTRIC RAILROADS-MUSKEGON STREET RAILWAY-RIVERS AND HARBORS-MUSKEGON ONE
OF THE BEST PORTS ON THE GREAT LAKES-IMPROVEMENT OF HARBOR BEGUN
IN 1857 —HISTORY OF SHIPPING  -------—, --- —--------—. —  42-50
CHAPTER IV-EDUCATION
PIONEER SCHOOLS AND TEACHERS —TAXES LEVIED FOR SCHOOL PURPOSESPRESENT SCHOOLS AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS OF THE COUNTY-SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION-SCHOOLS OF MUSKEGON-HACKLEY PUBLIC LIBRARY-HACKLEY
GALLERY OF FINE ARTS -----------------   ------------- ----—. — 51-57
CHAPTER V-MILITARY
CIVIL WAR-ORGANIZATION FROM THIS COUNTY-THOSE WHO DIED IN THE
SERVICE-SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR-COMPANY C, 34TH MICHIGAN VOLUNTEER INFANTRY-ROSTER OF THIS COMPANY-WORLD         WAR-MILITARY
DECORATIONS AWARDED MUSKEGON MEN-AMERICAN LEGION POST --- —-58-67
CHAPTER VI-BANKS AND BANKING
PIONEER BANKS-WILDCAT BANKING METHODS TOO EARLY TO INJURE THIS
COUNTY-NATIONAL LUMBERMAN'S BANK FIRST IN MUSKEGON-HISTORIES OF
OTHER BANKS-PRESENT CONDITION OF ALL BANKS IN COUNTY --------- 68-72
CHAPTER VII-BENCH AND BAR
MUSKEGON FORTUNATE IN HIGH CHARACTER OF ATTORNEYS ATTRACTED TO
IT-FLAVIUS J. LITTLEJOHN THE FIRST JUDGE-MUSKEGON LATER BECAME
A PART OF FOURTEENTH CIRCUIT-EARLY CASES AND ANECDOTES-MUSKEGON COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION ---------------—.. --- —. 73-77




CHAPTER VIII-PHYSICIANS AND THE PUBLIC HEALTH
HARDSHIPS OF THE PIONEER MEDICAL MAN-EARLY PHYSICIANS OF THE
COUNTY AND THEIR CAREERS-HOSPITAL AGITATION BEGUN IN 1885-HACKLEY HOSPITAL-MERCY HOSPITAL-BOARD OF HEALTH --- —------------- 78-83
CHAPTER IX-THE PRESS
THE MISSION OF THE NEWSPAPER AND ITS INFLUENCE IN THE COMMUNITYMUSKEGON JOURNAL PUBLISHED IN 1857-NEWSPAPERS OF THE COUNTY, MANY
OF THEM SHORTLIVED-THE CHRONICLE-NEWSPAPERS OF THE COUNTY ALL
STARTED PRIOR TO 1890            -----------— 84-91
CHAPTER X-CITIES AND VILLAGES
CASNOVIA-WHITEHALL-MONTAGUE-FRUITPORT - MUSKEGON - THE CITY
iALL OF MUSKEGON-FIRE DEPARTMENT-SEWER SYSTEM-WATER WORKSSTREET IMPROVEMENTS —PARKS-MUSKEGON HEIGHTS ---------------— 92-97
CHAPTER XI-INDUSTRIAL
LUMBERING THE FIRST GREAT INDUSTRY OF MUSKEGON-ITS DECLINE AND THE
DECLINE OF THE CITY-MEANS DEVISED TO ATTRACT MANUFACTURING PLANTS
-MUSKEGON IS NOW FOURTH INDUSTRIAL CITY OF STATE-CONTINENTAL
MOTORS CORPORATION-AMAZON KNITTING MILLS-ALASKA REFRIGERATOR
CO.-CAMPBELL, WYANT & CANNON CO.-CHASE HACKLEY PIANO CO.CENSUS STATISTICS-VOLUME OF INDUSTRIAL BUSINESS DONE-LIST OF LEADING INDUSTRIAL CONCERNS OF GREATER MUSKEGON-ELECTRIC POWER FURNISHED BY CONSUMERS POWER CO.-MERCANTILE GROWTH OF THE CITYGREAT SHIPPING CENTER-HISTORY OF LUMBERING ON MUSKEGON LAKE
--- --------------------- -- --- - 98-106
PERSONAL RECORDS
ALPHABITICALLY ARRANGED -        ---------------           107-3 15




CHAPTER I


EARLY 'SETTLEMENT
M    OUND builders had given way to the Indian in what is now the
state of Michigan before the Frenchman came and the Spaniard,
English and American successively battled for its forest riches, surpassing the Eldorados of Mexico and Peru. Today a state of farms,
factories and resorts, Michigan has left only what the despoilers could
not carry away and the fur trade and timber weather are but memories.
While the English and Dutch were busy on the Atlantic seaboard
clearing land for better farms and homes and the Spanish were busy
hunting gold, the French were concentrating on the fur trade and
pressed up the St. Lawrence waterways to establish control of the
Great Lakes and the upper Mississippi. Nieuw Amsterdam was but
eleven years old and the Puritan settlement at Plymouth had been established but thirteen years when Jean Nicolet brought the French flag
to Sault Ste. Marie and paddled through the Straits of Mackinac to
spend the summer of 1634 exploring the shores of Lake Michigan.
Little is known of the early history of this great stretch of land,
known today as western Michigan and of which Muskegon county is
a part. Traditional Indian stories tell us that before the white man
came, this territory was the home of four great Indian tribes, Potawatomi, Muscotay, Ottawa and the Sax and Foxes. The Potawatomi
occupied the territory from the southern boundary of the state of Michigan as far north as the St. Joseph river. The Muscotay tribe lived
and hunted in the territory from the St. Joseph river to Green Bay,
while the Ottawa and the Sax and Foxes both occupied part of the
territory which is now the state of Wisconsin. On Green Bay also
were the Menominees.
Legend has it that in the year 1500 the Ottawa tribe left its home
in Canada and came into this territory driving the Sax and Foxes into
western Wisconsin. For many years the Potawatomi, Muscotays and
Ottawa tribes were friendly, but eventually through scheming the
Potawatomies were able to enlist the aid of the Ottawa tribe in driving
the Muscotay tribe out of this territory. In a great battle which took
place in what is now Ionia county, practically all of the Muscotay tribe
were massacred. The few who did escape joined the Miami tribe,
which lived to the south and all trace of the Muscotay tribe was lost
at that time.
For many years the Potawatomi and Ottawa tribes then occupied
this territory until 1835 when through a special treaty they ceded all of
the territory to the white man and moved further west, although we find
that there were almost as many Indians in this territory as white men
until 1862.
Missionaries of the Roman Catholic church reported in 1736 that
they had succeeded in establishing a permanent settlement of Indians




18


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


at Muskegon. However, in 1841, the Marquis de Beauharnois, governor general of Canada, was endeavoring to induce the Ottawas to
abandon Muskegon as a summer home and settle in the Arbre Croche
district near the straits of Mackinac. After stating that the land the
Indians had been using for growing corn had run out, he said to a
gathering of Ottawas:
"Several years ago, my children, Monsieur de Celoron wrote me
that you intended to remove your village elsewhere for the same reason.
In obedience to the orders I gave him, he sought you at Maskigon
(Muskegon) where, you wished to establish yourselves and brought
you back to your village, as that land was in nowise suited to you, because the frequent maladies that prevailed at that place might destroy
you. Moreover, it ruins your hunting, and you have observed when
any of your nation have spent the summer at that place (Muskegon),
they have found the animals scattered and your hunting less productive."
The Ottawas preferred the Traverse Bay district but were eventually persuaded to settle at Arbre Croche and Little Traverse bay where
the church maintained missions.
Pendalonan, one of the leading chiefs of the Ottawas at this time,
was opposed to the French policy. Sieur de Blainville, a French official, spent the winter of 1740-41 in Muskegon, which the French
called Maskigon or Masquigon. Undoubtedly, de Blainville built a
log cabin on the shores of the lake, and had as his guest the recalcitrant
Ottawa chief, Pendalonan.
The Indians of a century ago had a tradition that in 1748 a white
man named Edward Fitzgerald visited the Grand River valley and
Muskegon. He died there, they said, and was buried in the vicinity of
W/  Hit       He astonished the Ottawas by predicting that within a few
generaiws, a      tyo   occupy the shores of Muskegon lake.
A Brifti  vessel from Mackinac visited Muskegon a short time before the northwest was turned over to the United States during Washington's administration, and it is reported that the Englishman found a
negro squatter here. Early in the nineteenth century before the arrival
of Constant, a French trader named Lamarandier had a post at Muskegon. His son Etienne, who was born at Muskegon in 1810, lived
to old age in the vicinity of Newaygo.
Another white man to visit Muskegon before Constant, a man of
whom we have definite knowledge as shown in the journal which he
kept of his life as a trader with the American Fur company, was Gurdon
Saltonstall Hubbard, who is credited with being the father of the meat
packing business of Chicago. This man was born in Windsor, Vermont, August 22, 1802, a son of Elizur Hubbard, a lawyer. Gurdon
Saltonstall Hubbard was educated in Massachusetts, but in May, 1818,
he went to Montreal to join an expedition of fur traders starting to
the west for the American Fur company which had been organized
only a comparatively short time before by John Jacob Astor. With
this expedition he traveled through the Great Lakes to Mackinac where
it divided, the men going to various sections of the new territory. Hubbard went first to Chicago, then through the Illinois territory, back




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


19


to Chicago, from which he came to Muskegon, arriving at the lake
December 10, 1819. Here he and his men spent an entire winter trading
with the Indians and in the spring went to Mackinac.
Fur traders soon followed Nicolet's visit to Lake Michigan as well
as the Jesuit priests who hoped to convert the Indians. The first recorded visitors to West Michigan were Pierre Radisson and Des Grosseliers in the winter of 1650, where they traded and explored the east
shore of Lake Michigan. These shores had been thoroughly explored
when Fathers Marquette and Joliet reached the upper Mississippi on
June 17, 1673.
The story of the fur trade most logically divides itself into three
parts, the French, English and American control. While the French
control cannot be figured in the exact years, in all probability it began
immediately following the visit of Nicolet to Sault Ste. Marie and
until the fall of Quebec in 1759.
English traders controlled the fur trade from the year 1759 to about
1809 and American from then on until the business died out in about
the year 1830. Even these dates hardly substantiate the exact changes,
for throughout the period it was a continual fight between traders of
the three nations.
When the business was in its infancy the French were very eager
to gain control of all the territory possible and to do this they established trading posts throughout the Great Lakes and upper Mississippi regions, although we do not find a trading post in or near the
present site of the city of Muskegon until many years later.
These early traders were friendly with the Indians and in many
cases intermarried with members of the various tribes. It was this
kind of treatment of them which later gave the French their great hold
on the Indians when the English began to fight for the fur trade, and
we find that throughout the English control the French as strong if
not stronger in the trading posts.
During the English control it is said that Detroit shipped as much
as 2,000 packs of furs annually valued at approximately 100,000 pounds
sterling, while Mackinac in the same years was shipping close to 4,000
packs valued at more than a million dollars.
The War of 1812 was fought bitterly on the Great Lakes and as a
result the fur trade passed from the control of the English to the
American. It was not until 1816 that Americans really gained full
control for in that year congress passed a law confining the trade to
Americans only. By 1830 the fur trade had become a memory only.
During the three hundred years from the time the Ottawa tribe first
came into this section and the signing of the treaty of 1835 there were
other historical events taking place among the white settlers which have
a direct bearing on the development of the state of Michigan and
Muskegon county.
In 1671 an envoy of the French King met the Indians at Sault
Ste. Marie and solemnly took possession of all the territory from
Montreal west.




20


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


Quebec was captured by the British when Montcalm, the French
general was defeated and killed in 1759. In 1763, Canada, which then
included Michigan and the Northwest was ceded to Great Britain by
the French and eleven years Michigan, like the rest of the territory, was
under military rule.
In 1774 Michigan was made a constituted part of the Province of
Quebec and a lieutenant governor was appointed at Detroit. Nine years
later it became a portion of the United States whose independence had
been recognized.
Possession of the territory was given by the British in July, 1796,
and the territory then was organized as part of the Northwest territory.
The Northwest territory consisted of all Michigan, parts of Ohio, Indiana, and Wisconsin, with the capital at Cincinnati, Ohio. On April
30, 1802, Michigan became a part of Indiana with General W. H. Harrison as governor.
Three years later Michigan was organized as a separate territory
with General William Hull as the first governor. On August 17, 1812,
General Hull surrendered Detroit to the British, but it was recaptured
on October 13, 1813, by General Lewis Cass.
Though the tide of immigration to the Northwest territory flowed
steadily westward and the eastern sections of the state bcame settled
first, the territory now embraced by Muskegon county received its first
settlers before many of the inland counties of Michigan located to
the east. That such was the case is due primarily to the favorable location of the county on the shore of Lake Michigan, thus making it
easily accessible, and to the two good harbors which early marked this
section as a port of call for the early ships. With such natural advantages, it was only logical that Muskegon county should early assume
shape as a thriving community, and that years before white men settled
permanently in many of the interior counties, Muskegon was inhabited
by sturdy pioneers who bent their every effort toward developing the
country in which they had made their homes.
Blue Lake Township. In its early development, Blue Lake township
was unfortunate to the extent that its first settlers, who acquired land
under the homestead laws, were virtually ignorant of farming. Thus it
was the first to acquire land in that section of the county, staying only
as long as pine remained to be logged. When their land had been cleared
of pine and trees for ties, the settlers relinquished their claims on the land
for small prices to others, and within the space of a few years, much of
the pre-empted land changed hands as many as three or four times.
Upon the early history of the township, then, these early lumbermen
have left practically no impression, and only the names of those who
remained to till the soil contributed so materially to the development of
the township as to have their names preserved to posterity. Among the
names of the early settlers of the township are found those of Doherty,
Hayes, Brown and Dalton. Though Hattie, the daughter of Alfred
Tyndall, born in 1864, is believed by the majority to have been the first
white child born in the township, there are many who assert that Edward
Doherty, the son of James Doherty, was born in the township a year or




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


21


two previous. The northeast corner of the township seems to have
been the first goal of the settlers. In that section settled a Mr. Andrews
in 1862, remaining until 1867, and in 1863 several Danes, Lars Jensen
and the Andersen family, established their homes in the southwest part
of the township. In the fall of the following year, B. F. Aldrich took
up his residence in the township to be followed in the spring of the following year by his brother-in-law, A. P. Ware. The year 1864 also
witnessed the advent of these settlers: C. H. Chatfield, Doctor Kingsley, J. M. Crawford, A. Tyndall, M. D. Drake, and a Mr. Warren. The
township's first sawmill was built in 1856 in the southwest corner of
section 6 and was known as the Brown mill. Later a water mill was
erected near the head of Silver creek by a man named Jensen, and after
his death, the mill was operated by his widow. F. H. Sturtevant built
and operated a steam mill in the southeast part of section 25, while a
similar plant was constructed and operated by Doctor Kingsley in
section 29. Land values in the early days of the township development
were exceedingly low, it being recorded that one improved 320-acre
farm sold for $400. In 1866, Robert Nesbet, a native of Canada, settled in the township at Blue Lake with his family, and the following
year, Francis Hiscutt, a native of Monroe county, New York, made
his home at Blue Lake.
Cedar Creek Township. Joseph Martin who took up land in section
1, of what is now Cedar Creek township, in 1856, is believed to be the
first permanent settler of the township. Before his arrival in that locality there were two other men in the township, but as they were loggers
and failed to establish homes there, they are not numbered among the
permanent settlers of the community. Of these, J. Thompson had come
to the river to log the trees two or three years before the advent of Martin, and the other, a man named Sheppard, was located for logging purposes near where Martin settled. In 1856, also, came Charles Odell to
settle on land adjoining that of Martin's, and there he farmed for some
time, removing later to Holland, Michigan. Richard Ryerson, a Mr.
Hendrickson, and John and Anton Schmidt followed soon after and settled in the township. The lands of Cedar Creek township were regularly
opened for settlement in 1863 and in that year and in those immediately
following, many settlers made their homes in that section of the county.
Anton Sweeter, a native of Germany who had come to Racine, Wisconsin, in 1854 and then to Muskegon where he worked on the river
seven years, settled in the township in the late part of 1862 or the spring
of 1863. Rice Jones came from Muskegon, where he had settled in
1860 after leaving Wisconsin, to settle in Cedar Creek township in
1874. Seth Evans, who was born in Rhode Island, came to Cedar
Creek township in 1866. He became a prominent man of his locality
and at one time served as supervisor. Chauncey Hovey, who. settled
in the township in 1867, was one of the prominent men of the community
and for many years after the organization of the township was elected
to public offices of various kinds. The first white child to be born in
the township was Almira, the daughter of Joseph Martin who was the
first permanent settler, who was born in 1857, and the first marriage




22


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


in the township was that between John Hendrickson and Miss Millie
Ann Syphers, of Ohio, in 1863. A small sawmill was built in 1869
at Duck Lake by a Mr. Ruprecht, but he soon sold it to Blodgett &
Byrne who removed it in 1871 to Holton where they built a larger
mill the following year. S. P. Hartshorn erected a small mill on the
Little Cedar creek.
Casnovia Township was one of the early townships of the county to
receive permanent settlers. The year 1848 witnessed the advent of the
following men who established permanent residences within the boundaries of Casnovia: Zerial Waterman, Ezra Burrel, A. Egelston, John and
Richard Hilton, Timothy Colby, Ira Bonner, Ransom Surrarrer, George
Probasco, and Edwin E. Haywood. Two years later, six more families
made homes in the township, they being Solomon D. Mosher, Nathaniel
F. and Edward A. Westcott, Silas and Newton L. Fulkerson, and William Batterson. Alex Burdick, Case Ferguson, Daniel Bennett, and
William Twiss settled there in 1851. The following year witnessed the
beginning of a rapid and steady settlement of the lands of the township, and prominent among these who established themselves there in
1852 are John Seaman, William and Jerome Hutchinson, Marcus
Muckey, William Averill, and Cornelius Loomis. At Trent was built
a sawmill in 1852 by C. C. Darling, and two years later it was purchased by the Whitney brothers together with a tract of seven hundred
acres which they immediately began to improve. In 1857, a gristmill
was constructed on Crockery creek, and in 1861 W. H. Fulkerson built
another mill located on the same creek about a mile up stream. This
last named mill was used for the manufacture of pine shingles. In
1865, G. B. Slocum built a saw and shingle mill at Slocum's Grove which
had a capacity of approximately 4,000 feet of lumber and 25,000 shingles
daily. Among the other early settlers of the township may be named
Amos Slater, Smith K. Lewis, James H. Lobdell, who became the first
sheriff of the county, Hinson Cole, John A. Mills, Charles F. Russell,
Hermas Gilbert, S. B. Olmstead, Herman Gilbert, Benjamin Whitney,
Nathan Whitney, Oliver Walkley, Joseph Minnick, Orrin Whitney,
Azariah Lynch, R. P. Hanna, M. Holden, A. J. Simmons, Solomon
Dravenstratt, Sylvester Moore, and George Bolt.
Dalton Township. Although Gale Nichols was the first white man to
establish himself in Dayton township where he kept a tavern and traded
with the Indians, B. F. Dow is considered the first permanent settler of
that section of Muskegon county. The place of Nichols, who made no
land improvements whatsoever, was in section 3, while Dow took land in
section 30 in 1862, where he developed an excellent fruit farm, a property
that became one of the best of its kind in the township. A. B. Buel, who
came to the Twin Lake territory in 1856, was the first permanent resident of that section, and he it was who platted the village of Twin Lake.
The southeast section of the township received its first settler in 1863
in the person of William Maltby, and he was followed in 1867 by
Charles Buzzell, later a supervisor, who settled on section 1. Two
years later, Henry Lyman, who later became town clerk, settled near
Twin Lake. The first sawmill in the township was established at




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


23


Dalton Station by A. Clug, and in 1867 another was built at Twin Lake
by Campbell & Armstrong, a mill which became known throughout
that locality as the "Old Reliable." Among the early settlers of the
township should also be mentioned W. A. Hanchett who located near
B. R. Junction in 1865. A. Clug who settled in the township in 1866
and built the first sawmill, and H. Thompson who settled there in
1869. Other early settlers of the township were: William Moore,
James H. Gardner, William Steinburg, Alonzo Yager, Charles Nord,
William F. Stone, James E. Gardner, James Armstrong, and Asahel
Fowler.
Fruitland Township. In 1843, Charles Mears purchased 2,000 acres
of government land in what is now Fruitland township at a price of $1.25
an acre. At that time, the land was covered with pine timber which was,
of course, logged off by Mears, who as the land was cleared turned his
efforts to developing his vast holdings into profitable fruit growing land,
a work in which he later became associated with a Mr. Merriman. At the
time he located in the township, many Ottawa Indians inhabited the
region but they later removed to the Pere Marquette region. The other
early settlers in the township were, for the most part, men in the employ
of Mears. ' Among these men was J. Philbrick. One of the first houses
built in that section was erected by a Mr. Doan on the Whitehall town
line and was probably the only one outside of Duck Lake in 1850.
South of White Lake a log house was soon after built by a Mr. Dexter
who left that locality in 1850, his place being taken over by a man of
German extraction named Seever. Joseph Hagreen, a native of the
county of Suffolk, England, settled south of White Lake in 1850 on
section 6. At that time he built the roads which he needed and his only.
market then was the solitary shore at the mouth of White Lake. His
daughter Maggie, born in 1858, is believed to be the first white child
born in the township. Adolph Friday, a native of Germany, settled
in the township in the same year, but with the outbreak of the Civil
war he enlisted in the Fifth Michigan Cavalry and was killed in action.
Another member of the same regiment, A. Todd, whose family located
east of the later site of Fruitland, was also killed in the war. David
Traverse Depue located in the township in 1863. In the early days
(1859), the village of Duck Lake was the only hamlet for miles around,
and later the settlement of Cork Point, later Fruitland, sprang up, and
the colony which grew up around the sawmills at White Lake was
known as the village of Mar.
Fruitport Township. Seth H. Norris came to what was later Fruitport township in the fall of 1836. There he cleared seven acres of land
and made his home on the tract for several years. In the winter of 1837,
Samuel Torrans settled in the township. The first settler in the land
now embraced by the present village of Fruitport was Jacob Chapman
who later became the first postmaster of the village. One of the pioneers
in fruit growing for which the township is famous was Samuel Torrans,
a native of Ireland. As early as 1857 peach trees were bearing fruit.
Speculation in fruit growing lands began in the late sixties, and though
the ventures failed to meet expectations at first, the country was de



24


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


veloped into an excellent fruit section after the hardships of the hard
winter of 1874-75. In the spring of 1866, Captain E. L. Craw came
to the conclusion after careful study of soil conditions that the country
was admirably suited to fruit culture. He accordingly purchased several
hundred acres on the eastern shore of Spring Lake where he set out
thirty acres of peach trees. The results obtained exceeded even his
highest anticipations, and the result was that much speculation in sandy
soil not underlaid with clay became relatively heavy, with, in some
cases, disastrous results. Following the hard winter when nearly all
peach buds were killed, the people of the township turned their attention to the growing of fruit with even more ardor, and that section of
the county is today one of the excellent fruit growing sections not only
of the state, but also of the country as well. The financial crisis of
the hard winter coupled with the Chicago fire which occasioned severe
losses to many stockholders are reasons given for the collapse of the
village of Fruitport which had up to that time been such a thriving community. Among the early settlers of that township must be mentioned
David Chapman, Henry Beach, John Loosmore, and William J. Riley.
Holton Township. The settlement of this township was materially
retarded by the presence of the Ottawa Indians who lived there, for the
land was a part of the reservation which they had been guaranteed by
treaty with the United States government. The Indians, however, felt
disinclined to retain the land as a reservation and they later removed to
the Pere Marquette region. White men then began to settle in the township, and since the land was admirably suited for agriculture, farms began to spring up in the wilderness and orchards were planted. Although
some of these first white men were squatters, the majority of them had
entered land in the United States land office or bought it outright,
proceedings which, when reported to the office at Washington, were
declared null and void. During this trouble over land settlement,...
however, John R. Robinson, a son of Rix Robinson, an Indian trader,
by a woman of French and Indian blood, went to Washington, and by
his claim as an Indian, secured a patent to 4,500 acres of land in Holton
township, all of which land was well timbered and was good soil. Robinson sold the land for several thousand dollars to Ransom E. Wood,
of Grand Rapids, who re-conveyed the property to Robinson when he
learned the active opposition to the first move on the part of the settlers.
Robinson sold the land in 1869 or 1870 to Blodgett & Byrne for the
sum of $15,500. Even this move failed to receive the full endorsement of the settlers at first, but the fairness of the firm and the honorable
course which it pursued soon won the favor of the settlers, many of
whom were employed by the company. The company erected a large sawmill which was operated until the end of 1881 when' it was dismantled.
Joseph Troutier, an Indian storekeeper at Sand Creek, settled first on
Muskegon river and though he was only half white, he is regarded as
the first settler of the township. William Badeaux was also one of the
first settlers. A. Steinberg and a Mr. Campbell, the latter of whom
built a mill near Twin Lake and built a road to Whitehall, were also
among the first settlers of that section. Rufus W. Skeels and Norman




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A VIEW     (,.)I' AltSKFK;'O)N

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ARMORY AT MUSKEGON








HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


25


Cunningham, however, are given place by historians as the first white
settlers of that territory. Thomas McLaughlin became the first keeper
of the general store erected by the firm of Blodgett & Byrne. John
Glade started the second store, his first establishment consisting merely
of two barrels supporting boards for a counter. With the year 1864
came a colony of Norwegians and Danes to settle on the land south of
Holton and north of Cedar Creek, and the township's first christening
was in this colony, a daughter of Captain H. Alaskon being baptized in
1866. Isaac Casady, later a blacksmith in this colony, was one of the
first township settlers where he came in the employ of Blodgett &
Byrne, and Joseph Dobe is also regarded as one of the first residents of
that section of the county.
Lakeside Township was organized from Laketon township which
was originally a part of Muskegon township, and thus the early settlement may be considered as virtually identical with that of Muskegon
township. Lakeside township was organized in 1875 and embraced
parts of sections 28, 34 and 35. In March 15, 1889, the little township
was taken into the city of Muskegon and since then has lost its identity
as a separate unit.
Laketon Township found its first permanent settlers in the family of
John Ruddiman who settled near the mouth of Bear Lake, with his
family, his original place being on the site of the later flour mill. The
Moulton family were next to take up land, and the Moulton vineyard
on the peninsula in time became one of the boasts of the county. J.
Cowles settled on section 14 in 1862 and M. Cowles took up his home
on section 11 in the following year. Section 3 became the home of
I. F. Black in 1865, and Charles Culver settled on section 2 in 1862.
A. P. Horton took land in section 12 in 1863, and Henry Buys in 1863
bought a homestead in section 11. At that time the country was so
heavily timbered that, according to legend, housework at those homes
in the forest had to be performed by candle light on cloudy days.
George L. Christy, who ran the first steam ferry on the lake in 1862,
settled in section 4 in 1864, and Riley Clemons came to the township in
1868. Among the early residents of the township may be mentioned
T. P. Cowles, J. C. Draper, John Fenner, I. R. Hallock, Joseph Houston,
Joseph E. Plewes, Charles Willings, James M. Robinson, A. R. Williams, and Napoleon Wilson.
Montague and Whitehall Townships. The early history of these
two townships is so closely linked that to separate them would be
virtually impossible for they were originally in the territory embraced by Oceana township, the early settlement of which will
be narrated here to serve as the early history of the two present
townships of Montague and Whitehall.     Oceana  township, too,
was an offshoot of another, being organized from White River township just two months before the erection of Muskegon county. On
April 18, 1859, the first meeting for Oceana township was held at
Seamanville in the school house, and the number of voters at this
first meeting seem to have numbered only thirty-five. The village of
Montague in Montague township grew up around the home of Nathaniel
/




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


Sargent and his blacksmith shop, for he had settled there sometime
before 1855. In 1857, he sold his property to G. W. Franklin who
built a house and two years later sold it to G. W. Ferry. James Jewell
built the Maple Grove mill in 1856 and operated it for four years when
in 1860 he sold his interests to the firm of Heald, Avery & Company.
The first store was not opened in the village until 1864 when Ferry,
Dowling & Company began operations, selling their interests to S. H.
Lasley & Company in 1873. Perhaps the earliest settlers to make their
homes in the White Lake region were Charles and Albert Mears, the
latter of whom was but a boy of fifteen years of age, when they came
to the locality in April, 1837, from Paw Paw. The brothers returned
to their home after viewing the country, and in the fall of that year,
Charles Mears came again to White Lake to make his home. In 1839
he built on the shores of White Lake the first sawmill, it being operated
by water power. Albert Mears did not return until 1861. In 1838
came T. Stannage of Montague, John Hanson and John Barr to the
White Lake region. Indians then inhabited the territory in the vicinity
of Clay Banks, and Chief Wabiningo and several families of Indians
were located near the mouth of the White river. Mears built a store
in 1859. S. C. Hall was an early resident of that section where Whitehall later stood as were also A. M. Thompson, the Dalton brothers,
Andrew Knudsen, and Rev. W. M. Ferry. The village of Whitehall
was platted in 1858.
Moorland Township. Since Moorland township was a part of
Ravenna until 1860, its early history is, of course, virtually identical with
that of the latter township. However, by 1857 three men had located in
that section of Ravenna township which is now Moorland, they being
Peter Conklin, John W. Tibbets, and John F. Chicester. In the next
year these men located in the township: George H. Loomis, D. M.
Wilson, R. Robinson, James Anscomb, P. Woodward, Daniel C. Mills,
William Simms, Alvin Reed, Judson Philips, and Hiram and Jesse Ackerman. Many of these men were the first township officers when the
territory was erected into a separate unit in 1860.
Muskegon Township. The early history of Muskegon township is
necessarily united with that of the city of Muskegon, for the first settlers
in the township located in what is now the city and thus the first settlers
of the township are those of the city as well. The development of the
township is traced from the year 1812 when, on the shores of Bear Lake
twenty rods from the mouth, Baptiste Recollect erected a trading post
from which he did business with the Indians of the territory. -The remains of this building were still to be seen as late as 1836. Pierre Constant erected the second trading post which he located near Bluffton and
operated until his death in 1828. The business which he had started was
carried on after his death by his beautiful seventeen-year-old daughter,
Louise, for about six years when she married William Lasley, who
had opened a similar post about that time. Joseph Daily built a trading
post in 1830 near the site of the later Rodgers foundry, operating it
until 1834 when he sold out to Louis B. Baddeau. In 1833, George
Campau built a store which he operated until 1835. Baddeau is right



HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


27


fully considered the first permanent settler, for he later pre-empted land
in section 19 on which his trading post stood. He was of French
descent, being born in Three Rivers, Canada, near Montreal. In 1845,
after suffering business reverses, he removed to Newaygo county and
later to the dam on Muskegon river where he died soon after. Joseph
Troutier is recognized as the second permanent settler on Muskegon
Lake where he erected a building in 1835 constructed of hewn timber
and operated a trading post there for several years. He was born at
Mackinac, August 9, 1812, and continued to live there until his removal
to Muskegon. After several years at Muskegon, Troutier removed to
the territory in the vicinity of the dam on the Muskegon river where
he died in 1884. In 1836, he went with the Indians to Washington
and assisted in drawing up the treaty by which the Indian title to the
land north of the Grand river was secured. William Lasley, who
settled in Muskegon in 1835 and married Louise Constant, built his
trading post near what is now the corner of Western avenue and Seventh
street, in the city of Muskegon. For several years he traded with the
Indians, but as the white settlers began to locate in the vicinity, he began carrying in stock articles suitable for trade with them. It is said
-that he frequently carried on hand as much as $20,000 worth of stock.
He retired from business in 1852 after selling the mill which he had
built, and the following year he died. The name of Martin Ryerson is
prominently identified with the pioneer settlement of the township. He
located in Muskegon in May, 1836, and entered the employ of Troutier,
engaging in the Indian trade three years. He later became engaged in
the sawmill business and in this venture was highly successful. He
removed to Chicago in 1851 where he remained until his death in 1886.
Theodore Newell, a native of Connecticut, and Henry Penoyer both
settled in Muskegon in 1836, and the same year the latter, with his
brother Augustus, built a sawmill on Penoyer creek a few miles above
Newaygo. In May, 1837, George W. Walton came to Muskegon where
he remained until 1855 when he went to California. During his residence here he was elected supervisor of the township in 1847. Thomas
W. Dill came to this section with his wife in 1837. After a few days
at Muskegon, they went to Penoyer's mill and after a year removed to
Mill Iron Point where Dill built a house and lived two years. Their
daughter, Minerva, who was born June 10, 1838, is believed to be the
first white child born within the present boundaries of Muskegon county.
The family removed to Muskegon where Dill died in 1854. Isaac D.
Merrill settled in the village in 1839, and in 1844, James E. Graham
brought his family to the little village. Samuel J. Green, Robert W.
Morris, Ashley B. Forman, Edward H. Wylie, John H. Knickerbocker,
Captain James Dalton, Jr., Edward and Peter Dalton, and Joseph
Stronach all settled in Muskegon before 1850. Chauncey Davis came
from Kenosha, Wisconsin, where he had been active in public life, to
Muskegon in 1848. He at once took a leading part in the affairs of his
adopted community. From 1860 to 1864 he served in the state legislature. With the incorporation of the city of Muskegon in 1870, he
became the first mayor and was re-elected to that office in 1872. Others




28


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


who were located at the village of Muskegon before 1850 were: George
Ruddiman, George B. Woodbury, Alfred A. Maxim, Richard Ryerson,
John Ruddiman, Elias W. Merrill, Philip Blake, Ira O. Smith, Dr.
Thomas D. Smith, Peter Lansiff, Frank Young, Ole E. Gordon, John
Witherell, Joel Witherell, Nicholas Petrie, F. Diedricht, John B.
Lemieux, Dr. C. P. McSherry, Dennis Garvey, John Garvey, Rice Jones,
P. J. Connell, Henry Grossman; Ferdinand Grossman, Charles Grossman, Julius Boschk, John Carmichael, Thomas Mills, Frederick Drixlius, and A. B. Britton.
Norton Township was originally one of the large townships of the
county, including within its boundaries the present ones of Fruitport
and Sullivan. Probably the first settler of the township was Benjamin
Brist, of German descent, who settled with his family near Mono Lake,
and the children of this family are believed to be the first white children
born in the township. Ira Porter, who settled at Black Lake in 1850,
is credited with revolutionizing the argicultural fortunes of the township, for he it was who demonstrated that fruit could be successfully
raised on the sandy soil of the township. Up to this time, when land
was cleared of pine, it was sold for taxes, but the success which he won
in fruit raising resulted in the ascension of the land prices. His nephew,
James Porter, laid out many of the early roads in that section of the
county. Fletcher Fowler settled in the northwest part of the township
where he was the first to plant a peach orchard. John Parks, one of the
early settlers in the Mono Lake territory, was a fruit grower, and John
Kettel, of German extraction, settled near the mouth of Lake Harbor
in 1854. Jacob Winhofer, John Klein, and Elijah Porter were also
located in the township before 1860. The first sawmill operated by
steam erected in the township was built by Joseph Ackem, a German,
who sold it to W. M. Ferry who in turn disposed of it to Ira Porter.
It stood on section 13, and was burned in 1850. After being rebuilt, it
was sold to Rowe and then to Swartout, and when it burned the second
time, it was never rebuilt.
Ravenna Township. Although E. B. Bostwick located in Ravenna
township in 1844 and began the construction of a sawmill, the active settlement of the territory did not begin until 1847. In that year, Benjamin
Smith located on the present site of the village of Ravenna; Thomas D.
Smith and William Rogers established their homes on section 11; and
Tames Rollinson and Hiram Wilkinson settled on section 36. The number of settlers within the township were swelled the following year by the
arrival of Elmer Spencer, John Thompson, and a Dutch colony among
whom were P. I. G. Hodenpyle, H. F. Hoogstraat, A. Plum, Cornelius
Von Sledrick, C. Borendamme, and A. Dooge. However, the population of the township does not appear to have increased materially until
1853 when twenty-four voters were registered. This number had more
than doubled by 1855, and by 1858 the presence of eighty-three voters
indicated that the population of the county was steadily increasing.
Apollus Griswold, who died in infancy, was the first white child born
in the county, and the first marriage solemnized was that between James




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY                   29
F. Tibbits and Christine Burbic, the ceremony being performed October
9, 1853, by Justice of the Peace Elmer Spencer.
Sullivan Township. The early settlement of this township, which
was originally a part of Fruitport township, is recorded in the history
of the early settlement of the latter township.
White River Township is today but a small part of its original size,
it first including the present townships of Montague and Whitehall
and in fact all of northern Muskegon county within its limits. At one
time a vast region to the north was included in the administrative area
of White river. Charles Mears was the earliest settler in the township, who, upon his arrival at the mouth of White Lake, found men
holding a claim of Hiram Pearson, of Chicago, the claim being afterward abandoned. Mears located on the lake in 1836, entering the lake
by the old mouth and sailing nearly a mile south. A son of John Hanson, a Swede, is thought to be the first white child born in the township.
The schooner Telegram, McConnell, master, was the first sailing vessel
to pass through the mouth of the White river. It was unable to cross
the bar with a full cargo and was discharged by means of lighters. The
Ferrys who owned the boat also built the first sawmill in the township.




CHAPTER II


COUNTY ORGANIZATION AND GOVERNMENT
AS was frequently the case, the organization of Muskegon
county met with opposition from various quarters.  The
early attempts of those who sought the organization of the Muskegon territory as a separate governmental unit were fraught with
disappointments, but the will of the people of the county was not
to be denied and success ultimately crowned the efforts of the
committee working with the state legislature.
The derivation of the name of Muskegon county deserves a
place at this point. The Muskegon river is designated on the map
of Franquelin in 1684 as the "Riviere du Iroquois," and on the map
of Mitchell in 1755, the stream is named the Maticon. In the legislative act of 1837 by which the township of Muskegon was
erected, the name appears Maskego. It is later changed by usage
to Maskegon, Muskego, and finally to Muskegon. According to
Verwyst, the name is undoubtedly of Chippewa origin, being a
corruption of Mash-Ki-Gong, meaning "at or to a swamp."
The territory around Muskegon lake developed relatively
slow for a time, but as harbor development made its appearance, and as the people began to realize that the growing village
would one day be the center of a thriving community, the desire
for separate political identity began to assume shape in their minds;
the desire for a county of Muskegon became to them almost a
necessity. For several years before action was taken on the matter,
the step was considered by the people. Political factions brought
to bear their influence to the end that the territory of the proposed
county might be so cut up that the remainder would be too small
to organize as a separate county. It had been a part of Ottawa
county since the organization of the latter in 1837 and that county
wished to retain within its boundaries that valuable territory south
of the Muskegon river. The northern tier of townships was wanted
by Oceana county. The inhabitants of these townships were also
in favor of annexation to Oceana county, for even after the erection
of Muskegon county, the supervisors of that district refused to
attend the board meetings for several years. By the end of the
year 1858, the leaders of the movement for separate organization
decided that it was time to bring matters to a head. Accordingly
E. W. Merrill, Robert W. Morris, and Chauncey Davis were commissioned to go to Lansing in January, 1859, to attempt to secure
the passage of an act erecting the county. But in the state capital,
the men found bitter and persistent opposition, even from quarters
where they had never expected it. To use the words of Davis:
"We were laughed at for thinking of such a measure and were told
that all the business of Muskegon could be easily done at Grand




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


31


Haven; that the business was so light and would always continue
so light that it would be a pleasure for Muskegon people to make
occasional trips to Grand Haven on county business, searching the
records and attending the courts than otherwise; that it would
give us exercise, give elasticity to our limbs, enliven and invigorate the sluggish mental faculties to visit the county seat at Grand
Haven, instead of sitting down here upon a saw log or upon a little
heap of sawdust and while away our time in comparative solitude."
With the aid and support of such men as O. D. Conger, J. W.'
Sanborn, and Newell Avery, the three representatives of Muskegon
managed to secure the passage in Febrwryt 1_59of  acj.t.erting
the county of Muskegon, its size being then designated as the same
as it now is. The county seat was located at the vjuLlags.-.Mskegon and a special election called for Apjril 41859. The final
organization of the county was consummated June,1859. The
election of the first county officers was held on the appointed day,
and on Tuesday, April 12, the board of election canvassers met
and, after counting the votes, announced the following men as
elected: James H. Lobdell, sheriff; Charles D. Nelson, register of
deeds; Joseph D. Davis, treasurer; Edwin H. Wylie, clerk; Henry
H. Holt, prosecuting attorney; Edwin A. Partridge and Theodore
S. Davis, coroners; Edwin Potter, circuit court commissioner;
Charles Carmichael, surveyor; and Jesse D. Pullman, judge of
probate.
The first meeting of the board of supervisors convened at nine
o'clock on the morning of July 18, in the hall of Wheeler & Hugunin. Those present were E. W. Merrill of Muskegon, Ira O.
Smith of Norton, and Nathan Whitney of Casnovia. The supervisors from Ravenna and White River townships being absent,
the board adjourned until two o'clock p. m. of the same day, but
when the board re-convened and these supervisors were still absent, the board proceeded to business. A petition was entertained
by the board for the erection of a township from the eastern part
of Muskegon, and Ira O. Smith was appointed a committee of one
to investigate the proposed township organization. The petition
was granted by the board, and the election date was set. It was
named Egelston in honor of Adna Egelston, one of the first settlers of that section and one of the leaders in the organizing of the
township. The board was also petitioned at this meeting to make alterations in the state road in Casnovia township and the matter was referred to Nathan Whitney as a committee of one. After designating the hall of Wheeler & Hugunin as the place for the circuit
court sessions, the board adjourned, closing the first day's work
of the supervisors. At the time the legislature passed the act creating Muskegon county, the new county was composed of five
townships. However, immediately after the.act was passed with
the aid of the board of supervisors of Ottawa county, the White
River people who had not yet given up the idea that the organization of Muskegon county could be prevented and the territory




32


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


north of the present townships of Laketon, Muskegon, and Egelston made part of Oceana, took steps to organize two new townships. The present townships of Montague and part of Blue Lake
formed the township of Oceana, and the present ones of Dalton,
Holton, Cedar Brook, part of Whitehall, and the rest of Blue Lake,
formed Dalton township. It was expected that the sparsely settled county of Oceana would agree as the price of annexation that
the county seat be transferred to some place in the new township
of Oceana and the name was selected as a sort of bribe. At that
time, the county of Muskegon comprised five townships: Muskegon, which included the territory now embraced by the townships of Egelston, Laketon, and the city of Muskegon; Norton,
which included the present townships of Fruitport and Sullivan;
Ravenna, which also included Moorland township; White River,
which included the northern tier of townships; and Casnovia.
Blue Lake Township was organized in 1865. Early settlers in the
White lake region called the Blue Lake country, "The Land of
the Thousand Lakes." It was a wooded park-like country with
numerous pretty lakes interspersed. The supervisors, to accomplish this, consolidated Oceana and Dalton townships, re-dividing
them into three, Oceana, Dalton and Blue Lake. At that time A.
P. Ware, who had settled in the township the previous year, was
elected supervisor of Blue Lake. The township had become so
disorganized by 1873 through removals of its inhabitants that a
special election was called for most of the township offices to be
held in Diedrich's school on November 4. The regular elections
in the township are held the first Monday in April, however. The
first church in the district was that kept by a Baptist ministers
Rev. George Irving, who assembled his congregation in District
School No. 2, for at that time and for many years thereafter, no
churches were built in the township.
Casnovia Township was organized by an act of the legislature during the winter of 1852-53, and the first township election was held
April 4, 1853. Thirty votes in all were polled, and the following
men were declared elected: Richard Hilton, supervisor; R. S.
Seaman, clerk; N. F. Westcott, treasurer; Richard Hilton, John
Seaman, Daniel Bennett, and Solomon D. Mosher, justices of the
peace; William H. Twiss, N. L. Fulkerson, John Doran, and William  Hutchinson, constables; N. L. Fulkerson and John Hilton,
commissioners of highways; and Silas Fulkerson and F. Cassidy,
overseers of the poor. With the township duly organized, the
officers turned their atention to the establishment of schools, and
within the year, two school districts had been created, District No.
1 being formed June 30, 1853, and District No. 2 on October 20!
Two more school districts were formed on April 15 and May 29
of the following year, and on May 23, 1857, a fifth school district
was created. The first school buildings were of the usual pioneer
variety, being constructed of logs with puncheon floors and rude
desks and benches for the pupils.




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


33


Cedar Creek Township. Originally a part of White River township, Cedar Creek township next became a part of Dalton township until 1861, when it was organized with the territory of the
present Holton township attached to it. The first supervisor was
Norman Cunningham, who filled that office continually until 1867.
Dalton Township, as it was originally organized, included the territory of the present townships of Fruitland, Cedar Creek, Whitehall, Blue Lake and Holton. It was organized April 18, 1859, at
the house of Edwin Nichols where the following officers were
elected: P. Dalton, supervisor; Moses Hall, clerk; G. Nichols,
treasurer; Andrew Todd, E. Collins, D. P. Sherman, and Moses
Hall, justices of the peace; C. Odell, commissioner of highways;
J. P. Brown, school inspector; and 0. W. Califf, A. J. Covell, W.
Jones, and A. Ketchum, constables. The township officers resolved, at a meeting held in the house of J. B. Lewis on February
17, 1866, to create a school district, and on April 13, 1867, District
No. 1 was erected. The first building was erected on section 5
and was then known as the Fox Lake school, later being called
the Knapp school. Miss Etta Odion was placed in charge of this
first school. The second school district erected was in the vicinity
of Twin Lake. At about the same time as the people turned their
attention to the education of their children, religious services began to be held in the township. Rev. Mr. Pearson, a Methodist
Episcopal minister, held services in the township during the
year 1866.
Egelston Township was the first one erected after the organization
of the county. The board of supervisors at its first meeting on
July 18, 1859, approved the organization of the township and named
the house of Peter Sturdefant as the election place. Adna Egelston, in honor of whom the township was named, was elected the
first supervisor and his popularity was such that he was successively re-elected until he had served thirteen years when he was
succeeded in 1873 by David R. Jones.
Fruitland Township, once a part of Dalton township, was organized
in October, 1869, and the first election was held April 4 of the following year, fifty-two voters being present. When the votes were
counted it was found that a tie for the office of supervisor existed
between H. S. Tyler and Ezra Stearns, the former being declared
elected after lots had been drawn to determine who should fill the
office. The other officers elected at this time were: J. S. Taylor,
clerk; O. E. Gordon, treasurer; D. E. Califf, John Dorman, justices
of the peace; Webster Thompson, commissioner of highways; C.
E. Califf, Thomas Dorman, and E. Saens, constables; H. R. Newlun, school inspector; and C. E. Califf, H. Marvin, and M. Speed,
overseers for road districts Nos. 2, 1, and 3, respectively. The
election of 1881 showed only fifty-four votes cast, indicating that
the population during the first years of the township's independent
life were poor ones as regards the increase of population. During
this time, however, it must be remembered that the timber had




34


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


been almost entirely cut away, and the people had not yet fully
realized the excellent possibilities in fruit raising, for in this
branch of agriculture, the township is one of the best not only in
the county but also in the state. The first preaching in the township was done by Methodist Episcopal preachers in the old
Sprague schoolhouse located in the northeast section of the township.
Fruitport Township, was organized under the name of Lovell by an
act of the legislature passed in 1867, but that same body changed
the name to that of Fruitport in 1870. The first meeting of the
township electors was held in the old schoolhouse on section 31,
Henry James, Samuel Torrans, and Robert Little acting as the
first inspectors of elections. At that time, Austin W. De Frate
was elected supervisor and was re-elected to that office the following year. The first schoolhouse in the township was located
near the farm of Jacob Chapman in 1854 but was later removed.
A German, whose name is not known, was the first teacher of this
school which was next placed under the direction of a daughter
of R. Wilson, who later removed to Alabama.
Holton Township was detached from Blue Lake township in 1871
and erected into an independent township and was named in honor
of ex-Lieutenant Governor Henry H. Holt, and that it was not
called Holt was due to the fact a postoffice in Ingham county already bore that name. The Methodists established the first church.
in the township which has continued to flourish up to the present
time.
Laketon Township remained a part of Muskegon until 1865 when
it was organized as a separate township. In addition to its present territory, it first included the township of Lakeside which was
later taken into the city limits of Muskegon. S. A. Browne was
elected first supervisor and served for three years. Since the territory
on the south side of the lake consisted of but three partial sections
and was naturally a portion of Muskegon township, considerable
dissatisfaction arose among the residents of the southern section.
Therefore in 1875, on the petition of the people, the township of
Lakeside was detached from Laketon. Lakeside township was in
turn absorbed by the city of Muskegon in about ten years. A. G.
Smith was elected the first supervisor at the election held at the
office of A. V. Mann & Company.
Montague Township. In 1874, when the old township of Oceana
was divided into two parts, the northern and western parts containing about nineteen sections was erected into a township called
Montague on March 24 of that year. The first election was called
by the county clerk for April 10, and on the appointed day the
qualified voters assembled at the engine house in the village of
Montague. Two hundred and fifty-seven votes were cast, and
the following men were chosen to hold office: Joseph Heald,
supervisor; H. C. Sholes, clerk; M. Hendrie, treasurer; F. W. Redfern and W. N. Gee, school inspectors; B. O'Connell, commissioner




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


35


of highways; E. McCoy, I. Graves, R. L. Harmon and C. H. Cook,
justices of the peace; H. M. Bigelow, J. Ohrenberger, J. P.
Partridge and A. W. Clark, constables; A. Lauterback, poundkeeper; and G. E. Dowling, L. D. Gillett, R. L. Harmon, E. M.
Gilbert, I. Graves, D. Curtis, and S. Ellis, overseers of highways.
The public schools of the village of Montague got their start in
1864, and the following year Harriet Woodams was secured as
teacher for a period of three months at a salary of $52 for that
time. On September 20, 1865, a tax of $200 was levied for the construction of a schoolhouse, which was on lot 9, block 59, and in
September, 1867, a tax of $600 was levied for enlarging and completing the schoolhouse. The school was graded September 1,
1873, and at a meeting held April 18, the next year, it was voted to
raise $9,000 for the construction of a schoolhouse capable of seating 300 pupils. The building was not occupied until June 1, 1875.
A $16,000 schoolhouse, built of white brick and standing three
stories in height, was erected in 1875, and a Professor Strong became the first principal.
Moorland Township was attached to Ravenna township until 1860,
when the board of supervisors on January 1, of that year, organized the township of Moorland. The first election was held in
Bliss' schoolhouse, the following officers being elected: 0. F.
Conklin, supervisor; Alvin Reed, clerk; Benjamin Brevoort, treasurer; John W. Tibbets and George H. Loomis, justices of the peace;
Robert Robinson, school inspector; and Peter Conklin, P. Woodward and Judson Philips, commissioners of highways. In the early
days, the township was largely composed of swamp lands, but the
residents of the country soon realized that the land could be made
very productive by an adequate drainage system. To this end, a
large ditch with a width of fourteen feet was built from a point
in section 13 southwesterly to section 30 to the south branch of
Black Creek into which it drained. Tributary ditches were connected with this main artery, and the results obtained have more
than justified the builders of the drainage system, for in the township can be found today some of the most productive land of the
county.
Muskegon Township. The country now embraced by the townships of Ravenna, Fruitport, Norton, Moorland, Casnovia, Egelston, Muskegon and Laketon was erected into a township by legislative enactment December 30, 1837, and was called Markge
The act was repealed the following year and was organized as
the township of Muskegon, for at this time and for many years
thereafter, there was wide diversity of opinion as to the correct
spelling of the name. In 1841 the unorganized county of Oceana
was attached to Muskegon for judicial purposes, in 1845 the southern portion was detached and organized into the township of Norton. The confusion in the name was finally settled by the reestablishment of the postoffice as Muskegon in 1848. The first
township election was held April 2, 1838, at the house of Newell




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


& Wilcox in the village of Muskegon, and these officers were
elected: Erastus Wilcox, supervisor; Theodore Newell, clerk;
Daniel Piper, Horace Wilcox, Benjamin H. Wheelock and Lyman
Fish, justice of the peace; Christopher Frizine, Daniel Piper and
Erastus Wilcox, assessors; Lyman Fish and Louis B. Baddeau,
inspectors of the poor; William C. Vanozdue, Henry Penoyer and
Theodore Newell, commissioners of highways; Horace Wilcox, A.
J. Allen and Christopher Frizine, school inspectors; John Richards, collector; John Richards, James Green, Phelix P. Butterfield,
and Joseph Stronach, constables. The election inspectors at this
first voting were Jonathan H. Ford, Lyman Fish and William C.
Vanozdue.   In this election thirty voters were present, and all the
votes cast were widely distributed among the candidates, of which
there were several for each office. It was not uncommon in the
years preceding 1850 for the matter of township elections to be
entirely ignored by the inhabitants, the incumbent officers being
allowed to continue in office. George Ruddiman, for example, held
the office of supervisor for several years during this time. The
records of the township were destroyed in 1874 by the destruction
of the home of the township clerk by fire. In the winter of 1848-49,
a Miss Clark opened, in a room of the house of Charles Martin, the
first school to be kept in Muskegon. Private subscription of money
made possible the erection of a schoolhouse in the autumn of 1849,
located at the corner of Clay avenue and Terrace street. The onestory building, 20x30 feet in size, was built at a cost of $300, and
during the first winter was under the direction of William D. Holt,
and during the second winter and the following summer, a Miss
Roberts taught the school. The schoolhouse was also used for
religious services during these first years of its existence. The
building was finally sold and removed from  its original location.
The first union school building in the town was built in 1860 when
Thomas Wheeler was director of the school district. The first
religious services held in the village of Muskegon were performed
by Father Visosky, a Roman Catholic priest of Grand Rapids, who
came here in 1835 to hold services in the home of William Lasley.
Although services were held at this house occasionally thereafter,
no active steps toward establishing a church were started until
1857 when the first St. Mary's church was built. Father Van
Pammel who came here the previous year was placed in charge of
the parish. According to a talk made by Father Van Pammel at
the semi-centermial picnic of the Muskegon County Pioneer and
Historical society in 1887, Father Visosky was not the first priest
to come here but was preceded by Father Baraga, afterward
Bishop Baraga of Marquette, who made occasional visits to this
section beginning in 1833. He was credited with converting to
Christianity the Indians who then lived in this part of the county.
The first Protestant religious services to be held in the village
were conducted by a Congregational minister, Rev. Mr. Wilcox, in
the boarding house of a Mr. Ryerson. It is said that the collec



HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


37


tion taken up at the conclusion of the first service amounted to
$7.50. During the next ten years, several ministers made occasional visits to Muskegon, many of them coming at the request of
Rev. William M. Ferry, of Grand Haven. Rev. Thomas Wheeler
held services in the boarding house of A. A. Maxim during the
winter of 1844. In the spring of 1850, an arrangement was made
with Rev. Mr. Reynolds, of the Congrai~on caT urIch at Lamont,
to preach in Muskegon each alternate Sunday, the services being
held in the schoolhouse during that winter and the following summer. The first Methodist Episcopal minister to preach regularly
in Muskegon was Rev. L. M. Bennet, who conducted services during the year 1854-55. Rev. J. M. Prattj who settled in Muskegon
in 1856, began a movement to build a church, construction work
being begun the spring of the following year. By 1858, the church
was so far completed that it was possible to use the basement for
services. The church was completed in the spring of 1859 and was
dedicated June 9, the minister by that time being Rev. J. K. Gillett. The report of the building committee showed the cost of this
church to be $11,600, including the cost of the bell.
Norton Township. Norton township was originally organized in
1845 by settlers in the village of Mill Point, now Spring Lake, and
was named in honor of Colonel Amas Norton, a Canadian patriot,
who was implicated in the rebellion of 1837. Afterwards the township was practically disorganized when Spring Lake township was
organized and with other territory in the present county of Ottawa
was detached. The territory was organized in 1855 and at that
time included within its boundaries the present townships of Fruitport and Sullivan. Little is known of the organization and the
early life of the township due to the fact that the records are either
lost or so illegible that they cannot be read. The first school
teacher to be placed in charge of district No. 1 was Martha Rowe who
taught during the winter of 1860.
Ravenna Township, situated in the southeast corner of the county,
was organized in 1849, and it included in addition to its present
territory, the land now embraced by Egelston and Moorland townships. The first town meeting was held April 2, 1849, thirteen
voters being present at the election at which were chosen the following officers: Benjamin Smith, supervisor; Thomas D. Smith,
clerk; Timothy Fletcher, treasurer; Cyrus Miller and C. Borendamme, constables; James M. Smith, Timothy Fletcher, and Dennis Porter, commissioners of highways; P. I. G. Hodenpyle and
Timothy Fletcher, school inspectors; and Timothy Fletcher,
Harvey Porter, Seth Porter, and Elmer Spencer, justices of the
peace. The population of the township was slow in growing until
about 1853 when twenty-four votes are recorded, fifty-six in 1855,
and eighty-three in 1858. From that time forward, the population
of the township grew steadily. Although a school was kept in
1848 by Cornelia Boynton, the first school district was not organized until 1849, the action of the town officers probably being in



38


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


fluenced by the example of the young school teacher who demonstrated the need for educationl advantages for the children. The
first school building in this district was built on section 11, and
thereafter, as the township grew, other school districts were organized to meet the needs of the growing population. The first religious services were held in the township at a mill where itinerant
preachers from time to time spoke to the small congregations of
pioneers.
Whitehall Township. On March 24, 1874, the southwestern part
of Oceana township, containing thirteen sections, was organized
to form the township of Whitehall. The first town meeting was
held on April 10, with approximately 330 voters present. The officers
elected at that time were: Albert Mears, supervisor; John Tait, clerk;
C. E. Covell, treasurer; P. I. Hedges and J. D. Pullman, justices of
the peace; H. Ruggles, P. Hobler and M. R. Stevens, commissioners of highways; N. Patterson, W. Smart, F. M. Stewart and D. W.
Covell, constables; F. Hinman, school inspector; Watson Smart,
poundkeeper. Swain Nelson was elected highway overseer for
district No. 7 and William Sprague for No. 8. The public funds
of Oceana township were divided between Whitehall and Montague townships at a meeting held March 4, 1874, in the office of the
Lumberman, and of the $859.92, Whitehall received $474.46 and
Montague received $355.46. Of the total indebtedness of $1,050,
Whitehall was assigned $581.05. On July 24, the council of Whitehall met to receive plans and specifications for the construction
of a pest house, 18x24 feet and 10 feet high. The contract was
given to Warren Wilder and was signed by him and by A. Mears,
supervisor; D. G. Scroggs and A. G. Hopkins, justices of the peace;
and John Tait, clerk. It was erected at a contract price of $245 plus
$18 for painting and $8 for the construction of outbuildings, the
whole being accepted by the board on August 12. The first school
was conducted in 1860 by Miss Polly Bascom in the home of Daniel
Bascom where six or eight pupils received instruction for about
three months. The first school building erected was a log house
near Mears' storehouse, built in 1862.  Miss Phoebe Clarke was
placed in charge of instruction of the school of this first district.
A Mrs. Scott taught during the winter of 1866. In the fall of the
following year, a second school was built near the first and was
called the Brown school and was capable of seating fifty pupils. In
the fall of 1868, A. C. Elsworth was employed as principal, teaching in the new building while Mrs. Scott continued in charge of
the first building. At the close of that term, the primary school
numbered ninety pupils and the high school, seventy-five. In
1870, the schools were graded, the primary, grammar and high
schools being established at that time. The Congregationalists of
the township headed by Albert Mears and Stephen C. Hall formed
the first church at Whitehall. These two men met with Rev. P.
R. Van Frank, a retired minister, and persuaded him to hold regular
services which he did until the time of his death two years later.




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


39


The old log house which served for the first school building and
church was used by the various congregations for many years, and
it was not until 1872 that the Congregationalists erected a church
of their own in Whitehall, the organization and consequent building of the house of worship being carried out by Rev. J. G. Schaefer.
The Methodist Episcopal congregation was started in 1854 with a
membership of about seventeen under the guidance of Elder
Charles Chick who preached in Hobler's hall. Though it was first
a mission it soon became self-sustaining. A parsonage was started
within the first year, and by the time the congregation was three
years old it had undertaken the construction of a church on Division
street in the village of Whitehall.
White River Township. Although White River township was one
of the largest in the county when it was first erected, it has been
so cut down that at the present time it is a gore about six miles
long with an average width of" two miles. Authenic history of the
organization of township government cannot be given due to the
fact that the officers burned all the township records in 1859 after
the finances of the town had become so tangled as to defy unravelling.
County Buildings. For many years after the organization of the
county of Muskegon, the county offices were maintained in various
buildings in the village of Muskegon, and not until 1869 was the
construction of a courthouse to supply offices for the public servants and court rooms for the sessions of the circuit court. The
battle for relocation of the county seat opened in the January session of 1868, Whitehall and Montague offering to donate the necessary land and the sum of $15,000 for the construction of a building.
L. G. Mason and W. F. Wood also made offers to the county, and
the proposition of the latter was ultimately accepted and the county
seat confirmed at Muskegon. The construction of a $60,000 courthouse was authorized by the supervisors, and in 1869, D. G. Garnsey was chosen to be the architect of the proposed county building. Construction was begun at once and rushed to completion,
being completed within a year. The first courthouse was a brick
structure surmounted by a tower and the basement walls were of
solid stone several feet in thickness. A large hall, traversing the
building from front to rear, gave access to the large offices which
were supplied with fireproof vaults for the storage of the county
records. The courtroom was situated on the second floor and was
large enough to accommodate an audience of nearly 1,000 people.
The building survived the devastating fire of 1874 which swept the
city of Muskegon, but it was almost completely destroyed by fire
early in 1891.
The supervisors at once took steps to build a new courthouse
and jail, their first move being the calling of an election to see
whether or not the county should be bonded to the extent of $75,000
for the erection of a new building. The election was held July 13,
1891, and carried decisively. The supervisors provided that from




40


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


the years 1894 to 1903, inclusive, that amount would be paid off
by the county in alternating yearly amounts of $7,000 and $8,000,
the first payment in 1894 being $7,000 and the final one in 1903
being $8,000. The committee on courthouse and grounds was
authorized to advertise the fact that the board was ready to receive
the plans of architects, and on June 26, the board accepted the
plans as submitted by the firm of Crain & Krutsch, of Logansport,
Indiana, and a building commitee was chosen comprising Jacob
Jesson, chairman, A. P. Horton, Tom J. G. Bolt, and William W.
Owen. Upon the acceptance of the plans, bids were advertised
for, but acting upon the recommendation of the building committee, the board rejected as too high all bids that were first submitted.
Upon a second call for bids, the contract was awarded to P. J.
Connell & Sons who agreed to construct the building of buff Amherst stone for a contract price of $82,700. The contract provided
that the work must be completed by December 31, 1892. The
contract for a jail and sheriff's residence to be built not on the
courthouse square, but a block away, called for a contract price of
$23,499.35. The courthouse was completed well before the expiration of the time limit and was furnished at an expense which
brought the total amount for the courthouse up to $109,000. One
of the features of the building is the unusually large vault space
that was provided, and that the building committee has been more
than justified in securing such large storage places for the records
has been demonstrated by time. The first floor and basement of
the building house the various county offices while on the second
floor are the court rooms, judges' rooms and the offices of the
prosecuting attorney.
A list of county officers who have held office since the erection of the
county are herewith given for ready reference:
Sheriffs: James H. Lobdell, 1859-62; Theodore S. Davis, 1863 -64; Aaron B. Miner, 1865-66; Sanford J. Ackerman, 1867-68; Aaron
B. Miner, 1870-74; A. M. DeClerg, 1869-70; Aaron B. Miner, 1871 -74; William L. Ryan, 1875-78; Thomas J. Waters, 1879-82; Timothy Breshnahan, 1883-86; Nels P. Nelson, 1887-90; Wheeler
Hancock, 1891-92; William H. Smith, 1893-96; Gustav H. Neumeister, 1897-1900; Rolla B. Payne, 1901-04; Vincent O. Clinger,
1905-08; P. Fred Nelson, 1909-12; Fred J. Collins, 1913-16; Carl
A. Stauffer, 1917-20; William O. Matthews, 1921-24; and Lyman
S. Covell, 1925-.
Clerks: Edwin H. Wylie, 1859-60; Ira O. Smith, 1861-62;
Henry J. Pemberton, 1863-66; Dewitt C. Carpenter, 1867; David
McLaughlin, 1867-76; George Wheeler, 1877-78; John Tait, 1879 -88; George Lovelace, 1889-90; Tate Starke, 1891-92; John B. Barlow, 1893-96; R. Andrew Fleming, 1897-1900; John B. Barlow,
1901-18; Albert Michelson, 1919-22; Oscar Berg, 1923-.
Treasurers: Joseph D. Davis, 1859-62; Thomas J. Rand, 1863 -64; Steven C. Hall, 1865-68; Ezra Stevens, 1869; Martin Perley,
1869-72; Joseph H. Hackley, 1873-74; Charles H. Cook, 1875-78;




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


41


Rollin S. Thompson, 1879-82; Henry S. Henderson, 1883-84; Gains
P. Kingsbury, 1885-86; Martin Waalkes, 1887-88; Sidney S. Morris, 1889-90; Henry J. VanZalinger, 1891-92; Samuel A. Soderberg, 1893-96; George Bolt, 1897-1900; Orin T. Bolt, 1901-04; John
R. Bennett, 1905-08; Edward D. Magoon, 1909-12; Jonathan D.
Westover, 1913-16; Henry Workman, 1917-20; Rena Baas, 1921-24;
Frank White, 1925-.
Registers of Deeds: Charles D. Nelson, 1859-60; Ira O. Smith,
1861-62; Henry J. Pemberton, 1863-66; Dewitt C. Carpenter,
1867-; David McLaughlin, 1867-78; Edwin S. Latimer, 1879-82;
James B. Lee, 1883-86; Charles S. Dodge, 1887-90; Handford H.
Watson, 1891-92; S. Henry Lasley, 1893-98; Ole C. Olson, 1899 -1902; Charles I. Giles, 1903-06; Frank E. Hathaway, 1907-10;
Oscar Berg, 1911-18; Edward Hanson, 1919-.
Prosecuting Attorneys: Henry H. Holt, 1859-62; Edwin Potter, 1863-66; Duane Thompson, 1867-68; Francis Smith, 1869-74;
Andrew T. McReynolds, 1875-76; Nelson DeLong, 1877-78; Marshall L. Stephenson, 1879-80; Nelson DeLong, 1881-82; George
Carter, 1883-84; Horace L. Delano, 1885-86; James C. McLaughlin,
1887-92; Dan T. Chamberlain, 1893-94; Roderick J. Macdonald,
1895-98; Charles B. Cross, 1899-1902; George S. Lovelace, 1902-06;
Dan T. Chamberlain, 1907-10; Alexander Sutherland, 1911-12;
Harris E. Galpin, 1913-16; Christian A. Broek, 1917-20; Harry W.
Jackson, 1921-24; R. Glenn Dunn, 1925-.
Surveyors: Charles Carmichael, 1859-62; Stephen C. Hall,
1863-64; Adna Egelston, 1865-74; Thomas Smalley, 1875-76; Henry
B. W. VanZalingern, 1877-82; Robert M. Quigley, 1883-84; Henry
B. W. VanZalingern, 1885-86; John C. Abbott, 1887-90; John B.
Smalley, 1891-92; Clifford S. Gamble, 1893-94; Darwin G. Bell,
1895-1900; John C. Abbott, 1901-22; George W. Clarke, 1923-.
Circuit Court Judges: Flavius J. Littlejohn, 1858-67; Moses
B. Hopkins, 1867-69; Augustine H. Giddings, 1870-76; Michael
Brown, 1877-80; Fred J. Russell, 1881-87; Albert H. Dickerman,
1888-93; Fred J. Russell, 1893-1905; Clarence W. Sessions, 1905-11
(resigned); Stephen V. Clink, appointed in 1911 to fill unexpired
term and served eight months; James E. Sullivan, 1912-18; and
John Vanderwerp, 1918-.
Probate Judges: Jesse D. Pullman, 1859-60; Robert McQueen,
1861-64; Wesley F. Wood, 1865-; Edward H. Wylie, 1873-84;
Orrin Whitney, 1885-88; Stephen A. Aldrich, 1889-96; John Vanderwerp, 1897-1902; Elliott D. Prescott, 1902-24; Ruth Thompson,
1925 —.




CHAPTER III


TRANSPORTATION
THE history of man has ever recorded his continual striving for
improved methods of transportation, his wish to increase the
speed and facility of communication and travel, and as man has
wished so has he wrought, his achievements in this direction marking accurately the progress of mankind. The American pioneers
found new problems to overcome, problems which seem now almost Herculean in their scope in the early days of colonial development and territorial development. The cutting of roads
through miles of dense forests was a necessary prelude to extensive colonization of the Northwest territory, but with that dauntless spirit that characterizes the pioneer, the early settlers applied
themselves to the task of road building. Many of the early roads
in Michigan either paralleled Indian trails or were developments
of the Indian forest highways.
Muskegon county, in the early days of its settlement, was no
exception to this rule, and those who first penetrated the heavy
pine forests that clothed her sand hills did so over the Indian
trails which had served the aborigines for many years.  It is
notable that among the early trails used in the county some of
them were traversed by the first mail carriers. The mail carried
to Norton township prior to 1860, for example, was taken over the
Indian trail along the shore to Lake Harbor, a trail which could
still be traced but a comparatively short time ago. In this township, too, all travel was done over these trails until 1860 when the
first regular road was laid out. The Ottawas who made their
home in Muskegon county until their removal to Oceana and
Mason counties, traced a number of trails which reached into all
sections of the county, many of which formed the lines of later
highways. One such trail followed the south side of the river
and made a crossing some sixteen miles upstream near the site
of Ryerson's farm and continued on to Croton where it formed
a junction with one which led to Grand Rapids. What was known
as the Beach trail which proceeded north along the lake to Black
Creek which if crossed about a mile and a half from its mouth
and then crossed Muskegon lake about a mile and a half west of
the mill at the mouth of Bear Lake. Another little used trail led
to Whitehall and another went to Burying Ground Point. The
trail which followed the Muskegon river, however, was much
used by lumbermen and trappers.
The first road out of Muskegon was built by Martin Ryerson
in 1847 at his own expense. He, in company with an Indian, ran
the line for the proposed highway, corrected it, and then sent out
a gang of men to cut away the timber from Muskegon along this




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


43


line until it intersected a road which had been previously built out
from Grand Rapids. The junction point was in Ravenna township, and the new route formed a much more direct one to Grand
Rapids, the old one having been along the lake to Grand Haven
whence travelers followed the Grand River to Grand Rapids. The
old road from Grand Rapids to Ravenna has been shifted so much
that it now no longer even closely approximates the line of the
first one. In the public acts of 1850 of the state legislature, it
is authorized that a road be constructed in Muskegon county,
and it is believed that this is the first state action on roads in the
county, all the others before this time having been built either by
the townships or by private persons, such as Ryerson.
With the development of the county proceeding swiftly and
new roads being constantly laid out, the people began to turn
their attention to the improvement of their highways. Corduroying was one of, the early expedients of the settlers, who placed
logs: in the roadbed with, a mixture of gravel and clay on top to
form the wearing surface. The next development in road building was the plank road, and in some sections of the state, plank
road companies were organized to construct such thoroughfares,
the profits being made by toll charges. Whether or not Muskegon
county built any plank roads has not been recorded, but it is
probable that at least one or two were constructed.
Improvement in the public highways brought the next step
in faster and more comfortable transportation in the shape of the
stage coach, and Muskegon county came to have its share of stage
lines like the other counties of the state. A Mr. Brittain, of
Ferrysburg, was the first to introduce this means of travel to the
county. His stage line ran from the south into Muskegon. With
this small start, the stages multiplied rapidly. In 1850, Francis
Blood began the operation of a stage line between Muskegon and
Ravenna where it connected with a line running to Grand Rapids.
It is related that a whole day was required to go from Muskegon
to Ravenna by this means, and twice that time in rainy weather.
Blood continued the' operation of the stage until 1855 when he
sold his interests to George Bradford, a carpenter, who moved to
Muskegon in 1871. Bradford continued the operation of the stage
line for many years and the service aided materially in the development of the county in the early days. Thomas Merrill, of
Ferrysburg and later of Muskegon, was the first to enter upon
the operation of stage lines on a large scale. Although the road
from Ferrysburg to Muskegon was cut in 1858, it was not traveled until 1860. Merrill began the operation of his stage line in
1865 with an equipment of from five to' ten buckboards, each capable of carrying five passengers and the driver, and sixty horses.
With this equipment he inaugurated a regular freight, mail, and
passenger service between Ferrysburg and Muskegon, Merrill
being associated in the enterprise with Thomas Culbert and his
brother at Muskegon. Among the early drivers on this stage




44


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


line were: F. Wright, Jack Sharp, Louis Morse, John Curry, and
William Flanders. When the construction of the railroad was begun in 1869, the stages met the trains and brought the passengers
to Muskegon, but the completion of the steam road in 1880
marked the death of staging over this route. The stages followed
three routes, one by way of Black Creek, a second, Telegraph road,
which was built by the state, and the best road which was built
partly by the sate and partly by private subscription and known
as the Lower road. Stage routes were also started running to
Whitehall. The first mail was, however, carried over the Indian
trail by S. C. Hall, a lumberman later of Muskegon, who went on
foot carrying the mail in a carpet bag. Gale & Nichols placed the
first stage to Whitehall in operation, and after a time, they were
followed by Bickford's stage, then by Smith & Saunders, next
Hall & Alsauer, and Lee, Scully & Company. All of these lines
ran south from Whitehall, the last one being Culbert Brothers of
Muskegon who were associated with Thomas Merrill of the
Ferrysburg line. The lines running to the north from Whitehall
were established by Bickman first and then by Rodky.
The close of the Civil war witnessed one of the great eras in
American development, for it was then that the great railroad speculations began. True, there were many railroads built which were
virtually worthless and were mere stock promotion schemes, but
on the whole the movement was worth while, for railroads were
then built in all sections of the country. Muskegon county came
in for its share of railroad construction, and in the year 1868, the
fifteen mile railroad from Muskegon to Ferrysburg was placed
in operation, the officers of the company at that time being L. G.
Mason, president; F. A. Nims, secretary and attorney; and Major
Chauncey Davis, S. R. Sanford, A. Rodgers and others, directors.
The following year, the company was consolidated with one running from Grand Haven to Allegan, the name of Michigan Lake
Shore being adopted at that time with Ransom Gardner, of Kalamazoo, as president. The Allegan division, which had been built
by Goss, Warner & Company, and the Ferrysburg division, which
had been constructed by W. F. Thompson, of Detroit, were sold
when the mortgage was foreclosed. The bondholders bid in on
the sale and secured control of the railway which was then reorganized as the Grand Haven railroad with James W. Converse,
of Boston, as president. This arrangement continued until 1881
when the control of the company's stock passed into the hands of
the Chicago & West Michigan railroad, and by the same merger,
two other companies, the Indiana & Michigan railroad and the
Grand Rapids, Newaygo & Lake Shore railroad, being taken into
the company. The Montague, Pentwater & Manistee railroad
was projected in 1871 with Samuel A. Browne, of Pentwater, as
president. The road was constructed by Thompson, Smith &
Company, of Detroit, under contract from the president of the
C. & W. M. railroad, and when it was completed in the fall of




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


45


1871, it was consolidated with the Chicago & West Michigan
lines together with the Grand Rapids & Holland railroad which
had been built the previous year. The Muskegon & Big Rapids
line was organized in December, 1871, with L. G. Mason as
president; A. Rodgers, treasurer; and F. A. Nims, secretary and
attorney. The construction work was begun in 1872 by Thompson,
Smith & Company, of Detroit, under an arrangement similar to
that under which the Montague, Pentwater & Manistee railroad
was built, but before the completion of this new line, it was consolidated with the Chicago & West Michigan railway. By this
means the system of the C. & W. M. railroad was slowly increased
until it became a network of railway lines covering the western
portion of Michigan. In the meantime, a system had been growing up in the eastern part of Michigan, its growth being conducted
along lines similar to those employed by the western counterpart.
Consolidations took place from time to time until the eastern company was as all-inclusive in its scope as the Chicago & West
Michigan. One of the main lines of this eastern system was the
Flint & Pere Marquette which crossed the state to the north of
Muskegon. Finally by 1898 both systems had so grown that their
interests must either conflict to the detriment of each or consolidation must take place. The latter course was resorted to, and
the Pere Marquette railroad company was the result with headquarters located at Detroit.
Another system which maintains a line in Muskegon county is
the Grand Trunk Western. In 1887, the Toledo, Saginaw &
Muskegon railroad was projected as a division of the Detroit &
Milwaukee railroad, which was then making a strong play for
the translake traffic between Wisconsin and Michigan. L. G.
Mason and others of Muskegon were to promote the construction
of the line. That part of the line between Muskegon and Ashley
was built by McCracken & Company, of New York, who, when
construction was completed over that distance, operated the road,
for under the agreement the firm had contracted to build the road
for the bonds. Failure of the company to reach a satisfactory arrangement with the Ann Arbor line for operation of the railroad
and boat line, placed McCracken & Company in rather serious
difficulties. Casting about for a way in which to extricate themselves, the officers of the company let the report be circulated
freely that the Michigan Central was to take over the new road.
For such a srong competitor to enter the field for the lake traffic
was what the Detroit & Milwaukee least wanted, and to obviate
such competition the Detroit & Milwaukee took over the Muskegon to Ashley division. With such a system as the Grand
Trunk in back of the line, the bonds, which had hithertobeen
practically worthless, were sold by McCracken & Company at a
good profit. Thus the Grand Trunk Western came into Muskegon
county. At Muskegon it secured wharf terminals on the site of
the old Beidler mill property.




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


At about the same time that the Muskegon and Ashley division of the T. S. & M. railroad was being projected, another line
was proposed to closely parallel it and running from Grand Rapids
to Muskegon. A Muskegon corporation was organized in 1886 as
the Grand Rapids & Muskegon railroad. The route in Muskegon
county is south of the Grand Trunk and passes through Ravenna
leaving the county near the southeast corner. The construction
of the road was pushed, and when it was finally completed and in
operation, it was taken over by the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad company. The G. R. & I. railroad has subsequently become
a part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system. It, too, secured
terminals on the Beidler mill property next to the Grand Trunk,
and is thus well fitted to handle lake traffic to Milwaukee and
Chicago.
In the Grand Rapids, Grand Haven & Muskegon railway,
Muskegon county obtained one of the pioneer electric lines of
the state. The road was constructed in 1900 and put into operation
in the early part of the following year. It connects Muskegon
with Grand Rapids and Grand Haven, the Muskegon-Grand
Rapids division forming a junction with the Grand Haven division just south of Fruitport. The company maintains frequent
service between these cities and has proved a valuable addition to
the transportation facilities of the county, making it more accessible to the inland sections of the state.
The Muskegon street railway system was constructed in 1882.
At that time and for several years after it was put into operation,
the line was a narrow gauge affair and the cars were drawn by!
mules and horses. It was electrified in 1889 or 1890 and became
one of the pioneer electric street railways of the state. At that
time, the line was converted into a standard gauge system. It is
an unusually extensive line for a city the size of Muskegon, for
it runs from Lake Michigan park through the city to Mona Lake.
Its service is more than adequate and its influence in developing
outlying sections of the city cannot be questioned. Within the
city limits of Muskegon, the company's tracks are used by the
Grand Rapids, Grand Haven & Muskegon railway.
RIVERS AND HARBORS
No chapter on transportation in Muskegon county would be
complete without a recitation of the shipping interests which
have aided so materially in the development of this section of the
state. The presence within her boundaries of such excellent
harbors as Muskegon lake and White lake has made Muskegon
county a local point for steamer lines since the days when shipping on the Great Lakes first became a factor in the development
of the Northwest territory. As early as 1783, a British ship made
Muskegon a regular port of call, and since that time, more and
more vessels have put into the harbors.
Muskegon lake is a body of water some six miles in length
and two miles in width located at the mouth of Muskegon river.




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


47


Between the lake and Lake Michigan is a channel about a half
mile long through which a current runs that keeps it clear of
deposits of sediment brought down by the river. That such has
been the case has shown that the harbor can be maintained with
a minimum of expense for the water in the lake is always of great
depth. Muskegon harbor has another advantage in its geographical location; namely, it is usually free from ice during the winter
due to the fact that the indentation of the coast is at Grand Haven,
and since the tendency for drift ice is to accumulate at such indentations, the mouth of Muskegon harbor is unusually free of ice
packs during the winter months. The fact, too, that the current
through the lake and the channel is so strong as to preclude freezing over even in the coldest weather, is another reason why Muskegon is continually developing as one of the best ports on the
Great Lakes. Ice does form at times, it is true, but it is so light
that humans dare not venture on it with any degree of safety and
boats are not held up by this skim ice.
In 1857, the state legislature passed an act by which the
"Muskegon Improvement Commission" was formed for the purpose of improving the navigation of the Muskegon river. Chauncey Davis, of Muskegon, and A. B. Watson and John A. Brooks,
of Newaygo, made up this commission, and their duty it was to
appoint a competent engineer to make necessary plans and surveys and draw up specifications for the straightening of the channel across what was known as the flats, to construct the necessary dams and dikes which would make the river navigable for
small boats and for floating logs. These improvements were
made. For this work, the legislature appropriated the sum of
$50,000 and specified that the work must be completed by December, 1859.
The first really intensive work on developing the harbor was
commenced by the formation in 1863 of the Muskegon Harbor
company. The company, organized under the laws of the state,
improved the channel at the mouth of the lake by building a slab
pier on the south side about 1,500 feet long and one on the north
side about 500 feet long. J. B. Lemieux was the first superintendent of the work, and later L. G. Mason took over the superintendency which he held until the completion of the work. The
first scow load of slabs were placed in position by James G. Campbell. But even with these improvements the channel had to be
cleared, and to this end, Mason agreed to pay to the captain of the
screw-driven vessel "Caldwell" the sum of $1,500 if he would send
his boat backward through the channel in order that the propeller
would bore out the channel. Progress was so slow, that at one
time the captain decided to quit, but the sand bored out by the
propeller had collected in front of the boat making it impossible
to get back into Lake Michigan. The "Caldwell" then bored on
into Muskegon lake turned- around and got into Lake 'Michigan
by the same process by which it gained entrance to the harbor.




' 48


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


This second boring was sufficient and since'that time the ciurrent has been sufficiently strong to keep the channel free of sand
and dirt deposited by the river. A committee was appointed in
May, 1864, to meet with the officials of the harbor company and
adjust tolls that would be charged by the company. The Muskegon Harbor company was composed of men primarily intertested in lumbering, and the formation of the company was a
project to improve the harbor that would be an invaluable aid in
marketing their product. The improvements made by the company cost approximately $40,000, practically all of which was donated by the men interested. The first lighthouse, which was
placed at the channel entrance in 1855, remained until 1871 when
it was superceded by a light of more modern and efficient design.
At the present time, two automatic red lights mark the entrance
to Muskegon harbor and a white light on the north side of the
channel flashes regularly every few seconds. The committee on
rivers and harbors of the House of Representatives in Washington, soon after the completion of the work of the Muskegon Harbor company, recommended the appropriation of money for additional work on the Western Michigan port, a recommendation
which was adopted by Congress.
As early as 1848 the schooner "Muskegon" was built in Milwaukee for Theodore Newell, to engage in carrying lumber from
Muskegon to Kenosha and other ports.
One of the earliest to engage in shipping at Muskegon was
J. T. Ryerson, who until 1867, operated two steamboats, the
"Truesdell" and the "Ottawa," as combined passenger and lumber boats. He sold his line to A. E. Goodrich, of Chicago, who
ran side-wheelers principally until the fall of 1880. At that time,
the line ceased operations for a year but resumed in 1882, the line
then being known as the Goodrich Transportation company. The
campany has been in continuous operation since that time, running boats between Muskegon, Grand Haven and Milwaukee and
Chicago. At the present time, the Goodrich docks are located
on the waterfront near the Union station, and the main offices are
in Chicago. The Crosby line docks are located just west of the
Goodrich Transportation company's docks.
Ferries put in an early appearance on Muskegon lake. At the
meeting of the board of supervisors, October 12, 1860, three men
received licenses to operate ferries on Muskegon lake: John B.
Lemieux was given a three-year license to operate a ferryboat on
north Muskegon lake; Alfred'A. Caine received a three-year license to run a ferry north of White River; and Ovid W. Califf
was licensed to operate a ferry across the head of Muskegon lake.
The first steam ferry an Muskegon lake was operated by George
L. Christie, one of the well known early residents of Laketon.
The supervisors at their meeting of October 15, 1862, appointed
a committee to meet with the ferryboat operators to draw up a
schedule of rates and regulate times of departure of the boats,




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


49


for according to the tenor of the supervisors' records, some friction must have arisen by this time among the ferry proprietors
regarding these matters.
The schooner "Telegram," captained by a Mr. O'Connell, was
the first sailing vessel to enter the harbor at White River. The
boat, owned by the Ferrys, had a capacity of 80,000 feet of lumber and drew three and a half feet of water. On August 1, 1865,
she attempted to put into the harbor, but being unable to cross the
bar at the mouth, the "Telegram" was unloaded by lighters. Slab
piers were first constructed in 1855 by the Ferrys. Jesse D. Pullman, who had the contract for building these first piers made cribs
three feet wide and eighty feet long loaded so as to draw about
three feet of water. The crib was then floated toward its position,
but the first attempt was not very successful for the crib grounded
before it was in position beside the channel and had to be partially unloaded and pried into position. Previous to the construction of the piers, lumber vessels were loaded and unloaded out in
the lake by means of lighters. The mouth of the lake was obstructed by a bed of white marl (from which it is believed the Indians took the name of the lake) and this bar was dredged away
by Noah H. Ferry, the current serving to keep it clear since that
time. The first shipwreck in this region was that of the "North
Yuba," a schooner owned by I. E. Carlton. Loaded with supplies, the little vessel was wrecked in December, 1855, and all but
one member of the crew were lost. During the winter of 1856-57,
the schooners "Abigail," "Kent," and "Magic" wintered on the
beach, the first being overhauled and rebuilt by her master, Captain Sims. The following winter the schooner "G. Barber" was
drawn up on the beach and was repaired in the spring of 1859. A
great tidal wave caused much damage on the coast from Grand
Haven to White River in 1858, flooding the mills at Muskegon
and damaging lighters and vessels then in port. In one case, a
lighter was thrown thirty feet above its original place and was
stood on end by the tidal wave. The United States government
took a hand in the improvement of the White River harbor, and
at that time a new mouth to the lake was constructed giving a
shorter entrance and cleaner, straighter channel. A lighthouse
was placed at the lake end of the channel which flashes 'alternately red and white. For a number of years, in fact until a comparatively few years ago, the harbor of White River, which serves
the villages of Montague and Whitehall, was considered one of
the valuable ports of the western part of Michigan. At the present time (1925), the government has announced that it will
abandon White River as a harbor unless conclusive proof can be
given why it should be maintained, and the citizens of White River
and Montague are bending every effort to the task of keeping
White River as one of the good ports of Michigan.
The problem of transportation has taken another turn during
the present century. With the invention, or rather the perfection




50


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


of the automobile, the people have realized that in their hands has
been placed a method of transportation over which they have
virtually complete jurisdiction. As the automotive industry developed and motor cars and trucks became more numerous, it soon
became apparent that radically different processes of road construction must be developed and used. Thus it is that within the
past fifteen years, the United States has seen greater forward
strides in road building than in any period of equal length before.
The macadam and brick roads were the predecessors of the modern
pavements, but even these methods of road improvement have
been so changed by the revolutionary work of the highway engineers that their resemblance to the originals is practically in the
name only. Speeding automobiles and heavily loaded trucks soon
reduced the old types of roads almost to the point of impassibility,
for the rubber tires of the swiftly moving vehicles quickly rutted
the highways and filled them with chuck holes.
Muskegon county is second to none in its road administration,
and under the direction of County Road Commissioner Tom J. G.
Bolt, excellent work has been done on the county's highways. At
the present time, the county has 210.409 miles of improved road
within its boundaries of a total of 345.7 miles. The improved
roads figure includes the trunk line and the county roads. The
amount of each type of road is as follows: Concrete, 49.283 miles
of trunk line and 16.061 miles of county road, making a total of
65.344 miles; macadam, 22.185 miles of trunk line and 26.691 miles
of county road, making a total of 48.876 miles; gravel, 11 miles
of trunk line and 77.938 miles of county road, making a total of
88.939 miles; and asphalt, 1.25 miles of trunk line and 6 miles of
county, making a total of 7.25 miles. With nearly two-thirds of
the highways within the county improved roads, the people may
well be proud of the work of the commissioners.




CHAPTER IV


EDUCATION
THE early, settlers of each county turned their attention to the
education of their children as soon as they had established
themselves in their new homes. At first, of course, the number of
children in the new communities made impractical the establishment of regular tax supported schools, and during these times,
those settlers who had children contributed a certain amount for
the payment of a teacher for a part at least of each year. The
teachers themselves often worked for little more than their room
and board, living for stated periods at the different homes of their
employers. These private schools, too, were usually taught at
the home of one of the residents, and the courses of study were
the rudimentary Three R's, reading, writing and arithmetic.
As the communities developed, school buildings were erected.
These structures were the log cabins of the pioneers, being furnished with rude benches and long desks and being imperfectly
heated by crude stoves. The erection of townships, however,
marked advances in the education of the children, for taxes were
levied for the payment of teachers and for the building of schools
in different parts of the township, school districts being formed
and placed under the supervision of school inspectors. With such
rude beginnings, the educational system of the county has steadily developed along with those of other counties of the state. The
enactment of education laws by the state legislature from time to
time has given impetus to the cause. The first schools established in the various townships of the county have been enumerated in the chapter on County Organization and Goveriment and
need not be repeated here.
From a mere handful of school districts created with the erection of the townships, Muskegon county today has ninety-two
school districts outside of the cities and villages, all of which
have their own school systems. Of these school districts, eightytwo are supplied with one-room school buildings under the instruction of one teacher, five have two-room school buildings, and
five maintain three-room schools. In the villages of Casnovia
Holton, Montague, Ravenna, and Whitehall, high schools, of which
those at Montague and Ravenna are accredited schools whose
graduates are eligible to admission to universities and colleges
without the preliminary entrance examinations. One hundred and
fifty-seven teachers are employed by the county outside of Muskegon and North Muskegon. The school system of the latter city
is headed by Mrs. Cora M. Jackson. The North Muskegon children attend school in their city until they have completed the
seventh grade after which they attend the public and high schools




52


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


of Muskegon, their tuition being paid by North Muskegon. Nellie
B. Chisholm has been county superintendent of schools since 1907,
and most of the innovations and improvements that have been
made in the county school system during those years have been
due to her.
One of the most recent developments in county school work,
is the establishment of the consolidated school. Muskegon county
has already taken up this newer phase of school work, and in 1923,
a consolidated school was organized at Montague which has 356
pupils. The children are transported to the school in busses owned
by the county and are taken back to their homes when the school
day is concluded. The advantages of the consolidated school are
as follows: With a greater number of pupils in one building, they
can be more accurately graded; better results can be obtained by
placing one teacher in charge of each grade than in charge of all
grades; better school facilities are possible; and expenses are reduced due to the increased efficiency and relative cheaper building maintenance costs. The next few years may witness the establishment of many more such schools throughout the county
with the gradual retirement of the one-room schools.
Muskegon Schools. The first school established in the city of Muskegon has been described in the chapter on Cities and Villages, and the
children of the village attended school in this building and other makeshift structures until the winter of 1860 when the first union school
building was erected. The establishment of this union school
building was the real beginning of a school system which, it may
be safely said, is second to none in the state of Michigan.
Thirteen buildings are now being used for schools, while an
elementary school, to be known as the Nelson school, and a senior
high and Junior college building are now under construction, the
cost of which will be $800,000. One of the features of the school
system is the Hackley Manual Training high school which is one
of the pioneer institutions of its kind in the state of Michigan providing vocational training for the school boys who will not be able
to attend college when their high school education has been concluded.
For the past forty years, the city of Muskegon has had tax
supported kindergartens. Before this time, kindergartens were
kept in little cottages, for it was the theory that children of kindergarten age were too small to mingle with the older ones. However, the board of education believed that kindergartens were
really an integral part of the school system and as such should be
placed under the jurisdiction of the school authorities. Accordingly, a measure was passed whereby kindergartens were established at each primary school. Thus it was that Muskegon became one of the pioneers in this department of education, and was
one of the first not only in the state but in the country as well to
have tax supported kindergartens.
Marion W. Longman, who has been superintendent of the Mus



HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


53


kegon schools since 1921, began the movement for the Junior college. The modern theory of educators is that the first two years of college in nearly every course, are merely basic educational years and for
that reason these years could be taught just as well in the cities as at the
universities and colleges which can afford the expensive equipment and
staff of instructors necessary to research and factual education. The
results of the endeavors of Mr. Longman and the board of education has been that the $800,000 senior high school building and
Junior college is now under construction and will be ready for
occupancy in the fall of 1925. This building, together with a
$160,000 power and heating plant, is being erected on the fourteen-acre campus that has been acquired by the city in the south
part of town. The first two years of college work toward the degrees of bachelor of science and bachelor of arts, the pre-medical
and pre-law courses, will be offered at the Junior college, and the
students taking these two years of work will be admitted directly
to the universities of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Chicago, should
they choose to matriculate at those institutions.
The present school system is organized on the 7-5 plan, but
with the completion of the new buildings, the system will be reorganized on the 6-3-3-2 basis; that is, the first six grades will be
grouped together, the seventh, eighth, and ninth grades together,
the last three years of high school, and the Junior college students.
The present schools of the city with their principals are as
follows: Muskegon high school, Jefferson street between Washington and Grand avenues, John A. Craig, principal; Hackley
Manual Training school, Jefferson between Washington and
Grand avenues, Joseph D. Bicknell, director; Froebel school, Marquette avenue near Erickson, Mrs. Jessie S. Albert, principal; Horace Mann school, Walton and Sanford streets, Olga J. Johnson,
principal; Froebel Kindergarten, Cross street between Erickson
and Wood avenue, Helen B. Eames, director; Frederick A. Nims
school, Davis street and Southern avenue, Margaret D. Cooper,
principal; Angell school, Apple and Chestnut streets, Mrs. Mary
E. Crane, principal; Pillsbury school, Apple and Ambrosia streets,
Olga J. Johnson, principal; McLaughlin school, Ransom and Irwin
streets, Ione P. Williams, principal; Hackley school, Third street
and Webster avenue, Mary E. Seeley, principal; Pierce Kindergarten, South Third street and Merrill avenue; Nelson school,
Ninth street and W. Webster avenue, Mrs. Carlie A. Stevenson,
principal; Bunker Kindergarten, Miner street and Denmark avenue, Leila C. Parker, director; Bluffton school, Walnut street,
Mrs. Ruby M. Strough, principal; Bunker Junior high school, Morton street and Denmark avenue, Roy W. Bixler, principal; Vander
Laan school, Emerald street between Myrtle and East Walton
streets, Marie A. Major, principal; Paul S. Moon school, Laketon
avenue and Acorn street, Mrs. Elizabeth David, principal; William H. Wilson school, Sanford street, Frank H. McCrea, principal;
Oakview school, on Grand Rapids road east of Getty street; Dis



54


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


trict school No. 1, on Lake Harbor road south of Lyman avenue;
and District school No. 10, on the Valley road south of Laketon
avenue.
Hackley Public Library. Since May 25, 1888, the Public Library
at Third street and Webster avenue has stood as a monument to
the memory of Charles H. Hackley, Muskegon's benefactor, who,
during the latter part of his life, bequeathed to- this city parks and
public buildings valued at more than $2,000,000.
Among the material things Mr. Hackley gave to Muskegon
are the library, Hackley Gallery of Fine Arts, Hackley Park, Hackley Memorial Hospital, Hackley Athletic Park and Campus and
the Hackley Manual Training School, while large sums of money
were provided at the time these gifts were made for their maintenance and endowment.
Perhaps it would be interesting at this time to give briefly a
sketch of this man who made a fortune in this city and then gave
the greater portion of it to his neighbors and the children of generations to come.
Charles H. Hackley was born January 3, 1837, at Michigan
City, Indiana, amid humble surroundings and early in life was
confronted with the problem of making his own way. Joseph H.
Hackley, his father, was a native of New York state and of Welsh
descent. For some years he farmed but the greater portion of his
life was spent at the building of railroads. Charles Hackley's
mother whose maiden name was Salina Fuller, was raised in Ohio
and attained the age of forty-eight years before her death at Muskegon, August 16, 1864.
Mr. Hackley was the eldest of five children and had two brothers and two sisters. While a youth his parents moved to Southport, now Kenosha, Wisconsin, where he received his common
school education. At the age of fifteen years he entered the railroad business with his father and two years later was in charge
of a gang of twenty men, whose duty it was to keep in repair
twenty miles of board tracking.
In 1856 Mr. Hackley worked his way to Muskegon aboard the
lake steamer "Challenge" and landed here April 17. The same day
he went to work as a common laborer for Durkee, Truesdell &
Company, lumber manufacturers and continued to work for that
firm until about a year later, when slack business in the lumber
game necessitated the closing down of the plant. At this time he
had made such an impression on the men who were at the head
of the company that they offered to pay a part of his expenses if
he would return to Wisconsin and take a course in a business college. This he did and a year later returned to Muskegon entering the office of Durkee, Truesdell & Company. From this time
on he advanced himself and throughout his life continued to make
success of each endeavor. He was active in making the Hackley
& Hume Lumber Interests, one of the largest, if not the largest
lumber organization in Muskegon and for many years not only




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


55


took part in all phases of community life but also was president
of the Hackley National bank until his death.
Mr. Hackley was married October 3, 1864, to Julie E., daughter of Hiram Moore of Centerville, Allegany county, New York.
There were no children born to the union, although two children
were adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Hackley, one of whom now resides in California. Throughout the later years of their married
life the couple made their residence at 236 West Webster avenue.
The death of Mr. Hackley occurred February 10, 1905, after a
brief illness. Mrs. Hackley did not survive her husband long, her
death occurring about a year later.
On May 25, 1888, the Muskegon Board of Education of which
Frederick A. Nims was president, received a communication from
Mr. Hackley which informed the members that the writer would
donate $100,000 to be used in the following manner: $50,000 for
the purchase of a! site and the erection of a public.library, and
$50,000 to be invested by the board in interest-bearing bonds for
the purchase of books and maintenance of the building.
This offer was accepted by the Board of Education and arrangements were made immediately to put the plan in operation. On
July 30, 1888, Mr. Hackley, after a meeting with the members of
the Board, found that the original sum would not be sufficient for
the project and an additional $25,000 was donated.
Plans for the library completed by Patton & Fisher, architects
of Chicago, were accepted and February 12, 1889, the first contract
was let to Hallowell Granite company for the furnishing of the
stone to be used in the structure. In March contracts were let for
the masonry, carpentry, etc., to Grace, Griffiths & Hyde, of Chicago, and construction began immediately.
Ceremonies marking the laying of the cornerstone of the building were conducted May 25, 1889, with Prof. Andrew C. McLaughlin of the University of Michigan as the principal speaker.
The dedication of the new building took place October 15, 1890,
the day being marked by the declaring of a general holiday. The
ceremonies were conducted in the Muskegon opera house. At 1
o'clock p. m., headed by members of Phil Kearny Post No. 7, G. A.
R., and including a delegation of business men, members of the
various social clubs of the city, school students and school officials,
a parade formed in front of the library and marched to the opera
house. Every seat in the building was occupied while hundreds of
citizens thronged the aisles and doors of the building. Others who
could not gain entrance to the building paid honor to the doner
along the line of march. Following briefly is the program and participants in the dedication exercises:
Master of ceremonies, Robert E. Bunker; overture, Tannhauser;
prayer, Rt. Rev. George D. Gillespie, D. D. LL. D.; "The Founding of Hackley Public Library," Frederick A. Nims, president of
the Board of Education; "The Building," Norman Patton of the




HISTORY OF MUSILEGON COUNTY


firm of Patton & Fisher, architects; address, Honorable Thomas
W. Palmer; benediction, Rev. Samuel M. Cramblet.
Since that memorable day, the Hackley Public Library has
continued to grow under the direction of the various Muskegon
residents who have served on the Board of Education. During 1921
and 1922 a general reorganization was conducted which resulted
in the opening of the book shelves to the general use of the public; simplifying rules and methods; organization with a department of work with the students in co-operation with the schools;
organization of a business and technical department and the building up of the book stock.
The annual report for the year, July, 1923 to July, 1924, shows:
There were approximately 15,000 card holders listed with the
library or an average of one card holder in each family of Muskegon and Muskegon Heights.
During the year 280,535 volumes borrowed by these card
holders through the main library or one of the ten delivery stations located in all sections of the city. The library has at the
present time approximately 100,000 volumes which constitute a
permanent collection.
Plans now are being considered for a further development of
the library and there is no doubt that for many years to come this
public institution will prove an honor to its founder and serve the
citizens of Muskegon.
Hackley Gallery of Fine Arts. Although not a direct gift to the
city of Muskegon, the erection and maintenance of the Hackley
Gallery of Fine Arts was made possible through bequests made
by Mr. Charles H. Hackley to the Board of Education and through
the wills of Mr. and Mrs. Hackley which created an "extra educational fund."
Mr. Hackley had for some time previous to the donation of the
Hackley Public Library to the citizens of Muskegon, considered
the advisibility of erecting an art gallery and its donation to the
city. After an investigation he discarded this plan and provided
the means of making a public library possible.
At the time of the construction of the library and its equipment
he stipulated that a portion of the equipment fund should be spent
in the purchase of objects of art to be used in decorating the new
library building. After several years, this plan was found impractical, due to the lack of proper wall space, lighting facilities
and general surroundings.
In the meantime the death of Mr. and Mrs. Hackley had occurred and by their wills the "extra educational fund" was established. Through this medium, just previous to the year 1912 the
Muskegon Board of Education decided to erect the Hackley Gallery of Fine Arts to the memory of this philanthropic couple.
Construction completed, the inaugural exhibition was conducted June 23, 1912, with Raymond Wyer, as the first director.
At the time of its opening Muskegon had the distinction of being




HACRLEV ART (GALLERX-M ICSKEGOINs


LAIKE M-ITCHIGAN AT MUSKEGO.N








HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


57


the only city in the United States having a public art gallery with
a population of less than 30,000 inhabitants, and it probably remains the only small gallery with a reputation comparable to that
of the larger galleries of the country. This is due to the high average quality of the paintings in the permanent collection which has
been assembled through a strict policy in the selection of all works
of art.
The directors of this institution have worked with the belief
that before an art museum can be effective in its instruction a good
permanent collection of objects of art are essential and that as
much of the historical element should be considered as is possible
without jeopardizing the quality of the collection from the standpoint of art.
In building up the permanent collection of original paintings,
etchings, bronzes, and reproductions of Greek and Roman sculpture, objects representing those men who have exercised the greatest influence on the world's art have been considered. No painting has ever been accepted into the gallery unless it included those
characteristics which are associated with the best works of that
particular artist and whether or not a picture is attractive in the
popular sense has never been considered.
The permanent collection of the Hackley gallery includes among
its more prominent departments the following: Oil paintings,
American, 40; Dutch, 6; British, 11; French, 8; and Spanish, 1.
Reproductions of works of old masters, 193. It covers in smaller
numbers the fields of water colors, etchings, engravings, lithographs, drawings, statuary and bronzes. At the present time the
collection is valued at $300,000 and the museum and grounds at
$200,000.
Many of the great traveling collections of the larger galleries
are brought to Muskegon, which tends to influence the artistic
tastes of the citizens. Another phase which has proved very successful under the direction of Miss Lula Francis Miller, present
director, and her assistant, is that of the "story hour" conducted
throughout the school year in co-operation with the schools.
The Hackley Gallery in itself is of effective architecture containing a sculpture court, five galleries and an auditorium with a
seating capacity of 400 persons.
At the time this was written the public is just beginning to
realize that art and artistic tastes are important in practically all
present day endeavors and plans are being completed for a much
greater scope of work in the future by the Hackley gallery.




CHAPTER V


MILITARY-CIVILI WAR
LTHOUGH a strict and detailed account of the services of MusA      kegon county men in the Civil war would be an almost impossibility at this time due to the passage of time and the lack of
full and complete reports, yet a comprehensive survey will be endeavored in the following chapter.
No part of the north responded more freely than the men of
Muskegon county when the call came for volunteers and although
it was not so fully settled as other portions of the state, there was
never a time when the men were not eager to endure the hardships,
privations and dangers of the camp, the march, the bivouac and
the battle. When money was wanting, it was free, hundreds of men
who through physical defects were unable to serve in the army,
doing their part for the Union.
News of the outbreak of the Civil war and the firing on Fort
Sumter at Charlestown, South Carolina by the troops of the rebel
states reached Muskegon, April 12, 1861, and on the following day
at a general assembly in Detroit resolutions were adopted repudiating the rebellion and pledging this community to "stand by the
government to the last."
Meetings also were held in Muskegon at which time similar
resolutions and pledges were passed and accepted and plans were
completed to send a company to the front at once if there should
come a call for volunteers. These plans were never fully carried
out due to the fact that the state legislature created a state-wide
organization plan which was carried to execution by the adjutantgeneral of Michigan.
The following list of men who served during the war has been
compiled from the adjutant-general's reports and other sources and
will give a survey of those who saw fit to honor their nation with
active service:
In 1862 Muskegon county' is credited with 352 men in service:
First Infantry, 1; Third Infantry, 112; Eighth Infantry, 2; Tenth
Infantry, 1; Fourteenth Infantry, 6; Fifteenth Infantry, 8; Seventeenth Infantry, 1; Twenty-first Infantry, 8; Twenty-sixth Infantry, 80; Engineers and Mechanists, 1; Second Cavalry, 50; Third
Cavalry, 2; Fourth Cavalry, 1; Fifth Cavalry, 57; Sixth Cavalry, 22.
Muskegon county is credited in 1863 with: Volunteers, 172;
drafted, 48; re-enlisted, 29; navy, 6. Total, 225.
In 1865 the county was credited with: Enlisted, 64; drafted,
2. Total, 66.
These reports show that Muskegon county had 736 men in the
service during the entire war and this does not include men who
enlisted in regiments of other states.




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


59


Throughout the period of the war, men, women and children
who could not serve their country at the front were practicing the
greatest conservation along all lines that those who were actually
doing the fighting might have the necessities of life.
The following is a list of those who offered up their lives
on the altar of their country during the war. The list is compiled
from the adjutant-general's reports and other sources and does
not include those men of Muskegon county who gave their lives
while in the services of regiments of other states:
Andrew Allen, Second Cavalry, Company E, Rienzi, August
18, 1862.
Lewis Brandis, Fifth Infantry, Company A, June 22, 1864.
George M. Belden, Twenty-sixth Infantry, Company C, Salisbury, February 1, 1865.
Lewellen Brewer, Tenth Cavalry, Somerset, Kentucky, February 8, 1864.
Fidel Bail, Fifth Infantry, Company I, Washington, May 17,
1864.
Lamson J. Bonner, Third Infantry, Company F, Wilderness,
May 6, 1864.
Martin Bibler, Third Infantry, Company H, Wilderness, May
6, 1864.
Joseph Belden, Twenty-sixth Infantry, Company C, Spottsylvania, May 12, 1864.
Edwin Barr, Twenty-sixth Infantry, Company C, Spottsylvania,
May 12, 1864.
George W. Barr, Twenty-fifth Infantry, Company C, in Canada.
Peter G. Archer, Third Infantry, Company H, Groveton.
Fidel Barl, Third Infantry, Company C, Wilderness.
Charles F. Brittian, Third Infantry, Company H, Yorktown,
August 14, 1864.
George Bennett, Third Infantry, Company H, Frederick, Maryland, August 10, 1863.
Francis M. Bunce, Ninth Infantry, Company B, Nashville, July
26, 1865.
James S. Cooper, Twenty-sixth Infantry, Company C, Salisbury, November 10, 1864.
Lorenze W. Cook, first lieutenant, Artillery, Company K, Chattanooga.
John Colby, Ninth Infantry, Company B, Nashville, April 9,
1865.
Alonzo Corbin, Twenty-first Infantry, Company H, New York,
March 12, 1864.
Leonard Dietrich, Fifth Infantry, Company I, June, 1864.
Herman Dietrich, Third Infantry, Company I, of wounds, June
2, 1862.
Joseph Dohm, Fourteenth Infantry, Company E, hospital,
Second Division, November 24, 1865.




60            HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY
Abraham Decker, Third Infantry, Company B, Texas, August
24, 1865.
John Eddie, Fifth Infantry, Company I, Washington, May 12,
1864.
Fernando P. Fulford, Third Infantry, Company H, Wilderness,
May 6, 1864.
Benjamin Fetterly, Fifteenth Infantry, Company F, Atlanta,
August 24, 1865.
Adolph Friday, Fifth Cavalry, Company C, May 11, 1864.
William Ferguson, Third Infantry, Company H, Washington,
September 30, 1862.
Benjamin Forbear, Twenty-sixth Infantry, Company C, Yorktown, March 21, 1863.
George Garner, Third Infantry, Company H, Fair Oaks.
Francis Yeager, Twenty-ninth Infantry, Company C, Washington, July 6, 1864.
Johannes Gabrielson, Fifth Cavalry, Company H, April 6, 1864.
John George, Third Infantry, Company H, Groveton, August
29, 1862.
Malcolm I. Gillis, Third Infantry, Company H, Georgetown,
August, 1861.
George Hilton, Second Cavalry, Company E, St. Louis, June
22, 1862.
Chauncey Hayes, Sixth Cavalry, Company H, Andersonville
prison, June 29, 1864.
Samuel Hall, Twenty-sixth Infantry, Company C, Spottsylvania, May 12, 1864.
Samuel Hamblin, Third Infantry, Company F, Spottsylvania,
May 6, 1864.
Vandalin Hoag, Second Cavalry, Company E, Rienzi, August
5, 1862.
Cornelius N. Johnson, Third Infantry, Company C, January 1,
1865.
Laurens Jenson, Fifth Cavalry, Company F, Richmond, Virginia, April 6, 1864.
George W. Johnson, Twenty-first Infantry, Company H, Dansville, Virginia, (in prison), January, 1864.
John Knoll, Twenty-sixth Infantry, Company C, Spottsylvania,
May 12, 1864.
Adam Kalbe, Third Infantry, Company C, Wilderness, May 5,
1864.
Marion C. Knight, Twenty-sixth Infantry, Company C, Spottsylvania, May 12, 1864.
William M. McKernan, Third Infantry, Company H, Washington, July 6, 1862.
James McKey, Ninth Infantry, Company H, (in camp) Ohio,
August 28, 1862.
Henry Koon, Fourteenth Infantry, Company F, September 10,
1862.




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY               61
Charles Klunder, Fifth Cavalry, Company F, Winchester, September 10, 1862.
Yans Knudsen, Third Infantry, Company H, (in camp) September 21, 1864.
Martin Larsen, Third Cavalry, Company H, September 8, 1864.
John Lee, Twenty-sixth Infantry, Company C, Salisbury, North
Carolina, February 18, 1865.
Edwin L. Lauback, Second Cavalry, Company C, Booneville,
July 12, 1862.
Elijah W. Loomis, Nineteenth Cavalry, Company A, March 6,
1864.
James Lavelle, Third Infantry, Company H, Fair Oaks.
James Lee, Second Cavalry, Company E, June 19, 1862.
William M. Miller, Twenty-sixth Infantry, Company C, Spottsylvania, May 12, 1864.
E. R. Morrisson, Sixth Cavalry, Company C, Wilderness, May
6, 1864.
Francis O. Mennott, Twenty-sixth Infantry, Company C, June
6, 1864.
William Milne, Third Infantry, Company H, Washington, November, 1862.
Ira S. Mead, Second Infantry, Company H, of wounds, June
18, 1866.
Charles Matham, Second Cavalry, Company E, Nashville, May,
1864.
Laurence Millet, Second Cavalry, Company E, Rienzi, July 5,
1862.
John McGuire, Fifth Infantry, Company F, April 8, 1865.
William McGinnis, Twenty-sixth Infantry, Company C, February 24, 1863.
John McPherson, Twenty-first Infantry, Company H, Bentonville, North Carolina, March 19, 1865.
Christopher Martin, Twenty-sixth Infantry, Company C, November 19, 1864.
Abraham Napes, Second Cavalry, Company E, St. Louis, March
31, 1863.
Ira Nash, Twenty-first Infantry, Company I, January 25, 1865.
Thomas O'Hearn, Fifth Infantry, Company E, June 16, 1864.
Marquis W. Orton, Fourteenth Infantry, Company F, June 9,
1862.
Nelson Olesen, Second Cavalry, Company E, Hamburg, Tennessee, May 26, 1862.
James O'Neil, Third Infantry, Company H, Gettsyburg, Pennsylvania, July 2, 1863.
Oliver E. Perry, First Sharpshooters, Company B, July 25, 1864.
Peter Ryan, Second Cavalry, Company E, St. Louis, February
6, 1862.
George Read, Tenth Cavalry, Company H, Knoxville, April 29,
1864.




I:


62            HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY
James Root, Third Infantry, Company E, Hamburg, Tennessee, May 26, 1862.
Ole Swinson, Twenty-first Infantry, Company B, Lookout
Mountain, October, 1864.
Simeon Sickman, Fifth Cavalry, Company F, Washington, November 1, 1863.
A. W. Sperry, Twenty-sixth Infantry, Company C, Spottsylvania, May 12, 1864.
Nelson W. Shepherd, Twenty-sixth Infantry, Company C,
Salisbury, North Carolina, December 18, 1864.
John Sweeney, Third Infantry, Company H, Fair Oaks, June
9, 1862.
Charles E. Smith, Fifth Cavalry, Company F, Stevensburgh,
Virginia, March 12, 1864.
Charles W. Stanton, Seventh Cavalry, Company H, Cumberland, Maryland, June 5, 1865.
Claudius Steele, Third Infantry, Company F, Camp Sickles,
May 15, 1863.
David Stone, Third Infantry, Company H, Williamsburg, Pennsylvania, May 5, 1862.
Seth R. Simons, Third Infantry, Company H, Georgetown, July
22, 1863.
Rufus W. Seaman, Thirteenth Infantry, Company G, David's
Isle, New York, May 1, 1865.
Franklin Shippey, Fourteenth Infantry, Company E, Sister's
Ferry, Georgia, February 3, 1865.
Steven Simonson, Twenty-sixth Infantry, Company C, New
York, July 29, 1863.
John Smith, Third Infantry, Company H, Washington, October
3, 1862.
John H. Tibbitts, Twenty-sixth Infantry, Company C, Spottsylvania, May 12, 1864.
A. Twitchell, Twenty-sixth Infantry, Company C, Cold Harbor, June 6, 1864.
Ambrosial Tompkins, Twenty-sixth Infantry, Company C, Suffolk, Virginia, June 11, 1863.
Jesse Van Haltrin, Second Cavalry, Company D, Andersonville prison, May, 1864.
William H. Van Scotan, Sixth Cavalry, Company K, Andersonville prison, August 18, 1864.
Charles Verne, Twenty-sixth Infantry, Company C, West Oak
Swamp, Virginia, August 25, 1864.
Eli Wright, Fifth Infantry, Company A, Petersburg, September
12, 1864.
Lewis Willeys, Second Cavalry, Company E, Louisville, November 16, 1862.
George W. Wilson, Twenty-sixth Infantry, Company C, Spottsylvania, May 12, 1864.




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


63


Henry F. Wheaton, Sixth Cavalry, Company H, Winchester,
Virginia, November 18, 1864.
Lysander Williams, Twenty-sixth Infantry, Company C, Washington, July 21, 1864.
David H. Wright, Twenty-sixth Infantry, Company C, Port
Royal, Virginia, May 12, 1864.
Owen H. Young, E. & M., Company D, Camp Ohio, May 14,
1862.
Company H of the Third Michigan Infantry was raised chiefly
in the city of Muskegon by a number of patriotic citizens who
were aroused by the firing on the Old Flag at Fort Sumter. The
first enrolled (Rangers) under the leadership of the late Emery
D. Bryant, Charles D. Spang, first lieutenant, and W. L. Ryan,
(later major) second lieutenant; Thomas J. Waters (later captain and Muskegon county sheriff) enlisted as a private but was
elected orderly sergeant. The first organization was merged as
Company H in the Third Michigan Infantry, the second company
on the left of the color company. They joined the company about
the middle of May, 1861, at Grand Rapids, enrolling in the state
service on May 13, and in the United States service on the tenth of
June, Lieutenant-Colonel Backus of Detroit in command. Spang
resigned October 28, 1861, and Ryan was promoted to the vacancy
and Waters took Ryan's place, and was promoted to first lieutenant,
August 5, 1862; Ryan,i captain on October 20, 1862; Waters, captain, March 20, 1863. Ryan was wounded at the second battle of
Bull Run, August 29, 1862, and resigned March 25, 1863.
The sergeants were: G. A. Bennett, second; Peter Bergevin,
third; W. W. Smith, fourth; Jackson S. Bennett, fifth.
The corporals were: A. H. Smith, first; G. W. Bennett, second;
Hugh Boyd, third; William Payne, fourth; Rufus W. Skeels, fifth;
Samuel D. Murray, sixth; James Little, seventh; Francis Kelly,
eighth; F. Higbee, W. Milne, C. A. Althous, S. Jenner, W. T. Jones,
Miles Chubb, L. Lull, Jr., Cada White, Thomas White, Andrew J.
Johnson, J. H. Miller, G. N. Randall and W. H. Paradise.
Bergevin was promoted to second lieutenant, and R. W. Skeels
and Samuel T. Murray to captaincies. Corporals Smith, Higbee,
Griswell and Chubb were advanced to sergeancies.
There were thirty-one deaths and nine desertions while the
company was serving three years and ten days in service, being in
the First Brigade of the First Division of the Army of the Potomac.
The following is a list of privates. Those who were not in the
original are marked recruits:
R. W. Atwood, C. H. Althouse, P. G. Archer, J. M. Bennett,
J. A. Bennett, G. A. Bennett, G. W. Bennett, G. Barnier, Nelson
Bressau, C. F. Brittain, Thomas Boyers, Martin Biber, Lewis Brandis, George Bridgman, John Barnhart, (recruit); Horatio Barnhart,
(recruit); Stephen E. Bigelow, H. E. Boyd, W. H. Cummings, Harry
A. Crandall, Dennis Conway, Albert Cole, William Kourser, Calvin
Curler, Miles Chubb, Robert Conner, Lawrence Cavender, Jeffer



64


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


son N. Davis, Marvin H. Dunham, John T. Dibble, James F. Dibble, (recruit); William H. Denny, (recruit); A. E. Durphy, (recruit); Miner J. Emlaw, James Fox, William Ferguson, F. P. Fulford, (recruit); John George, Malcolm J. Gillis, E. L. Graves,
George Garner, A. A. Griswell, R. Graham, Thomas Griffin, William Gibson, Samuel R. Holmes, M. V. B. Hopeman, F. Higbee,
Z. T. Horine, C. Henderson, William Herrick, (recruit); A. F.
Herrick, (recruit); R. L. Hart, (recruit); William Harris, (recruit); C. W. Hope, (recruit); Samuel Jenner, W. T. Jones, Zeph.
Jeffer, O. Johnson, A. J. Johnson, J. P. Johnson, Yans Knudsen,
Hugh Kerr, Francis Kelly, Porter Knapp, (recruit); James Little,
G. W. Lemon, Smith K. Lewis, Ezra W. Lewis, John Lewis, James
Lavelle, L. Lull, Jr., Ed. Lazure, C. Langley, (recruit); S. D. Murray, H. C. Marvin, W. W. McKernan, James Munnie, William
Milne, John H. Miller, John Martin, (recruit); John K. Marsh,
(recruit); Louis Napoleon, Thomas Otry, James O'Neil, William
H. Paradise, Austin Postel, (recruit); James S. Pew, (recruit);
William Payne, Walter Quigley, James E. Richardson, George
Root, G. M. Randall, Charles Rose, William W. Smith, A. H.
Smith, John Smith, Francis Smith, John Sweeney, Austin Swazey,
G. W. Shaver, Anson A. Shelley, Seth R. Simons, Aslet Swinson,
L. D. Small, David Stone, Lyman A. Sales, (recruit); Judson A.
Smoke, (recruit); Jerome Saunders, (recruit); C. D. Spang, (recruit); A. B. Stevenson, (recruit); R. W. Skeels, Caleb Tompkins,
Moses M. Townsend, P. B. Thayer, William H. Tillson, George
Vander Pool, George Van Renchlier, Cada White, Thomas White,
Eli J. Wright, Caleb Woolpert, and William H. Wood, (recruit).
The heaviest loss of this company was at Fair Oaks and the
next at the second battle of Bull Run. The company was in every
battle of the Potomac from the first battle of Bull Run to the battle
of Cold Harbor, June 9, 1864, with the exception of Antietam.
Many of the company re-enlisted and served until the close of the
war.
Muskegon sent out another full company, as Company C,
Twenty-sixth Michigan Infantry, and many enlisted at Grand
Rapids and Chicago in the artillery and marine service who are
not credited to the state.
Among the state regiments in which many of Muskegon county
men served were:' Twenty-first Infantry, Twenty-fifth Infantry,
Twenty-sixth Infantry, Second Cavalry, Company E; Second Michigan Cavalry, Third Cavalry, Fifth Cavalry, White River Company, Sixth Cavalry, Seventh Cavalry, Tenth Cavalry, First Engineers and Mechanics; Second, Ross' and Dees' Batteries, as well
as the Thirteenth in the artillery service.
Spanish-American War. As in the time of the Civil war, the men
of Muskegon answered the call to arms when the outbreak of the
Spanish-American war came. The old company of the Muskegon
Rifles now became known as Company C, Thirty-fourth Michigan
Volunteers. This infantry regiment left for Camp Alger, Virginia,




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


65


May 25, 1898, and on June 23, part of the regiment, in which Company C was included, embarked at Alexandria, Virginia, for Santiago, where it joined the army under General Shafter. The Michigan
regiment served during the remainder of the war against the Spanish, participating in all the major engagments in which Shafter's
army was employed.
The roster of the company when it left Muskegon was as follows: Frank C. Whitney, captain; Edwin W. Watson, first lieutenant; John C. Graham, second lieutenant; Wesley W. Wren,
Louis N. Udell, Louis P. Dryer, Roy E. Ashley, Bela L. Cogshall
and Lee H. Trott, sergeants; Adam A. Rodgers, W. L. G. McIntosh, Oliver C. Stauffer, John B. Stuit, Louis I. Brock and Roy E.
Alberts, corporals; Knad Gunderstrup and George W. Dixon, musicians; John Stoppels, wagoner; Elmer Flycht, artificer; and
privates Louis Anderson, Tonie Baker, Charles W. Bayne, John
Bellinger, Harry N. Boyer, Andrew J. Bradley, Harold W. Brock,
Edward Brothers, Clinton E. Brown, William E. Brown, George
Bullock, Walter A. Cross, Fred L. Curry, Reuben W. Duram, John
E. Duram, Clyde Easton, Albert E. Ellison, John Essenberg, Samuel Feltman, Frank P. Foegen, Roy M. Gallagher, Cornelius Geerling, Charles E. Greene, Charles A. Hancock, Daniel 0. Harkins,
George H. Haverkate, Franklin L. Hedrick, Ernest G. Hibner,
George V. Hibner, Martin F. Hoben, Frank Hohenstein, Fred B.
Huffman, Hans Johnson, Robert F. Johnston, John M. Kamhout,
Charles E. Kingsbury, Walter E. Krebs, Fred A. Laflin, Homer L.
Locklin, Henry Mohr, Casper J. Mortivedt, George McCormick,
Frank S. Misner, Joseph 0. Nault, Peter F. Nelson, Frederick D.
Nims, Neils Olson, John S. O'Donnell, John Peterson, John J.
Peterson, Edward F. Plunkett, John N. Quick, Rodney A. Quick,
Hiram V. Robinson, James Roach, August W. Rojan, Nelson
Rovick, Thomas Ryan, Philip Thompson, John Waalkes, Albert
P. Walters, William J. Watson, John 0. Westerland, Robert E.
Williams and William P. Wilson.
Following the return of the veterans to their homes, the order
of the United Spanish War Veterans was organized, and in Muskegon the John R. Bennett Camp No. 41, was organized. The
present officers of the camp are Clinton E. Brown, commander;
and Gilbert M. Solheim, adjutant.
World War. With the outbreak of the war with Germany, Muskegon had one National Guard company which was organized on the
old system, it being a skeleton company whose full war strength
was one hundred men. However, with the grim necessity of creating a good army, the national army and the national guards went
through a period of re-organization which were trying to both officers and men. Company F, as the Muskegon company was known
before it left for camp in Texas, was recruited principally among
Muskegon men, and since it was the only company in the county,
it is virtually considered as the representative unit in the war. The
company was sent to Camp Custer, and then to Houston, Texas,




60


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


where the re-organization of the army struck it, the regiment being
then designated as the One Hundred Twenty-sixth Infantry, the
Michigan national guard units being grouped with those of Wisconsin to form the Thirty-second Division. The war strength of
the companies was at that time increased from 100 men to 250 men
per company, and for that reason many names appeared on the
roster of Company L, as it was thereafter known, whose homes
were not in Muskegon county. The company went overseas in
the spring of 1918, and after a period of training in France, was
sent into the lines. That the division covered itself with glory
cannot be doubted for it never failed to take an objective, and the
brilliance and dash with which its attacks were made carried it
rapidly to success. Most of the major engagements of the World
war in which the American army participated as a whole saw the
red arrow of the Thirty-second Division in action.
That the men of Muskegon county acquitted themselves handsomely in the conduct of their duty is attested by the fact that of
those in the service during the World war, fourteen were awarded
medals for conspicuous gallantry in action. Floyd E. Baker, of
Muskegon Heights, a private in the First Ambulance Company
of the Second Division, received a French Croix de Guerre with
bronze star for performing his duty as litter bearer at St. Etienne
under fire until he was himself wounded.
Levi Bartels, a corporal of Company K, Three Hundred Thirtyninth Infantry, Eighty-fifth Division with the expeditionary force
in Russia, received the British Military Medal. Bartels was from
Muskegon Heights.
Ernest Bluhm, of Muskegon Heights, a member of the same
company as Baker, received a similar decoration from the French
government.
Lyman T. Covell, a sergeant of Company L, One Hundred
Twenty-sixth Infantry, Thirty-second Division, received the Belgian Ordre de Leopold II (chevalier) and the French Croix de
Guerre for his bravery in aiding a great number of wounded who
were exposed to the fire of the enemy. He is a resident of Muskegon and is the present sheriff of the county.
Carlisle L. Cutler, of Muskegon, a corporal in the Eighty-second
Company of the Sixth Marines, received the French Croix de
Guerre for capturing three machine guns with his squad in the
Champagne district.
Joseph David, of Muskegon, a first lieutenant of engineers, received the French Ordre des Palmes Universitaires, Officier
d'Academie.
Arthur E. Hawks, supply sergeant of Company L, One Hundred
Twenty-sixth Infantry, Thirty-second Division, a resident of Monague, received the French Croix de Guerre with palm for bravery
in establishing battalion headquarters without the loss of a single
man in the undertaking.




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


67


Thomas H. Jackson, of Muskegon, colonel in the Engineer
Corps, was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his work
in connection with the Division of Construction and Forestry.
William Liniger, of Muskegon, a sergeant of Company I, One
Hundred Twenty-sixth Infantry, Thirty-second Division, was
awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his gallantry in leading his platoon against an enemy machine gun nest and silencing
it. He received a mortal wound in the attack.
John Peters, private of Company G, One Hundred TwentyEighth Infantry, Thirty-second Division, a resident of Muskegon,
received the Croix de Guerre for his gallantry in saving his
platoon from possible annihilation from enemy machine guns.
Jerrold B. Thompson, of Muskegon, private of Company L,
One Hundred Twenty-sixth Infantry, Thirty-second Division, received the Croix de Guerre for his bravery in refusing to be sent
to the rear although he was wounded by a shell fragment.
Archie Vanderwald, an ensign in the navy, received the Navy
Cross for his work as commander of the U. S. S. C. 354, engaged in
patrolling the waters of the war zone. He was a native of
Muskegon.
Phillip R. Yaney, of Muskegon, a mechanic with Company L,
One Hundred Twenty-sixth Infantry, Thirty-second Division, rereceived the French Croix de Guerre for his gallantry in assisting
a wounded comrade to safety.
Archie M. Javitz, of Fruitport, a sergeant of Company I, One
Hundred Twenty-sixth Infantry, Thirty-second Division, received
the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism
in action near Romagne, France, on October 9, 1918, when he
crawled seventy-five yards in advance of his platoon and reduced
a machine gun nest with rifle grenades.
American Legion Post. As soon as the war clouds had lifted and
the American troops were rapidly returning home, the formation of
the American Legion occurred to take the place in the lives of
World war veterans that the G. A. R. has occupied in the lives of
Civil war soldiers. Merritt Lamb post of Muskegon was organized
even before all the men from this section had returned from the
service, and at the present time the post has a membership of 106.
The present officers of the post are: Harry Riddell, commander;
Roy W. Hill, first vice-commander; Frederick L. Tors, second vicecommander; Elmer E. Berg, adjutant; Hector C. Grant, treasurer;
Bruce March, sergeant-at-arms. The American Legion of Michigan was one of the first state units to undertake the work of caring
for the widows and orphans of the veterans who were members
of the American Legion, and to this end, the Merritt Lamb post
of Muskegon has sent to the Otter Lake institution maintained
for these widows and orphans approximately $2,000 for its support. The post has also put around the town 550 flags to be placed
in cups on the curb during days when patriotic celebrations are
in progress.




CHAPTER VI


BANKS AND BANKING
THE stability of a people, the condition of their commercial and
industrial life, is perhaps most accurately judged by the condition of the banks in the community. The earliest settlers of a
community had nothing to do with banks, not because they distrusted them but because banking institutions are a product of a
stabilized municipality. The early settlers carried on their trade
almost entirely by barter; money was to them virtually unknown,
in fact, to secure cash for any produce sold was almost an impossibility. A letter preserved in one section of the state records the
fact that one family with difficulty obtained six dollars in cash
when they sold two hundred dollars worth of cattle. Such conditions
were common to all pioneer settlements of those days, and doubtless, although no references have been made to it by old settlers,
the same scarcity of currency existed in Muskegon as in the other
sections of the state.
While many of the settlements were still in their infancy, the
wave of wild cat banking swept the country. State legislatures,
and Michigan was included among them, passed free banking
laws which allowed any private person to start a bank with practically little or no capital. The ultimate result, and one that should
have been seen by the promulgators of such financial ventures,
was the issuance of bank notes by each bank which chose to do
so with the result that within a short time the value of this paper
currency became practically nothing and many of the banks
went out of existence in the panic of the late thirties, leaving a vast
amount of unsavory remembrances behind them. The people
themselves, through the unfortunate experiences, learned then the
value of a conservative banking system amply protected by cash reserves.
From the effects of wild cat banking, Muskegon county, because
of its later settlement, was fortunately free, and the history of the
Muskegon county banks is one filled with steady and healthy
growth of those institutions which are such an aid in the development of any community.
National Lumberman's Bank, the first to be established in Muskegon county, was organized in 1859 by Captain T. J. Rand and
in 1864 was re-organized as the Exchange bank. It continued as
such until the death of the founder, and in February, 1873, received
its charter as a national bank, at that time taking the name of the
Lumberman's National bank. The first officers of the bank, under
the national charter, were Major Chauncey Davis, president; Henry
Beidler, vice-president; and C. C. Billinghurst, cashier. Chauncey




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


69


Davis, the bank president, was born in Jefferson county, New York,
in 1812, of English parents. At the age of twenty years, he began
teaching school, a work which he followed four winter terms of four
months each. He was educated in the common schools of his home
community and at the Watertown Academy. In 1835, he came to
Chicago to help a brother who was sick, and after two weeks in
the Illinois city, went to Kenosha, Wisconsin, where he entered
the building contracting business. During his twelve and a half
years of residence in the Badger state, Davis was prominent in
public life, serving not only in town offices but also as sergeant-atarms of the Wisconsin Assembly. In April, 1848, he removed to
Muskegon, where he opened a supply store, forming a partnership
two years later with Theodore Newell and A. D. Loomis for the
manufacturing and marketing of lumber in Chicago and Kenosha.
The partnership was dissolved in 1877 when it was found that one
of the partners had conducted the business along irregular lines
that proved disastrous to the firm. He was an indefatigable worker
for the development of Muskegon, and his personal efforts were
responsible for much of the improvements that were accomplished
in the city during his life. He represented this district in the state
legislature in 1862-63-64 and in 1870 and was chosen first mayor
of Muskegon. The present officers of the National Lumberman's
bank are as follows: J. G. Emery, Jr., president; H. E. Langeland, G. B. M. Turner, and P. R. Beardsley, vice-presidents; E. A.
Larsen, cashier; and E. W. Boyer, assistant cashier. The bank's
condition in 1925, according to the American Bankers' Directory,
was as follows: Liabilities: Capital, $250,000; surplus and profits,
$248,180; deposits, $3,501,180; and accepts, letters of credit,
$112,700. Resources: Loans and discounts, $2,099,750; bonds
and securities, $1,311,780; miscellaneous, $399,410; and cash and
exchange, due from banks, etc., $301,120.
Captain Thomas J. Rand, the pioneer banker of Muskegon
county, was born in Charleston, Massachusetts, in 1806. At an
early age he became an errand boy in a large Boston shipping
house and at the age of fifteen years shipped as a cabin boy. By the
time he had attained his twenty-fifth year, he held the rating of
captain and was part owner in his vessel. He gave up the sea
when he was thirty-seven and ten years later removed to Kenosha,
Wisconsin, coming to Muskegon in 1849. In 1864 his financial
ability and sterling integrity won for him the office of county
treasurer. He died suddenly December 17, 1872, but the National
Lumberman's bank stands today as a monument to the solid financial principles on which he builded.
Although the Lumberman's bank was an outgrowth of the
private bank established by Captain Rand, the Muskegon National
bank became the first regularly chartered bank in the county. It
was organized in November, 1870, and a Mr. Gustin, who had conducted a private bank for several years, became the first president,
the first directors being A. Rodgers, F. A. Nims, C. H. Hackley,




70


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


L. G. Mason and E. W. Merrill. On March 5, 1875, the bank moved
into a new building which it erected at the corner of Western
avenue and First street which continued to house the company
during its life as the Muskegon National bank. With the expiration of its charter, the bank was re-organized as the Hackley
National bank of which C. H. Hackley, one of the first directors of
the predecessor, became the first president. The bank has continued to occupy the same location on the southwest corner of
Western avenue and First street. It is one of the flourishing
financial institutions of the county, and the bank statement for
January, 1925, was as follows: Liabilities: Capital, $400,000; surplus and profits, $465,580; deposits, $4,224,370; accepts, letters of
credit, $262,500. Resources: Loans and  discounts, $2,826,490;
bonds and securities, $689,540; miscellaneous, $103,600; cash and
exchange, due from banks, $732,830. The officers of the bank in
1925 were William  Munroe, president; L. C. Walker, Otto G.
Meeske, vice-presidents; H. C. Wagner, cashier; and D. W. Thayer
and G. H. Dietrich, assistant cashiers.
Union National Bank. This bank was an outgrowth of the old
Merchants bank, which existed a few years and had a rather stormy
career. In 1889, the directors of the Merchants bank adjusted the
differences which had disrupted their body, and at that time was
organized the Union National bank. The first place of business was
located on Western avenue near Jefferson in rented quarters but
after a short time the property at the corner of Western avenue
and First street was purchased for a bank site. A building was
erected on this location and the present Union National bank building, built on the same property, is one of the finest buildings in the
city of Muskegon. The present officers are: George L. LeFevre,
president; Louis Kanitz, chairman of the board of directors; C. C.
Moulton, Gustav Meeske, C. W. Marsh, W. J. Brinner, and G. W.
Zinky, vice-presidents; 0. C. Olsen, cashier; and Albert Bush, assistant cashier. The bank statement for January, 1925, is as follows: Liabilities: Capital, $400,000; surplus and profits, $287,060;
deposits, $2,429,560; accepts, letters of credit, $387,190. Resources:
Loans and discounts, $1,919,130; bonds and securities, $754,450;
miscellaneous, $497,130; cash and exchange, due from banks,
$333,110.
The Muskegon Savings bank, founded in 1887, is one of the
conservative banking establishments of the city. The present officers are: F. E. Hammond, president; J. F. Denslow and P. S.
Moon, vice-presidents; F. W. Breuninger, cashier; and E. L. Edwards, assistant cashier. The bank statement for January, 1925,
was as follows: Liabilities: Capital, $100,000; surplus and profits,
$123,200; deposits, $2,504,100; accepts, letters of credit, $76,620.
Resources: Loans, and discounts, $2,254,040; bonds and securities,
$l00,000; miscellaneous, $89,100; cash and exchange, due from
e                         t s, $3c60,780,
Capitalized foi $150,000, the Muskegon Trust company has




I8TORY OF MUJSKEGON COUNTY


71


attained a place of prominence during its five years of existence, it
being organized in 1920. The present officers of the company are:
F. W. Riblet, president; A. Hadden, H. M. Thurston, J. A. Dratz,
O. L. Godfrey, and F. M. Breuninger, vice-presidents; P. R.
Hugher, treasurer; E. Cooper, assistant treasurer; H. M. Thurston, secretary; and W. Larsen, assistant secretary. The bank
statement for 1925 was as follows: Liabilities: Capital, $150,000;
surplus and profits, $91,910; deposits, $1,195,490; accepts, letters
of credit, $25,410. Resources: Loans and discounts, $48,540;
bonds and securities, $1,296,640; miscellaneous, $109,850; cash and
exchange, due from banks, $7,770.
The most recent addition to the banking interests of the city
of Muskegon is the Peoples State Bank for Savings, capitalized
for $100,000. F. S. Coleman is the president and D. J. VanderWerp
the cashier. A branch of the bank is maintained at 510 Lake Shore
Drive and is known as the Lakeside branch. In Muskegon Heights
is the First State Savings bank of Muskegon Heights which was
established in 1915 and has been a material aid to the development
of that community. The present officers of the bank are: Henry
E. Morton, president; John S. Anderson and William Rowan, Jr.,
vice-presidents; and L. A. Wagner, cashier. The bank statement
for 1925 was as follows: Liabilities: Capital, $100,000; surplus
and profits, $64,760; deposits, $854,320. Resources: Loans and
discounts, $474,480; bonds and securities, $534,380; cash and
exchange, due from banks, $82,430.
One of the earliest banks in the county was established at
Whitehall. Known as the Exchange bank, it was opened November 14, 1870, by Frank Blackmarr, C. A. Hammong becoming
cashier of this first bank. The Lumberman's State bank was
organized in that village August 11, 1873, with a capital stock of
$50,000 and the following men as officers: John P. Cook, president; Elliot T. Slocum, vice-president; Frank Blackmarr, cashier;
C. A. Hammond, assistant cashier; and John P. Cook, Elliot T.
Slocum, John C. Lewis, George M. Smith, E. M. Ruggles, Frank
Blackmarr and Charles H. Cook, directors. The old Exchange
bank organized by Blackmarr was absorbed by the Lumberman's
State bank which then became the only financial institution between Muskegon and Pentwater and for a considerable distance
to the east. Its good position relative to this virgin field insured
its success and for more than a quarter of a century it was one of
the solid organizations of the county. The company erected a
$12,000 bank building in Whitehall in 1873. The bank closed its
doors in 1896 after irregularity in its affairs made it necessary, and
from then until 1902, Whitehall was without a bank. In the latter
year, the State Bank of Whitehall was organized. Its present
officers are: M. B. Covell, president; G. E. Covell, vice-president;
and H. A. Esterdahl, cashier. The bank's statement for January,
1925, was as follows: Liabilities: Capital, $40,000; surplus and
profits, $28,990; deposits, $446,750. Resources: Loans and dis



72


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


counts, $112,570; bonds and securities, $348,460; miscellaneous,
$15,500; cash and exchange, due from banks, $39,220. The conservative policy pursued by the bank officials renders unlikely the
possibility of Whitehall witnessing another bank failure within
its own territory. The fact that the deposits are nearly a half
million dollars is the truest barometer of the confidence of the
people in the bank which serves them.
A private bank was established in Ravenna in 1912, capitalized
for $25,000. Its affairs became sadly snarled in the financing of a
power company and on November 11, 1924, the doors of the institution were closed.
The Farmers and Merchants State bank of Casnovia was organized in 1916 with a capital stock of $20,000. Its present officers
are J. L. Norris, president; G. E. Burley, vice-president; F. R.
Davis, cashier; and V. R. Fancett, assistant cashier. The bank
statement for January, 1925, was as follows: Liabilities: Capital,
$20,000; surplus and profits, $7,000; deposits, $225,000. Resources:
Loans and discounts, $240,000; cash and exchange, due from banks,
$34,000.
The Farmers State bank, of Montague, is one of the old banks
in the county, being organized in 1882, and since its inception the
bank has proved an asset to the community. A careful and conservative policy has made it one of the successful financial undertakings in the county. The present officers of the bank are John
VanderWerp, president; H. W. Runzel, vice-president; Adolph
Anderson, cashier; and Joseph Tuell, assistant cashier. The statement of the bank for January, 1925, was as follows: Liabilities:
Capital, $25,000; surplus and profits, $8,760; deposits, $408,000.
Resources: Loans and discounts, $177,030; bonds and securities,
$220,140; miscellaneous, $5,790; cash and exchange, due from
banks, $39,070.




CHAPTER VII


BENCH AND BAR
THE annals of Muskegon county history would be incomplete
without mention of the courts and the attorneys which have
figured prominently in its life, for the history of man has been characterized in its progress by the development of the judiciary. In
the early days of the settlement of a new territory, many of the
lawyers who established themselves in new communities were of
a far different sort than the highly trained lawyers we know today
versed in the many ramifications of the law. Too often, in those
days, did a smattering knowledge of the law and a pair of leather
lungs allow a so-called lawyer to practice before the bar, and it
was this type of pettifogging lawyer, as he was known, who was
the blot on the records of the early courts.
But Muskegon county was exceptionally free from the pettifogger. Muskegon soon became a prominent lumbering city and
much of the litigation was between lumbering companies and
private citizens, the very nature of the cases demanding of the attorneys in the cases a fine knowledge of the laws of the state that
barred the poorly read pettifogger. The Muskegon river and its
tributaries made the city at its mouth the natural meeting place
of the lumber interests of twenty counties, and where these interests met, it followed that there would be found the ablest attorneys. For this reason there were attracted to Muskegon
county men of a calibre far superior to that of lawyers in other
counties of the state, and the early records of the courts bear the
names of many men who became prominent not only in the county
but in the affairs of the state as well.
At the time of the erection of Muskegon county, the judicial
system of the state was such that the four supreme court justices
presided over circuits, but soon after, circuit courts were created
under their own judges, taking the work out of the hands of the
supreme members. At that time Muskegon county was placed
in a circuit with Oceana, Newaygo, and Mecosta counties, known
as the Fourteenth circuit. Considerably later, Mecosta and Newaygo counties were placed in another circuit, Oceana remaining
in the Fourteenth with Muskegon county until 1924, when it was
made a part of the same circuit with Mecosta and Newaygo counties. Muskegon county is now known as the Fourteenth circuit.
The first judge to sit on the bench in this county was Flavius
J. Littlejohn, of Allegan county, who served from 1858 to 1867.
He was a strong and able man and his decisions were remarkable
not only for knowledge of the law which they displayed but also
for the wisdom of the judge. He was succeeded by Moses B. Hopkins, who was a Grand Haven man. During the term of Judge




74


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


Hopkins, who served until 1869, the change was made in the state
judicial system, and Augustine H. Giddings became judge of the
Fourteenth Judicial Circuit. Judge Giddings was an exceptionally
brilliant man. Coupled with his native ability, he received his
legal training in the law offices of David Dudley Field, of New
York, and thus equipped, he came to Muskegon where he was
elected judge. Giddings became famous throughout the state for
his conduct of his office, and in the memoirs of one prominent lawyer of the early days of the Michigan bar, Giddings is described as
one of the best circuit judges of the state. Michael Brown, of Big
Rapids, became judge in 1877 but resigned in 1880 to be followed
by Fred J. Russell who served until 1887. Russell was known
not so much for his knowledge of law but for the innate commonsense which guided him in his decisions, many of which became
famous in the history of the county bar. Albert Dickerman became judge in 1888 to continue until 1893 when Russell again was
placed on the bench where he served until 1905. Clarence W.
Sessions, an exceptionally able lawyer, was elected judge to succeed Russell, but he resigned in 1911 to accept the appointment as
judge of the United States court of the Western District of Michigan, a position which he still holds. Stephen V. Clink was appointed to fill out the unexpired term of Sessions, and in 1912
James E. Sullivan was elected judge, serving until 1918, when John
VanderWerp, the present judge of the county, was elevated to
the bench.
The first session of court held in Muskegon after the formation
of the county was on June 22, 1859. The first case to be called
was that of Frank Nagale vs. Fred Neumeister, John Martin
Shafer, and Frederick Neumeister on a charge of trespass on the
case upon promises. Henry H. Holt appeared as attorney for the
plaintiff, but this case was not concluded until January 15, 1866,
when the judgment was assigned, to J. W. Mann, the costs of the
litigation over this extended period being given as $18.85. The
second case on the court record was that of Martin Ryerson and
Robert W. Morris vs. Mitchell Seyen, it being the same sort of
a case as the first. Henry H. Holt also appeared as attorney for
the plaintiff in this case, the costs of which were $14.73.
The case of Petrie vs. Torrent is perhaps one of the most
famous of the early cases in the Muskegon county courts and deserves mention, for the suit was four times taken into the supreme
court before settlement was finally made. It is well known not
only for this fact but for the array of the best legal talent that
was ranged on the sides of the two litigants. John Torrent retained
the firm of Smith, Nims, Hoyt & White, Judge Champion of Grand
Rapids, and an attorney named Ewell also of Grand Rapids. The
firm of Smith, Nims, Hoyt & White was one of the well known
legal combinations in the city of Muskegon at that time. On the
side of Petrie were Robert E. Bunker and William Carpenter, partners, and the firm of Kingsley and Kleinhans, of Grand Rapids,.




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


75


It seems that Albert H. Petrie secured an option on several thousand acres of timberland in the north from Hannah, Lay & Company, but finding that the project was too big for him to handle,
Petrie brought in John Torrent to take up the option, the agreement being that Petrie was to receive one-third of the profits of
the venture. In 1888, Petrie brought suit to recover his portion
of the profits due him under the terms of the agreement and in
1901 the case was finally concluded, Petrie being granted $155,000.
The original price of the timberland was $679,000, and it is said
that by the transaction, Perry Hannah, Lay & Company lost approximately $1,000,000.
In the early days when lumbering formed the chief industry
of Muskegon, the lumber companies were involved in endless
litigation of one sort or another with private citizens. Most frequent were suits of these private citizens to recover damages for
the alleged flooding of their lands due to the operations of the
lumber companies. The Muskegon Booming company was then
the largest lumber company operating in this territory, and it was
this company which was "bled," according to the narrators, by
one Hank Smith, a shrewd, black-eyed little man living on what
was known as the island about sixteen miles from Muskegon.
Smith, it is-told, won his suit for damages against the Muskegon Booming company for the alleged flooding of his lands principally through the fact that he was an excellent witness for himself on the stand. Smith was possessed of a keen sense of humor,
and during the trial Hiram J. Hoyt, attorney for the company,
asked Smith what he could grow on his land before it was flooded.
From a pocket of his coat Smith drew a bundle of the best quality
of timothy hay, saying, "That is what we could grow before the
land was flooded."
Hoyt then said, "What can you grow now?"
"This is all I can grow now," replied Smith, taking a small
turtle from another pocket.
Hoyt then asked how far Smith's land was from Muskegon, and
Smith countered by asking whether he meant by land or water.
"Well, say by water, how far is it?" demanded Hoyt.
"Coming or going?"
"Does it make any difference?" asked Hoyt.
"Well, you'd think so if you were pulling the boat," Smith
replied.
This sample shows the shrewdness of the man on the stand and
it was this same subtlety that enabled him to win a handsome
damage suit against the lumber company.
Another famous case in Muskegon county courts was that of
Muskegon county vs. Martin Perley. Perley was county treasurer
and defaulted with a considerable portion of the county funds, and
the suit to recover the money is well known in the legal history
of thei county.




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


One of the most prominent of the early attorneys of Muskegon was Henry H. Holt, attorney for the plaintiffs in the first two
cases to come before the circuit court after the erection of the
county, and the second to settle in Muskegon, locating here in
1858. A sketch of the life of Holt may be found in the chapter on
County Organization and Government. John H. Standish, another
prominent attorney and one of the early lawyers to locate in the
city of Muskegon, came here from Newaygo. During the Civil
war, he served in the Union army, being steadily promoted until
he attained the rank of colonel. At one time he was United States
district attorney for the western district of Michigan.  Edwin
Potter, who settled in Muskegon in 1857, was another well known
attorney of the early days of the county and the first to locate in
the city and his name frequently appears in the court records as
one of the attorneys in the cases. Moses B. Hopkins, though a
resident of Grand Haven, deserves place in the Muskegon bar
history due to the fact that he was not only the second judge of
the Muskegon county court but also appeared often in trials in the
county before his elevation to the bench. For a number of years,
he was collector of the port of Grand Haven, and after his retirement from the bench, he engaged in the lumber business in which
he was highly successful. Lucius Patterson, a Grand Rapids lawyer, handled many cases in the Muskegon county courts. Other
attorneys whose names appear on the records of the first court
sessions of Muskegon county were: W. T. Howell, H. C. Akeley,
C. C. Root, E. C. Walker, Robert W. Duncan, George Gray, John
H. Kimball, F. Day, Lewis C. Morrison, and William H. Barton.
The firms of Bunker & Carpenter, and Smith, Nims, Hoyt &
White have already been mentioned. Robert E. Bunker is still in
practice in Muskegon as is his former partner, William Carpenter.
The partnership of Bunker & Carpenter existed until 1901 when the
former went to Ann Arbor to become a member of the law faculty
of the University of Michigan, where he remained until 1918.
The first lawyer to settle in the village of Whitehall was Duane
Thompson, who located there in 1865 and continued to practice for
a number of years. William H. Parks took up his residence in
the village a few months earlier than Thompson but remained
only until 1872 when he removed to Muskegon, thus Thompson is
considered the first attorney of Whitehall. Henry Slater established a law practice in the village in 1870, continuing to follow
his profession until 1881 when he was drowned in Muskegon lake.
D. G. Scroggs became a member of the legal fraternity of Whitehall in 1868, A. C. Ellsworth in 1871, P. I. Hedges, at one time
telegraph operator and postmaster, who removed to Danville, New
York, in 1882. H. L. Delano practiced law for a time at Whitehall
before his removal to Muskegon. R. L. Rice located in Whitehall
in 1875, D. C. Huffman in 1877, Loraine Ashman in 1880, and Edwin I. Smith a few months later. George E. Allen, one of the
early attorneys of Holton, was born in Franklin, Michigan, and




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


77


settled in Holton in 1873 where he at first conducted a wagon and
carriage shop but later was forced to give himself over entirely to
the practice of law. He was prominent in the public affairs of
the township and in the business affairs of the village in which he
lived. A. C. Ellsworth was a native of Ohio and received his education in Hiram college, taking up the study of law in Lowell,
Michigan. In April, 1868, he was admitted to the bar in Ravenna,
Ohio, and in the same year came to Whitehall where he became
the school principal. In 1871 he opened a law office and continued
in the practice of his profession for many years. For five years
he was villiage attorney, superintendent of schools three years, and
a member of the board of education six years.
Francis W. Cook, one of the successful early lawyers of Muskegon, was a native of New York state where he was admitted to
practice in St. John's. He came to Muskegon in December, 1870,
where he soon developed a large practice and continued in his
profession for many years. L. N. Keating was born in Monroe
county, Michigan, in 1840. He graduated from the law school
of the University of Michigan, read law with the Hon. E. L. Koon,
of Hillsdale, and after nine years of practice came to Muskegon
in the spring of 1875 to become one of the most prominent lawyers
of that city.
The Muskegon County Bar association was organized in 1885
by a group of the prominent lawyers of the city and county of
Muskegon to further their own interests and the interests of the
courts of the county. It was subsequently re-organized and at
the present time Robert E. Bunker is president of the body and
Joseph E. Sanford is secretary.




CHAPTER VIII


PHYSICIANS AND THE PUBLIC HEALTH
THE life of the pioneer doctor was one of extreme hardship;
if the tales of the early days are to be believed. The doctor in
a new community, it must be remembered, had not the easy means
of transportation that he has today; at first the roads were merely
trails, and in some cases the doctor was forced to go through an
unbroken wilderness to make a call. The impassable conditions
of the roads in the rainy seasons or in winter forced him to go on
horseback with his medicines and instruments in saddle bags.
With the population so widely scattered throughout the countryside, the transportation so slow and difficult, the lot of the pioneer
physician may be readily imagined, yet withal, the doctor must
greet his patients with a hearty smile and cheering word as though
the long miles of weary riding were but a trifle. It is no wonder
then that the doctors of the early settlements were heartily loved
by the few inhabitants of the new country. To them he was not
only a bringer of health by a confidante to be consulted in times
of trouble other than sickness. Then, and in the years following,
was the era of the family doctor, but the general practioner of this
sort has virtually disappeared and in his place has arisen the specialist in the various departments of materia medica and surgery.
The first physician to settle in Muskegon was Dr. Charles P.
McSherry, who came to the city in 1849 and practiced here for a
number of years. By the year 1880 nearly a dozen doctors had
located in Muskegon. O. C. Williams was born in Oneida county,
New York, in 1833, and graduated from medical college in New
York in 1859, and after a short residence at Jackson, Michigan,
came to Muskegon in 1865. He died about 1894 or 1895 after a
life practice extending over a period of nearly twenty-five years.
Dr. C. P. Donelson was a native of Flint, Michigan, where
he was born in 1848. He was graduated from Wesleyan university,
Delaware, in 1867 and from the University of Michigan in 1872,
after which he studied medicine in the Long Island Hospital college, Brooklyn, New York. In 1872, he came to Muskegon where
he continued to practice until his death in 1912 or 1913. He was
one of the homeopathic physicians and was very prominent in the
medical fraternity of the city. Dr. L. R. Marvin was born in Erie,
New York, in 1848, and studied medicine at Chicago where he received the degree of doctor of medicine in February, 1870. The following April he came to Muskegon where he practiced until his
death in 1912.  He -was one of the school of homeopathists.
Dr. James M. Cook was a native of Michigan. During the Civil
war he served in the Union army and was taken prisoner. He tunnelled his way out of prison and by traveling at night and after




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


79


untold hardships reached the Union lines. Following his discharge,
he studied medicine at Rush Medical college, Chicago, after which
he came to Muskegon where he practiced until 1896, when he died
on the eve of his departure for Toledo to engage in practice there.
His widow is living in Florence, Italy. He was one of the
most prominent physicians of his time and was examiner for pensions until the establishment of the pension board in 1885 when
he became a member of that body. A Doctor Vestey, one of the
school of homeopathists and an exceptionally good surgeon, practiced in Muskegon for a number of years until the time of his death
in 1885. He committed suicide. A Dr. Hill was in practice in Muskegon for about four or five years when he was made county physician in 1880, and after giving up that office, he removed fromi
Muskegon.
Dr. John P. Stoddard, one of the early physicians of the city
of Muskegon, is still living in that city although he has given up
the active practice of his profession. He was born in Jackson,
Michigan, February 22, 1835. He graduated from the University
of Michigan in 1859 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and he
is the oldest living graduate of that university as well as the only
survivor of his class. In 1864 he began the study as well as the only
the same university and in 1866 went to Bellevue Hospital Medical
College, New York, where he completed his studies, graduating
in the spring of 1867. After practicing in Albion, Michigan, for
twelve years, he came to Muskegon in 1880 where he practiced
twelve years. Late in 1891 he went to Deland Falls where he
practiced eight years until his retirement from active practice, and
he later came back to Muskegon where he now lives at the Old
Peoples Home on Davis street. He was county physician for three
years and a member of the pension board for five or six years.
For a number of years he was division surgeon for the C. & W. M.
railroad.
Jedson Ellis, a native of Canada, graduated from Trinity college, Toronto, in 1879. After a year's practice in Hamilton, Canada, he came to Muskegon in the spring of 1881 where he became
one of the prominent physicians and surgeons. Dr. W. T. Hoy
was born in Spain and came to the United States in 1825. From
1863 to 1865, he was surgeon of the Third Michigan Cavalry in the
Civil war, after which he located at Saugatuck, Michigan, removing
in 1873 to Muskegon where he practiced until 1881. In that year
he gave up the practice of medicine to engage in the drug business.
Thomas D. Smith was the first doctor to locate at Ravenna,
but soon after he settled there he acquired a competency and gave
up the active practice of his profession. A Dr. Hull was another
early physician of that section and was well known in medical circles of the county.
Dr. Charles H. A. Stewart, who settled in Ravenna in 1875,
was born in Brant county, Ontario, in 1843. He graduated from
the Toronto University of Physicians and Surgeons with the




80


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


class of 1869, and thereafter practiced in Brant county until his
removal to Ravenna where he became the leading physician and
surgeon of that part of the county.
Chauncey E. Koon, for many years a prominent doctor of Casnovia, was born in Steuben county, New York, October 1, 1844,
but at an early age settled with his father's family at Hillsdale,
Michigan. In 1861, he enlisted in the Eleventh Michigan Infantry,
being successively promoted until he reached the rank of captain.
With the cessation of hostilities, he went to Chicago and began the
study of medicine, graduating from the Chicago Medical college
in 1872. He came direct to Casnovia where he has become recognized as one of the leading surgeons of that part of the county.
Dr. Austin C. Wright settled in Kent City, Casnovia township,
following his graduation from the University of Michigan Medical college in 1881. He was born in Onondaga county, New York,
in 1859 and received his preliminary education in the Monroe Collegiate Institute at Elbridge, same county. Dr. Victor Sinz was
born in Switzerland in 1838, received a classical education at the
University of Stuttgart, Wurtemberg, Germany, and studied medicine in Naples, Italy. In 1859 he came to the United States, settling
at Frelandsville, Indiana. During the Civil war he served three
years and a half as assistant surgeon, being twice wounded. In
1872, he settled at Trent, Casnovia township, where he followed
the practice of his chosen profession and also conducted a drug
store.
The first doctor to locate in Whitehall was John A. Wheeler,
who was born in Ontario county, New York, in 1832. At the age
of eight years, he removed with his parents to Wayne county,
Michigan, thence to Washtenaw and finally to Howell. He attended the College of Medicine of the University of Michigan.
For a time thereafter he studied with his father, also a physician,
and in 1856 located at the mouth of White Lake. In 1863 he removed to the village of Whitehall where he engaged in the dry
goods business and then in the drug business in addition to practicing medicine. He was active in public life, being supervisor of
Oceana township two years and a member of the school board.
In 1881 he removed to Grand Rapids. Dr. C. Mizner located in
Whitehall in 1865 but later removed to North Muskegon. A. W.
Squier and W. L. Montane began practice in the village in 1866.
Dr. J. M. McKinnon practiced for a time there, his career being
stopped by death. Drs. Marvin, Carr, Wooldridge, Gaylor and
Cooper were also among the earlier physicians of the village. Dr.
James H. Johnson was born in Niagara county, New York, in 1839,
and graduated from the Buffalo Medical college in 1866. During
the Civil war he was a member of the Seventh United States Cavalry, which was soon disbanded. He then took some courses in
medicine and became surgeon of the ship San Jacinto under Captain Meade, being stationed at Key West, Florida. On January
1, 1865, his vessel was wrecked, and Dr. Johnson returned home




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


81


and completed his medical studies. After practicing in various
places he came to Whitehall where he developed a large practice
and became one of the well known physicians and surgeons of the
county.
The list of the early physicians and surgeons of the county is
necessarily incomplete for the records of these pioneers have been
lost and most of the early settlers who knew them have either died
or removed to other parts of the county.
The apparently late coming of the majority of the doctors
should not be surprising either when it is remembered that for a
number of years Muskegon county was a part of Ottawa county,
and for that reason the doctors settled at Grand Haven. Many
of these medical men covered the territory of Muskegon and it
was not until the city of Muskegon became a figure in the lumber industry of the state that the greater number of doctors located
in the county. Medical or surgical cases, the severity of which
merited hospital care, had to be taken to Big Rapids and it was
not until the eighties that the city of Muskegon had a hospital
of its own.
About 1885 it became apparent that one of the urgent needs
of the city was a hospital, for the rapid growth of the city under
the impetus of the lumber industry, the larger number of mills in
which accidents were constantly happening made it virtually impossible for all hospital cases to be taken to Big Rapids or to be
treated successfully in the homes. Accordingly, a number of
women, of which Mrs. A. F. Temple was one of the prime movers,
organized the Women's Hospital association. A campaign was
organized to get funds for the purchase and equipping of a building for a hospital. Many private donations were secured, and in
addition to this, mill workers were persuaded to buy tickets at
five dollars each which entitled them to care in the hospital without extra charge. The plan was highly successful, and the threestory rooming house of Alexander Rodgers located on Eighth
street near Washington avenue was bought by the association. A
trained nurse from Canada was secured and placed in charge, a
position which she filled ably during the entire existence of the
hospital. Drs. Donelson, Cook, and Stoddard, brief sketches of
whose lives have been given, were instrumental in establishing
the hospital, and the various doctors of the city took turns in being
the house physician, each one serving in that capacity for a month
at a time. When Dr. F. W. Garber came to the city he became
the first regular house physician.
Hackley Hospital. The continued growth of the city and the
increasing need for additional hospital facilities came to the attention of Charles H. Hackley. Accordingly, the Hackley hospital
was established May 28, 1902, with money to the amount of $235,000 for buildings and grounds and $600,000 endowment, having
been appropriated by Hackley for the welfare of the: city and the
advancement of medical science. By the will of Mrs. Julia Hack



82


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


ley, the sum of $300,000 was left to the hospital in 1905, allowing
additions and improvements which make it one of the finest institutions of its kind in the western part of Michigan. Free beds are
maintained by the hospital trustees for the use of those hospital
cases who are unable to pay for the care they need under other
circumstances. Of the 115 beds in the hospital, eighteen are in
private rooms, twelve in semi-private rooms, and the remainder in
wards. One of the recent innovations at the hospital was the establishment of a training school for nurses, and at the present
time, Madeline Grey is the director of the training, and sixty-five
nurses are enrolled in the school. The hospital is admirably situated in a beautiful site at South Peck street, the land comprising
an entire block in extent.
Mercy Hospital, a Catholic hospital, is nearly as large as Hackley hospital, it having 100 beds. Of this number, thirty-six beds
are in private rooms, double the number in Hackley hospital,
eighteen are in semi-private rooms, and forty-six in wards. Eight
graduate nurses are in regular attendance at the hospital, and a
nurses' training school has lately been established at the hospital.
The institution is under the direction of Sister Mary Gonsalva.
Board of Health.  Perhaps one of the most important departments in city administration is that of the Board of Health, the
work of which cannot be too greatly overestimated. The present
health officer of the city of Muskegon is Dr. R. J. Harrington. The
work of the department covers many allied fields, some of which
may at first seem incongruous. Plumbing inspections, for example,
come under the jurisdiction of the Board of Health, and William
Cayo, the sanitary inspector, must inspect and pass upon all plumbing work before it is sealed or covered and upon his shoulders
falls the duty of investigating all complaints regarding violations
of the sanitary regulations. In connection with the Board of Health
is conducted a baby clinic under the direction and instruction of
Mrs. Edna Beckquist. In different sections of the city, this nurse
conducts baby clinics from time to time, to instruct the mothers
of children between the ages of one and five years the proper care
and feeding of the infants.
One of the most important functions of the department is that
of dairy inspections. Dr. Eldon Smith makes regular visits to
all dairies that sell milk in the city of Muskegon and inspects
for cleanliness, and samples of milk from these dairies are tested
regularly to insure the quality and the cleanliness of the milk consumed by the inhabitants of the city. Samples of water are also
analyzed to determine the bacteria content in order to safeguard
the public health.
In addition to these departments, the Board of Health must
handle the records of births and deaths, vital statistics. All cases
of contagious disease must be quarantined and placarded, and
houses in which such cases are found must be fumigated after the
recovery of the patient and the lifting of the quarantine restric



HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY                  83
tions. Since the city has no isolation hospital, all cases of contagious disease must be treated in the homes. The Board of Health
does not handle the medical inspections of the schools, for the
Board of Education feels that such work is in its province, and for
this reason doctors, dentists, and nurses are retained by the schools
for such work.




CHAPTER IX


THE PRESS
NEWSPAPERS are the purveyors of current history to the
people of the localities in which they are published, and that the
power of the press is great, cannot be denied, for in news stories and
in editorials, the newspapers of the community continually work for what
is best for that community. The pioneer settlers of a new country were
closely followed by the pioneer journalists who cast their lot with those
who elected to develop a wilderness into a fruitful country. These
pioneer newspaper men freighted their presses, their type and type
cases, their stones, and other equipment into the new fields, and with
that hardihood which has always characterized the pioneer in any field,
they began the publication of newspapers. In those times, cash was
scarce, and instead of the exception, it is rather the rule to see that the
subscription rates of these pioneer sheets named an alternative amount
of produce to be paid in lieu of money to the hardworking editor of
the tiny newspaper. That the enterprising editors conducted their business on a small scale, cannot be held up for the patronizing sneers of
the more sophisticated, for the papers were undoubtedly forces for good
for local improvement and betterment, as strong in their day as the
larger papers of today. The paths of these early journalists were hard
and newspaper failures were all too frequent, but one more was always
ready to continue where his predecessor left off.
In the spring of 1857, Charles Cowan began the publication of the
Muskegon Journal, which was Republican in politics and was published
weekly in a small room in the old Walton house. Within a short time,
Cowan took into partnership with him Thomas H. Hodder, and the
two continued to put out the paper until the autumn of the same year
when the newspaper was discontinued. For a year and a half thereafter, Muskegon was without a newspaper, but in April, 1859, Fred L.
Lee & Company began the publication of the Muskegon Reporter,
which survived until October, 1864. Two months prior to the discontinuance of the Reporter, the Muskegon News was started by John
Bole who sold the paper within a few months to William K. Gardner,
who in turn sold the sheet in March, 1865, to Ferdinand Weller. With
the advent of Weller into the journalistic field of Muskegon, the newspaper business here gained a stability which it had notably lacked during the previous years. With the possible exception of one year, Weller continued in the newspaper publishing business in Muskegon. A
native of Austria, he was born in 1838 and came to the United States.
when he was a young man of eighteen years, settling at Howell, Michigan, where he followed the printing trade for six years. In 1865, he
went to Grand Rapids to pursue his trade and there he was given the
opportunity of coming to Muskegon to publish a Republican newspaper
backed by Thomas W. Ferry, of Grand Haven, who was later a United




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


85


States senator from Michigan. Weller was recommended to Ferry by
Aaron B. Turner, chief owner of the Grand Rapids Eagle, the leading
Republican newspaper of that city. A month after the close of the
Civil war, Weller,,then 27 years of age, came to Muskegon to undertake the work of establishing a solid Republican paper with the financial
backing of the Ferrys. Shortly after, Weller arranged the purchase
of press, type, and other material of the Reporter, which he revived
and published in conjunction with the Muskegon News under the name
of News and Reporter. It has been claimed that the paper was directly descended from the Journal of 1857 and the News of 1859 and
therefore deserved place as the original newspaper of Muskegon.
The paper was sold by Weller in January, 1869, to George C. Rice,
a man who had obtained wide newspaper experience in New York
state and who was undoubtedly the best journalist of his time in the
city. The name of the paper was changed to that of the Muskegon
Chronicle by Rice. The Chronicle thus claims, by the fact that it was
the same paper that was traced directly to the old Journal, that it is the
lineal descendant of the first paper. Weller, in 1870, visited Austria,
but upon his return to Muskegon re-entered the newspaper business,
publishing a paper under the old name of News and Reporter, an act
which was claimed by Rice to be a violation of the sale agreement of
the old paper of that name. Rice instituted a law suit to prevent Weller
from publishing his newspaper under the name of News and Reporter,
but the case never came to trial, Weller continuing to publish his paper
with the same name and claiming that it was the real descendant off
the first Muskegon paper. The Chronicle under Rice supported the
principles of the Republican party while the News and Reporter, independent in politics for a time, espoused the cause of Horace Greeley in
1872 and thereafter supported the Democratic party.
Following the death of George C. Rice on May 31, 1874, the
Chronicle was published by Mrs. Rice until March, 1875, when she sold
the newspaper to O. B. Curtis, who had for several years been superintendent of the Muskegon schools. Three years later, Curtis sold out
to Harford and Grove, the latter of whom sold his interest to Harford
the following year. W. M. Harford came to Muskegon from Ohio
where he had published the Fremont Journal. The growth of Muskegon at that time justified, he believed, the establishment of a daily
paper despite the fact that all previous attempts to do so had ended in
failure. Accordingly, in April, 1879, appeared the first edition of the
Daily Chronicle, having four pages four columns wide, each column
being about twelve inches long. The character of the news, confined
principally to small personals and little news items, seemed to indicate
that the venture was hardly worth-while and that the editor himself
was devoting little attention to it. However, it continued to grow although for a time the weekly edition of the Chronicle remained the more
important edition of the two.....
On September 1, 1881, the Chronicle was sold to. Daniel C. McKay
and Edward B. Dana, who came to Muskegon from       Washington
county, Ohio. McKay had been a reporter on the New York Tribune,




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


editor of a trade paper in New York City, and then owner and editor
of a weekly newspaper published in Auburn, New York. Edward B.
Dana had had no previous newspaper experience before coming to
Muskegon. McKay disposed of his interests to Dana and W. J. Steketee, then a reporter, in June, 1885, and under the management of these
men, the Chronicle continued until July, 1906, when Steketee retired,
Dana continuing as sole owner until June of the following year. Since
that time, the Chronicle has been owned by the Booth Publishing company, A. E. Boswell being the present editor. The present circulation of
the paper, which is the only daily published in Muskegon, is more than
13,000. For the past eight years, the Chronicle has been Muskegon's
only daily, it having either absorbed the others or witnessed their
failure, and is the only survivor of the twenty-one papers of Muskegon
mentioned by Weller in 1889, who said, when he retired from newspaper work: "Rather than do battle with the twenty-first newspaper,
we retire from journalism for the time being. Since 1865 we havei
seen fifteen weeklies and six daily papers started in Muskegon, which
are no more. Most of them had financial backing but the field did not
warrant their existence."
A Democratic paper, the Telegraph, was started in Muskegon in
1868 by Samuel R. Sanford and Lyman G. Mason, the latter of whom
was a candidate for election to congress in that year. Arthur S. White,
now of Grand Rapids, was brought to Muskegon to edit the paper, but
failing in its effort to send Mason to congress, the Telegraph was
suspended soon after the election. About that time, I. Ransom Sanford,
the son of Samuel R. Sanford, returned from the east where he had
been attending an academy and was urged by the Democrats of the city
to take over the defunct Telegraph and conduct a live Democratic paper.
Young Sanford agreed to take over the affairs of the paper and accordingly started the Muskegon Enterprise.  When the building which
housed the plant was later destroyed by fire, Samuel R. Sanford bought
the equipment of the Statesman, Ottawa, Ilinois, and shipped it to Muskegon. In this equipment was included a drum cylinder Potter press
which, it is claimed by Sanford, was the first rotary press to be brought
to Muskegon. The plant also included type and job printing presses.
In 1870, Sanford converted the paper into a daily, operating underi
the name of the Muskegon Daily Enterprise, which was the first daily
to be published in the city. It was a large four-page sheet and employed the pony express of the Associated Press for its news service,
but the loss of a thousand dollars in the first month caused Sanford to
forego the attempt to give a town of 6,000 a metropolitan newspaper.
Samuel R. Sanford erected a two-story frame building on Western
avenue to accommodate the Enterprise, the building being located on
the present site of the Brundage drug store. The News and Reporter
was then located in a building near the present site of the Lumberman's
Bank building, and the Chronicle office was in an upper story of the
Gustin building at the corner of Western avenue and Terrace street.
Early in 1882, the Enterprise was bought from the Sanfords by two
men named Savage and Cady, who through their greater love for strong




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


87


liquor than for journalism sent the Enterprise into failure. Samuel R.
Sanford, who held a mortgage on the property was forced to considerable expense to recover material which had been shipped to other cities.
The salvaged wreck of the Enterprise was taken over by Levi
Beardsley, of New York state, who announced in the issue of September 6, 1872, that he had "taken full charge, editorially and otherwise"
and that "the live projects now occupying the attention and demanding
the energies of many of the leading men of Muskegon (the denouement
of which must certainly work a magical change in all of the interests
of the community) will receive in their furtherance all of the ability
and assistance possessed by us as journalists; and in the belief that God
and man intend this city to double in population and enhance manyfold in value within the next three years this journal will contribute
its mite to a 'consummation so devoutly to be wished'." Under the
control of Beardsley, the name of the paper was soon changed to that
of the Gazette and Bulletin, and in the presidential campaign of 1872,
in which Greeley and Brown were candidates for the presidency and
vice-presidency, respectively, the paper gave its support to those men.
At about this same time, the Michigan Lumberman, a trade paper,
was established by Waite and Judson to further the interests of the
lumber industry of Muskegon. The paper was later removed to Chicago where it became the Northwestern Lumberman and later the
American Lumberman, one of the most successful trade journals in the
United States. Judson remained one of the publishers of that paper
for more than twenty years. Prior to the removal of the paper to
Chicago, Waite and Judson began the publication of the Lakeside
Weekly, which together with the Gazette and Bulletin, was purchased
by Charles S. Hilbourn, who came from Tawas City, where he had
published a weekly newspaper. He combined the two Muskegon papers under the name of the Lakeside Register, but later he sold the subscription list to Ferdinand Weller when the latter established the second
News and Reporter.
Although the Muskegon Chronicle was Republican in politics, R.
R. Johnson believed that another paper was needed to fully represent
the party in Muskegon, and in December, 1877, he established the
Journal for that purpose, continuing as sole proprietor until January
1, 1879, when James G. Campbell, an attorney at the Muskegon bar,
bought a half interest and assumed editorial control. These men, under
the firm style of Johnson and Campbell, continued the publication of
the paper until 1880. In that year, Campbell bought out Johnson and
began the publication of an evening paper, the Daily Journal, which
was absorbed by the Chronicle in 1882.
Some time before this, in 1879 or 1880, a man named Perrin published a small daily which was printed in the Journal plant, and during
the strike of sawmill workers in 1882, the Mail was printed for a timeas a daily by C. S. Hilbourn, W. G. Cameron and James L. Smiths;.
The movement of the striking mill workers for a ten-hour workingday was advocated and vigorously supported by the Mail. Late in 1882,
the Daily Workingmen's Journal was started by W. T. Kinsey and




88


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


survived for three or four years. In 1880 and 1881, the Sentinel, a
weekly paper supporting the Greenback party, was issued by Captain
A. B. Wood, a scholarly man who followed the principles of the "old
school." A brief career as a morning daily was enjoyed by the Muskegon Democrat in 1886 under the control of Frank Bracelin, for years
editor of the Montague Lumberman, and several Muskegon men.
In August, 1882, Ferdinand Weller started the Morning News which
met with a certain measure of success. In March, 1889, Weller sold
his paper and the entire printing plant to Henry G. Wanty and S. E.
Manning, the former retiring from the firm within a few years and the
latter continuing proprietor of the newspaper until 1907, when the News
was bought by the Muskegon Publishing company. The paper continued as a morning daily under the management of James Doran until 1908 or 1909 when it was absorbed by the Chronicle.
In the latter part of the year 1900, the Muskegon Record was established as an evening daily under the editorship of James L. Smith.
Its political faith was Democratic, and though the original plan of the
organizers was to effect a union with the Morning News, the plan fell
through and within three or four years the Record discontinued publication. Since there was but one paper being published in 1911 in
Muskegon, the Muskegon Times was started in the spring of that year
as a morning daily by George S. Stanley, of Cadillac, Michigan, he
being editor and manager. Arthur E. Boswell, who for twenty-four
years was connected with the Marquette Mining Journal, came to Muskegon in July, 1913, to assume control of the Times, a work in which
he continued until 1916. In the latter year, the Times was consolidated
with the Chronicle, and Boswell became manager of the latter newspaper, succeeding Charles A. French who had held that- position nine
years.
Those papers which exist in the county today are all old ones, having been established before 1890. The first newspaper in Whitehall was
the Whitehall Forum which was established in 1869 by Benjamin
Frank who sold the paper after about a year to Rev. J. G. Schaefer.,
Although Schaefer was a man of ability, he lacked the tact and
equanimity of temper to get along with his readers, and in December,
1872, he disposed of his interests to C. P. Nearpass to whom is due
the real credit for making the sheet a success. It has continued under
the same name since it was first published, and in point of the number
of years of its publication as the Forum, it is the oldest paper in the
county today. C. P. Nearpass was born at Concord, Michigan, August
21, 1844. He learned his trade in the office of the Marshall Statesman
where he was employed five years. He then went to Hastings as foreman of the job printing department of the Journal. -After two years
he became a pressman with the Kalamazoo Gazette and.then to the Decatur Republican. He came to Whitehall, December *20, 1872., At one time, four newspapers were published in Montague, all but
one of which were shortlived. The Syndicate was the first in Montague and was published by John G. Lee. The first edition was issued
in December, 1871, but when the great fire in February, 1873, wiped out




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY                   89
the plant, Lee abandoned the enterprise and removed to Grand Haven.
The publication of the Lumberman was started November 29, 1873, by
H. C. Sholes & Company. The Lumberman company soon gained control of the paper of which I. M., Weston was manager and Otis Caldwell, editor. In May, 1878, Frank Bracelin bought the Lumberman,
which was Democratic in politics, operating it until 1886 when he came
to Muskegon to publish the Muskegon Democrat. The Vedette, a campaign sheet in the interests of the Democratic party, was issued for
about three months at Montague during 1874 under the editorship of
Robert Nelson, a journalist of no little ability. In the same year, a
scurrilous sheet, the Investigator, was started by a man named Vangiesen, but within seven or eight months, its publication was discontinued. Thus the Whitehall Forum remains the only paper in that section of the county. Republican in politics, it is issued weekly on Thursdays and is owned and edited by E. D. Sheels who has ably carried on
the work of his predecessors, so that Whitehall has one of the substantial newspapers of the county.
The Casnovia Herald-Journal, owned and edited by F. E. Ackerman was established in 1878. It is independent in politics and is published weekly on Friday. The paper has a circulation of 650. The
Ravenna Times now has a circulation of approximately 1,000 and is
owned and published by Tom F. Rogers & Son. It was established in
1888 and is issued every Friday. The Times is Republican in politics.
The reader is apt to speak disparagingly of the early day journalists,
and in some cases much, of the censure is merited, for the causes lying
behind the formation of many of the early newspapers were many and
varied. The cheapness with which a printing plant could be purchased
often influenced men to start newspapers, the conduct of which they may
have known practically nothing and the ethics of which were equally
foreign to them. A group of politicians desiring a party organ might
bring about the establishment of a paper; people wishing to promote
land deals and similar enterprises which would be materially aided by
the support of a newspaper influenced the would-be publisher to organize a newspaper. An example of the first cause was readily found in
Muskegon in 1864. Francis M. Kellog, then congressman from this
district which comprised twenty counties, was candidate for re-election
to the office which he had held for several terms. The Muskegon Reporter, published by Fred B. Lee & Company, supported Kellog.
Thomas W. Ferry, of Grand Haven, in that year entered the race for
election to congress, and the Ferry adherents in Muskegon induced
John Bole to start the Muskegon News in August, 1864. The Reporter
closed down the following October and in November, Ferry was elected
to congress. Within a few months, Bole, who had probably received
his reward for the services he had rendered, sold the paper to William
K. Gardner, who might have been a go-between in the interests of
Ferry and his associates.
The political aspect in connection with journalism of those days
cannot be underestimated, for it was the custom for the party in power
to consider all printing and advertising of a political nature as legitimate




90


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


party patronage to be awarded to the paper which supported the candidates and the principles of the party. Michigan being almost solidly
Republican in the early. days, the result was seen in the great number
of Republican newspapers that sprang into being, for political allegiance
was so strong during those years, that even commercial advertising
and job printing went to those papers of the same political faith as the
advertiser. The rates for such public advertising were so fixed that a
fairly good return was enjoyed by the larger city papers, so that for
the small paper, the returns were even more remunerative. With such
conditions existing, the scramble for public printing can well be imagined, and for this reason party preferment meant either life or death
to the small papers of the early days.
The small weekly paper as a rule did a job printing business, and
this department and the newspaper work proper were so conducted
that the two departments were almost indistinguishable. The same
press that turned out the papers, printed the hand bills and other job
work contracted by the office. The employes consisted of a man and a
boy or girl to work in the office, and the paper frequently suffered
because these employes were busy with some small job orders when
they should have been tending to the newspaper. The foreman of the
composing room was usualy an all round man who could write the
locals, attend the office in the editor's absence, run the press, take in
subscription money or the produce offered in lieu of the cash, and perform any odd job that might be given him.
The force on the Daily Chronicle in the summer of 1881 consisted
of one reporter at $10 per week, a foreman compositor, who also served
as make-up and lock-up man, at $10 per week, two girl hand compositors
at $4.50 per week, and one errand boy and devil at $4.50 per week.
The working week of these people was six ten-hour days, although the
force was let off at 5 p. m. on Saturday, making a total of fifty-nine
hours of work each week. The combined weekly salaries of $33.50
would be far too little to pay the weekly wage of one journeyman compositor today. It must not be thought that this wage scale is exceptional.
On the contrary, such wages were paid on the majority of the small
weekly papers issued in Michigan in those days. It was customary, too,
to pay the employes not weekly but at longer intervals and then not with
cash entirely but also with orders on the stores whose proprietors advertised in the paper.
No industry operating in 1880 has made more rapid development
in its mechanical operations than has the printing business. It is a far
cry from the present linotype machines to the hand composition of
the eighties, from the large presses capable of printing a twenty-page
edition at one process to the Washington hand press on which it was
practically impossible to print more than 300 or 400 copies a day, from
the etchings and half-tones of today to the crude ones of that time.
Mechanical improvements in printing have also been a powerful
factor in spelling the retirement of the small newspapers. A minimum
of $50,000 is required today to equip a plant capable of serving a city
of 40,000 population and the weekly payroll will closely approximate




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY                 91
$2,000. Grand Rapids, a city of 40,000 in 1880, then had five daily
papers, while today, with a population of 140,000, Grand Rapids is
served by but two daily papers. Notable, too, in the progress of newspaper work is the passing of the morning paper. From ten to fifteen
morning papers were published in Michigan about thirty years ago;
today there are but three.




CHAPTER X


CITIES AND VILLAGES
VILLAGES of the pioneer days began to make their appearance
soon after the arrival of the first settlers, and in most cases these
hamlets grew up around a sawmill, a trading post, or a river ford
which made the location a natural gathering place of the scattered settlers of the neighborhood. Occasionally, however, the early villages
were but the outgrowth of the desire of one settler to see his house the
center of such a village, and this settler bent every effort to building
up the village which was a product of his own desires. Almost without exception, the villages of Muskegon county sprang up at some
point where the natural geographic conditions virtually demanded the
establishment of such a community. Witness the municipalities around
Muskegon lake; Montague, Whitehall and Fruitport, all of which owe
their existence to the excellent bodies of water on which they are
situated.
Casnovia, a village which had a population of 333 in 1920, is located on the county line, part of the village being in Kent county. The
village was organized by an act of the legislature in 1875, the first officers being A. C. Ayer, president; R. H. Topping, M. L. Squeir, Wesley Hanna, Joseph Kies, H. A. Irish, and B. Fulkerson, trustees.
Whitehall, which was known as Mears until the time of its incorporation by the state legislature in 1867, is a village of 1,230, according to the United States census of 1920. It is located on the south side
of White lake at the head of that body of water, and early in its history, it was evident that the village was destined to become one of the
important communities of the county. The first village election was
held Monday, May 6, 1867, at Hobler's hotel, C. C. Thompson, M. M.
Robson and Duane Thompson being elected trustees at that time. Fred
L. Lewis was appointed the first marshal of the village by the board
of trustees, and on July 8, 1867, the board ordered the construction of
a jail, 16x20 feet and twelve feet in height. H. H. Shakelton was
appointed fire warden the following year, and in 1869, following a large
fire, the board appropriated $1,000 for the purchase of a fire engine.
Additional apparatus for the fire department, such as pails, ladders,
and axes, were ordered by the board in 1870. Whitehall became a
great lumber port during the lumbering days, and this industry brought
to that port a considerable amount of shipping in other lines but the
recent announcement by the United States government to the effect that
White River should be abandoned as a government project may indicate the passing of the heyday of Whitehall's importance as one of
the shipping centers of west Michigan. Whitehall maintains its own
schools including a high school which is an accredited institution, its
graduates being admitted to universities and colleges without the preliminary entrance examinations.




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


93


Montague, which had a population of 845 in 1920, was incorporated as a village by an act of the legislature in 1883. In 1855, the town
consisted only of one house, that of Nathaniel Sargent, but at that time
began the influx of settlers and the hamlet grew rapidly. The first
store was established in the village in 1864 by Ferry, Dowling & Company and was sold to S. H. Lasley & Company nine years later. Mills
were erected in the town, and the iron foundry of Wilson & Hendrie
was erected in 1872, giving the town an impetus which assured its existence as one of the important villages of the county. Because of its
small size, the village has placed its schools in the township school district, and in 1923, a consolidated school was built in the village, the
only one of its kind in the county. The high school, also, is an accredited
school, its graduates being permitted to enter universities and colleges
without entrance examinations. The postoffice was established at Montague in 1867 with O. R. Goodno as the first postmaster, a position
which he filled for eight years.
Fruitport was originally known as Crawville but the name was
changed to the present one in 1869 by an act of the legislature, the town
site having been platted the previous year. The early history of the
village was a bright one, but several disasters including the hard winter
of 1874-75 and the burning of the old Pomona House at the mineral
springs, so retarded the development of the community that it was many
years before it began to take a new lease on life. Fruitport is partly
in Muskegon county and partly in Ottawa county. An act incorporating the village was passed in 1891 by the state legislature. Ravenna
was not incorporated until 1922, when the state legislature passed such
an act on May 24, of that year. It is situated in the northeast section
of the township of that name and is served by the Grand Rapids & Indiana railroad, a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania system. North Muskegon owed its rise, and its decline, to the lumber industry. At one time
it was a busy community where many lumber mills were operated, but
with the passing of lumbering from this section of the country, the city
began to retrogress until today, although it holds the charter of a city,
North Muskegon's population in 1920 was but a bare 600, but it has
more than doubled since then having become a popular residential community. It was first incorporated as a village by an act of the state
legislature of March, 1881, and the first village officers became E. C.
Misner, president; George D. Farr, treasurer; N. L. Downie, clerk and
assessor; James Hawkins, marshal; A. B. Allen, attorney; George
Arms, street commissioner; William Wells and a Mr. Malloch, justices
of the peace; and John Lynch, L. M. Haines, C. N. Storrs, George
Hubbard, John Hawkins, and J. B. Champagne, trustees. But the rapid
growth of the village under the impetus of the lumbering was such that
with the lapse of a decade, North Muskegon received its charter as a
city from the legislature, a charter which it still retains despite the fact
that it is today considerably smaller than several of the villages of the
county. The public schools of the city are under the supervision of
Mrs. Cora Jackson, and the pupils attend their local schools until they
have completed the seventh grade, when their tuition to the Muskegon




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


eighth grade and high school is paid by the city of North Muskegon.
Muskegon. The organization of Muskegon as a village was effected
by the state legislature in 1861, and the first village election was held on
July 8, that year, in the basement of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Lyman G. Mason was chosen president, and the other officers elected
were: E. Potter, R. W. Morris, C. P. Bigelow and Thomas Mills,
trustees; Robert McQueen, recorder; Henry H. Holt, attorney; C. D.
Nelson, treasurer; and Luman Hamblin, marshal. The village presidents were: Lyman G. Mason, 1861; Samuel B. Peck, 1862-63; Joseph H. Hackley, 1864-66; Elias W. Merrill, 1867; and Benjamin L.
Piper, 1868-69.
The growth of the village was so rapid during the next few years
that a movement was started to secure the incorporation of the village
as a city. In 1869, the legislature passed an act granting a city charter
to Muskegon, and on April 4, 1870, the first city election was held, the
following officers being elected at that time: Chauncey Davis, mayor;
C. C. Chamberlain, recorder; A. C. Truesdell, treasurer; William P.
Odell and R. O'Harrow, aldermen of the first ward; J. H. Landreth
and Alex Rodgers, aldermen of the second ward; and Dennis Riordan
and Charles Krieg, aldermen of the third ward. The city was reincorporated in 1895, and in 1897, 1901 and 1919, the charter was revised. The mayors of the city have been as follows: Chauncey Davis,
1870; Joseph Ireland, 1871; Chauncey Davis, 1872; Henry H. Getty,
1873; Samuel H. Wagner, 1874; William Glue, 1875; Oliver P. Pillsbury, 1876; Henry H. Holt, 1878-79; Francis Jiroch, 1880-81; Nelson DeLong, 1882-83; Francis W. Cook, 1884; Samuel H. Stevens,
1885; Lyman G. Mason, 1886; John Torrent, 1887-88; Martin Waalkes,
1889-91; James Gow, 1892; John Torrent, 1893; Newcomb McGraft,
1894; William Leahy, 1895; L. A. Smith, 1896; Ansel F. Temple,
1897; James Balbirnie, 1898-99; Frank Alberts, 1900; William Moore,
1901; Theodore D. Morgan, 1902; Leonard Eyke, 1903-04; R. Andrew
Fleming, 1905; Norman B. Lawson, 1906; John Campbell, 1907-08;
Harry A. Rietdyk, 1909-12; John H. Moore, 1913-14; Arnt Ellifson,
1915-17; James L. Smith, 1918; John H. Moore, 1919; Paul R. Beardsley, 1920-21; H. E. Langeland, 1922; Archibald Hadden, 1923-24; and
Lincoln Estes, incumbent.
By an act of the legislature passed Oceober 13, 1919, the charter
of the city of Muskegon was so revised that the aldermanic form of
government was superseded by the city manager and commission form,
a type of municipal administration which is enjoying increasing favor
throughout the United States, and that Muskegon has adopted it shows
it to be one of the leaders in city government. At the time of the transition from aldermanic to city manager government, I. R. Ellison was
chosen city manager of Muskegon, and the success with which he has
handled the affairs and duties of that office has caused his retention as
manager, a position which he has held continuously since he first took
up the work.
City Hall. The city hall of Muskegon was built in 1881-82 at a
cost of $25,000, exclusive of the grounds. The building, located at the




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


95


corner of Clay and Jefferson streets, is constructed of brick and stone,
64x172 feet and three stories in height, and is surmounted by a bell
tower the total height of which is 127 feet. The foresight of the city
fathers in erecting a city hall as large as it is, has been more than justified throughout the years, for although the city hall is nearly half a
century old, it is still amply large for the various city offices. In the
rear of the city hall was constructed a fire station which is still used
as the central station of the department and houses two companies.
The Muskegon fire department was re-organized on its present lines
in July, 1881, and is operated on the platoon system; that is, the men
are divided into two groups, each of which serves each alternate twentyfour hour period. Since 1896, Napolean Belfy has been chief of the
department, and to him, perhaps more than to any other, is the present
efficiency of the department due. In addition to the two companies
maintained at the city hall, four other fire stations are kept in various
sections of the city. The companies at the central station, Nos. 1 and 2,
are equipped with one 750 gallon pumper, one 1,000 gallon pumper,
and one service truck drawn by an American-La France tractor. These
two companies number eighteen men. Each of the other four have
eight men. No. 2 company is equipped with a 1,000 gallon pumper,
and Nos. 4, 5 and 6 are all equipped with 750 gallon pumpers. So many
calls have lately been made to the Muskegon fire department for assistance in areas lying outside the city limits that a schedule of rates for
such fire runs has been issued by the council, the rates being based on
similar schedules used in other large cities. A chemical truck will cost
$25, an engine company $50, a chemical truck and an engine company
$75, and a chemical truck, engine company and ladder truck will cost
$100. In addition, the city will make a charge of $5 per mile each
way and $25 an hour for the time the apparatus is away from the city.
Hereafter, protection will not be given to the townships or to North
Muskegon unless provision for such payment is made. The rates will
be charged against the townships in which the fires occur that are attended by the Muskegon department.
With the exception of a short time he spent in the sheriff's office
during the World war, Peter Hansen has been chief of the Muskegon
police department since 1915. The personnell of the department is as
follows: Sixteen patrolmen; one traffic man attending to lights; four
motorcycle policemen; one officer assigned to enforcement of parking
regulations; three sergeants; two chauffeurs for ambulance and patrol
driving; two detectives; one traffic lieutenant; two captains, and one
lieutenant in charge of identification. Lieutenant Roy Ferris, who has
been in the employ of the department since April, 1915, was placed in
charge of the newly organized bureau of identification which was established in the spring of 1925. He has proved valuable to the department in conducting this highly essential aid to police work. In the
spring of 1925, the city installed a thoroughly modern police call system with boxes placed at convenient corners where patrolmen can call
the central office or be called by the office. Although somewhat handicapped by the small size of the force relative to the great extent of the




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


city, the police department has done excellent work in the apprehension of criminals and bringing them to justice.
In the fall of 1882, the city council authorized a survey of the city
with the object of establishing a sanitary sewer system for the city.
It was completed in due course, and acting' upon the survey, the council
ordered the construction of such a system. At the present time, Muskegon has more than seventy miles of sanitary sewers. Sewerage is.
now piped into the lake, but the public officials are now considering
the construction of a sewage disposal plant, which, if built, will cost
the sanitary district approximately $1,000,000, but the construction of
such a plant will forever obviate contamination of the city's water
supply which is derived from Lake Michigan.
The great fire of 1874 which swept away a large portion of the city
within a few hours, fully impressed upon the citizens of Muskegon the
fact that an adequate water supply must be secured at once. Accordingly, a bond issue for $160,000 was voted for the construction of a
water works and the work begun in September, 1874. New pumps
were installed in 1881, but about ten years later, the construction of a
larger plant became necessary through the increasing size of the city.
In 1920, a second pumping station was erected on the shore of Lake
Michigan at a cost of $100,000, of which amount the pump alone cost
$40,000. The pump has a capacity of 15,000,000 gallons daily, and the
station has been so. constructed that another pump of equal size can be
installed whenever it becomes necessary. The combined daily capacity
of the two stations is now 27,000,000 gallons, a striking contrast with
the 3,000,000 gallons that was the capacity of the water works in 1883.
In that same year (1883) only seventeen and three-quarters miles of
water mains of different sizes had been laid, while today the city has
placed 100 miles of mains under ground and has installed 800 fire
hydrants. Originally, the city took its water from a system of wells
and a brook, but now the city water is taken from Lake Michigan, it
being pumped to shore through a 48-inch pipe one and one-quarter miles
long. In 1924, the city constructed at a cost of $100,000 a garbage incinerator plant, to solve the problem of the city's garbage disposal.
Thirteen and thirty-four hundredths miles of storm sewers have been
laid in Muskegon.
Not to be outdone by any city of the state, Muskegon has turned
its attention to street improvement, and in this respect it is surpassed
by none. Of the 106 miles of streets in the city, 55.08 are paved, as
follows: Bituminous macadam, 15.63 miles; brick, 5.6 miles; tar bound
macadam, 5.42 miles; concrete, 24.78 miles; water bound macadam,
2.06 miles; and wooden block, 1.59 miles. The city has thirteen parks
with a combined area of 270 acres, and the total land area of the city
is 4,260 acres and the water area is 1,730 acres. The telephone company was established in Muskegon in 1879.
Muskegon Heights. A city of approximately 15,000, Muskegon
Heights was organized as a village in 1891, but its rapid growth due
to industrial reasons won its incorporation as a city in 1903. It is the
home of some of the largest manufacturing enterprises of the county




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY                   97
and its commercial prestige is out of all proportion to the size of the
city. It has its own water system, but the electric light and gas are obtained from the Muskegon companies. Martin Schoenberg is the present mayor of the city. The police department is composed of eight
men besides the chief, who is Arthur Smith. Until late in 1923, the
Muskegon Heights territory was protected from fire by the policemen
who acted as firemen in the event of a conflagration. But at that time,
the city authorized the establishment of a full time fire department,
and to this end purchased a hose cart, a pumper, and a ladder truck,
all of which are kept at the city hall. Carl Holland is the chief and he
is assisted by four men.




CHAPTER XI


INDUSTRIAL
W    ITH the depletion of the great forests of the Muskegon valley
during the close of the nineteenth century, Muskegon faced its
crisis and the business life of the city became stagnant. The lumber
mills which had numbered more than fifty, closed, leaving the city virtually without one good industrial plant and as the years passed property retained little, if any value. The population of the city which numbered aproximately 24,000 persons in 1885, shrunk to a bare 16,000
before the year 1890.
Through the untiring efforts of a number of local business men
the opening of the present century saw a revival in business and establishment of a foundation along industrial lines, the influence of which
is to be seen in the present industrial growth of the city. Among those
who were leaders in this revival were Charles H. Hackley, Newcomb
McGraft, David D. Erwin, Thomas Hume and Thomas Monroe, all
deceased. These men breathed new life into the dying embers of a once
great industrial center, lifted the city by its bootstraps, nursed it through
the critical period common to all industrial centers in the raw and set
it on the road to prosperity.
Means were devised to bring industrial concerns here. The first
ten years of the present century saw an influx of manufacturing establishments and since 1910 the city has been carried forward in its development with a momentum that has increased each year. The old
days of the ax and saw have been forgotten.
Today, Muskegon ranks fourth in the number of industrial workers
and wages paid in the state, while her industries include more than 200
state inspected factories, employing approximately 17,000 workers,
whose annual wage agregates $20,000,000. The value of manufactured
products is estimated at $90,000,000 annually, while the city has a status
of ideal labor conditions and strikes virtually are unknown. One of
the most important factors contributing to the industrial development
of greater Muskegon is that of associated products and the co-operation
of the industrial leaders with other branches of business and civic welfare. Although the automotive industry predominates, there are many
other firms doing business within the city limits which is a boon to the
employe as well as the employer. This has a tendency to equalize the
labor demand during the year and produces steadier employment for
all classes of workers. During the winter months the permanent labor
supply is augmented by workers from the rural districts throughout
the Muskegon trade region.
While a great portion of the industrial life of the city is spent in
the average size factory, there are several plants located here which
rank with the largest of their kind in the world. The local plant of the
Continental Motors Corporation is one of the larger of a group con



HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


99


trolled by this firm, while the organization in itself is the world's largest manufacturers of gasoline motors. The Amazon Knitting company
is not only one of the largest concerns of its kind, but it is one of the
few knitting mills in the north which manufacture articles from the
raw cotton. Another leader of its class is the Shaw-Walker company,
manufacturers of filing devices known the world over, while the local
plant of the Brunswick-Balke-Collender company, makers of billiard
equipment, bowling alleys and phonographs is one of the most important of a group controlled by that company.
The Alaska Refrigerator company, located here is the second largest industrial plant of its kind in the world while the Piston Ring company, also of Muskegon, is the largest in the world. The Campbell,
Wyant & Cannon company is the largest industrial plant in the world
manufacturing motor castings alone. Several other plants are considered among the leaders from the standpoint of modern equipment while
others are noted for being the oldest in their respective lines of business. One of the latter is the Chase-Hackley Piano company which
although originally founded in southern Ohio, moved to Muskegon a
few years after its inception and has continued business here for the
last half century.
The 1920 census figures on Greater Muskegon industries give the
number of establishments as 203; while the primary horse power used
during the year 1919 was 31,087. These industries paid in rent and
taxes $3,699,818 during 1920 and the materials they purchased for manufacture is estimated to have cost $33,927,112. The value of these materials after manufacture was estimated at $72,169,248 or an increased
valuation of $38,242,136, due to manufacture.
The following figures were determined through a similar census
conducted of Muskegon alone:   Number of establishments, 141;
primary horse power used, 24,026; wages paid, $10,852,919; salaries
paid, $3,060,615; rent paid for factory space, $843,125; local, state and
federal taxes paid, $2,843,277; value of products, $55,969,347; value
added by manufacture, $30,293,618; cost of materials, $24,585,375;
fuel and power cost, $1,090,354; capital investment, $36,751,190.
Following is a list of the leading industrial concerns of Greater
Muskegon, with the articles they manufacture:
Alaska Refrigerator company, refrigerators and ice chests, second
largest plant of its kind in the world.
Amazon Knitting company, cotton underwear from the bales of
raw material to the finished product.
American Enameled Magnet Wire company, magnet wire.
Austin Machinery Corporation, concrete mixing and road building
equipment.
Bauer & Beamer Monument Works, monuments, vaults and urns.
Bennett Injector company, oil and grease pumps.
Browne-Morse company, steel and wood filing devices.
Brunswick-Balke-Collender company, billiard and pool tables, bowl



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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


ing alleys and accessories; phonographs, pronograph records, radio
equipment.
Campbell, Wyant & Cannon company, motor castings. Largest
manufacturers of this product in the United States.
Chase-Hackley Piano company, pianos and player pianos.
Central Paper company, wrapping paper, linen finish and other
grades. One of the oldest manufacturing concerns in Muskegon.
Clover Foundry company, gray iron castings.
Consumers Power company, hydro and steam electricity for power
and lighting.
Continental Motors Corporation, gasoline motors.  Muskegon's
largest industrial plant.
Crown Broom Works, brooms and brushes.
Eagle Foundry and Machine company, gray iron castings.
Enterprise Brass Works, brass and aluminum castings and plumbing supplies.
Fitz-John Manufacturing company, automobile and bus bodies.
C. G. Fleckenstein company, leather soles and leather products.
Kyloid company, manufacturers of kyloid, a substitute for celluloid,
horn and ivory.
L. O. Gordon Manufacturing company, cam shafts.
Howe Chain company, elevator chains and buckets, sprockets and
shop trucks.
Kelly Valve company, valves, fittings, safety valves and boiler controls.
Lakey Foundry and Machinery company, motor castings.
Langeland Manufacturing company, building trim, wooden boxes
and wood products.
Lyons Machine & Manufacturing company, tools and fixtures.
Madison Manufacturing company, tools and machinery.
Maring Wire company, enameled cotton and silk covered magnet
wire.
Meier-Mee Foundry company, gray iron castings.
Michigan Bottling company, beverages.
Michigan Aluminum Foundry company, aluminum and brass
castings.
Michigan Boiler Works, boilers, stacks, blast furnaces, paper and
sugar mill equipment, wood reduction plants, structural steel, refuse
burners, pipe, tanks and plate work.
Muskegon Extract company, tanning extracts.
Muskegon Bottling & Beverage company, beverages.
Muskegon Machine company, woodworking machines.
Muskegon Monument & Stone company, monuments and vaults.
Muskegon Knitting Mills, hosiery.
Muskegon Paper Box company, paper boxes and containers.
C. W. Marsh company, leather packings and gaskets.
Morton Manufacturing company, tools.
Michigan Ox-Hydric company, oxygen and hydrogen gases and
supplies.




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


101


Muskegon Motor Specialties company, cam shafts and pistons.
Muskegon Piston Ring company, piston rings.
The Piston Ring company, piston rings. Largest manufacturers in
the world.
No-Leak-O Piston Ring company, piston rings.
Pressed Steel company, steel, iron, brass, aluminum and other
metal workings.
Pyle Pattern & Manufacturing company, wood and metal patterns.
Quality Aluminum Casting company, castings and forgings.
Rodgers Boiler & Burner company, boilers, refuse burners, tanks,
stand pipe, mud scows and sheet iron or steel work.
Shaw Electric Crane company (Manning Maxwell & Moore Corporation) stationary and movable cranes.
Shaw-Walker company, steel and wood cabinet files, indexes and
filing devices.
E. H. Sheldon company, industrial, scientific school and laboratory
furniture.
Solar Polar Storm Sash and Screen company, storm doors, sashes
and screens.
Standard Automotive Parts company, gray iron castings, valve
stem guides and valve tappet guides.
Standard Malleable Iron company, malleable iron castings.
Stewart-Hartshorn company, shade rollers. Largest manufacturers
of this product in the United States.
Superior Cabinet company, dining room furniture.
U. S. Gas Machine and Pattern company, gas machines, wood and
metal patterns.
A. R. Walker Candy Corporation, candy and other confections.
West Michigan Steel Foundry company, steel castings.
While these are the larger units in the industrial life of the city,
there are countless smaller factories which are progressing and in a few
years will be ranking in importance of the number of workers employed and the value of manufactured products with those in the above
list.
Naturally one of the necessary factors for the growth of an industrial center are proper means of obtaining power for operation. This
is supplied in two ways to the industrial concerns of Muskegon. Electric
power is obtained from the Consumers Power company, one of the
most comprehensive electric systems in the United States and the first
super-power system in the country.
Back of the sub-station equipment through which Greater Muskegon is served are all the power resources of twenty-two hydro-electric
and six steam plants with an aggregate capacity of 207,500 horse
power. Of this total 104,700 horse power is generated by water. All
power from the Consumers plants in Michigan are turned into a great
reservoir and Muskegon is connected with the reservoir with two
70,000 volt transmission lines while a 16,500 volt line is available for
emergency.




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


The gas department of the Muskegon Traction & Lighting company also provides a means for industrial power, which is utilized by
a great many of the local manufacturers. Due to a slightly higher purchase price and lack of availability it is not in as much demand from
an industrial standpoint as electricity.
Mercantile. The history of Greater Muskegon's mercantile growth
is closely allied with that of her industrial growth and it too had its
crisis, although never in such a degree as that from the industrial standpoint. As a natural sequence to the depletion of the forests and the
closing of the great lumber mills here, the population of the city rapidly decreased.
This had a great tendency to drive away wholesale and retail business houses, although a certain percentage were able to weather the
depression, due largely to the fact that they had been in business for a
great many years and the commodities they handled were in demand
as necessities of life.
Gradually as industrial concerns began to locate in Muskegon, these
stores expanded, adding new departments, and as a result today the city
is served by fifty-six houses doing a wholesale business alone and 400
retail establishments, exclusive of grocers which total 198. Of the
400 retail stores, there are eight large department stores, sixteen exclusive drygoods stores, twenty-six exclusive shoe stores and twenty-five
coal and wood dealers.
Today Greater Muskegon is the logical shopping and jobbing center
for six important counties in western Michigan. These counties which
have a combined population of more than 167,000 residents are Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Ottawa, Mason and Lake. Its trade area has
an annual consumptive capacity of $43,173,270; producing agricultural
products valued at more than $31,000,000 and manufactured products
valued at more than $130,222,750.
Muskegon jobbers do an annual business of more than $6,000,000
exclusive of petroleum products, while this city is the Michigan distributing center for the Standard Oil Company of Indiana.
Two of the largest wholesale distributing houses handling grocery
products alone are located in Muskegon, being the Moulton Grocery
company and the Hume Grocery company, while the Muskegon Baking
Company, Inc., controls many of the larger bakeries throughout the
state.
Lumbering on Muskegon Lake. To the traveler or stranger entering the city today, the shrieks of many whistles and the hum and buzz
of countless saws which marked at the heighth of its glory the "greatest
lumbering center in the world," are absent, but visible proof remains
that Muskegon enjoyed a wonderful past. Remnants of old mills,
docks, piles, booms, slabs, edgings and saw dust heaps mutely testify
that at one time this city was most active in this industry.
When competitive fur-trading companies made the buying and selling of furs a non-profitable business, men of this territory began to
turn to other means of livelihood. The great almost unbroken forest




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


103


of pine, oak, beech, maple and hemlock, which then spread over the
broad valley of the Muskegon river offered a solution. Chicago, which
was fast becoming a prominent trade center and the arrival of many
new settlers there caused a demand for lumber for building purposes
which could be supplied from this territory, while other markets were
also demanding this valuable product and the cork pine growth, said
to have been the greatest in the United States, soon began to prove a
profitable organ of business.
The nucleus of this great lumbering industry was started in 1837
by Benjamin Wheelock, agent for the Muskegon Steam Mill company,
who erected the first sawmill here. It was located near the present
site of the Stewart Hartshorn Manufacturing plant. The stockholders
of this company were citizens of Detroit and Ann Arbor and the mill
built by their finances was considered a large one in that day. Due to
the financial condition of the United States in 1837 the mill was not
completed until 1838 and put in operation in that year.
It was equipped with two sash saws, the boilers and engine of the
Steamboat "Chicago" which had been wrecked near St. Joseph in 1836,
and the mill had a daily capacity of 10,000 feet, a small run as compared with the production records established by the mills a few years
later. In 1839 the mill passed into the hands of two Grand Rapids
citizens who operated it until it was destroyed by fire in 1841. Some
years later another mill was erected on the same site by Alvah Trowbridge and later purchased by Swan, White and Smith.
Jonathan H. Ford, an agent for the Buffalo and Black Rock company began the erection of a water mill near the mouth of Bear lake
in 1837, which was completed in 1838 and in 1839 records show that
40,000 feet of lumber was shipped from this mill to Chicago, the first
lumber shipment to leave Muskegon.
Logs were first run down the Muskegon river by John A. Brooks
in 1839. Previous to this time there were no booming operations due
to the fact that practically all of the timber was cut near and hauled
or sledded by teams to the mills.
There were three mills on Muskegon lake from 1840 to 1848 with
an aggregate capacity of 13,000 feet daily. In 1848 lumber was selling for about eight dollars a thousand feet. As the cuttings extended
each year the need of booming companies became more and more apparent. Logs were first cut in the immediate vicinity of Muskegon,
but in a few years Muskegon lumbermen were cutting timber a few
miles above Croton in Newaygo county, more than fifty miles from
the mills. Each fall the companies sent from forty to a hundred men
into the woods, sometimes far above where Big Rapids, Mich., now
stands, to cut the timber.
Results could not be obtained except through some thoroughly
organized plan and systemized application of the immense labor necessary for the work and from the establishment of the first mill until
the great supply of virgin forest had been demolished, it will be found
that every department of lumbering operations were conducted on the
most perfect system.




104


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


When these groups of loggers sent north by the companies reached
the logging grounds they first erected camps, which most generally
consisted of half a dozen one-story log cabins, some used for sleeping
quarters, others for kitchen, store rooms, blacksmith, carpenter shop
and stables. As soon as the camp was established the axmen, swampers,
skidders, loaders and haulers were assigned to their respective shares
in the labor, and the actual cutting of trees began. As the tree was
felled and trimmed the axmen left it for another. It then fell into the
hands of the sawers, who, with cross-cut saws, cut it into lengths convenient for sawing at the mills. The logs thus sawed were taken by
the skidders, snaked to the skidway, and skidded. In the meantime
the swampers had been preparing roads, that being their part in the
work. The haulers with the assistance of the loaders then took the
logs from the skidway and loaded them upon bobsleds and hauled to
the banking grounds, a place on the bank of the river convenient for
rolling them into the water. The logger has then completed his task.
All those various operations were done strictly in accordance with established rules calculated to produce the greatest results possible, with
a given amount of labor.
As soon as the weather would permit in the spring, the logs thus
banked were rolled into the river, having been scaled and branded with
the company's mark and were floated to the sorting grounds which was
located on the Muskegon river a little above a point where it empties
into Muskegon lake.
Men. stationed along the sorting grounds collected the logs of each
owner, known by a certain mark on the end of each log. This was
done by catching the logs as they floated down through a narrow channel prepared for them and pulled in by means of pike-poles into little
pockets arranged along the margin of the channel, having an opening
into the channel. Each pocket received a particular mark, and when
there was a certain number of logs thus collected bearing the same
mark, they were dogged and chained and then shoved into another channel, to be floated by the current to the coupling grounds, where they were
received by another group of men, who coupled together all chains belonging to the same owner, in a large raft. These rafts were then towed
by tug boats belonging to the company, to the mill where they were to
be manufactured and deposited in the mill boom.
The next branch of the business consisted of sawing the logs into
lumber. At one side there was a slide made of timbers passing from
the mill down into the water of the mill boom, running down the center
of this slide was an endless chain, worked by the machinery of the
mill to which grup hooks were attached. When a log was wanted in the
mill, it was floated up with the end to the foot of the slide. The chain
was started, the first hook that came along hitched itself to the log
passed up into the mill, and was left convenient for rolling upon the
carriage. With cant-hook and "nigger" it was soon in position for
the saw to do its work. In a very few minutes the log was transformed
into lumber and was wheeled out upon the dock to a place convenient
for shipping to market.




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lOA>IAv -— AX~Vd J\~()27) t)  1. M  oZ\'








HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


105


In 1860 there were thirteen mills on Muskegon lake with an aggregate capacity of 351,000 feet daily. The mills were: C. Davis & Company; Eldred, Way & Company; Ryerson & Morris (Bay Mill); Smith,
Fowler & Company; Browne & Trowbridge; Trowbridge & Wing; J.
C. Holmes & Company; Durkee, Truesdell & Company; L. G. Mason
& Company; J. & H. Beidler; Ryerson & Morris; John Ruddiman; and
George Ruddiman.
By 1875 the number of mills had doubled with an aggregate capacity of 2,048,000 feet daily or about 79,000 feet daily by each mill.
Success in handling this large footage and the record runs a few years
later was due largely to the excellent work of the Muskegon Booming
company which was incorporated in 1864 under act of legislature
passed that year with a capital of $40,000. The first officers were, for
directors: C. Davis, S. A. Brown, C. D. Nelson, M. Ryerson, J. H.
Hackley, R. P. Easton and Lyman G. Mason; C. Davis was president;
C. D. Nelson, secretary and J. H. Hackley, treasurer.
The work of the booming company was to take charge of the logs
from the time they were pushed into the river in the spring at the logging grounds until they reached the sorting grounds. Naturally with
this great number of mills in operation, each with thousands of feet
of lumber being delivered the most explicit system was necessary in
their handling, so that they would be delivered at the mills on the proper
date. Until the industry died out the Muskegon Booming Company
was in existence and then it also became a thing of the past.
In 1881 the production of lumber was three times that of 1870.
The whole amount milled year by year increased until in the year 1879
had reached the enormous figure of about four hundred and forty-two
million feet. The actual cost of manufacturing and putting into market
this immense amount of lumber fell but little, if any, short of three
million dollars per year.
Thus in forty years the lumber industry in the Muskegon valley had
increased from a small undertaking into a great development reaching
far in its achievements beyond the expectations of the first mill owners
and which during the next decade became even greater in its scope,
giving Muskegon its title "Lumber Capital of the World."
Thirty-two mills started out in the spring of 1881 with the intention
of clearing the whole stock of logs on hand and in the river, which
amounted to about 725,000,000 feet-by far the largest stock ever put
in the river for one season's operations. Of the above figure 640,089,429
feet were actually milled during the year, which was nearly 90,000,000
more than the previous year and 200,000,000 more than in 1879.
Following is given a list of the mills in operation in 1881: Blodgett
& Byrne (H. & W. Mill); Blodgett & Byrne (Boom Company Mill);
Beidler Manufacturing Company.; Bigelow & Company; C. D. Nelson & Company; S. C. Hall; George E. Wood; Hamilton, Gerrish
& Company; McGraft & Montgomery; Tillotson & Blodgett; E.
Eldred & Company; Stimson, Fay & Company; Swan, White &
Smith; Walworth & Reed; Torrent & Tucey; Torrent & Arms;
Torrent & Brown; R. J. Millen & Company; Blodgett & Byrne;




100            HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY
A. V. Mann & Company; A. Rodgers & Company; T. D. Stimson
(Foss Mill); C. H. Hackley & Company; Thayer Lumber Company; Davies Brothers; Farr Lumber Company; C. N. Storrs &
Company; North Muskegon Lumber Company; Ryerson, Hills &
Company (two mills); M. Wilson & Company; C. Beaudry & Company, and McCracken, Hovey & Company.
The lumber mills constantly increased in number as well as production until the peak of lumbering activities was reached in 1888. In
1887 the cut of logs floated in Muskegon lake aggregated 700,000,000
feet. The following year the figures reached better than 800,000,000
feet, while more than fifty mills were busy sawing the last great cut
of timber in this territory. By the opening of the present century the
last of these mills had either disappeared or discontinued business
and with the depletion of the once great forest, Muskegon faced
its crisis.
But through the unceasing efforts of some of its "home" men it has
passed this crisis; today has a great many large industrial concerns
and is gazing into the future with an ever increasing promise of
success.




Personal Records
Martin E. A. Aamodt has been a resident of Muskegon county
since his early youth, and by his own ability and honest and earnest efforts he has here gained success and independence, with standing as one of the enterprising business men of the city of Muskegon,
where he conducts a well-equipped retail grocery store, at 311
Jackson street. He was born in Norway, May 25, 1864, and was
twenty-one years of age when he came to the United States, and
located in Muskegon. The rudimentary education of Mr. Aamodt
was obtained in the schools of his native land. As a lad of fifteen
years he found employment in a grocery store, and he retained
this position until he came to America. His first employment in
Muskegon was in the yards of the Pere Marquette railroad. He
then advanced his education by a short course in the Muskegon
public schools, and in 1887 he entered the employ of the Muskegon
Booming company. About a year later, in 1888, he took a clerical
position in the grocery establishment of W. R. McKenzie, with
whom he continued to be associated about four years. He continued to work for others until in 1893 when he established his
present independent business on Jackson street, his effective service to patrons, as combined with his personal popularity, having
enabled him to build up a prosperous and representative business.
In 1924 he tore down his original building and erected the present
substantial and modern brick building, which includes not only his
own store but also four other business rooms of attractive order.
Mr. Aamodt gives his political allegiance to the Republican party,
and he and his family are communicants of the Lutheran church.
In 1889 Mr. Aamodt married Miss Getrude Anderson, of Muskegon,
and they have four children: Edna, Sophia, Geneva and Edith.
Manuel and Elizabeth Aamodt, parents of the subject of this sketch,
were life-long residents of Norway and both are now deceased.
Thomas Edward Abbott. In his native city of Muskegon, where
he was born September 1, 1892, Mr. Abbott has developed the
executive ability that well qualifies him for the responsible office
which he holds, that of production manager of the Fitzjohn Manufacturing company, one of the representative industrial concerns of
the city. He is a son of George A. and Ella (Conklin) Abbott, the
former of whom was born in the province of Ontario, Canada, and
the latter in the state of New York. George A. Abbott was for
many years cashier and vice-president of the Hackley National
Bank of Muskegon, with which he continued his executive alliance
until his death, and he was one of the honored and influential citi



108


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


zens of Muskegon county's capital city, where occurred also the
death of his wife, who had been a gracious figure in the social
circles of Muskegon. Both were devoted communicants of the
Protestant Episcopal church and in Muskegon were zealous members of the parish of St. Paul's church. They became the parents
of three children, all of whom still reside in Muskegon, the subject of this sketch being the only son and the two daughters being
Mrs. George A. Hume and Mrs. Lyman G. Mason. Thomas E.
Abbott was graduated in the Muskegon high school as a member
of the class of 1911, and for one year thereafter he was here emloyed in the offices of the Continental Motor Corporation. In 1912
he became identified with lumbering operations in the state of California, where he was located at the time when the United States
entered the World war. He promptly volunteered, in the early part
of 1917, and enlisted in the Six Hundred and Fiftieth Aero Squadron, with which he entered overseas service and with which he
remained on the stage of the great conflict until the autumn of
1919, when he returned to his native land and duly received his
honorable discharge, after a record of service that shall ever reflect
honor upon his name. He resumed his association with the lumber
business in California, but in April, 1924, he returned to Muskegon
and assumed his present position, that of production manager of
the Fitzjohn Manufacturing company, which is here engaged in
the manufacturing of automobile bodies. He is a loyal advocate
and supporter of the principles of the Republican party and he and
his wife are communicants of St. Paul's church, Protestant Episcopal. In May, 1920, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Abbott
to Miss Gladys Varden, of Fresno, California, and the one child
of this union is a fine son, Richard Baine.
James Albers has effectively demonstrated his special fitness
for the responsible duties that devolve upon him in his service as
office manager and credit man for the Muskegon Motor Specialties
company, and he is one of the representative young business men
of his native city of Muskegon, his birth having occurred here
August 28, 1892. He is a son of John R. and Katherine (Ozinga)
Albers, both of whom were well known and highly honored citizens
of Muskegon, where they continued to maintain their home until
their death. John G. Albers was born in Germany and was a boy
at the time the family home was established in Muskegon,
where he continued to reside until his death and where for twentyfive years he was the efficient and valued manager of the local
plant and business of the great Chicago meat packing concern of
Swift & Company, the branch or division thus in his charge being
one of major importance. He whose name initiates this review
was the sixth in order of birth in a family of six children, of whom
the daughter Cora is deceased, the other children, Frank, Henry,
George and Mrs. Flora Barnard, being still residents of Muskegon.
James Alberts continued his studies in the public schools of Muskegon until he had duly profited by the curriculum of the high




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


109


school, and in July, 1910, through the advise and influence of his
father, he entered the employ of Swift & Company, at the headquarters in the city of Chicago. He continued in the service of
this great concern five years, and in its interests traveled extensively throughout the United States. In 1915 he became associated
with two of his brothers in the operation and management of the
Swift plant and business at Muskegon, the three sons having been
the virtual successors of their father in this service. James Albers
continued his association with this division of Swift & Company
until the nation entered the World war, when he volunteered for
service in the United States army, his preliminary training having
been received principally at Camp Custer. He was in active overseas service during a period of about eight months, his assignment
being in the ordnance department of the Three Hundred and
Thirty-seventh Infantry Regiment of the American Expeditionary
Forces. He continued in service until the armistice brought the
great conflict to a close, and in due course he received his honorable
discharge. He then returned to Muskegon, and in February, 1920,
he here initiated his administration as office and credit manager
of the Muskegon Motor Specialties Company. His political support is given to the Republican party, he and his wife attend the
Congregational church in their home city, and he is affiliated with
the Masonic fraternity, the American Legion, the Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks in which he has passed the various official
chairs, and the Muskegon organization of the United Commercial
Travelers. October 30, 1917, was the date of the marriage of Mr.
Albers to Miss Nina Dunn, daughter of Jay Dunn, of Grand Rapids,
Michigan, the one child of this union being a daughter, Kathryn.
Frank Alberts has been a resident of Muskegon a full half century and is still one of the vital and influential pioneer men of affairs in this city. He is the sole survivor of the organizers and
original stockholders of the National Lumberman's Bank of Muskegon, and is here president of the Kelly-Alberts Silver Fox &
Fur Company, breeders of silver fox, with a well equipped ranch
in Muskegon township and with operations conducted on a large
scale, the company being incorporated with a capital stock of
$40,000. Mr. Alberts was born at Chardon, Geauga county, Ohio,
December 26, 1846, and is a son of David and Mary (Asper) Alberts. The parents came from Ohio to Michigan in 1865, soon
after the close of the Civil war, and established their home at
Ravenna, Muskegon county, they having been honored pioneer
citizens of this county at the time of their death. Frank Alberts
gained his early education by attending the common schools of
Ohio, and he was about nineteen years of age when he came to
Muskegon village April 28, 1865. Concerning the earlier stages
of his career in this county the following record has been given:
He obtained work as an assistant millwright in bne of the big saw
mills, continuing in that work until the spring of 1867, when he
embarked in the mercantile business. He opened a general store




110


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


in a building that in those days stood on the site now occupied by
the Continental Machine shop, near the corner of Western avenue
and Pine street. In 1871 the business had grown to such proportions that larger quarters became necessary. These he found in
the old Enterprise building, which stood on the ground now occupied by the J. D. Vanderwerp furniture store. In 1882 Mr. Alberts sold out his store to the late Henry Cummings. During the
time Mr. Alberts had been engaged in the mercantile business he
had succeeded in securing some valuable timber at different points
along the Muskegon river. Forming a partnership with William
Doherty and William Donnavon, they constructed a sawmill on
the north shore of Muskegon lake, near Green's creek, and commenced the manufacture of lumber and shingle. Their mill burned
in 1884, and was rebuilt the following winter. At that time the
company was organized as F. Alberts & Company, Mr. Doherty
withdrawing. Thus it went until 1898, when it was again reorganized, as F. Alberts & Sons Lumber company. In 1908 the
company had cut off all its timber, and the mill was shut down. It
may further be stated that Mr. Alberts had built up a prosperous
wholesale and retail grocery business, and that it was this business
which he sold to Henry Cummings, after he had conducted the
enterprise about twelve years. At the time the original mill of
Doherty, Alberts & Company was destroyed by fire it had a capacity for the daily production of 30,000 feet of lumber and 500,000
shingles. The loss by fire amounted to $50,000, and it was at this
juncture that the original partnership was dissolved. The new
mill had about equal capacity, and products were shipped by vessel
to Chicago, Milwaukee and other lake ports, besides which railroad shipments were made to Ohio, New York and other states,
as well as to various points in Michigan. The company acquired
a large tract of land in Roscommon county also, and its operations
in the manufacturing of white pine, hemlock and white cedar were
conducted on a large scale, the output of shingles alone having
been fully 400,000,000. Mr. Alberts has taken an active part in
every forward movement for the advancing of the civic and material
interests of Muskegon, and he has today important business interests also in Illinois and in the south. It has already been noted that
he is the last of the original stockholders of the National Lumberman's bank. He was one of the organizers and is a director of
the People's State Bank for Savings. He at one time was the
owner of the business conducted under the title of the F. Alberts
Hardware Company, and owned a half interest of the Caine-Wheat
Steamer Company, besides being president of the Kelly-Alberts
Silver Fox & Fur Company.    Mr. Alberts is a Republican in
politics, and has been loyal in his civic stewardship, as shown in
his two terms of service as a member of the city council, his two
terms as a member of the county board of supervisors, and his administration as mayor of Muskegon in 1900-01. In an earlier period
he served two years as under-sheriff of the county. His maximum




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


111


affiliation in the York Rite of the Masonic fraternity is with Muskegon Commandery, No. 22, Knights Templar, and he is a Noble
of Saladin Temple of the Mystic Shrine, in Grand Rapids, besides
being a member of Muskegon Lodge, B. P. O. E. Mr. Alberts married Miss Mary McBride, of Grand Rapids, and of the four children
of this union the eldest is Roy E., who is engaged in the real estate
and insurance business in Muskegon. He married Miss Balbirnie
and they have a son Frank. Charlotte, the elder of the two daughters, is deceased, she having been the wife of Professor Ray Howe,
of LeRoy, Ohio, who survives her, as do also her two children,
Edwin A. and Francis Marion. Earl F. married Miss Welter and
they have three children, Charlotte, Joseph and Jean. He is engaged in the manufacture of steel window frames and sash, in
Muskegon. Florence F. is the wife of Leon C. Danforth, salesmanager of the great Chicago wholesale grocery house of Sprague,
Warner & Company, the one child of Mr. and Mrs. Danforth being
a daughter, Mary Alice. Mrs. Alberts died March 20, 1918.
John S. Anderson, president of the First State Bank of Muskegon Heights and also of the Anderson Packing company, one
of the substantial industrial concerns of Muskegon county, is a
man whose career of achievement offers both lesson and inspiration.
His has had courage, self-reliance and resourcefulness, but above
all this has been the inviolable integrity that has marked every
stage and phase of his life. He has won, through his own ability
and efforts, a substantial success, and it is pleasing to accord in
this work a tribute to him as one of the leading citizens and pioneer
residents of Muskegon Heights. Mr. Anderson was born in the
fine old city of Copenhagen, Denmark, July 13, 1856, and is a son
of Anderson and Lena Anderson. He has been a resident of the
United States since he was a, lad of twelve years, he having come
to this county in 1872. He landed in the port of New York City
and thence made his way to Chicago, where he remained but one
day. He then came to St. Joseph, Michigan, where he found employment in a meat market. His honesty and fidelity so impressed
his employer that the latter finally sold the business to him, though
he had at the time no appreciable sum of money to invest. In a
period of eighteen months Mr. Anderson cleared up from this business the sum of $2,380, and in retrospect he can see that it was
good fortune that his employer thus gave him an opportunity for
winning independence in business affairs, for at that period a youth
in his situation could command only a small salary. After disposing
of his business at St. Joseph, on account of impaired health, Mr.
Anderson made an extended trip through Europe, and upon coming
again to the United States he engaged in the meat market business
at Lakeside, Muskegon county, Michigan, where he remained
twelve years. He then purchased a strip of land and erected
thereon a slaughter house, this having been the initiation of the
now substantial business conducted by the Anderson Packing company. The land which he thus purchased, at Muskegon Heights,




112


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


was then covered with timber as was most of the land of this district, and the house that he here erected as the family home is
now occupied by his only daughter and her husband. From a
modest beginning Mr. Anderson has, by effective service and honorable methods, developed a large and important industrial enterprise, and it is pleasing to record that all of his sons, as well as his
son-in-law, are now actively associated with the business of the
Anderson Packing company. For more than forty years has Mr.
Anderson been actively identified with business affairs in Muskegon county, and while he has been winning independence and substantial prosperity, he has also stood exponent of loyal and liberal
citizenship and has done his part in the advancing of the varied
interests of his home community and county. He was one of the
organizers of the First State Bank of Muskegon Heights, of which
he is now the president, and he is a director of the Muskegon Trust
company. His four sons, William, Harvey, Albert and Frank, are
all associated in the management of the business of the Anderson
Packing Company and the only daughter, Mabel, is the wife of
William Earl Williams, who likewise is allied with this old and
reliable business corporation. A disastrous fire at the plant of the
Anderson Packing company a few years ago, entailed a loss of
nearly $100,000, but this did not in the least discourage Mr. Anderson, a man to whom discouragement has ever been absolutely a
thing apart and not to be considered, and with characteristic energy and ability he brought about the rebuilding of the plant, on a
larger and more modern scale, with the result that the business
thereafter was rapidly expanded in scope and importance. Even
this brief sketch will fully justify the initial statement to the effect
that the career of Mr. Anderson offers both lesson and inspiration.
He commands uniform confidence and esteem, simply on the score
that he deserves this.
John Appel has long conducted a representative merchanttailoring business in the city of Muskegon, where he has maintained
his home more than forty years and where he has an inviolable
place in popular confidence and esteem, as well as rank as one of
the veteran business men of the community. Mr. Appel received
his youthful education in the schools of his native Sweden, where
he was born in the year 1860, a son of Peter and Kisea Appel, who
passed their entire lives in Sweden. In his native land John Appel
served a thorough apprenticeship to the trade of tailor, and he was
twenty-one years of age when, in 1881, he came to the United
States and established his residence in Muskegon. Here his
brother Charles, whose death occurred in 1904, eventually became
one of the organizers of the Tower Clothing company, a leading
mercantile concern that still continues in business on West
Western avenue. In the tailoring business in Muskegon, John
Appel was first associated with Mr. Hess, but for fully thirty years
he has here been engaged independently in the merchant tailoring
business, in which he has received a representative supporting




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


113


patronage, indicative of the appreciation of his technical skill at
his trade and the excellence of the service that has been given by
his establishment. During a period of eighteen years he maintained his headquarters in the old Muskegon National bank building, and he now has well equipped quarters in the Lyman building, on Western avenue. Mr. Appel has ever stood exponent of
loyal and appreciative American citizenship and is a staunch supporter of the cause of the Republican party. He and his wife are
earnest communicants of the Swedish Lutheran mission church
in Muskegon. In 1881, the year of his arrival in Muskegon, Mr.
Appel was here united in marriage to Miss Emma Anderson, and of
this gracious union have been born ten children, all of whom are
living, namely: William, Anna, Oscar, Mabel, Hattie, Emanuel,
Howard, Robert, Ralph and Margaret. William is now a resident
of Hartford, Connecticut; Anna resides in the city of Chicago; and
Oscar is associated with his father in business.
Adolph Arntz is now one of the veteran business men and honored citizens of Muskegon, where he has been engaged in business
nearly half a century, and where his present well equipped sporting
goods store represents the outgrowth of the little gun shop that he
opened here in October, 1877, shortly after his arrival in the city,
which was then one of the foremost centers of the great lumbering
industry that was of major importance in Michigan at that time.
When Mr. Arntz established his home here Muskegon had a population of about 7,000 inhabitants, and he witnessed the development of the city to the status of the world's most important lumbering center, a precedence which it maintained during the decade
of 1880-90, when there were in operation forty-five great lumber
mills of enormous output, these mills having been along the shores
of Muskegon lake. Mr. Arntz has remained here, saw the decline
of lumbering, and had his share of experience in the advancing of
the interests of the city along other lines and avenues of business
after the decline that attended the reducing of the lumber manufacturing to a minimum. He has never lost his appreciation of and
loyalty to Muskegon, where he has carefully and conscientiously
carried forward his own business enterprise, which has grown to
one of large and prosperous order, while he has retained the
unbounded friendship and good will of the community in which
he has so long maintained his home. He takes deep interest in all
that concerns the welfare of the city, is a Republican in his political alignment, and his religious faith is that of the Norwegian
Lutheran church, of which his wife likewise was a devout communicant. The supreme loss and bereavement in his life came
when his devoted wife was summoned to eternal rest, March 19,
1923. Mr. Arntz was born in Norway, a son of Arnt Arntz, and
was reared and educated in his native land. He was a youth when
he severed the home ties and came to the United States, he having
landed in the city of Baltimore, Maryland, July 27, 1871. As a
boy in Norway he had initiated a practical apprenticeship to the




114


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


trade of gunsmith, and had become a skilled workman. He established his residence in Chicago shortly before the great fire
that swept that city in 1871, and there he continued in the work
of his trade during a period of six years and three months, at the
expiration of which, in October, 1877, he came to Muskegon and
opened his little gun shop. The best of hunting was still to be
had in this section of Michigan, and he found ready demand for his
services in the repairing of firearms of all kinds. With the passing
of the years he expanded the scope of his business, which was
eventually developed to that of handling a general line of sporting
goods, and of this order of enterprise he has long been a leading
exponent in Muskegon. March 30, 1872, Mr. Arntz married Miss
Caroline Sorkness, of Chicago, and a full half century passed ere
their gracious companionship was broken by the death of Mrs.
Arntz, March 19, 1923, she having likewise been born and reared
in Norway and having come to the United States within a short
time after the arrival of her future husband. Of the eight children born to Mr. and Mrs. Arntz, four survived the loved mother,
Charles, John B., Otto A., and Adolph A. Mr. Arntz has been
long and actively affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, in which
he has received the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite, and
he is a member also of the Knights of the Maccabees.
Roy E. Ashley is one of the vital and progressive figures in the
industrial activities of his native city of Muskegon, where he is
vice-president and general manager of the Muskegon Boiler Works.
He was born in this city September 19, 1876, and is a son of Willard
H. and Ann O. (Groff) Ashley, the one other child having been
Marian, who became the wife of William A. Padley and who died
in the year 1914. Mr. Ashley received the advantages of the public
schools of Muskegon and thereafter attended Valparaiso university
at Valparaiso, Indiana. In 1897 he entered the employ of the
Shaw Electric Crane company, of Muskegon, and with this corporation he continued his association until 1904, since which year
he has been one of the efficient and valued executives of the Muskegon Boiler Works, this being one of the important industrial
concerns of the city. He is also treasurer of the Finance Agency
Corporation of Muskegon. He had the distinction of representing
Michigan as one of the gallant young soldiers in the SpanishAmerican war. As a youth he enlisted in the Michigan National
Guard, in which he was assigned to Company C, Fifth Infantry, at
Muskegon. When the nation entered the war with Spain in 1898,
Mr. Ashley promptly volunteered, with the other members of his
company and regiment, which became a part of the Thirty-fourth
Michigan Volunteer Infantry and with which he was in active
service with General Shafter's forces at Santiago, Cuba, and with
which he remained on duty until the close of the war, when he received his honorable discharge. In 1906 he was commissioned
captain of Company C, Fifth Regiment, Michigan National Guard,
an office which he resigned two years later. He was the first presi







JAMES FREDERICK BALBIRNIE




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


115


dent of the Muskegon Boy Scouts, and was also the first to serve
as president of the Muskegon Y. M. C. A., of which he is now the
vice-president. Mr. Ashley was actively associated with local
patriotic service in the period of the nation's participation in the
World war, and in the earlier part of this period he was local chairman of the National Training Camps Association. In the Masonic
fraternity he has received the thirty-second degree, was captain
general of, the Knights Templar. He has membership in the Century and Rotary clubs of Muskegon and in the United Commercial
Travelers. The parents of Mr. Ashley were honored pioneer citizens of Muskegon at the time of their death, and his father was
one of the early wagonmakers of this city, his manufacturing plant
having been situated in the rear of the present site of the factory
of the Howe Chain company, and he having long held place as one
of the representative business men and influential citizens of
Muskegon county. On the first of June, 1899, was solemnized the
marriage of Roy E. Ashley and Miss Helen E. Flinch, and the children of this union are five in number: Charles Temple, Marian,
Louise, Frances Eleanor, and Robert Edward. The widowed
mother of Mrs. Ashley still resides in Muskegon.
Jacob J. Baker, who made a record of efficient service as a
detective with the police department of his native city of Muskegon,
has proved also his executive ability in connection with one of the
important industrial, concerns of this city, where he has been since
1914 the employment manager of the local manufactory of the
Continental Motors Corporation. He is one of the well known
citizens of Muskegon, and here his circle of friends is limited only
by that of his acquaintances. Mr. Baker was born in Muskegon in
the year 1888, a son of Jacob J. Baker, Sr., and to the schools of
his native city he is indebted for his early education, he having
been graduated in the high school as a member of the class of 1906,
and having soon afterward entered service in the city police department, in which he developed special skill as a detective. This
experience proved of much value to him in his service in the intelligence division of the United States army during the period
of the nation's participation in the World war. Mr. Baker is a
member of Lovell Moore Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons. He married Henrietta Barsema, of Muskegon, and they
have two children.
Ralph James Balbirnie is a popular representative of the fourth
generation of the Balbirnie family in Muskegon county and is conducting in the city of Muskegon a business that was founded by
his paternal grandfather. In this business he has executive charge
of one of the best undertaking and funeral directing establishments
in this section of Michigan, the same being of the highest metropolitan standard in equipment and service. The Balbirnie family
has been one of special prominence and influence in connection with
the civic and business annals of Muskegon and the name is one




11l


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


here marked by pioneer priority. James Balbirnie, grandfather of
him whose name initiates this review, came from Ottawa, Canada,
to Muskegon, in 1865, he having been of Scottish lineage and
representative of the best attributes of the sterling race from which
he had sprung. Upon his arrival in Muskegon Mr. Balbirnie became associated with lumbering operations, the lumber industry
having been then, and for many years thereafter, one of major
importance in Muskegon. The city at that time was little more
than a straggling lumber town, and Mr. Balbirnie played well his
part in the development and upbuilding of the now attractive and
prosperous metropolis of Muskegon county. While still identified
with the lumber business Mr. Balbirnie also opened one of the first
undertaking establishments in Muskegon, and that the enterprise
was of modest order may be inferred from the fact that in the early
period Mr. Balbirnie conducted the business at his home. After a
few years of association with the lumber mills here, he opened what
was for this locality and period, a well equipped undertaking establishment, the same having been located on Pine street and having
been destroyed in the disastrous and now locally historic fire that
swept that street in the late 60's. After this fire Mr. Balbirnie became associated with Jacob Hetz in the retail furniture business,
and several years later he purchased the interest of his partner and
assumed full control of the business, in connection with which he
continued actively in the undertaking business. He was a liberal and progressive citizen who commanded unqualified confidence
and esteem in this community, and he served as county coroner
from 1888 until 1898, in which latter year he was elected mayor of
Muskegon, his first term of administration having been so loyal and
efficient that he was re-elected in 1899. He had served but a few
months of his second term when, in June, 1899, he met a tragic
death, having been shot and killed by a political fanatic. In 1898
his son, James F., was chosen as his successor in the office of county
coroner, and of this office James F. Balbirnie continued the incumbent nearly a quarter of a century-until the time of his death,
which occurred December 15, 1922-and he had also continued the
undertaking business that his father had founded many years previously. In the last year of his life his son, Ralph J., had given a
virtually co-ordinate service as county coroner, to which he was
regularly elected in 1923, and in which office he is serving at the
time of this writing (1925), and still having a general supervision
successfully conducting the undertaking and funeral-directing business that was established by his honored grandfather, and as a
citizen and business man he is well upbearing the prestige of the
honored family name. He is a member of the Century Club, Muskegon Country Club, Exchange Club, both York and Scottish Rite
Mason, Shrine, Eagles, Odd Fellows, Maccabees, Woodmen, Mystic
Workers, Isaak Walton League, Norden Bras, Knights of Pythias,
and others. He is a Republican in politics and is a communicant
of the Protestant Episcopal church. He was married September 8,




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


117


1913, to Miss Blanche Irene Hyde, of Chicago, Illinois, a daughter
of Edwin Newman Hyde and Clara Elizabeth (Egan) Hyde, and
to this union were born three children, Clara Elizabeth, Anna
Adella, and Ralph James, Jr.
Hermanus Bartels is secretary of the Fredericks Lumber Company at Muskegon Heights, having assumed this executive position upon the organization of the company and having previously
been engaged in the contracting and building business at Muskegon
Heights, where he established himself in that line of constructive
enterprise in the year 1915. Mr. Bartels was born in Fillmore
township, Allegan county, Michigan, March 17, 1888, and is a son
of Roelof J. and Alice (Bordewyk) Bartels, of whose seven children
four are living. Roelof J. Bartels was born and reared in Holland,
and upon coming to the United States he made Michigan his destination and purchased the fine old homestead farm on which he still
resides, in Allegan county, he being eighty-five years of age at the
time of this writing, in 1925, and still having a general supervision
of his farm, his wife having passed away when about forty-two
years of age. Hermanus Bartels continued to be associated with
the activities of the old home farm until he had attained to his
legal majority, and in the meanwhile he profited by the advantages
of the public schools of his native county and McLachlan Business
University at Grand Rapids. In 1910 he entered the employ of the
Bolhuis Lumber Company, of Holland, Ottawa county, and one
year later he there engaged in contracting and building in an independent way. In 1915 he came to Muskegon Heights, where he
continued in the same business until he assumed his present office
of secretary of the Fredericks Lumber Company. Mr. Bartels is
one of the progressive business men and loyal and public-spirited
citizens of Muskegon Heights, is a member of the Michigan Retail
Lumber Dealers' Association and the National Retail Lumber Dealers' Association, his political support is given to the Republican
party, and he and his wife hold membership in Bethany Reformed
church in the city of Muskegon. On the 4th of June, 1913, was
solemnized the marriage of Mr. Bartels to Miss Clara Zwemer, of
Ottawa county, and they have seven children, whose names and
respective dates of birth are here recorded: Marie, April 4, 1914;
Roelof J., October 21, 1915; Cornell Preston, December 10, 1917;
Arnold, September 18, 1920; Herbert Dale, October 20, 1921; Clifford Marvin, April 17, 1923; and Lester Elwin, July 21, 1924.
Henry A. Bauknecht is known and valued as one of the influential business men and liberal and progressive citizens of Muskegon, and this is the more interesting to record by reason of his
being a native son of the city, his birth having occurred here December 29, 1872, and he being now a principal in the firm of Bauknecht Brothers, wholesale and retail dealers in coal and the oldest
concern of this kind in Muskegon county. Mr. Bauknecht is a son
of Jacob and Anna (Anderson) Bauknecht, the former of whom




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


was born in Germany, March 15, 1847, and the latter of whom was
born in March, 1846. Jacob Bauknecht was a child of three years
at the time when his parents came to the United States and established their home at Albany, New York, where he was reared and
educated. He was fourteen years old at the inception of the Civil
war, but his youthful loyalty was not long to be denied expression,
as is shown in his having enlisted in the Forty-second New York
Volunteer Infantry, with which he continued in active service until
victory had crowned the Union cause. In 1867, when twenty years
of age, Jacob Bauknecht came to Muskegon and found employment
in one of the pioneer saw and planing mills. Later he engaged in
the fuel business, as one of the early Muskegon dealers in wood
and coal, and eventually he gave his attention exclusively to the
coal business, of which he continued a prominent representative
in this city until his death, in 1899. He was a sterling citizen who
commanded unqualified esteem, was loyal and liberal in connection
with community interests, and was very active and influential in
the local ranks of the Grand Army of the Republic. His wife is
now residing in Muskegon. The children were five in number and
all survive the honored father: Jesse, Paul, Celia (Mrs. Meyers, of
Kenosha, Wisconsin), Belle (Mrs. Frederick Blackstrom, of Muskegon), and Henry A., immediate subjectof this review. The early
education of Henry A. Bauknecht was acquired in the Muskegon
public schools and was supplemented by a business course in Ferris
Institute, at Muskegon. He had previously assisted in his father's
business, which at that time was conducted under the title of the
Bauknecht —Abbott Coal Company, and he eventually purchased the
interest of Mr. Abbott, whereupon the title of J. Bauknecht Coal
Company was adopted, this having been retained for a number of
years after the death of the father and the present title of Bauknecht Brothers having been assumed in 1904. Mr. Bauknecht is a
director of the Hackley National Bank and the Muskegon Finance
Company, is a valued member of the local Chamber of Commerce,
of which he has served as a director, and in 1925 he has the distinction of being president of the Coal Dealers' Association of Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. His political allegiance is given to the
Democratic party, and a number of years ago he served as a member of the city board of aldermen. He is president of the Michigan
Trap Shooting Association, is a member of the Century Club and
the Muskegon Country Club, as well as the local Kiwanis Club,
and he is a Knight Templar Mason, besides being a noble of the
Mystic Shrine and a member of Muskegon Lodge of the Benevolent
& Protective Order of Elks. September 27, 1916, Mr. Bauknecht
was united in marriage to Miss Stella Breno, daughter of George
Breno, a pioneer merchant of Muskegon and a gallant young soldier of the Union in the Civil war.
Charles Leonard Beaudry was one of the organizers of the Muskegon Auto Sales Company, of which he is the treasurer, and he
has been influential in the upbuilding of the splendid business con



HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


119


trolled by this representative concern in the motor car business in
Muskegon county. This company was organized and incorporated
in the year 1921, has large and well equipped sales and display
rooms and also a well ordered service department, and has developed a most prosperous business in the handling of the Flint, the
Durant and the Star automobiles. Mr. Beaudry is of sterling
French lineage on both the paternal and maternal sides and he
takes due pride in claiming Michigan as the place of his nativity.
He was b6rn on the parental homestead farm near Brunswick,
Muskegon county, February 13, 1893, and is one of the six children
of Edmund A. and Mathilde Beaudry, who still reside in this county,
where the father is a successful exponent of progressive farm industry. The other children of the family are: Goldie, Edward,
Genevieve, Lawrence and Mary. Charles L. Beaudry is indebted
to the public schools of Brunswick, this county, for his early
educational discipline, and he had also a due amount of practical
experience in connection with the operations of the home farm.
He has been identified with the automobile business since 1916,
save for the period of his World war service. In the year mentioned he became associated with Clark Peoples in the automobile
business in Muskegon and he was thus engaged at the time when
the nation entered the World war. He forthwith volunteered for
service in the United States army. Upon his enlistment he was
assigned to the Eighty-seventh Division, and later he was transferred in turn to the Forty-first and the Fortieth Aero Squadron. He
gained commission as second lieutenant and was stationed in turn
at Columbus, Ohio; at Kelly Field, San Antonio; and at Selfridge
Field, Mt. Clemens. He continued in service until the armistice
brought the war to a close, and he received his honorable discharge
December 17, 1918. Through his affiliation with the American
Legion he vitalizes his association with his old comrades, and he
is also a member of the Officers Reserve Corps of the United States
army. After the close of his military career Mr. Beaudry resumed
his alliance with the automobile business in Muskegon, and here,
in 1921, he was associated in the organization and incorporation
of the Muskegon Auto Sales company, of which he has since continued the treasurer. He is a member of the Muskegon Chamber
of Commerce and is a loyal supporter of its progressive policies in
furthering the civic and industrial advancement of Muskegon. He
is a Republican in his political alignment and he is affiliated with
Muskegon lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
His name still appears on the roster of eligible young bachelors in
his native county.
Thomas Bert Bennett is one of the most alert and progressive
business men of the younger generation in his native city of Muskegon, where his activities have been broad and varied and where
he is now executive head of the Bennett Pump Corporation, which
he is developing into one of the important industrial concerns of
the city. A popular representative of one of the honored pioneer




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


families of Muskegon county, Mr. Bennett was born in the city
of Muskegon, December 5, 1889, and is a son of Thomas J. and
Carrie (Snyder) Bennett, both of whom were born in the state of
New York and both of whom were young at the time of the removal of their respective families to Michigan. Thomas J. Bennett
was a child when his parents came to Michigan from Troy, New
York, and his father, Henry Bennett, a shipbuilder by vocation,
established himself in that line of business at Ferrysburg, Ottawa
county, he having been long and prominently identified with the
building of vessels used in navigating the Great Lakes. Thomas
J. Bennett learned shipbuilding under the effective direction of
his father, and he was concerned in the building of numerous lake
vessels, including the old "Lyman Davis." Later he engaged in
the general contracting and building business in Muskegon, as one
of the principals of the Bennett-Schnorbach company, in which
his co-adjutor was Peter P. Schnorbach, his connection with this
progressive concern having continued until he met an accidental
death by drowning at Holland, this state, in 1906, when he was
forty-four years of age. His widow survives him and still maintains her home in Muskegon. After completing his studies in the
Muskegon high school, Thomas B. Bennett took a one-year course
in mechanical engineering at Michigan Agricultural college and
during a period of two years thereafter he was engaged in the automobile business in the state of California. He then returned to
Muskegon and became associated with his brother, Ray Gordon
Bennett, in the selling of automobiles, under the title of the Bennett Brothers Company. This alliance continued two years and
the subject of this review then erected a building on Clay street,
where he and Walter H. Koelbel, under the firm name of Koelbel
& Bennett, conducted a substantial and prosperous automobile
business during the period of 1914-18. In this connection it may
be noted that Mr. Bennett is now a director of the Koelbel Motor
company, and thus continues to maintain effective business association with his former partner. In 1918-19, Mr. Bennett was
a characteristically vital and successful exponent of the real estate
business in his native city and county, as one of the principals in
the Bennett-Kanitz company, which company is one of the largest
holders of Muskegon real estate at the present time, and in 1920
he organized the Bennett Pump Corporation, which purchased the
plant and business of the A. J. Woods Manufacturing company,
of Grand Rapids, which had been engaged in the manufacturing
of pumps on a comparatively small scale. Into the new industrial
enterprise Mr. Benett infused his exceptional initative and executive force, adopted progressive policies and proceeded to develop a substantial and prosperous business in the manufacturing
and distributing of high grade pumps for handling oils and greases.
At the plant of the company at the corner of Broadway and Lathew
streets, Muskegon Heights, is retained at the present time an average corps of over one hundred employes, the company having




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


121


offices in twelve of the leading cities of the Union, and the annual
business having attained to an aggregate of more than $500,000.
The concern is rapidly expanding the scope and importance of its
operations and is proving a valuable contribution to the industrial
and commercial activities of Muskegon. Mr. Bennett is likewise
secretary and treasurer of the Cardinal Petroleum company and
is vice-president of the People's State Bank of Muskegon and was
active in its organization. In his school days he made a record
of successful work on the football gridiron, and he still continues to
take lively interest in this game, as well as in other outdoor sports
and pastimes. He is essentially a business man and thus has had
no desire for political activity, though he is a loyal supporter of
the principles of the Republican party and is liberal and progressive in his civic attitude. He is affiliated with the local lodge of
the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and has membership in the Century club and the Muskegon Country club. June
15, 1915, Mr. Bennett wedded Miss Elsa Koelbel, daughter of Herman and Alice Koelbel, old and honored residents of Muskegon.
The children of this union are four in number: Alice, Thomas B.,
Jr., Sarah Jane and Robert Mansel.
Earl James Benton is manager of the Muskegon Paper Box
company, one of the important manufacturing concerns of the city
of Muskegon, and when circumstances brought about his advancement to this responsible executive office he was found admirably
equipped in character and ability for the discharge of the responsible administrative duties that devolved upon him and that mark
him as one of the representative business men of the younger generation in the thriving city that is the metropolis and judicial center of Muskegon county. Mr. Benton was born in the village of
Conklin, Ottawa county, Michigan, July 8, 1892, and is a son of
James H. and Cora (Williams) Benton, who now reside in the city
of Grand Rapids, where the father is successfully engaged in the
farm implement business. The other one child of the family, likewise is a son, Ward, and he is now a resident of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Earl James Benton was a lad of six years at the time of
the family removal to Grand Rapids, and thus he was afforded the
advantages of the excellent public schools of Michigan's second
city, where likewise he took a course in the Grand Rapids Business
College. His initial business experience was acquired in Grand
Rapids, and in June, 1912, shortly prior to his twentieth birthday
anniversary, he came to Muskegon and entered the employ of the
Muskegon Paper Box company, this business having been founded
by Earl Scruby and A. L. Esslin.   In August of the same
year that marked his alliance with this company Mr. Benton was
called to the position of manager of the business, incidental to Mr.
Scruby's retirement, on account of his impaired health. Mr. Benton
has shown marked eneregy and resourcefulness in the management
of the enterprise and has done splendid service in upbuilding the
substantial business of the company. He is a member of the




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


National Paper Box Manufacturers' association, is a loyal worker
in the ranks of the members of the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce, is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and the Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks, his political support is given to the
Republican party, and he holds membership in the Congregational
church. A connubial phase in the life of Mr. Benton is yet to be
initiated, and he is one of the popular young bachelors in the business and social circles of his home community.
John A. Bolt is engaged in the cement and coal business and in
the manufacturing of cement blocks, with well equipped headquarters at 341 Catherine street in the city of Muskegon. He was
the first to establish in this city a business in the furnishing of
complete materials for cement construction work, and his enterprise has become one of wide scope and prosperous operations.
Mr. Bolt is a member of a family of seven children, of whom five
are living, and he was born at Montague, Muskegon county, February 26, 1878, his parents, Arthur J. and Jane (White) Bolt, being
now deceased. The other surviving children are Mrs. Anna Vannett, of New Era, Oceana county; Arthur, Jr., of New Era; Mrs.
Nellie Hoekinga, of San Francisco, California; and Mrs. Christina
DeVries, of Ogleville, Minnesota. John A. Bolt received the advantages of the public schools and as a youth he proved that he
had a capacity for productive work and an ambition for advancement. He has depended upon his own resources in making his
way forward to the goal of independent business enterprise, and
has been established in his present line of business in Muskegon
since the year 1909, each successive year having recorded a definite
expansion in the enterprise and the cement block factory having
been brought up to the best modern standard. Mr. Bolt takes
loyal interest in all that touches the welfare and progress of his
home city and native county, but has never manifested any desire
for political activity, his attitude being non-partisan and implying
that he gives his support to men and measures meeting the approval
of his judgment. He and his wife are earnest communicants of
the Second Christian Reformed Church of Muskegon. March 30,
1909, was the date of the marriage of Mr. Bolt to Miss Etta Koster,
daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. John Koster, of Spring Lake,
Ottawa county. Gertrude, the first born of the two children of
Mr. and Mrs. Bolt, died in early childhood, and the surviving child
is a son, John Arthur.
Thomas J. G. Bolt, who holds the office of county road commissioner of Muskegon county, can consistently be designated as
a pioneer citizen of Michigan, as he was a lad of ten years when
the family home was established in this state more than sixty
years ago. Mr. Bolt was born in fine old Devonshire, England,
April 16, 1848, and is a son of George W. and Jemima R. (Guscott)
Bolt, both natives of Devonshire and the city of Exeter, and each
born in the year 1810. George W. Bolt continued his activities as




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


123


a farmer in England until 1857, when he came with his family to
America, and landed in the port of New York City, March 31. Six
months later he established his residence on a farm near London,
Ontario, but in 1858 he came from Canada to Michigan, and settled on a farm in Ottawa county. He was one of the sterling
pioneers of that county and he and his wife passed the remainder
of their lives in Michigan. After having profited by the advantages
of the district schools of Ottawa county Thomas J. G. Bolt attended the high school in Grand Rapids, in which he was graduated as a member of the class of 1869, when he was twenty-one
years of age. In the meantime he had contributed his share
to the development and work of the home farm. He made a
record of successful service as a teacher in district and village
schools, and continued his activities in the pedagogic profession
a number of years. In 1880 Mr. Bolt purchased a farm in Moorland township, Muskegon county, and instituted the productive
enterprise that soon marked him as one of the representative agriculturists and stock growers of the county. In 1883 he was elected
supervisor of his township, an office in which he served many years
as one of the most loyal and progressive members of the county
board of supervisors. Such has been his hold upon popular confidence and esteem that he has been continued in public office in
the county fully forty years. He served as superintendent of
schools in Moorland township; in 1909 he was elected county
school commissioner; he was for two years a member of the state
senate; he was for six years a member of the state tax commission; he served two terms as county commissioner; and he had
served several years as county road commissioner prior to the
election that made him the present incumbent of this office. He
gave also four years of service in the appraisal of lands owned
by the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad company and in determining the taxes of this corporation. He was a member of the committees in charge of the erection of all of the present county buildings, including the courthouse and the jail; and he was foremost
in the promotion of the West Michigan turnpike road, in which
connection Muskegon county consistently honored him by giving
to the old Cedar Springs road leading to Grand Rapids the title
of Bolt highway. Mr. Bolt has been for forty years a member of
the Muskegon County Board of Supervisors, and it may justly
be said that no other citizen has given more prolonged,
loyal and effective service in furthering the civic and material
progress of the county than has this sterling and honored citizen
whose executive ability has been used to the great advantage of
the county and its people. Mr. Bolt is a stalwart advocate of the
principles of the Republican party, is affiliated with the Masonic
fraternity, the Grange and the Elks, and he and his wife are communicants of the Protestant Episcopal church, which represents
the faith in which he was reared. On Christmas day of the year
1874, at Grand Rapids, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Bolt




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


to Miss Ola A. Minnich, and they became the parents of three
children: Louis J. is now forty-nine years of age (1925); Ada F.
died at the age of forty-five years; and Lucius P. is forty-two
years of age. It is a matter of satisfaction, as well as of consistency,
to accord to Mr. Bolt a tribute of honor and appreciation in this
publication.
Samuel N. Bordan is one of the well known and highly esteemed
citizens of Muskegon, where he established his home in 1888 and
where he was engaged in the transfer business for the long period
of thirty-two years. He is the owner of a large and attractive residence at 882-4-6-8 Terrace street, and he and his wife conduct this
as a rooming house. Mr. Bordan was born at Hastings, province
of Ontario, Canada, December 13, 1860, and was reared and educated in his native province. He was a youth of nineteen years
when, in 1880, he found employment in the city of Detroit, Michigan, and in 1888 he came to Muskegon, where for five years he
was engine fireman in a planing mill. He then engaged in the
transfer business and from an enterprise of modest order he developed one of the leading transfer and draying lines of the city, his
active alliance with this enterprise having continued thirty-two
years, and he having given his attention to the management of his
rooming house since his retirement from the transfer business,
about six years ago. He purchased his present residence property thirteen years ago and has made the same one of the attractive
and popular rooming homes of the city. A conscientious, loyal
citizen and reliable business man, he has a secure place in popular
esteem in the city that has long represented his home. In December, 1891, Mr. Bordan married Miss Lily Gregory, of Muskegon,
and her death occurred January 2, 1924, she being survived by no
children. On the twenty-third of September, 1924, occurred the
marriage of Mr. Bordan to Mrs. Nellie Wolf, of Kalamazoo. Mrs.
Bordan, whose maiden name was Nellie Hitchcock, was reared at
Sherman, Wexford county, and the discipline which she there received in the public schools was supplemented by a normal course
in the Ferris Institute, Big Rapids. She began teaching school
when she was fifteen years of age, and continued her successful
work as a teacher until she was about twenty years old. At the
age of twenty-three she became the wife of Charles Manee and
they resided during the following four years at Hartford, where
the death of Mr. Manee then occurred, the two children of this
union being Henry L., who is a paper-maker in one of the paper
mills at Kalamazoo, and Iva, who is cashier in one of the famed
Thompson restaurants in the city of Chicago. After the death of
her husband Mrs. Manee returned to the home of her parents at
Sherman and five years later she became the wife of Charles Wolf,
his death occurring four years later and the one child of this marriage having died in infancy. For seven years Mrs. Wolf was
engaged in the dressmaking business at Vicksburg, Michigan, and
she then removed to Kalamazoo, where she continued to reside




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


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until her marriage to Mr. Bordan, she being now the gracious and
popular chatelaine of the Bordan home in Muskegon.
Frank F. Bowles is a representative of one of the sterling
pioneer families of Muskegon, where he was born and reared, and
where he was, until November 1, 1924, the vice-president of the
Standard Malleable Iron company, one of the well ordered industrial concerns of the city, ill health forcing his resignation from
office. He was born in Muskegon, March 10, 1869, and is a son of
Frederick I. and Esther J. (Porter) Bowles, each of whom was
born in the year 1832, the former at Sandusky, Ohio, and the latter
near Syracuse, New York. Frederick F. Bowles learned in his
youth the trade of wheelwright, and after his removal to Muskegon in 1852, when he was twenty years of age, he followed the
trade of millwright. He was for many years a valued employe
of the George E. Wood Company at Lakeside, and was one of the
honored pioneer citizens of Muskegon county at the time of his
death in 1912, his widow having passed away in 1918, and both
having been earnest members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
The other surviving child is Herbert G., who was born in 1859 and
who now resides in Norton township, Muskegon county. The
father was a Republican in political views and was affiliated with
the Masonic fraternity. He led the choir of the Sunday school
more than twenty years, that Sunday school having been founded
by his mother, Mrs. Elizabeth Bowles, in 1852, as the first in the
community. In the public schools of Muskegon, Frank F. Bowles
continued his studies until his graduation in the high school in
1885, and thereafter he went to Chicago, where he found employment as a night agent at the station of the Chicago & Northwestern
railroad. He continued his association with this railroad until
1894, when he returned to Muskegon county and took a position
with the Spring Lake Iron company at Fruitport. In 1912 the
company discontinued operations, and thereafter Mr. Bowles was
independently engaged in the real estate business in the city of
Grand Rapids until 1918, when he returned to Muskegon and assumed the executive office of vice-president of the Standard Malleable Iron company, of which he is a stockholder, he having had
much influence in formulating the progressive policies that have
made this one of the substantial industrial concerns of his native
city. He is unwavering in his allegiance to the Republican party,
is a valued member of the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce, has
membership in the Century club and he and his wife are earnest
members of the First Congregational church, of which he is a
trustee. In 1891 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Bowles to
Miss Kate Merritt, of Fruitport, and they have five children:
Clarissa, Frederick M., Mac George, Herbert and Merritt. Mr.
Bowles is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity as represented in
the organization in his native city and in the Scottish Rite he has
received the thirty-second degree.




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


Christian Albertus Broek, who is one of the well fortified and
successful members of the Muskegon county bar and who has
served as prosecuting attorney of the county, has been established
in the practice of his profession in the city of Muskegon since 1912,
having a substantial and important general law business. Mr.
Broek was born at Beaver Dam, Ottawa county, Michigan, August
9, 1883, and is a son of Rev. John and Alberta (DeBey) Broek, the
former of whom died on the day that marked the fiftieth anniversary of his initiating his service as a clergyman of the Reformed
church, his widow being now a resident of the beautiful Hyde
Park district of the city of Chicago. Rev. John Broek was for
eighteen years the pastor of the Third Reformed church in Muskegon, and his memory is here revered by all who came within
the compass of his benign influence, he having been a man of fine
intellectuality and of unbounded zeal and devotion in the work of
the Christian ministry. Christian A. Broek was a child at the time
his father assumed a pastorate at South Holland, Illinois,
and the discipline that he received in the public schools of that
place was supplemented by a course in the high school at Harvey,
Illinois, in which he was graduated. In 1905 he was graduated in
Hope college at Holland, Michigan, from which he received the
degree of Bachelor of Arts. In the meantime he had formulated
definite plans for his future career, and in consonance therewith
he entered the Detroit College of Law, in which institution he was
graduated as a member of the class of 1912, his reception of the
degree of Bachelor of Laws having been almost immediately followed by his admission to the bar of his native state. In October,
1912, he initiated his professional career in Muskegon, where he
became associated with Harris E. Galpin, who was then prosecuting
attorney of the county and who appointed Mr. Broek assistant
prosecutor. Mr. Broek continued his service as assistant prosecuting attorney four years, and the best evidence of the excellent record
that he made in this conection is that afforded in his having been
elected in 1917 to the office of prosecuting attorney of the county,
his vigorous and resourceful service in this position having continued until 1921 and the preceding year having marked his entrance into partnership with George S. Lovelace, an association that
continued until May 5, 1925, when Mr. Broek entered into individual practice. Mr. Broek has been active and influential in the
local councils and campaign service of the Republican party, is
serving (1925) as member of the Muskegon Republican committee,
and he was the chairman of the Muskegon county committee at
the time of the election of President Harding. He is a director of
the Muskegon Y. M. C. A., and has served as its vice-president.
He and his wife are zealous communicants of the Third Reformed
Church in their home city and he has been active in its Sunday
school and other departments of its service. Mr. Broek was one
of the organizers of the People's State Bank for Savings and still
continues a director of this substantial and important Muskegon




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


127


institution. On the twenty-sixth of November, 1913, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Broek to Miss Cora Tellman, daughter of the late Henry B. and Mary Tellman, both of whom were
residents of Muskegon county during many years prior to their
death, Mr. Tellman having given prolonged service as head filer
with the Hackley & Hume Lumber company and having later
been associated with the Langland Manufacturing company. Mr.
and Mrs. Broek have no children.
Maurice M. Buck established his residence in the city of Muskegon in July, 1920, and is here successfully engaged in the practice of his profession, that of civil engineer. Mr. Buck was born
in the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan, November 27, 1890, and
his father, Willis Buck, is still a resident of that city, the mother
being deceased, and the other two children being Ross J., of Muskegon Heights, and Mrs. Fred Ellis, residing near Grand Rapids.
The earlier education of Maurice M. Buck was acquired mainly
in the public schools of Coopersville, Ottawa county, where the
family home was established when he was a boy. In preparation
for his chosen profession he entered the Michigan Agricultural
College, and in the engineering department of this institution he
was graduated as a member of the class of 1911. Thereafter, in
the line of his profession, he was for one year in the employ of
the Illinois Central Railroad Company, with headquarters in the
city of Chicago. From April to December, 1912, he served as
assistant county surveyor of Ottawa county, Michigan, and during
the period of two months he was next in the service of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, in the state of California.
He then resumed his position as assistant surveyor of Ottawa
county, Michigan, and in 1917 he was for a short time associated
with the civil engineering firm of Elliott & Harmon, of Peoria,
Illinois. In August, 1917, within a short time after the nation
had entered the World war, Mr. Buck volunteered for service in
the United States Army, his initial training having been obtained
at Fort Sheridan, near Chicago. He continued in active service
two years, and within this time was with the American Expeditionary Forces in France fourteen months. He was commissioned
first lieutenant and overseas he served first with the Sixth Infantry
Regiment, Fifth Division, and later with the Seventh Regiment,
Third Division. He participated in campaigns marking the progress of the great conflict and after his return to his home land he
received his honorable discharge at Camp Sherman, July 1, 1919.
As previously stated, Mr. Buck has been established in the practice
of his profession at Muskegon since July, 1920. He is a member
of the Michigan and the American associations of civil engineers,
is a member of the Izaak Walton League, and is affiliated with
the American Legion and the Masonic fraternity. June 9, 1915,
Mr. Buck wedded Miss Bernice W. Hatch, whose parents still
reside in Muskegon, where her father, Bert Hatch, holds, in 1925,




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


the office of city assessor. Mr. and Mrs. Buck have one child,
Dorothy Adeline.
Ross J. Buck has not lacked for objective appreciation of his
technical skill and executive ability, as is evident when it is recorded
that in 1924 he served as city superintendent and city engineer of
Muskegon Heights, of which dual office he having been the incumbent from May, 1924 to May, 1925, and in which he is giving
a most effective and progressive administration. Mr. Buck was
born at Sparta, Kent county, Michigan, October 2, 1887, and is a
son of Willis and Ella (Brown) Buck, the latter of whom is deceased and the former of whom is a retired farmer residing at Muskegon Heights. Ross J. Buck was a child at the time of the family removal to a farm near Coopersville, Ottawa county, and in
the public schools of that county he acquired his early education.
In 1907 he was graduated in Purdue university, West Lafayette,
Indiana, and in the same year that thus marked his reception of
the degree of Bachelor of Arts he entered the Philippine government service, in which he continued two years, with headquarters
in the city of Manila. He then became an assistant instructor
in his alma mater, Purdue university, and there he completed a
post-graduate course and received in 1910 the advanced degree of
civil engineer. In the summer of that year he returned to the
Philippine Islands, where he continued in government service until 1914, when he there engaged in general contracting along the
line of civil engineering work. In 1916 he returned to the United
States and became connected with the Portland Cement Association
of Indianapolis, Indiana, with which he remained until 1917, when
he assumed the postion of superintendent of construction of the
Marion county tubercular hospital near Indianapolis. Thereafter
he was associated with the Indianapolis Water company somewhat more than one year, and in 1919-20 he maintained a professional alliance with Charles Hurd, a leading consulting engineer
in Indianapolis. In 1920 Mr. Buck took a position with the civil
engineering department of the city of Muskegon and in this service
he continued until his appointment, in May, 1924, to the office at
Muskegon Heights. He has membership in the American Society
of Civil Engineers and the American Association of Engineers, his
political allegiance is given to the Republican party, and in the
Masonic fraternity he is affiliated with A. F. & A. M., Indianapolis,
and he is a member of the chapter of Royal Arch Masons and the
Commandery of Knights Templar in Muskegon. He and his wife
are communicants of the Protestant Episcopal church. In November,
1909, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Buck to Miss Bertha P.
Niehus, of Lafayette, Indiana, a graduate of Purdue University, and
they have three children: Ross Willis, Catherine Elizabeth and Marjorie Ellen. In 1909 Mr. Buck made a trip around the world visiting important places and some of his views have been published in
the National Geographic Magazine.




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


129


William T. Buck is the executive head of the Buck Construction
company, one of the leading contracting concerns established
within recent years in the city of Muskegon and one whose operations are conducted on reliable and progressive policies. In the
city of Ypsilanti, Michigan, William T. Buck was born April 8,
1868, a son of Millard F. and Esther (Woosley) Buck, whose one
other surviving child is a daughter, Mary. Millard F. Buck, who
was for many years a resident of Muskegon and who represented
Michigan as a gallant soldier of the Union in the Civil war, now
maintains his home in the state of California, his wife being deceased. The public schools of Muskegon were the medium through
which William T. Buck acquired the major part of his early education and he was a lad of but thirteen years when he initiated a
virtual apprenticeship to the trade of brick mason. He became a
skilled workman in this trade, which he followed many years. In
1903 he formed a partnership with John R. Mullen, under the firm
name of Buck & Mullen, and they continued successfully in the
contracting business in Muskegon until March 1, 1924, when Mr.
Buck organized the Buck Construction company, of which he has
since continued the administrative head and which under his direction, reinforced by technical skill and broad experience, has
status as one of the important and well ordered construction concerns in this section of the state, with facilities of handling large
and important contracts. Mr. Buck is aligned loyally in the ranks
of the Republican party, and he and his wife hold membership
in the Baptist church. He is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity,
the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Knights of the
Maccabees and the Modern Woodmen of America. Mr. Buck
wedded Miss Della Payne, of Muskegon, and they became the
parents of eight sons and two daughters, the deceased sons having
been Rollie Russell, Wallace S., George Stanley and Bonnie. The
surviving children are: Clark W., Roy S., Clifford W. and John
Robert, and the daughters are Alice and Thelma.
Walter J. Burns, as one of the two principals in the CostonBurns Motor Sales company, agents for the Chevrolet automobiles in the city of Muskegon, is numbered among the alert and
progressive business men of the younger generation in his native
city, where still resides also his brother, Francis D., the only other
survivor in a family of five children born to David and Julia Burns.
The parents were born in the state of New York, and for many
years David Burns was actively associated with business interests
in Muskegon, he having been connected in turn with the Lakeside Iron Works and the Clover Foundry Company, and having been one of the well known and highly respected citizens of
Muskegon at the time of his death. He was an earnest communicant of the Catholic church, as was also his wife, who likewise
died in Muskegon. The early education of Walter J. Burns was
obtained in the parochial school of St. Mary's Catholic church in
Muskegon, and his native city has been the stage of his entire




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


business experience and achievement. In October, 1922, he became associated with Michael L. Coston in the organization of
the Coston-Burns Motor Sales company. The company has well
equipped sales and display rooms and has built up a large and
prosperous business in the handling of the popular Chevrolet motor cars. Mr. Burns is aligned in the ranks of the Republican
party, and he is affiliated with the Knights of Columbus and the
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. On the twenty-eighth
of May, 1919, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Burns to Miss
Eleanor H. Jacobson, daughter of the late Captain Nels C. J. Jacobson, who was a resident of Muskegon at the time of his death
and who had previously served as a sea captain, as well as commander on vessels on the Great Lakes. His widow still maintains her home in Muskegon. Mr. and Mrs. Burns are the parents
of three children, David, Walter, and Joseph, and Helen Eleanor,
who died in infancy.
Leman A. Cambrey, who holds the important position of trust
officer of the Hackley National bank in the city of Muskegon, was
born in Independence township, Oakland county, Michigan, June 7,
1879, and is a son of Alfred J. and Mary (Boice) Cambrey, the other
child of this family being Nellie, who died at the age of two. The
mother died in 1883. The father married Alice Ainsley for his
second wife and of this union there were three children, Leroy,
Duane and Vera. Alfred J. Cambrey was station agent for the
Grand Trunk Railway company for thirty-two years and his death
occurred in November, 1914. The public school discipline of Leman
A. Cambrey reached its ultimate when he was graduated in the
high school at Vernon, Saginaw county. In the Detroit College of
Law he, was graduated as a member of the class of 1913, and after
thus receiving his degree of Bachelor of Laws he engaged in the
practice of his profession in the city of Pontiac, judicial center of
his native county. In 1916 he had the distinction of being elected
mayor of that city, and he held this office during the entire period of
American participation in the World war, a period that, as a matter of course, made extraordinary demands upon the officials in all
communties of the country. Mr. Cambrey's earnest and efficient
administration as mayor of Pontiac was continued until the close
of 1919, and in the meantime he had served also as fuel administrator of Oakland county. In 1920 he came to Muskegon to assume the office of general manager of the Home Finance company,
and since November 1, 1924, he has here held the position of trust
officer of the Hackley National Bank, one of the strongest and most
important financial institutions in this section of the state. The
political support of Mr. Cambrey is given to the Republican party.
He is affiliated with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
and the Michigan State Bar Association, and is a member of the
Century club of Muskegon, of which he was formerly secretary.
August 30, 1913, Mr. Cambrey wedded Miss Grace E. Walter,
daughter of Frank and Jennie Walter, of Clarkston, Oakland




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


131


county, where her father is engaged in the mercantile business and
where the death of her mother occurred in November, 1913.
W. J. Carl is one of the representative merchants and citizens of Muskegon Heights, where he has been actively engaged
in business for more than a quarter of a century, and he is a scion
of one of the sterling pioneer families of Michigan. He was born
on the homestead farm of his father in Howell township, Livingston county, this state, January 8, 1863, and is a son of Andrew
J. and Carrie (Hildebrandt) Carl, both of whom were born and
reared in the state of Pennsylvania, whence they came to Michigan in the forties and established their home on a pioneer farm
in Howell township, Livingston county, the father having devoted
virtually his entire active life to farm industry. Andrew J. Carl
went forth as a gallant soldier of the Union in the Civil war, he having been an aide on the staff of the colonel of his regiment of Michigan volunteer infantry and his death having occurred as the result of wounds he received in battle. His widow survived him by
many years, and their only child is he whose name introduces this
review.  The early education of W. J. Carl was obtained.
in the public schools of his native county and included the discipline of the Howell high school. In that place he gained also
his initial experience in the mercantile business, and at the age of
nineteen years he engaged in the mercantile business in an independent way. He continued this enterprise at Howell seven
years and then, in 1891, came to Muskegon Heights and engaged
in the grocery business. Here his success has been of substantial
order and he is now one of the veteran merchants of this fine little
city, where for a number of years he has conducted a general mercantile business, besides continuing the grocery department. Mr.
Carl is found loyally aligned in the ranks of the Republican party,
and he has been called upon to serve in local offices of public trust,
he having held the position of village clerk two years and having
given a similar period of service as clerk of his township. He was
for nine years vice-president of the State Savings Bank of Muskegon Heights, and is a director of the Mona Lake Ice company and
the Muskegon Heights Building & Loan Association. He is a
loyal and valued member of the Muskegon Heights Chamber of
Commerce and is affiliated with the Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks. In the year 1883 was solemnized the marriage of
Mr. Carl to Miss Julia B. Barber, of Howell, and of this union have
been born two children: Lawrence A., who is a senior in the University of Illinois, and Una B., who died at the age of twenty-three
years.
Carl R. Carlson. At 1045 Peck street in the city of Muskegon
Heights is to be found the well stocked and attractively appointed
grocery establishment owned and conducted by this sterling and
popular citizen, and his prosperous business has been developed
through courteous and effective service to an appreciative patron



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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


age. Mr. Carlson was born near Linkoping, Sweden, August 17,
1876, and is a son of Peter August and Caroline (Nelson) Carlson,
the former of whom was born in 1840 and the latter in 1854. Peter
August Carlson passed his entire life in his native land, was a
skilled shoemaker and was engaged in business as a manufacturer
of custom-made shoes in his native Linkoping at the time of his
death in 1883, his widow having come to Muskegon in 1885 and
having here passed the remainder of her life as a loved member
of the family circle of her son, Carl R., of this sketch, both she and
her husband having been zealous members of the Swedish Mission
church. The death of Mrs. Carlson occurred in December, 1916,
when she was seventy-six years of age. Carl R. Carlson accompanied his widowed mother to Muskegon when he was a lad of
nine years, and here he attended school until he was thirteen years
old when he found employment in the grocery store of J. J. Scott,
with whom he remained until Mr. Scott sold the business. There
after Mr. Carlson was employed in the grocery establishment of
Bert, Lee & Company until 1893, and he was next in the employ
of Van Zant & Clug in their grocery store on Jackson street. He
passed one year as clerk in a grocery at Brazil, Indiana, and in
1895 he returned to Muskegon, where he was employed in turn
by E. C. Brambell and Walter Musfeldt. In 1898 he took a position in the grocery of W. J. Carl, with whom he remained for the
long period of seventeen years, at the expiration of which, in 1916,
he became associated with George K. Butcher in conducting a grocery at 1435 Peck street. Mr. Carlson sold his
interest in this business in 1923 and engaged independently in the
same line of trade at 1045 Peck street, in a new store building, of
most modern order at the corner of Peck street and Sherman
boulevard. Mr. Carlson is a staunch supporter of the cause of the
Republican party, he and his wife attend the Methodist Episcopal
church, and he is affiliated with the Knights of the Maccabees and
with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, including its adjunct
organization, the Daughters of Rebekah, of which his wife likewise is a member. May 4, 1898, Mr. Carlson married Miss Elizabeth Batzell, of Muskegon, and the names and respective birth
dates of their three children are here recorded: Russell, November 17, 1900; Dorothy, March 3, 1909; and Maurice, December 29,
1914. Mr. Carlson has been a man of industry, has achieved success through his own efforts and is one of the substantial and honored business men of the city that has been his home more than
forty years.
Castenholz is a name which means much in the history of Muskegon. Joseph, Will and Raymond Castenholz, of the well-known
firm of Castenholz Brothers, real estate operators, need little introduction to residents of this community. The name they bear has
long been an honored one. John Castenholz, Sr., the founder of
the family, was born in Germany and came with his parents to
the United States when four years old. He received his early




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


133


education in the public schools of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where
his parents settled, later entering a butcher shop, where he learned
the details of the meat business. He then obtained employment
in a packing house, and acquired a thorough knowledge of killing,
dressing and packing meats for the wholesale trade. Seeing the
opportunities in this business, he risked his savings in establishing
a packing-house of his own. The venture was successful, and in
1869, when he disposed of his holdings in Milwaukee, the business
was one of which he might be justly proud. Removing to Muskegon, which was then a small but rapidly growing town, he erected the Muskegon stockyards on a site on Getty avenue. He gave
his undivided attention to the new industry, keeping abreast of
the times and from time to time installing newer and more modern
equipment. This industry, which his sons were later to acquire,
was known throughout the state as an ideal one for the production
of dressed meats. His wife, Miss Elizabeth Weingartner, of Milwaukee, was a native of Alsace-Lorraine, who came to the United
States with her parents when she was yet a child. To this union
were born seven children: John, Nicholas, Joseph, Henry, Will,
Gertutinde and Barbara. John Castenholz, Sr., continued as head
of the business he founded until his death in 1882. His five sons,
whom he had trained carefully to succeed him in the business, then
assumed control of the Muskegon stockyards, which they operated
under the firm name of Castenholz Brothers. In 1914 the plant
was leased by the Albers Brothers, who continued the packing
business until 1917. At the time of the leasing Castenholz Brothers retired from the packing business to enter the real estate work,
subdividing and selling holdings which they had acquired in and
adjacent to Muskegon. The name Castenholz Brothers was retained by the four sons who continued in the real estate business,
Nicholas Castenholz having dropped out of the firm to enter another occupation. In 1916 John Castenholz retired from active
participation in the affairs of the company, which specialized in
development of subdivisions, having been elected road commissioner of Muskegon county. He was re-elected from time to time,
and held this position at the time of his death in August, 1925.
The three brothers, Joseph, Henry and Will Castenholz, enjoyed
continued success in the real estate business, and in 1922, when
death removed Henry Castenholz, the surviving members of the
firm accepted Raymond, son of Joseph Castenholz, as a partner.
These three men are the present heads of the Castenholz Brothers
Company, which is trusted.alike by large and small investors in
Muskegon real property. Paul Castenholz, head of the Laporte
Neckwear Company, Muskegon, is another son of Joseph and Mary
(Cole) Castenholz.
Francis Eugene Censer is one of the prominent executives in
the industrial circles of Muskegon, where he is general manager
of the Sherriff-Goslin Roofing company. He was born in the city
of Detroit, Michigan, November 14, 1868, and is a son of William




134


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


and Margaret Censer, each of whom was born in the year 1845,
the former at Bridgeport, Connecticut, and the latter in the state
of New Hampshire, and both representatives of staunch colonial
ancestry in New England. William Censer became a resident of
Detroit when he was a lad of fifteen years, and eventually he became a successful contractor and builder in that city, where he and
his wife passed the remainder of their lives and where his death
occurred in 1903. He was a Democrat in politics, and was affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows. The names of the other children of the family are
here noted: William, Jr., Daniel, John and Margaret. After receiving the discipline of the Detroit public schools Francis E.
Censer there completed, in 1886, a course in the Bryant & Stratton
Business college. He then became a general accountant in the
office of the Blue Line Fast Freight Line, with which he was advanced to the position of claim clerk. He was eventually transferred to the company's office in Rochester, New York, where he
remained ten years. In 1896 he engaged in independent contracting business in the city of Chicago, where he remained until 1919,
when he came to Muskegon and assumed his present executive position, in which his service has worked in large measure to the
expanding of the business of the company of which he is the manager. He is a loyal member of the local Chamber of Commerce,
is a Republican in politics, and is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity. In 1889 Mr. Censer married Miss Florence J. Wilson, of
Chicago, and in that city their only child, Eugene, was born.
Joseph Chadwick has been associated in the upbuilding of one
of the important and successful business enterprises in his native
city of Muskegon, that conducted by the Markle Cement & Coal
company, of which he is the vice-president. Mr. Chadwick was
born in Muskegon, December 20, 1879, and is a son of the late
Samuel and Sarah (Wright) Chadwick, who were well known and
highly esteemed citizens of Muskegon at the time of their death,
and whose other two surviving children are Mrs. Lillie Roy and
Mrs. Flossie Keller, both of whom reside in Muskegon., Joseph
Chadwick is indebted to the excellent public schools of Muskegon
for his early education, and his native city has been the stage of
his entire business experience and activity. In 1904 he formed
an alliance with Frank Markle under the title of the Markle Contracting and Building company, and the business has since been
developed to one of important scope, the company now giving
special attention to contracting in cement construction work and
to the handling of coal in both a wholesale and retail way. The
title of the company was eventually changed to its present form,
the Markle Cement & Coal company, and of this progressive corporation Mr. Chadwick is the vice-president. Mr. Chadwick takes
deep and loyal interest in all that concerns the welfare and advancement of his home city, is a staunch Republican, but he has
never had any desire to enter the arena of practical politics or to




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


135


seek public office of any kind. He is an active member of the
Muskegon Chamber of Commerce, and he and his wife hold membership in the Congregational church. In the time-honored Masonic
fraternity he has received the thirty-second degree of the Scottish
Rite, besides being a noble of the Mystic Shrine and he is affiliated
also with the Elks and the Modern Woodmen of America. February 3, 1908, Mr. Chadwick wedded Miss Della Eddy, daughter
of John and Julia Eddy, the former of whom is deceased and the
latter of whom still resides in Muskegon. Mr. and Mrs. Chadwick have three children, Sarah, Thomas and Joseph, and there
was another daughter, Julia, who died in early childhood.
Vincent O. Clinger, who was long associated with the office
of the sheriff of Muskegon county and who gave a specially effective administration during the four years that he himself held the
office of sheriff, now owns and operates a fine line of motor busses
between Muskegon and North Muskegon, until May, 1925, to Hextrum, proprietor of Safety Motor Coach Company, in which connection he has built up a most prosperous passenger transfer business. Mr. Clinger was born at Findlay, Ohio, November 10, 1852,
and is a son of William S. and Catherine (Bosler) Clinger, the
former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Findlay, Ohio.
William B. Clinger was reared and educated in Ohio, and after leaving school he there found employment in a furniture shop at Findlay. He continued his residence in the Buckeye state until 1867,
when he came with his family to Michigan and settled on a tract
of land near Shelby, Oceana county, and proceeded to reclaim the
same from the native forest. He eventually developed a productive farm of 160 acres and was one of the sterling and honored
pioneer citizens of that county at the time of his tragic death, he
having been killed by a railroad train at Shelby in 1896. His widow
sold the farm and remained in the village of Shelby, where she
passed the remainder of her life and where her death occurred in
1903, both having been members of the Methodist Episcopal church
and Mr. Clinger having been a Republican in politics. Vincent
O. Clinger was a lad of twelve years at the time of the family's removal to the forest wilds of Oceana county, and he assisted in the
reclamation of the home farm, besides having continued his studies
by attending the district school two and one-half miles distant
from his home, a course he traversed daily. He worked in the
lumber woods during the winters and assisted his father on the
farm during the summer seasons. He finally purchased a farm
near Shelby, Oceana county, and after residing there seven years
he sold the farm and moved to Montague, Michigan, where he resided twelve years, was marshal of the town and took a position
in the office of the sheriff of the county in 1896. He served eight
years, under the regimes of Sheriffs Neanmaster, Payne, Smith
and Nelson, and on the Republican ticket he was then elected
sheriff, of which office he continued the incumbent four years,
1904-08. Thereafter he served four years as under sheriff. In 1908




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


Mr. Clinger removed to North Muskegon and engaged in the livery, ice and wood business, which he continued five years. In 1913
he began the operation of a Ford motor car between North Muskegon and Muskegon, later he added a second car, and finally he
improved his equipment by placing in commission a motor bus
with accommodations for sixteen passengers. Such has been the
success of the business that he now has six motor cars in
service. He is a stalwart in the local ranks of the Republican
party, he and his wife attend the Christian Science church and he
is affiliated with the Fraternal Order of Eagles. July 4, 1874, Mr.
Clinger was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. Inman, and on
the great national holiday in 1924 they celebrated their golden
wedding anniversary. They have two children: Bertha C., born
in 1877, and Edith S., born in 1883.
Ralph B. Close, executive head of the Close Electric Company,
Inc., which is one of the leading concerns of its kind in Muskegon,
is skilled in the technical and practical details of applied electricity,
has had broad and varied experience, and in the handling of electrical supplies and the installing of electrical appliances he has
built up a substantial and prosperous business. Mr. Close was
born at Janesville, Wisconsin, March 12, 1893, and is a son of
Ralph A. and Agnes (Irwin) Close, he being the eldest in a family
of three children and his two brothers, Louis G. and William J.,
being now with him in Muskegon, where they are members of his
home circle. The father made a record of successful service as a
drop-forge mechanic of exceptional skill but he is now deceased
and his widow resides in Janesville, Wisconsin. The public
schools of the Badger state afforded Ralph B. Close his early education, which was there supplemented by a course in the Southern
Wisconsin Business college, in which he was graduated in 1908.
Thereafter he gained experience in connection with electrical
work, and in 1911 he found employment as an electrician in an
establishment at Muskegon. Thereafter he was similarly engaged four years in the city of Grand Rapids, and for one year
he had charge of the electrical shops of the Pere Marquette railroad. He was thereafter employed seven months in the establishment of the Lewis Electric Company, Grand Rapids, and he
then returned to Muskegon, where, after a few months of employment with the Electric Service Company, he engaged independently in the Electrical business, under the title of the Close
Electric Company, and with headquarters on South Terrace
street, whence removal was later made to the present location at
78 Peck street. The establishment and stock of the Close Electric
Company, Inc., were destroyed by fire October 30, 1923, but with
characteristic energy and self-reliance, Mr. Close promptly reestablished his business on a larger scale and with improved facilities for the handling of all kinds of electrical repair work, besides which he handles the celebrated Exide batteries, for which
he has here built up a large trade. Mr. Close is one of the vital




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


137


and progressive young business men of Muskegon, is affiliated
with the Loyal Order of Moose, is an independent in politics, and
he and his wife are communicants of St. Mary's Catholic church
in their home city. Mr. Close married Miss Viola G. Bradley and
they have four children: Aileen, Irwin, Maxine and Ruth. Mrs.
Close is a daughter of Isaac Bradley, who was long identified with
the lumber industry at Muskegon and who died in 1924.
The Clover Foundry Company, a substantial concern that now
makes a specialty of the manufacturing of manifolds for automobiles, is the virtual successor of the Lakeside Iron company that
was founded in Muskegon in the year 1888 by Charles S. Clover and
a number of business associates. After several years of successful
operation the manufacturing plant of the Lakeside Iron company
was destroyed by fire, and in establishing a new plant there came
also a general reorganization of the company, which at this juncture adopted the title of the Lakeside Foundry company. In 1917
Mr. Clover, in association with his sons and other representatives
of his immediate family, purchased the entire business and physical
equipment of the company and adopted the present title of Clover
Foundry company. A new factory site was selected near the corner
of Western avenue and Eighth street and here is found the present
modern and well equipped plant of the company. The personnel
of the executive corps of this substantial and progressive Muskegon
corporation is as here designated: Charles S. Clover, president;
Harvey W. Clover, vice-president; and Charles M. Clover, secretary
and treasurer.
Richard W. Cone is one of the progressive and representative
business men of the younger generation in the city of Muskegon,
where he is treasurer of the March Automatic Irrigation company,
this being one of the newer corporations which contribute to the
industrial and commercial precedence of this vital Michigan city.
Much of his period of business activity was with the Howe Chain
company of this city, of which he was also treasurer, until its sale
to the Link Belt company of Chicago and Indianapolis in 1924.
Mr. Cone was born at Menominee, Wisconsin, October 28, 1888,
and is the eldest in a family of seven children, all of whom are
living. The names of the other children being recorded in the
respective order of their birth: Tracy E., Grace E., Lois R., Willard W., Bess U., and Russell T. Mr. Cone is a son of Edwin W.
and Carrie E. (Roberts) Cone, the father having followed the
printing and newspaper business during the greater part of his
active life and having been a resident of Muskegon at the time of
his death. The widowed mother still maintains her home in this
city. Richard W. Cone was a lad of eight years at the time when
the family home was established in Muskegon, and in addition to
receiving the advantages of the public schools of this city he was
for two years a student in Valparaiso university and one year in
the University of Illinois at Champaign. Mr. Cone is past presi



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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


dent of the Western Michigan Purchasing Agents Association, of
Post D, Travelers Protective Association. of St. Louis, Mo., and
of the Alexander Hamilton club of Muskegon. He is also a member of the National Travel club of New York City. He is affiliated
with the local lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks, and his political alignment is with the Republican party.
November 12, 1912, Mr. Cone wedded Miss Margaret O'Brien,
daughter of John O'Brien, of Alpena, and the three children of
this union are J. Richard, Kathryn F. and Peggy.
Frederick Cooper is one of the alert and progressive business
men of the younger generation in his native city of Muskegon,
where he is junior member of the firm of Nicholson & Cooper,
which is successfully established in the handling of plumbing and
heating supplies, with a well equipped store on Pine street. Of
L. T. Nicholson, senior member of the firm, individual mention is made on another page of this volume. 'Mr. Cooper was
born in Muskegon, January 9, 1898, and is a son of Peter and Anna
(Karel) Cooper, both likewise natives of this city, where the former
was born in 1875 and the latter in 1877. The other children of the
family are Josie, Cornelius, Henrietta and Leonard. Peter Cooper
was reared and educated in Muskegon, which city has been the
stage of his activities during the intervening years, he having been
for the past eight years in the employ of the Shaw-Walker company. He and his wife are earnest members of Bethany Reformed
church. At the age of fourteen years Frederick Cooper left the
public schools and initiated his active association with the practical
affairs of life. For three years he operated a drill press in a local
industrial establishment, that of the Shaw-Walker company and
at the age of seventeen years he initiated an apprenticeship in the
plumbing shop of George McCullum. Within his apprenticeship
of two and one-half years he became a skilled workman and as a
journeyman he was employed in Muskegon plumbing shops until
1920, when he formed a partnership with Mr. Nicholson, with
whom he has since been associated in the conducting of a prosperous business in the handling of plumbing and heating supplies.
He is a Republican in political adherency, and he and his wife are
active members of Bethany Reformed church. October 10, 1923,
Mr. Cooper wedded Miss Sarah Kloisterhouse and they are popular factors in the social affairs of their home city.
Michael L. Coston came to Muskegon in the year 1921, shortly
after having received his discharge from the office of hospital sergeant in the United States army, in which he had enlisted for service within a short time after the nation became involved in the
World war. His earlier service was with the Three Hundred and
Twenty-eighth Artillery and later he was assigned to duty with
the medical department, in which he gained the rank of hospital
sergeant. He was not called into overseas service, but within his
term in the army he was stationed in turn at Camp Custer, Michi



HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


139


gan; Los Angeles, California; Syracuse, New York, and St. Louis,
Missouri. He received his honorable discharge June 28, 1921, and
a few months later he came to Muskegon where he has found a
field for successful business enterprise. In October, 1922, he here
became associated with Walter J. Burns in forming the CostonBurns Motor Sales company, which assumed the agency for the
celebrated Chevrolet automobiles and which has since developed
a substantial and prosperous business in the handling of these excellent and popular cars. Of his business coadjutor, Mr. Burns,
individual mention is made elsewhere in this volume. Mr. Coston
was born in the city of Chicago, Illinois, October 3, 1892, and he
is the only child of Alexander and Mary Coston, who are now
deceased. Mr. Coston was an infant at the time of the family removal to Cooperstown, Ottawa county, Michigan, where he was
reared to adult age and where he received the advantages of the
public schools. It was from Michigan that he entered the World
war service, in which his record was such as to lend enduring
honor to him, and in his activities as a citizen and business man
he gives evidence of the same spirit of loyalty that marked his
military service. His political allegiance is given to the Republican party. In Muskegon he and his wife are zealous communicants of St. Mary's Catholic church and he is affiliated with the
American Legion, the Knights of Columbus, the Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks and the Modern Woodmen of America.
His marriage to Miss Adelaide Fleckenstein, of Muskegon, was
solemnized February 14, 1922, and of this union has been born a
winsome daughter, Marie Adelaide. Mrs. Coston is a daughter of
Lee Fleckenstein, who is president of the Fleckenstein company,
engaged in the tanning industry at Muskegon.
Gilbert A. Coutchie is a native son of Muskegon and a representative of one of the sterling pioneer families of this city and
county. Here in his business activities he has kept pace with the
march of progress in the passing years, and through his substantial operations in the real estate business he has done much to forward that progress, along both civic and material lines. He is one
of the substantial, loyal and honored citizens of his native city and
is specially entitled to recognition in this publication. Mr. Coutchie
was born in Muskegon on the third of May, 1863, and is a son of
Alexander and Merderies (Bourdeau) Coutchie, of whose fine
family of fifteen children, four are now living. Alexander Coutchie
was born in the year 1826, and was one of the venerable and honored pioneer citizens of Muskegon at the time of his death when
seventy-six years old in 1908, his widow having passed away in
1910, at the age of sixty-nine years. Alexander Coutchie was a
young man when he established his residence in Muskegon, in
1857, and here he followed his sturdy trade, that of blacksmith,
for more than half a century. He erected for the family home more
than fifty-seven years ago the first brick house in Muskegon, the
brick for this building having been manufactured at the plant of




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


the old Muskegon brewery. The names of Alexander Coutchie and
his wife merit enduring place on the roll of the honored pioneers
of Muskegon county, where they lived and wrought wisely and
well. The other three surviving children are: William E., who
resides at Manchester, Washtenaw county; Delia, who is the wife
of Charles Doyle, of Hastings, this state; and Emeline, who is the
wife of Emmet Jones, of Detroit. The public schools of Muskegon
afforded Gilbert A. Coutchie his early education, and when he was
fourteen years of age he began to assist in the work of his father's
blacksmith shop, the summer seasons having been for a number
of years given by him to the "dogging" of logs and pulling rafts in
connection with the great lumber industry then centered in Muskegon. As a youth he followed work at the blacksmith trade and
also worked at carriage painting. For a time he conducted a shoe
store, but his major success has been gained through his extended
activities in the real estate business, of which he has here been a
prominent and influential representative during a period of fully
twenty years. He is one of the progressive and liberal citizens
of his native city and takes vital interest in all that concerns its
welfare and advancement. He is an influential member of the
Muskegon Chamber of Commerce, is a Democrat in politics and is
a charter member of the local lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. In 1886 was solemnized the marriage of
Mr. Coutchie to Miss Edith Enright, who was born in the city of
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but who was a child at the time when her
parents established the family home in Muskegon. Mr. and Mrs.
Coutchie are popular in the social circles of their home city, where
they were reared and educated, where their marriage occurred,
and where their circle of friends is coincident with that of their acquaintances. They have two sons: Raymond V., who lives in
Hollywood, California, and Kenneth G., who lives in Salinas,
California.
Lyman T. Covell, sheriff of Muskegon county, assumed this
office January 1, 1925, and in the same is proving his capacity for
effective service and for maintaining at their best the traditions
and efficiency that have made the office one of admirable record
in his native county. Mr. Covell was born in Whitehall, Muskegon
county, October 2, 1887, and is a son of David W. and Lucinda
(Gregson) Covell, the former of whom was born at Bentley Creek,
Pennsylvania, October 21, 1857, and the latter in the state of
Indiana, February 17, 1866. David W. Covell was about eight
years old when he came with an older brother to Muskegon county
in 1865 and here he continued his studies in the public schools at
Whitehall until he had completed the work of the ninth grade. He
became prominently concerned in the extensive lumbering operations of this section of the state, worked in the lumber camps
and thus gained practical experience, besides having served as superintendent of the sawmills operated by the firm of A. J. and C. E.
Covell, and having been also for a number of years similarly en



HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


141


gaged at the Staple & Covell mills. He finally engaged in business as an expert in the tallying of timber and he did in this line
a large amount of effective service in connection with the distributing of logs to different mills. In 1887 he purchased and established
his residence on a farm near Whitehall and there he continued as
one of the substantial and progressive exponents of agricultural
and live stock enterprise in Muskegon county until 1917, when
he sold his farm and removed to North Muskegon, that place having continued as his home until his death, January 1, 1920, his
wife being now a resident of North Muskegon. David W. Covell
was a loyal and sterling citizen who ever commanded unqualified
confidence and esteem, was a Republican in political adherency,
was prominently affiliated with local organizations of the Masonic
fraternity, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights
of Pythias and at Whitehall both he and his wife were active communicants of the Protestant Episcopal church. David W. Covell
is survived by eight children: Maude, Andrew J., Lyman T.,
Luella, David W., Jr., Lawrence G., Alvin L. and Marvin. The
present sheriff of Muskegon county continued to attend the public schools of Whitehall until he had completed the work of the
sophomore year in high school and in 1913, at the age of sixteen
years, he entered the employ of the Chicago & North Western
railroad, his association with railroad service having continued
two years, and he having thereafter passed two years in the west.
He then returned to his native county and took a position in the
Balbirnie undertaking establishment in Muskegon, he having
learned all details of this line of business and having finally become
a licensed embalmer. He continued his association with this concern until the nation became involved in the Mexican border
troubles in 1916, when he joined Company G, Thirty-second Michigan Infantry stationed at El Paso, Texas. This later became
Company L, One Hundred and Twenty-sixth Infantry, Thirty-second Division, at Waco, Texas. He was with his command in camp at
McArthur, Texas, for some time, and after the border difficulties
had been adjusted he received his honorable discharge. Soon afterward, however, he re-enlisted for service in the same division, in
connection with the World war. In February, 1918, he accompanied his command to the stage of conflict overseas, landed at
Brest, France, and was in active service overseas during a period
of eight months. He was then returned to the United States under
assignment to the service as bayonet instructor and he was thus
with the Tenth Infantry at Camp Custer until January 19, 1919,
when he received his honorable discharge. He saw arduous service
in the front lines and gained several medals denoting his skill and
gallantry, the citation in reports of the American Expeditionary
Forces, the French Croix de Guerre, the Belgian Decoration of the
Cross of the Order of Leopold and a personal letter from King
Albert of Belgium. After his return home he resumed his position with the undertaking concern in Muskegon and January 1,




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


1924, his name was presented in connection with the Republican
nomination for the office of sheriff.  He received the primary
nomination and his popularity in his home county led to the rolling up of a large majority in his fator at the ensuing regular election, November 4, 1924, his assumption of his official duties as
sheriff having taken place January 1, 1925. It is interesting to
record that the Covell family made a splendid record of patriotism
in connection with the World war, Sheriff Covell and three of his
brothers having been in active service overseas. The sheriff is a
stalwart Republican, he and his wife hold membership in the Congregational church, his Masonic affiliations thus far are with
Whitehall Lodge, No. 130, A. F. & A. M., and Muskegon Chapter,
No. 47, R. A. M., and he is actively identified also with the
American Legion. October 20, 1918, was marked by the marriage
of Mr. Covell to Miss Bessie Simonson, of Whitehall, and their
one child, Florence May, was born August 14, 1920.
Charles Marion Cramblet, the popular assistant postmaster of
the city of Muskegon, was born at Newport, Minnesota, August
15, 1880, and is a son of the late Rev. Samuel M. and Jennie (Sinnett) Cramblet, the father having been a clergyman of the Baptist
church. The subject of this review was the fifth in order of birth
in a family of nine children, all of whom survive the honored
parents and two of whom are residents of Muskegon Heights,
Michigan, John Albert and Miss Mabel, the latter of whom is a
successful and popular teacher in the public schools. Charles M.
Cramblet was a lad of about nine years at the time when the
family home was established in Muskegon, where his father served
three years as pastor of the First Baptist church, the present edifice of which was erected within his pastorate. Rev. Samuel M.
Cramblet held various other pastoral charges in the period from
1892 to 1900, in which latter year he returned to Muskegon county
and assumed the pastorate of the Baptist church at Muskegon
Heights, where he continued his earnest and effective service until
his death, which occurred when he was about sixty-five years of
age. After the return of the family to Muskegon county, Charles
M. Cramblet, whose youthful education had been obtained in the
public schools of the various places where his father held pastorates,
was for two years in the employ of the Pere Marquette railroad and
in October, 1902, he assumed a clerical position in the Muskegon
postoffice. Thirty days later he was transferred to the postoffice
at Muskegon Heights, and ten months thereafter he was returned
to the Muskegon office and assigned charge of the money-order
department. He continued his supervision of this department until
April 1, 1920, when he was advanced to his present office of assistant postmaster. In politics he supports men and measures rather
than being bound by strict partisan lines and he retains the religious faith in which he was reared, both he and his wife being
zealous members of the First Baptist church of Muskegon. In
July, 1907, Mr. Cramblet was united in marriage to Miss Bernice




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


143


Kesler, of Elkhart, Indiana, and they have two children, Marion K.
and Charles K.
Charles B. Cross has been engaged in the practice of law in
the city of Muskegon nearly forty years and is now one of the
veteran, honored and representative members of the bar of Muskegon county. He has long controlled a large and important law
business, and in addition to his private practice he has served two
terms as prosecuting attorney of the county and one term as city
attorney of Muskegon. Mr. Cross is a stalwart advocate of the
principles and policies of the Republican party, and he and his wife
hold membership in the Baptist church in their home city. He is
affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and is a loyal member and supporter of the
Muskegon Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Cross is a representative
of one of the sterling pioneer families of Tuscola county, Michigan, and
on the old homestead farm in Koylton township, that county, he
was born December 4, 1861. He is a son of Arthur and Sarah Ann
(Tenny) Cross, who continued their residence in Michigan until
their death and who are survived by four sons, of whom the subject of this review was the first in order of birth. Of the other
sons it is to be recorded that Lewis Dumen is a prosperous farmer
near Spring Lake, Ottawa county; that George Herbert is engaged in the practice of law in Muskegon; and that Ira Howard
is another of the representative farmers of the Spring Lake district
of Ottawa county. Charles B. Cross gained the greater part of
his early education by attending the public schools at Spring Lake,
he having been a child at the time of the family removal from
Tuscola county to Ottawa county. In preparation for his chosen
profession he completed a course in the law department of what
is now the great Valparaiso university at Valparaiso, Indiana.
In this institution he was graduated as a member of the class of
1887, thus receiving his degree of Bachelor of Laws, and soon after
he was admitted to the bar of his native state. He has been established in the general practice of his profession in Muskegon
since 1888, and has appeared in connection with much important
litigation in the various courts of this part of the state, the while
he has gained prestige as a resourceful and successful trial lawyer
and well fortified counselor. September 26, 1888, Mr. Cross was
united in marriage to Miss Myrtle Eva Hill, daughter of the late
Charles J. Hill, of Spring Lake, Ottawa county. Dr. Claude Lionel
Cross, eldest of the four children of this union, was graduated in
the department of dentistry at the University of Michigan and is
now engaged in the practice of his profession in the city of Detroit;
Arthur Gordon was twenty-three years of age at the time of his
death in April, 1922; Clarence Raymond and Elinor Myrtle, wife
of Van D. Dyer, of Muskegon.
Glenn Otis Currey had a novel idea, and the courage to back it.
Now he stands near the top of the list of Muskegon Heights' suc



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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


cessful and progressive business men. The jeers and gibes of his
friends may have hurt, but they didn't stop the onward progress
that he and his "Muskegon Heights Record" made. In this day
and age, it isn't uncommon for a farmer boy to "step up" in the
world, but in the not long distant past it was quite a task. Mr. Currey
was born on a farm in Watson township, Allegan county, Michigan,
on the 28th day of July, 1881, the son of James B. and Nellie E.
Currey. He trudged his way to the rural school from the age
of six to fifteen, finishing the regularly prescribed eighth grade
course. How many miles he walked over fields, muddy roads,
snowdrifts and ice in accumulating his grade school education,
even he doesn't know. But the hundreds of weary miles, and the
hundreds of long hours spent in traversing them, have paid him
big dividends in later life. At the age of fifteen he left the home
fireside to seek fame and fortune in the neighboring town of Hopkins, where he entered the printing trade in the weekly newspaper
office of that little commonwealth. After a year there, he hitched
his wagon to a higher star, going to Grand Rapids and continuing
his education and thirst for knowledge in the printing business.
After a short period in the western Michigan metropolis the travel
bug bit him, and for three years he wandered through the states
of the north and northwest. Chicago lured him and he worked
there for some time, two years of which he spent as foreman of
the Faithorn Printing Company, then, as now, one of the largest
railroad printing concerns in the whole country. During this time
he continually had a staff of from sixty to seventy men under his
orders. His work at the Faithorn office came to the notice of
the Shaw-Walker company of Muskegon, and in 1901 he came to
this city to work for the Shaw-Walker organization. The company
then was located in a building which stood at the corner of Western avenue where the Elks' Temple is now located. The printing
department moved shortly after to a small building near the Union
depot, and later into the building it now occupies. Twenty years
ago, in 1905, he left the Shaw-Walker employment, seeking and
finding a position in the shop of the Muskegon Chronicle. He
worked in this office less than a year before he was promoted to
the foremanship of the shop. At that time the Chronicle had two
linotype machines, and an old Duplex press, and only five men
working in the shop. At the end of Currey's sixteenth year there,
the office boasted seven linotypes, a Webb Perfecting press and
thirty employes. During the time of his foremanship at the
Chronicle, many great events took place. The elections of Taft,
Roosevelt and Wilson, the terrible Titanic disaster and the World
war were events of that period. In 1921, ignoring the advice of
his friends and co-workers, he left the Chronicle and began the
publication of the Heights Record, inaugurating an idea new to
western Michigan, the free distribution weekly. Chronicle workers
gave him three months to "go broke" with his new-fangled scheme,
but he had the courage of his convictions, following them to ad



HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


145


vantage. The first issue of the paper, on December 2, 1921, was
published in the basement of his home, 1008 Hoyt street, into which
he moved in 1913. The typesetting was all done by hand, as was
the presswork, on an old hand-press long since relegated to the
curiosities of yesteryear. On the Saturday following the first publication of the Record, he moved his newspaper "plant" into the
basement of the Taylor building-at Peck and Broadway. Until
February of the following year, the press work was all done by
hand, at which time a Lee cylinder press was put into operation.
The year after the installation of the press a Mergenthaler linotype
machine was ordered and put in. In 1923 three Gordon job presses
were installed, making the foundation for a commercial jobwork
business. The most costly and modern machine now included in
the shop equipment is the Duplex eight-page press, installed in
September, 1925. The Record office was moved from the Taylor
building to the basement of the new postoffice building across the
street in July of 1925. One of the best, if not the best, equipped
weekly newspaper plants in the state of Michigan is now boasted
for the Record. Currey was one of the organizers of the Heights
Board of Trade, and since its inception has been one of the moving
factors in it. With a few other progressive business men, he has
helped it over the rough spots and aided it in its advancement.
He was the first duly elected president of the organization, in 1921.
It was under his direction that the first annual Board of Trade
picnic was held. The picnic is now the biggest event of the year
for the Trade Board. Mr. and Mrs. Currey have two daughters,
Juanita and Elaine, both sophomores in the Muskegon Heights
high school.
Carroll Salem Daniels is the president and controlling stockholder of the Daniels company, which has developed in the city
of Muskegon a unique and prosperous business in the handling
of books, stationery and various other lines of merchandise, and
"the Gift Shop" that is conducted by Mr. Daniels has definite
popular appeal as shown by the substantial and representative
character of its supporting partonage. Mr. Daniels was born in
Kent county, Michigan, not far distant from the city of Grand
Rapids, and the date of his nativity was November 15, 1887. He
is a son of George B. and Mary (Booth) Daniels, and the other
three children are daughters, Mary, Nancie and Camilla. George
B. Daniels is now living retired in the city of Grand Rapids, after
many years of association with the lumber business, and his wife
is deceased. Carroll S. Daniels profited by the advantages of the
public schools of Grand Rapids and in 1910 he was graduated
from historic old Amherst college from which he received the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Thereafter he was for six years in the
service of R. G. Dun & Company, the great mercantile reporting
agency, and in 1917 he and John H. Reichardt, of Grand Haven,
opened in Muskegon a well equipped establishment under the title
of the Daniels, Book Shop, Inc. In 1920 this company discontinued




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


its original store after purchasing the stock and business of the
J. F. Boyd company at 353 West Western avenue, where the enterprise has since been successfully continued under the title of the
Daniels company. In 1922 Mr. Reichardt sold all but a small
amount of his interest to his associate, Mr. Daniels, who has since
maintained control of the business and who in that same year
opened "The Gift Shop," which has become one of the most attractive and popular of the retail establishments of Muskegon. He
is a loyal and valued member of the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce and the local Rotary club, is secretary of the Muskegon Y.
M. C. A., is a member of the Century and the Country clubs, and is
affiliated with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. His
political allegiance is given to the Republican party and he and
his wife are members of the Congregational church in their home
city. June 10, 1914, Mr. Daniels wedded Miss Augusta A. Warner,
of St. Johns, Clinton county, where her parents, Mr. and Mrs.
C. C. Warner, still reside. Mr. and Mrs. Daniels have two children,
Priscilla and Warner.
Emil F. Darsow, who is traffic manager of the Muskegon manufacturing plant of the Continental Motors Corporation, was born
at Watertown, Wisconsin, October 25, 1876, and is a son of William
Darsow, his parents having been residents of Wisconsin at the
time of their death. The subject of this review duly profited by
the advantages of the public schools of his native state and as a
youth he initiated his study of and active association with traffic
management. He served as rate clerk in the traffic department of
the Milwaukee Manufacturing Association and later was for a
number of years associated with the traffic affairs of the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie railroad. Since 1916 he has
held the position of traffic manager of the Muskegon manufactory
of the Continental Motors Corporation, of which he is an efficient
and valued executive. He is a member of the National Industrial
Traffic League, the Chicago Traffic Club, the Muskegon Chamber
of Commerce, the Century club in his home city and the local lodge
of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. His political support is given to the Republican party and he and his wife are communicants of the Catholic church. In the year 1900 was solemnized
the marriage of Mr. Darsow to Miss Margaret Rank, of Milwaukee,
and they have two sons, Clarence and Roland. The elder son is,
in 1925, a student in St. Ambrose college at Davenport, Iowa.
Rev. John Dolfin, the talented and honored pastor of Bethany
Christian Reformed church in the city of Muskegon, is the second
to be called to this charge, in which he has carried forward with
marked ability the admirable and constructive service of the first
pastoral incumbent, Rev. John W. Brink, whose retirement from the
local pastorate was followed by his engaging in successful missionary service in the state of New Mexico. Bethany church is
still young in years but has grown to be of large stature in com



HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


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munity service and in advancing the work of the Divine Master.
It was founded in the year 1903 and the original church edific, a
small structure of most modest order, has given place to one of
the largest and most modern and attractive church edifices in Muskegon. The spiritual and temporal activities of the parish have
been advanced with much success and with devotion and liberality
on the part of the members of the church. From an interesting
publication issued by the church in 1915 are taken the following
extracts: "Great things have been accomplished during the pastorate of Rev. John Dolfin. Material blessings have abounded, for
we have not only paid off the old debt on the church property but
have also been able to erect both a new church and a new parsonage, and our financial condition has been greatly improved.
To these things the Lord has added spiritual blessings in plenty, for
our number has greatly increased, God's people have been built
up in the faith, and many have come to confess Him as their Lord
and Savior. * * * May Rev. Mr. Dolfin remain with us for
yet many years, and may 'Bethany' ever be for him a place of
rest." Rev. John Dolfin was born in the city of Lafayette, Indiana,
September 17, 1880, and is a son of Bart and Dora (Vander Kolk)
Dolfin, who are now deceased. His early education was acquired
in the public schools of his native city, and that he early determined
to consecrate himself to the work of the ministry is indicated by
the statement that he was but sixteen years of age when he became
a student in Calvin College and Theological Seminary at Grand
Rapids, Michigan. In this noble institution he was graduated as
a member of the class of 1903 and his ordination as a clergyman
of the English-Speaking Reformed church at Englewood, New
his graduation. His first year of ministry was in home missionary
work, and it is interesting to record that prior to his ordination and
while still a student, he delivered the first English sermon in the
First Christian Reformed church of Muskegon, in the interests of
those who were here preparing to form the new English-speaking
parish that eventually became that of Bethany church, of which
he is now the pastor. This initial Muskegon sermon was delivered
by him May 3, 1903. In 1904 Mr. Dolfin accepted the pastorate
of the English-speaking Reformed church at Engelwood, New
Jersey, where he continued his fruitful service until August, 1909,
on the thirteenth of which month he assumed his present pastoral
charge in Muskegon. Here his service has been one of consecrated zeal and devotion, marked by fine intellectual powers and
also by the executive ability that makes for temporal progress and
prosperity. From the publication that gave the quotations already appearing in this review, are taken also the following statements: "The good work of Rev. J. W. Brink was ably and diligently continued by Rev. John Dolfin, and the little twig of God's
planting, which was tenderly nurtured by the former, has been
fostered and reared by the latter to the full maturity and strength
of the sturdy oak." Mr. Dolfin has made his influence one of be



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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


nignance in connection with general civic affairs in the community,
is a forceful and eloquent pulpit orator, and his administration as
pastor of Bethany church has been attended with the fullest
measure of success.
J. Arthur Dratz, who is now living virtually retired in his native
city of Muskegon, was graduated in the law department of the
University of Michigan as a member of the class of 1896. He
found it expedient, however, to turn his attention to mercantile
enterprise rather than to follow the profession for which he had
thus prepared himself. In Muskegon he became associated with
his eldest brother, J. George Dratz, in the opening of a well ordered
general merchandise establishment. Under the firm name of J.
George Dratz Company this business was successfully continued by
the two brothers until 1920, when they made an advantageous sale
of the stock and business. Since that year the subject of this review has lived virtually retired, though he gives careful supervision
to his various capitalistic and property interests. He is a member of the board of directors of the National Lumberman's bank,
is vice-president of the Muskegon Trust company, is a director
of the Muskegon Building & Loan Association, and the year 1925
finds him in service as treasurer of the Muskegon Chamber of
Commerce, through the medium of which he gives effective expression to his unbounded civic loyalty and progressivness. He is
secretary of the Muskegon Community Chest, is chairman of the
board of directors of the Muskegon Young Men's Christian Association, and is a director of the Muskegon county chapter of the
American Red Cross. These varied connections imply that the word
"retired" is hardly to be applied in a consistent way to this well
known and highy esteemed citizen of Muskegon. He is a member of the local Kiwanis club and also the Century club, is a popular member of Muskegon Lodge of Elks. His political alignment
is in the ranks of the Democratic party, and he and his wife hold
membership in the Congregational church. Mr. Dratz was born
in Muskegon, March 1, 1875, and is a son of the late John and
Johanna C. (Haisch) Dratz, who were honored pioneer citizens
of Muskegon at the time of their death and who are survived by all
of their nine children; J. George, eldest of the children, is now
living retired in the city of Los Angeles, California; J. Arthur, of
this sketch, was the next in order of birth; Paul A. is a resident of
Chicago, as is also Herman O.; Luis still maintains his home in
Muskegon; Ferdinand is a resident of Missoula, Montana; Edward A. resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Emma (Mrs. Richard
H. Browne) resides in Muskegon; and Elsa (Mrs. David Minard)
is a resident of the city of Chicago. The late John Dratz was a
resident of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, prior to coming to Muskegon,
and it was in the Wisconsin metropolis that his marriage was
solemnized, his wife having been born in Germany. He came to
Muskegon in the early sixties when this place was the stage of
great lumbering operations and here he engaged in the clothing




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


149


business as a member of the firm of Callan & Dratz. He long
held prestige as one of the leading merchants of this city, and was
a citizen who commanded unqualified popular esteem. The public schools of Muskegon afforded J. Arthur Dratz his early education, which included the discipline of the high school, and of
his activities since he was graduated in the law department of the
University of Michigan adequate record has already been given in
this sketch. In 1899 was solemnized his marriage to Miss Grace
L. Cook, daughter of the late Francis W. Cook, who was long a
leading member of the Muskegon county bar and who gave effective service as mayor of Muskegon. Mr. and Mrs. Dratz have
three children: Francis A., Paul F. and Barbara. The family is
one of prominence in the representative social life of Muskegon.
Mr. Dratz is at present a member of the city commission of the
city of Muskegon, elected in November, 1922, and by virtue of that
office is a member of the County Board of Supervisors.
Alonzo E. Dunn is a recognized authority in the manufacturing
of gas for commercial and domestic purposes and to him the city
of Muskegon Heights is primarily indebted for the excellent service here given by the Muskegon Heights Gas company, of which
he was the organizer and of which he has been the president from
the time of its incorporation. Mr. Dunn was born at Dunnville,
province of Ontario, Canada, December 10, 1858, and is a son of
Hiram and Margaret (Cottrell) Dunn, the former of whom was
born at Dunnville, Canada, and the latter of whom was born in
the state of New Jersey. In the year 1863 Hiram Dunn removed
with his family to St. Johns, judicial center of Clinton county,
Michigan, where he passed the remainder of his life, his active
career having been marked by close and effective application of
the trade of blacksmith, in which he was a specially skillful artisan.
He was affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and he and his wife
were earnest communicants of the Protestant Episcopal church.
The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Hiram Dunn were seven in
number: Dr. Frank, William, Alonzo E., George H., Charles L.
and the daughters Georgiana and Annetta, both of whom are deceased. Alonzo E. Dunn was a lad of five years at the time of
the family removal to St. Johns, Michigan, where he was reared
to adult age and where his public school discipline included that of
the high school. As a youth he learned the blacksmith trade under
the effective direction of his father and for many years he followed
his trade in St. Johns. After having served as under-sheriff of
Clinton county he was elected sheriff, an office which he retained
during the period of 1894-98. He finally went to the city of Chicago, Illinois, and took a position with the Practical Gas Constructing company, with which he was associated two years, in
charge of installing gas plants.  He was later allied with the
American Gas Construction company and in this connection he
was concerned in the installing of gas plants in fifty-six different
cities of the United States. In 1917 Mr. Dunn independently built




:


150            HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY
and placed in operation a modern gas plant at Muskegon Heights,
and for this purpose he organized the Muskegon Heights Gas Company, of which he has since continued the executive head. In the
original installation ten miles of gas mains were laid and the system now has eighteen miles of mains, the plant, equipment and
service being of the best metropolitan standard and the enterprise
being of major importance as an addition to the public utilities of
Muskegon Heights. Mr. Dunn is president and general manager
of the company, and his son, Robert H., is its secretary, Frank Holt
being treasurer of the company. Mr. Dunn has made a most valuable contribution to the advancement of local progress and prosperity and is one of the liberal and public spirited citizens in his
community. Local appreciation of his character, ability and civic
loyalty was shown in his election to the office of mayor of Muskegon
Heights, a position in which he gave a characteristically vigorous
and progressive administration. He is an influential member of
the Chamber of Commerce and was one of the organizers of the
local Board of Trade in 1920, he being one of the leaders in the
affairs of this body. Mr. Dunn is a staunch advocate and supporter of the principles of the Republican party. He and his wife
are communicants of the Protestant Episcopal. church and he is a
Knight Templar. On the first of January, 1884, was solemnized
the marriage of Mr. Dunn to Miss Alice Smith, of St. Johns,
Michigan, and they have three children:    Robert H. was
graduated in the University of Wisconsin with the degree of Bachelor of Arts and thereafter he was for two years a student in the
law department of the University of Michigan. He was in service
with the United States navy in the World war period and gained
the rank of ensign. He is now secretary of the Muskegon Heights
Gas Company, as previously noted. R. Glen Dunn, the second
son, likewise attended the University of Wisconsin and the law
department of the University of Michigan, he being now engaged in
law practice at, Muskegon. Margaret, the only daughter, was
graduated in the University of Michigan with the degree of Bachelor of Arts and thereafter she completed a post-graduate course
of one year in the University of Wisconsin and another of equal
duration in Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois. She is
the wife of J. E. McNeney and resides in Lansing, Michigan.
R. Glen Dunn.-There have been no subtleties or esoteric
phases in the career of this representative young member of the Muskegon county bar. He has proved his value in connection with all matters
to which he has directed his energies, including his World war
service as a member of the United States navy, and his has been
rapid and significant advancement in his profession, as is evident
when it is noted that he initiated the practice of law in 1919 and is
now prosecuting attorney of Muskegon county, to which office he
was elected in November, 1924, and the duties of which he assumed January 1, 1925, after having previously served four years
as assistant prosecuting attorney, a position to which he had been




R. GLEN 1 DUNN








HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


151


appointed in 1921 and his record in which marked him as a most
eligible candidate for the office in which he is now serving with
characteristic vigor and resourcefulness. Mr. Dunn was born in
the city of St. Johns, judicial center of Clinton county, Michigan,
August 28, 1892, and is a son of Alonzo E. and Alice E. (Smith)
Dunn, the other two children being Robert H., who is secretary
of the Muskegon Heights Gas Company, and Marguerite, who is the
wife of John MacEnany, of Lansing, Michigan. Alonzo E. Dunn
is now president and general manager of the Muskegon Heights
Gas company, and is one of the honored and influential citizens of
Muskegon county. He is a staunch Republican and he and his
wife hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal church. R.
Glen Dunn received his earlier education in the public schools of his
native city of St. Johns, and prior to entering the law department
of the University of Michigan he had been for a time a student in
the University of Wisconsin, in the fair capital city of that state.
When the nation entered the World war Mr. Dunn volunteered for
service in the United States navy, in which he was assigned to
duty at the torpedo station at Newport, Rhode Island, he having
later been transferred to the merchant marine service on vessels
plying between eastern ports of the United States and various
Mexican ports. After he had completed a course in the naval
officers training school he was commissioned ensign and finally
he was transferred to service as executive officer of the naval station on the great municipal pier in the city of Chicago. He received his honorable discharge in June, 1919, and he then resumed
his studies in the law department of the University of Michigan, in
which he was graduated as a member of the class of that year and
from which he received his degree of Bachelor of Laws.  Mr.
Dunn was a member of the University of Michigan football team two
years during his law course. During 1917, while at torpedo station he played with the "Cupid Blacks," All-American Second
Naval District team, which won the service championship in that
year. He was admitted to the bar of his native state in September,
1919, and early in 1920 he entered the active practice of his profession in Muskegon as a member of the law firm of Bunker, Rogoski
& Dunn. In the following year he was appointed assistant prosecuting attorney of the county, of which position he continued the
incumbent until he assumed the office of prosecuting attorney, to
which he was elected in November, 1924, as candidate on the Republican ticket. He resides at Muskegon Heights, where also he
is vice-president of the Muskegon Heights Gas company. He is
a stalwart in the local camp of the Republican party. He and his
wife hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal church and he
is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, in which he has received
the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite, besides being a
Noble of the Mystic Shrine. His fraternal alliances include also his
membership in the American Legion, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Loyal Order of Moose. June 17, 1918,




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


was marked by the marriage of Mr. Dunn to Miss Dorothy Chessman, of Muskegon, and they have two children, Alice and R. Glen,
Jr., a third child, Frank F., having died in infancy.
G. Adolph Duttenhofer is a prominent and enterprising exponent of the motor car industry of Muskegon, where he is president
of the Western Auto company which here has the agency for Ford
cars. The company has large and well equipped sales and display
rooms and also a well ordered service department, in connection
with which are carried a full line of accessories and supplies for the
omnipresent Ford automobile. Mr. Duttenhofer was born in the
city of Ann Arbor, Michigan, August 4, 1878, and is a son of Christian and Gotleib (Schuh) Duttenhofer, both of whom are now
deceased. Of the six children two sons and three daughters are
living, the other son being Emanuel M., of Whitehall, Michigan,
and the daughters are Mrs. A. H. Coors, Mrs. U. C. Towers and
Mrs. M. C. Armstrong. G. Adolph Duttenhofer was a child at the
time of the family removal to Muskegon county, and after having
profited by the public schools of Whitehall, this county; he pursued a course of study at Ferris Institute at Big Rapids, Michigan.
For eleven years thereafter he was associated with Hirth Krause
company, a prominent concern in the wholesale shoe business in
Grand Rapids, and with this company he made a record of a long
and successful service as a traveling salesman. In 1912 Mr. Duttenhofer opened in Muskegon an agency for the Ford automobile
and he has continued in this enterprise to the present time, the business having expanded to one of broad scope and being conducted
under the title of the Western Auto company. Mr. Duttenhofer
is thus the founder of the company of which he is president, and
the affairs of which he has conducted with characteristic vigor and
progressiveness. He is an active and valued member of the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce, is a Knight Templar Mason, is
affiliated with the lodge of Elks, and is also a member of Century
club, Country club and Muskegon Rotary club. He holds membership in the Methodist church. February 6, 1917, Mr. Duttenhofer
married Miss May Holte, a daughter of N. T. Holte, of Elmdale,
North Dakota. Mr. and Mrs. Duttenhofer are popular members of
the representative social circles of their home city.
John R. Edelman has the technical knowledge and skill and the
executive ability that have enabled him to achieve large success
and high reputation in his chosen sphere of activity, and as a general contractor in construction work he is a leader in Muskegon
county, especially in connection with road building, concrete construction and laying cement sidewalks. As one of the vital and
progressive business men of Muskegon he is entitled to specific
recognition in this publication. Mr. Edelman was born in Hamburg, Germany, September 20, 1877, and is a son of Karl and
Augusta (Albers) Edelman, the latter of whom died in Germany
and the former of whom passed the closing period of his life in




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


153


Muskegon, Michigan. Karl Edelman was a skilled carpenter and
builder and he was long engaged in the work of his trade in his
native land. In 1903 he came to Muskegon, where he passed the
remainder of his life in the home of his son, John R., of this review. The excellent schools of Germany afforded John R. Edelman his early education, and in the meanwhile he gained no little
experience in work at the carpenter's trade, through association
with his father's business. At the age of fifteen years, in 1893, he
came with his uncle, William Edelman, to the United States where
both became associated with construction work in connection with
the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. In the western
metropolis he thereafter was in the employ of J. Laird, a contractor, until 1898 when he enlisted for service as a soldier in the
Spanish-American war. He became a private in Troop A, Third
United States Cavalry and with this command was stationed
in Tampa, Florida, during the greater part of his period of service.
After receiving his honorable discharge Mr. Edelman returned
to Chicago, where he continued his association with contracting
enterprises until 1901, when he came to Muskegon.  Here he was
for three years associated with the contracting operations of L. H.
Kanitz, and he then initiated independent work as a contractor
but with such meager success that he "went broke" as the colloquial
expression has it. He then passed a year in Chicago, whence he
returned to Muskegon at the expiration of that period and formed
a partnership with Patrick J. Connell in the contracting business.
Since 1917 he has been independently engaged in this line of enterprise and he has built up a very substantial and important business. He had had extensive contracts in connection with the construction of Michigan state highways and has laid fully sixty per
cent of the concrete street paving and concrete sidewalks at Muskegon and Muskegon Heights. His brother, William, has proved
his valued assistant and is superintendent of the road building department of the business. Mr. Edelman is vice-president and
treasurer of the Olson Coal company, a director of the Antlers
Cafe, and a director of the Muskegon Building Material company.
He is a member of the Michigan Good Roads Association and of
the Michigan General Contractors Association. His political alignment is. with the Republican party and he is affiliated with the
Masonic fraternity, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks,
and the United States-Spanish War Veterans. March 5, 1902, Mr.
Edelman was united in marriage to Miss Amber Bean, who was
born in Cedar Creek township, Muskegon county, on the old Nelson farm and who is representative of one of the sterling families
of this county. Mr. and Mrs. Edelman have one son, Byron.
Ernest P. Eimer is one of the veteran optometrists of Michigan
and one whose influence has been large in advancing the interests
of the profession of which he is an honored representative in the
city of Muskegon. Mr. Eimer was born at Bay Mill, Laketon
township, Muskegon county, Michigan, August 5, 1866, and is the




154


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


son of the late Frank and Magdaline Eimer who were pioneers in
Muskegon county, Michigan. The other three children of the
family are daughters: Helen F., Bertha C. and Anna C. Pray of
Santa Fe, New Mexico. The public schools of Muskegon, Michigan, constituted the medium through which the subject of this
review gained his youthful education. He is a graduate of both the
McCormick Medical college of Chicago and the Spencer Optical
Institute of New York and in 1902 took a post-graduate course
in the Carnot Optique Institute in the city of Paris, France.  In
1886 Mr. Eimer engaged in the optical business in Muskegon and
since 1902 he has given his exclusive attention to his profession
and the general optical business. He is recognized as one of the
leading optometrists in the United States and has been zealous in
his efforts to raise the standard of his profession. In 1907 he was
the author of a bill introduced in Michigan legislature by Honorable Jerome Turner and this was ably championed although it
failed to reach enactment. This bill made provisions for the regulation of optometry and required practicing optometrists to meet
definite preliminary educational standards and in addition by requiring them to successfully pass a state board examination before being permitted to practice. In 1909 this bill was re-introduced in the legislature by Honorable Charles Giles, of Muskegon,
a representative in the lower house and on this occasion the bill
passed both House and Senate. Upon the enactment of this law,
Mr. Eimer was appointed a member of the Michigan Board of Examiners in Optometry by Governor Fred M. Warner under the
provisions of the law and has been secretary since and an active
leader in an educational way. His professional prominence is
further indicated in his being secretary of the Michigan Society of
Optometrists, the organization of which he had directed September
16, 1896, and the office of secretary of which he has since retained
through successive re-elections. In 1921 the Northern Illinois College of Ophthalmology and Otology, recognizing the high educational qualifications possessed by Ernest Eimer, conferred upon
him the degree of Doctor of Optometry. Mr. Eimer is first vicepresident of the International Boards of Examiners in Optometry,
a member of the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce, thirty-second
degree Mason and the oldest living officer of the Muskegon Lodge
No. 274, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, of which he is
a charter member. He is also a member of St. Paul's Episcopal
church of Muskegon.
Charles W. Elliott has been a resident of Muskegon county
more than forty years, and has been associated with various lines
of industry, including farm enterprise, and he now conducts a
prosperous business in the handling of grain, flour, hay and feed on
his farm. Mr. Elliott was born in the province of Ontario, Canada,
February 13, 1859, and is a son of Albert and Mary (Scott) Elliott,
both likewise natives of that province, where the former was born
in 1824 and the latter in 1831, their marriage having been sol



HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


155


emnized in 1846, and the children of this union having been eleven
in number. The father followed the shoemaker's trade during his
entire business career. In 1862 he engaged in the work of his trade
at Hudson, Wisconsin, and in 1867 he returned to Ontario and
established the family home at St. Catherines, where he remained
until 1882, when he engaged in business in Muskegon, Michigan.
His wife died here in 1903 and in the following year he returned to
Ontario, where he passed the remainder of his life, his death having there occurred in the city of Hamilton in 1906. 'He and his
wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. He was
an active member of the Orangemen's organization at St. Catherines, and while in Michigan he gave his political support to the
Republican party. Charles W. Elliott attended the public schools
at St. Catherine's until he was fifteen years of age, and he learned
the shoemaker's trade under the direction of his father. After
leaving school he assisted in work in connection with the construction of the Wellington canal and in 1880 he went to the state of
New York where his marriage occurred and whence he soon afterward came with his young wife to Muskegon. From 1882 to 1885
he was here employed at the factory of the old Muskegon Carriage
& Engine company and thereafter he was with the Muskegon
Booming Company until 1888, when he became associated with
the Standard Malleable Iron company. In 1891 he took a position
with the Shaw Electric Crane company, with which he remained
until 1902. He was next employed about one year at the Muskegon
factory of the Grand Rapids Desk Company and from 1903 to 1906
he conducted a boot and shoe shop on Pine street. He was employed for some time by the county road commission, and from
1908 to 1920 he was a valued and efficient member of this important
commission, he having been chairman of the board during seven
of his twelve years of service. In 1909 he established his home on
his farm in Muskegon township and since 1918 he has been engaged in the grain, flour, hay and feed business. His political support is given to the Republican party, he is affiliated with the
Masonic fraternity and the Odd Fellows, and he and his wife hold
membership in the Methodist Episcopal church. May 3; 1882, at
Salamanca, New York, Mr. Elliott was united in marriage to Miss
Nellie Nickerson and their one child, Charles H., Jr., was born
January 14, 1889.
Isaac R. Ellison has made a record of successful achievement in
the modern municipal office of city manager and in adopting the
city manager system of government Muskegon was specially fortunate in gaining the interposition and constructive service of Mr.
Ellison. Mr. Ellison was born in the city of Louisville, Kentucky,
May 15, 1885, and is a son of David and Emma Ellison, both representatives of the staunchest of Scotch ancestry. David Ellison is
deceased and his widow now resides at Louisville.  Of the five
children the other two survivors are Mrs. Lily Woolridge and Mrs.
Harry Yeast, both of whom still maintain their residence in Louis



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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


ville. After his graduation in the high school in his native city
Isaac R. Ellison completed a course in a well-ordered electrical
school at Bargetown, New York, and in 1912 he was graduated in
the Tri-State College of Engineering at Angola, Indiana. In 1913
he was appointed city manager of Eaton Rapids, Michigan, where
he remained until 1915, from which year until 1920 he held a similar
office at Grand Haven, this state. With a record of discerning
and progressive accomplishment in this important field of service
Mr. Ellison was called in 1920 to the office of city manager of
Muskegon, and here his work has been such as to justify most
fully his selection for this position. Under his vigorous administration has been carried forward a splendid program of municipal
improvements in Muskegon, and he has formulated careful plans
and specifications for a still greater program of progressive movements making for the civic and material advancement of the
"Greater Muskegon," this municipal scheme as outlined being
made to cover a period of five years, and its results being assuredly
of great and enduring value to the city and its people. Mr. Ellison
is a Republican in political alignment. He and his wife hold membership in the Congregational church, and he is affiliated with the
Masonic fraternity and the Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks. In July, 1912, was solemnized his marriage to Miss Florence
Martin, whose home was in southern Indiana, and the two children
of this union are Jack Martin and Barbara Jane.
Frederick O. Engle was born in Muskegon, May 4, 1883, and
that he has found in his native city ample opportunity for successful business enterprise is shown in his ownership of one of the
well ordered meat markets that give excellent purveyance to the
people of this thriving community, his well equipped establishment
being at 1047 Washington avenue. Mr. Engle is a son of Martin
and Mary Engle, both natives of Norway, where the former was
born in 1844 and the latter in 1847. The parents were reared and
educated in their native land, where their marriage was solemnized
and whence they came to the United States in 1867. They thus
became early settlers at North Muskegon, where Martin Engle
found employment in connection with the lumber mills, his alliance
with this line of industry having continued until 1900, when he
engaged in the real estate business, a line of enterprise that continued to engage his attention until his death in 1911, the death of
his wife having occurred in 1898.  The other two children of
the family being William A. and John E., both residents of Muskegon. Martin Engle became a loyal supporter of the cause of the
Republican party, was affiliated with the Knights of the Maccabees,
and both he and his wife were communicants of the Norwegian
Lutheran church. In the public schools of Muskegon, Frederick
O. Engle continued his studies until he was fourteen years of age,
and during the ensuing two years he was here in the employ of the
Stewart-Hartshorn company. He and his brother then opened a
meat market on Washington avenue and in the conducting of the




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


157


same he continued to be associated until 1904, when he sold his
interest and removed to Chicago, where he continued to be employed until 1919, when he returned to Muskegon and formed a
partnership with A. Kramberg in the conducting of a meat market
on Houston avenue. In January, 1922, he sold his interest to his
partner and opened his present market, in which he has gained a
substantial and representative supporting patronage.  In 1924 was
solemnized his marriage to Mrs. Anna Jackson, of Hart, Oceana
county, and their pleasant home is in Fruitport township.
Edward C. Evans is one of the energetic, reliable and enterprising business men of Muskegon, where is the proprietor of the
Evans Dyeing & Cleaning House, which is thoroughly modern in
equipment and general facilities and the excellent service of which
has gained to it a substantial and appreciative supporting patronage. Mr. Evans was born in the city of Chicago, Illinois, in the
year 1876, a son of Firma and Rill Evans. There he continued his
studies in the public schools until his graduation in the high school,
and his initial business experience was in connection with the
dry cleaning business, to which he has continued to give his attention during the intervening years. He has been employed in
leading establishments in various eastern states, and in 1918 he
came to Muskegon and established his present business, his cleaning and dyeing plant being maintained at the best modern standard. He has applied himself closely to business and every detail
of the work of his establishment comes under his careful supervision. In politics Mr. Evans supports the Republican party and
he is affiliated with the Moose fraternal order. In 1918 Mr. Evans
married Miss Josie Roberts, of Plymouth, Illinois, and it was in
that year that they established their permanent home in Muskegon,
where they have won a wide circle of friends.
William Leonard Eyke is one of the prominent figures in the
industrial circles of the city of Muskegon, where he is president of
the Rodgers Boiler & Burner company. Mr. Eyke was born in
Muskegon, April 24, 1889, and is a son of Leonard and Mary
(Hockaday) Eyke, the former of whom was born in the Netherlands province of Zeeland in 1843, and the latter of whom was born
in Devonshire, England, in 1847. Leonard Eyke was still a youth
at the time when the family came to the United States and established a home in Muskegon, in the pioneer days. In the public
schools of this place he supplemented the discipline he had received
in his native land. He was actively associated with lumbering operations in Muskegon and vicinity for many years, and eventually
became one of the substantial business men and influential citizens
of Muskegon, where he served eight years as city treasurer and
two years as mayor. Here he lived retired during the latter years
of his long and useful life, and he was one of the honored pioneer
citizens of Muskegon at the time of his death in 1917, his venerable
widow being still a resident of this city, where their marriage was


I I




158


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


solemnized and where they early became zealous members of the
First Congregational church. Leonard Eyke completed the circle
of both the York and Scottish Rites of the Masonic fraternity. He
was a noble of the Mystic Shrine and was one of the most honored
members of the Muskegon lodge of Elks. His other surviving
children are Samuel C. and John P. In the public schools of Muskegon, William L. Eyke continued his studies until his graduation
in the high school in 1906 and thereafter he completed a course
in the engineering department of the University of Michigan, in
which he was graduated as a member of the class of 1910 and with
the degree of Bachelor of Civil Engineering. During the ensuing
thirteen years he held the position of assistant engineer of the
Muskegon Boiler Works, and in 1923 he purchased from Lincoln
Rodgers, present postmaster of Muskegon, the latter's interest in
the Rodgers Boiler and Burner Company, as president of which he
has since directed the business with characteristic ability and progressiveness, so that he has standing as one of the representative
captains of industry in his native city. He is a Democrat in political allegiance, is an active member of the Muskegon Chamber of
Commerce and the Exchange club and in the time honored Masonic
fraternity he has received the thirty-second degree of the Ancient
Accepted Scottish Rite, his maximum York Rite affiliation being
with Muskegon Commandery of Knights Templar. In 1911 Mr.
Eyke was united in marriage to Miss Adelaide Andrews, of Muskegon, and they have three children: Mary, Adelaide, William
Charles and Dorothy.
Edward C. Farmer has the vitality and technical ability that
make for success and consecutive advancement in the practice of
law, and his record in his profession marks him as one of the representative members of the bar of Muskegon county, at whose judicial
center and metropolis, the city of Muskegon, he has been engaged
in practice since 1911, save for the period of his service in the department of the judge advocate general of the United States army
at Camp Upton, New York, in 1918, where he remained with the
rank of first lieutenant until the armistice brought the World war
to a close and he was in due course accorded his honorable discharge. Mr. Farmer was born at Fairfield, Iowa, August 20, 1889,
and is a son of Samuel C. Farmer, Jr., and Anna Cora (Campbell)
Farmer, who established their residence in Muskegon, Michigan,
in 1905, and who here passed the remainder of their lives, the death
of the father having occurred November 22, 1923, and that of the
mother on the twenty-fifth of December, 1917, the other surviving
child being a daughter, Elizabeth. Samuel C. Farmer, Jr., was
born in the state of Virginia and his wife was born in Pennsylvania.
He became prominently concerned with civic and business interests in Muskegon, where he was an executive with the BrowneMorse company at the time of his death. In the Muskegon high
school Edward C. Farmer was graduated as a member of the class
of 1908 and in 1911 he was graduated in the law department of the




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


159


University of Michigan. After this, receiving his degree of Bachelor of Laws, with virtually coincident admission to the Michigan
bar, he returned to Muskegon and entered the law office of Judge
Stephen H. Clink, with whom he continued to be associated in
practice until 1920, he having since been engaged in practice in
an individual way and having developed a substantial and representative general law business. He served as city attorney in 1918
and in 1920 he was again called to this office, after Muskegon had
adopted the commission system   of municipal government.  He
has served as United States commissioner for this district continuously since 1912. Mr. Farmer is a director of the National Lumberman's Bank of Muskegon, of the Home Finance company, of the
Accuralite Company, of the Muskegon Citizens Loan and Investment
Company, of the Maring Wire Company, of the last three of which
he is likewise the secretary, and he is vice-president of Holton &
Company, engaged in the automobile finance business in the city
of Detroit. His political allegiance is given to the Democratic
party, and in his home city he is a member of the Century club.
November 17, 1917, was marked by the marriage of Mr. Farmer
to Miss Beatrice Campbell, daughter of John and Florence Campbell, her father having been one of the prominent representatives
of the lumber industry in this section of Michigan at the time when
that industry was one of major importance here.  Mr. and Mrs.
Farmer have three sons, Edward C., Jr., Samuel C., third, and
John Campbell.
Harry A. Fitzjohn is a progressive young business man who
effectively "did his bit" of constructive and patriotic service in the
period of the nation's participation in the World war, during which
he held the important position of production manager at the great plant
of the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company, Dayton, Ohio, and there
speeded the production of aircraft for the government war service.
He continued in this service nearly a year after the armistice had
brought a close to the war, and it was shortly after his retirement from
such service, in the autumn of 1919, that he organized, at Muskegon,
Michigan, the Fitzjohn Manufacturing Company, of which he is the
president, and the well-equipped plant of which gives priority to the
manufacturing of coach bodies for the Reo Motor Car Company, of
Lansing, Michigan. Under the management of Mr. Fitzjohn the business has become one of substantial order and one that constitutes a
valuable contribution to the industrial precedence of Muskegon. Mr.
Fitzjohn was born in the city of Toledo, Ohio, June 21, 1889, and is
a son of A. and Sarah May (Fairchild) Fitzjohn, who still maintain
their home in that city, where the father is a retired publisher. The
other surviving children are Edward, Frank and Bertha, and one child
is deceased. 'Harry A. Fitzjohn applied himself to study in the public
schools of his native city until he had duly profited by the advantages
of the high school, and at the age of nineteen years he entered the
employ of the former Oakland Automobile Company, at Pontiac, Michigan. One year later, in 1910, he came to Muskegon, in the service




160


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


of the Hudson Motor Car Company, and in 1912 he became associated
with the Continental Motors Corporation, in the city of Detroit. In
1913 he was assigned by this corporation to the position of production
manager of its plants at Muskegon, and when the United States entered
the World war he was called into service as production manager of the
Dayton-Wright Airplane Company, as previously stated. Mr. Fitzjohn
is an active and progressive member of the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce and the local Kiwanis Club, besides being here a member of the
Century Club. His political allegiance is given to the Republican party,
and he is affiliated with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
April 11, 1912, he wedded Miss Pearl Fallon, daughter of J. K. Fallon,
of Muskegon, and the children of this union are four in number: Harry
A., Jr., Helen, Robert and Thomas.
Frederick L. Flanders, secretary, treasurer and general manager of the Muskegon Motor Specialties Company, has made a record
of successful achievement in connection with the automobile industry
and has held various executive positions of importance in this field of
enterprise. On the fine old homestead farm of his parents, near Watertown, Jefferson county, New York, Frederick L. Flanders was born,
and the date of his nativity was May 9, 1887. He is a son of Reuben
and Sarah (Clintsman) Flanders, of whose nine children only four are
now living. Reuben Flanders was long numbered among the prosperous
exponents of farm industry in the old Empire state, and he represented
that commonwealth as a gallant young soldier of the Union in the
Civil war. A wound that he received while on picket duty near Petersburg, Virginia, on the day prior to that which marked the historic
battle of Petersburg, a wound that necessitated the amputation of his
left arm and that necessarily brought an end to his active military service. He returned to the state of New York, where he passed the remainder of his life, and his widow, now venerable in years, resides at
Mannsville, New York. The public schools of his native county afforded Frederick L. Flanders his youthful education, and in the meanwhile
he gained a full quota of practical experience in connection with the
productive activities of the home farm. He later entered the employ
of a typewriter company in the city of Syracuse, and after having there
been associated with various concerns in this line of business, in which
he gained excellent mechanical experience, he finally, in 1908, came to
Muskegon and entered the employ of the Continental Motors Company,
with which he remained eight and one-half years and with which he
won advancement from the position of machinist to that of supervisor
of the time-study and planning department for both plants of the company. In 1916 he accepted the office of general superintendent of the
Muskegon Motor Specialties Company, and after giving an effective
five years' administration in this executive position he went to the city
of Cleveland, Ohio, in 1921, to assume the office of production engineer
for the White Motors Company, with which he thus continued his
service until March, 1924, when he resumed his alliance with the Muskegon Motor Specialties Company, of which he has since continued
secretary, treasurer and general manager. Mr. Flanders is a member




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


181


of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Founders Club
of Detroit, and the Century Club in Muskegon, is affiliated with the
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and his political allegiance
is given to the Republican party. In December, 1921, he wedded Miss
Hazel Herrendeen, daughter of Frank and Nettie Herrendeen, who
still reside in Muskegon, where the father is a member of the firm of
Fuller & Herrendeen, here engaged in the home heating business. Mr.
and Mrs. Flanders are popular figures in the representative social activities of their home city.
Norbert Fleckenstein, president of the C. G. Fleckenstein Company, leather manufacturers, tanners and producers of Flex-Oak,
the nationally known flexible leather sole, was born in Louisville,
Kentucky, February 25, 1889, the son of Charles G. and Theresa
(Beerman) Fleckenstein. Mrs. Fleckenstein's death occurred in
1895, not long after the birth of their third child, Ray, of Muskegon,
who is associated with the Fleckenstein company. The second
child, Elsie, is now Mrs. Harry Farrell, of Washington, D. C.
The father, who was a native of Louisville, Kentucky, learned the
tanning business when a young man and later established himself
in the leather trade in Kentucky. In 1908 he organized the C. G.
Fleckenstein Company of St. Louis, Missouri, with the aid of his
brother Lee and his sons, Ray and Norbert, the latter the present
head of the company. After a successful year in St. Louis the
factory equipment and offices were removed to Chicago, Illinois,
because it was nearer a central market. The business increased
in volume at Chicago, and in 1915, needing larger quarters, the
company closed its plant and moved the equipment to Muskegon,
where it purchased a building which is now a part of its large plant.
At that time the firm specialized in sole cutting, the tannery and
other departments of the plant being added later.  After long
experimenting, the company, in 1919, placed on the market its
popular sole leather, Flex-Oak, which rapidly won its way into
favor because of its flexibility and other desirable qualities. The
processes under which this leather is manufactured are controlled
by the C. G. Fleckenstein Company. Norbert Fleckenstein received
his early education in the public schools of Chicago, graduating
from high school in 1905. He then entered his father's factory,
working in all departments and learning each detail of the business,
so that at the time the company was organized, in 1908, he was
able to assume the duties of secretary, becoming president when
the founder of the firm died in 1919. In 1918 he married Miss Elsa
Meeske, daughter of Gustav Meeske, of Muskegon. To this union
were born four children, Carla, Ann, Norbert, Jr., and Therese,
to whom their parents are extremely devoted. While the management of his company requires close attention from Mr. Fleckenstein, he takes an active interest in the affairs of the community
and is a big factor in the councils of the Republican party. Fraternally he is an Elk, and takes much pleasure in helping the
charitable and public welfare program of this organization.




162


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


Frank Spencer Forster has demonstrated in his profession, that
of architect, exceptional technical skill, fine conception of artistic values, and a constructive ability that has come into play in connection
with the erection of many high-class buildings designed by him. He is
engaged in the successful practice of his profession in the city of Muskegon and is one of the able and influential representatives of the guild
of skilled architects in his native state of Michigan. Mr. Forster was
born at Lansing, the fair capital city of Michigan, January 13, 1880,
and is a son of Thomas H. and Estelle (Brehler) Forster. His early
education was acquired in the public schools of Lansing and Mount
Clemens, and his preparation for his chosen profession was gained in
the department of architecture at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York,
in which institution he was graduated as a member of the class of 1903.
In 1904 Mr. Forster engaged in the practice of his profession at Mount
Clemens, Michigan, where he remained until 1906, when he went to
San Francisco, California, in which city he continued his professional
activities until 1910, when he went to Medford, Oregon, and became
junior member of the firm of Clark & Forster. In the autumn of the
following year he resumed professional work in San Francisco, which
was the central stage of his activities until 1917, when he returned to
Michigan and established his residence in Detroit.  Within a short
time he removed to Muskegon, and here he has done important work
that marks him as one of the leaders in his profession in this part of
his native state. Mr. Forster drew the plans for the Muskegon county
tuberculosis sanitarium, the Junior High and Elementary School in
Muskegon Heights, the Edgewood public school building in Muskegon
Heights, the building of the Muskegon Trust Company, and the plans
for the state armory building and the high school building at Big Rapids,
besides which he has designed and served as supervising architect of
many modern houses. He is a member of the Muskegon Chamber of
Commerce, the local Rotary Club, the Muskegon Country Club, and
is also affiliated with the Masonic fraternity. On the 21st day of May,
1910, at Brookdale, California, was solemnized the marriage of Mr.
Forster to Miss Gladys Tennent, of San Francisco, and she was summoned to the life eternal in 1922, the surviving children being Kathryn
and Burton Tennent. Mrs. Forster, a woman of culture and most
gracious personality, was secretary of the Muskegon county chapter
of the Red Cross in the World war period, and was one of the founders,
and the first secretary, of the Muskegon County Tuberculosis Association.
Herman H. Fredricks is one of the progressive and influential
business men in the city of Muskegon, where he is president of the
Fredricks Lumber Company, secretary of the Hasper Biscuit Company, and a stockholder in the People's Savings Bank, the Kyloid Company, and the Woodley Petroleum Company. On the old homestead
farm of his father, in Manlius township, Ottawa county, Michigan,
Herman H. Fredricks was born December 17, 1877, and the other
children of the family are: Edward and John, who reside at Park
Lake, Osceola county; and Mrs. Nellie Mulder, and William, both resi



HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


163


dents of Muskegon. The parents, Herman and Sarah (Lucas) Fredricks, continued to reside in Ottawa county until their death, and the
father was long numbered among the substantial and prosperous agriculturists and stock-growers of that county, where he owned a wellimproved farm. Herman H. Fredricks early gained a full measure
of fellowship with the work of the home farm, and his youthful education was acquired in the public schools of his native county. In 1907
he engaged in the lumber business at Holland, Ottawa county, where
he continued his operations in this line until 1916, when he came to
Muskegon, to assume the position of manager of the Muskegon Heights
Lumber Company. In 1919 he effected the organization of the Fredricks Lumber Company, of which he has since continued the executive
head, and the business of which he has developed to one of large volume.
He has no measure of reluctance in paying loyal allegiance to the Republican party, but has had no desire for public office of any kind. He
and his wife are zealous communicants of Bethany Reformed church
in their home city. In the year 1900 was solemnized the marriage of
Mr. Fredricks to Miss Gertrude Alofs, daughter of Warner Alofs,
of Holland, this state, where he still maintains his residence, his wife
being deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Fredricks have an interesting family
of four children: Sarah, Warren, Georgiana, and Maurice.
Martin Frissel has gained high reputation as a landscape
gardener of exceptional technical ability and artistic conceptions that
he works out in practical results. He is a leading exponent of his profession in Muskegon, and here has amplified his activities in a consistent
way by engaging in the propagation of shrubbery and other plants
adapted for landscape gardening. Mr. Frissel was born in Holland,
in the year 1885, and is a son of Arie and Jean (Vantol) Frissel. He
is a member of a family of seven children, all of whom are living, but
he and his brother George are the only representatives of the immediate family in the United States, the other children, as well as the
honored parents, being still residents of the picturesque Netherlands.
The early education of Mr. Frissel was acquired in the schools of his
native land and the Horticultural College, and he was but a boy when
he initiated his study and practical service in landscape gardening, a
vocation that has been followed by the Frissel family for many generations. In May, 1906, about the time of attaining to his legal majority,
Mr. Frissel came to the United States and established his residence in
Muskegon, where he purchased land and initiated the development of
a nursery for the growing of plants and shrubbery for decorative landscape gardening. Along this line he has developed a substantial business, and his ability as a landscape gardener has caused his services
to be much in demand in connection with the beautifying of many of
the fine residence places in this section of the state. In 1921 his brother
George came from the old home in the Netherlands and became associated with him in business. Mr. Frissel has several tracts of land
within the city limits of Muskegon and Muskegon Heights and utilizes
the same in the growing of plants and shrubbery used in his business.
He is non-partisan in politics, is an active member of the Exchange




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON OGUNTY


Club of Muskegon, and he and his wife are zealous communicants of
Covenant Reformed church at Muskegon Heights, he being a charter
member of this church. March 14, 1906, Mr. Frissel married Miss
Christina Snel, who was born and reared in the vicinity of his old home,in the Netherlands and who accompanied him to the United States
shortly after their marriage. They have made many friends in their
home city and county, and all of their children were born in Muskegon,
their names, with respective ages, in 1925, being here recorded: Joyce
Martin, eighteen years; Jean, fifteen years, and Harris, thirteen years.
Earl L. Fritz. Many of the retail mercantile establishments of
Muskegon Heights are thoroughly metropolitan in equipment and service, and among them is the attractive drug store owned and conducted
by him whose name introduces this paragraph, the same being eligibly
located at No. 1 West Broadway. Mr. Fritz was born in Leelanau
county, Michigan, May 22, 1885, and is a son of Abner and Lottie
Fritz, both of whom are deceased. Abner Fritz was born in Germany,
in 1845, and was a lad of twelve years when he accompanied his parents
to the United States, the family home having been established in Leelanau county, Michigan, where his father became a pioneer farmer and
substantial citizen. There Abner Fritz was reared to adult age and
there he continued for many years his successful activities as an agriculturist and stock-grower, as the owner of one of the well-improved
and valuable farm estates of the county.  He was a Republican in
politics, was affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows,
and he and his wife held membership in the Congregational church.
Earl L. Fritz passed the period of his childhood and early youth on
the old home farm, and in the meanwhile profited by the advantages
offered by the public schools of the locality. For nine years he was
employed in a drug store at Maple City, Leelanau county, Michigan,
and he advanced his education, in 1-904-06, by attending the celebrated
Ferris Institute, at Big Rapids. In the period of 1906-08 he was employed in the West drug store in the city of Grand Rapids, and during
the ensuing period of somewhat more than one year he was employed
in a drug store at Portland, Oregon. He then resumed his alliance
with the West drug store at Grand Rapids, where he was thus engaged
until 1913, when he engaged independently in the drug business at Muskegon Heights. Here he has continuously maintained his original quarters, and his store is one of the modern and well-ordered' business places
of the city. Mr. Fritz takes loyal interest in all that touches the civic
and material welfare of his home community, is a Republican in politics,
and he and his wife hold membership in the Congregational church.
He is affiliated with the four York Rite bodies of York Rite Masonry,
in which his maximum alliance is with the Commandery of Knights
Templar, and he is a member also of the Knights of Pythias and the
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. The marriage of Mr. Fritz
to Miss Annie Buggie, of Muskegon, occurred in 1910, and their two
children are Geraldine and Earl L., Jr.
Harris E. Galpin is distinctly one of the successful and repre



HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


165


sentative members of the bar of Muskegon, has been established
in active general practice in the city of Muskegon since the year
1910, has served two terms as prosecuting attorney of the county,
and has made his influence constructive in community affairs. He
is secretary and treasurer of the Bennett Pumps Corporation, one
of the important industrial concerns of Muskegon, is secretary and
a director of the Muller Baking Company and general counsel for
the Safety Motor Coach Lines. Mr. Galpin has a large and representative law business that gives evidence alike of his professional
ability and his personal popularity. Harris E. Galpin was born in
the city of Ann Arbor, Michigan, March 24, 1889, and is a son of
Rev. William and Helena (Grisson) Galpin, who now maintain
their home at Muskegon, where the father is living virtually retired, after many years of earnest and able service as a clergyman
of the Protestant Episcopal church, he having been for a number
of years the rector of St. Paul's church in Muskegon. The subject of this review was the second in order of birth in a family of
four children, and of the others it is to be recorded that George is
a resident of Toledo, Ohio; that William F. resides in Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma; and that Rachel is the wife of Arthur Thompson,
of Helena, Arkansas. Harris E. Galpin gained his youthful education principally in the public schools of Elkhart, Indiana, and
Muskegon, Michigan, and he soon formulated definite plans for
his future career. He thus began the study of law, and after a
special course in the Detroit College of Law he was admitted to
the Michigan bar on the fifteenth of April, 1910. In that year he
initiated the practice of his profession in Muskegon and that he
had proved his resourcefulness as a trial lawyer was shown in the
popular estimate that compassed his election in 1912 to the office
of prosecuting attorney of Muskegon county. His effective administration led to his re-election in 1914, and thus he served two
consecutive terms in this office. He has appeared in much important litigation in the various courts of this section of Michigan,
his clientele is one of representative order, and in 1925 he is serving
as general counsel for the Muskegon Employers Association. Mr.
Galpin has been active and influential in the Michigan councils
and campaign activities of the Republican party, is at the time of
this writing a member of its state central committee for Michigan,
and he represented this commonwealth as a delegate to the Republican national convention of 1920. He is a loyal and active member of the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce, has membership in
the Century club and Country club and is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Loyal Order of Moose,
and the Knights of the Maccabees. He also belongs to the American Bar Association and Muskegon Bar Association. On the third
of September, 1913, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Galpin
to Miss Louise M. Waters, of Muskegon. Mr. and Mrs. Galpin




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


have three children, Edgar Waters, Louise Margaret and Elizabeth Jane.
Rev. William Galpin. His impaired physical health finally led
to Mr. Galpin's retirement from active ministerial work, after many
years of earnest and zealous service as a clergyman of the
Protestant Episcopal church. He was for fourteen years rector
of St, Paul's church in Muskegon, where he did splendid and consecrated service in advancing the spiritual and temporal affairs of
the parish, and since his retirement in 1917, he has continued his
residence in this city where he has a pleasant home at 231 South
Fifth street and where he has the affectionate regard and the high
honor of the entire community. Mr. Galpin was born on the old
homestead farm of his parents in Superior township, Washtenaw
county, Michigan, several miles distant from Ann Arbor, and
the date of his nativity was February 14, 1859.  He is a son
of the late Freeman Pinckney Galpin and Mary (Ruthruff) Galpin,
of whose twelve children he was the fifth in order of birth. Freeman P. Galpin was born and reared in the western part of the state
of New York and became one of the pioneer exponents of farm industry in Washtenaw county, Michigan, and he and his wife having
continued to reside in this state until the close of their long, earnest and useful lives, both having been devoted communicants of
the Protestant Episcopal church. The Galpin family is of English
origin and was founded in New England in the colonial period of
American history. Mary (Ruthruff) Galpin, paternal grandmother
of the subject of this review, was a representative of a German
family that made settlement at New Haven, Connecticut, in 1636.
The preliminary education of Rev. William Galpin was obtained
in the rural school near the old home farm and in 1877 he was
graduated in the high school at Ann Arbor. He then entered the
University of Michigan and in this institution he was graduated
as a member of the class of 1882 and with the degree of Bachelor
of Arts. Thereafter he gave four years of service as superintendent
of the public schools at St. Clair, Michigan, and in the meanwhile
he earnestly carried forward studies that should aid in preparing
him for the high calling to which he had determined to devote his
life. In 1886 Mr. Galpin was ordained to the priesthood of the
Protestant Episcopal church and his first assignment was to the
position of assistant rector of fine old St. Andrew's church in Ann
Arbor where he remained three years. During the ensuing four
years he was rector of Grace church at Ishpeming, Marquette
county, on the upper peninsula of Michigan, this parish being in
the diocese of Marquette. He next accepted the call to St. John's
church in the city of Elkhart, Indiana, where he continued his
ministration ten years. He then, in 1903, returned to Michigan
and became rector of St. Paul's church in Muskegon, his zealous
and fruitful service in this important parish having covered a
period of fourteen years and having terminated only when impaired health compelled his retirement in 1917. In the year 1882




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


167


was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Galpin to Miss Helen B.
Grisson, of Ann Arbor, and they have four children: George G.,
who is engaged in the practice of his profession, that of mechanical
engineer, in the city of Toledo, Ohio, married Miss Lillian Newmann and they have two children, Marian B. and Doris L. Harris
E., who is engaged in the practice of law in the city of Muskegon,
married Miss Louise M. Waters and they have three children:
Edgar W., Margaret and Elizabeth Jane. William Freeman Galpin, youngest of the sons, is a member of the faculty of the University of Oklahoma. He married Miss Gladys Bixby and they
have one child, Jeanne. Rachel, youngest of the children, is the
wife of Arthur W. Thompson, who is engaged in the lumber business at Helena, Arkansas.
Frank Webster Garber, M. D., has been established in the practice of his profession in the city of Muskegon since 1888, and here
his stewardship has been one of large, able and loyal service that
has given him rank among the representative physicians and surgeons of Michigan. Dr. Garber has long had a very large and important general practice in Muskegon county, has achieved specially high reputation as a surgeon, and he has the distinction of
being chief of the staff of physicians and surgeons at Hackley'
hospital, which in equipment and service, is maintained at the best
metropolitan standard. Dr. Garber was born in Summit county,
Ohio, May 24, 1859, and is the only child of Dr. Lawrence Bainbridge and Caroline (Davis) Garber. Dr. Lawrence B. Garber
was born in West Earle, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and as
a youth he prepared himself for the profession of medicine, his
father, Dr. Christian C. Garber, likewise having been in his day and
generation an able and successful physician and surgeon. The
progenitor of the family in America was the grandfather of Dr.
Christian C. Garber, who came from Switzerland in 1744 with
Count Zinzendorf, who founded in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania,
a colony in which was founded Lititz Academy which later became
the University of Medicine of Pennsylvania. Dr. Lawrence B.
Garber established himself in the practice of his profession in Summit county, Ohio, and was but twenty-eight years of age at the
time of his death in 1860, the year following that in which his only
child, the subject of this review, was born, his widow having survived him by many years and having been a resident of Cleveland,
Ohio, at the time of her death. The public schools of Ohio afforded
Dr. Frank W. Garber his early education, which included the discipline of the high school, and in 1884 at Akron, judicial center of
his native county, he was graduated in Buchtel college, an institution that is now known as Akron university. In preparation for
the profession that had been that of his father and his paternal
grandfather, it was his privilege to avail himself of the advantages
of the celebrated Rush Medical college in the city of Chicago. In
this great institution he was graduated as a member of the class of
1888 and soon after thus receiving his degree of Doctor of Medi



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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


cine he established his residence in Muskegon, which city has continued the central stage of his efficient and faithful professional
services during the long intervening period of nearly forty years.
He now has rank as one of the veteran members of the Muskegon
County Medical Society and is affiliated also with the Michigan
State Medical Society, the American Medical Association and the
American College of Surgeons. Dr. Garber has insistently kept in
the closest of touch with the advances made in medical and surgical
science, and in addition to availing himself of the best standard
and periodical literature of his profession he has taken effective
post-graduate work, including special courses in surgery in leading medical colleges, hospitals and clinics in Vienna, Austria, and
Edinburgh, Scotland. Dr. Garber is a Republican in his political
alignment, and in his home city he is a member of the Kiwanis
club and the Muskegon Country club. He has been loyal and
progressive as a citizen and his local interests are wide and varied.
He is president of the Lyons Machine and Tool Company, one of
the important industrial concerns of Muskegon, and is vice-president and treasurer and one of the directors of the Muskegon Trust
Company. In 1888, the year of his graduation in the medical
college, Dr. Garber wedded Miss Ada Jacob, daughter of Rev. John
C. and Ann (Trull) Jacob, her father having been a clergyman of
the Baptist church. Dr. and Mrs. Garber have two children: Ada
is the wife of Solomon Cady Hollister, of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, and Frank W., Jr., was graduated in the University of Wisconsin with the degree of Bachelor of Arts and later was graduated in John Hopkins university, from which he received the degree of M. D., he being now in Muskegon.
Joseph M. Gerrish, who is now living retired in the city of
Muskegon, was long and actively associated with the lumber industry, in which connection he had a goodly measure of pioneer
prestige in Muskegon county, where he established his residence
in 1878. Mr. Gerrish was born at Portland, Maine, August 8, 1853,
and in the old Pine Tree state he received his youthful education,
which included a course in the high school.  His parents, Edward
P. and Julia Ann Woodbury (Scott) Gerrish, likewise were natives
of the fine old city of Portland, where the former was born in 1834
and the latter in 1836, they having passed their entire lives in
Maine. After his graduation in the high school in 1871, Joseph
M. Gerrish served until 1877 as clerk in the office of Clement &
Benson, a firm engaged in the lumber business at Portland, Maine.
In 1878 he came to Muskegon, Michigan, and entered the employ
of the lumbering firm of W. S. Gerrish & Company, of which his
uncle was the executive head. Later he was employed in connection with the Hamilton & Gerrish sawmill enterprise and the Gerrish shingle mill and thereafter he was for four years head man
in the offices of the Scott mills.  The late Delos A. Blodgett, one
of the most influential of Michigan pioneers in the lumber industry,
appointed Mr. Gerrish superintendent of mills and business man



JOSEPH M. GERRISH








HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


169


ager, his service in which capacity continued twelve years, or until the Blodgett mill ceased operation and was torn down. He was
sent to represent the Blodgett interests at Bay City, Michigan,
and in 1894 Mr. Blodgett made him receiver for the mill in Wexford
county. In 1895 he was appointed receiver, by Hackley & Hume, of
the Kelly Brothers mill, and this service received his attention
during one year. He maintained during three winter seasons a
partnership association with Mr. Blodgett, in connection with lumbering operations in the south and in 1906 he assumed charge of
the Blodgett business in Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana, besides having passed one winter in the south as representative for
John Blodgett and John Vogel. Since 1908 he has lived retired
from active business, and he is one of the substantial and highly
esteemed citizens of Muskegon, which city has represented his
home nearly half a century. He is a Republican in his political allegiance, and in their home city he and his wife are communicants
of St. Paul's church, Protestant Episcopal. In the year 1885 was
solemnized the marriage of Mr. Gerrish to Miss Anna M. Elston,
who was born in England and reared in the province of Ontario,
Canada, and the one child of this union is Margaret Elston, who
is the wife of J. Raymond Carden, a real estate man of Chicago.
They have one child, Joseph Raymond.
Charles I. Giles has been closely and constructively identified
with farm industry in Muskegon during a long period of years, is the
owner of a large and valuable landed estate in this county, and is now
living virtually retired on his fine old homestead place that was here
purchased by his father in the year 1880, the place being in Muskegon
township, about four miles distant from the city of Muskegon and
on rural mail route No. 6. Mr. Giles was born at Coldwater, judicial
center of Branch county, Michigan, December 20, 1863, and is a son
of Emerson F. and Sarah E. (Burt) Giles, the former of whom was
born at New Salem, Massachusetts, in 1823, and the latter in Syracuse,
New York, in 1825. Within a short time after their marriage the parents settled at Stoughton, Wisconsin, where Emerson F. Giles, a skilled
bookkeeper and accountant, became the local railroad station agent.
When the Civil war was precipitated Mr. Giles organized for service
in defense of the Union the first company raised in the state of Wisconsin, and this became Company D, Seventh Wisconsin Volunteer
Infantry. Mr. Giles went with his command to the front, and within
the three years of his active service he participated in many engagements, including a number of important battles. Physical disability
caused him to receive an honorable discharge, but he was retained in
the government secret service, with headquarters at Washington, D. C.,
until the close of the war. Ill health necessitated his retirement from
this service and office work in general, and under these conditions he
became a traveling commercial salesman. In the interests of varied
concerns he made a record of long and successful service in this line,
in which he continued until his death, in February, 1889, his widow
having long survived him and having passed the closing years of her




170


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


gentle and gracious life at the farm home of her son, Charles I., of
this review, where she died September 29, 1901, at the venerable age
of seventy-six years. While Emerson F. Giles was in service in the
Civil war his wife removed to Coldwater, Michigan, which continued
to be the family home until 1882, when removal was made to the farm
of sixty acres that he had purchased in Muskegon county, one mile
north of North Muskegon, a locality now known as Giles Corners.
It was on this homestead that Emerson F. Giles passed the remainder
of his life, and upon his death his son, Charles I., assumed the control
and management of the place, which is still his place of residence and
which is one of the finely improved farms of this section of the state.
The other two children are daughters, Florence E. and Lettie. Emerson F. Giles was a man of buoyant and companionable personality, had
a host of friends, was a Republican in politics, and was affiliated with
the Masonic fraternity, the Grand Army of the Republic and the
Grange, he having been master of Silicia Grange No. 546 at the time
of his death. In the year 1881 Charles I. Giles completed his studies
in the public schools of Coldwater, and in the meanwhile he had found
employment in a local cigar factory during his summer vacations. It
is interesting to recall that at that period Coldwater was an important
center of cigar manufacturing, its population having been approximately
3,500 and twenty per cent. of the inhabitants having been employed in
the local cigar factories. In accompanying his parents to the farm in
Muskegon county, Mr. Giles did not find it necessary to abandon entirely his association with cigar manufacturing, for his skill in this
connection readily enabled him to find employment with the American
Cigar Company, the factory of which was at the corner of Terrace
street and West Western avenue, with Jacob Zerweis as owner of the
business. Mr. Giles was thus employed during the summer, and in
the fall he returned to the home farm, which has continued his place
of residence during the long intervening period of more than forty
years. In addition to the original sixty acres he has holdings that bring
his landed estate in the county up to 497 acres, with 100 acres under
effective cultivation. Mr. Giles has been influential in public affairs
in this county and has served loyally and effectively in various offices
of public trust, his political allegiance being given to the Republican
party. From 1895 to January 1, 1902, he served continuously, by
successive re-elections, in the office of supervisor of Muskegon township, and he resigned this position when he was elected register of deeds
of the county, which office he held two terms, 1902-1906. In 1908 he
was elected representative of Muskegon county in the state legislature,
in which he served two successive terms, with marked prominence and
influence in the sessions of 1909 and 1911, and in the special session
in the winter of 1912. For more than thirty years he has been active
and prominent in the affairs of the Grange, and he is affiliated also with
the Knights of the Maccabees and the Masonic fraternity. In the
period of 1892-98 Mr. Giles was a member of the Muskegon organization of the Michigan National Guard, and with the same he was with
his regiment when it was mobilized for the Spanish-American war,




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


171


the command having not been called to the stage of conflict. In the
year 1900 Mr. Giles was united in marriage to Miss Emma D. Christopher, of Cincinnati, and of their three children two are living: Elsa
Fay, who was born September 21, 1901, and Perry Burt, who was
born March 24, 1905. The son, Warren B., was born in July, 1907,
and died at the age of fourteen months.
John J. Gillman has made his influence definitely potent in advancing the industrial and commercial prestige of Muskegon, where
he is president of the Solar-Polar Storm Sash and Screen Company,
which has become one of the substantial and successful manufacturing
concerns of this city. Mr. Gillman was born in St. Louis, Missouri,
May 13, 1876, and is a son of Henry and Mary (Glatt) Gillman, who
still reside in that city and of whose eight children seven are living,
namely: George, John J., Henry, Marie; August, Sadie and Alexander.
The other child, Carrie, died when about thirty years of age. The early
education of John J. Gillman was obtained in the public schools of
his native city, and there also he served an apprenticeship to the trade
of sheet-metal worker. He followed his trade in St. Louis a number
of years, and thereafter was for eight years superintendent with the
MacFarland-Hyde Company, of Chicago. In 1916 Mr. Gillman came
to Muskegon to assume the position of superintendent of the steel-billiard department of the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, of Muskegon, and he retained this executive office until 1923, though in the
preceding year he had here been associated in the organizing and incorporating of the Solar-Polar Storm Sash and Screen Company, of which
he continued as president until February, 1925, and to which he now
gives his attention as a director. The title of this corporation indicates
the character of its manufactured products, which are of the highest
grade and of improved type, so that the business of the company is
constantly expanding in scope and importance, with trade extended into
many states of the Union. Mr. Gillman is an advocate of the basic
principles for which the Republican party has ever stood sponsor, and
he is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, the Knights of Pythias and
the Modern Woodmen of America. In the year 1896 Mr. Gillman
wedded Helen Paul, whose death occurred in 1906. Of this union
were born four children: Helen, August, Albert (deceased), and
Henry. In 1907 Mr. Gillman was united in marriage to Miss May
Swisher, of Chicago, and she is the popular chatelaine of their attractive
and hospitable home in Muskegon.
Edward B. Hancock is the founder and executive head of the
Home Made Bread Shops, of Muskegon, a manufacturing concern
whose unique and high grade products have gained to it a substantial
and appreciative trade support. Mr. Hancock was born in Ottawa
county, Michigan, September 19, 1872, and is a son of Wheeler and
Josephine L. (Hunter) Hancock, the former of whom was born near
Watertown, New York, and the latter of whom was born in Ottawa
county, Michigan, in the same house that later became the birthplace
of her son, Edward B., of this review, she having been a representative




172


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


of one of the sterling pioneer families of that county-a family prominently identified with civic and industrial development and progress
in that section of the state. The schools of his native county afforded
Edward B. Hancock his early education, and he was about eighteen
years of. age at the time of the family removal to Muskegon, in 1890.
The same year his father was here elected county sheriff, and in the
following year the courthouse, in which the sheriff and his family had
their residence, was destroyed by fire, the death of Wheeler Hancock,
the sheriff, having occurred shortly afterward, before the close of the
year 1891, and the widowed mother being now a resident of Muskegon.
Of the three children the other survivor is Jennie L., the wife of Frederick R. Young, of Muskegon. Arthur, eldest of the children, contracted an illness that caused his death while he was in service as a
member of the Thirty-fourth Michigan Volunteer Infantry in the Spanish-American war. Edward B. Hancock served as under-sheriff of
Muskegon county four years, 1893-8, and in the latter year he became
a partner in the coal and wood business of the firm of Smith & Nelson.
He later purchased the entire business, and this he continued until 1902,
when he sold the same to Abner Alberts. Thereafter he was in the
service of the Southern Pacific Railroad, in Texas, until 1906, when
he returned to Michigan and entered the employ of the Battle Creek
Paper Box Company, a subsidiary of the celebrated Postum Cereal
Company of Battle Creek. He continued his effective service as office
manager of this company during a period of fifteen years, and after
his retirement from this position he returned to Muskegon, in April,
1920, and effected the organization of the Home Made Bread Shops,
with three shops, at 1159 Third street, 951 Terrace street and 1477
Beidler street. In politics Mr. Hancock supports men and measures
of the Republican party, and he is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity.
April 20, 1898, was marked by the marriage of Mr. Hancock to Miss
Bertha M. Hubbell, daughter of Ira J. and Mary A. Hubbell, of Muskegon. Of this union were born three children:  Mildred died in
infancy; Bernice is the wife of Walter Winger, of Battle Creek; and
Miss Marion remains at the parental home.
Frank Walter Hannum, M. D., has the technical ability and
the fine sense of professional loyalty that make for successful service
in his exacting profession, and his faithful stewardship in his chosen
vocation has gained him secure vantage-ground as one of the representative physicians and surgeons of the city and county of Muskegon,
where he has been engaged in practice since 1916, except for the interval
of his service in the medical corps of the United States Army in the
World war period. He has a large and representative private practice
and is also giving valued service as a member of the staff of physicians
and surgeons of Mercy Hospital and also that of Hackley Hospital.
He is actively affiliated with the Muskegon County Medical Society and
the Michigan State Medical Society. The Doctor has gained much
prestige and leadership as a specialist in eye, ear, nose and throat treatment, and gives special attention to this branch of practice. Doctor
Hannum is a native of the Badger state, his birth having occurred at




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


173


Bayfield, Bayfield county, Wisconsin, July 27, 1888, and his preliminary
education having there been obtained in the public schools, including
the high school. He is a son of Dr. Henry and Kittie (Skeldon) Hannum, the father having been a prominent physician and surgeon at
Bayfield, Wisconsin, at the time of his death and the widowed mother
being now a resident of Muskegon. The one other child, Lila, died
in infancy. Along academic lines the higher education of Dr. Frank
W. Hannum was acquired in the great University of Chicago, in which
he was graduated as a member of the class of 1912 and with the degree
of Bachelor of Science. He thereafter completed a course in the celebrated Rush Medical College, which now constitutes the medical department of the University of Chicago and from the same he received, in
1914, his degree of Doctor of Medicine. He next fortified himself
further through the clinical experience gained in two years of service
as an interne in St. Luke's Hospital, one of the greatest institutions of
this kind in Chicago, and he then established himself in practice at
Muskegon, which has continued the stage of his earnest and effective
professional activities. After the United States became involved in
the World war. Doctor Hannum volunteered for service in the medical
corps of the United States Army, in which he was commissioned first
lieutenant and in which he was assigned to duty in the medical-research
laboratory at Hazlehurst Field, Long Island, New York, where he continued to be stationed during the remainder of his term of service.
He received his honorable discharge Tanuary 2, 1919, and then resumed
his interrupted private practice in Muskeqon-a work that he had unselfishly subordinated to the call of patriotism. The Doctor is a member
of the Kiwanis, the Century and the Izaak Walton Clubs of Muskegon,
and is affiliated with the American Legion and the Masonic fraternity,
while in nolit;cs he is arraved in the ranks of the Republican party.
October 27, 1917, Doctor Hannum wedded Miss Lvnne Carr, daughter
of William Carr, of Rhinelander, Wisconsin, and the children of this
union are Frank Walter, Jr., Donald Edward, and George Henry.
Fred Hansen is one of the vital representative business men of
the younger generation in his native city of Muskegon, where he-is
vice-president, treasurer and general manager of the Madison Manufacturing Comnany, the factory and offices of which are at the corner of
Spring and Bauer streets. Mr. Hansen was born in Muskegon, Tanuary
23, 1882, and is a son of Christian and Sonhia Hansen. both of whom
were born and reared in Denmark and both of whom became honored
pioneer citizens of Muskegon, the death of the father having here
occurred. Christian Hansen was one of the pioneers in connection with
the lumber industry in this section of Michigan, and after his retirement
from this line of activity he opened. in Muskeoon, the feed store that
he continued to conduct until his death, in 1904. both he and his wife
having early become earnest members of the Lutheran church. Julius,
eldest of the children, is emDloved in the Muskegon grocery store of
Hans Hansen: Fred, of this sketch, is the next younger son; Henry is
a machinist with the Maring Wire Company in Muskegon; Martin is
a patternmaker in the employ of the Shaw Electric Crane Company;




174


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


and Miss Anna, a dressmaker by vocation, remains with her widowed
mother in the old family homestead in Muskegon. Fred Hansen is
indebted to the Muskegon public schools for his youthful education,
and his native city has been the stage of his practical business activities
to the present time. In 1915 he here became one of the organizers of
the Madison Manufacturing Company, the success of which has been
excellent, from the beginning of operations to the present time. At the
well-equipped plant of the company is manufactured the Madison adjustable boring-bar and cutter, a superior mechanism for which the
demand is constant and ever expanding. The financial success of the
corporation has been such that its stock is no longer on the marketnot to be bought at any price. George E. Madison is president of the
company, Fred Hansen is vice-president, treasurer and general manager,
and Henry Collier is the secretary. Mr. Hansen is a Republican in
politics, and his civic loyalty was effectively shown during his six years
of service as representative of the First ward in the city board of aldermen. He is treasurer, in 1925, of Muskegon Lodge No. 92, I. O. O. F.,
and in his native city and county he has a host of friends, in both
business and social circles.
Nels Peter Hansen has been a resident of Muskegon since 1888
and he has been actively concerned with local business enterprises in
this city for fully thirty-five years, so that he is now one of the veterans
of local business circles. He owns and conducts, at 812 Terrace street,
a substantial and prosperous business as a dealer in bicycles and in tires
for both bicycles and automobiles. Mr. Hansen was born in Soro,
Denmark, April 14, 1866, and the other four children of the family
still reside in their native land, where the parents, Rasmus and Maren
Hansen, passed their entire lives. The excellent schools of Denmark
afforded Mr. Hansen his youthful education, and there also he served
an apprenticeship to the trade of harnessmaker. He was twenty-two
years of age when, in 1888, he came to the United States and established his residence in Muskegon. Here he was employed two years
in the sawmills, and in 1890 he worked for Horace Brown in the
harness and upholstering business. This alliance continued ten years,
and Mr. Hansen has since been engaged independently in the work
of his trade, besides which he has developed a prosperous business as
a dealer in bicycles and tires, as supplementary to his harnessmaking
enterprise. He also handles a varied line of sporting goods. Mr.
Hansen is a loyal supporter of the principles of the Republican party,
is affiliated with the local organization of the Danish Brotherhood and
also with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, while he and his
wife are zealous communicants of the Danish Lutheran church. In
1896 Mr. Hansen married Miss Mary Asmussen, daughter of Peter
Asmussen, of Muskegon, and the children of this gracious union are
five in number: Harold, Lillian, Beatrice, Margaret and George. Mr.
Hansen is known and honored as one of the substantial and loyal citizens of Muskegon, and is deeply appreciative of the opportunities that
have here been afforded him for the gaining of independence and prosperity.




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


175


Anton F. Harnau is treasurer of the Lyons Machine Company,
one of the well-ordered industrial corporations in the city of Muskegon
and one that derives its title from the village of Lyons, Ionia county,
where its original plant was established and maintained until the removal of the business to Muskegon. Mr. Harnau is a native of Muskegon and a representative of a family that was here established in
the pioneer days when this place had precedence only as a center for
the manufacturing of lumber. Here he was born February 12, 1864,
one of the seven children of Anton and Barbara Harnau, the other
three surviving children being Peter, Henry and Mrs. Charles Schoenberg. After having profited by the advantages of the Muskegon public
schools Mr. Harnau held for fifteen years the position of janitor of
the Hackley school, and during a period of sixteen years thereafter
he was here engaged in the retail liquor business. He then became
associated with the Lyons Machine Company from the time they started,
and later became its treasurer, and it was largely through his influence
that the company later established its headquarters in Muskegon, where,
with better facilities and more metropolitan advantages, the business has
been definitely expanded in scope and importance. Mr. Harnau is liberal and public-spirited as a citizen, but is not constrained by partisan
lines in political matters. He and his family are communicants of the
German Lutheran church. In 1892 Mr. Harnau wedded Miss Kathryn
B. Slorf, daughter of Frederick Slorf, of Muskegon, and her death
occurred in January, 1913, while she was sojourning at Tampa, Florida,
she being survived by two daughters-Mrs. Susan Reesberger and Miss
Evelyn. On the 22d of January, 1915, was solemnized the marriage
of Mr. Harnau to Mrs. Marie Simmons, of Manistee, and she makes
the family home one of gracious hospitality. Mr. Harnau has a host
of friends in his native city and county and in a fraternal way he is
affiliated with the local lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks.
Arthur Field Harrington, M. D., is one of the representative
physicians and surgeons in the city of Muskegon, where he has
been engaged in the successful general practice of his profession
since 1912. Dr. Harrington was born on a farm near the city of
Grand Rapids, in Walker township, Kent county, Michigan, and
the date of his nativity was June 17, 1876. He is the older of the
two surviving members of a family of four children, his brother,
Leon W., being a resident of Grand Rapids. Ellis, another brother,
died at the age of thirty years, and Anson was fifty years old at
the time of his death. The parents, Vernon and Martha (Ellis)
Harrington, the former of whom died at the age of seventy years,
while the latter resides in Grand Rapids, aged eighty-two years.
The father gave the major part of his active life to the vocation of
farming. In his native county Dr. Harrington received the discipline of the public schools, including the high school, and in preparation for his chosen profession he completed a course in the
medical department of the University of Michigan, in which he
was graduated as a member of the class of 1903. After thus re



tISFORY p mF fU SKEGON COUNT1CY


ceiving his degree of Doctor of Medicine he fortified himself
further by means of the valuable clinical experience that he gained
in a service of about one year, 1903-04, as an interne in Butterworth
hospital, Grand Rapids. Thereafter he was engaged in independent
private practice in Grand Rapids about one year, and then for
seven years was located at Montague, Michigan, and in 1912, after
having taken a post-graduate course in the New York PostGraduate School of Medicine, he established his residence in Muskegon, where he has built up a substantial and representative practice that stands in evidence of his professional ability and his secure
place in community confidence and esteem. He is a valued member of the Muskegon County Medical Society and has membership
also in the Michigan State Medical Society and the American Medical Association. His political allegiance is given to the Republican
party, he and his wife attend the Congregational church, and he
is a member of the local Rotary club and Century club. In the
York Rite of the Masonic fraternity his maximum affiliation is with
the Knights Templar and he is a member also of Muskegon Lodge,
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. On the twenty-ninth
of June, 1905, Dr. Harrington was united in marriage to Miss
Florence Grace Launt, daughter of Charles and Mary Launt, of
Grand Rapids. Dr. and Mrs. Harrington have two adopted children, Robert Anson and Virginia Florence.
Thomas J. Harris has passed the age of four score years but
is still vital in both mental and physical powers and is living in
well-earned retirement at Muskegon, which has represented his
home during the past sixteen years. Major Harris has had a signally varied, eventful and interesting career, including gallant
service as a soldier of the Union in the Civil war. Major Harris
was born in the historic old town of Gravesend, situated in Kent
county, England, on the right bank of the Thames river and about
twenty miles distant from London, and he is a scion of one of the
old and influential families of England. His birth occurred January 11, 1842, and he is a son of the late J. T. Harris, who in the
reign of Queen Victoria, served in three wars in which England
became involved, he having also been in charge of the fort at Gravesend, one of the important fortifications on the Thames river. In
1898 Major Harris of this review visited the old home in England,
being accompanied by his wife. They remained in England somewhat more than sixteen years. His paternal grandfather had died
and the estate had been placed in charge of the government. Major
Harris found the old homestead of his grandfather in the care of a
retinue of thirty-two servants, and he soon proved the legitimacy
of his claims to the property of the estate. Major Harris was a
lad of eleven years when he accompanied his parents to the United
States, and the family home was established in St. Lawrence
county, New York, near Potsdam. His father died in Gravesend,
England, while the mother died in Michigan. In the old Empire
state the subject of this sketch was reared to adult age, and there




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


177


he received much of his early education. He eventually became
the owner of a horse ranch near Watertown, that state.   His
youthful loyalty was significantly shown when the Civil war was
precipitated, for, at Potsdam, June 8, 1861, he enlisted at the age
of nineteen years as a private in the Sixteenth New York Volunteer Infantry, his service having covered a period of four years
and five months, the entire compass of the war. At the expiration
of his three years' term of enlistment he, with the grade of
lieutenant colonel, took part in the historic Red river expedition
under General Banks. After this expedition he was with the cavalry command of General Philip Sheridan in and around Winchester,
He took part in the battle of Fredericksburg Heights, thereafter
was transferred back to the infantry and participated in the battle
of the Wilderness. After thirty-six days he was transferred to the
engineers corps, in which he was commissioned a major. For nineteen days during the thirty-six days' fight at the Wilderness he
was field marshal.  In the three days' fight at Fredericksburg he
was wounded seven times, but continued the leadership of his
command, notwithstanding his wounds. In connection with the
battle of Fredericksburg the major nearly lost his life while directing the repair of a bridge burned by General Fitzhugh Lee in
retreating. A section of the bridge collapsed and fell a distance
of eighty feet, Major Harris having been caught on a ledge of rock
twenty feet from the level of the bridge, when the structure fell,
and having been severely burned on the hands and arms before
his comrades could effect his rescue. The scars of these burns
remain with him today, and in the falling of the bridge he likewise injured his left hip and ankle. After this accident he was
confined in a hospital at City Point for some time after the surrender of Generals Lee and Johnston, and it was while he was in
this hospital that he learned of the assassination of President
Lincoln. He thereafter was transferred to a hospital in Washington, D. C., and after five months of hospital treatment he returned to the home farm near Potsdam, New York. At the expiration of his first term of enlistment he went to Springfield, Massachusetts, for a brief visit and shortly afterward at North Adams,
that state, he re-enlisted, as a member of the Sixty-first Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. After passing about seven weeks with
this command at Gallop's island in Boston harbor, he proceeded
with the same to Virginia and took part in the historic night attack on Bermuda Hundred. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in this Massachusetts regiment. Major Harris received his
final honorable discharge in 1865.   He married Miss Anna
Larkins, of Martintown, Ontario, Canada, and she died in
1910 at Muskegon, no children having been born of their union.
Major Harris first came to Muskegon about twenty-five years ago
and he had here passed several summer seasons prior to establishing his home in this city in 1909. He and his wife removed from
Potsdam, New York, to West Liberty, Iowa, and for several years




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


he handled and dealt in standard bred horses, besides being active
in turf events. Among the various race horses owned by him was
the mare Phyllis, for which he paid $4,000, and after she had won
several races he sold her for $9,000. He also bred the horse
"Gloster," a magnificent animal weighing fourteen hundred pounds,
seventeen hands high and sold for $35,000.  After retiring from
the horse business Major Harris went to Helena, Montana, and
he was not only successful in gold mining in that state but also
owned and developed a great sheep ranch of 25,000 acres with
25,000 head of sheep, fifty sheep dogs and fifty horses. He remained on this ranch thirteen years and in the early days it was
150 miles from a railroad, while his wife was the only white woman
within a radius of 100 miles. As previously stated, Major Harris has been a resident of Muskegon since 1909, his first wife having died in 1910, and the year 1917 having been marked by his
marriage to Miss May Spoelman, daughter of Henry Spoelman,
of Muskegon. Major and Mrs. Harris have their attractive home
at 237 West Clay avenue.
George Jacob Hartman, M. D., has been engaged in the practice of his profession in the city of Muskegon since 1904, his practice during the first decade having been of general order and since
that time he having specialized in obstetrics, in which important
field of professional service he has gained high reputation. He is
at the head of the obstetrical department of Hackley hospital and
also that of Mercy hospital, and is a recognized leader in his special domain of practice in this section of Michigan. The doctor
is one of the valued and influential members of the Muskegon
County Medical Society and is affiliated also with the Michigan
State Medical Society and the American Medical Association. Dr.
Hartman claims the fine old Buckeye state as the place of his nativity, his birth having occurred at Medina, Ohio, October 25, 1875,
and being the seventh in order of birth in a fine family of twelve
children, all but one of whom are living, namely: Gertrude, Warren, Frank, Rudolph, Nora, Mary, Dr. George J. (of this review),
Eva, Judson, Harry and Blake. The parents, Jacob M. and Hannah
(Everhard) Hartman, are now both deceased, the active career of
the father having been for many years marked by successful association with the various business enterprises. The first American
representatives of both the Hartman and Everhard families came
from Germany to this country in the early colonial period of our
national history, the Hartman family having been here founded in
1727, and the name in the various generations having been worthily
concerned with pioneer development and progress in various states
of the Union. In the public schools of his native place Dr. Hartman carried forward his studies until they had embraced the curriculum of the high school, and in preparation for his chosen profession he entered the medical department of the University of
Maryland, in which he was graduated as a member of the class
of 1902. Thereafter he further reinforced himself by the valuable




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


179


clinical experience that he gained in two years of service as interne
and resident physician in the Maryland General hospital in the
city of Baltimore. It was at the expiration of this successful professional stewardship that Dr. Hartman came to Muskegon in 1904
and within the ensuing ten years he built up a substantial general
practice. He then, as previously noted, became a specialist in the
field of obstetrical practice, in which he is the recognized leader
and authority in Muskegon county.  The doctor has subordinated
all other interests to the work of his profession, and thus has had
no desire for political activity of official preferment, though he is
a staunch advocate of the principles and policies of the Republican
party. He has served since 1918 as president of the First Congregational church corporation of Muskegon, besides being chairman
of its board of directors, both he and his wife being among the
most zealous members of this church. In the Masonic fraternity
he has received the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite, besides being a noble of the Mystic Shrine and he is affiliated also
with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. All that concerns
the welfare and advancement of his home city is a matter of deep
and loyal interest to Dr. Hartman and he is an active member of
the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce. In the year 1904, the year
of his arrival in Muskegon, Dr. Hartman wedded Miss Frances H.
House, of Medina, Ohio, and she is a popular figure in the church,
cultural and social activities of Muskegon.
John Hasper is president of the Hasper Biscuit company, of
Muskegon, this company having been organized by him in May,
1924, and its trade, exclusively of wholesale order, showing a constantly expanding tendency through the various counties of
western Michigan that are normally tributary to Muskegon as a
distributing center. Mr. Hasper has been identified with the baking industry during his entire business career and has gained
prestige as one of the prominent exponents of this important line
of enterprise in this section of Michigan. Mr. Hasper was born
in Holland, March 17, 1877, and was a lad of about four years at
the time when the family left the Netherlands and came to the
United States, in the early eighties, his preliminary,education
having been obtained in the schools of the city of Chicago, and
also in the Muskegon public schools. He is one of a family of
eleven children and the other four surviving members are Mrs.
Joseph Vander Laan, of Muskegon; Mrs. J. C. Ham, of Grand
Rapids; and Gerrit, Jr., and Cornelius, both residents of Muskegon. The father, Gerret Hasper, followed his trade of baker during
the period of the family residence in Chicago, and since the removal
to Muskegon he has continued his connection with the same line
of industrial enterprise, he being now in the employ of the Hasper
Biscuit Company. His wife, whose maiden name was Trinty
onker, is deceased. Largely under the effective direction of his
father did John Hasper learn the baker's trade, and he has made
the same a medium of successful achievement in indepenedent




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


business. For several years prior to his organizing the Hasper
Biscuit company he had been the principal executive of the Hasper Brothers Baking Company, of Muskegon, and it was in line
with his progressive policies that he formed the Hasper Biscuit
Company, the business of which is being widely extended throughout its trade territory, and the manufacturing plant of which is
one of modern equipment and facilities. Mr. Hasper is a Republican in political adherency, and he and his wife are zealous communicants of Bethany Reformed church in their home city. On
the eighth of October, 1913, Mr. Hasper married Miss Anna Brondyke, daughter of William Brondyke, of Holland, Michigan, and
of five children of this union four are living, namely:  Henry
John, Madeline May, Willard James and Gerard Anthony. Gerald
John died in infancy.
Henry Haveman is the senior member of the progressive firm
of Haveman, Jolman & Company, which owns and conducts
one of well-ordered general hardware stores in the city of
Muskegon. Mr. Haveman was born in Jamestown township, Ottawa county, Michigan, March 1, 1887, and is a member of a family of eight children, all of whom are living. The father, Henry
Haveman, Sr., gave the greater part of his active life to farm industry and was a resident of Newaygo county at the time of his
death, his widow still maintaining her home in that county. He
whose name introduces this sketch passed his boyhood and early
youth on the home farm and in the meanwhile he profited by the
advantages of the public schools. His association with the hardware business began in 1914 at Fremont, Newaygo county, where he
remained until 1919, in which year he came to Muskegon and
organized the hardware firm of Haveman & Voss. Since 1922 his
associate in the prosperous and well ordered business has been L.
E. Jolman and the enterprise is conducted under the firm title of
Haveman, Jolman & Company. Mr. Haveman is a Republican
in his political alignment, and he and his wife are active communicants of Bethany Reformed church in their home city. On
the ninth of November, 1910, was solemnized the marriage of Mr.
Haveman to Miss Helen Schuitman, of Fremont, and the children
of this union are Harold, James and Jay.
Harry H. Hendryx has developed one of the unique and successful industrial enterprises of the state of Michigan, as is evident when it is stated that he is the executive head of the West
Michigan Fox Farm, which is situated on rural mail route number
six emanating from the city of Muskegon. Mr. Hendryx was born
at Sheridan, Montcalm county, Michigan, November 6, 1874, and
is a son of Silas H. and Sarah E. (Vinton) Hendryx, the former of
whom was born in Ohio, in 1845, and the latter of whom was born
in Scotland, in that same year. Silas H. Hendryx gained his early
education in the schools of the old Buckeye state, and later he
took a commercial course in a college at Ypsilanti, Michigan. He




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


181


continued his residence in Ohio until 1872 when, within a comparatively short time after his marriage, he came to Sheridan, Michigan, and purchased an interest in a shingle mill. He later sold
his interest in this business, and in 1876 he removed with his family to Fruitport, Muskegon county, where for five years he was
concerned in the operation of a lumber mill. He next became interested in the Spring Lake Iron company, with which he continued his connection until the company ceased operations in 1911.
He was one of the honored citizens of Fruitport at the time of his
death in 1914 and there his wife died in the following year, both
having been members of the Congregational church at that place,
though Mr. Hendryx had been reared in the faith of and had
previously become a member of the Baptist church. He had
served as a gallant young soldier of the Union in the Civil war, as
a member of an Ohio regiment, and in later years he found much
satisfaction in his affiliation with the Grand Army of the Republic,
he having been likewise a member of the Knights of the Maccabees, and his political allegiance having been given to the Republican party.  After profiting by the advantages of the public
schools at Fruitport, Harry H. Hendryx was a student in Ferris
Institute at Big Rapids in 1892-93. For eight years he served as
deputy sheriff of Muskegon county, with residence in Fruitport,
and he was for several years truant officer.   In  1908 he
became a member of the police force of Muskegon, and his
service as deputy sheriff covered a period of thirteen years.
It was while he was in this service that he became interested in the
raising of foxes for commercial purposes. He and Bernard Klise,
of Muskegon, purchased a pair of foxes, as did also Charles
Burnett and Edward Depew. The four foxes were placed on farms
in the county, but in 1920 the four owners of the original two pairs
formed a company and established the West Michigan Fox Farm,
they having purchased a tract of five acres one mile north of North
Muskegon, and having here developed a prosperous enterprise in
the raising of silver and black foxes of fine grade, the pelts of which
find ready demand at high prices. The farm now has twenty pairs
of foxes and the enterprise is carried forward on progressive business
principles, Mr. Hendryx being president of the company. Mr. Hendryx
gives his political support to the Republican party, he and his wife are
members of the Baptist church in Muskegon, and he is affiliated with
the Mystic Workers, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and
the Fraternal Order of Eagles. The marriage of Mr. Hendryx and
Miss Anna Poort, of Muskegon, was solemnized in October, 1907,
and they have two children: Kenneth, who was born January 6,
1909, and Elizabeth, who was born February 3, 1913.
Ernest J. Hentschel, junior member of the firm of the Muskegon
Heights Furniture Company, and for a number of years a leading
factor in the business affairs of Muskegon county, is one of the
aggressive and pullic-spirited men of this city who has made his




182


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


way to prominence and honorable prestige through his own welldirected energy and efforts. He was born in Berlin, Germany,
July 20, 1864, a son of Ernest J. and Augusta Hentschel, who were
also both natives of the Fatherland, where the former was born
in 1820 and the latter in 1831. The father was a butcher by trade
and engaged in this business during his active career. He was also
the owner and proprietor of a hotel in his native town, which he
conducted until the time of his death, in 1884. His wife survived
him a number of years and maintained her home in the same town
until her death, a place endeared to her by the memories and association of many years and one in which she was beloved by all
who knew her. They were the parents of five children, all of
whom are deceased but Ernest J., the subject of this review, and
a daughter, Hulda, who resides at Berlin, the widow of Carl Osang.
Ernest J. Hentschel, Jr., acquired a substantial education in the
schools of his native country, and at the age of fourteen he entered
upon a three years' apprenticeship to the trade of millwright. Later
he learned chemical plumbing in connection with installation work
in paper mills, and in his native land he was employed in this
service by E. Meurer during a period of seven years. In 1890 he
came to the United States to enter the employ, as a chemical
plumber, of his former employer, Mr. Meurer, who had come
here a year previous and established a sulphate plant at Palmer
Falls, New York. Mr. Meurer had a patent on a paper manufacturing system, and in the introducing of the same in the United
States, Mr. Hentschel traveled for him ten years, in the installing
of sulphate mills in various eastern and middle western states.
In 1900 Mr. Meurer built in Muskegon the mill of the Central
Paper Company, and Mr. Hentschel was later called to install
the sulphate plant in this city. He remained with this concern
until May, 1902, when he accepted a position as traveling salesman
for the Muskegon Brewing Company and served in this capacity
for ten years. He then purchased the old Wierengo Hotel, which
he successfully conducted for five years. In 1917 he became associated with Frank P. Rockenbach in establishing a music store
at Muskegon Heights, and under the title of the Muskegon Heights
Music House they continued this enterprise until 1921, when Mr.
Hentschel sold his interest to his partner. He then purchased a
half interest in the Muskegon Heights Furniture Company, and
has since been one of the active factors in the management of its
affairs. The Muskegon Heights Furniture Company takes precedence over all other concerns of its kind in the city, both in
prolonged period of operation and in the scope and importance
of business controlled, and its status has long been one of prominence in connection with the representative commercial activities
of the country. The company holds membership in the Muskegon
Chamber of Commerce and in the Muskegon Heights Board of
Trade, and is recognized as one of the leading concerns of its kind
in Muskegon county. Besides his business connection Mr. Hent



HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


183


schel also finds time and opportunity to give effective co-operation
in movements for the social and material betterment of the community and has ever stood as an exponent of the best type of civic
loyalty and progressiveness. As alderman from the Fourth ward
of the city of Muskegon from 1913 until 1917, he rendered efficient
service to that body, and during the many years of his residence
here he has wielded definite and benignant influence, both as a
citizen and as a man of splendid business ability. He is a Mason
and an Elk, and both he and his wife are members of St. John's
church, of Muskegon. Mr. Hentschel was married at Palmer Falls,
New York, in 1900, to Miss Johanna M. Steube, a native of Leipzig, Germany, is a woman of engaging personality, and their
home at 1534 Clinton street is a hospitable one, where their friends
are always welcome.
Nilan Frank Herkimer owns and conducts, under the title of
the Standard Auto Supply Company, a well-ordered and amply equipped
establishment at 942 Terrace street, Muskegon, where he handles full
lines of automobile accessories and supplies. This progressive young
business man is able to claim the city of Chicago as the place of his
nativity, his birth having occurred there July 19, 1896, and the one
other child of the family being his elder brother, Lawrence Russell,
who was born in April, 1893, and who is deceased. Mr. Herkimer is
a son of Lawrence B. and Agnes (Peebles) Herkimer, the former of
whom was born in Chicago, in 1872, and the latter of whom was born
in Scotland, in 1873. Lawrence B. Herkimer gave long and effective
service as a trainman on railroad mail trains, and was thus engaged
at the time of his death, in 1900, his widow, now Mrs. W. J. Rice,
being now a resident of Iowa City, Iowa. The public schools of Chicago
gave to Nilan F. Herkimer his early education, which was supplemented
by his attending for three years the high school at St. Clairville, New
York. In 1915 he joined his mother in Muskegon, and here he entered
the employ of the Continental Motor Corporation. Later he was employed by the Standard Malleable Iron Company and the Muskegon
Piston Ring Company, and March 21, 1924, he purchased the automobile accessory shop which he has since conducted under the title of
Standard Auto Supply Company. He is a Republican, is a member
of the Congregational church, and in the Masonic fraternity he has
advanced to and received the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite,
besides being a noble of the Mystic Shrine.
Leo D. Hickey owns and conducts at Muskegon Heights a
drug store whose attractive appointments and effective service are the
basis of the substantial business controlled, and he is one of the leading
exponents of this line of enterprise in this thriving city. Mr. Hickey
was born in Manistee county, Michigan, June 27, 1883, and is a son
of David and Mary A. Hickey, both natives of the province of Ontario,.
Canada, where the former was born in 1853 and the latter in 1852.
David Hickey was twenty-one years of age when, in 1874, he obtained
government land in Manistee county, Michigan, and instituted the de —




184


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


velopment of a pioneer farm, besides which he was for a number of
years associated also with lumbering operations in that section of the
state. On his homestead farm he continued his productive activities
until 1916, when he and his wife established their residence in Muskegon, where he entered the employ of the Alaska Refrigerator Company and where he maintained his home until his death, in August,
1923, his wife having passed away in the preceding year, and both
having been devout communicants of the Catholic church. Of the four
children Leo D., of this review, is the youngest; Etta is the wife of
Thomas O'Leary, and was born in the year 1876; John, who is a resident of Muskegon, was born in 1878; and Bina, who was born in 1880,
is the wife of Leonard Hogan. The father was a Republican in politics
and was affiliated with the Knights of Columbus. After attending the
public schools at Nessen City, Benzie county, Michigan, Leo D. Hickey
pursued a higher academic course at St. Lawrence College, Fond du
Lac, Wisconsin, and in 1901 he was graduated in the department of
pharmacy of the Ferris Institute, at Big Rapids, Michigan. As a registered pharmacist he has proved the thoroughness of his professional
training, and has achieved substantial success. He was employed one
year in the North Michigan Hospital at Traverse City, later was clerk
in a drug store at Pellston, Emmett county, and he next passed a year
in the west. In 1905 he took a position in the L. Loveland drug store
at Muskegon, and thereafter he was employed six years by the F. G.
Neumeister Drug Company in that city. In 1913 he purchased at
Muskegon Heights the well-established drug store and business of Garrett Van Arkler, and this enterprise he has since continued with distinctive success. He is a loyal and progressive member of the local
Board of Trade, is a Republican in his political proclivities, he and his
wife are communicants of the Catholic church, and he is affiliated with
the Knights of Columbus. In 1908 was solemnized the marriage of
Mr. Hickey to Miss Anna Hogan, of Muskegon, and they have three
children: Mary, Paul and Francis.
Roy Herbert Holmes, M. D., is well fortified for the loyal and
effective stewardship which he is exemplifying in the practice of his
profession in the city of Muskegon, and he is one of the representative
physicians and surgeons of the younger generation in Muskegon county.
Doctor Holmes was born in the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan, January 22, 1896, and is a son of A. G. and Svenborg (Lind) Holmes,
the father having been for many years in the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad, or that division of the Pennsylvania Lines that constitutes the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad. Mr. Holmes was a
resident of Grand Rapids at the time of his death, when he was about
sixty-nine years of age, and in that city his widow still maintains her
home. Of the four children two survive the honored father-Dr. Roy
H., of this review, and Miss Estelle, who remains with her widowed
mother. After having profited by the advantages of the Grand Rapids
public schools, including the high school, Doctor Holmes was for one
}ear a student in Kalamazoo College, and in preparing himself for his
chosen profession he completed a course in the medical department




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


185


of the University of Michigan, in which he was graduated as a member
of the class of 1922 and with the well-earned degree of Doctor of Medicine. In 1923 he opened an office in Muskegon, and here his practice,
of general order, shows a constantly cumulative tendency-evidence
alike of his professional ability and his personal popularity in the community. He has membership in the Muskegon County Medical Society
and the Michigan State Medical Society. His political alignment is in
the ranks of the Republican party. He is a communicant of the Lutheran
church, is a member of the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce, and is
affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and the Muskegon Lodge of the
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. The Doctor's name remains
enrolled on the list of eligible young bachelors in Muskegon.
Oscar A. Hopperstead is a native son of Muskegon and a representative of a family that was here concerned with the extensive lumbering operations in the earlier history of the city. His business activities have touched many other localities, but in his native city he has
found opportunity for the achieving of his maximum success. Here
he conducts a substantial and prosperous wholesale and retail business
as a dealer in hardware and mill supplies, the enterprise being carried
forward under the title of the People's Hardware Company. Mr. Hopperstead was born in Muskegon MIarch 22, 1869, and is a son of Ole
and Johanna Hopperstead, both natives of Norway, where the former
was born in 1833 and the latter in 1839. Ole Hopperstead was a lad
of fourteen years when he accompanied his parents to the United States,
and his more advanced education was obtained in the public schools of
Chicago. As a youth he became associated with the lumber business.
He was employed a number of years in the Chicago lumber yards of
the George R. Roberts Company, and he came with this concern to
Muskegon in 1860, in which year the company built and placed in
operation a sawmill that stood on the site of the present docks of the
Goodrich Transportation Company, on Muskegon lake. Here the manufacturing of lumber was carried forward on a large scale, and the
name of the corporation was changed to the Roberts & Hull Lumber
Company. In 1883 Mr. Hopperstead entered the employ of the Simpson & Fay Lumber Company, at Lakeside, and from 1889 until his
death, in 1892, he was associated with the Hovey McCracken Lumber
Company. His wife survived him by several years, and both were
zealous communicants of the Norwegian Lutheran church of Muskegon,
he having been one of its organizers. having been prominently identified
with the building of the church edifice and having been an official of
the church. He was affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, and was
a sterling citizen who had the confidence and good will of the community
that represented his home more than thirty years. The three sons,
Orion S., Oscar A., and Ernest A., all continue to be residents of
Muskegon. The early education of Oscar A. Hopperstead included a
partial course in the Muskegon high school, and at the age of seventeen
vears he here entered the employ of the H. N. Powell Hardware Company. Several years later he entered the employ of the Towner Hardware Company, with which he remained until 1896. He was next em



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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


ployed two years in a hardware establishment at Sault Ste. Marie, on
the upper peninsula of Michigan, and thereafter he was engaged in
handling hardware and mill supplies at Menominee, this state, about
one year. In April, 1899, Mr. Htopperstead returned to Muskegon
and opened a hardware store on West Western avenue. On this site,
now occupied by the Union National Bank, he continued his business
until 1917, when he erected his present substantial and modern building,
on Pine street, where, with ample and well-equipped headquarters, the
business is continued, as one of the leading enterprises of its kind in
Muskegon county. Mr. Hopperstead is a staunch Republican, a communicant of the local Norwegian Lutheran church, and Mrs. Hopperstead is a member of St. Paul's Episcopal church. He is a Knight Templar and Shriner, is affiliated with Muskegon Lodge of Elks,
and is a member of the Chamber of Commerce and the Muskegon
Country Club. He is known and valued as one of the progressive citizens and representative business men of his native city. In the year
1900 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Hopperstead to Miss Mae C.
Adams, of Muskegon, who is the popular chatelaine of their pleasant
home. They have no children.
Frederick J. Howden, executive head of the J. J. Howden Company, is effectively carrying forward the substantial jobbing business that was founded in the city of Muskegon by his father, the
late John J. Howden, who was long numbered among the representative business men and honored and influential citizens of this
city. Frederick J. Howden, who is well maintaining the prestige
of the family name, both as a citizen and business man, was born
in Muskegon, Michigan, November 10, 1874, a date that indicates
that the family had no little of pioneer precedence here. He is a
son of John James and Maria (Walker) Howden, and the other
surviving child is a daughter, Miss Helen, who still resides in
Muskegon. John James Howden was born at Whitby, province
of Ontario, Canada, March 30, 1846, and was one of the venerable
and revered citizens of Muskegon at the time of his death, January
17, 1913, his wife having likewise been born at Whitby, Ontario,
and the date of her nativity having been March 1, 1846.  The
mother, still living, resides in Muskegon. It was at the suggestion
of the late James Clements, who built the first gas works at Muskegon, that John J. Howden came to this city in 1871 and assumed
the active charge of the new gas plant and its service, his connection with which continued many years. In the building of
the gas company he initiated his independent business enterprise
in maintaining a stock of pipe, fittings and parts for the accommodation of the operators of the many lumber mills then established
here, and as demands for such plumbing and general accessories
increased he developed the business that is now conducted under
the title of the J. J. Howden Company, this being not only a pioneer
concern but also the most important one of its kind in Muskegon.
John J. Howden and his wife were reared in the faith of the
Church of England, and thus in Muskegon they found a church




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


187


of the same faith in St. Paul's church, Protestant Episcopal, of
which they became devout communicants, Mr. Howden having
given years of service as a member of the vestry of this parish
and having been for a long period its junior and senior warden.
He was a Republican in politics, and was at one time his party's
candidate for mayor of Muskegon, even his unqualified personal
popularity having, however, been unequal to the overcoming of
the large Democratic majority that was here the rule at that period.
Mr. Howden was a most loyal and public-spirited citizen and his
local interests included his long and effective connection with the
Union National Bank, of which he served as vice-president. His
name and memory are held in lasting honor in the city that was
long his home and the stage of his earnest endeavors. In the public
schools of Muskegon Frederick J. Howden continued his studies
until he had profited by the discipline of the high 'school, and in
1891 he entered the employ of the old Muskegon Gas Company,
under the direction of his father. He early became associated
with his father's independent business, previously mentioned in
this review, and he is now president and treasurer of the J. J.
Howden Company, with secure vantage-ground as one of the representative business men of his native city. He is aligned in the
ranks of the Republican party and is a member of the Century
Club. He is also affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and the
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. On the 6th of June,
1906, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Howden to Miss Ethel
Beath, of Columbus, province of Ontario, Canada, and the one
child of this union is a son, John Frederick, named in honor of his
father and grandfather.
Eugene Lincoln Howe belonged to the class of men which no
community can afford to lose and in his passing his family was
bereaved of a loving and devoted husband and father. Mr. Howe
was born at Levanna, Cayuga county, New York, June 19, 1857,
and at an early age was thrown upon his own resources, being
fourteen years old when he left home to make his own way in the
world, becoming interested in the iron industry. Later he became
superintendent for the Ewart Manufacturing company, now the
Link Belt company, of Indianapolis, Indiana, where he remained
several years, going from there to Cleveland, Ohio, to take the position of superintendent with the Eberhart Manufacturing company.
Of an inventive turn of mind he perfected a device for sorting and
assembling links into chains that is still in use by chain manufacturers. It was in 1896 that he came to Muskegon and established the Standard Malleable Iron company, of which he remained
the executive head until the time of his death. This concern,
though of modest proportions at the beginning, was built on a
firm foundation and due to the ability of its founder it became one
of the leading business enterprises of its kind and is one of the
most substantial in western Michigan and Mr. Howe achieved a
national reputation for the fine quality of the iron castings turned




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


out by his company. Being a man of extraordinary judgment he
had many opportunities to enter public service but these he always
declined, preferring to give his entire time to his business affairs
and he took great pleasure in providing ways and means for the
comfort and welfare of his employees, and which was most loyally
reciprocated as the success of the enterprise and the kinds words
of his fellow workers will attest. He held membership in the Elks
club and the Century club, but his greatest enjoyment was at his
own fireside with his family and friends. Eugene L. Howe was
united in marriage with Miss Eva O. Ladd, who still maintains
her home in Muskegon, and their only child is Mrs. Andrew Wierengo, whose husband succeeded to the presidency of the Standard
Malleable Iron company. The death of Mr. Howe occurred March
17, 1923, and he will long be remembered as one of the business men of Muskegon where for thirty years he gave his best
efforts to the establishing and devolping of one of the most substantial business enterprises in the city and the success that he
achieved was well merited.
Thomas Hume. In the history of the great lumbering industry
that for many years represented the most important and gigantic
productive enterprise of Michigan, there are a few names that
must ever stand forth in high relief, and among these is that of
the late Thomas Hume, who was one of the two men who were
foremost in the development and making of the city of Muskegon
and who long held precedence as a leader in the industrial activities
of the Wolverine state.' His was a fine ability and a fine character,
and thus enduring honor is to be paid to his memory, for on his
entire career there rests no shadow or suspicion of wrong or injustice.
Thomas Hume was born in County Down, Ireland, June 15,
1848, and he was one of the venerable and revered citizens of Muskegon at the time of his death, January 1, 1920. Mr. Hume was
in the fullest sense, the architect of his own fortune. He was a
young man when he came to Muskegon, and his was the judgment
that made it possible for him to discern and profit by the opportunities here offered. In his native land he attended school in
his home county until he was nine years of age, and thereafter
he was a student in the Royal Academical Institute in the city of
Belfast until he had attained to the age of fourteen years. He was
then indentured, or "bound out," to a man engaged in the mercantile business at Dungannon, County of Tyrone, where he served
four and one-half years of the prescribed six-year period of apprenticeship, when his ability and service gained recognition in his
being released from further service under the terms of indenture.
With this employer, however, he remained until he was twentytwo years of age, when his ambition and self-reliance led him to
set forth for the United States, where he felt assured of better
opportunities for the winning of independence and prosperity
through individual effort. It was in 1870 that Mr. Hume disem



THOMAS HUME








HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


189


barked in the port of New York City, and on the 31st of May
of that year he arrived in Muskegon. He forthwith became identified with lumbering operations, in which connection his initial
service was as a lumber tallyman. During the first summer he
was thus employed by George P. Selkirk and the firm of Montague
& Hamilton, and the winter season found him in service in the
scaling of logs for 0. P. Pillsbury & Company and T. B. Wilcox
& Company. Later he became associated with the late Charles
H. Hackley, another of the big men in the lumber industry of
Michigan and one of the most liberal and influential citizens of
Muskegon. The business alliance of these two representative Muskegon citizens continued until the death of Mr. Hackley, in February, 1905. It was in the year 1872 that Mr. Hume assumed the
position of bookkeeper in the office of Hackley & McGordon, the
interested principals in which were Charles H. Hackley and James
McGordon. Thereafter came various changes in the personnel
and name of the firm, an interest in which was acquired by Mr.
Hume in June, 1881, when was created the firm of Hackley &
Hume, which was long to figure as the foremost industrial concern
in Muskegon county and as one of the most important in the lumbering industry of Michigan. In the period of 1886-88, long before
this firm ceased its mill operations in Muskegon, it began buying
timber lands in other states of the Union, including Wisconsin,
Minnesota and Louisiana, and later this acquiring of land was
continued in Mississippi, Arkansas, South Carolina, Florida and
British Columbia, where the concern still has large holdings of
valuable timber land. Messrs. Hackley and Hume acquired a large
interest in the Itasca Lumber Company, the annual business of
which attained to an aggregate of fully $75,000,000, the while its
mill gained status as the fastest in operation in the entire world,
with an output averaging from 90,000,000 to 110,000,000 feet of
lumber in seven months. Mr. Hume continued as one of the heavy
stockholders of the Itasca Lumber Company until the time of his
death, was also a principal in the Gardner & Lacey Lumber Company of Georgetown, South Carolina. He was for many years a
dominating figure in the industrial activities of Muskegon, and
was one of the most liberal and quietly influential citizens of this
progressive Michigan city. He was president of the Muskegon
Telephone Company, and of the Sargent Manufacturing Company;
was president of the Amazon Knitting Company, and was a director and executive officer of the Alaska Refrigerator Company
and the Standard Malleable Iron Company, besides having been
vice-president of the Shaw Electric Crane Company, the National
Lumberman's Bank and the Hackley National Bank, as well as
a director of the Chase-Hackley Piano Company.  Mr. Hume
achieved large financial success, and never failed to realize the
personal stewardship that this involved as touching community
interests. He gave ready support to enterprises and measures
that tended to advance the civic and material progress and pros



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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


perity of his home city, and he was true and loyal in all of the
relations of life. He founded and donated the Old People's Home
of Muskegon and endowed the same. He was essentially a business man and thus had no desire for political activity or public
office. He gave his allegiance to the Republican party, and his
religious faith was that of the Episcopal church.
In the year 1873 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Hume to
Miss Margaret Annie Banks, daughter of Major Bartholomew
Banks, of Marshall, Michigan. Of this union were born two sons
and five daughters, and concerning the sons, who are well upholding the honors of the family name as substantial business men and
loyal citizens of their native city, more specific mention is made
in later paragraphs of this memoir. Mrs. Hume, who was born
July 30, 1848, survives her husband and still maintains her home
in Muskegon, a city endeared to her by the memories and association of many years and one in which she is loved by all who
have come within the sphere of her gentle influence.
George A. Hume, elder of the two sons of the honored subject
of this memoir, was born July 20, 1881, and his early education
included a course in the Muskegon Business College. January 13,
1904, Mr. Hume wedded Miss Anna Louise Abbott, daughter of
George A. and Ella (Conklin) Abbott, of Muskegon, and the children of this union are six in number: George A., Jr., Ella Louise,
Margaret, Jean, Thomas A. and James D. Mr. Hume and his
brother are associated in the management and control of the varied
interests of the estate left by their father.
Thomas H. Hume, younger of the two sons, was born July 2,
1888, and, like his brother, has secure standing as one of the representative citizens and men of affairs in his native city. May 7,
1913, he married Miss Mildred Spaulding, of Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, and they have two children, Thomas S. and Virginia S.
The daughters are Margaret Bailie, wife of Rev. P. W. Mosher,
of Niagara Falls, New York; Miss Helen Mary Hume, who resides
with her mother in Muskegon; Nan Eliza, who died in infancy;
Florence Virginia, who married F. E. McKee and died in 1920;
and Constance Hamilton, who married E. J. Koehler, and resides
in Muskegon.
Alfred James Hunter has built up in his native city of Muskegon a substantial and important jobbing business in the handling of plumbing, heating and mill supplies, and his well equipped
establishment is located at 252-58 Market avenue. The business
is conducted under the title of the Alfred J. Hunter company, and
is one of the leading enterprises of its kind in the city. Mr. Hunter
was born in Muskegon, September 28, 1881, and is a son of
Adolphus G. and Emma (Cherney) Hunter, both of whom were
residents of Muskegon at the time of their death, their home having been maintained here for many years.  Adolphus Hunter
came from Grimsby, Ontario, Canada, to Muskegon county in an
early day, and he was long and actively identified with lumbering




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


191


and milling operations in this section of Michigan, his marriage
having here been solemnized and his wife having come to Muskegon from Buffalo, New York. Of their two children, Alfred J., of
this review, is the elder, and the younger son, Harry K., likewise
is actively identified with business enterprise in Muskegon. In the
Muskegon public schools Alfred J. Hunter continued his studies
until his graduation in the high school, as a member of the class
of 1900, and shortly afterward he here entered the employ of the
J. J. Howden company, with which representative plumbing and
heating concern he continued his alliance thirteen years. He
familiarized himself with all details of the business and thus he
was well fortified when, in 1913, he formed a partnership with his
only brother and engaged independently in the plumbing and
heating business, under the firm title of Hunter Brothers. Upon
the dissolution of this partnership in 1922, Alfred J. Hunter established his present independent business, as a jobber in plumbing,
heating and mill supplies, the enterprise having proved distinctly
successful and the business being now one of substantial order.
Mr. Hunter is an active member of the Muskegon Chamber of
Commerce and also the local Rotary club, in the York Rite of the
Masonic fraternity he is affiliated with local blue lodge and chapter bodies, and also with Muskegon Commandery of Knights
Templar, and he is a member of Muskegon lodge of the Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks. His political alignment is in the
ranks of the Republican party and he and his wife are active communicants of St. Paul's church, Protestant Episcopal.  On the
twenty-fifth of October, 1913, was solemnized the marriage of Mr.
Hunter to Miss Dorothea Schroeder, daughter of George and
Mathilde Schroeder, of Chicago, the mother being now deceased
and the father being still a representative business man of Chicago, where he is secretary of the great soap manufacturing corporation of James S. Kirk & Company. Mr. and Mrs. Hunter have
two children, Virginia Mathilde and Jane Louise.
Herbert Henry Huntley is the proprietor of one of the important industrial enterprises in the city of Muskegon, known as
the Huntley Machine Shop, the plant and business of which were
established in this city in 1917 under the name of the Huntley
Machinery company, upon removal from Holland, Michigan, where
the business had previously been conducted for a long term of
years. In the city of Holland, Ottawa county, Michigan, Herbert
H. Huntley was born in the year 1879, one of the seven children
of Alfred and Eliza (Hopson) Huntley. Of the children all are
living except George Robert, the others being Mrs. Gertrude
McCracken, Arthur E., Alfred P., Mrs. Harriet Nesbitt and
Mrs. Mabel Bosma. Alfred Huntley was the founder of the Huntley Machinery company at Holland, and under his direction the
business was developed to one of substantial order, he having continued to be the president of the company until his death, and
his wife likewise being deceased. The public schools of Holland




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


afforded Herbert H. Huntley his youthful education, and in the
meantime, at the age of fourteen years, he initiated a practical apprenticeship in his father's machine shop. In the passing years
he fortified himself in the executive and technical details of the
business, and upon the death of his father in 1913, he became
president of the company. As a matter of productive and commercial expediency the company removed its business to Muskegon in 1917, and here the enterprise has since been continued
successfully and on a larger scale, the plant being modern in all
equipments and facilities. In 1924 Mr. Huntley became individual
owner with the name of Huntley Machine Shop. Mr. Huntley is
able to give concrete expression to his civic loyalty and progressiveness through his active membership in the Muskegon Chamber of
Commerce, he is affiliated with the Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks, and he and his wife are communicants of the
Protestant Episcopal church. In politics he supports men and
measures meeting the approval of his judgment, without partisan
discrimination. On the sixteenth of April, 1900, was solemnized
the marriage of Mr. Huntley to Miss Ada Olcott, daughter of Israel and Anna (Kuite) Olcott, of Holland, this state. The one
child of this union is a daughter, Bernice.
Harry W. Jackson, who completed, on the 1st of January, 1925,
his four years' term of effective administration as prosecuting attorney of Muskegon county, is one of the representative members
of the bar of this county and upon his retiremnt from office he
resumed the active practice of his profession in the city of Muskegon, where he is junior member of the law firm of Carpenter
& Jackson, which controls a substantial and important practice.
Mr. Jackson was born at Baldwin, judicial center of Lake county,
Michigan, June 29, 1887, and is a son of Dr. Noah H. and Adelaide
(Sayles) Jackson, the former of whom was born in the province
of Ontario, Canada, September 8, 1864, and the latter of whom
was born in Michigan, July 2, 1867, they being now residents of
Wahjamega, Tuscola county, Michigan, where the Doctor is chief
physician in charge of the Michigan state farm colony for epileptics. Doctor Jackson is a son of the late Noah Jackson and was
a boy of about ten years when the family home was established,
in 1874, on a farm in Muskegon county, Michigan, his father having
become one of the prosperous agriculturists and influential citizens
of the county and having here served as a member of the county
board of supervisors. After preparing himself thoroughly for the
work of his chosen profession, Doctor Jackson engaged in the
practice of medicine at Muskegon, where also his brothers, Drs.
Samuel and James Jackson, likewise became successful physicians
and surgeons. Dr. Noah H. Jackson later removed with his family
to Ohio, where for twenty years he continued in the successful
practice of his profession, not far to the east of the city of Fort
Wayne, Indiana. The Doctor is an active member of the Michigan State Medical Society and the American Medical Association,




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


193


is a past master of the Masonic blue lodge and past patron of
the Order of the Eastern Star, in which latter his wife is a past
matron. Of the other two children it is to be recorded that Frederick is a resident of Detroit, and that Pauline is the wife of Harry
Irwin, superintendent, in 1925, of the high school at Clive, Ohio.
The earlier educational discipline of Harry W. Jackson was acquired mainly in the public schools of Hicksville, Ohio, and in
1905 he was graduated in the high school of that city. In 1910
he was graduated in the law department of the University of Ohio,
in the capital city of Columbus, and after thus receiving his degree
of Bachelor of Laws he was engaged in the practice of his profession in the state of North Dakota until 1913, when he returned
to his native state of Michigan and engaged in general practice
in Muskegon, where he eventually formed a law partnership with
William Carpenter, under the firm title of Carpenter & Jackson,
which is still retained. He gave five years of service as circuit
court commissioner, and thereafter was for four years assistant
prosecuting attorney of the county, in which connection his record
was such as to mark him as the most eligible candidate for the
office of prosecuting attorney, to which he was elected in 1920
and in which he continued his vigorous and effective administration
until the expiration of his term, January 1, 1925. As prosecutor
Mr. Jackson brought the work of his office up to splendid efficiency, established precedents in many cases which he prosecuted,
did a fine service in eliminating vice and all manner of malfactions
in his county, and brought about changes that greatly advanced
the work of the justice courts. He handled a greater amount of
official work than any previous incumbent had been called upon
to perform, and as prosecuting attorney he lost but one case among
the many in which he appeared. The record he made in this office
is tending greatly to expand the scope and importance of the law
business of his firm since he resumed private practice. Mr. Jackson is a stalwart in the ranks of the Republican party, is a past
master of Norchite Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons,
and is affiliated also with the York and Scottish Rite bodies of
the Masonic fraternity, as well as with the Mystic Shrine. February 20, 1911, Mr. Jackson wedded Miss Eunice Seibert, of Toledo,
Ohio, and they have two daughters: Martha, born October 31,
1913. and Betsy Ann, born January 22, 1921. When Harry Jackson retired from the office of prosecutor, the county board of supervisors passed the following resolution in apprciation of his services:
"Whereas, at this time when Mr. Harry W. Jackson is bringing
to a close his work as Prosecuting Attorney of Muskegon County;
this board desires to voice its deep appreciation of the services he
has rendered Muskegon County during the eight years of his occupancy of that office, and
"Whereas, we, the members of this board, who have been in
close touch with county affairs during that time, realize that the
tremendous increase in the work of the Prosecutor's office and




194


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


the vast changes in local conditions, has placed upon his shoulders
work and responsibilities never before brought to the office, and
the masterly manner in which he has handled the affairs of the
office, the work he has given, the sacrifices he has made to duty,
are all inspiring evidences of his true worth to the community.
We bespeak for this board and we believe for those we represent,
our highest commendation and warmest appreciation of the genuine service he has rendered not only to this board in his official
capacity, but also to the County of Muskegon;
"Now, Therefore Be It Resolved, That we give Mr. Jackson
a rising vote of thanks at this time, it being the last meeting of
the year and at the termination of his official duties for the county
as Prosecuting Attorney, and that this resolution be placed upon
our records and a copy sent to Mr. Jackson by the County Clerk."
John Brooking Jardine, treasurer of the West Michigan Steel
Foundry Company, one of the important industrial concerns of the
city of Muskegon, is staging his productive activities in a locality far
removed from that of his birth, as is evident when it is stated that he
was born at St. John's, Newfoundland, the date of his nativity having
been July 22, 1873, and his lineage tracing back to staunch Scotch origin.
At St. John's, the capital city of Newfoundland, the parents, James and
Susan Jane (Brooking) Jardine continued to reside until their death.
During the greater part of his active life James Jardine was engaged
in the government service. In the schools of his native city John B.:Jardine gained his early education, which was there supplemented by
his attending the college maintained under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal church. There, at the age of sixteen years, he became
a junior clerk in a mercantile establishment, and eight years later he
entered the employ of a wholesale millinery concern in the city of Toronto, Canada, where he maintained this alliance eight years. He was
thirty-five years of age when he returned to his native city and assumed
the office of assistant freight auditor of the Reid-Newfoundland Railroad. He there continued his residence until 1909, when he came to
Muskegon, Michigan, where he continued in service as cost accountant
for the Moon Desk Company until this corporation closed its business.
Thereafter he was for one year office manager of the Muskegon Morning Times, and since April, 1916, he has been actively associated with
the West Michigan Steel Foundry Company, his initial service having
been in the capacity of bookkeeper, from which position he won advancement to that of assistant secretary and office manager, and finally
he was made treasurer of the company, of which office he is still the
efficient incumbent, besides being a member of the company's board
of directors. In politics he maintains affiliation with the Republican
party. July 22, 1903, Mr. Jardine was united in marriage to Miss
Elizabeth A. McMahon, daughter of Francis and Mary McMahon, of
Sault Ste. Marie, Canada, and the children of this union are six in
number: Eva Mary, Alice Elizabeth, James Harold, John Brooking,
Jr., Donald Francis, and Margaret Ann.




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


195


William E. Jeannot has shown marked initiative and administrative ability in his association with important industrial enterprises in the city of Muskegon, where he is president of the West
Michigan Steel Foundry Company, of which he was the organizer
*and his able and progressive policies have made this one of the
substantial business concerns of the Muskegon county metropolis
and judicial center. He is also president of the Michigan Ox-Hydric Company, which is engaged in the manufacturing of oxygen,
and a director of the Union National Bank. He is also president
of the Eagle Foundry and Machine Company, of which he has
been associated since 1918 and which was originally the Eagle
Foundry Company, and in 1918 it was reorganized into the Eagle
Foundry and Machine Company, at which time Mr. Jeannot became president. William E. Jeannot was born at Lake Harbor,
a virtual suburb of Muskegon, on April 21, 1866, his parents, Peter
and Mary (Lambert) Jeannot, pioneers of Muskegon county, where
the father was long actively identified with lumbering operations,
and where he continued to reside until his death, in 1901, his
widow, who survived him, passing away in 1916. They were both
devout communicants of the Catholic church. Of this family of
twelve children six survive the honored father and mother. Edward, Arthur and William E. all reside in Muskegon, as do two
of the daughters, Mrs. Mary DeMars and Mrs. F. N. Groleau,
the other surviving daughter being Mrs. Julia Chasse, of Detroit.
The preliminary education of William Jeannot was obtained in
the school of Lake Harbor, and his higher education was acquired
in the fine old Notre Dame University at South Bend, Indiana,
in which he was graduated as a member of the class of 1884.
During a period of three years after his graduation he was bookkeeper and accountant in the office of Peter Jeannot & Company,
an important lumbering concern of which his father was executive
head and the headquarters of which were at Park City, Newaygo
county. Thereafter he gave several years' effective service as superintendent of construction for the Wisconsin and Chippewa Railroad, and later he held the office of superintendent of the Marinett,
Tomahawk and Western Railroad. In connection with the lumbering industry, as a representative of various companies, he devoted several years to the estimating of lumber resources in the
states of Louisiana and Alabama, and for six years he held the
office of general manager for the Bradley Land and Lumber Company, in the state of Maine, until 1908, when he left this position
to go to Eureka, Nevada, where he engaged in mining, and for
two years he operated the Holly mines, as manager and part owner.
In 1910 he sold the mines to some San Francisco (California)
parties and returned to Muskegon for a visit with his widowed
mother, and while here he became a stockholder in the Muskegon
Steel Casting Company. Within a short time thereafter this company became bankrupt, and Mr. Jeannot proceeded to reorganize
the concern on a stable basis and under the present title of the




190


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


West Michigan Steel Foundry Company. As president of this
corporation he has ordered its affairs wisely and well and has made
the concern one of major importance in the industrial activities of
Muskegon, his interest here having led him to establish his permanent home at Muskegon and his interposition as a citizen and
a vital and progressive business man having worked definitely to
the advantages of the city, along both civic and industrial lines.
He is a loyal and progressive member of the Muskegon Chamber
of Commerce, is a Republican in his political allegiance, is affiliated with the Knights of Columbus, the Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks and the Knights of the Maccabees, and he has membership in the Century Club, one of the leading social organizations
of Muskegon. He and his wife are communicants of the Catholic
church, and he is a charter member of the parish organization of
St. John the Baptist church of Muskegon. In 1908 was solemnized
the marriage of William Jeannot to Miss Grace Forbes Robertson,
daughter of John Robertson, who is now a retired citizen of Boston,
Massachusetts. The only child of this union was a son, who died
in infancy. Mrs. Jeannot is a gracious and popular figure in the
representative social life of Muskegon, and is the hospitable chalelaine of one of the most attractive homes in this city, as also they
have a winter home at North Whittier, California, at which place
they have spent the last seven winters.
John J. Jiroch is successfully continuing in his native city of
Muskegon the wholesale and retail cigar and tobacco business that was
established here by his father and that now stands as one of the oldest
enterprises of its kind in the city. Mr. Jiroch was born in Muskegon
in the year 1876, and is a son of Francis and Effie Jiroch, who here
established their home in 1866, upon coming from Chicago to Michigan.
In 1876-7 Francis Jiroch served as a member of the city board of aldermen, and in 1880-81 he was mayor of Muskegon, in which office his
administration was such as to justify most fully the popular confidence
and esteem that led to his election to this chief office of the municipal
government. Upon coming to Muskegon he engaged in the cigar and
tobacco business, and this pioneer enterprise is that now owned and
conducted by his son. Francis Jiroch died here in 1911. The mother
still resides in Muskegon. The public schools of Muskegon were the
medium through which John J. Jiroch acquired his youthful education,
and virtually his entire active career has been one of association with
the business that had been founded by his father, and the scope of
which has been greatly expanded under his progressive management.
Mr. Jiroch is a staunch Republican, is a loyal member of the Muskegon
Chamber of Commerce and the local Rotary Club, besides which he
is a member of the Century Club and the Muskegon Country Club.
In a fraternal way he is affiliated with the Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks. The marriage of Mr. Jiroch to Miss Florence Tillitson,
of Muskegon, occurred in 1906, and they have three children-Virginia
T., Frank D., and John T.




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


197


Rev. Alfred Raymond Johns, D. D., is pastor of the Central
Methodist Episcopal Church in the city of Muskegon, this being
the largest and most important church organization of this denomination in Muskegon county, where it has long represented much
of benignant service in the general community life. Doctor Johns
was born near Houghton, judicial center of the upper peninsula
Michigan county of that name, and is a son of Alfred and Maria
(Rogers) Johns. After receiving the discipline of the public
schools, including the high school, Doctor Johns was matriculated
in Albion college, the fine old Michigan institution that is maintained under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal church, and
in this college he was graduated as a member of the class of 1895.
He received at that time the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and in
that year Lawrence college likewise conferred upon him the degree
of Bachelor of Arts. In 1911 Albion college conferred upon him
the degree of Doctor of Divinity. He was ordained a clergyman
of the Methodist Episcopal church in 1895, and his first pastoral
charge was at Gladstone, Delta county, where he served from 1894
to 1899. In the latter year he was assigned to the pastorate of the
church at Iron Mountain, where he remained until 1901, when he
was transferred to the church at Hancock. In the following year
he received assignment to the church at Wyandotte, where he thus
initiated his ministerial service on the lower peninsula of Michigan.
He was next made pastor of the Court Street Methodist Episcopal
Church in the city of Flint, where he remained from 1908 to 1915.
In the latter year he became pastor of the First Methodist Episcopal Church in the city of Albion, where he continued his service
until assuming his present important pastoral charge in Muskegon,
in 1920. He was a member of the general conference of his church
in 1908 and 1912, and is now director of the Michigan charities
advisory board of the general conference. Doctor Johns is a man
of fine intellectuality and of marked executive and constructive
ability, as shown in the splendid results of his service in the various
pastorates to which he has been assigned. Broad and tolerant in
his views, he has made his influence potent in advancing the general communal welfare and stands exemplar of enlightened, loyal
and progressive citizenship. He is the author of a work entitled
"Socialism," and also of other valuable volumes touching social,
religious, economic and general civic matters. His political allegiance is given to the Republican party and he is affiliated with
the Masonic fraternity. On the 26th of June, 1894, was solemnized
the marriage of Doctor Johns to Miss Myrtie Drummond Moors,
and she passed to the life eternal in the year 1917. Mrs. Johns is
survived by three daughters: Mrs. Margaret Wilson and Mrs.
Dorothy Beebe, both of whom reside at Akron, Ohio, and Miss
Katherine, who remains at the paternal home. The second marriage of Doctor Johns occurred in 1919, when Mrs. Ethel C. MacDonald became his wife, she being the gracious chatelaine of the
pastoral home of the family in Muskegon.




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


Alfred C. Johnson is successfully established in the drug business at 1013 Washington avenue in the city of Muskegon, and two of
his brothers likewise are representatives of this line of -enterprise in
Muskegon county, Frank B. and Walter R., both of whom are individually mentioned in this publication, the other brother, Emil, being
employed in a Muskegon factory, and the two sisters being residents
of Muskegon, Mrs. Barney Shulstrom and Mrs. Lloyd Hansen. Alfred
C. Johnson was born in Sweden in the year 1879 and in the following
year was brought by his mother to Muskegon, the father having come
to this city in 1878 and having found employment in connection with
the lumber mills. The subject of this review is a son of John A. and
Anna C. Johnson, the former of whom was born in 1854 and the
latter in 1851, both having been reared and educated in Sweden and
the father is still a resident of Muskegon, and the mother died here
on Mothers' Day, 1925. Theye were earnest communicants of the
Swedish Lutheran church. John A. Johnson was for some time engaged in independent work as a carpenter and builder and later was
employed by the Moon Desk Company, his retirement from active business affairs having occurred in 1922. Alfred C. Johnson attended the
Muskegon public schools until he was sixteen years of age, and for
five years thereafter he was employed in the Stafford manufactory of
school desks. He then took a position in a local drug store, and in
1904 he completed a three months' course in the pharmacy department
of Ferris Institute, at Big Rapids, this being supplemented by his attending for three months the Marlette School of Pharmacy, at Marlette.
In 1905 he entered the employ of the Sibley Drug Company of Muskegon, and later he was employed in the William Pennington drug store
at Interlochen. In 1908 he and his brother, Frank B., opened a drug
store at the corner of Washington and Beidler streets, and in the conducting of the same. they'continued to be associated until March 22,
1914, when Alfred C. sold his interest to his brother and within a short
time took possession of his present well-equipped drug store at 1013
Washington avenue. He is a stockholder in the Walker Candy Company, and is one of the successful and progressive business men of
Muskegon. His political allegiance is given to the Republican party,
he is affiliated with the Loyal Order of Moose, and he and his wife are
active communicants of the Swedish Lutheran church. In 1912 was
solemnized the marriage of Mr. Johnson to Miss May Rasmussen, of
Muskegon, and they have two children, Alfred C., Jr., and Robert Lee.
Frank B. Johnson owns and conducts one of the well ordered
retail drug stores in his native city of Muskegon, where his establishment is located at the corner of Washington and Beidler streets. He
was born in Muskegon, August 26, 1884, and is a son of John A. and
Anna C. Johnson, both natives of Sweden and a record of whom appears
in the sketch written of Alfred C. Johnson. After completing the
work of his sophomore year in the Muskegon high school, Frank B.
Johnson was a student in the Ferris Institute, at Big Rapids, in 1905,
and thereafter he completed a course in the Marlette School of Pharmacy, at Marlette, this state. In 1906 he assumed a clerical position




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


199


with the Heeres Brothers Drug Company, of Muskegon, with which
he remained until 1908, when he and his brother, Alfred C., engaged
in the drug business at 351 Washington street, he having purchased
his brother's interest in the following year and having since conducted
the enterprise in an individual way and with marked success, he being
the owner of the building in which his business is established. Mr.
Johnson is a loyal supporter of the principles of the Republican party,
he and his wife are communicants of the Swedish Lutheran church,
lie is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and the Elks, and he is a
progressive member of the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce. In 1911
Mr. Johnson married Miss Olga Fuhrmann, of Muskegon, and they
have three children: Donna, born in 1912; Frank B., Jr., born in 1917;
and Donald, born in 1919.
Glenn H. Johnson owns and conducts one of the attractive and
well-ordered retail drug stores at Muskegon Heights, the establishment
being located at 1233 Peck street. Mr. Johnson was born at Whitehall,
Muskegon county, November 22, 1879, and is a son of P. V. Dallas
and Kate M. Johnson, the former of whom was born at Wilson, New
York, in 1841, and the latter of whom was born in Germany, in 1849.
P. V. Dallas Johnson early initiated his association with navigation interests, and the greater part of his active career was marked by his
service as a sailor on the Great Lakes and he having established his
residence at Whitehall, Michigan, within a short time after the close
of the Civil war. He was one of the venerable and honored citizens
of Whitehall at the time of his death, in 1916, and his widow passed
away in 1922. M\r. Johnson was a Republican of well-fortified convictions and was affiliated with the Knights of Pythias. Of the three
surviving children the subject of this review is the youngest, Nellie
having been born in 1872, and Dallas L. in 1877. Glenn H. Johnson
continued to attend the public schools of Whitehall until 1896, when,
at the age of sixteen years, he initiated his service in the drug store of
C. G. Pitkin, in which Whitehall establishment he continued as a clerk
until 1903, when he purchased an interest in the stock and business.
In 1917 he sold the business to the former proprietor, Mr. Pitkin, and
established a new drug store in his native city. HIe continued in business at Whitehall until March, 1924, when he closed his store at that
place and removed his stock of goods to Muskegon Heights, where
he has since conducted a well-appointed drug store that receives an
appreciative supporting patronage. Mr. Johnson is an active member
of the Muskegon Heights Board of Trade, is a Republican in political
allegiance, is affiliated with the four York Rite bodies of the Masonic
fraternity, as well as the Order of the Eastern Star, and has membership also in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks. That Mr. Johnson remains a bachelor
in no way militates against his popularity in business and social circles.
Hans Johnson, who owns and conducts at 1043 Washington
avenue, one of the well-equipped and well-directed retail grocery stores
in the city of Muskegon, is a representative of that sterling Scandi



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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


navian element of citizenship that has played an important part in the
civic and industrial progress of this section of Michigan. He was born
in Norway on the 13th of July, 1878, and there his parents, Andrew
and Jane (Swanson) Johnson, were born, the father in the year 1832,
and the mother in 1844. In his native land Andrew Johnson learned
the tailor's trade, which he there followed until 1881, when he came with
his family to the United States and opened a tailor shop at Spring
Lake, Ottawa county, Michigan, whence he came to Muskegon in 1889
and found employment with the Moon Lumber Company. He lived
retired in Muskegon during the closing period of his life, and here
his death occurred in 1909, his wife having died in 1885, and their
religious faith having been always that of the Lutheran church. Of
the other children of the family it is to be recorded that John died
in Muskegon, in 1888; that the death of Emma here occurred in 1920;
that Ida died in 1890 in the state of Florida; and that Bessie is the
wife of Charles Rindal, of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Hans Johnson
gained his rudimentary education in the schools at Spring Lake, was
about ten years old at the time of the family removal to Muskegon,
where he continued his studies in the Nelson public school until he
was fourteen years of age. He then found employment in this city,
from 1892 to 1898, and in the latter year he enlisted in the Muskegon
company for service in the Spanish-American war. This became Company C, Thirty-fourth Michigan Volunteer Infantry, commanded by
Colonel Whitney, and with the regiment Mr. Johnson saw much of
service on the stage of conflict in Cuba, where he participated in the
now historic battle of San Juan. After receiving his honorable discharge, in 1898, Mr. Johnson returned to Muskegon and became junior
member of the firm of Hass & Johnson, which engaged in the grocery
business on Biedler street. In the following year he sold his interest to
his partner and formed a partnership with Ole Olsen, this new firm
opening a store at 353 Washington avenue, moving from there in 1902
to 1043 Washington avenue, and Mr. Johnson having been the sole
owner and manager of the substantial business since 1902. Mr. Johnson is a wide-awake and enterprising business man and loyal citizen,
is a Republican in politics, he and his wife hold membership in the
Norwegian Lutheran church, he is an active member of the Muskegon
Chamber of Commerce and the Muskegon Country Club, and is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and the Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks. He is a member of the Spanish-American War Veterans. In 1904 was solemnized his marriage to Miss Pearl Stone, of
Muskegon, and the names of their children are here recorded with
respective years of birth: Evelyn, 1904; Clark, 1909; and Marion,
1916.
Walter R. Johnson is one of three brothers who are all registered pharmacists and all engaged in the drug business in Muskegon county. Of his brothers who are thus like himself here established in business, individual mention is made on other pages
of this work, both Alfred C. and Frank B. having drug stores in
Muskegon, and Walter R. having Muskegon Heights as the stage




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


201


of his successful business as a druggist. In the family is one
other brother, Emil, who holds a position in one of the important
manufacturing establishments in Muskegon, and the two sisters
being Mrs. Barney Shulstrom and Mrs. Lloyd Hansen, both residing in Muskegon, where the parents are sterling citizens who
have there maintained their home more than forty years. Walter
R. Johnson was born in Muskegon, March 20, 1895, and is a son
of John A. and Anna C. Johnson, born in Sweden in the years
1854 and 1851 respectively. John A. Johnson came to the United
States and found employment in lumber mills at Muskegon in
1878, and here his wife joined him somewhat later, their eldest
son having been born in Sweden and having accompanied the
mother to the new home in Muskegon when he was about one
year old. John A. Johnson followed the carpenter trade after leaving the sawmills and later was in the employ of the Moon Desk
Company, he having lived retired since 1922, and both he and his
wife being zealous members of the Swedish Lutheran church.
After pursuing his studies three years in the Muskegon high school
Walter R. Johnson took a position in 1911 in the drug store then
conducted by his two older brothers, each of whom is now independently engaged in the same line of business in Muskegon.
He was thus engaged three years, applied himself diligently and
gained practical experience in the various details of the business.
To fortify himself still further for his profession, he then took a
one year's course in pharmacy and chemistry at the celebrated
Ferris Institute, Big Rapids. In 1915 he resumed his position in
the drug store of his brother, Frank R., with whom he continued
to be thus associated until 1920, when he acquired an interest in
the business. March 17, 1924, he sold his interest to his brother
and engaged independently in the drug business at Muskegon
Heights, where he has a well equipped and attractively appointed
store at 701 Hoyt street. He holds membership in the Muskegon
Heights Board of Trade, is a Republican in politics and he and
his wife are members of the Swedish Lutheran church. February
19, 1921, was marked by the marriage of Mr. Johnson to Miss
Pauline M. Wilson, of Patoka, Illinois, and they have two children,
Walter R., Jr., born November 10, 1923, and Alice Virginia, born
September 9, 1924.
Peter Jolman has male a record of successful enterprise in the
breeding and raising of foxes for commercial purposes, and is a
prominent exponent of this unique line of industry in Muskegon
county, where his well equipped fox farm is situated in Muskegon
township on rural mail route number four from the city of Muskegon. Mr. Jolman was born in this county, January 11, 1879, and
is a son of George and Rena (Drent) Jolman, both natives of Holland, where the former was born in 1837 and the latter in 1845,
their marriage having been solemnized in Chicago, Illinois, in 1867,
the year in which George Jolman severed his alliance with farm
enterprise in the fair old Netherlands and came to the United




202


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


States to establish a new home. Shortly after his marriage he settled on a farm one mile south of Muskegon, where he developed
a fine dairy farm in connection with which he maintained a dairy
business in Muskegon, in the distribution of milk and cream. He
later removed to a dairy farm near Bucktown, a short distance from
Muskegon, and there he continued his successful operations until
his death in 1901. His widow passed away in 1910. Both were
zealous members of the First Reformed church at Muskegon. The
names of the other children in the family are here recorded: John,
Lambert, Henry, George, Jr., James, Maude and Kate. At Bucktown, Peter Jolman completed the studies of the eighth grade in
the public schools and thereafter he assisted in the activities of the
home farm until he found employment on the farm of Robert Gibson, in Ravenna township, this county, where he thus remained
seven years. At the age of twenty years he took a position in the
Muskegon grocery store of Wilbur Smith, where he remained two
years. Thereafter he was for several years in the employ of Mrs.
L. G. Mason and his next activity was in charge of construction
gangs in the service of Hanson J. Miller, a leading contractor.
In 1915 he found employment on the first fox farm established in
Muskegon county, and in 1918 he purchased the property and
business. He now owns and conducts one of the best fox farms
in Michigan and the enterprise under his progressive management, is proving very successful. He is a Republican and he and
his wife hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal church. On
Christmas day of the year 1900 Mr. Jolman wedded Miss Sadie
Pegg, of Muskegon, and they have two children, Leo, born December 29, 1905, and Ruby, born June 6, 1908.
John F. Kalk has been a resident of Muskegon since November,
1922, when he here effected the organization of the Montague
Casting company, of which he is the vice-president and general
manager and which under his vital and well directed policies has
gained rank among the important industrial concerns of the city.
Mr. Kalk was born in the city of South Bend, Indiana, in the year
1884, and is a son of Alexander A. and Katherine Kalk, of whose
eleven children six others are living, namely: Leonard, Alexander,
Cashmiere, Lottie, Clemens and Gusty, the last named being the
wife of Gustav Palzensy, of Muskegon. Private schools afforded
Mr. Kalk the greater part of his youthful education, and he continued his residence in the old Hoosier state until he came to Muskegon and organized the company of which he is now vice-president
and general manager. He is a Republican in political adherency, is
affiliated with the Muskegon Lodge of Elks, and he and his wife
are here zealous communicants of St. Mary's Catholic church. His
father, who was a blacksmith by vocation, was a resident of South
Bend, Indiana, and there the mother still maintains her home. In
the year 1904 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Kalk to Miss
Rose A. Gish, of South Bend, Indiana, and the children of this




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


203


union are five in number: Virginia (wife of Edward Patrick, of
Muskegon), Sylvester, Genevieve, Eloise and Raymond.
Louis Kanitz, one of the venerable and honored retired citizens
of Muskegon, has maintained his residence in Muskegon county
since 1869. He has played a large and worthy part in the civic
and industrial development and progress of Muskegon and is a
sterling pioneer citizen who is eminently entitled to recognition
in this publication. Mr. Kanitz was born in Prussia, Germany,
September 20, 1838, and is one of the five children born to Gottlieb and Caroline (Olen) Kanitz. The father was an expert in
agricultural industry in his native land, whence, in 1852, he immigrated with his family to the United States and established a
home at Sheboygan, Wisconsin, in which state he and his wife
passed the remainder of their lives. Louis Kanitz attended school
in Germany until he was thirteen years of age, and then accompanied his parents to the United States, his broader education having been acquired through self-discipline and practical experience.
At Sheboygan, Wisconsin, his first employment was in a meat
market, and he was but fourteen years old when he' made his way
on foot through the forest to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, where he
found employment along various lines of manual labor. He finally
took a position in a bakery at that place and his activities in this
connection were continued until the outbreak of the Civil war,
when he promptly volunteered for service in defense of the Union.
It was early in April, 1861, that Mr. Kanitz returned to the
parental home at Sheboygan, where he enrolled for service under
the first call for 75,000. Not successful in getting to the front he
went to Missouri and became a member'of the Seventeenth Missouri Volunteer Infantry, known as the Northwestern Turner
Rifle Regiment. With this command he went to the front and he
continued in service until the close of the war with a record of participation in many important battles. After receiving his honorable discharge Mr. Kanitz soon established his residence in Muskegon county, where he has maintained his home during the long
intervening period of fifty-six years. In 1869 he built and placed
in operation a lime kiln at North Muskegon, and this represented
at the time the only industrial enterprise of the county save for
that involved in the lumbering operations of the locality. In the
same year he established another lime kiln, on the site of the present plant of the Continental Motors Company in Muskegon and he
continued the lime industry until 1885, when he sold the property
and business to give his attention to other business interests. In
1882 he helped organize the Muskegon Valley Furniture company.
the headquarters of which were established on Nims street. Of
this company he continued the president until 1922, sinice which
year he has lived retired. Mr. Kanitz has been loyal and progressive as a citizen and has done much to advance the general interests of his home city. He served as the first street commissioner
of Muskegon, and in this capacity installed the first pavement of




204


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


plank in the city from Ottawa street to Jefferson street. He was
a member of the first waterworks board of the city, with which
was consolidated the police department administration, the combined bodies being later designated as the board of public works
and Mr. Kanitz gave valuable service on this board. He served
twelve years as a member of the local board of education, was for
six years a member of the board of control of the Michigan Reformatory at Ionia, and for twelve years he was manager of the
Michigan Soldiers' Home at Grand Rapids. He has been prominently and influentially affiliated with the Grand Army of the Republic, and was deputy commander of its Michigan department in
the period of 1894-95. Mr. Kanitz is a stalwart Republican and he
is affiliated with both the York and Scottish Rite bodies of the
Masonic fraternity. He was one of the organizers of the Muskegon Traction company and also the local electric light company.
He is a director of the Union National bank, of which he was one
of the organizers and was its president several years and is now
chairman of the board of directors. In 1867, Mr. Kanitz married
Miss Helen Schneider, a resident of Wisconsin, and she passed to
the life eternal January 27, 1878, the children of this union being
five in number, namely: Louis, Anna Antonia, Hugo, Lucelia and
Edward. The second marriage of Mr. Kanitz occurred March 29,
1880, when Augusta Groch became his wife, she being the gracious
supervisor of the social and domestic affairs of their pleasant home.
Of this union there were two children, Elsie and Paul. Mr. Kanitz
has lived a life of usefulness, and his course has been marked by integrity of purpose and by a spirit of loyal stewardship, and in
Muskegon no citizen has a fuller measure of popular confidence
and good will. Among the friends who are tried and true, he is
passing the golden evening of a life that has counted for good in
all of its relations.
Adolph and Louis Keil are the executive heads of the Winner
Baking company, which they have made an important industrial
and business concern in thecity of Muskegon. They came from
Cheboygan, Michigan, to Muskegon in 1920 and effected the organization of the Winner Baking company, in the control of which
they have since developed a substantial wholesale and retail business, the baking establishment, of the best modern equipment and
service, being at 1662 Sixth street. These progressive and popular young business men, both of whom are still unmarried, have
proved a distinct acquisition to the business circles of Muskegon
and both are liberal and public-spirited citizens, their political allegiance being given to the Republican party.
George Caleb Kimball has shown the resourceful initiative and
executive ability and has achieved the success that clearly entitle
him to rank among the representative business men of the younger
generation in his native city of Muskegon, where he is now the
president of the Kimball Coal & Ice company, a leading concern




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


'205


in the wholesale and retail coal and ice business in Muskegon
county. Mr. Kimball was born in Muskegon on the twenty-ninth
of August, 1896, and is the only child of Charles H. and Nellie
(Brokaw) Kimball, the latter of whom still maintains her home
in Muskegon. Charles H. Kimball was one of the prominent business men and highly honored citizens of Muskegon at the time of
his death, September 20, 1924. He came to this city in 1891 and
became one of the organizers of the Magoon & Kimball Coal company, his active alliance with the coal business having here continued until his death. The enterprise of which he was one of the
founders, as previously noted, has been continued under the title
of the Kimball Coal company, this company having been incorporated May 26, 1921, with a capital stock of $45,000 and with the
following named executive officers: George C. Kimball, president;
J. C. Wardell, secretary; and Charles H. Kimball, treasurer.
Upon the death of Charles H. Kimball the office of treasurer was
assumed by Mrs. Charles H. Kimball. Of the secretary of the
company individual mention is made elsewhere in this volume. As
president of this corporation George C. Kimball is well upholding
the honors of the family name and is maintaining the precedence
gained by his father as a leading exponent of the coal and ice business in Muskegon county. The public schools of Muskegon were
the medium through which George C. Kimball acquired his preliminary education, and in the University of Chicago he was graduated as a member of the class of 1919, prior to which he had entered the nation's service in connection with the World war. His
enlistment in the United States army occurred in June, 1918, his
training was received principally at Fort Sheridan, Illinois, and
he won a commission as second lieutenant in the field artillery.
He was assigned to Company One Hundred Thirty-seven, Field
Artillery, and was stationed at Camp Zachary Taylor, New York,
at the time when the armistice brought the war to a close. He
received his honorable discharge in December, 1918, and his active
business career has since been one of close association with the
coal and ice business that was founded by his father and that is
now one of broad scope and importance. Mr. Kimball is a stalwart in the local ranks of the Republican party, he holds membership in the Christian Science church, he is affiliated with the American Legion and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and
in his native city and county he is a popular member of the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce, the Kiwanis club, and the Muskegon
Country club. On the twenty-sixth of August, 1920, was sol —
emnized the marriage of Mr. Kimball to Miss Cornelia Reynolds,
of Los Angeles, California, and the one child of this union is a
son, George Caleb, Jr., born March 12, 1924. Mr. and Mrs. Kimball
are popular figures in the representative social activities of Muskegon and he is one of the vital and progressive young business men
of his native city.




200


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY.


Everett J. King is associated with Harry L. Carleton in the
ownership and conducting of the well-equipped Pike garage in the village of Whitehall, and the firm has also the agency at Whitehall for
Ford automobiles. Effective service has combined with the personal
popularity of the owners of the business to make it one of substantial
order, and the Pike garage constitutes one of the important centers of
business activity in this part of Muskegon county. Mr. King was born
in the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, September 16, 1899, and is the
only son of John S. and Mamie (Bulen) King, the latter of whom is
deceased. The father is now engaged in the real estate business in Los
Angeles, California.  Everett J. King was a boy at the time the
family home was established at Whitehall, and here he received the
advantages of the public schools, including the high school. His initial
business experience was gained through associatiton with the grocery
business here conducted by F. D. Glazier, with whom he remained nineteen years. In September, 1919, he became associated with Harry E.
Carleton in establishing the Pike garage, which they have since conducted with unqualified success, as have they also their agency for the
Ford Motor Company. Mr. King is a Republican, and is affiliated with
the Masonic fraternity and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
For nine years he was Whitehall's village clerk. November 22, 1911, he
married Miss Nellie Olsen, daughter of Herman H. Olsen, of Whitehall, and the four children of this union are Doris Lorraine, Everett J.,
Jr., James Dexter and Bertha Jane.
Ernest P. Kison organized and is the executive head of the
Kison Rug Cleaning Works, a concern that maintains in the city of
Muskegon a thoroughly modern plant for the cleaning of rugs, carpets
and overstuffed furniture, the high-grade service given constituting the
basis on which has been developed the substantial and prosperous business. Mr. Kison was born at Montague, Muskegon county, in the year
1875, and is a son of William and Elizabeth (Moore) Kison, the former
of whom is now living retired from active business association, and
the latter of whom is deceased. The other three children who survive
the mother are Herman and William, who reside in Muskegon, and
Frederick, who is still a resident of Montague. Ernest P. Kison became
night clerk in the Wierengo hotel at Muskegon within a short time
after completing his studies in the public schools of Montague, and
several years later he removed to Muskegon, where he has since maintained his home and where he was associated with varied business
enterprises prior to establishing his present independent business. In
politics he votes for men and measures rather than being restricted by
partisan lines, and in a fraternal way he is affiliated with the Muskegon
Lodge of Elks. October 2, 1918, was the date of the marriage of Mr.
Kison to Miss Gertrude Clark, daughter of Dell Clark, of Muskegon.
Raymond J. Kleeves is one of the resourceful and progressive
younger exponents of real estate and insurance enterprise in his native
city of Muskegon, his birth having here occurred August 24, 1902, the
other two children of the family being Katherine and Gertrude. He
is a son of Joseph and Anna (Hemmes) Kleeves, both natives of the




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


207


picturesque Netherlands of Europe, which district has given to Michigan a large and valued element of citizenship, dating from the pioneer
period in this state. Joseph Kleeves was born in the year 1882, and
was nine years of age when he accompanied his parents to the United
States, where the family home was established in Muskegon, his future
wife having been a child of three years when her parents established
their home in Muskegon county. Joseph Kleeves profited by the advantages of the Muskegon public schools, and as a youth he found employment in the woodworking department of a local factory. He gained
exceptional skill as a carpenter, and for fully fifteen years past he
has been successfully engaged in business as a contractor and builder.
His political convictions place him loyally in the ranks of the Republican party, and he and his wife are zealous members of the Second
Christian Reformed church of Muskegon. Raymond J. Kleeves attended the Muskegon high school, and in the following year he was
graduated in the Muskegon Business College, after completing therein
a general commercial course. For four years thereafter he was in the
employ of the National Lumberman's Bank, in which he won advancement from the position of collector to teller and bookkeeper. In 1922
he became associated with John VanderPloeg in the real estate and
insurance business, and since 1924 he has been the sole owner of the
substantial and well-ordered business, the offices of which are established in the Flatiron building. He is a member of the Muskegon
County Real Estate Board and the Second Christian Reformed church,
and his political alignment is with the Republican party.
Walter Hill Koelbel is the active manager of the Koelbel Motor
Car Company, which has, in the city of Muskegon, well-equipped headquarters at Third and Morris streets and which has the agency for the
Maxwell and Chrysler automobiles. Mr. Koelbel is not only one of
the popular and progressive young business men of his native city
but also represented Muskegon in the nation's service in the World
war period, he having early enlisted in the United States Navy. Mr.
Koelbel was born in Muskegon, July 24, 1891, and is a son of Herman
and Mary Alice (Delany) Koelbel, the former of whom was born in
Leipsic, Germany, and the latter in Wolverhampton, England. Herman
Koelbel received in his native land excellent educational advantages,
including those through which he developed his exceptional musical
talent. He followed music as a vocation after coming to the United
States, and he established his residence in Muskegon in the year 1886.
He here became a successful and popular teacher of music, and gained
high reputation as a bandmaster, he having been a skilled player of
the various band instruments, as well as other musical instruments, and
having done much to advance musical art in this section of Michigan.
His widow still resides in the attractive old homestead in Muskegon
and is a zealous communicant of St. Mary's Catholic church, as was
also her husband. The other children of the family are Harold, Frank,
Charles, Amy and Elsa. In the Muskegon public schools Walter H.
Koelbel continued his studies until his graduation in the high school,
and while here was a member of the football team. Thereafter he




208


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


passed one year as a student in Olivet College, at Olivet, this state,
besides having attended in Muskegon the Hackley Manual Training
School, in which he completed his course in 1912. In that year he
became manager of a garage and Cadillac sales agency on Clay avenue,
and he continued business under these conditions until 1920, when he
assumed control of the Maxwell automobile agency, on Apple street,
where he has since continued his activities, as manager of the Koelbel
Motor Car Company, which, in 1924, assumed also the agency for
the popular Chrysler automobiles. The business interests of Mr. Koelbel were made subordinate to his patriotism when the United States
entered the World war. In 1917 he volunteered for service in the
United States Navy, and in the same he continued for some little time
after the armistice brought the war to a close, though he was not
called into service overseas.  He received his honorable discharge
January 28, 1919, and then resumed his active association with the
automobile business in Muskegon. He is a director of the Bennett
Injector Company, and of the Federal Square Realty Company, is a
loyal member of the local Chamber of Commerce, is a charter member
of the Muskegon Country Club, is a member of the Century Club, is
a Republican in politics, and is affiliated with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He resides with his widowed mother in the
family home at 1213 Jefferson street, and is popular in both business
and social circles in his native city.
Cornelius E. Kuizenga conducts in his native city of Muskegon
a general book and stationery store that receives a substantial and appreciative patronage and that is one of the old-established and wellordered merchandising establishments of this city, Mr. Kuizenga having
purchased the stock and business of F. L. Reynolds in 1898 and having
since greatly amplified the scope and success of the enterprise. Mr.
Kuizenga was born in Muskegon, November 14, 1864, and is a son of
Eildert and Johanna (Soldaat) Kuizenga, sterling pioneer citizens of
Muskegon county. The subject of this sketch was the first in order
of birth. The other children are: Mrs. N. M. Ferninga, of Muskegon;
Abel C., engaged in the shoe business in this city; Mrs. A. Vander
Laan, likewise a resident of Muskegon; Rev. John E., who is a member
of the faculty of the Western Theological Seminary at Holland, Michigan, and also president of the general synod of the Reformed Church
in America; and Clara Kuizenga, who is pastor assistance of the First
Methodist Episcopal church of Muskegon. In the public schools of
Muskegon, Cornelius E. Kuizenga continued his studies in the Asire
& Wright Business College and Holland school, and he has continued
an appreciative student and reader during the intervening years, so
that his is a broad and accurate knowledge of the best in literature
and has made his book store a favored resort for students and all
other lovers of literature. Mr. Kuizenga has made Muskegon the stage
of his entire business career, and in the enterprise that he has here
conducted during a period of more than a quarter of a century he has
secured the supportitng patronage of the representative citizens of this
community, his store being at 326 Western avenue. Mr. Kuizenga takes




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


209


deep interest in all that concerns the welfare of his native city and
county, is a Republican in his political allegiance, and he and his wife
are zealous communicants of the Second Reformed church in their
home city. For thirteen years he has been a member of the board of
directors of the Muskegon Rescue Mission. May 28, 1892, was marked
by the marriage of Mr. Kuizenga to Miss Jennie Sissing, daughter of
the late Jacob Sissing, of Muskegon, where he remained until his death
and where occurred also the death of his wife. Mr. and Mrs. Kuizenga
have two children: Rev. Eldrede C. is pastor of the Reformed church
at Montville, New Jersey, and Miss Grace remains at the parental home.
Henry E. Langeland has been a resident of Muskegon since
he was a lad of ten years, and here he has made for himself a place
of prominence and influence in connection with business affairs of broad
scope and much importance, the while he has represented the best in
loyal civic stewardship. He is one of the strong, resourceful and successful men of affairs in his home city, and his character and achievement mark him as one of the essentially representative citizens of the
Muskegon county metropolis and judicial center. Mr. Langeland was
born at Zyldyk, Netherlands, November 13, 1857, and is a son of Edze
and Grietje Langeland, representatives of sterling old families of the
Netherlands. In 1867 Edze Langeland came with his family to the
United States and gained a goodly measure of pioneer precedence in
Muskegon, then known chiefly as a leading center of the lumber industry
in this section of Michigan. He was employed some time in a local
sawmill and later he engaged in the retail grocery business, in which
he here continued many years and from which he retired two years
prior to his death. He died in 1909, at the age of seventy-six years,
his wife having passed away in 1905, when about seventy years of age,
and both having long been zealous members of the Christian Reformed
church in Muskegon. These honored pioneer citizens, generous, kindly,
considerate and unassuming, made their influence work for good in all
of the relations of life, and Muskegon gained by their long residence
within its border. Of the five children only two are now living, Henry
E., of this review, and Brookey, the wife of John Wierenga, of Muskegon. It has already been noted that Henry E. Langeland was ten
years of age at the time of the family arrival in Muskegon, his rudimentary education having been gained in his native land and having
been effectively supplemented by self-application and by the lessons
learned through long association with men and affairs. In Muskegon
lie attended school during the winter terms, but in the year of his
coming here he found employment in the sawmill of Matthew Wilson.
While serving an apprenticeship at the tinner's trade he attended night
school, and his judgment and ambition were further manifested in his
completing of a business or commercial course. At the age of seventeen
years he became a workman at his trade and also a salesman in a local
hardware establishment, and after having been thus engaged five years
he formed a partnership with John Vander Werp. Jr., and engaged
in the hardware business in an independent way. This enterprise engaged his attention until he was twenty-seven years of age, when, with




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


a capital of $800, he and Nicholas Fyt established themselves in the
lumber business, on a very modest scale. The energy, progressiveness
and correct methods of the young men caused the enterprise to expand
in scope, a small engine with other requisite appurtenances was installed
for the dressing of lumber and for other mill work, and finally the
firm erected and equipped a planing mill and began to give special
attention to the manufacturing of interior finishings for buildings, a
complete lumber yard service being continued also. In 1899 the concern initiated the manufacturing of tin plate boxes, and the enterprise
was made distinctly successful. In 1904 Mr. Langeland purchased
Mr. Fyt's interest in the business, and the firm name of Langeland &
Fyt was changed to the Langeland Manufacturing Company. In January, 1923, the company was incorporated, with a capital stock of
$250,000, and a surplus fund of $33,000, the concern having also a
factory in the city of Kalamazoo. Mr. Langeland is president of the
company, and his son, Henry E., Jr., is treasurer and general manager.
Mr. Langeland has thus been identified with the upbuilding of one
of the large and important industries of Muskegon, and even the brief
outline given in this review bears evidence of his worthy achievement
and of substantial success won by ability and honorable policies. While
he has at all times been loyal and liberal as a citizen and a staunch
advocate of the principles of good government, Mr. Langeland did not
enter actively into local political affairs until he realized the necessity
of joining other representative citizens in an effort to clean up bad
conditions in the municipal affairs of Muskegon. He accordingly served
three years as a member of the board of city commissioners, besides
having given during his term of one year a characteristically vigorous,
faithful and efficient administration in the office of mayor of Muskegon.
He is a director of the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce and of the
local Rescue Mission, of which he was one of the organizers, in earlier
years he served as a member of the Muskegon county board of review,
and in the World war period he served as chairman of the committee
in charge of the Muskegon county campaigns in support of the government war loans, besides having served as treasurer of the county
chapter of the Red Cross. Mr. Langeland has been vice-president of
the Lumberman's National Bank during a period of about fifteen years
past, and was one of the organizers of the Muskegon Trust Company.
He and his wife are zealous members of the Second Reformed church
in their home city, and he gave many years of service as an elder
therein. March 30, 1879, Mr. Langeland was united in marriage to
Miss Anna Lends, of Kalamazoo, and of the two sons and one daughter of this union, Henry E., Jr., who was graduated in Oberlin College,
Oberlin, Ohio, as a member of the class of 1910, is now treasurer and
general manager of the Langeland Manufacturing Company, with standing as one of the popular and representative young business men of his
native city. The other son, Edward, died in February, 1915, when
thirty-one years of age. The daughter, Grace L., is the wife of Frank
C. Van Cleef, who is secretary of the B. F. Goodrich Rubber Company,
of Akron, Ohio, and resides at Hudson, Ohio.




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


211


Charles A. Larnard, the efficient secretary of the West Michigan Steel Foundry company, is one of the vital and progressive
young business men in the city of Muskegon and is well entitled
to specific recognition in this publication. He was born at Mears,
Oceana county, Michigan, March 26, 1892, and is a son of Allen
H. and Margaret (Mugridge) Larnard, the latter of whom is deceased. The other surviving children are Richard H., of Hart,
Oceana county, and Frank L., of Grand Rapids. Allen H. Larnard
was a gallant young soldier of the Union during the period of the
Civil war and in the latter part of that great conflict he was attached to the military staff of General Sherman. After the war
he came to Michigan and he is now one of the venerable and honored citizens of Big Rapids, where he is living virtually retired,
after having been for a term of years engaged in the real estate
business. He is a stalwart Republican and is affiliated with the
Grand Army of the Republic. After having profited by the advantages of the public schools of his native village, Charles A.
Larnard was graduated in the Muskegon Business college. 'Thereafter he attended the Hamilton School of Law in Chicago, and
also in the Walton School of Commerce, another of the excellent
educational institutions of that city. After his graduation in the
latter institution Mr. Larnard was for four years manager of the
Indianapolis office of the Brunswick-Balke-Collender company, the
headquarters of which corporation are in Chicago. In 1916 Mr.
Larnard became secretary of the Campbell Manufacturing &
Foundry company. He remained with this company until 1918
and has since held the office of secretary of the West Michigan
Steel Foundry company, one of the prosperous and important concerns of Muskegon. He is a Republican in his political allegiance,
he and his wife are members of the North Muskegon Methodist
Episcopal church and he is an active and valued member of the
Muskegon Chamber of Commerce. In the Masonic fraternity his
basic affiliation is with the Lovell Moore Lodge No. 182, A. F.
& A. M., and he is a member also of the chapter of Royal Arch
Masons and the council of Royal and Select Masters. On the fifth
of February, 1915, Mr. Larnard was united in marriage to Miss
Lena Casperson, daughter of Lars Casperson, and the three children of this union are Charles A., Jr., Margaret M. and Betty Jane.
Hans Larsen is established in the retail meat market business
in the city of Muskegon and the scope and representative character
of his business stands in evidence of popular appreciation of the
service given. His market, metropolitan in equipment and service, is located at 1390 Peck street. Mr. Larsen was born near Copenhagen, Denmark, November 16, 1858, and is a son of Lars and
Karen Hansen, his own surname being derived from the personal
or Christian name of his father, in accord with an ancient Scandinavian custom. The one other surviving child, Carl, likewise is a
resident of Muskegon, and the other child was a daughter,
Marie, who died in Denmark. Hans Larsen gained his youthful




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


education by attending the schools of his native land. About the
time of attaining to his legal majority he severed the home ties
and set forth to seek his fortunes in the United States. He arrived
in Muskegon in May, 1880, and here he found employment in a
lumber mill. He here remained until 1886, when he went to Seattle,
Washington, where he remained one -year, still associated with
sawmill operation. He next passed one year in a visit to his old
home in Denmark and upon his return to the United States he established his permanent residence in Muskegon, where he has been
engaged in the meat market business since 1890, his original market having been on Ionia street, whence he moved, in 1893, to his
present location, where he has thus conducted business during the
long intervening period of more than thirty years. He is now one
of the veteran business men of this city and he has secure place
in popular confidence and esteem in the community that has long
represented his home and been the stage of his earnest and well
ordered business activities. He is a valued member of the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce, is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America, and he and his wife are zealous communicants of
the Danish Lutheran church. In May, 1890, Mr. Larsen married
Miss Anna Pearson and they have a fine family of six children:
Mrs. Jessie Louise Stiltz resides in the city of Detroit; Mrs. Esther
Florence Raymond maintains her home at Fremont, Newaygo
county; Mrs. Olga Marie Anderson resides in Muskegon; Miss
Eva Helen is a resident of Detroit and Oscar William and Rudolph
Hans still reside in their native city of Muskegon.
Charles H. LeFevre, D. D. S., has built up in the city of Muskegon a large and representative professional business that gives
evidence of his technical skill and also of his personal popularity
in the community. The. Doctor reverts to the old Green Mountain
state as the place of his nativity, his birth having occurred at Grand
Isle, Vermont, August 7, 1877. He is a son of Matthias LeFevre,
and was the twelfth in order of birth in a family of thirteen children, of whom the other survivors are Dr. George L., who is
engaged in the practice of medicine in Muskegon; Mrs. E. J.
LeBoeuf; W. E. LeFevre; Matthias D.; Mrs. D. C. Smith; and
Sisters Margaret Mary and Mary Angelia and Mary Alphonsus, who are Sisters of Mercy and who reside in Muskegon. Doctor
LeFevre of this review was a boy at the time of the family removal
to Muskegon, where he received the advantages of both parochial
and public schools, in the latter of which his discipline included
that of the high school. In 1907 he was graduated in the Chicago
College of Dental Surgery, and after thus receiving his degree of
Doctor of Dental Surgery he forthwith engaged in practice in
Muskegon, where his success has been of most substantial and
significant order. His office is equipped with the most modern
facilities in both operative and laboratory departments, and he
has secure vantage place as one of the representative members
of his profession in Muskegon county. He is a member of the




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


213


staff of Mercy Hospital, department of dental surgery, and has
membership in the Muskegon County Dental Society, the Michigan
State Dental Society, and the American Dental Society. The
Doctor is a member of the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce, the
Century Club, the Knights of Columbus, the Catholic Order of
Foresters and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. His
political alignment is in the ranks of the Republican party, and
he and his wife are communicants of St. John the Baptist Catholic
Church. In 1911 Doctor LeFevre married Miss Eugenie Jeannot,
daughter of Peter Jeannot, of Muskegon, and she passed to the
life eternal April 10, 1921, the surviving children being Margaret
Mary, Charles Henry, Jr., and Frances Jean. In 1923 was solemnized the marriage of Doctor LeFevre to Miss Cora Vos, and she
is the popular chatelaine of their pleasant home in Muskegon.
Keble Doane Lewis has made a record of success in the handling of high-grade securities and in the city of Muskegon he has
been, since 1921, the representative of the Hyney-Emerson Bond
Company, the headquarters of which representative corporation are
in Chicago. Mr. Lewis was born at Elk Rapids, Antrim county,
Michigan, January 10, 1876, his father having at the time been the
rector of the Protestant Episcopal church at Elk Rapids. Mr.
Lewis is a son of the late Rev. Albert C. and Helen Jane (Cooper)
Lewis, who were residents of Elk Rapids at the time of their
death, the father having given many years of able and devoted
service as a clergyman of the Protestant Episcopal church and having been rector of various parishes in the dioceses of New York
and Western Michigan. Of the seven children four are living:
Hobart Percival is a resident of the city of Kalamazoo; Keble D.,
of this review; Ida Eliza is a resident of the city of Grand Rapids;
and Helen Louise maintains her home at Grand Rapids. The public schools of Elk Rapids, including the high school, were the
medium through which Keble D. Lewis acquired his youthful education. After leaving school he was for fifteen years in the employ of the Elk Rapids Iron company, during the ensuing three
years he held a position in the First National Bank of Traverse
City and he thereafter was for seven years associated with the
Greilick Manufacturing company, engaged in the furniture business
in that city. In 1918 he became associated with the Muskegon
Motor Specialties company, with which he continued his alliance
three years and since that time he has been in this city the progressive representative of the Hyney-Emerson Bond company. He is
an active and valued member of the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce, has membership in the Muskegon Country club, and he
and his wife are communicants of St. Paul's church, Protestant
Episcopal. On the twenty-fifth of July, 1900, was solemnized the
marriage of Mr. Lewis to Miss Grace Cleveland, of Coldwater,
Michigan, and the two children of this union are Katharine and
Marjorie.




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


Gerritt Van Loo, Jr., has proven himself vigorous and resourceful in connection with his business activities in the city of Muskegon, where he now conducts a prosperous enterprise in the moving and storing of household goods, his equipment being of modern
order, so that he is able to give prompt and effective service in all
departments of his business. Mr. Van Loo was born in Grand
Rapids, Michigan, February 17, 1873, the other two children of
the family being Hattie, born in 1861, and Annie, born in 1868.
Gerritt and Fannie (Korsta) Van Loo, parents of the subject of
this sketch, were born and reared in Holland, the former having
been born in 1839 and the latter in 1843, and their marriage having
been solemnized in 1860. The parents continued their residence
in the Netherlands until 1872, when they came to the United States
and settled at Grand Rapids, Michigan, the father having been
soon attacked with the illness that resulted in his death in 1873. In
his young manhood Gerritt Van Loo had been actively associated
with his father in the operation of the home farm, and he was a
man of energy and industry, so that his death at the age of thirtyfive years, closed a life that offered much of promise for success
in the land of his adoption. Both he and his wife were members
of the Reformed church. Some time after the death of Mr. Van
Loo his widow became the wife of Cornell DeBoer, a farmer in
Kent county, near Grand Rapids, and in 1881 they came to Muskegon county, where the mother passed the remainder of her life,
she having been about seventy-three years of age at the time of
her death. Gerritt Van Loo, Jr., attended the public schools of
Muskegon county until he was fourteen years of age and thereafter he assisted his step-father in the work of the home farm until
he was nineteen years old. During the ensuing eight years he was
in the employ of the Gray Manufacturing company of Muskegon,
and on the fourth of September, 1901, he here engaged in the draying business by purchase of the established business of Mr. Curtis. The enterprise soon expanded to such an extent that Mr. Van
Loo found it essential to add two more teams and drays to his
equipment, and in 1915, in harmony with modern advancement,
he disposed of all but one of his teams and equipped his establishment with motor trucks. In 1923 he sold his last team and he now
has in commission three modern motor truck vans, with which
he gives special attention to the transferring of household goods,
pianos, etc., besides having two storage places for household furnishings at the corner of Laketon and Sanford streets and another
well equipped and large storage building at Keating and Sixth
streets. June 14, 1925, Mr. Van Loo sold the storage and moving
business-and is now manager of the Muskegon branch of the Mackinaw Trail Oil company, Lake Shore division. Mr. Van Loo is
one of the loyal and progressive citizens and business men of
Muskegon, is a Republican in politics and gave three terms of effective service as a member of the city board of aldermen, 1917 -1922. He is affiliated with the local organization of the Benevolent




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


215


and Protective Order of Elks and the Loyal Order of Moose. February 8, 1893, Mr. Van Loo was united in marriage to Miss Kate
Jolman, of Muskegon, and the names and respective birth dates of
their children are here recorded:  George, July 3, 1894; Rena,
January 24, 1896; Fannie, December 23, 1898; Anna, October 18,
1900; John, July 11, 1903; Richard, June 29, 1907; Hazel, June 9,
1908 and Marian, March 26, 1909.
Robert Love & Son is a progressive firm that has built up a very
substantial and important contracting business in general construction work and is one of the representative concerns of the
kind in the city of Muskegon with offices in the Union National
bank building. Roy R. Love, now the executive head of the business, was born in Muskegon, March 25, 1884, and is a son of Robert
and Geneva (Radway) Love, the former of whom was born at Owen
Sound, province of Ontario, Canada, in 1854, and the latter of
whom was born at London, that province, in 1857. Robert Love
was a boy at the time of his parents' removal to Ottawa county,
Michigan, and there he attended the public schools at Spring
Lake until he was fourteen years old. The lumbering industry
was then the one of major importance in this section of Michigan,
and with this line of productive enterprise he became actively
identified in his early youth. He eventually became captain of the
gang operating a pile driver in the interests of the Muskegon
Booming company, and with this corporation he continued his service until 1886, when he initiated, in a modest way, his independent
activities as a contractor and builder, his first office headquarters
having been in his home. He became one of the leading contractors
and builders in Muskegon county and was senior member of the
firm of Robert Love & Son at the time of his death in 1920, the
original firm name being still maintained. Robert Love made his
life count in worthy and successful achievement and at all stages
in his career he commanded unqualified popular confidence and
esteem. He was a Republican, was affiliated with the Independent
Order of Foresters and the Modern Woodmen of American, and he
was a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church, as
is also his widow, who still maintains her home in Muskegon. Of
the children, Roy R. is the only son, and the three daughters are
Mrs. Eva Beauvais, of Chicago, Illinois; Mrs. Arbutus Plant, of
Muskegon, and Mrs. Omel Burns, of Chicago. After completing
his studies in the Muskegon high school Roy R. Love further fortified himself by a course in the Muskegon Business college, which
he attended in 1904-05. He then became associated with his
father's contracting business and in 1919, a few months prior to the
death of his father, he assumed the active management of the business, in all details of which he had become thoroughly informed
along both technical and practical lines. He continued to maintain his
office at his home, 156 Jefferson street, until 1922, when he established his present headquarters in the Union National Bank building. He controls an important contract business in river and har



210


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


bor work, building of bridges and general contracting in factory
construction and heavy concrete work, much of the last mentioned
service being of municipal order. Mr. Love is one of the vital and
representative business men of his native city, is a Republican in
political alignment, is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and
the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and has membership
in the local Rotary and Country clubs. In 1919 occurred his marriage to Miss Luella Newby, of Charleston, Illinois, and they are
popular figures in the social activities of their home city.
George S. Lovelace is one of the prominent members of the
bar of Muskegon county, and in the city of Muskegon he is engaged
in the successful general practice of his profession, with a substantial
and important clientage. Mr. Lovelace was born at Glens Falls, Warren
county, New York, January 18, 1860, and on both the paternal sides
he is a scion of colonial American families of English lineage, ancestors
on the maternal side having settled at historic old Sandwich, Massachusetts, in 1632. He is a descendant also of Francis, Earl of Lovelace,
who served as governor of New York in 1667, the maternal ancestors
having been members of the Society of Friends and the paternal of
the Episcopal church. William D. Lovelace, father of the subject of
this review, was born at Essex, New York, the family having been
pioneers in lumbering operations in that section of the old Empire state.
William D. Lovelace was sixty-four years of age at the time of his
death, in 1895, his wife, whose maiden name was Cornelia A. Sisson,
having passed away in 1882, at the age of fifty years, and their children
having been eight in number. After profiting by the advantages of
the public schools, George Lovelace attended Norwich Academy, at
Norwich, Connecticut. In this institution he was graduated as a member of the class of 1878, studied law, and was admitted to the Connecticut bar in 1882. Thereafter he was associated with his father in
various business enterprises until the fall of 1883, when he came to
Michigan and established his residence in Muskegon. Here he was
elected clerk of Muskegon county, and in 1890 was admitted to the
bar of Michigan. He engaged in the active general practice of law in
Muskegon, and soon made a record of successful achievement as a
resourceful trial lawyer and well-fortified counselor. From 1902 to
1906 he served as prosecuting attorney of Muskegon county. In the
meanwhile he had become affiliated with and influential in the affairs
of the Knights of the Maccabees, and in 1908 he was elected grand
commander of this fraternal order, whereupon he removed to its national headquarters, at Port Huron, Michigan. In that city he continued his residence from 1908 to 1919, and he was elected the first
president of the Port Huron Chamber of Commerce. He was otherwise influential in community affairs at Port Huron, where he is still
a director of the United States Savings Bank. In 1919 Mr. Lovelace
returned to Muskegon, where he has since continued in the active practice of his profession. His political allegiance is given to the Republican party, and in addition to his alliance with the Knights of the
Maccabees he is affiliated also with the Masonic fraternity and the




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


217


Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. In the year 1881 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Lovelace to Miss Elizabeth H. Douglas,
of Greenville, Connecticut, and her death occurred in 1884, the one
child of this union being William D., who is now established in the
practice of law in New York City. The second marriage of Mr. Lovelace was with Miss Ida Elston, of Muskegon, and they have one son,
Francis, who is a resident of Muskegon.
Robert Henry Luhmann, who owns and conducts at 146 Pine
street in the city of Muskegon a barber shop that is metropolitan in
equipment and service and who is one of the popular young business
men of his native city, was born in Muskegon, October 22, 1889. He
is a son of August H. and Catherine Luhmann, both natives of Germany, where the- former was born in 1854 and the latter in 1855.
August H. Luhmann came to the United States in the year 1876,
and after passing two years in New York he came to Michigan and
established his residence at North Muskegon, which was then a thriving
industrial city with about forty-five sawmills. He was employed in
connection with the mills until they were closed down, in the '90s,
owing to the depletion of available timber, and for a number of years
thereafter he was in the employ of the Chase-Hackley Piano Company,
one of the important manufacturing concerns of Muskegon. He is
now caretaker of Lakeside Cemetery, and is well known and highly
esteemed in Muskegon county. He is a Republican, and is affiliated
with the Odd Fellows and the Knights of the Maccabees. His wife
died in 1894, their children having been six in number and the subject
of this sketch having been the fifth in order of birth. The elder of
the two daughters is Mrs. E. W. Thompson, of Muskegon, and the
younger is Mrs. R. Killingbeck, of Michigan City, Indiana. Otto A.
resides in Muskegon, William C. is deceased, and Edward still resides
in Muskegon. In the public schools of Muskegon, Robert H. Luhmann
continued his studies until he was sixteen years old, and thereafter
he was employed in turn by the Mann & Watson Lumber Company
and the Stewart & Hartshorne Company. From 1907 to 1910 he was
assistant cemetery superintendent under his father, and he then passed
a year in the city of Chicago, where he learned the barber's trade.
He returned to Muskegon in 1911 and took a position in the barber
shop of Schweitzer & Lake. In 1912 he purchased the shop and business, which he has since conducted most successfully, besides which
he purchased, with A. C. Gerst, in February, 1923, the florist business
of E. F. Luhmann, he having sold this business in June, 1924. Mr.
Luhmann is aligned in the ranks of the Republican party, and is affiliated with the Knights of Pythias, the Masonic fraternity and the Loyal
Order of Moose and the Muskegon Recreation Club. June 19, 1913,
he wedded Miss Elizabeth Zeckzer, of Muskegon, and they have two
children: Robert F., born May 8, 1914, and Ewald Billy, born September 5, 1918.
Fred A. Luther has not only become one of the leaders in the
breeding of Holstein-Friesian dairy cattle in Michigan, but also figures




218


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


as one who gained special distinction in connection with the great American game of baseball. He became one of the best "southpaw" pitchers
in the American Association, with which he played two years with
marked success and with a popular prestige that gained to him the title
of "Kid Luther."  He seldom lost a game while in the box, and he
has reason to take pride in the record that he made in connection with
the most sane and popular of all American sports. Mr. Luther is the
owner of Moorland Farm, one of the finest stock farms in Muskegon
county, and in the city of Muskegon he maintains his residence at 189
Washington avenue. Mr. Luther was born on the old homestead farm
near Hart, Oceana county, Michigan, September 29, 1874, and is a son
of Melvin A. and Ida (Corbin) Luther, the father having long been
one of the representative farmers of Oceana county and having also
been engaged a number of years in the lumber business at Hart, the
mother having passed away in 1915. Of the four children the eldest
is Ernest L., who now resides at Madison, Wisconsin; Fred A., of
this review, was the next in order of birth; Charles L. died at the age
of five years; and Martin E. is now a resident of Kalamazoo. ' After
profiting by the advantages of the public schools at Hart, Fred A.
Luther was for two years a student in Olivet College. He early proved
himself an adept pitcher in connection with baseball, and his service
with the American Association was during the seasons of 1902 and
1903. For two years he held a clerical position in the office of the
Michigan state auditor general, Lansing, and during the ensuing six
years he was in partnership with his father in conducting the lumber
lusiness at Hart. For five years he was independently engaged in the
manufacturing of lumber and shingles at Hart, and he then transferred
his stage of mill operations to Mellen, Wisconsin, where he remained
until 1908, and where he lost several thousand dollars in the lumber
price slump of that year. He then returned to Oceana county and
purchased the old home farm of 164 acres. He not only succeeded
in making full payment on this farm, but increased its area until he
there had a well-improved landed estate of 304 acres, to which he
gave the name of Broadview Farm. In 1914 Mr. Luther established
on this farm the Michland herd of pure-bred Holstein-Friesian dairy
cattle, which he increased to fifty head, and he there developed it into
one of the finest herds in western Michigan, his herd of Holsteins being
now established on Moorland Farm, in Moorland township, Muskegon
county. He kept also a stud of registered Percheron horses, but of
these he disposed at the time of the World war. He is a leader in
the raising of the finest types of Holstein cattle in this part of Michigan, and is a recognized authority in this special phase of productive
industrial enterprise. He is a Mason in good standing, holding membership in Wigton Lodge No. 290. He is also a life member of the
Holstein-Friesian Association of America. Mr. Luther was married
August 19, 1904, to Miss Verna I. Hanson, of Hart, Michigan, a daughter of John D. S. and Ada (Tower) Hanson, and to this union was
born one son, Frederick H., whose birth occurred March 8, 1908.




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


219


The Lyons Machine Company, which now operates one of the
important industrial enterprises in the city of Muskegon, gains its title
from the village of Lyons; lonia county, where it was organized in
1912, and where its initial operations were carried forward. In 1913
the plant and equipment was moved to Muskegon, where the business
has since been continued with greatly amplified facilities and upon a
much larger scale, the products of the modern manufacturing plant of
the company including jigs, fixtures, punches, dies and special machinery. The personnel of the official corps of this progressive corporation
is as here recorded: Dr. Frank W. Garber, president; Henry R. Young,
vice-president; Anton F. Harnau, treasurer; and William Bodendorffer,
secretary.
George McCullom, who is engaged successfully in the plumbing business in the city of Muskegon, has here been associated with
this line of business since his early youth, and he cannot only claim
Muskegon as the place of his nativity but also has status as a representative of one of the sterling pioneer families of the city and county.
Mr. McCullom was born in Muskegon on December 23, 1860,
and is the only living son in a family of four children. His parents,
Alexander and Hannah (Reardon) McCullom, both continued their
residence in Muskegon until their death, the father having been associated with the early development of the extensive lumbering operations
that were long centered at this point and his death having occurred
when the subject of this review was still a youth. The public schools
of Muskegon engrossed a due share of the time and attention of George
McCullom until 1873, in which year he here entered the employ of
the J. J. Howden company, with which he was destined to continue his
alliance nearly thirty years. He became highly skilled in all details of
the trade and business, and thus was well reinforced when, in 1902,
he severed his association with the Howden concern and engaged in
the same line of business in an independent way. His personal popularity in his native city and his well-established reputation as an expert
in the plumbing business gained to him a substantial support from the
start, and he now controls one of the leading plumbing enterprises in
Muskegon. He is a past president of the Michigan Association of
Steam and Hot-water Fitters, and also a past president of the Michigan
Master Plumbers' Association. He is affiliated with the Elks and in
politics his attitude is sufficiently non-partisan to enable him to support
men and measures meeting the,approval of his judgment. He takes
vital interest in all that concerns the welfare and progress of his native
city and county. Mr. McCullom married Miss Lucy Stahl, of Fort
Wayne; Indiana, and their one child is Mrs. Elizabeth Judd, of Chicago.
James J. McDermott is the owner and executive head of the
prosperous business conducted under the title of the Muskegon
Glass Company, which was organized by him in 1908. In the
handling of glass his business is of both wholesale and retail order,
and the correct methods and progressive policies that he has
brought to bear have elevated the enterprise to important status




220


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


in connection with the industrial and commercial activities of the
city of Muskegon. Mr. McDermott was born in Ireland, September 26, 1885, and is a son of John and Catherine (Cunningham)
McDermott. The subject of this review was a child of about three
years at the time of the family immigration to the United States,
and he was reared and educated in the city of Chicago, where
he received the advantages of both parochial and public schools.
He was about twenty-three years of age when he founded his
present business in Muskegon, and his success attests alike'to his
ability and to the secure place he has gained in popular confidence
and esteem. In politics Mr. McDermott supports men and measures meeting his approval, rather than being constrained by partisan lines. He and his wife are zealous communicants of St.
Mary's Catholic Church, and he is affiliated with the Knights of
Columbus, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and the
Loyal Order of Moose. On the 12th of September, 1905, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. McDermott to Miss Pearl Stevenson,
daughter of Robert and Agnes Stevenson, of Muskegon, and the
five children of this union are James J., Jr., Gerald, Agnes, Harvey
and Pearl.
John W. McKeon is one of the prominent figures in the industrial life of the city of Muskegon, where he is vice-president and
general manager of the West Michigan Steel Foundry Company. Mr.
McKeon was born in County Roscommon, Ireland, January 21, 1880,
and is a son of Bartley and Bridget (Barrett) McKeon, the former of
whom was born in 1850 and the latter in 1855. The subject of this
review was two years of age when the family came to the United
States, in 1882, and the home was established in Franklin, Pennsylvania, the remainder of the active career of the father having been
marked by association with the oil-refining industry and he having
been sixty-nine years of age at the time of his death, in 1919. The
w'idowed mother now resides at 81 Delaware street and of the seven
children three survive the honored father. John W. McKeon was
reared and educated at Franklin, Pennsylvania, where his discipline
included that of the high school, and he was eighteen years of age when
he enlisted for service in the Spanish-American war, as a member of
the Sixteenth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He continued in service until the close of the war, and upon his return to Franklin, Pennsylvania, he entered the employ of the American Steel Foundry Company, with which he continued his alliance six years and with which
he won advancement to the position of general foreman. In 1905 he
took a position with the Union Engine and Foundry Company at Franklin, and after four years with this concern he was employed five years
as general superintendent by the Detroit Steel Castings Company, one
of the important industrial corporations of the Michigan metropolis.
He passed the next five years at Middletown, Ohio, as foundry and
forge superintendent of the American Rolling Mill Company, and in
1919 he came to Muskegon and assumed the office of general manager of
the West Michigan Steel Foundry Company. In this capacity he has




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


221


since continued his efficient and progressive administration, besides
which he is vice-president of the company. IHe has held executive positions with each of the concerns with which he has been allied, and is
an authority in all details of the industry with which he has been long
identified. Mr. McKeon is loyal and public-spirited as a citizen and
his political allegiance is given to the Democratic party. His name is
enrolled on the roster of eligible bachelors in Muskegon, and in this
city his circle of friends is limited only by that of his acquaintances.
Leo C. Mac Langs is one of the prominent representatives of
the insurance business in the city of Muskegon, where the successful range and important scope of his agency stand in evidence of
his ability and progressiveness in his chosen sphere of activity.
Mr. Mac Langs was born at Bangor, Van Buren county, Michigan,
October 24, 1889, and is the only survivor of the three children born
to Jacob and Minnie Mac Langs, the other two children having
died in infancy. The public schools of his native place afforded
Mr. Mac Langs his earlier education and later he was graduated
in La Salle university in the city of Chicago. In 1916 he established himself in the insurance business in Muskegon, where he
has since continued representative of the Wisconsin National Life
Insurance Association, the Metropolitan Life Insurance company
and the Michigan Casualty company. His political convictions
place him loyally in the ranks of the Republican party, he is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows as well as with its
adjunct organization, Davis Encampment and Canton No. 6, the
Daughters of Rebekah, and he and his wife hold membership in the
Baptist church. In 1918 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Mac
Langs to Miss Ruby Chichester, of Manistee, Michigan, and the
two children of this union are Raymond Leo and Mary Jane.
Wilson McLaughlin is one of the executives of one of the important industrial and commercial concerns of Muskegon and thus
has place among the representative business men of his native city
of Muskegon, where he is president of the Muskegon Motor Specialties company. He was born in this city September 23, 1886,
and is a son of Honorable James Campbell McLaughlin and Nellie
L. (Wilson) McLaughlin. James C. McLaughlin has been engaged in the practice of law in Muskegon more than forty years
and has represented Michigan in the United States congress. Of
him specific mention is made on other pages of this work, so that
further record of the family history is not here demanded. Wilson
McLaughlin was graduated in the Muskegon high school in 1906;
he attended the University of Michigan for four years, taking
a course in mechanical engineering, and since 1911 he has been
actively connected with the company of which he is now the president and with the development of which he has been closely associated along both mechanical and executive lines, he having been
made president of the company in 1923. In December, 1916, Mr.
McLaughlin was united in marriage to Miss Gladys Behrens,




222


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


daughter of William H. and Anna Behrens, of Muskegon, where
the Behrens family made settlement in the pioneer days.
Robert Louis Matteo, M. D., is one of the representative physicians and surgeons of the younger generation in the city of Muskegon, and he has a specially large practice among the leading
Italian families of the city and county. The doctor was born at
Molinara in the vicinity of the fair old city of Naples, Italy, on the
eighteenth of April, 1894, and is one of the four surviving children
of Joseph and Pasqualina Matteo, the other three survivors in the
family of eight children being Mrs. Mary Mezzetti, Andrew and
Genevieve. The family came to the United States in 1910, when
Dr. Matteo of this review was a lad of six years and the home was
first established on the upper peninsula of the state of Michigan,
whence, a few years later removal was made to Muskegon. In the
public schools of Muskegon, Dr. Matteo continued his studies until
his graduation in the high school in 1915. Thereafter he went to
the state of Texas and in the medical department of Baylor university, one of the leading educational institutions of the Lone Star
state, he was graduated as a member of the class of 1920 and with
the well earned degree of Doctor of Medicine. He soon afterward
returned to Michigan and established himself in general practice
in Muskegon, where his success has been distinctive and on a parity
with his professional skill and personal popularity. He takes great
interest in advancing the youthful members of the Italian families
in the community, and through his efforts several local Italian
boys have been enabled to attend college. The doctor is affiliated
with the Phi Chi medical fraternity at his alma mater, Baylor
university, Dallas, Texas, and is a popular member of the Muskegon County Medical Society, besides having membership in the
Michigan State Medical Society and the American Medical Association. He continues a close student and thus keeps in close
touch with the advances made in medical and surgical science.
His political allegiance is given to the Democratic party. On the
sixth of June, 1918, was solemnized the marriage of Dr. Matteo to
Miss Mamie Bell Shafer, of Peonia, Colorado, she being a representative of ancestry indentified with colonial New England history. Dr. and Mrs. Matteo are popular in the social circles of
Muskegon. They have no children.
Jesse O. Matteson is one of the vital and progressive figures in
the civic and industrial affairs of Muskegon, where he is general
manager of the business and large manufacturing plant here established by the great Brunswick-Balke-Collender company of
Chicago, besides being vice-president of the Home Finance company, treasurer of the Kyloid company, and a director of the Muskegon Trust company. Mr. Matteson was born in Sandwich, Illinois,
December 1, 1878, and thus he came into the world shortly after the
great fire that swept the city of Chicago and marked one of the greatest
conflagrations of the kind in the world's history. He is the only child




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


223


of Lorenzo A. and Lucinda (Kain) Matteson, who still reside in
Chicago, where the father is living virtually retired from active business.
The public schools of his native city afforded Mr. Matteson his youthful education, he having been graduated in this high school. In 1895 he
took a position in the offices of the Deering Harvester Works in Chicago,
where later he held a position with the Republic Iron & Steel company.
In 1901 he entered the employ of the Brunswick-Balke-Collender
company in the Chicago factory of which he continued as manager
of the composition department until 1906. In that year the company placed in operation its large billiard. table factory in Muskegon, and of this extensive and important plant and its incidental
business Mr. Matteson has since continued the general manager.
He has proved one of the most loyal and progressive citizens of
Muskegon, is an influential member of the Greater Muskegon
Chamber of Commerce, of which he was the president in 1925,
and he is a member and active supporter of the local Rotary club.
His political allegiance is given to the Republican party and he
and his family attend and support the Christian Science church
in their home city. He has membership in the Century club and
the Muskegon Country club, and is a popular member of Muskegon
Lodge, No. 274, B. P. 0. E. In the Masonic fraternity his York
Rite affiliations are with Sandwich Lodge, No. 140, A. F. & A. M.;
Muskegon Chapter, No. 47, R. A. M.; and Muskegon Commandery,
No. 22, Knights Templar. In DeWitt Consistory of the Scottish
Rite at Grand Rapids, he has received the thirty-second degree,
and in that city also he is a noble of Saladin Temple of the Mystic
Shrine. August 26, 1905, was the date of the marriage of Mr. Matteson to Miss Florence Mettee, daughter of George and Mary
Mettee, who still reside in the state of Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Matteson have two children, Florence and Harold. Of the scope of
the great industrial enterprise of which Mr. Matteson is the general manager in Muskegon, an idea is conveyed in the statement
that in the local plant of the Brunswick-Balke-Collender company
is retained an average corps of 2,200 employes, who work full
time.  Here are manufactured billiard tables and accessories,
bowling alleys and accessories, radio equipment and the celebrated
Brunswick phonographs and records. This great Chicago corporation has manufacturing plants also at Dubuque, Iowa; Rockford
and Chicago, Illinois; Knoxville, Tennessee; Big Bay, Michigan;
Long Island City, New York; Toronto, Canada; Paris, France;
Buenos Aires, South America; Sidney, Australia, with branches
in other foreign countries.
William Q Mathews has given an effective and loyal administration as sheriff of Muskegon county, an office from which he
retired January 1, 1925, and he is one of the well known and unequivocally popular citizens of his home city and county, besides
having the distinction of being a representative of a sterling family




224


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


that was founded in Michigan in the pioneer days. Mr. Mathews
was born at Fruitport, Muskegon county, April 9, 1883, and is a
son of John and Mary Jane Mathews, both of whom were born in
Saginaw, this state, the former in 1854 and the latter in 1858. The
earlier career of the father was diversified by farm enterprise and
work in the lumber woods, and in 1873 he established the family
home on a farm near Fruitport, Muskegon county, his death having
there occurred in 1886 and his widow having later sold the farm
and removed to Spring Lake, Ottawa county, she is now having
her home at 249 Sanford street in Muskegon.  Her other three
children are daughters: Mrs. Sadie Lex, of Spring Lake; Mrs.
Jane Clydesdale, of Fruitport, and Miss Ellen, who resides with
her widowed mother at Muskegon, and who here holds a position
in the office of the Muskegon Motor Specialties company. In the
public schools at Spring Lake, William O. Mathews completed the
curriculum of the ninth grade and thereafter he learned the art
of telegraphy and was employed two years as train dispatcher in the
service of the Grand Rapids, Grand Haven and Muskegon Interurban railway. He next held, during a period of eighteen months,
a position in the car barns at Fruitport, and then served as car conductor on the interurban electric line from that place one year. He
was next employed in the engineering department of the city government of Grand Rapids and in 1908 he took a position in the
office of the sheriff of Muskegon county, under Sheriff Vincent O.
Clinger. In the two-year period of 1910-12 he was deputy sheriff
of the county when Frederick Nelson was sheriff. In 1916 he was
the Republican candidate for sheriff but was defeated in the primary
election, but he was retained in service during the second term of
his successful opponent, Carl Stouffer, of Ravenna, besides which
he was a member of the Muskegon police department one year
and from 1916 to 1920 was yardmaster at the plant of the Campbell-Wyant-Cannon company. In 1920 he was elected sheriff of
the county by a gratifying majority and his administration was
marked by loyalty, vigor and progressiveness until his final retirement from office. He is now giving his attention to the Mathews
Petroleum company on Laketon avenue between Henry and Beidler streets. Mr. Mathews has been active in the ranks of the Republican party in Muskegon county and in a fraternal way he is
affiliated with the local lodge of Elks. In 1913 he was united in
marriage to Miss Alice McNaughton, of Fruitport, and they have
three children, Jane, Deloria and John Edward.
Mecher Brothers have a well equipped garage and automobile
repair and service establishment at 253 Ottawa street in the city of
Muskegon, where they have built up a substantial and prosperous
business that marks them as prominent exponents of this line of
enterprise in Muskegon county. The consistent members of this
progressive firm are George W. and Edward Mecher, sons of
Jacob and Hilda Mecher, who established their residence in Muskegon in the year 1871 and who are now living retired from active




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


225


business. George W. and Edward R. Mecher received the advantages of the public schools of Muskegon, and in this city they
have found ample opportunity for successful business enterprise.
The political faith of the brothers is represented in the tenets of
the Republican party, and George W. is affiliated with the Masonic
fraternity and both brothers are members of the Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks. In the year 1913 George W. Mecher
wedded Miss Beatrice Olsen, of Muskegon, and they have two
children, Marjorie and Ruth. Edward R. Mecher married Miss
Gudwin Losby, of Muskegon, in the year 1911, and their three
children are Roy, Edward and Helen.
Fritz Louis Meeske. When the great lumbering industry of
Michigan was at its height the city of Muskegon was one of its most
important centers, and when supply resources became limited and the
extensive mills at Muskegon gradually curtailed their operations, the
city found other mediums of industrial enterprise to take their place.
Here have since been built up many substantial and prosperous manufacturing enterprise, and prominent among these is the Maring Wire
Company, the president of which is the progressive young business man
whose name introduces this paragraph, and whose local status is the
more pleasing to note by reason of his being a native son of Muskegon.
In this city Mr. Meeske was born December 25, 1892, a son of Otto
G. and Augusta (Heinemann) Meeske, whose record will be found
elsewhere in this work. Fritz L. Meeske supplemented the discipline
of the Muskegon public schools by a course in the University of Michigan, in which he was a member of the class of 1914. From 1915 until
the nation became actively involved in the World War, Mr. Meeske
continued his association with the Muskegon Brewing Company, and
he then volunteered in the United States Navy, in the service of which
he continued till the close of the war, though he was not called to service
overseas. After receiving his honorable discharge Mr. Meeske returned
to Muskegon, and here, in 1919, he organized the Maring Wire Company, of which he is the president and the policies of which he has
so effectively directed that the concern has become one of substantial
order and one that constitutes a valuable addition to the industrial and
commercial interests of Muskegon. Mr. Meeske is a Republican in
his political adherency, has received the thirty-second degree of the
Scottish Rite of the Masonic fraternity, is affiliated also with the Muskegon Lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and
with a local post of the American Legion. He is also a popular member of the Century Club and the Muskegon Country Club. The name
of the Meeske family has been long and worthily identified with the
civic and business interests of Muskegon, and in this city the parents
of the subject of this review still maintain their home, the father being
now retired from active business. On the 15th of June, 1921, was
solemnized the marriage of Fritz L. Meeske to Miss Edna Thomasma,
daughter of Harry Thomasma, of Grand Rapids, this state. The one
child of this union is a son, Philip Fredrick, who was born September
13, 1922.




220


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


Gustav Meeske is one of the veteran and influential business
men of Muskegon, where he is treasurer of the C. G. Fleckenstein Company, treasurer of the Muskegon Brewing Company, and vice-president
of the Union National Bank. At Sinemunde, province of Pomerania,
Germany, Mr. Meeske was born May 12, 1849, a son of Gustav and
Wilhelmina Meeske, both of whom were born in 1813 and a record of
whom is found in a sketch written for Otto G. Meeske. In the schools
of his native land the subject of this sketch continued his duties until
he was fourteen years old, and thereafter he was for three and one-half
years engaged in the general merchandise business, later in association
with his brother they operated their father's brewery in the old home
town. Otto G. Meeske came to the United States in 1871, and Gustav,
subject of this sketch, was associated with his brother in the management of the brewery until the following year, when he came to the
United States. He was employed in a brewery in Oshkosh, Wisconsin,
one year. He then made a three months' visit to the old home in Germany, and in 1873 he became actively associated in the establishing and
operation of the Meeske Brothers & Hoch brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, his brother, Otto G., likewise being a principal in the enterprise. In 1876 Mr. Meeske with his brother, Otto G., came to Muskegon and purchased the old Neumeister brewery and from then until
the present time the interests of the brothers have been closely allied,
as principals of the Muskegon Brewing Company. For twenty-five
years Mr. Meeske has been a director of the Union National Bank, of
which he has been vice-president since 1904. In addition to being treasurer of the C. G. Fleckenstein Company, a concern which he capitalized
and which is here engaged in the tannery and leather business, he is a
director of the company that owns and operates the Occidental hotel
in Muskegon. He is an honored member of the Muskegon Chamber
of Commerce and the local lodge of the Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks. In politics he is a staunch advocate of the principles
of the Republican party. His association with practical business had
its inception when he was but fourteen years of age, he having at that
time taken a position with a ship-clearing concern in his native land,
a business mainly given to the supplying of provisions for outgoing
ships, and he early gained experience also in general merchandising.
His has been a career of consecutive industry, and through his own
honorable and well-directed efforts he has achieved a large measure
of material success, the while he has merited and received the confidence
and good will of his fellow men. In 1876 Mr. Meeske wedded Miss
Theresa Ninneman, of Milwaukee, and they became the parents of
four children: Paul G., Otto W., Elsa and Gustav, Jr., the last named
having died in 1903. The loved wife and mother passed to the life
eternal in 1893. and in 1895 Mr. Meeske was united in marriage to
Miss Marie Bollwahn, the one child of this union being a daughter,
Elisa.
Otto Gustav Meeske is the elder of two brothers whose names
have long been worthily identified with the civic and business affairs
of Muskegon, where he has maintained his home for nearly half a




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


227


century. Mr. Meeske was born in Sinemunde, Province of Pomerania, Germany, April 9, 1847, a son of Gustav and Wilhelmina Meeske,
who spent their entire lives in their native land. The father was a
prosperous business man owning a flouring mill, a hotel, as well as
being engaged in agricultural pursuits, and also owned and operated
stage lines between his home city and surrounding cities including the
city of Treptow. The son attended school until he reached the age of
fourteen, when it was decided that he should enter an agricultural college, but as this could not be done until he became sixteen, he was,
given charge of workmen on his father's farm. This brought him in
contact with conditions that did not appeal to him and he told his father
that he wanted a change. He had partly decided to take up blacksmithing and later become a manufacturer, when he met a man who was
looking for a boy to learn the brewing business. So arrangement was
perfected for him to serve an apprenticeship and he was away from
home nearly a year before making his parents a visit although his
brother and sister had come to visit him in the meantime. So diligently
did he apply himself that in eighteen months he had completed an apprenticeship that usually required two years. He was then placed in
charge of the brewing department for his employer, which was no
unimportant position for a boy of sixteen. Still anxious to widen the
scope of his experience he later spent two years as a journeyman brewer,
being employed in many of the larger breweries of Germany. He then
returned home and built a brewery for his father in the operation of
which he was engaged until he was twenty-four years old, when he
decided to try his fortunes in America. In 1871 he came to the United
States and first found employment as foreman in the White Bear Brewery in Milwaukee. Later he was employed in the same capacity at
Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and Detroit, Michigan. In 1873 he returned to
Milwaukee and in partnership with his two brothers, Gustav and Carl,
and a Mr. Hoch they established a brewery business under the name
of Meeske Brothers & Hoch. In 1876 this was sold and he and his
brother Gustav came to Muskegon and purchased the Neumeister brewcry, a small concern making ten barrels a day. This was soon enlarged
(the same year) to one of fifty barrels, and in 1883, when the new
brewery was built, it became one of one hundred and fifty barrels,
with adequate cellars for cooling, and in'1894 one of the first ice machines used in this country was installed. For thirty years Otto Gustav
Meeske was president of the organization, which became the leading
business of its kind in western Michigan, engaged in the manufacture
of high-grade beer until the constitutional amendment brought about
national prohibition. Since then the concern has engaged in the manufacture and sale of ice and non-alcoholic beverages. Many industrial
enterprises in Muskegon have been aided financially by and received
wise counsel from Mr. Meeske. In 1901 he was one of the organizers of
the Hope Lumber Company, which Qperated in Idaho on a large scale
until 1905, when the business was sold to the Rockefeller interests,
known as the Big Four Lumber Company. In 1914 the Rogers Foundry and Machine Company met with financial difficulties and Mr.




228


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


Meeske purchased the business when but three men were employed.
Under his efficient management the enterprise enlarged until two hundred men were on the payroll, when it was sold to the present owners.
In 1911 while on a visit to Germany Mr. Meeske was made a member
of the directorate of the Hackley National Bank, and in 1919 he was
made second vice-president of this financial institution. In 1878 Mr.
Meeske was one of the organizers of Arbeiter-Unterstuetzungs Verein,
and is today the only one of the twelve charter members living. Mr.
Meeske has been a Mason for more than forty-five years and has attained the thirty-second degree, is a Knight Templar and also belongs
to the Shrine at Grand Rapids. He is a charter member of the Elks
Lodge and his name is enrolled in the membership of the various civic
and commercial clubs of Muskegon. In 1885 Mr. Meeske married Miss
Augusta Heineman, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and they have become
the parents of two sons, Fritz L. and Othmar, both of whom are engaged in business in Muskegon. Speaking of his boyhood days Mr.
Meeske recalls that when a boy of twelve he was accustomed to buy
sheep and lambs which he would feed and raise on his father's farm
and when the wool was gathered and the sheep sold to the market
he would have a profit to divide with his father. As a boy he always
had sheep, rabbits and doves around him, which helps to show that
the inclination to be doing business manifested itself at a very early
date. He was yet a boy when at sixteen and a half years he was doing
the work of a man and had mastered the trade which he has made his
life work. He has never regretted his coming to the United States
for in the land of his adoption he has found and utilized the opportunities which have made for success. In the city of Muskegon, which
has been the scene of his activities for nearly fifty years, his name
stands among the foremost of the list of those who have won honorable achievement.
Otto W. Meeske has gained place as one of the progressive
young business men of his native city of Muskegon, where he is treasurer of the Muskegon Baking Company. He was born in this city
July 9, 1883, and is a son of Gustav and Theresa (Ninnemann) Meeske,
mentioned elsewhere in this volume. Otto W. Meeske supplemented
the discipline of the Muskegon public schools by attending for one year
the admirable old Michigan Military Academy, at Orchard Lake, an
institution that has unfortunately been permitted to pass out of existence. After leaving school Otto W. Meeske was for several years an
executive in the office of the Muskegon Brewing Company, and he then
took a position as a bookkeeper in the Union National Bank. From
1906 to 1909 he was associated with the Hope Lumber Company, ol
Hope, Idaho, and he then returned to Muskegon and became head of
the bookkeeping department of the Union National Bank, with which
he maintained his alliance until he purchased, in 1918, one-half interest
in the Muskegon Baking Company, of which he is now the treasurer,
the company being now co-ordinated with the Kalamazoo Bread Company, with which it was consolidated in 1923. The manufacturing
plant of the company is of the best modern order, and the efficient




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


229


service given has resulted in the upbuilding of a large and prosperous
business. Mr. Meeske is likewise treasurer of the Muller Baking Company, another of the well-ordered business concerns of Muskegon. Mr.
Meeske is a Republican in his political proclivities and allegiance, is
affiliated with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, has membership in the local Rotary, Century and Country Clubs. January 24,
1905, Mr. Meeske was united in marriage to Miss Barbara Bachman,
daughter of Charles G. Bachman, one of the well-known citizens and
business men of this city. Mr. and Mrs. Meeske have three children,
Elizabeth, Virginia and Barbara.
Paul E. Meeske. In his native city of Muskegon Mr. Meeske
is a popular representative of a family whose name has been long and
prominently identified with the industrial and civic interests of this
community. He has done well his part in upholding the prestige of
the family name, has given effective service as secretary of the Muskegon Brewing Company for thirty years and is one of the principals
and a vigorous executive of the Muskegon Bottling and Beverage Company, in which he is associated with his cousins, Fritz L. and Othmar
Meeske. Paul E. Meeske was born in Muskegon, December 19, 1877,
and is a son of Gustav and Theresa (Ninneman) Meeske, mentioned
elsewhere in this volume. The public schools of his native city afforded
Mr. Meeske his early education, and his initial business experience was
gained mainly through his association with the Muskegon Brewing
Company, of which he became the secretary at the age of seventeen.
He has continued as one of the progressive citizens and business men
of Muskegon, and in his native city his circle of friends is coincident
with that of his acquaintances. He is an active member of the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce, is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity
and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, is a member of the
Muskegon Country Club, is a Republican in politics, and he and his
wife hold membership in the Congregational church. On the fifteenth of
August, 1900, Mr. Meeske was united in marriage to Miss Abigail
Gilbert, daughter of Louis C. Gilbert, of Muskegon, and of this union
have been born seven children: Gretchen, Marcella, Louis, William,
Jack, Paul E., Jr., and Anna Elise.
Eugene Meurer, president of the Central Paper company, one
of the important industrial concerns contributing to the commercial
prestige of the city of Muskegon, was born in Aalen, in the southern
part of Germany, January 20, 1861, and is a son of Judge Johann
Meurer and Margaret Meurer, his father having been a prominent
lawyer and jurist in that section of the German empire, where he
passed his entire life. Eugene Meurer had the advantages of a home
of distinctive culture and refinement and likewise received in his native
land the best of educational advantages. He is the only son in a family
of five children and his four sisters remain in Germany, so that in
the United States he is the only representative of the immediate family.
His educational privileges included those of a leading polytechnic institute, in which he specialized in chemistry and mechanical engineering,




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


and thereafter he was graduated in Stuttgart Polytechnic Institute. He
forthwith initiated his association with the paper industry, and by applying himself diligently in paper mills in his native land he acquired full
and accurate knowledge of all details of this line of manufacturing,
his experience having included work in pulp mills and chemical plants
concerned with paper manufacturing enterprise in Germany. He was
thus engaged from 1884 to 1889, in which latter year he came to the
United States. In New York City he formed an alliance with the
Hudson River Pulp and Paper Company, for which he supervised the
erection and equipment of a sulphite mill. He was the successful manager of this mill seven years, and during the ensuing three years he
operated for the same company a sulphite mill and paper mill in Ontario, Canada. He then came to Michigan and founded the paper
manufacturing enterprise, of which he is now the executive head, in
the year 1900. He has been the prime force in the upb.uilding at
Muskegon of one of the great paper manufacturing enterprises of
Michigan, a state that is an important center of this line of industry.
The Central Paper Company, of which Mr. Meurer is now the president, is one of the most important corporations of its kind in the state,
with operations based on a capital stock of $1,400,000. Mr. Meurer
gives much credit to his associates in the upbuilding of this great industrial enterprise, and his splendid success has attested his wisdom in
making Muskegon the stage of his productive activities, he having been
greatly impressed with the manifold advantages here offered, in eligible
location, excellent transportation facilities by the railroads and the
waterways of the Great Lakes, and readily available supply resources as
pertinent to paper manufacturing, especially wood requisite for the
producing of the paper pulp. In the large and modern manufacturing
plant of the Central Paper Company is retained a corps of 500 employes, and it may readily be understood that the concern has done
much to advance the civic and industrial precedence and prosperity of
Muskegon. While the president of the company, he has won a secure
place among the leading captains of industry in Michigan. As a citizen
and business man Mr. Meurer is vital, liberal and progressive, and he
takes deep interest in all things touching the welfare and progress of
his home city.
Adam J. Miller, who is now living virtually retired in the city
of Muskegon, is able to advert to the Hawkeye state as the place of his
nativity, his parents having been sterling pioneer settlers of that commonwealth. Mr. Miller was born in Des Moines county, Iowa, February 28, 1864, and is a son of Jonas and Sabina (Schmitt) Miller, the
former of whom was born and reared in St. Louis, Missouri, and the
latter of whom was born in Bavaria, Germany. Adam J. Miller, of this
review, is next to the eldest in a family of twelve children, two of whom
died in infancy unnamed. The others are: George A., deceased; William H., who resides in Iowa; Elizabeth, deceased; Jonas, deceased; Edward, who resides in Iowa; Nettie, who resides in Minnesota; John P.,
deceased; Henry A., who resides in Iowa; and Martha, deceased. Jonas
Miller, father of Adam J. Miller, reclaimed and developed one of the




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


231


pioneer farms of Iowa, and in that state he and his wife continued
to reside until their death. Adam J. Miller gained much of his early
education in what were termed select schools, these having been maintained by the Iowa pioneers prior to the full development of the regular
public school system in that state. He further fortified himself by a
course in the Elliott Business College at Burlington, Iowa, and in his
native state he continued his active association with farm industry until
October, 1903, when he came to Newaygo county, Michigan, and established his residence on the farm that he there purchased near Fremont.
There he continued his progressive and successful activities as an agriculturist and stock-grower during the long period of sixteen years,
within which he developed his place into one of the fine farm properties
of the county. In 1916 he came to Muskegon, where he and his wife
have since maintained their home. Mr. Miller is a staunch supporter
of the principles of the Republican party, and he and his wife hold
membership in the Congregational church. Mr. Miller was married
February 18, 1886, to Miss Emma Schmeiser, of Des Moines county,
Iowa, she having been born October 30, 1866. Jonas W., eldest of the
children of this union, is a prosperous farmer near Tulia, Texas. He
married Henrietta Bretz and they have two sons, Lloyd and Paul.
Blaine J., the second son, resides in the city of Detroit, Michigan, and
holds an executive position in the steamship passenger department of
the Canadian Pacific Railroad. Mary S. is the wife of Jesse F. Olney,
who is a bacteriologist by profession, and they reside in the city of
Chicago. Paul G. remains at the parental home and conducts the CocaCola Bottling Works in Muskegon.
Henry E. Morton, who is now president of the Morton Manufacturing Company, an important concern engaged in the manufacturing of iron working machinery in the city of Muskegon, became the chief executive of this company upon the death of his
honored father who had founded the business many years
previously at Lapeer, this state, whence it was removed to Romeo,
Macomb county, in the early seventies, the enterprise having there
been continued twenty years, at the expiration of which, in 1891, a
final removal was made to Muskegon. Here, with more metropolitan facilities, the business has since been continued on a larger
scale and with distinctive success, so that the concern was lending
in large measure to the industrial and commercial prestige of this
progressive Michigan city. Henry E. Morton was born at Lapeer,
judicial center of the Michigan county of that name, and the date
of his nativity was September 16, 1863. He is a son of Mathew
and Sarah T. (Strong) Morton, and the other two children are
Mrs. Harriet Milliken, of Caro, Tuscola county, and Mason B.,
who is vice-president of the Morton Manufacturing Company and
who is the subject of a personal sketch on another page of this
work. Mathew Morton was one of the pioneer business men of
Lapeer and it was there that he founded the business of the Morton Manufacturing Company. In the early seventies he removed
with his family to Romeo and there he continued as president of




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


the Morton Manufacturing Company during a period of twenty
years prior to the removal of the industry to Muskegon Heights.
In the latter city he remained the executive head of the company
until his death in 1910, the well equipped manufactory being established in the Muskegon Heights district. Mr. Morton was a
man of fine personality, upright and honorable in all the relations
of life, a loyal and liberal citizen and a man of exceptional business ability, as is attested by the status of the company which he
organized and the business of which was developed under his efficient management. He was seventy-four years of age at the time
of his death and his wife passed away when about seventy-four
years of age, both having been honored pioneer citizens of Michigan, and both having been earnest members of the Methodist
Episcopal church. Henry E. Morton was eight years of age at
the time of the family removal to Romeo, and there he received
the advantages of the public schools, besides which he there gained
his initial business experience, through active association with the
Morton Manufacturing Company. This experience eventually
was made to include all phases and details of the business, and thus
he was admirably fortified for the important executive duties that
came to him when he succeeded his father as president of the company in 1910. In this and all other relations he is well upholding
the honors of the name which he bears, and he is one of the representative figures in the industrial circles of Muskegon. As before
stated, the factory of the company is at Muskegon Heights, and
it is in that place also that Mr. Morton and his family reside. He
is loyal and public-spirited in his civic attitude, is a staunch advocate and supporter of the cause of the Republican party, and he
and his family hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal
church. April 6, 1887, was marked by the marriage of Mr. Morton to Miss Ora G. Crissman, daughter of Michael H. Crissman,
of Mount Vernon, Macomb county, where he still resides, his wife
being deceased. Marguerite S., eldest of the children of Mr. and
Mrs. Morton, is the wife of Edward C. Palmer and they reside in
the city of Chicago; H. Earl is associated with the Morton Manufacturing Company, as is also Matthew H.; Ora G. is the wife of
Clayton T. Allen, of Muskegon Heights; and Miss Alice May is
a successful and popular teacher in the public schools of Muskegon
Heights.
Mason B. Morton is vice-president of the Morton Manufacturing Company at Muskegon Heights, this concern having been
founded by his father and having long held wide reputation for the
manufacturing of varied types and kinds of machinery of the highest grade. In connection with this important industry and also
as a liberal and progressive citizen Mr. Morton is well upholding
the honors of the family name. He was born at Romeo, Macomb
county, Michigan, August 29, 1872, a son of the late Mathew and
Sarah (Strong) Morton, who were residents of Muskegon Heights
at the time of their death. At Romeo, Mathew Morton founded,




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


233


on a small scale, the manufacturing industry that under his able
direction was developed to one of broad scope and importance, the
enterprise having there been continued under the present title of
the Morton Manufacturing Company until 1891, when the plant and
business were removed to Muskegon Heights. Here operations
have been successfully continued on a larger scale and with an
excellent plant of the best modern type. Mathew Morton continued as president of the company until his death and his two
sons, Mason B. and Henry E., and William Rowan, Jr., have since
continued in executive control of the substantial and prosperous
business. The one other surviving child is a daughter, Harriett,
who is the wife of James Milliken, of Caro, Tuscola county. Mason
B. Morton gained his youthful education by attending the public
schools of his native village of Romeo and at the age of sixteen
years he initiated his activities in the shops of the Morton Manufacturing Company, of which he is now vice-president, he having
been about twenty years of age at the time of the removal of the
business and the family home to Muskegon, where have since been
centered his productive activities. His political alignment is with
the Republican party, and he and his wife hold membership in the
Methodist Episcopal church. December 26, 1896, was marked b\
the marriage of Mr. Morton to Miss Flora Mabel Collins, whose
parents, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Collins, still reside at Muskegon,
Michigan. Mr. and Mrs. Morton have three children, Ruth, Robert
and George.
Martin Mullally is one of the successful exponents of the general insurance business in the city of Muskegon, where he is junior
member of the progressive insurance firm of Campeau & Mullally,
his coadjutor being Oliver A. Campeau, of whom individual mention is made on another page of this volume. Mr. Mullally was
born at Coleman, Midland county, Michigan, May 18, 1897, and is
a son of John and Margaret (Preston) Mullally, the names of the
other seven survivors in the family of nine children being here
recorded: Francis J., John, Jr., Nora, Eileen, Ellen, Josephine
and Monica. In the public schools of his native town Martin
Mullally continued his studies until his graduation in the high
school as a member of the class of 1916, and in 1918 he was graduated in the Central State Normal School of Michigan. In May of
the same year he entered service in connection with the nation's
participation in the World war, and he was assigned to duty in
chemical research work pertinent to warfare, he having been stationed at Cleveland, Ohio, and having there remained some time
after the armistice brought the great war to a close. He received
his honorable discharge from the United States army in January,
1919, and during the ensuing year and a half he held a position of
teacher in Muskegon Heights school. Following which he held
a position in the production department of the Austin Machine
Corporation, one of the important industrial concerns of Muskegon.
In April, 1921, Mr. Mullally formed a partnership with Oliver A.




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


Campeau, and the firm of Campeau & Mullally has since continued
successfully in the general insurance business in Muskegon as
underwriters for leading insurance companies in the various lines.
Mr. Mullally is a Republican, is a communicant of St. Mary's
Catholic church, is a member of the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce and of the local Lions Club, of which he is a member of the
state board of directors, and he is affiliated with the American Legion and the Loyal Order of Moose, in which latter fraternity he is
a trustee of the lodge at Muskegon. The parents of Mr. Mullally
still maintain their residence in Midland county, where the father
is the owner of a valuable farm of 200 acres.
Clarence W. Mullen is a successful representative of the insurance business in the city of Muskegon where he maintains his office in the Union National Bank building and where he has developed a substantial business as an underwriter for the Michigan
Mutual Life Insurance Company and the Missouri State Life Insurance Company, corporations of substantial order and high
standing. Mr. Mullen was born at Battle Creek, Michigan, October
7, 1889, and is a son of David L. and Sarah M. (Weston) Mullen,
the former of whom was born in Londonderry, Ireland, May 2,
1857, and the latter at Concord, Jackson county, Michigan, in 1865.
David L. Mullen was reared and educated in his native land, whence
he came to the United States in 1875 and settled at Battle Creek,
Michigan, he having been for a number of years a trainman in the
service of the Grand Trunk railroad and later having been engaged
in farm enterprise near Albion, whence he finally removed to his
present farm, near Otsego, Allegan county, where he and his wife
have an attractive rural home. Clarence W. Mullen attended the
public schools at Albion and in 1909 he was graduated in the high
school at Otsego. At Otsego he obtained a position as car clerk
for the New York Central railroad lines and later he served as
chief clerk for the same system at Coldwater, Branch county. In
1918 he was advanced to the position of station agent for the
Michigan Railway Company at Albion, where he continued his
service in this capacity until 1920, when he there initiated his activities in the insurance business as a representative of the Michigan
Mutual Life Insurance Company. May 28, 1922, he established his
residence and business headquarters at Muskegon and here he has
developed a prosperous insurance business. He is a valued member of the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce, is a Republican in
politics, is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and the Knights
of Pythias, and he and his wife hold membership in the Baptist
church. September 6, 1910, was marked by the marriage of Mr.
Mullen to Miss Susie Wood, of Otsego, and they have three children: Beatrice, born March 20, 1912; Richard, born January 5,
1917; and Robert A., born February 25, 1925.
John R. Mullen has been a resident of Muskegon since 1901
and was here successfully engaged in the contracting and building




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


235


business until 1920, since which year he has been the treasurer and
general manager of the Muskegon Building Materials Company,
an important concern that controls a substantial business and that
has incidentally been able to make definite contribution to the
material or physical advancement of the city, and thus to civic
progress also. Mr. Mullen was born in the city of Newark, New
York, and the date of his nativity was July 9, 1864. He was the
oldest in order of birth in a family of four children and the other
two surviving children are Matthew, Jr., of Port Huron, Michigan,
and Mrs. Mary Punrost, of Fremont, this state. The parents, Matthew and Rebecca (Killeen) Mullen, were born in the state of New
York, and the father followed the contracting business during the
greater part of his active career, the family having come to Michigan in the year 1872 and the home having been established at
Fremont, Newaygo county. The parents passed the remainder
of their lives in Michigan and were honored citizens of Newaygo
county at the time of their death. John R. Mullen was a lad of
about eight years at the time of the family removal to Michigan
and was reared to adult age in Newaygo county, where he duly
profited by the advantages of the public schools at Fremont. As
a youth he learned the bricklayer's trade, and upon coming to
Muskegon in 1901 he engaged in business as a contractor and
builder, his alliance with that line of constructive enterprise having continued as'before stated, until 1920, when he assumed his
present dual office of treasurer and general manager of the Muskegon Building Material Company. He is an active member of the
Muskegon Chamber of Commerce, is a Democrat in politics, is a
member of Muskegon lodge of the Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks, and he still maintains his affiliation with Pilgrim
Lodge, No. 182, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons at Fremont, it
having been in this lodge that he became an entered apprentice
and was in due course raised to the degree of Master Mason. On
the third of July, 1887, was recorded the marriage of Mr. Mullen
to Miss Gertrude Bryant, daughter of William C. and Juliet Bryant,
of Fremont, and of this union were born two children, Frank, who
died at the age of six months, and Milton, who was twenty years
old at the time of his death.
George R. Murray has shown splendid initiative and administrative ability in connection with the organization and development of the Railwaymen's Relief Association, of which he is the
president and the headquarters of which are maintained in the city
of Muskegon. Mr. Murray was born in Middlesex county, province of Ontario, Canada, April 21, 1865, and is a son of George
and Margaret (McLean) Murray, the former of whom was born
at Pecto, Nova Scotia, August 2, 1835, and the latter in Ottawa,
Canada, October 31, 1843, their marriage having been solemnized
September 22, 1859. The parents, both of sterling Scotch lineage,
resided in St. Clair county until the death of the father in 1899, and
the mother still lives there. George R. Murray was a lad of nine




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


years when he accompanied his parents on their removal to Michigan, when the family home was established on a farm in Lynn township, St. Clair county, where he was reared to adult age and received the advantages of the public schools of the period. At the
age of eighteen years Mr. Murray initiated his association with
railroad service, and he was in turn clerk, brakeman, conductor
and yardmaster. In 1905, in the service of the Pere Marquette
railroad, Mr. Murray established his residence in Muskegon and
in the same year he here effected the organization of the Railwaymen's Relief Association of America, of which he has continued
the president and under his vigorous and resourceful administration the association has been developed into one of the most substantial and important organizations of its kind in the United
States, its functions including insurance of indemnity for sickness, accident and funeral benefit, as well as general life insurance. The association is incorporated under the laws of Michigan,
and the business has been extended in various states of the Union
and also into Canada. The association is under careful and efficient management, its assets are ample, and its service is benignant
and helpful in the fullest measure. Through this and other
mediums Mr. Murray has shown his capacity for leadership and
also his deep human sympathy. Genial, buoyant and optimistic,
he has worked earnestly for the relief and the happiness of his
fellowmen, and it is a matter of supreme satisfaction to him to
find that the association of which he is the president has proved
a medium for service and helpfulness. The slogan of the Railwaymen's Relief Association is of the most significant fraternal order
-"Hello, George,"-and was adopted as a tribute to its president,
whose personal name is thus used. Mr. Murray, as may well be
inferred, is loyal and progressive in his civic attitude, and of him
it may consistently be said that his circle of friends is limited only
by that of his acquaintances. The marriage of Mr. Murray to Miss
Hattie E. DeGroat was solemnized April 27, 1897. Mrs. Murray
was born in the province of Ontario, Canada, August 24, 1870, and
in that same year her parents established their home in Lynn township, St. Clair county, Michigan, where she was reared and educated, as was also her husband. Mrs. Murray is a daughter of
James R. and Catherine (Wiley) DeGroat, the former of whom
was born at Syracuse, New York, September 9, 1841, and the latter
of whom was born at New Salem, Ontario, Canada, December 2,
1841, and who died in 1921, their marriage having occurred May 2,
1868. The father makes his home with Mr. and Mrs. Murray.
The Muskegon Monument Company is to be designated as one
of the oldest and most important concerns engaged in the cemetery-monument business in Muskegon county, and the high-grade
service that it has given is indicated in the many fine monuments
to be credited to it in various cemeteries of this part of the state,
as well as in the substantial and representative status of the business today. The interested principles in this company are George




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


237


F. Beamer and Frederick William Bauer. George F. Beamer was
born at Lafayette, Indiana, June 15, 1869. The business now conducted under the title of the Muskegon Monument Company was
founded in 1886 by Luther Read, and in 1889 George F. Beamer
was admitted to partnership. Messrs. Read and Beamer continued
the enterprise until 1901 when Frederick William Bauer purchased
the former's interest, and the business has since been successfully
carried on by Mr. Beamer and Mr. Bauer, both of whom are known
as reliable and progressive business men in the city of Muskegon.
Mr. Beamer has been a resident of Muskegon during a period of
virtually forty years and here his record has been one of large and
worthy achievement in his chosen sphere of business enterprise.
His political alignment is in the ranks of the Republican party
and he is affiliated with Muskegon Lodge, No. 274, B. P. 0. E.
June 15, 1889, Mr. Beamer was united in marriage to Miss Belle
Stauffer, of Muskegon, and concerning their children the following brief data is available: Lillian is the wife of Carl Olson, of
Muskegon, and they have two children, Robert and Carl. Iris
first married Frederick Anderson and the one child of this union
is a son, George. Mrs. Anderson eventually found it necessary
to obtain a legal separation from her first husband, and she is now
the wife of Charles Caywood, who is a civil engineer by profession and who as such is now associated with the Continental Motors Corporation of Muskegon. Edith, the next younger daughter, is now a resident of Los Angeles, California. Edward married
Miss May Miller, of Muskegon, and they maintain their home in
this city. Frank is employed by the Muskegon Monument Company. Philip, Lottie Maude and Helen Evelyn remain at the
parental home and are still attending school. Frederick William
Bauer, the older of the principals of the Muskegon Monument
Company, was born in Stuttgart, Germany, March 16, 1862, and
in his native land he received his early education. He came to
Muskegon in 1882, as a young man of twenty years, and for ten
years he was employed in the grading of lumber at the great sawmills of this city. He next gave two years to contract operations
in road construction, and during an equal period he was engaged
in the cement business. For five years he was the efficient and
popular superintendent of Evergreen and Oakwood cemeteries and
he then, in 1901, purchased Mr. Read's interest in the business with
which he has since been associated, that of the Muskegon Monument Company. He is affiliated with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the United Commercial Travelers, is a
Republican in politics and he holds to the religious faith in which
he was reared, that of the Evangelical Lutheran church. December 10, 1885, Mr. Bauer wedded Miss Augusta Walz, who likewise
was born in Germany, and of this union have been born twelve
children, including three pairs of twins, the twins having all died in infancy. The surviving children are Helen, Frederick W., Gertrude,




238


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


Henry, Margaret and Arthur. Frederick W. married Miss Evelyn
Byrne, of Detroit, and they have one child, Douglas Robert.
Alex Myer has been actively associated with business interests in the city of Muskegon since the year 1911, when he here purchased an interest in the Square Clothing Company. In 1913 he acquired the controlling interest in the business, and as chief executive
he has followed careful and well-ordered policies that have caused the
business to show a steady and substantial growth, the concern having
rank among the leading retail mercantile organizations in the progressive city that is the metropolis and judicial center of Muskegon county.
The headquarters of the Square Clothing Company was maintained at
73-75 Western avenue until 1922, when removal was made to the present finely appointed and well-stocked store in the modern building that
is the Elks' Temple, on West Western avenue. Mr. Myer is a loyal
and progressive citizen and representative business man of Muskegon,
is a member of the board of directors of the Muskegon Chamber of
Commerce, has membership in the Kiwanis and the Century Clubs,
and is affiliated with the Scottish Rite Masonic fraternity, as well as
the Mystic Shrine, and is also a popular member of Muskegon Lodge
of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
Clarence James Myler, a skilled and successful exponent of the
benignant chiropractic system for the alleviation of human suffering,
is established in the practice of his profession in the city of Muskegon,
where he has maintained his home since the year 1922. Doctor Myler
was born at Mishawaka, Indiana, December 13, 1892, and is a son of
John Scott and Sarah (Snyder) Myler, both of whom were born in
the year 1861-the former at Buchanan, Michigan, and the latter at
Mishawaka, Indiana. John S. Myler profited by the curriculum of
the public schools of his native place, including the high school, and
thereafter took commercial and musical courses in what is now Valparaiso University, at Valparaiso, Indiana. He became a teacher in the
South Bend (Indiana) Business College, and later was similarly engaged in the city of Atlanta, Georgia. He finally returned to Mishawaka, where he held the position of office manager for the Roper
Furniture Company until his death, in 1894, his widow being still a
resident of Mishawaka, and the other two children being Marguerite
and Mary. John S. Myler was a staunch advocate of the principles
of the Republican party and was an earnest member of the Baptist
church, as is also his widow. Clarence J. Myler was graduated in the
Mishawaka high school as a member of the class of 1911, and in the
meanwhile he had gained practical experience in newspaper work.
Upon leaving school he established a weekly paper in his native city,
and after conducting the same three years he sold the plant and business. Thereafter he continued his association with newspaper work,
at different places and for varying intervals, until there came to him a
higher duty, when the nation entered the World war. In December,
1917, he volunteered and enlisted for service in the aviation corps of
the United States Army, and his service was principally at Kelly Field
in Texas and at Omaha, Nebraska, in which latter city he was stationed




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


239


at the time- the armistice brought the war to 'a close.  After
receiving his honorable discharge Doctor Myler became superintendent
of the largest general printing plant in the middle west, that of the
M. F. Shafer Company, of Omaha, and his service in this capacity
was continued until he initiated his preparation for his present profession. In 1920 he entered the Palmer School of Chiropractic, in the
city of Davenport, and in this institution he was graduated in 1922.
In the same year he came to Muskegon, where he has built up a substantial and representative practice. He is treasurer of the Michigan
Chiropractic Association, secretary and treasurer of the Muskegon
County Chiropractic Association, and his high standing in his profession is further shown in his being editor of the Michigan Chiropractic
Magazine. The Doctor is a staunch Republican, he and his wife hold
membership in the Baptist church, he is secretary of the Muskegon
Heights Board of Trade, and is affiliated with the American Legion,
the Association of Disabled Veterans, the Masonic fraternity, the Elks,
the Odd Fellows, and the Knights of Pythias. April 17, 1912, Doctor
Myler wedded Miss Naomi E. Williams, of Moline, Illinois, and they
are popular figures in the representative social activities of their home
community. They have no children.
Harry S. Nelson is one of the progressive representatives of
the real estate business in his native city of Muskegon, where he was
born January 21, 1884. His parents, Charles A. and Olga Nelson,
were born in Sweden, each in the year 1850, where they were
reared and educated and where their marriage was solemnized. The
parents came to the United States in 1879, and after remaining for a
time in Pennsylvania they came to Muskegon, Michigan, in 1880.
Charles A. Nelson found employment here in sawmills and roller mills,
and here he remained until his death, in 1913, his widow being now a
resident of Bluffton, a suburb of Muskegon, where they made settlement at the time of their coming to this county. Mrs. Nelson is a
devout communicant of the Swedish Lutheran church, as was also
her husband, who is survived by five children, all sons-Nels E., Enar
A., Harry S., Ralph H. and Thorwald C. Harry S. Nelson attended
the Muskegon public schools until he was fourteen years of age, and
thereafter he was employed here two years in a drug store. He was
next employed one year in the local factory of the Hackley Piano Company, and he was employed in local rolling mills and steel mills, with
the latter of which he was connected until they were removed to Fort
Wayne, Indiana, in 1899. He next served four years as a collector
and meter-reader for the Muskegon Light & Traction Company, and
he was then promoted to the position of stockkeeper, which he retained
three years. He thereafter won advancement in turn to the positions
of purchasing agent and claim agent for the company, and of the
latter position he is still the valued incumbent, besides which he has
given effective service in the sales departmentt of the company's business. On the 1st of May, 1920, Mr. Nelson became associated with
D. J. Farrell in the real estate business, under the title of the FarrellNelson company and with offices in the Flatiron building. The part



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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


nership was dissolved January 1, 1923, and Mr. Nelson has since continued in the real estate business in an independent way, his well-appointed offices being in the Lumberman's National Bank building, and
his business being one of substantial and important order. He is president of the Muskegon County Real Estate Board, is a Republican in
politics, and is loyal and progressive in his civic attitude. Mr. Nelson
inherits a Viking love of the sea and finds his chief recreation through
boating, a sport for which Muskegon has unrivaled facilities and attractions. He was the organizer of a local yacht club in 1911, and is
a connoisseur in the operation of sailing craft. In 1912 Mr. Nelson
wedded Miss Josephine Jensen, and they have one child, Marva. They
attend the Congregational church, and Mr. Nelson is affiliated with
Scottish Rite bodies of the Masonic fraternity, as well as the Mystic
Shrine, besides having membership in the Loyal Order of Moose and
the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
L. T. Nicholson is senior member of the firm of Nicholson &
Cooper, which had built up in the city of Muskegon a prosperous business in the handling of plumbing and heating supplies and in contract
installation work along this line. Mr. Nicholson was born at Big
Rapids, Mecosta county, Michigan, April 11, 1880, and is a son of
Henry and Anna Nicholson, the former of whom was born in Ontario,
Canada, in 1846, and the latter at Lowell, Michigan, in 1854. Henry
Nicholson was a young man when he came to Michigan, and in Muskegon he was for a term of years a foreman for the Thayer Lumber
Company, he having been one of the well-known and highly respected
citizens of Muskegon at the time of his death and having been a
communicant of the Catholic church. His wife likewise died in this
city. L. T. Nicholson attended the Muskegon public schools until he
was sixteen years of age, and thereafter he was employed for one
year as a woodworker at the factory of the Stafford Seat Company. He
then indulged somewhat his wanderlust, and traveled about in Michigan
and other states, with employment of various kinds. In 1899 he returned to Muskegon, where he became a plumber's helper in the establishment of the J. J. Howden Company, where he served a thorough
apprenticeship to the plumber's trade. HIe was next employed by
Hunter Brothers, another well-known plumbing concern in Muskegon,
and in 1920, he became associated with Frederick Cooper in purchasing
the business of the Old Reliable Plumbing Company, at 513 West
Western avenue. There they continued the business until May, 1924,
when they removed to their present larger and better equipped quarters,
at 983 Pine street. Their business is one of prosperous order and the
members of the firm are known as reliable and progressive business
men. Mr. Nicholson has had no desire to enter the arena of practical
politics, but is a staunch supporter of the cause of the Democratic
party. In 1905 was solemnized his marriage to Miss Elsie Stone, and
they have three children, Evelyn, Vivian and James.
Alfred Nielsen is president of the Mona Lake Ice & Fuel Company, which gives to the city of Muskegon an effective service that




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


241


marks it as representing a virtual public utility. He was born in Muskegon on the 25th day of August, 1833, the fourth in order of birth
in a family of nine children, of whom the other surviving members
are: Hans C., George, Martin, Dorothy, Ora and Ellen. Mr. Nielsen
is a son of Niels and Katherine Nielsen, both natives of Denmark,
where the former was born in 1857 and the latter in 1855. Niels Nielsen was educated in the schools of his native land and was there associated with farm enterprise until 1879, when he came to the United
States and settled at North Muskegon, where he eventually found
employment in the sawmills, his connection with lumbering operations
having continued until 1899, when he turned his attention to farm
enterprise. After the death of his wife, in 1908, he sold his farm
and purchased a general store and a feedmill, at Dalton. The store
and mill were destroyed by fire in 1914 and he is now living retired
at Muskegon Heights. He is a staunch Republican, is affiliated with
the Danish Brotherhood, and is a communicant of the Danish Lutheran
church, as was also his wife. Alfred Nielsen attended the public schools
until he was thirteen years old, and thereafter he was actively associated
with the work of the home farm until he attained the age of eighteen
years, when he found employment in the lumber industry. He finally
made his way to California, and there, in 1905, he enlisted in the
United States Marine Corps, his service with which was in turn in
the Philippine Islands, Annapolis, Maryland, and Norfolk, Virginia.
He received his honorable discharge in 1909, and thereafter was active
in the work and management of the old home farm in Muskegon
county until 1913, since which year he has been engaged in the ice
and fuel business, he being president and manager of the Mona Lake
Ice and Fuel Company, with headquarters at Muskegon Heights. He
is a loyal supporter of the cause of the Republican party, is an
earnest communicant of the Danish Lutheran church, and he is affiliated with the Danish Brotherhood of America and with the Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks. In 1912 was solemnized his marriage
to Miss Mabel Johnson, who died as a victim of the influenza epidemic
of 1918, and who is survived by no children. In 1921 Mr. Nielsen
wedded Miss Florence E. Murphy, and she is the popular arbiter of
the social and domestic affairs of their pleasant home. Mr. Nielsen has
depended entirely upon his own resources in making his way forward
to the goal of success, and is one of the substantial and progressive
business men of his native county.
Orrin B. Nobles became associated with the marketing of the
celebrated Buick automobiles in the early period of their manufacture,
and he has made a record of splendid success in the automobile business,
even as his executive ability had previously made him a success in other
lines of endeavor. He is now one of the representative dealers of automobiles in the city of Muskegon, where he is owner of the Nobles-Buick
Company, distributors of Buick cars. On a farm two miles north of
Coopersville, Ottawa county, Orrin B. Nobles was born October 7,
1880. He is a son of the late Charles B. and Jennie Nobles, whose
other four children are Clinton L., Herbert, Mrs. Edith Bignell and




M24


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


Mrs. Ella Brownell. The subject of this sketch found his boyhood
and youth compassed by the influences of the home farm, and in ti
meanwhile he profited by the advantages of the district school. He
continued the association with the work of his father's farm until he
had attained the age of nineteen years. For three years he was a motorman on the interurban lines centering in Muskegon. During this time
he was one of three men sent to Scranton, Pennsylvania, as instructors
to new men on the Lackawanna and Wyoming electric railway. Returning from there he went to Evansville, Indiana, and for two years
was dispatcher for the Evansville and Princeton traction lines. Returning to Muskegon he became shipping clerk for the Leonard Crockery Company, holding this position for four years. For two years
thereafter he was identified with the livery business, conducting the
old Palace Livery in the city of Grand Rapids. When the Buick automobile was placed on the market Mr. Nobles became sales manager
for the Barkwell-Buick Sales Company of Grand Rapids, a position
he held for seven years, and had the credit for being responsible for
more sales than any other man in western Michigan. Since 1919 he has
controlled the sale of Buick cars in the Muskegon territory, the NoblesBuick company here having developed a large and prosperous business,
for the accommodation of which it erected, in 1924, at 496-900 West
Western avenue its fine modern building. Mr. Nobles is a director of
the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce, has served as president of the
Muskegon   Automobile Dealers' Association, and is a member of the
Muskegon State Automobile Dealers' Association. He is a Republican
in political alliance, he attends the Methodist church, is affiliated with
the Masonic fraternity, including the Shrine, and with Grand Rapids
Lodge No. 48, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. July 11,
1906, marked the marriage of Mr. Nobles and Miss Bertha Westfall,
daughter of Ebert Westfall, who now resides at Caro, Michigan. Mr.
and Mrs. Nobles have two children, Mary Jean and Robert Westfall.
The parents of Mr. Nobles came from Genesee county, New York,
and his father became one of the substantial and highly esteemed citizens of Ottawa county, besides which he had the distinction of having
been a valiant soldier of the Union Army in the Civil wat. He was
seventy-five years of age at the time of his death, while his wife passed
away at the age of thirty-eight.
John C. Nolen, D. D. S., has been engaged in the practice of
dentistry thirty-two years and has maintained his home and professional headquarters in Muskegon since 1893. Here he has long
controlled a large and representative practice and in Muskegon
county his is a position of recognized priority in the professin
of which he is an able and honored representative. Dr. Nolen was
born at Clearfield, Pennsylvania, December 16, 1867, and is a son
of Martin and Caroline (Donnelly) Nolen, the former of whom
was born in Dublin, Ireland, and the latter at Fiske, Pennsylvania.
Martin Nolen was a youth of sixteen years when he came to the
United States and he passed the remainder of his life in Pennsylvania where the greater part of his active career was marked by




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


243


association with the lumber industry.  He passed the closing
period of his life at Clearfield, that state, where he died July 3,
1908, and where his widow maintained her home until her death
in 1909. They became the parents of nine children, James A.,
John C., Peter, Daniel, Isabella, Elizabeth, Katherine, Mary and
Anna. Martin Nolen was a Republican in politics and was a zealous communicant of the Catholic church, as is also his widow.
Dr. John C. Nolen was graduated in the high school at Clearfield,
Pennsylvania, in 1885, and thereafter he took a two-years' course
in Pennsylvania State College. In 1890 he was graduated in the
dental department of the University of Pennsylvania, and after
thus receiving his degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery he completed
a two-years' course in famous old Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, in which he was graduated as a member of the class of
1892 and from which he received the degree of Doctor of Medicine.
His initial service in the practice of dentistry was in the office of
Dr. Hamilton, of Richmond, Indiana, from which place he came to
Muskegon in 1893. Here he maintained his office in the Landreth
building until May, 1923, when he retired from active practice.
The importunities of his many old clients were not to be resisted,
and the result was that his retirement had a duration of only one
year. In May, 1924, the Doctor resumed active practice, and he
now has his office in the Union National Bank building, with the
best of modern equipment in both operative and laboratory departments. He has membership in the National Dental Association
and the Michigan State Dental Society and is one of the veteran
and influential members of the Muskegon County Dental Society.
The doctor has well defined political convictions and these place
him in the ranks of the Republican party. In the Masonic fraternity he is affiliated with the four York Rite bodies in Muskegon.
In the year 1895 was solemnized the marriage of Dr. Nolen to
Miss Hermine Kreuter, daughter of Rev. Albert Kreuter, who was
at that time pastor of the German Lutheran church in Muskegon.
Dr. and Mrs. Nolen became the parents of seven children, the
names and respective birth years of whom are here noted: Martin, 1897; Albert, 1899; Herman, 1901; James, 1903; John, 1905;
Hermine, 1911, and Helen, 1915. All of the children are living except Albert, who died at the age of one year. The civic and professional stewardship of Dr. Nolen has been distinguished by loyalty and progressiveness, and he is one of the leading dentists and
well known popular citizens of Muskegon county.
Benjamin S. Noreen brings to bear the technical skill and the
correct business methods that insure, success and reputation in the
contracting and building business, and of this important line of
constructive enterprise he is a leading representative at North Muskegon. His operations have included also the development of subdivision and in their upbuilding he has made distinct contribution
to the progress of Muskegon county and its judicial center. As a
reliable and enterprising contractor and builder he has erected




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


many high-grade houses in this county. Mr. Noreen was born
in Sweden, January 4, 1887, and in his native land he not only received his youthful education but also served a thorough apprenticeship to the trade of carpenter. He was an ambitious young man
of seventeen years when he severed the home ties and came to the
United States in 1904. He followed his trade in the city of Chicago, where he gained varied and valuable experience and there he
continued his activities until 1915, besides having attended night
school during the first three years of his sojourn in the western
metropolis. From 1915 to 1919 he was engaged in the contracting
and building enterprise at Grand Haven, Michigan, and he then came
to Muskegon, where he maintained his home and did effective service as a contractor until 1921, when he transferred his residence to
North Muskegon, this place having since continued the central
stage of his contracting business. In July, 1925, he entered the
real estate business with the M. E. Reordan Realty Company, in
which he is engaged at present. This concern is doing subdivision
work and is the exclusive developer of Interlaken. He is a loyal
and appreciative citizen of the land of his adoption, is a Republican in politics, and he and his wife hold membership in the Swedish
Lutheran church. In 1913 Mr. Noreen was united in marriage to
Miss Anna Celing, of Chicago, and they have two children, Anna
May, born May 9, 1917, and Allen, born May 29, 1916.
Charles O'Brien is one of the representative citizens and business men in the village of Montague, where he was, until sold out
in July, 1925, secretary and part owner of the Montague Castings
Company, one of the well-ordered industrial concerns of Muskegon
county. Mr. O'Brien was born in La-Porte county, Indiana, in
April, 1862, and is a son of Charles and Lucy O'Brien, who gained
a measure of pioneer priority in that section of the Hoosier state.
The other surviving children are: Mrs. J. H. Hester, of Muskegon;
Mrs. R. B. Flowers, of St. Louis, Michigan; and Mrs. Charles
Habel, of Muskegon. The youthful education of Mr. O'Brien was
acquired in the schools of his native county, and he early initiated
a practical apprenticeship in connection with the foundry business.
He has been long and actively identified with this line of industrial enterprise and has been associated with various foundries,
he having held for several years the office of secretary of the
Eagle Foundry Company in the city of Muskegon. He is a Democrat in politics, he holds membership in the Christian Science
church, and in the Masonic fraternity he has received the thirtysecond degree of the Scottish Rite. The maiden name of his wife
was Anna Jane McCray and to them have been born three children:
Mrs. Pearl Young (deceased), Mrs. Lucy Crawford, of Muskegon,
and James R., who is engaged in the automobile accessories and
filling station business at Montague.
Constantine L. A. Oden, M. S., M. D., has been the closest of
students of medical and surgical science, has kept in touch with




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


245


modern advancement therein and has made valuable contributions
to the periodical and standard literature, and thus to the practical
service of his profession. Muskegon is favored in having gained
the stewardship of this skilled physician and surgeon, who has
been established here in practice since the opening of the year
1923. Dr. Oden was born at Alta, Iowa, November 10, 1892, and
is a son of Rev. Martin P. Oden, D. D., and Emma (Carlberg)
Oden, both natives of Sweden, where the former was born in 1852
and the latter in 1860, she having been eight years of age at the
time of the family removal to the United States and having been
reared and education in the state of Illinois. In his native land
Martin P. Oden, D. D., received the best of educational advantages,
and he has given long and valued service as a clergyman and
bishop of the Lutheran church and as an educator. He came to the
United States in 1872 and after living for some time in New York
City he established his residence at Rock Island, Illinois, where
he was an instructor in a seminary until 1875. He was later pastor
of the Samuel Luth church in Muskegon, Michigan, and his subsequent ministerial service included pastorates at Ottumwa and
Alta, Iowa. Since 1920 he and his wife having maintained their
home at Ludington, Michigan, where he died in August, 1921. Of
the other children of the family it is to be noted that Rev. Joshua
Oden, D. D., is a clergyman of the Lutheran church and resides
in Chicago; that Rudolph Oden, A. B., F.A. C. S., M. D., is engaged in the practice of surgery in that city; and that Miss Naomi
is there a member of the faculty of the Bush Temple Conservatory
of Music. After receiving the discipline of the public schools Dr.
Constantine L. A. Oden entered the Lutheran College at Wahoo,
Nebraska, in which institution he was graduated as a member of
the class of 1914. Thereafter he completed a pre-medical course in
the University of Wisconsin, from which he received, in 1918, the
degree of Bachelor of Science. From the University of New York
he received, in 1920, the degree of Master of Science and in the
medical department of the same institution he was graduated in
the same year with the degree of Doctor of Medicine, he having
served in his junior and senior years as an instructor in physiology
and pathology in the medical school. He gained valuable clinical
experience in his service of eighteen months as an interne in the
great Bellevue Hospital in New York City, and in his later service of one year as assistant to Dr. A. J. Oschner and Dr. N. M.
Percy, of Augustana Hospital in the city of Chicago. While an
interne at Bellevue Hospital he invented new devices for medical
and surgical use and contributed to a leading medical publication
an article on medical science. His monograph entitled "A Practical
Bandage for the Thorax" was published in Volume 76 of the
Journal of the American Medical Association (1921), and in April,
1923, was published by the Surgical Publishing Company of Chico
his article entitled "The Treatment of Postoperative Nausea, Vomiting and Distention in Certain Abdominal Sections by the Use of a




240


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


Modified Duodenal Tube." The Doctor continued his careful
studies and researches and has made other contributions to the
literature of his profession, the while his success in active practice
has been on a parity with his exceptional skill and earnest stewardship. He has been engaged in practice in Muskegon since January
1, 1923, is here a member of the staffs of both Mercy Hospital and
the Hackley Memorial Hospital, and at both he is an instructor in
the training school for nurses. While associated with the distinguished Dr. Oschner, of Chicago, he was by the latter sent to
the Mayo Brothers' clinic at Rochester, Minnesota, for a special
post-graduate course in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases
of the bladder. The Doctor is a member of the Muskegon County
Medical Society, the Michigan State Medical Society and the American Medical Association, is affiliated with the Nu Sigma Nu fraternity at the University of New York, besides being there an honorary member of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity. When the nation
entered the World war Doctor Oden promptly volunteered, in
1917, for service in the medical department, and was given assignment to the Great Lakes Naval Station, near Chicago. Thence he
was transferred to service on the transport Mercury, and he received his honorable discharge in February, 1919. Doctor Oden
proclaims his political tenets by his loyal allegiance to the Republican party, and he is a communicant of the Swedish Lutheran
church, in the faith of which he was reared. The Doctor's name
still remains on the roster of eligible young bachelors. A postgraduate course in surgery, was taken by him in Europe, 1925 (six
and one-half months), where the Doctor came in intimate contact
with the world's greatest surgeons and from whose instruction
he gained valuable knowledge. Among the surgeons with whom
he associated and received instruction from are, Professor Dr. Einor
Key; Stockholm, Sweden; Professor Dr. Thorkild Rovsing, Copenhagen, Denmark; Professor Dr. Herman Kummel, Hamburg, Germany; Professor Dr. Von Schmieden, Frankfort, Germany; Professor Dr. Clairmont, Zurick, Switzerland; Professor Dr. Hotz,
Basel, Switzerland; Professor Dr. F. de Quervain, Berne, Switzerland. This was made possible by letters of introduction from Dr.
A.J. Oschner, of Chicago, and Professor Key, of Stockholm.
Charles A. Ohrenberger now holds rank as a veteran and representative business man of Montague, the village in which he was reared
and educated, his birth having occurred there October 27, 1867, and
he having there continued his studies in the public schools until he was
seventeen years of age. He and his sister Annie are now the only
survivors of a family of eight children, the names of. those deceased
being here recorded: James, John, Frank, William, Emma, and Minnie. Mr. Ohrenberger is a son of Joseph and Minnie Ohrenberger, both
natives of Germany, the father having been a communicant of the Catholic church and the mother of the German Lutheran church. Joseph
Ohrenberger came to the United States in 1863, and within a short
time thereafter his marriage was solemnized in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


247


In 1864 he and his young wife came to Muskegon county, Michigan,
and became pioneer settlers at Montague, where he found employment
as head sawyer in the Frank White sawmill. Later he was employed
at the Covell mill, and in 1880 he engaged in the retail liquor business
at Montague, his place of business having been that in which his son,
Charles A., now conducts a well-equipped meat market. Here he continued in business until his death, in 1890, his widow having survived
him by a number of years. Joseph Ohrenberger was a substantial and
respected citizen, and won prosperity through his own industry, he
having become the owner of a good farm property in Muskegon county
and having been one of the sterling pioneer citizens of this county at
the time of his death. His political faith was that of the Democratic
party. At the age of seventeen years Charles A. Ohrenberger became
associated with the management of his father's farm, where he remained
until 1888, when he took a position in his father's saloon, he having
assumed control of the business upon the death of his father and having
continued the same until the national prohibition law caused its closing,
in 1918. In 1888 Mr. Ohrenberger had purchased a stock of groceries,
and of this store on the corner of M. 11 and M. 99, Mr. Langford was
given the management until 1908, since which year his only son, William J., has had the active management, the enterprise being now one
of general mercantile order, including a hardware department.  Mr.
Ohrenberger has the active management of the meat market which he
here established upon his retirement from the liquor business, in 1918.
He is a stockholder in the Farmers' State Bank of Montague, is the
owner of valuable lake resort property in Muskegon county, owns a
skating rink at Montague, and is one of the substantial and influential
citizens of the community that has ever represented his home. He is
chairman of the Democratic committee of Montague township, has
been for the past thirty-five years a member of the volunteer fire department of his native village, and has served a quarter of a century
as chief of the fire department, which now has modern equipment,
including a Reo motor fire truck. He has given eighteen years of
service as a member of the township board of review, and was a member of the village council four years. He and his wife hold membership
in the Catholic church, and he is affiliated with the Catholic Order of
Foresters and with the Loyal Order of Moose. In January, 1889,
Mr. Ohrenberger wedded Miss Barbara Civerline, of Montague, and
they have two children: Mabel, born February 24, 1890, and William
J., born October 11, 1893.
Raymond Gilbert Olson, M.D., has given that excellent professional stewardship that has gained to him secure vantage-ground as one
of the representative physicians and surgeons of his native county, and
he is established in successful practice in the city of Muskegon Heights,
which has been the stage of his professional activities during a period
of nearly a quarter of a century. Doctor Olson was born in Muskegon
June 24, 1871, and is a son of Ole and Julia Olson, both natives of
Norway, where the former was born in 1834 and the latter in 1836.
Upon coming to the United States Ole Olson first settled at Water



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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


town, Wisconsin. He later found employment on vessels plying the
Great Lakes, and shortly before the outbreak of the Civil war he
established the family home in Muskegon. Here he became actively
associated with the lumber industry and was long employed as a scaler
and inspector in connection with sawmill operation. He was one of
the venerable and honored citizens of Muskegon at the time of his
death, in 1906, and his wife passed away in 1901 at the age of sixty-five
years, both having been devout communicants of the Norwegian Lutheran church that is now designated as the First Lutheran church of
Muskegon. Of the eleven children three died in infancy, and the son
Otto died in 1921, while Mrs. Joseph Stewart and Mrs. Ole Johnson
likewise died after attaining mature age. Those now living are Ida,
Clara, Sophia, Hannah, and Dr. Raymond G. Doctor Olson completed,
in 1888, his studies in the Muskegon high school, and during the ensuing three years he here held a position in the Lumberman's National
Bank. In 1892 he went to Chicago and entered the employ of the
McCormick Harvester Works. In this connection he served as timekeeper and later was appointed to first-aid service for those ill or injured
while in the company's employ. He continued his alliance with the
McCormick concern until 1900, and in the meantime he attended
night classes in the Harvard School, to prepare himself for first-aid
service, he having been graduated, in 1900, in Jenner Medical College.
First-aid service had increased to such extent at the McCormick manufacturing plant that before his graduation Doctor Olson was assigned
to regular surgical work at the establishment. The medical school in
which he was graduated in 1900, the Jenner Medical College, had the
indorsement of the Illinois state authorities, he having received therefrom his degree of Doctor of Medicine. His impaired health led Doctor
Olson to resign his position with the McCormick works and to return
to Muskegon. In 1901 he passed the state examination that made him
eligible for practice in Michigan and after a few months of professional
work at Fruitport he removed to Muskegon Heights, which place has
continued the stage of his able and successful professional ministrations
during the years that have since intervened. He is a member of the
Muskegon County Medical Society and the Michigan State Medical
Society, is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, is a member of the local Board of Trade, is a
Republican in politics, and he and his wife are communicants of the
First Lutheran Church of Muskegon. In 1905 Doctor Olson married
Miss Charlotte E. Burk, of Muskegon Heights, and they have two
children, Raymond Gilbert, Jr., and Sarah Isabelle.
Gustave Otto Oslund, president of the firm of G. O. Oslund,
Inc., dealing in general insurance, loans, etc., of Muskegon, was born
in Sundsvall, Sweden, July 19, 1897, and was the seventh in a family
of seven sons, the names of the others being here recorded: Carl,
Bernhard, Adolph, Victor, John and Henning. He is a son of Peter
0. and Anna C. (Bjurstrom) Oslund, born, respectively, in the years
1846 and 1851, and he was a lad of nine years when he accompanied
his parents to the United States, the family home having been estab



HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


249


lished in Musekgon in 1906, and the father having been in the
employ of the Hackley Piano Company until 1912, after which he
lived retired until his death, in 1919, his widow being still a resident
of this city. Mr. Oslund was a substantial and honored citizen of
Muskegon, was a Republican in politics, and was a communicant of the
Baptist church, as is also his widow. The rudimentary education of
Gustave O. Oslund was obtained in the schools of his native land,
and thereafter he attended the Muskegon schools until he had completed the work of the freshman year in the high school. In 1914 he
found employment in the office of the Moline Plow Company, at Moline, Illinois, and one year later he returned to Muskegon and entered
his two years of effective secretarial service in the offices of the Campbell, Wyant and Cannon Foundry Company, here engaged in general
foundry work. In 1917 he went to Detroit, where he held, for thirteen months, a position in the cost department of the Ford Motor Company, a work that he subordinated, with other interests, to the call of
loyalty when the nation entered the World war. In 1918 he enlisted
in the United States Army, and after having been stationed three
months at Washington, D. C., he passed five months as corporal of
the One Hundred and Sixtieth Brigade, in the quartermaster corps,
he having received his honorable discharge in April, 1919, and having
then returned to Muskegon, where he became associated with his
brother Adolph in the insurance business, under the firm name of
Oslund Brothers, the enterprise including also the handling of real
estate. The alliance continued until 1923, when Adolph Oslund assumed control of the real-estate department of the business, and Gustave
O. took the insurance department. In April, 1924, on account of impaired health, Gustave O. Oslund went to Minneapolis, Minnesota,
where he received counsel and treatment from Dr. H. B. Hannah, and
in the meantime had charge of the insurance department of the Staring Corporation, an important concern of that city. In November,
1924, he resumed his insurance business in Muskegon, where he now
conducts a prosperous business as underwriter for the Delaware Insurance Company of New York, the Northwestern Fire and Marine Insurance Company of Minneapolis, the Eagle Fire Company of New
York, the Commerce Insurance Company of Glens Falls, New York,
the American National of Columbus, Ohio, the American Surety of
New York, the Ocean Accident and Guarantee Corporation, Ltd., of
London. His political allegiance is given to the Republican party.
January 31, 1923, was marked by the marriage of Mr. Oslund to Miss
Neva D. Austin, of Muskegon, and their one child, Donna Dolores,
was born February 9, 1924.
William Peck owns and conducts the Franklin House, a modern
and well-equipped hotel of fifty rooms in the village of Montague, and
he is a scion of a sterling family that had a representative in Muskegon county, though for a short period, in the territorial period of
the history of this state. His father, Lynus Peck, was born in the
state of New York, in 1800, and at Oswego, that state, his mother,
whose maiden name was Sarah Ehle, was born in 1804. Lynus Peck




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


came to Michigan Territory in the year 1829, accompanied by his wife
and by his brother and the latter's wife. The two brothers had been
given by their father the sums of $1,000 each in gold, together with
team and wagon, besides presenting to the wives a due equipment for
their households to be established in the wilds of Michigan. The party
arrived in Detroit and thence proceeded to Kalamazoo, which beautiful
city then had about four rude pioneer houses. From Kalamazoo Lynus
Peck and his wife continued their journey to Cassapolis, which was at
that period looked upon as the future capital of Michigan. From that
point he worked his way through the forest wilderness to Grandville,
on the Grand river, where he remained one summer, then returned to
New York. In 1840 he removed to Oxford county, Ontario, Canada,
and there his son William, subject of this review, was born, March 20,
1844. In 1859 Lynus Peck came again to Michigan, and purchased
a farm in Van Buren county. Later he became a pioneer farmer and
lumberman in Newaygo county, and there his death occurred in 1876,
his widow having there remained on the old homestead many years
and having died while on a visit to her daughter in Wisconsin, she
having been venerable in years at the time of her death. The paternal
great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch came from England
within a short time after the arrival of the historic "Mayflower," and
he eventually made settlement in Connecticut. The maternal greatgrandfather came from Holland and settled at New Amsterdam, the
nucleus of the present city of New York. The children of Lynus Peck
were Abraham, William, Matilda and Rosetta. Lynus Peck was a
Democrat in politics and he and his wife held membership in the Presbyterian church. William Peck attended school in Ontario, Canada,
until he was fifteen years of age, and it was at this time that the family
established their home on the farm in Van Buren county, Michigan,
he having been actively associated with its work, its development and
its management. In 1865 he found employment on the Chicago and
West Michigan Railroad, and later he assisted in construction work on
the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad. In the meanwhile he had
gained experience also in connection with Michigan lumbering operations, and in 1880 he here resumed his connection with this line of
enterprise, in Allegan and Van Buren counties. He later removed to
Big Rapids, and was engaged in lumbering in that locality until 1882,
when he established his home at Montague. He continued lumbering
near New Era, Oceana county, until 1886, when he sold his interest in
the business and engaged in the general merchandise business at Montague. There he remained thus engaged until 1901, when he purchased
and remodeled the hotel that he now owns and conducts in this attractive little city, the Franklin House being known for the excellence
of its service and accommodations and having a substantial and representative patronage. In connection with his hotel enterprise Mr. Peck
has also a successful insurance business, as agent for leading fire and
life insurance companies. Mr. Peck has never deviated from the line
of close allegiance to the Democratic party, and he has held various
offices of public trust in Muskegon county. He has been justice of the




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


251


peace for the past forty years, was for a long period township supervisor, served also as township treasurer, was for eighteen years treasurer of school district No. 1 of Montague township, and was a member
and chairman of the county finance committee of the board of supervisors. Hte was appointed postmaster of Montague under the administration of President Cleveland, and continued in office under the administration of President McKinley. He is affiliated with the Masonic
fraternity, the Odd Fellows, and the Knights of Pythias. In 1865
Mr. Peck married Miss Jennie Beattie, of Hartford, Van Buren county,
and she passed to the life eternal in the year 1914. The children of
this union were three in number: William, Jr., born in 1873; Edna,
born in 1877; and Edward L. (deceased), born in 1880. Edward L.
met his death in the disaster of the steamship "Clifton," on Lake Huron,
in the autumn of 1924. In 1919 Mr. Peck contracted a second marriage, when Miss Lucy M. Merchant became his wife. The lineage
and history of the Peck family are of sterling order, and the coat of
arms of the family dates back in England to 1316. The motto of this
coat of arms is "Honesty Rather than Riches," and another inscription
of the heraldric design is, "The Cross of Christ is my Salvation."
Joseph Pelon owns and conducts one of the well equipped meat
markets of his native city of Muskegon, and it is interesting to
record that his establishment, at 1137 South Third street, is in the
same location in which his father initiated business of the same
kind more than half a century ago. Mr. Pelon was born in Muskegon June 16, 1874, and is a son of Jeltie and Grace Pelon, the
former of whom was born in the Netherlands, in 1841, and the
latter at Holland, Michigan, in 1845, a representative of one of the
sterling Holland Dutch families that settled in that community in
the pioneer period of Michigan history. Jeltie Pelon was reared
and educated in his native land, and upon coming to the United
States, in 1871, he first settled at Spring Lake, Ottawa county,
Michigan, where he was employed in turn at railroad work and in
a sawmill. In 1872 he came to Muskegon and opened a meat market on South Third street, where he continued his activities until
1905, when he sold the business to his two sons. He and his wife
are now deceased, and both were earnest members of the First
Reformed Church in Muskegon, while in politics he was a Republican. Of the children the son John is deceased, and the subject
of this review is the one surviving son, the daughters being Sarah,
Rika (deceased), Grace, Emma (deceased), and Delia. Joseph
Pelon was fifteen years old when he completed his studies in the
public schools and began to assist in the work of his father's meat
market. In 1905 he and his brother purchased the business, in
the conducting of which they were associated until the death of
the brother, in 1913, since which year the subject of this sketch has
been the sole owner of the old established market, which has long
controlled a substantial and representative trade and which figures
as one of the pioneer markets of the city. Mr. Pelon is loyal in
all civic relations, is a Republican in politics, and he and his wife




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


hold membership in the Spring Street First Reformed Church. In
1905 Mr. Pelon married Miss Anna Balkema, of Muskegon, and
they have five children: Grace, Evelyn, Helen, John and Betty.
Jacob Peterman has been a resident of Muskegon since his boyhood and here has gained through his own ability and well directed
efforts a secure standing as a substantial and representative business man. He owns and conducts one of the leading retail furniture stores of the city, the Pine Street Furniture Company, and
no citizen commands a greater measure of popular confidence and
esteem in the community. Mr. Peterman was born in Netherlands,
January 27, 1875, and is a son of Nicholas and Yesina Peterman,
who came to this country in 1877 and established their home in
Muskegon, where they passed the remainder of their earnest and
useful lives, the father having been employed about the mills for
many years and having been well known in connection with lumbering  operations  that long  constituted  the  chief industry of Muskegon. He was an active member of the Holland Aid
Society of this city, and was a Republican in politics and he and
his wife were devout members of the First Christian Reformed
Church. The death of the father occurred in 1907, he having been
born in the year 1849, and his widow died in 1923 at a venerable
age. All of their children still reside in Muskegon: Louis, Jacob,
Martin, Nicholas, Derk, Hilda and Grace. Jacob Peterman attended the public schools of Muskegon until he was thirteen years
of age, when he began to contribute his share to the support of
the family. He became an errand boy for a local meat market
and about a year later found employment in the cigar store in which
he continued his services until he was twenty years of age. He
then obtained a clerical position in the furniture store of N. G.
Vanderlinde, where he so diligently applied himself as to gain full
knowledge of the various details of the business. He was next
employed in a furniture store that was conducted in a small building that stood on the site of his present business. He later became
a partner in this business, the firm being termed the Pine Street
Furniture Company. Sixteen years later he became sole owner
of this enterprise, the same having by honorable management and
effective service constantly expanded in scope, and from time to
time the quarters have been enlarged until it has become a substantial and prosperous business. The establishment is one of
the large, well-stocked and well-patronized furniture stores of
the city, and for a time a branch establishment was conducted at
Muskegon Heights where they erected a building for this purpose.
Four years ago the members of the firm dissolved partnership, Mr.
Peterman retaining the main store in Muskegon and the partner
taking the store at Muskegon Heights. Mr. Peterson is a Republican in politics but has never sought nor desired public office. He
is affiliated with the Knights of Pythias and the Loyal Order of
Moose, and he and his wife are members of the Reformed church




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


253


of Muskegon. In 1909 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Peterman to Miss Winnie Hoffman, and they have six children: Clarence, George, Louis, Frederick, James and Gertrude.
Ole Peterson is one of the representative business men and
public-spirited citizens of Muskegon, where he is vice-president of the
People's Milling Company and a director of the Union National Bank,
and where also he has been engaged since 1899 in the retail grocery
business, with a well-equipped establishment at the corner of Peck and
Irwin streets. Mr. Peterson was born near the fine old city of Frederickstad, Norway, January 26, 1869, and is a son of John and Bertha
(Peterson) Peterson, who became the parents of nine children, two
of whom are deceased. Of the other surviving children it is to be
recorded that Matthews is still residing in Norway; Mrs. Karen Anderson resides in the state of California; and Mrs. Annette I-Iornice, Mrs.
Olena Anderson, Mrs. Maren Karum and Mrs. Pauline Larsen all
reside in Muskegon, where the family home was established in the
year 1883 and where the parents passed the remainder of their long,
useful and earnest lives, each having attained to the venerable age of
ninety-four years and both having been devout communicants of the
Lutheran church. Ole Peterson received his early education in the
schools of his native land and was a lad of fourteen years at the time
the family home was established in Muskegon. Here he forthwith
found employment in a factory, in which he remained three years.
During the ensuing nine years he was a clerical employe in the grocery
store of B. B. Jones, and during the next three years he was a popular
salesman in the grocery establishment of William Chappell. After
these fifteen years of practical experience he engaged independently
in the retail grocery business by opening, in 1899, his present establishment, at the corner of Peck and Irwin streets, where liberal and effective
service to patrons has gained to him a substantial and prosperous business. In 1912 he became one of the principals in the organization and
incorporation of the People's Milling Company, of which he has since
continued the vice-president, besides which he is a member of the
directorate of the Union National Bank. Mr. Peterson takes deep
interest in all that concerns the social, civic and material welfare of
his home city, is an active member of the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce and the local Y. M. C. A., is a director of the Rescue Mission,
one of the benignant organizations of Muskegon, and he is affiliated
with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. His political allegiance is given to the Republican party and he and his wife are zealous
communicants of the First English Lutheran Church in their home city.
In the year 1905 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Peterson to Miss
Katherine Ondesma, daughter of John and Ida Ondesma, of Muskegon
county, the parents being of Holland Dutch lineage. Mr. Ondesma has
long been a successful exponent of farm enterprise in Muskegon county,
where he and his wife have maintained their home many years. Mr.
and Mrs. Peterson have three children, Joseph William, Ida Ruth and
Bertha Nancy.




254


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


Irving W. Plant has been associated with various leading manufacturing concerns in Muskegon, and since 1920 he has here been office
manager and assistant treasurer of the Maring Wire Company. In
the family home near Muskegon, Mr. Plant was born February 22,
1888, a son of Louis D. and Lucy (Flenner) Plant, both representatives
of sterling New England colonial ancestry and both honored citizens of
Muskegon at the time of their death, the father having been here engaged in mercantile business many years. Of the six children four
are living, Clarence C., Mrs. Edward, Plunkett and Irving W. being
still residents of Muskegon, and Mrs. Edward Carver being a resident
of Harlowton, Montana. Irving W. Plant was graduated in the Muskegon high school as a member of the class of 1906, and after leaving
school he was for a short time in the employ of the Morton Manufacturing Company, at Muskegon Heights. HIe was for seven years associated with the Continental Motors Corporation, next passed three years
in the employ of the Shaw Electric Crane Company, and after four
years' connection with the L. O. Gordon Manufacturing Company he
became associated, in 1920, with the Maring Wire Company, of which
he is the office manager and the assistant treasurer. He is a Republican in political proclivities, is a member of the Exchange Club and
Elks Club, and he and his wife hold membership in the Methodist
Episcopal church. June 30, 1909, Mr. Plant wedded Miss Arbutus
Love, daughter of the late Robert Love, of Muskegon, where the widowed mother still maintains her home. Mr. and Mrs. Plant have three
children, Louise L., Robert L. and Norma Jane.
AlbertusB, Poppen, M. D., an able representative of the medical
profession in Muskegon, was born near Holland, Ottawa county, Michigan, July 15, 1880, a son of Albert and Henrietta (Walcotte) Poppen,
both of whom were born and reared in Ottawa county and were representatives of sterling pioneer families of that section of the state. John
Poppen, grandfather of Doctor Poppen, was born in Hanover, Germany, and became a pioneer settler near Zeeland, Michigan, in 1849,
he having passed the remainder of his life in that county and having
contributed his full quota to its development and progress. Doctor
Poppen's maternal grandfather, Albert Walcotte, came from Hanover,
Germany, where he was born. He was sixty-four days on the ocean,
shipwrecked twice in succession, the masts and rigging blown away
and the ship saved by being towed ashore by a passing vessel. He died
at New Era, Michigan, when ninety-one years old. Albert Poppen
was reared and educated in Michigan and after having been interested
in farm enterprise in his native county he was similarly engaged in
western Kansas, from where he went to Sioux county, Iowa, where
he still makes his home. He was one of the strong advocates of the
Populist movement in the west, and was later a loyal advocate of the
Free Silver party, for which the late William J. Bryan stood sponsor.
He was a forceful political speaker and was often called for active
campaign service along this line. The mother of Doctor Poppen died
in 1894. Doctor Poppen attended the public schools until he completed high school and then took a classical course in Northwestern




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


Academy, at Orange City, Iowa. He later pursued a further literary
course at Holland, Michigan, where he attended Hope College, and in
1905 he was graduated from the University of Chicago, from which
he at that time received the degree of Bachelor of Science and from
which he later gained the degree of Master of Science in 1907.  In
1909 he was graduated from Rush Medical College, of Chicago, and
after thus receiving the degree of Doctor of Medicine he was for two
years engaged in practice in Denver, Colorado. The Doctor has been
established at Muskegon since 1913, and has rank as one of the representative physicians and surgeons of Muskegon county. He was president of Muskegon Medical Society in 1924, and in addition to being
a member of the Michigan State Medical Society and the American
Medical Association he has the distinction of being a fellow of the
American College of Surgeons, with which organization he has thus
been identified since 1916. He is head of the gynecological department
of Hackley Hospital, in Muskegon. In politics he casts an independent
ballot and he and his wife are members of Bethany Reformed church
in their home city. January 2, 1909, Doctor Poppen was united in
marriage with Miss Hattie Peerbolte, of Sioux Center, Iowa. and they
have two daughters, Henrietta C. and Catherine H.
Alvin G. Raddatz is treasurer and sales manager for the Lake
Shore Machinery Company, with which representative industrial corporation of Muskegon he became identified in this capacity in November, 1924, and he is also associated with his father in the conducting of a substantial business under the title of the Muskegon
Roofing Company. He was born in the year 1893, at Muskegon, and
is the only son of Albert J. and Helen (Troschke) Raddatz, both natives
of Germany. The father is now one of the prosperous business men
of Muskegon and the mother is deceased, the other two children of
the family being Lillian and Maxine. The public schools of Muskegon
afforded Alvin G. Raddatz his youthful education, and at the age of
sixteen years he here entered the employ of the Shaw Crane Works.
His alliance with business affairs in Muskegon has been amplified by
his thirteen years of association with the Hackley National Bank, in
which he won advancement to the position of first teller. He is one
of the vital and progressive business men of the younger generation in
Muskegon and here has a secure place in popular esteem. In the World
war period he twice attempted to enlist for service in the United States
Army, but on each occasion he was rejected, by reason of minor physical disability. That he finally realized his ambition and entered the
service is indicated by his affiliation with the American Legion. He
has membership also in the Muskegon Lodge of the Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks, is a Republican in politics and he and his
wife are members of the Congregational church. April 17, 1918, was
marked by the marriage of Mr. Raddatz to Miss Charlotte Osborn,
daughter of William O. Osborn, of St. Charles, Minnesota, and the
two children of this union are Robert and Helen.




256


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


Frank W. Rankin, D. D. S., is one of the skilled and popular representatives of his profession in the city of Muskegon, and the efficient service that he gives in his well-equipped office insures a constant
expansion in the scope and importance of his practice. The Doctor
was born at Shelby, Oceana county, Michigan, on the 17th of December, 1898, and is a son of Robert J. and Bessie (Hart) Rankin, the
former of whom was born at Munising, Alger county, this state, and
the latter at Otsego, Allegan county, the respective years of their birth
having been 1874 and 1875, and their marriage having been solemnized
at Hart, the judicial center of Oceana county. Robert J. Rankin conducted a basket factory at Shelby a number of years, and later engaged
in the same line of enterprise at Hart, where he and his wife still
reside and where he is now president of the First National Bank of
Hart. In the year 1917, Dr. Francis WV. Rankin was graduated in
the high school at Hart, and he was a student in the dental department
of the University of Michigan when the nation entered the World war.
In 1918 he enlisted for service in the United States Army, and he was
stationed at the officers' training camp at Waco, Texas, where he was
in service when the armistice brought the war to a close. After receiving his honorable discharge he resumed his studies in the department of dentistry at the University of Michigan, and in the same he
was graduated as a member of the class of 1922. After thus receiving
his degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery, he was for eight months
associated with Dr. L. A. Weston in the practice of his profession
at Port Huron, and he then came to Muskegon and formed a professional alliance with Dr. John C. Nolen. He later purchased the office
and business of Doctor Nolen, and he has since continued in successful
practice, with the best of facilities in both the operative and laboratory
departments of his office and with a supporting patronage of representative order. The Doctor is a Republican in his political alignment,
and he is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and with the Delta
Sigma Delta college fraternity, as a member of the supreme chapter
at the national organization.
Charles H. Redman, a representative exponent of the real estate
and insurance business in the city of Muskegon Heights, is able to
revert to the old Buckeye state as the place of his nativity and as the
commonwealth in which both his paternal and maternal ancestors settled in the pioneer period of its history. His father, Lucian A. Redman,
was born at Mineral Point, Ohio, in 1843, and his mother, whose maiden
name was Rebecca D. Cams, was born at Rockford, that state, in 1837,
her death having occurred in 1895. Lucian A. Redman was reared
and educated in his native county, and his early activities included
farm work and service in an iron-ore mine. He finally learned the
blacksmith trade, and he was serving his apprenticeship in a blacksmith shop at New Cumberland, Ohio, at the time when the Civil
war was precipitated on the nation. He promptly enlisted as a member
of a regiment of Ohio volunteer infantry, and he continued in active
service during the greater part of the war. After the close of his
military career he engaged in the work of his trade at Louisville, Stark




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


257


county, and later he followed his trade in the city of Alliance, that
county, and Mineral Point (now Mineral City), Tuscarawas county.
He is now venerable in years and is living retired, at Akron, Ohio. He
is a Republican in politics and is affiliated with the Grand Army of
the Republic and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Of the
three children Charles H., of this sketch, is the second and the other
two are George A., the eldest, and Midora, aged, respectively, fifty-two
and forty-eight years, in 1925. Charles H. Redman was born at Louisville, Stark county, Ohio, November 24, 1871, and his early education
was acquired principally in the public schools at Mineral City, that
state. After his course in the high school he was employed seven
years in the coal mines of that section of Ohio, besides having given
intervals of service at farm work. At the age of twenty-five years
Mr. Redman went to the city of Chicago, where he devoted about one
year to driving a laundry wagon. He was also a musician in the Seventh
illinois Volunteer Infantry, Spanish-American war. During a subsequent period of four and one-half years he was in the employ of
the Morton Manufacturing Company, of Muskegon Heights, and thereafter he was eight years with the Shaw Electric Crane Works and
two years with the American Fuse Works. While still employed in
a manufacturing establishment in Muskegon Heights, Mr. Redman, in
1907, here opened a real estate and insurance office, and this independent business grew to such proportions as eventually to require his undivided time and attention. He now has one of the well-ordered and
successful real estate and insurance agencies in Muskegon county, and
in 1924 he was elected president of the Muskegon Heights Board of
Trade, he having been one of the organizers of this progressive body
of representative business and professional men. He is a member of
the Muskegon County Real Estate Board, is a Republican in his political
proclivities, and he and his wife and daughter hold membership in the
Covenant Reformed church of Muskegon Heights, in the organization
of which he took an active part. In 1898 Mr. Redman married Miss
Grace Ploughman, of Chicago, and their one child, Miss Grace Rebecca,
remains a member of the home circle.
Elmer Franklin Reed is one of the outstanding figures in
progressive real estate enterprise at Muskegon Heights, was born
in the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana, May 19, 1870, and is a son of
Henry H. and Martha N. (Fohl) Reed, the former of whom was
born in the state of Pennsylvania, in 1838, and the latter of whom
was born in Stark county, Ohio, in 1840. Henry H. Reed finally
invested the savings of his.years devoted to the carpenter trade by
purchasing a farm in Indiana, where he has maintained his home
during a period of forty years. He had been a successful contractor and builder, and he likewise proved a successful exponent
of agricultural and livestock industry. They resided at Ossian,
Indiana, until his wife's death. Then he moved to Zanesville, Indiana, where he entered the hardware business with his son, E. F.
Reed. Later he married Mrs. Crow, of Zanesville, Indiana. Was
in business there seven years. He retired and lives in Fort Wayne,




258


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


Indiana with his daughter, the wife having died in 1925. The
names of the children are here recorded: John A., Weslie,
Harvey, William, Elmer F., Jemima, Ellen, Cora and Matilda. In
the year 1888 Elmer F. Reed completed his course in the high
school at Ossian, Indiana, and as a youth he learned the blacksmith trade. He was in the employ of the Zimmerman Manufacturing Company of Auburn, Indiana, at the age of twenty-one years,
and for twelve years he followed this trade with the company.
During the ensuing seven years he was there engaged in the hardware business at Zanesville, Indiana, with his father, and upon selling the same he purchased a farm of 160 acres in Benzie county,
Michigan. To the management of this farm he gave his attention
six years, and in the meanwhile he served as justice of the peace.
In 1919 he made an advantageous sale of his farm, and during the
ensuing years he was in the employ of the Continental Motors
Corporation in Muskegon. He then engaged independently in the
real estate business at Muskegon Heights, where he has since continued his alliance with this important line of enterprise and
where his success has been of substantial order. He is a Republican in politics, is an active member of the local Board of Trade,
and he and his wife attend the Methodist Episcopal church. In
1894 Mr. Reed married Miss Frances Zegenfus, of Ossian, Indiana.
To this union was born seven children: Edna Lucile, Mabel,
Kathryn, Harold, Wayne, Thyra, and Verna.
John O. Reed owns and operates at Montague a flour mill of
the best modern equipment and service, while he maintains his
residence at Whitehall. Mr. Reed was born in Oceana county,
Michigan, October 26, 1868, and is a representative of one of the
well-known pioneer families of that county. He is a son of Benjamin F. and Mary (Roach) Reed, the former of whom was born
in the state of New York and the latter in Ireland, she having
been a child at the time the family emigrated to the United States
and the family home being established in Michigan. Benjamin F.
Reed was reared and educated in the old Empire state and upon
coming to Michigan he resided for a time at Grand Rapids, which
was then a mere village. In 1853 he engaged in farm enterprise
in Oceana county, having developed a farm from the virgin timberland. In 1872 he sold his farm and removed to Whitehall,
where he engaged in the practice of law for forty years, and also
owned and operated a hotel'for a number of years. Both he and
his wife were members of the Methodist church and he was a
Democrat in politics, and affiliated with the Knights of Pythias.
John O. Reed was one of the five children born to his parents and
was a lad of four years when the home was established in Whitehall, and here he attended the public schools until he graduated
from high school in 1889. He put his academic acquirements to
good use, for several years being a successful teacher in the schools
of Muskegon county, his pedagogic profession having continued
until 1903. In 1901 he was elected county school commissioner,




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


259


and in this office he served two terms of two years each and one
term of four years. In 1905 Mr. Reed purchased a flour mill at
Whitehall, which he operated until the building was destroyed by
fire. In 1910 he purchased also the mill at Montague and since
1917 he has given his undivided attention to the operation of this
mill, which is equipped with the most modern electric power and
approved mill machinery. The output of the mill is of high grade
and the business is one of substantial and prosperous order. Mr.
Reed is a Republican in politics, a Knight Templar Mason, also
belonging to the Eastern Star and the Shrine. In 1905 he was
united in marriage with Miss Eleaze Bennett, of Casnovia, Muskegon county, and they have one child, Wilson Bennett, who was
born October 26, 1906.
Wright W. Richards has been a resident of Muskegon county
since his boyhood and by his own ability and well-ordered activities
has gained secure status as one of the representative business men
of the city of Muskegon. Here he is engaged in the wholesale
confectionery business, a line of enterprise with which he has long
been identified, and he has developed a large and prosperous trade
throughout the territory normally tributary to Muskegon as a
commercial distributing center. Mr. Richards was born on a farm
in St. Joseph county, Michigan, November 22, 1867, and is a son
of Leander A. and Mary A. (Babcock) Richards, both representatives of families that were founded in America in the early colonial
days and both of which gave patriot soldiers to the Continental
Line in the war of the Revolution. The Richards family early
made settlement in Vermont, and the maternal ancestors of the
subject of this review gained pioneer prestige in the state of New
York. On the maternal side Wright W. Richards is a descendant
of the first Holland Dutch minister in New Amsterdam (year
of 1623), the little town that was the nucleus of the present national
metropolis, New York City. Leander A. Richards was born in
1812 and died in 1886, when about seventy-four years of age, his
wife, who was born in 1827, having survived him and having passed
away at the age of seventy-four years. As a young man Leander
A. Richards drove with team and wagon from the state of New
York into Ohio, and he thus gained pioneer honors in the Buckeye
state, as did he later in Michigan, to which state he came by the
same primitive method of overland transportation. He settled in
the northern part of St. Joseph county, this state, and there became
a pioneer in farm enterprise. When Wright W. Richards was
three years old the family home was established on a farm near
Dalton, Muskegon county, and he was nineteen years old at the
time of his father's death, the family prior to that time having
moved to Muskegon. Here the subject of this sketch attended
the public schools until he was twelve years of age. He later attended night school and by this means and by individual application to study he so advanced his education that at the age of
twenty years he obtained a teacher's certificate and initiated his




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


successful service as a teacher in the district schools of Muskegon
county. Here he taught two winter terms, and his salary for
each term was thirty-two dollars per month. At the age of twelve
he had entered service in connection with the Muskegon Booming
Company, whose business was running, sorting and delivering logs
to the different mills on Muskegon lake, and with this service he
continued to be associated each successive season until he had
attained to the age of twenty years, when, as previously noted,
he initiated his pedagogic career. After the completion of his
work as a teacher he entered the employ of the Wiegle Candy
Company, a wholesale concern, and with this line of business he
has continued to be identified almost continuously during the intervening years. He has become an authority in all details of
the business, and his alliances prior to his establishing his present
independent business were in turn with the firms of Snyder &
Straub, Snyder & Thayer, Snyder, Thayer & Walker, and Walker,
Richards & Thayer, in which last named firm he was an interested
principal. In 1910 he sold his interest in the business of Walker,
Richards & Thayer and engaged independently in the same line
of commercial enterprise, in which he has been very successful.
The headquarters of his business was maintained at 18-20 West
Clay street until October, 1925, when removal was made to the
present larger and better equipped quarters, at 845 Pine street.
Mr. Richards is one of the most loyal and public-spirited citizens
of the city that has been the central stage of his successful business
career, and the estimate placed upon him in his home city and
county is shown in his having been called upon to serve in various
positions of public trust. He has been a member of the municipal
board of commissioners continuously since Muskegon adopted the
commission system of government, in 1909, and in this connection
he is chairman of the county park commission and the city street
committee, besides being secretary of the road and bridge committee. He is serving also as a member of the county board of
supervisors, and as vice-president of the local Rescue Mission.
He is a director of the Union National Bank, is a trustee of Hackley Hospital, and is a director of the local Y. M. C. A. His political
alignment is in the ranks of the Republican party and he and his
wife hold membership in the Congregational church. His prominence and popularity in his chosen field of business enterprise is
indicated in his being, in 1925, the president of the Michigan
Wholesale Confectioners' Association. He is affiliated with the
Masonic fraternity, the Knights of Pythias and the Benevolent
and Protective Order of- Elks. He was elected a member of the
Muskegon board of aldermen when he was twenty-seven years of
age, and he has given much and loyal service in advancing the
civic and material progress and prosperity of his home city. In
1890 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Richards to Miss Fannie
Trafford, who was born and reared in Michigan and who is a
descendant of the renowned colonial patriot, Ethan Allen. Mr.




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


261


and Mrs. Richards have five children: Elizabeth, Ruth, Sarah,
Frank and Lucille.
Ernest Roberts, Jr., is one of the vital and successful representatives of real estate enterprise in the city and county of
Muskegon, maintains his office headquarters at 207 West Western
avenue, and is an active member of the Muskegon County Real
Estate Board. Mr. Roberts was born at Ilion, New York, January
1, 1874, and is a son of Ernest and Elizabeth Roberts, the former
of whom was born in Switzerland, September 24, 1844, and the
latter of whom was born in the state of New York, in 1854. Ernest
Roberts, Sr., was reared and educated in his native land and was a
young man when he came to the United States, in 1861, and settled
on a ranch in the state of Texas. His loyalty to the land of his
adoption was soon shown by his enlisting for service as a Union
soldier in the Civil war, and he continued in this military service
until the close of the conflict. He gained a full share of pioneer
experience in Texas, where he became a friend of "Buffalo Bill"
Cody and other prominent frontiersmen and where he had six
wounds to mark his participation in fights with the Indians. In
1866 he removed to the state of New York, where his marriage occurred and where he continued to reside until 1883, when he removed with his family to Cincinnati, Ohio, where, in the following
year, he had experience in connection with the so-called Burner
riot, one of the worst conflicts of the kind in the history of American cities. In that city Mr. Roberts became a manufacturer of
machinery, and he next entered the government secret service, in
which connection he was sent to Europe as a spy, he having there
been apprehended and placed in jail, where his death occurred a
short time later. In his European mission he was given a number,
and this he used instead of his name, and his family in the United
States lost all trace of him. He had marked mechanical genius,
and invented the first tools and machinery used in automobile
manufacturing in the United States. He also had much talent as
a singer, and during his life in the United States he attended church
regularly and often sang in choirs; his political allegiance was
given to the Republican party.  His wife was a resident of
Cincinnati, Ohio, at the time of her death, and he is survived by
four sons: Ernest, Jr., Arnold, Walter and Edwin. Ernest Roberts, Jr., attended the public schools of Cincinnati until he was
fifteen years of age, and he then found employment in a carriage
factory in that city. During 1896 he worked in a carriage factory
at Buffalo, New  York, and later he was employed five years
in wire mills at Cortland, that state. In 1900 he entered the employ of the Racine Carriage & Wagon Company, Racine, Wisconsin, where he held the position of foreman until 1907. From that
year until 1911 he was foreman in the trimming shop of the Woods
Motor Vehicle Company, Chicago, and in the latter year, following the advice of physicians whom he consulted on account of his
impaired health, he left Chicago. It was at this juncture that he




262


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


came to Muskegon, where he was employed by the -Continental
Motors Corporation during the ensuing seven years, without losing
a single day. He became impressed with the splendid future in
store for Muskegon, and while employed he began to figure in
the sale of local real estate. He finally became associated with
the real estate business of Fred W. Riblet, and in 1920 he engaged
independently in the real estate business.- His success has been
of substantial order, and he now controls 1,250 acres of subdivision
tracts, including the Roberts, Sauter & Roberts subdivision, and
the Riblet Garden subdivision, which latter is owned by Fred W.
Riblet. He also has the agency control of the Home Gardens,
on Apple street, a tract of 400 acres, and in 1924 he opened the
Roberts Wolf Lake subdivision, also Roberts Grand Haven Road subdivision and Roberts addition No. 1. Mr. Roberts has both judgment and vision, and in connection with local interests he claims
to be the most optimistic citizen of Muskegon, for which city he
predicts a population of 100,000 by the year 1934. He is a stockholder in the Muskegon Trust Company and the Muskegon Building & Loan Association. He built the first store building on Jackson street, near Gettys avenue, and the place was known until
1924 as the Roberts store. Mr. Roberts is a Republican, is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, and he and his wife hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal church. While in Chicago, in
1908-11, Mr.-Roberts availed himself of exceptional opportunities
for the cultivation of his fine baritone voice, he having there studied
under such distinguished instructors as William Wade Henshaw
and Hugh Anderson, both of whom had gained fame in grand
opera. He sang in church choirs two years under Vandewater, a
leading choirmaster of Chicago, and he still finds much demand
for his interpretations as a vocalist of marked talent. In the year
1900 Mr. Roberts married Miss Annette Van Dusen, of Cincinnati,
Ohio, and their one child, Elizabeth, was born January 4, 1908.
Thomas W. Robson, D. D. S., who is engaged in the successful
practice of his profession in the attractive little city of Whitehall,
claims Michigan's capital city as the place of his nativity, his birth
having occurred at Lansing, this state, January 1, 1876. He is a
son of William L. and Esther A. (Shaw) Robson, the former of
whom was born at Farmington, Oakland county, Michigan, September 18, 1841, and the latter of whom was born at Grass Lake,
Jackson county, April 17, 1841.  William L. Robson, a son of
sterling pioneers of Oakland county, was there reared and educated,
and thence he went forth as a valiant young soldier of the Union
in the Civil war, he having participated in many engagements and
having been wounded while taking part in the historic battle of
South Mountain. In later years he was actively affiliated with
the Grand Army of the Republic and thus continued his association with his old comrades in arms, his political alignment having
been with the Republican party and he having held membership in
the Masonic fraternity and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


263


After the war he settled at Williamston, Ingham county, and after
having been for thirty-six years engaged in the retail drug business,
he sold out, in 1920, and established his home at Whitehall, where
his death occurred October 11, 1922, and where his widow still resides. They became the parents of two sons and two daughters,
and the other son, Harry D., was accidentally killed in his father's
drug store at Williamston, when he was twenty-three years of age.
After completing his studies in the high school at Williamston
Thomas W. Robson, in 1897, entered the dental department of the
Detroit College of Medicine, and in this institution he was graduated as a member of the class of 1900. On thus receiving his
degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery he came to Whitehall, where
he has since been established in successful practice, with a well
equipped office over the Pikin drug store. The Doctor is unwavering in his allegiance to the Republican party, and is affiliated
with the Masonic fraternity. In the year 1902 Doctor Robson married Miss Lula M. Bronson, of Whitehall, and of this union have
been born four children, whose names and respective dates of birth
are here recorded: Gladys May, December 4, 1903; John W.,
January 4, 1912; Thomas Carrol, March 20, 1915, and Harold
Thomas, who was born July 6, 1907, and who died at the age of
three years.
Lincoln Rodgers. Loyalty and efficiency have marked the
business activities of Mr. Rodgers at all times, and this has been
notably true in his administration as postmaster of his native city
of Muskegon, where he has been the incumbent of this office since
July 4, 1924, he having previously represented Muskegon county
in the lower house of the Michigan legislature, during the term of
1901-03. He has been influential in the local councils and campaign
activities of the Republican party, and is one of the progressive
and public-spirited citizens of the fair city in which he was born and
reared, and in which he is a representative of an honored pioneer
family. Mr. Rodgers was born in Muskegon on the 2d of June,
1866, and is a son of Alexander and Janet (Pyle) Rodgers, the
former a native of Edinburgh, Scotland, and the latter of Sunderland, England. The marriage of the parents was solemnized in
Scotland, and thence they came to the United States in 1846,
accompanied by John Rodgers, a younger brother of Alexander.
After residing for a time in the city of Boston, Mr. and Mrs. Rodgers removed to New York City, and from the national metropolis
they came to Michigan and first made settlement in Detroit.
Thereafter they resided in turn at Romeo, Lamont and Ferrysburg, and finally, in 1854, they established their permanent home in
Muskegon, which was then a mere village, but an important center
of lumbering operations. Alexander Rodgers was a skilled mechanic, and upon establishing his residence in Muskegon he opened
a machine shop. From 1856 until 1881 he here operated what was
known as the Ryerson machine shop, and he handled a large
volume of important mechanical work for the great sawmills and




264


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


other industrial plants of Muskegon and vicinity. In 1881 he organized the Rodgers Iron & Manufacturing Company, and in 1887
he became associated with the operation of a large sawmill at
Lakeside, Muskegon county. Later he removed to Tomahawk,
Wisconsin, where he continued his lumbering operations, as one
of the principals in the Wisconsin Land & Log Company. He
finally retired from active business and returned to Muskegon,
where he passed the remainder of his life, he having been one of
the sterling and honored pioneer citizens of this city at the time
of his death, August 22, 1897, and his birth having occurred May
24, 1821. His wife was born in 1824, and her death occurred March
11, 1871. Their children were seven in number, namely: Alexander, Jr., Adam, John, Hugh, Lincoln, and two daughters, Mrs.
Frederick Miller and Mrs. Margaret Morris.  Lincoln Rodgers
gained his youthful education by due application to study in the
public schools of Muskegon, and in 1882 he here initiated an apprenticeship in the machine shop of his father. Later he became
secretary in his father's office, and after the death of his father he
had charge of the settling of the latter's estate, in which connection he and his brothers removed previously to Tomahawk, Wisconsin, as representatives of their father's extensive lumbering interests in that state. In 1905 Lincoln Rodgers returned to Muskegon, and here he became associated with Edward Belmus in the
organization of the Rodgers & Belmus Boiler Company, with the
prosperous business of which Mr. Rodgers continued his active
connection until June, 1923, when he disposed of his interest. On
the 4th of July of the following year he was appointed to his
present office, that of postmaster of Muskegon. Mr. Rodgers has
been affiliated with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
since 1889, has taken deep interest in the affairs of this noble
fraternal order, in which he has served as exalted ruler of Muskegon lodge, besides serving as its representative to the grand lodge
of Michigan. September 28, 1898, Mr. Rodgers married Miss
Emma J. Belmus, of Muskegon, and they have two children:
Abigail and William A.
John Q. Ross.-A city is known by the citizens it produces
and in the death of John Q. Ross, Muskegon lost a citizen who
had done credit to the city and state and was destined to bring
them greater credit in the years to come. To few citizens of any
community does it fall to be so universally looked to when a man
is needed who possesses ability, sound judgment and a willingness
to serve. To few does it fall to represent his city in the thought
of the state to such a large measure. To few does it fall to have
been equally active and foremost in the political and business
activity of his community and state and to have made a signal
mark in both while still less than fifty years of age. John Q. Ross
was born in Jamestown, Green county, Ohio, June 28, 1873, and
there he received a common school education: He came to Muskegon and began the study of law with the firm of Jones & Clark


I




HISTORY OP MUSKEGON COUNTY


265


when quite a young man and was admitted to the bar June 9, 1894.
He first located for practice at Shelby, Michigan, and Oceana
county always proclaimed her adopted son. Returning to Muskegon he became a partner with Mr. Jones and this continued until
the latter moved to Detroit. He then became a partner with
George B. Lovelace and Charles B. Cross, and in 1911 he became
a member of the firm of Cross, Vanderwerp, Foote & Ross. In
1919 he resigned from this firm to devote his attention to industrial
affairs, in which he had assumed an important place. In 1910 he
was elected lieutenant governor on the Republican ticket when
Chase S. Osborn became governor. Two years later he was reelected to this office when the Republican candidate for governor
was defeated and Woodbridge N. Ferris was elected governor on
the Democratic ticket. During his two terms in this office he
demonstrated that he was not only a presiding officer of the senate
but a leader of that body as well. During the war he was in active
management of the Linderman Machine Company, which held
important contracts with the government for the manufacture of
gun mounts, and the firm won high praise from the government
for its remarkable production record. The close of the war found
Mr. Ross taking an increasing interest in civic matters and becoming one of the important figures in the industrial world. He became active as a partner with Mr. Jeannot in the management of
the West Michigan Steel Foundry Company, of which he was
president, devoting all of his time to this enterprise. With the
organization of the Union National Bank in 1919 Mr. Ross was
named president and continued in this until the time of his death.
He was actively interested in the Chamber of Commerce and served
one year as chairman of transportation and at the time of his death
was president of this civic body. He also was active in the completion of the first unit of the addition to the Occidental Hotel
and became secretary of the Occidental Hotel Company. Mr. Ross
had a commanding personality and instantly made friends and held
the confidence of the public. June 12, 1900, John Q. Ross was
united in marriage with Miss Katherine B. Schwedler, who still
maintains her home in Muskegon and their two children are Florence and Raymond F. The death of Mr. Ross occurred May 12,
1922. The legacy John Q. Ross left to the city of Muskegon is
the common legacy of American life. The place he had in law,
finance, industry and public service he made for himself, as he had
no advantages and no assistance save what is the heritage of every
American boy.
Liberty B. Root has important and varied business interests in
his native city of Muskegon, where he gives special attention to the
wholesale ice cream business, besides being a stockholder in the Occidental Hotel Company, the Muskegon Title and Guaranty Company, the
Muskegon Finance Company, and the Antlers cafe. Mr. Root was born
in Muskegon, September 30, 1877,-and is a son of Daniel L. and Elizabeth (Burke) Root, the former of whom was born in Louisville, Ken



O


260             HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY
tucky, July 5, 1854, and the latter of whom was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1858. Daniel L. Root was reared to manhood in the fine old
Bluegrass state, where his educational advantages were limited to the
rural schools, and as a young man he developed much versatility and resourcefulness as a trader, his operations having been made to include the
buying of business places, and the selling of the same after putting
them on a profitable basis. He also gave attention to the buying and
selling of farm properties. With teams and wagon he journeyed overland to Michigan in the year 1869, and he first settled at Kalamazoo,
from which point he engaged in wagon freighting to Traverse City.
After a few years had passed he established his residence in Muskegon,
where he took the position of baggageman at the railroad station. He
later became one of the substantial farmers of Muskegon county, and
he was one of the sterling pioneer citizens of this county at the time
of his death, in 1920, his widow being still a resident of Muskegon,
and the other surviving child being a daughter, Georgia B., who was
born March 31, 1880. The father was a Democrat in politics. After
completing the studies of his sophomore year in the Muskegon high
school, Liberty Root, in 1893, engaged in the restaurant business, on
Western avenue, and one year later he became associated with Dr.
Joseph Bedard in the retail drug business, his interest in which he
sold to the Doctor a year later. He later became a partner in the
business of the Harrison Ice Cream Company, and in 1903 he purchased
the factory and business. Under the title of the Liberty Ice Cream
Company he continued the business until 1921, when he sold the same
to the Alpha Creamery Company. While engaged in the manufacturing
of ice cream he had initiated his activities as a wholesale dealer, and
to this line of enterprise he continued to give his attention with distinctive success. He is a Democrat, and is affiliated with the Elks,
the Knights of Pythias, the Modern Woodmen and the United Commercial Travelers. In 1910 he married Miss Frances Chidester, of
Muskegon, and they are popular figures in the social activities of their
home city.
I. Ransom Sanford, a veteran journalist of broad and varied
experience, is now living virtually retired in Muskegon, which city
was a mere hamlet in the Michigan forests at the time when his father
here became a pioneer in the lumber industry that eventually made
Muskegon one of the world's great centers of lumber production. Mr.
Sanford was a child at the time of the family removal to Muskegon,
and here he staged much of his constructive activity in connection with
newspaper enterprise. He is a representative of one of the old and
honored pioneer families of Michigan, and thus another point of interest attaches to his career as one of the talented native sons of this
commonwealth. Mr. Sanford was born at Grand Rapids, Michigan,
July 18, 1847, a son of Samuel R. and Susan S. (Huggins) Sanford.
Samuel R. Sanford was born in Marion, Wayne county, New York,
August 11, 1822, and his father, Isaac R. Sanford, was born in Connecticut, a son of Abel Sanford, who likewise was born in Connecticut,
a member of one of the English colonial families early founded in




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


267


New England. Patience (Atwater) Sanford, the mother of Samuel
R., likewise was born in Connecticut. As a boy and youth Samuel R.
Sanford attended the rural schools during the winter terms and in
the intervening summer seasons assisted in the work of the home
farm. He thereafter attended the Methodist Episcopal seminary at
Lima, New York, and he early gained practical experience in the drug
business. He finally became associated with Sanford R. Hall in the
wholesale and retail drug business at Geneva, New York, where he
remained until 1844, when he came to Michigan and opened the first
drug store in what is now the city of Grand Rapids. There he continued the enterprise successfully until 1848, when he sold the stock
and business and, in 1849, erected in Muskegon county the first steam
sawmill on the Muskegon river. After this mill was destroyed by fire
he built another, but this enterprise was negative in success and in 1853
he removed to his pioneer farm in Ashland township, Newaygo county,
twenty-five miles up the river from Muskegon. After the death of
his wife, in 1855, he removed with his children to Muskegon, where
he passed the remainder of his life and where he was a venerable,
honored and influential pioneer citizen at the time of his death, in 1899.
For some time Samuel R. Sanford was actively engaged in logging
and in the shipping of lumber, and his alliance with other branches of
the lumber industry included his manufacturing of shingles. He was
a man of fine mentality and distinctive business ability, and he accumulated a substantial competency. He was specially influential and successful in the handling of real estate, and in this connection he platted
and exploited the largest subdivision-160 acres-ever made to the city
of Muskegon. Names of various streets in Muskegon stand in perpetual memorial to him and members of his family-such as Sanford,
Peck, Ransom, Irwin, Arthur, Ambrosia and Sophia streets. He was
prominently identified with many enterprises and projects that made
for the civic and material advancement of Muskegon, he having been
a director of the first railroad to enter the city, the old Chicago and
West Michigan, which is now a part of the Pere Marquette Railroad
system. He was one of the organizers of the Muskegon National Bank.
October 1, 1844, Samuel R. Sanford was united in marriage to Miss
Susan S. Huggins, who likewise was born and reared in Wayne county,
New York, and who was a daughter of Zadok Huggins. Mrs. Sanford's death occurred July 18, 1855, and she was survived by two
children, I. Ransom, the immediate subject of this review, and Anna
M., who became the wife of Harvey Chatten, an architect by profession,
and who died at Quincy, Illinois. July 7, 1858, Samuel R. Sanford
married Miss Ambrosia Peck, of Gorham, Ontario county, New York,
where her father, Samuel B. Peck, had been long engaged in mercantile
business prior to his coming to Muskegon, in 1859. Of the second
marriage of Samuel R. Sanford were born two children-Arthur H.
and Cornelia S. In the fall of 1846 Samuel R. Sanford was elected
clerk of Kent county, Michigan, as candidate on the Democratic ticket,
and he retained this office' until the autumn of 1848. In 1858 he was
elected sheriff of Ottawa county, which at that time included much of




268


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


the present Muskegon county, including the city of Muskegon, the
present division of the counties having been made while he was sheriff
and he having completed his term by establishing temporary official
headquarters at Grand Haven. In the execution of his official duties
as sheriff Mr. Sanford always traveled on foot, except when he had
a prisoner in charge, and under no conditions did he carry a weapon
of defense. He was indefatigable as a pedestrian and gained the title
of "the walking sheriff." His stewardship in public office was marked
by characteristic loyalty and fidelity, and his business activities were
directed with honor and fairness, he having held an inviolable place
in popular confidence and esteem. Generous, kindly and considerate,
his influence was benignant in all of the relations of life and he gained
a veritable host of friends.
I. Ransom Sanford gained his earlier education in the pioneer
schools of Michigan, and he was the first Muskegon young man to be
accorded collegiate advantages. In 1865 he entered Fort Edward Collegiate Institute, at Fort Edward, New York, and in this institution
_he was graduated, with honors, in June, 1868. In the following autumn
he founded the Muskegon Enterprise, a Democratic weekly newspaper.
In 1869 his newspaper office was destroyed by fire, and he then bought
the plant of a defunct newspaper at Ottawa, Illinois. This equipment
he brought to Muskegon, and thus he established the first newspaper
press to be operated with steam power in this section of the state.
The two-story building which his father here erected for him, as a
newspaper office, was the first Muskegon building to be equipped with
a floor of hard wood. Mr. Sanford continued the publishing of his
weekly newspaper until the early seventies, when he started the first
daily paper in Muskegon. The experiment proved impractical and
after losing considerable money in the venture he discontinued the daily
edition. In 1873 he sold the plant and business of the weekly Muskegon
Enterprise to the firm of Savage & Cady. He was thereafter associated
about one year with a magazine known as the Milwaukee Monthly,
published in the Wisconsin metropolis, it having been in this magazine
that the first poems of Ella Wheeler Wilcox found publication. Mr.
Sanford next became circulation man with the Grand Rapids Times,
and later he became a reporter on the Grand Rapids Daily Democrat.
In 1875 he established in Grand Rapids a weekly paper, the Valley
City Enterprise. He next became a reporter on the Chicago Daily
Courier, the only Democratic paper in Chicago, with Melville E. Stone,
later executive head of the Associated Press, as its editor. In 1876
Mr. Sanford was for a time associated with the Chicago Daily Times,
and he next became associate editor of Pomeroy's Democrat. In 1877
he established, at Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, a Greenback paper known
as the People's Champion, and in the following year he was a delegate
to the Greenback national convention that nominated James B. Weaver
for the presidency of the United States. He attended this convention
as a representative of the National Greenback Press Association. In
the fall of 1879 Mr. Sanford associated himself with the Chicago Sentinel, a Greenback paper published by Col. S. F. Norton, and in March,




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


269


1880, he went to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he remained about four years,
as the representative of the Western Shoe and Leather Review, and
the Wine and Spirit Review, his services in this connection having been
through the territory extending from Pittsburgh to St. Louis. In 1884
Mr. Sanford was placed in charge of the Boston office of the Western
Shoe and Leather Review, and about a year later he joined the Boot
and Shoe Recorder, now one of the greatest of the world's trade papers.
His wife died, in Boston, June 30, 1887, and shortly afterward he gave
up the publication of the Decorator and Finisher, in New York City,
in the purchase of which he had been associated with John T. Pratt.
After his return to Michigan, Mr. Sanford founded and for three
years published the Peninsular State Magazine, in Detroit. He then
sold the same and returned to Muskegon, in 1893. Here he organized
the First Spiritualist Society of Muskegon, and in the following summer, 1894, the society held a very successful camp meeting at Lake
Michigan park, with many leading Spiritualists of the nation as speakers. Mr. Sanford later engaged in journalistic work in New York,
and in 1903 he opened for the Union Finance Company an office at
Hartford, Connecticut. January 1, 1914, he again returned to Muskegon, where he has since maintained his home. He is the inventor
of a system for the erection of buildings of glass walls supported by
steel frames, and he believes that this system or process of architectural
construction work is destined to become widely used. He has continued
his earnest association with Spiritualistic service and has been the leader
in the Muskegon organization that is now an auxiliary of the Michigan
State Spiritualistic Association. HTe is president of this organization
and has gained more than local reputation as a lecturer and messagebearer in the Spiritualist faith. June 29, 1924, he was united in marriage to Mrs. Sarah M. Olson, and their pleasant home at the corner
of Sanford street and Miller avenue is known for its generous hospitality. Mr. Sanford is now one of the venerable representatives of
a family that gained pioneer distinction in Muskegon, and, with splendid physical and mental vitality, he is enjoying the gracious twilight
of a long, worthy and useful life. The first marriage of Mr. Sanford
occurred in the seventies, when Mrs. Sarah J. Hyman, of Grand Rapids, became his wife, her death having occurred in 1887, as previously
noted in this review,
Joseph F. Sanford is making a record of successful achievement
as one of the representative younger members of the bar of his native
city of Muskegon. He was born in this city November 19, 1897, and
is a son of James and Mary Ellen (Hayes) Sanford, the former of
whom was born on Washington Island, Michigan, in 1859, and the
latter of whom was born in Ireland, in 1863. James Sanford was a
boy of ten years at the time when his parents established their home
at Montague, Muskegon county, and here he gained his early education
in the district schools of the period. He gave many years of service in
connection with navigation on the Great Lakes, became a skilled mariner
and served as captain of various lake vessels. He and his family resided in Muskegon during a term of years, and he and his wife now




270


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


reside at Charlevoix, this state, where he is president of the Charlevoix
and St. James Transit Company, through which he continues active
alliance with navigation enterprise. The Captain is a Republican in
politics and he and his wife are zealous communicants of the Catholic
church. The other children of the family are Mary, James E. and
Bernice, the subject of this review being the youngest of the four.
Captain Sanford is a charter member of Muskegon Lodge, Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks. Joseph F. Sanford attended, in Muskegon, the parochial school of St. Mary's church, and while the family
resided temporarily at Sandusky, Ohio, he there attended high school.
He later was graduated in the high school at Charlevoix, Michigan,
and thereafter took a preparatory course of one year in fine old Notre
Dame University at South Bend, Indiana. In the law department of
that university he was graduated as a member of the class of 1921,
and soon after thus receiving his degree of Bachelor of Laws he was
admitted to the bar of Michigan. His first professional work was in
the office of E. C. Farmer, who was then city attorney of Muskegon,
and thereafter he was in the law office of Judge J. E. Sullivan of this
city until May, 1923, when he opened an office and engaged in independent practice. He has proved versatile as a trial lawyer and is
well fortified as a counselor, so that his law business shows a constantly
cumulative tendency. Mr. Sanford is assistant secretary of the Republican executive committee of Muskegon county, is affiliated with the
Knights of Columbus, and he and his wife are communicants of the
Catholic church. On the 26th of June, 1924, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Sanford to Miss Florence A. Peterson, of South Bend,
Indiana, and they are popular figures in the social life of their home city.
Rev. Harvey L. Sanger is pastor of the Veritan Spiritualist
Church of Divine Healing, and in this connection has done a splendid
service in the city of Muskegon, his being the faith that makes faithful
and that finds expression in consecrated zeal and fruitful service. Doctor Sanger was born on a farm near Lowell, Indiana, December 20,
1858, and his early educational advantages were those of the rural
schools of the locality and period. In considering the work to which
he is now giving his time and attention, it is interesting to recall that
in earlier years he was a vigorous exponent of farm industry, in which
he specialized for five years in the raising of cattle of superior grade,
and that for fifteen years he followed the horse-racing business as a
vocation, in which he became a familiar figure in leading turf events.
He passed seven years in Texas, where he gained much frontier experience, and for several years he was engaged in selling cattle in the
Chicago markets. While in Chicago he was introduced into the Ancient
Order of Magi, and in this connection he continued his studies and
investigations until he was deemed eligible for and received ordination,
he having been the only one in a class of fifty-two to be ordained in
the twelfth degree of that ancient order. Shortly after this ordination
he initiated his service in divine healing, and in this field of benignant
human service his labors have been attended with great success. As an
intermediary he has effected marvelous cures of physical ailments and




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


271


infirmities, and hundreds bear testimony to his devoted zeal in the elimination of the spiritual and physical ills of humanity. He was the
organizer in Muskegon of the Veritan Church of Divine Healing, of
which he has continued the pastor and to which he has drawn a goodly
number of earnest and appreciative members.
Paul J. Schlossman, general manager of the Paul J. Schlossman
Company, which controls and operates in the city of Muskegon
the Jefferson, the Majestic, the Regent and the Rialto theaters,
and which gives to the local public the highest grade of motion
picture productions known to the film world, is a man whose
initiative ability has been shown in the development of varied
business enterprises of important order, and in his making Muskegon the state of his activities the city gained a vigorous and resourceful business man and a loyal and progressive citizen. Mr.
Schlossman was born in the city of Chicago, Illinois, January 9,
1878, and was the fourth in order of birth in a family of six children,
all of whom are living, the names of the other children being as
follows: Rena, Bertha, Florence, William and Theodore. The
parents, Joseph B. and Pauline Schlossman, are now deceased.
After having duly profited by the advantages of the public schools
of his native city, Paul J. Schlossman there gained his initial business experience. At the age of eighteen years he became identified
with the clothing business, and as a traveling salesman in the clothing trade he continued his productive service fifteen years, within
which he was associated with various leading wholesale clothing
concerns in Chicago. After his retirement from this vocation Mr.
Schlossman organized the Carney-Lanz Clothing Company, at
Madison, the capital city of Wisconsin, and with this concern he
continued his active alliance several years. In 1911 Mr. Schlossman organized the Square Clothing Company in the city of Muskegon, Michigan, and after building up a prosperous retail clothing
and furnishing goods business in that city he finally, in 1913, sold
the business to Alexander Myer, who has since continued the enterprise. In 1913 Mr. Schlossman came to Muskegon and effected
the organization and incorporation of the Paul J. Schlossman Company, of which he has since been general manager. As chief executive of this company he has given to Muskegon the finest class of
moving pictures and has distinctly raised the standard of this
popular medium of amusement enterprise in the city. He is a
loyal and progressive member of the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce and the local Rotary Club, and has membership also in the
Century Club and the Muskegon Country Club. He is affiliated
with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, his political
allegiance is given to the Republican party, and he and his wife
are communicants of the Protestant Episcopal church. In 1897
was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Schlossman to Miss Gertrude
Wilmarth, of Chicago, and the one child of this union, Pauline, is
the wife of Louis P. Bayard, of New York City. Mr. and Mrs.
Schlossman have gained a wide circle of friends in Muskegon




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


county and are popular factors in the representative social life of
their home community.
Martin Schoenberg is one of the liberal and progressive citizens
of the fine little city of Muskegon Heights, which is a virtual
suburb of Muskegon. He served as mayor of Muskegon Heights
in 1922-23, and his administration did much to advance the civic
and material interests of the community. He has taken active part
in the development of his home community, and has shown special
interest in the establishing of parks and the construction and maintenance of good streets and roads. At the time of this writing, in
the spring of 1925, Mr. Schoenberg is giving his attention to the
developing and equipping of a modern athletic park at Muskegon
Heights, and he is serving with characteristic loyalty and efficiency
as president of the local board of education, besides which he is
chairman of the board of parks and playgrounds, and concerns
himself actively with the development of parks not only in Muskegon county but also the state at large. He formulated plans for
the organizing of a county fair association for his county, his assignment to this important work giving evidence of the high estimate placed upon him in his home county. Mr. Schoenberg is a
director of the Mona Lake Ice Company, and he owns and conducts in Muskegon Heights a thoroughly metropolitan meat market
that receives a representative supporting patronage. The political
allegiance of Mr. Schoenberg is given to the Republican party.
About twenty years ago he served as a member of the board of
aldermen of the city of Muskegon. Mr. Schoenberg was born in
Germany, February 3, 1869, and is a son of Carl and Wilhelmina
Schoenberg, he having been three years of age when his parents
came to the United States and established their home in Detroit,
Michigan, they having come to Muskegon county in 1880 and the
father having here engaged in farm enterprise near Muskegon
Heights, which place was then a mere hamlet. Carl Schoenberg
here passed the remainder of his long and worthy life, and he
was eighty-seven years of age at the time of his death, his widow
having passed away in 1921 and she likewise having attained to
the age of eighty-seven years. They were the parents of eleven
children. Martin Schoenberg is indebted to the public schools
of Muskegon county for the greater part of his youthful education,
and as a mere boy he began to contribute his share to the work of
the home farm. He has been in the fullest sense one of the world's
productive workers, and as such has achieved substantial success,
he having been engaged in the meat market business at Muskegon
Heights since 1900. September 29, 1895, he was united in marriage to Miss Julia Bluchm, a representative of one of the old and
well known families of Muskegon county. The children of this
union are Mrs. Florence Boyd, of Muskegon Heights, and Hazel,
wife of Walter Larson, of Muskegon Heights.




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


273


Chris Schrier is the junior member of the firm of Vanderwerp
and Schrier, a representative real estate and insurance firm of
Muskegon, with offices at 979 Terrace street. Mr. Schrier is a
native son of Muskegon and was born September 25, 1888. He is
a son of Cornelius and Jahnke (Kloster) Schrier, natives of Holland, where the father was born in 1856 and the mother in 1851.
Muskegon has been the home of the family since 1886, where the
father still resides while the mother is deceased. After completing his studies in the public schools of Muskegon Mr. Schrier took
a course in the Muskegon Business College, from which he graduated in 1908. From that year until 1914 he was identified with
the tile and brick business at Grand, Newaygo county, Michigan, and
he then sold his interest in the business and returned to Muskegon,
where he became associated with the insurance business conducted
by George D. Vanderwerp. Later he became a partner and in
1924 the business was incorporated under the name of Vanderwerp
and Schrier, the firm having erected for its use the present office
building on South Terrace street and its real estate and insurance
business being one of most prosperous order. Mr. Schrier volunteered for service when the nation became involved in the World
war, he having enlisted in 1917, and having been assigned to the
medical corps of the United States army, in which he gained the
rank of sergeant, first class, and in which his service was at Camp
Wheeler, Georgia, where he was stationed until the signing of the
armistice brought the war to a close and he received an honorable
discharge. He has membership in the Muskegon Chamber of
Commerce, and the Muskegon County Real Estate Board, is a Republican in political adherence, and he and his wife are members of
the Bethany Reformed Church. In 1921 was solemnized his marriage to Miss Ida M. Trap, of Muskegon, and they are popular in
the social activities of their home city.
Nathaniel A. Shaw was a child when his parents came to Michigan as pioneers, more than seventy years ago, and he was here reared
under the influences and conditions that marked the earlier constructive
era in the history of western Michigan. I-Ie is now one of the venerable
and honored pioneer citizens of Muskegon, where he has maintained
his home more than half a century. Mr. Shaw's reminiscences concerning the pioneer days are graphic and interesting, and his was long
and close association with the lumbering operations that constituted
the greatest of Michigan industries for many years. Mr. Shaw was
born in Somerset township, Niagara county, New York, July 8, 1848,
and is a son of the late John Freeman and Eliza Jane (Van Gordon)
Shaw, who came to Michigan in the year 1852 and who passed the
closing years of their lives in Ottawa county, this state. In coming
to Michigan the Shaw family voyaged by Lake Erie and the Detroit
river to Detroit, and thence proceeded overland to Marshall, where
had been established the home of Mrs. Jasper Clemens, wife of Jasper
Clemens and an aunt of the subject of this sketch. From Marshall
the Shaw family proceeded to Ottawa county and made location near




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


the present village of Coopersville. The father made a clearing on
his land and there built a pioneer log house, his first crops having been
raised among the tree stumps and having been prolific, besides which
he planted peach and apple trees that gave large yield four years later.
In reclaiming and cultivating the land Mr. Shaw used a team of steers,
and utilized a tree-crotch as a means of transportation as they had no
wagon. When, in 1858, the first railroad was extended to Coopersville,
the Shaw family drove this ox team to that village for the purpose of
witnessing the arrival of the train over the new railroad, and on the
return trip a barrel of salt was transported to the primitive farm home.
In the ensuing winter was continued the chopping of trees on the
Shaw farm, and so deep was the snow at the time that when spring
melted it there came the revelation that most of the tree stumps of the
winter's cutting were six feet high, owing to the snow level at time
of chopping. The old orchard on the Shaw farm still bears fine fruit
to this day. It is interesting to record that the Shaw land was purchased from the state at the rate of seventy-five cents an acre, and
that four years later land in the vicinity was valued at twelve dollars
an acre, the Civil war period having marked a still greater increase in
values. The settlement of the community proceeded actively, and deer,
bear, squirrels and other wild game were plentiful, besides which fish
from the streams added materially to the pioneer larders. In the early
days Nathaniel A. Shaw, then a boy, was planting corn on the home
farm, and he recalls, in the connection, that while thus engaged he
witnessed the arrival of a family of new settlers. An old man and
woman appeared on the scene, carrying on their heads large bed-ticks
filled with clothes, and each of their six sons, all of adult years, likewise carried a burden, one of the sons having had four dogs hitched
to a wagon, and the youngest son having borne on his shoulders two
game roosters, which crowed at intervals. Tolford Durham, the head
of this family, settled on a tract of forty acres, and on the tract stands
the present Centennial schoolhouse in the village of Coopersville. His
six sons went forth as soldiers in the Civil war. Neighbors in the
pioneer community were always ready to aid one another when there
came need and conditions were such as to promote self-reliance and
resourcefulness. Nathaniel A. Shaw attended the little pioneer schools
when opportunity afforded, and did well his part in reclaiming and
developing the farm until he was fourteen years old, when he ran
away from home and found employment in the lumber woods, on Fish
creek, his compensation being one dollar a day. The next year he
was employed in cutting timber in Gratiot county, and in the winter
of 1870 he came to Muskegon and logged on the Middle branch of
the Muskegon river. He has maintained his home at Muskegon during
the long intervening years, and his activities in connection with early
lumbering operations touched many different sections of Michigan.
He worked in the old Brown-Nelson mill as a setter, and thereafter
he had for twelve years charge of the Pillsbury mill, he having sawed
more than 100,000,000 feet of lumber for the Harvey Lumber Company of Chicago. Mr. Shaw continued his active association with




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


275


Michigan sawmill industry until 1912, and he has since lived retired
at his home in Muskegon, a representative of that fine and sturdy type
of lumber operatives who made worthy history in Michigan industrialism. He recalls that in Muskegon at the height of the lumber industry
forty-two sawmills were in active operation, and the maximum output
of these mills was that recorded in 1880, when was produced a total of
more than 900,000,000 feet of lumber. Mr. Shaw is a pioneer citizen
to whom is consistently given a tribute of recognition in this publication.
George Smith Shepherd has not found it expedient or necessary
to go outside the boundaries of his native city of Muskegon to find
opportunity for successful business enterprise of independent order.
He has built up a substantial and prosperous enterprise in the manufacturing of ice cream and the enterprise, which is both wholesale and
retail in its functions, is conducted under the corporate title of the
Shepherd Ice Cream Company. Mr. Shepherd was born in Muskegon,
February 10, 1893, and is a son of Benjamin F. and Susan (Smith)
Shepherd, both natives of Scotland, where the former was born in
1859 and the latter in 1863. The father is a skilled coppersmith and
has followed his trade during virtually his entire business career, he
being now the owner of a well-equipped shop in Muskegon. He is
a Democrat in politics and he and his wife hold membership in the
Congregational church. The subject of this review is the elder of
the two surviving children, and the younger is Anna, who remains at
the parental home. In the year 1909 George S. Shepherd completed
the work of the sophomore year in the Muskegon high school and
initiated his association with practical affairs, by taking a position as
machine helper at the manufacturing plant of the Continental Motors
Company. A year later he found employment as a painter and decorator with the firm of James A. Smith & Son, and this alliance was
continued until 1913, when he and his brother, John S., engaged in
the manufacturing of ice cream. The success of the enterprise was
excellent, 6wing to the excellence of the service and the popularity
of the proprietors, and the business association of the brothers continued until the death of the elder, in 1923, since which time George S.
has continued as the executive head of the business. He is still a
bachelor and remains at the parental home. He is a Republican in
political adherency, and is a member of the Exchange Club and the
Knights of Pythias.
Horace Shipp is one of the progressive men of Muskegon, where
he established and has built up a prosperous and important industrial
enterprise that is conducted under the title of the Muskegon Awning
and Manufacturing Company, the modern and well-equipped factory
of the concern being eligibly located on Peek street. On both the
paternal and maternal sides Mr. Shipp is a scion of sterling English
ancestry, and he himself was born in Kent, England, June 14, 1882,
his parents, Henry and Lucretia Shipp, having passed their entire
lives in their native land, where the father was a brick manufacturer
by vocation during the greater part of his active career. The schools




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


of his native county afforded Horace Shipp his youthful education,
and in 1904, within a short time after attaining to his legal majority,
he came to America. He remained for a time in the Dominion of
Canada, and in 1905 he entered the employ of the J. C. Gloss Company,
of Detroit, Michigan, in the capacity of sail-maker. He continued
his residence in the Michigan metropolis until February, 1915, when
he came to Muskegon and organized the Muskegon Awning and Manufacturing Company, of which he has since continued the executive head
and the affairs of which he has so effectively directed that the business
has been developed to one of substantial order, with a trade extending
through the territory normally tributary to Muskegon as a distributing
center. The products sent forth by this company are of the highest
grade and constitute the best medium for advertising the concern and
its business. The enterprise so expanded in scope that, in 1923, it
was found expedient to provide larger quarters and increased facilities,
the result being that in that year was erected the present factory, on
Peek street. Mr. Shipp has identified himself loyally with American
citizenship, and his political alignment is with the Republican party.
He is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America, and he and
his wife attend and support the Central Methodist Episcopal church in
their home city. The maiden name of Mrs. Shipp was Florence D.
Smeeth, and the one child is a son, Stewart Horace Clifton.
Edward D. Skeels can claim fair old England as the place of his
nativity and rearing. He came to the United States shortly after attaining to his legal majority, and that he has imbibed fully of the progressive
spirit of the land of his adoption has been shown in the advancement
that he has here made, as well as through his successful activities as
editor and publisher of the Whitehall Forum, which he has given rank
as one of the well-ordered and influential newspapers of Muskegon
county, besides making it a valuable exponent of the interests of the
community of which it stands representative. Mr. Skeels was born
in Cambridgeshire, England, July 31, 1865, and in that same county
were born his parents, William and Sarah (Large) Skeels, who passed
their entire lives in their native land. Of the seven children four are
living, and of the number the subject of this review is the only one
in the United States. Mr. Skeels received some educational advantages
in his native land, where he continued his residence until 1887, when
he came to the United States and made Muskegon county his destination. During the first year he was employed on the farm of Charles E.
Covell, near Whitehall, and during the next two years he was employed
by H. E. Staples as gardener. He thereafter varied his experience by
three years of service in connection with navigation on the Great Lakes,
and he held positions on a number of lake vessels within this period.
For six years he was associated with the Nufer Cedar Company, with
headquarters at Whitehall, Michigan, and in 1899 he allied himself
with the Eagle-Ottawa Tanning Company, of Whitehall, with which
he continued his connection eleven years. In 1910 Mr. Skeels was
appointed postmaster of Whitehall, under the administration of President Taft, and in this office he continued his efficient service until 1914.




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


277


In April, 1914, he purchased the plant and business of the Whitehall
Forum, of which he has since continued the editor and publisher and
in connection with which he has proved himself well fortified for successful newspaper enterprise. He has served as village clerk of Whitehall seven years, and since 1917 he has held the office of supervisor
of Whitehall township, besides which he has been village assessor since
1918. He was chairman of the county board of supervisors in 1921-22,
and in November, 1924, further official honors came to him, in his
election as the representative of Muskegon county in the Michigan
legislature. In an individual way, through the medium of his newspaper, and through his loyal official stewardship, Mr. Skeels has had
no little amount of leadership in progressive movements and enterprises
for the benefit of his home village and county, and the same spirit
animates him in his service as a member of the legislature. He is
influential in the local councils and campaign activities of the Republican party, and he and his wife are zealous members of the Methodist
Episcopal church in their home village, he being superintendent of its
Sunday school at the- time of this writing, in the summer of 1925.
He was one of the organizers of the Whitehall Mutual Benefit Association, and has served several years as its president. He is affiliated
with Whitehall Lodge No. 310, A. F. and A. M., and his Masonic
connections include also his membership in Whitehall Chapter No. 202,
of the Order of the Easten Star, of which Mrs. Skeels likewise is a
member. He is clerk of Whitehall Camp No. 4157, Modern Woodmen
of America, and is a member of Whitehall Lodge No. 176, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In December, 1896, was solemnized the
marriage of Mr. Skeels to Miss Martha J. Paddock, of Newfoundland,
Canada, and the children of this union are three in number: Henry E.
is associated with his father's newspaper business; Jennie J. is the wife
of Robert Benford, of Mount Pleasant, Isabella county; and Tina
Elizabeth remains at the parental home.
George Herbert Smith, D. D. S., who is established in the successful practice of his profession in the village of Montague, was born
at Keightly, England, April 25, 1877, and is a son of James and Mary(Davis) Smith, each of whom had first come to the United States in
1873, their marriage having been solemnized at Jersey City, New Jersey,
and they having thereafter returned to their native England, where
they remained until 1880, when they came again to the United States.
At Waterbury, Connecticut, James Smith found employment as a skilled
workman in a pin factory, and there he continued to maintain his home
until his death. In 1893 he set forth to attend the World's Columbian
Exposition, in the city of Chicago, but he had proceeded only as far
as Bridgeport, Connecticut, when he was attacked with the illness that
necessitated his return home and that resulted in his death within a
short time thereafter, his widow being still a resident of Waterbury,
where she is a zealous member of the Methodist Episcopal church in
the founding of which her husband was prominently concerned, he
having also been affiliated with the Improved Order of Redmen and
with the Ancient Order of United Workmen. The other child of the




278


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


family is Celia, who was born in 1879. In the public schools of Waterbury Dr. George H. Smith continued his studies until he had completed
the work of the eighth grade, and he then entered the Centenary Collegiate Institute at Hackettstown, New Jersey, where he was a student
two years. In 1901 he completed a two years' course in Albion College,
at Albion, Michigan, and in 1907 he was graduated in the department
of dentistry at the University of Michigan. After thus receiving his
degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery he opened an office at Montague,
where he has built up a large and representative practice that gives
voucher alike for his technical skill and his personal popularity, he
being the owner of the building in which his well-equipped office is
established. The Doctor is one of the loyal and progressive citizens
of Muskegon county, and has been called upon to serve in various
offices of local trust. He was president of the municipal board of
trustees of Montague seven years, was township supervisor four years,
was township clerk two years, village clerk one year, member of the
village council two years in addition to his service as its president,
and is present secretary of. the Montague board of education. He is
a member of the Michigan State Dental Association and of the Phi
Omega dental fraternity of the University of Michigan. He is a past
master of the local lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, besides
being affiliated with the chapter and council bodies of the York Rite,
and in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows he is past grand of
the Montague lodge and past chief of the organization of Patriarchs
Militant of Whitehall. The Doctor is a Republican in politics and he
and his wife have membership in the Methodist Episcopal church. In
1901 he married Miss Ellen Augusta Schurman, of Vineland, New
Jersey, and their one child, Eleanor, was born October 17, 1911.
James L. Smith has been a resident of Muskegon county fiftyseven years. Perhaps no man in the county has a wider acquaintance than he and it is the consensus of opinion that no man is more
familiar with the history of the county. The publishers as well
as the patrons of the work are fortunate that his services have been,secured as editor of the manuscript that is found herein. James L.
Smith was born in Dufferin county, Canada, December 8, 1861,
a son of William and Jeanette (Potter) Smith. The father was
born in Scotland coming to the United States in 1865 and to Muskegon in 1868. He followed the trade of blacksmithing the first
three years he was here and then moved to a farm where he became a fruit grower and dairyman. He was a Republican in politics and served Muskegon township as supervisor and wgs also
treasurer of his school district. He met death by accident in 1896
when fifty-nine years of age. Jeanette Potter was born at Rochester, New York, of Scotch origin and died in 1904 at the age of
seventy-four. They were the parents of two children, Jessie M., of
Muskegon and James L. The latter was a lad of seven when the
family home was established in Muskegon county, where his boyhood days were spent on the farm and his education was acquired
in the public schools. For several years he drove a milk wagon




JAMES L. SMITH








HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


279


delivering milk to his father's patrons. Later he became a printer
and that and the newspaper work has occupied his time to the
present. Mr. Smith is Democratic in politics and served four years
as supervisor, one year as mayor of Muskegon and has been candidate of his party for the state legislature. For a companion and
helpmate Mr. Smith chose Miss Annie Christie, who was born in
Muskegon, a daughter of Daniel and Mary Christie both of whom
are now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have one child, a daughter
Margaret, the wife of Hubert E. Baker who holds the position of
chief engineer for the Shaw Crane Company. There are two grandchildren, Ann Margaret and Lois.
John H. Spalink is owner and manager of the substantial and
prosperous business conducted under the title of the Muskegon
Heights Lumber Company. This progressive corporation maintains yards not only at Muskegon Heights but also in the cities of
Grand Rapids and Grand Haven. Mr. Spalink was born in the
city of Chicago, Illinois, January 24, 1893, and is a son of Henry
D. and Anna (Van Der Wall) Spalink. Henry D. Spalink was
born in Muskegon, in 1869, and was here reared and educated.
Here he eventually engaged in the retail grocery business, and in
1890 he opened a bakery in the city of Chicago, where he continued in business until 1904, when he returned with his family to
Michigan, where he was in business at Grand Haven until 1913,
since which year he has maintained his residence in Grand Rapids,
the death of his wife having occurred there in the year 1918, she
having been a devoted member of the Christian Reformed church,
in which he likewise has long held active membership. Of the
seven children Frederick and Anna are deceased, the subject of
this sketch having been the third in order of birth, and the other
surviving children being Benjamin, Helen, Jennie and Fannie. The
rudimentary education of John H. Spalink was acquired in the
public schools of Chicago, and he was a lad of twelve years at the
time of the family removal to Grand Haven, Michigan, in 1906.
After completing his studies in the public schools of Grand Haven
Mr. Spalink was employed five years in his father's bakery, and
he then found employment in a lumber yard at Grand Haven, where
he was thus engaged until 1916, when he entered the employ of the
Edward Lumber Company of Muskegon, with which he continued
his alliance until 1919. He then purchased an interest in the Muskegon Heights Lumber Company, also of yards at Grand Rapids
and Holland, of which he has since continued the general manager.
He is a member of the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce and also
of the Board of Trade in that city, besides being an active member
of the Merchants Service Bureau. He is a Republican in politics
and he and his wife are members of Bethany Christian Reformed
Church in Muskegon. In 1914 Mr. Spalink married Miss Mary
Borgman, and they have two children, Anna Marie, and John
H., Jr.




280


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


Frederick H. Stauffer is engaged in the practice of his profession in the city of Muskegon, as a skilled and successful exponent of
the science of chiropractic. His office is at 307 Union National
Bank, and he maintains also an office at Whitehall, the latter being
visited by him during three mornings each week. Doctor Stauffer
was born in Muskegon, November 15, 1889, and is a son of William
H. and Sarah H. (Howe) Stauffer, natives respectively of Ohio
and Indiana, in which latter state their marriage was solemnized.
William H. Stauffer was twenty-two years of age when, accompanied by his young wife, he established his residence in Muskegon
and entered the employ of the Ryerson-Hill Lumber Company.
Later he was in the employ of the Chicago & Michigan Lake Shore
Railroad Company, the lines of which are now a part of the Pere
Marquette system, he having continued in this railroad service
twenty-nine years and seven months, during the greater part of
which period he was foreman of the company's warehouse in Muskegon. In 1901 he purchased a farm on the old Float Bridge road,
and after there giving ten years of general farm industry, he removed to Muskegon Heights, where he was in the employ of the
Shaw Electric Crane Company until 1919, since which year he
has lived there retired. While residing on his farm he served as
supervisor and school director in Norton township, where he also
effected the organization of a fruit-growers' association. He is a
Democrat and is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He and his wife have a pleasant home at Muskegon Heights,
and their one other child is Mrs. R. C. Harper, of Muskegon. Dr.
Frederick H. Stauffer left the Muskegon public schools at the age
of fifteen years, and thereafter served eighteen months as an
apprentice in the works of the Shaw Electric Crane Company. He
next gave five years of service as assistant orderly in Hackley
Memorial Hospital, besides having charge of the hospital laundry.
From 1912 to 1917 he was again in the employ of the Shaw Electric
Crane Company, and during the nation's participation in the World
war he "did his bit" by acting as assistant production manager at
the factory of the Campbell-Wyant-Cannon Company. In 1920 -21 he was manager of the Wilson shoe store at Muskegon Heights,
and thereafter he completed the three years' prescribed course in
the Palmer School of Chiropractic, Davenport, Iowa, in which he
was graduated in March, 1924. He has since been engaged in
successful practice in his native county, and in his work he has
the most modern equipment and accessories, including a neurocalometer, a device that gives most positive results. The Doctor maintains his residence at Muskegon, where he and his wife are members of the First Christian Reformed Church. That he has high
place in popular confidence and esteem in his home city is shown
by the fact that he served seven years as a member of the municipal
council while living in Muskegon Heights. The Doctor is a Republican, is a member of the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce,
and is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen, the Moose, and the




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


281


Delta Sigma Phi college fraternity. He is an influential member
of the Muskegon County Chiropractic Association, the board of
directors of the Michigan Chiropractic Association, and the Universal Chiropractic Association. In 1910 Doctor Stauffer married
Miss Alice Drewes, of Muskegon, and of their three children one
died at the age of five years. The surviving children are Dorothy,
who was born February 12, 1913, and Frederick H., Jr., who was
born June 11, 1916.
Sylvester L. Stear  who is one of the progressive representatives of the real estate and insurance business at Muskegon Heights,
was born in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, February 9, 1882, and is
a scion of sterling families early founded in that section of the old
Keystone state, his parents, Gilbert L. and Nora A. (Blose) Stear,
having likewise been born in the Punxsutawney district, the former
in 1850 and the latter in 1860. In his earlier independent career Gilbert
L. Stear was a farmer in his native state, and he continued his residence
in Pennsylvania until 1910, since which year he and his wife have
maintained their home in Muskegon, where he is now living retired,
he having here been for ten years in the employ of the Shaw Electric
Crane Company. The other two children are Lawrence E. and Melvin
M. The public schools of his native place afforded Sylvester L. Stear
his youthful education, which was there supplemented by a commercial
course in a night school. For a time he was there employed in an
insurance office, and later he took a position with the American Bridge
Company in the city of Pittsburgh, where also he found opportunity for
a considerable amount of successful insurance work. In 1902 he,entered the service of the Great Prudential Life Insurance Company,
of Newark, New Jersey, he having been an agent for the company
eight months and having then been made assistant manager of its
Pittsburgh office. In 1913 he was made superintendent of the company's office and business in the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan, where
he remained two years. In 1915 Mr. Stear removed to Muskegon,
where for a time he was engaged independently in the real estate and
insurance business, as was he later, for two years, in Portland, Oregon.
After his sojourn in the west Mr. Stear' returned to Muskegon county,
and he is now one of the substantial exponents of real estate and insurance enterprise at Muskegon Heights, where he has a large and representative clientage. He is a member of the Muskegon Heights Board
of Trade, the Muskegon County Real Estate Board and National Association and the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce, is a Republican in
political alignment, and is affiliated with the Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks. In 1916 occurred the marriage of Mr. Stear to
Miss Myrtle M. France of Grand Rapids, and their one child is a
daughter, Thelma.
Walter Barlow Steele, D. D. S., is admirably fortified for the
successful practice of his profession, as his technical training has been
gained under the best of modern methods, and he has at his command
in his Muskegon office the most approved equipment and accessories in




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


both operative and laboratory departments. Doctor Steele was born
at DuBois, Clearfield county, Pennsylvania, August 20, 1893, and
was graduated from the Muskegon high school as a member
of the class of 1911. After his graduation from the high school he
gave four years of effective service as sporting editor and city editor
of the Muskegon Chronicle, but the lure of journalism was not sufficient to deflect him from the course of his ambition, which was to
enter the dental profession. He entered the department of dentistry
of the University of Michigan, and in the same he was graduated as
a member of the class of 1917. He thus received his degree of Doctor
of Dental Surgery shortly after the United States became involved
in the World war, and he forthwith was commissioned first lieutenant
in the dental corps of the United States Army. At Camp Sherman,
Ohio, he was assigned to the Ninety-fifth Division, from which he
was there later transferred to the One Hundred and Sixty-eighth Auxiliary Remount, in its dental department, his service in this connection
having there continued until the armistice brought the war to a close,
and he having received his honorable discharge in December, 1918.
Incidental to this service he was able to gain valuable experience in
the work of his profession and to familiarize himself with many advanced methods in dentistry that were brought forth in connection with
the war. After having rendered this patriotic service Doctor Steele
returned to Muskegon, where he has since been engaged successfully
in the practice of his profession, in which he is associated with Dr.
Charles H. Tannehill. He is a popular member of the Muskegon
Dental Society, the Century Club, the Exchange Club and the Muskegon Country Club, is affiliated with the American Legion, is a Republican in his political proclivities, and he and his wife hold membership
in the First Congregational church of their home city, where also they
are popular factors in the representative social activities of the community. June 20, 1918, was marked by the marriage of Doctor Steele
to Miss Frances H. Clover, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles S.
Clover, of Muskegon, and the two children of this union are Marjorie
Barlow and Tom Clover.
William Steiner. A well equipped electrical shop that is known
for its effective service is that owned and conducted by William Steiner
at 1138 South Third street in the city of Muskegon. In this city the
birth of Mr. Steiner occurred November 17, 1871, when the metropolis
of Muskegon county claimed lumbering operations as its chief industry.
He is a son of Matthew and Anna Steiner, both natives of Germany,
where the former was born in 1829 and the latter in 1831, they having
first settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, after coming to the United States
and their marriage having been there solemnized. In 1857 they became
pioneer settlers in Muskegon, which was then a lumbering town in a
section that was little developed save in connection with the lumber
industry, this line of enterprise having here engrossed the attention
of Matthew Steiner during the remainder of his active career. His
widow was one of the venerable and loved pioneer women of Muskegon
at the time when she passed away, in 1911. Matthew Steiner met his




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


283


death in an accident that occurred in the Roberts sawmill, in 1871.
The names of the other children of the family are here recorded:
Frank, Joseph, Matthew H., Lawrence and May. William Steiner
attended the Muskegon public schools until he was fifteen years old,
was thereafter employed for a time in a local factory, and he next
gave seven years of service in rafting logs down the river for the
Muskegon Booming Company. During a period of five years he was
employed as meat-cutter in local meat markets, and he then, in 1898,
entered the employ of the Citizens Telephone Company, with which
he was, engaged in outside construction work during a term of fourteen
years, or until 1902, when he engaged independently in business by
establishing his present electrical shop, in the conducting of which he
has met with marked success. He is a Republican, is affiliated with
the Elks, the Modern Woodmen of America, and the local Arbeiter
Club, and he and his wife are communicants of St. Mary's Catholic
church. August 20, 1900, Mr. Steiner was united in marriage to Miss
Mamie E. Dinan, and of the four children of this union three are
living: William Bernard, William and Elizabeth.
Ernest M. Stevens has developed in Muskegon a substantial
general insurance business, and maintains his well-appointed office at
807 Union National Bank building. He was born at Wilmot, New
Hampshire, April 29, 1889, and the other two children of the family
are Harold N. and Florence. He is a son of Charles E. and Lenny
(Phelps) Stevens, both likewise natives of New Hampshire, where
the former was born at Canaan, in 1864, and the latter at Wilmot,
in 1868, their home being now at Andover, New Hampshire, where
the father is actively engaged in the lumber business.  Charles E.
Stevens is a stalwart in the camp of the Republican party and is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Ernest M. Stevens
attended the public schools of Andover, New Hampshire, and there
he completed, in 1905, a course in Proctor Academy. In 1909 he completed a course in mechanical engineering in the University of New
Hampshire, and in the meanwhile he became prominent in athletic affairs. After his graduation in the university he became director of
athletics in the public schools of the city of Chicago. where he continued
his service until 1911, when he came to Muskegon and assumed the
position of teacher of mathematics in the high school, his incumbency
of this position having continued until 1916, and he having done much
to advance also the standard of athletics in the local schools. In 1916
he established himself in the insurance business, in which he now has
a large and representative clientage and a distinct standing as one of
the leading insurance men of the city. He is a loyal and active member of the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce, has membership in the
Century Club and the Muskegon Country Club, is a Republican in
political alignment, and is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity. In
the year 1913 Mr. Stevens married Miss Frances Farrell, of Manchester, New Hampshire, and their one child is a daughter, Louise.




284


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


Erick Strom, who has gained success and prestige as an enterprising contractor and builder in the city of Muskegon, with his home
at 1278 Palmer avenue, is able to revert to Sweden as the place of
his nativity, his birth having there occurred November 3, 1880, and
he being a son of Gabriel and Kristina Strom. His early education
was acquired in the schools of his native land, where also he learned
the carpenter's trade, besides having served two years in the Swedish
army, in consonance with the laws of the country. He continued in
the work of his trade in Sweden until 1903, when, as an ambitious youth
of twenty-two years, he came to the United States, made Michigan
his destination and settled in the city of Grand Rapids. There he
entered the employ of Hurst & Sons, a leading firm of:contractors
and builders, and he remained in Grand Rapids until 1912, he having
been made, in 1906, superintendent of the Appleyard & Johnson Construction Company. In 1912 he was employed by Mr. Banhagel as
superintendent of the erection of the administration building at the
Michigan School for the Deaf, at Flint, and in the early part of the
year 1914 he initiated his independent activities as a contractor, when
he took a contract in the erection of the administration building of
the Michigan Soldiers' Home, at Grand Rapids. He obtained also a
building contract at the Michigan School for the Blind, Lansing, and
in the capital city he erected also the club house at the plant of the
Reo Motor Company. In 1919 Mr. Strom took a contract for the
addition of four stories to the Occidental Hotel in Muskegon, this work
being of fire-proof order, he having engaged in business in this city
in 1917 and having here established his home in 1918. In 1920 he
built a part of the Grand Rapids plant of the Imperial Furniture Company, and in that year he completed his contract for the erection of
the new addition to the Occidental Hotel. In 1921-22 he built the
fine modern building of the Lumberman's National Bank, and other
important contracts filled by him have been the erection of the Bunker
junior high school building, the building now occupied by the Michigan
Washing Machine Company, the building of the American Enamel
Wire Company, and his organization erected the high school building
at Rockford, Michigan, he having passed two months in Europe while
this work was in progress, in 1922. In 1923 he erected the Wyoming
township high school. His activities as a contractor were through his
being a principal in the Strom-Johnson Construction Company of Grand
Rapids until 1924, since which time he has conducted operations under
the title of the Strom Construction Company, with headquarters in
Grand Rapids. Here he has recently completed the erection of the
building of the Muskegon tuberculosis sanitarium, and by the time
this edition is issued from the press he will have completed the erection
of the North Park school building in the city of Grand Rapids. Mr.
Strom has made a record of splendid achievement within the period
of his residence in Michigan and now has secure place as one of the
leading contractors and builders in this section of the state. He is
a Republican in politics, and is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity.
In 1905 Mr. Strom married Miss Alma C. Berg, of Grand Rapids,




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


285


and their one child is a son, Einar A., who was born in Grand Rapids
in 1908.
Martin Stuit is another of the native sons of Muskegon to become prominently identified with the industrial activities of the city,
as is evident when it is stated that he is here the secretary and treasurer of the Standard Malleable Iron Company. Mr. Stuit was born
in Muskegon, March 29, 1886, and in Holland each of his parents,
Bert and Anna (Waalkes) Stuit, was born in the year 1852, the former having been thirteen years old when he accompanied his parents
from the fair old Netherlands to the United States, where the family
home was established in Muskegon. Bert Stuit as a youth worked
in the sawmills of Muskegon, where the great lumbering operations
were then at their height, and later he was employed during a term of
years in the clothing store of S. A. Hocstra, he having thereafter been
associated with Martin Waalkes in the purchasing of the establishment
and business, in 1885, and they having conducted the enterprise until
it was sold to William McLoughton, in 1893. Later Bert Stuit entered
the employ of Callan & Son, and he has since continued as one of
the active and representative retail merchants of the city, his political
support being given to the Democratic party and he and his wife being
members of the Christian Reformed church. Of the other children
of the family it may be noted that the one daughter, Gertrude, is the
wife of James Brandt, of Muskegon; that John B. is in the postal
service in the city of Chicago; that Nelson holds a position in the
engineering department of the Continental Motors Corporation in Muskegon; and that Bert, Jr., likewise continues to reside in this city in
the employ of the Muskegon Chronicle. After his graduation in the
Muskegon high school, as a member of the class of 1903, Martin Stuit
completed a course in the Muskegon Business College, in which he
was graduated in 1904. Thereafter he was in the employ of the ShawWalker company about two years, after which he was associated, until
1910, with the Stewart-Hartshorn company. He was next with the
Muskegon Knitting Mills, until 1912, and thereafter continued in the
employ of the Langeland Manufacturing Company until 1914, when
he became bookkeeper in the Union National Bank. He next took
the position of bookkeeper of the Standard Malleable Iron Company,
and of this prosperous industrial corporation he has been the secretary
and treasurer since 1920. He is a member of the Muskegon Chamber
of Commerce, the Exchange Club and the Izaak Walton League, is
affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, is a Republican in politics, and
he and his wife hold membership in the Central Methodist Episcopal
Church. November 5, 1910, was marked by the marriage of Mr.
Stuit to Miss Minnie Margaret Markle, of Muskegon, and they have
a fine little son, Richard Gordon.
William E. Sweet has been a resident of Montague, Muskegon
county, since he was a child of three years and he now has secure
place as one of the representative merchants of this attractive village, as well as a loyal and public-spirited citizen. He was born




280


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


at Springport, Jackson county, Michigan, November 29, 1873, and
was three years old when he was brought to their home in Montague by his honored foster parents, the late James V. and Fanny
S. Sweet, to whom he continued to give filial love and solicitude
during the remainder of their lives, the death of James V. Sweet
having occurred here December 30, 1897, and his wife having
passed away November 19, 1893. James V. Sweet was born at
Solon, New York, June 25, 1837, and his wife, whose family name
was Wheaton, was born at Colon, that state, April 17, 1835, their
marriage having been solemnized May 3, 1854, and all of the three
children of this union having died in infancy. James V. Sweet
and his wife were honored pioneers of Muskegon county, where
they early made settlement at Montague, on White lake, and where
they passed the remainder of their lives, secure in the high regard
of all who knew them. Mr. Sweet was a carpenter and joiner by trade,
and was for many years a successful contractor and builder at Montague. In the public schools of Montague, William E. Sweet continued his studies until he completed the work of the twelfth grade,
or high school curriculum, in June, 1892. In the spring of the following year he found employment in the general store of G. H.
Mason, and during the summer resort seasons from 1896 to 1900,
inclusive, he had charge of the grocery store conducted by Mr.
Mason at Michilanda. On the first of March, 1901, he purchased
the stock, fixtures and business of the Mason store at Montague,
and thus he now conducts business in the same location that he
started his service as a clerk when he was nineteen years of age.
It is interesting to record that his only son is now associated with
him in the business, as junior member of the firm of W. E. Sweet
& Son, which was formed May 1, 1922, and which conducts one
of the leading mercantile establishments of this section of Muskegon county. February 5, 1898, Mr. Sweet was united in marriage
to Miss Amelia Mickelson, of Montague, and they have two children: Frederick W., born February 23, 1899, and Doris E., born
November 4, 1901.
Charles H. Tannehill, D. D. S. In his attractively appointed
offices, on the sixth floor of the Union National Bank building in
the city of Muskegon, Doctor Tannehill has the most modern of
equipment in both the operative and laboratory departments, and
all this is supplemented by the technical skill that enables him to
give the best of service according to the most, approved methods
of modern dental science. The Doctor was born at Hicksville,
Defiance county, Ohio, November 5, 1879, and is a son of Dr.
Charles V. and Ella (Schwily) Tannehill, both likewise natives of
that county, where the former was born in 1853 and the latter in
1859,.their one other child being a daughter who died in infancy.
Dr. Charles V. Tannehill profited by the advantages of the public
schools of his native county, and as a young man he gained the
theoretical and practical knowledge that well equipped him for
the practice of dentistry, this discipline, as was the common custom




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


287


in that period, having been gained in the office of a practicing
dentist. He continued in the work of his profession in Ohio until
1905. when he came to Muskegon, Michigan, where he conducted
a substantial professional practice until his death, in 1917, the wife
of his young manhood having passed away in 1881 and both having
been members of the Methodist Episcopal church. The Doctor
was a Republican in political allegiance, was affiliated with the
Masonic fraternity, the Elks and the Knights of Pythias, as well
as with various professional organizations. In the high school of
his native place in the old Buckeye state Dr. Charles H. Tannehill
was graduated in 1898, and thereafter he completed the prescribed
three years' course in the dental department of the University of
Michigan, in which he was graduated as a member of the class
of 1901. After thus receiving his degree of Doctor of Dental
Surgery he was favored in becoming associated with his father,
whose long experience had made him a skilled and resourceful exponent of dental science, and the subject of this review was thus
allied with his father in practice at Hicksville, Ohio,'until 1904,
when he came to Muskegon and opened an office in the Mason
block. Upon the completion of the fine new building of the Union
National Bank he obtained and removed to his present attractive
offices in that modern structure. His substantial and representative professional business indicates the popular estimate placed
upon him as a citizen and as a skilled dentist whose professional
stewardship is marked by utmost loyalty. The Doctor is found
alligned in the ranks of the Republican party, and is affiliated with
the Masonic fraternity and the Benevolent and Protective Order
of Elks. He and his wife attend and support St. Paul's church,
Protestant Episcopal. On the 9th of November, 1906, was solemnized the marriage of Doctor Tannehill to Miss Frances D. Barney,
of Muskegon, Michigan, and they are popular factors in the representative social activities of their home city.
Harold W. Taylor, who is one of the executive principals of
the Muskegon Radio & Specialty Company, and who is one of the
popular business men of the younger generation in the city of
Muskegon, is able to revert to the metropolis of Wisconsin as the
place of his nativity, his birth having occurred in the city of Milwaukee on the 16th of June, 1893. He is the one son in a family
of three children, the other two being Florence and Marjorie. The
parents, Oliver B. and Cora (Estes) Taylor, were born in Michigan and had maintained their home in Muskegon prior to removal
to Milwaukee. A few years after the birth of their only son
they again established their residence in Muskegon, where they
still maintain their home. Harold W. Taylor is indebted to the
public schools of Muskegon for his youthful education. During a
period of fourteen years he has been a close student of electrical
science as applied to the radio, and it is virtually certain that the
first amateur radio set to be placed in operation in Muskegon was
that installed and owned by him. He has broad and accurate




288


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


knowledge of the science and its practical details, is an enthusiast
in the same and an authority in much that pertains to the technical
and mechanical features of the science, so that he was well fortified when, in 1922, he became associated with his father and with
Carl Stargardt in the organization of the Muskegon Radio &
Specialty Company, the factory and officers of which are established on Muskegon's fine Lake Shore Drive. The company is
proving a valuable acquisition to the industrial activities of Muskegon and has developed a substantial and prosperous business
that is constantly expanding in scope. Mr. Taylor is a loyal
member of the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce, is aligned in the
ranks of the Republican party, and he holds membership in the
Congregational church and his wife is a member of the Lutheran
church. June 12, 1917, Mr. Taylor wedded Miss Martha Meier,
daughter of Ludwig Meier. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor have a winsome
daughter, Haroldine, who maintains somewhat autocratic sway
in the attractive home.
Garrett Henry Tellman, D. D. S., is one of the prominent representatives of his profession in Muskegon, with well equipped
offices in the Hackley National Bank building. Doctor Tellman
was born at Fillmore, Allegan county, Michigan, January 24, 1874,
a son of Henry and Mary (Wagner) Tellman, both of whom were
born in Holland in the year 1837. Henry Tellman was eleven
years old when he accompanied his parents to the United States the
family home being established in Allegan county. He early began work in the sawmills and eventually became the owner of a
mill operating the same until it was destroyed by fire. In 1881 he
came to Muskegon and for many years was employed in the mills
of the Hackley & Hume Lumber Company. He was one of the
well known and highly honored citizens of Muskegon at the time
of his death, December 31, 1904. He was a Republican and he
and his wife were members of the Reformed church. They were
the parents of three sons and five daughters. Doctor Tellman attended the Muskegon public schools and then spent two years at
Hope College at Holland, Michigan, taking a preparatory course
in dentistry, and in 1905 he graduated from the dental department
of Northwestern University, at Chicago. In the same year he
opened an office in Muskegon and here he has met with success
in his chosen profession. He is a member of the National Dental
Association, the Michigan State Dental Society and the Muskegon
County Dental Society. He is a Republican in Politics and he
and his wife are members of the Second Reformed Church in
their home city, and he has membership in the local Chamber of
Commerce and the Knickerbocker Club. In the year 1907 was
solemnized the marriage of Doctor Tellman and Miss Mae Workman, of Chicago, and their two children are Kathryn E. and Henry
Clay.




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


289


M. Dale Tenny is one of the progressive young business men
of his native city of Muskegon, where he is associated with his
father in the heating, plumbing and electrical supply business, to
the active management of which he is assigned, the enterprise, with
location at 57 Broadway, being conducted under the title of the
W. L. Tenny Company. Mr. Tenny was born in Muskegon, November 21, 1902, and is a son of Warren L. and Alma (Mitchell)
Tenny, the former of whom was born at Marne, Ottawa county,
Michigan, December 20, 1869, and the latter of whom was born
in Ohio, April 19, 1873. The one other child of the family is
Alice M., who was born January 25, 1912. Warren L. Tenny is
indebted to the public schools of Michigan for his early education,
and as a youth he was employed a number of years in the lumber
mills of this section of the state. When fifteen years old he
learned the photographic business, served an apprenticeship and
followed the business for thirty years. During part of this time
he was associated a number of years with the Shaw Electric Crane
Company, in which connection he gained practical experience in
the technicalities of applied electricity. He eventually became one
of the principals in the March & Tenny Company, which engaged
in the manufacturing of drinking fountains, and with this industry
he continued his active association until 1912, when he established
the business in which he now has his only son as a valued coadjutor.
lIe is a Republican, is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and
the Knights of the Maccabees, and he and his wife are members
of the Methodist Episcopal church at Muskegon Heights, where
they maintain their home. In 1922 M. Dale Tenny was graduated
in the Huskegon Heights high school, and he forthwith became
associated with his father's business, in which he is proving himself a resourceful and efficient executive. He likewise pays allegiance to the Republican party, and he is an active and popular member of the Muskegon Heights Board of Trade. In June, 1923, Mr.
Tenny wedded Miss Dorothy Fraker, of Utica, New York, and they
have a winsome little daughter, Barbara June, who was born
August 9, 1924.
Bert R. Terry is president of the Terry Tea Company, a well
ordered wholesale concern that adds its quota to the precedence of
Muskegon as a commercial distributing center. Mr. Terry was born
at Gowen, Montcalm county, Michigan, August 20, 1878, and is a son
of Charles H. and Eleanor M. (Dyer) Terry, both of whom are deceased, the father's family having come from England and the Dyer
family having early been founded in the state of New York. The
subject of this review was the fourth in order of birth in a family of
five children: Frank A. is a resident of Tacoma, Washington; Mrs.
Minnie Stoneburner resides in Sacramento, California; Mrs. Lillian
M. Madden maintains her home at Alma, Michigan; and Frederick C.
was a resident of Tacoma, Washington, at the time of his death. The
public schools of Michigan afforded Bert R. Terry his youthful education, and he was about twenty-six years of age when, in 1904, he




290


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


came to Muskegon to assume the position of manager of the Reliable
Tea Company. He retained this position until 1907, when he effected
the organization of the Terry Tea Company, which conducted both
a wholesale and retail business at 21 South First street, until 1924, in
the early part of which year the retail department was sold, the company having since confined its operations to the wholesale trade, and
now having large and well-equipped headquarters at 491 West Western
avenue. The concern controls a substantial business throughout the
trade territory normally tributary to Muskegon and is one of the progressive and solid corporations of the city. E. J. Buckley is vicepresident of the company, and C. A. Larnard is its secretary and treasurer. Mr. Terry is a Republican in his political proclivities, is a member of the United Commercial Travelers, and in the Masonic fraternity
he is affiliated with the local blue lodge, chapter and council of the
York Rite and also with the White Shrine. In 1901 he married Miss
Estelle Adele Emery, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and they have two
daughters, Virginia and Calla E.
William L. Thiedeman, D. D. S. In the work of his profession,
which represents both a science and a mechanical art, Doctor Thiedeman
brings to bear technical skill and the best of modern equipment in both
operative and laboratory departments of his office, which is in the
Rosen building in the city of Muskegon. Doctor Thiedeman was born
at Plymouth, Wisconsin, July 11, 1885, and is a son of Herman F.
and Minnie B. Thiedeman, the former of whom was likewise born
at Plymouth and the latter of whom was born at Cleveland, Wisconsin,
in which state both families were founded in the pioneer days. Herman
F. Thiedeman was employed twenty years as roadmaster for the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, and from 1893 to 1907 he
owned and conducted at Plymouth the hotel known as the Wisconsin
House. Thereafter he was engaged in the restaurant business at Hartford, Wisconsin, five years, and after selling this business he was again
in the employ of the same railroad company until his death, in 1922,
his wife having passed away in the following year and both having
been zealous communicants of the German Lutheran church. They are
survived by two children, of whom Dr. William L., of this review,
is the elder, the younger son, Edwin, who was born in 1895, being still
a resident of Wisconsin. In the high school of his native place Doctor
Thiedeman was graduated in 1899, and in the autumn of the same year
he was matriculated in Marquette University, at Milwaukee, where he
completed a three years' course in the dental department and a three
years' course in the medical department. Thus doubly fortified, he
was graduated as a member of the class of 1905, with which he duly
received his degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery. Thereafter he completed a post-graduate course of one year in the dental department of
Northwestern University, Chicago, and in the period of 1906-08 he
was engaged in the practice of dentistry in the city of Milwaukee.
During the next five years he had his professional headquarters at
Mereford, Wisconsin. He then removed to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin,
where he practiced three years, next going to Manitowoc, that state,




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


291


where he remained five years, 1916-21. In July, 1921, Doctor Thiedeman came to Muskegon and established a dental clinic in the Rosen
building. He maintained this clinic one year, and then engaged in
the regular practice of dentistry, in the same location, where his skill
and his personality have combined to gain to him a substantial and
representative practice. He keeps in the closest of touch with the
advances made in dental science and is a member of various professional organizations. His political allegiance is given to the Republican
party, he is affiliated with the Loyal Order of Moose, and he and his
wife are communicants of the Protestant Episcopal church. In 1908
was solemnized the marriage of Doctor Thiedeman to Miss Emma
Zellingang, of Chicago, and they have five children: John, Doris, Zoe,
Mary and Carroll.
Eugene Sharpe Thornton, M. D., has made a record of effective
professional achievement during the period of his residence in the city
of Muskegon, where he has been actively engaged in practice since 1916,
save for the period of his service in the medical corps of the United
States Army in the World war period. That he has gained rank as
a skilled surgeon needs no further voucher than the statement that he
is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. In the line of his
profession he is affiliated also with the American Medical Association,
the Michigan State Medical Society and the Muskegon County Medical
Society. Doctor Thornton was born at Lebanon, Boone county, Indiana, January 11, 1886, and is a son of Charles Albert and Emma (Kerndole) Thornton, the former of whom was engaged in the drug business
at Lebanon at the time of his death, his widow being still a resident
of that attractive little Indiana city. Of the two children who survive
the father, Doctor Eugene S., of this review, is the younger, and his
brother, Harry J., is the editor of the Board of Trade Journal of Louisville, Kentucky. After completing the curriculum of the public schools
of his native town, Doctor Thornton entered Wabash College, one of
the excellent educational institutions of Indiana, and in the same he
was graduated as a member of the class of 1909 and with the degree
of Bachelor of Arts. Thus fortified along academic lines, he followed
the course of his ambition and began preparation for the work of his
chosen profession. In 1916 he was graduated in the medical department of the University of Michigan, and shortly after thus receiving
his degree of Doctor of Medicine he opened an office in Muskegon,
which city has since continued the stage of his able and loyal professional activities. When the nation became involved in the great World
war, Doctor Thornton subordinated his personal interests to the call
of patriotism, and volunteered for service in the medical corps of the
United States Army. At Camp Custer, near Battle Creek, Michigan,
he gained the rank of first lieutenant in the medical corps, and from
that military headquarters he was eventually assigned to duty in medical research work at the great Rockefeller Institute, New York City,
where he continued in service until the armistice brought the war to
a close. After receiving his honorable discharge Doctor Thornton
resumed the practice of his profession in Muskegon, his experience in




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EHISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


the army having definitely added to his splendid fortification for the
work of his exacting vocation. The Doctor is affiliated with both York
and Scottish Rite bodies of the Masonic fraternity, besides being a
Noble of the Mystic Shrine, and in his home city he has membership
in the Chamber of Commerce and the Kiwanis Club. His political
alignment is in the ranks of the Democratic party, and he and his wife
are members of the Congregational church. October 26, 1918, was
marked by the marriage of Doctor Thornton to Miss Winifred Sheldon,
of Muskegon, and the one child of this union is a sturdy son, Edgar
Sheldon.
Harold McBride Thurston is one of the representative and influential business men of the younger generation in MIuskegon, where
he is president of the Muskegon Trust Company, one of the important
financial institutions of western Michigan. Mr. Thurston was born at
Fremont, Newaygo county, this state, October 25, 1890, and the
younger of the two children of Arthur R. and Charlotte (McBride)
Thurston, the former of whom was born at Colebrook, Connecticut,
April 12, 1848, and the latter at Kalamazoo, Michigan, March 20, 1855.
The elder of the two children was Mildred Seymour, who was born
May 25, 1888, and who died in Detroit, Michigan, January 14, 1919.
Arthur R. Thurston received good educational advantages in his youth,
including those of the excellent preparatory school at Winsted, Connecticut. He continued his residence in his native state until 1882,
when he came to Fremont, Michigan, where he remained until 1894
and where he served as bookkeeper for various lumber concerns. In
1894 he moved to Muskegon, where he continued to reside until his
death, April 5, 1905, and the death of his widow occurred January 7,
1914. He was a Republican in his political allegiance and he and his
wife were members of the Congregational church. Harold McBride
Thurston was graduated in the Muskegon high school in 1909, and
thereafter he completed an academic or literary course in historic old
Harvard University, in which he was graduated as a member of the
class of 1916 and with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. While a student
in the high school he had been employed two years in the Muskegon
Savings Bank and three years thereafter until entering Harvard University. After his graduation from the university Mr. Thurston took
the position as assistant to the president of the Manufacturers' Commercial Company, a private banking concern in New York City, where
he thus continued from 1916 to January 1, 1920, save for the year
during which he held the commission of educational secretary of the
Y. M. C. A. at Camp Greene, Charlotte, North Carolina, in the World
war period, his services having included also that of associate personal
secretary of the Y. M. C. A., in the national metropolis. In 1920
Mr. Thurston accepted the position of manager of the investing companies division in the bond department of Henry L. Doherty Company,
60 Wall street, New York City, but in September of that year he returned to Muskegon and with Fred W. Riblet effected the organization
and corporation of the Muskegon Trust Company, of which he served
as vice-president and secretary until December, 1924, when he was




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


293


elected to succeed Mr. Riblet as president of the company. Mr. Thurston is otherwise prominent in connection with civic and social affairs
in his home city, where he is an active member of the Chamber of
Commerce and the Kiwanis Club, secretary of the Old People's Home
and the local chapter of the Red Cross, treasurer of the Children's
Home Camp, president of the Muskegon Country Club, and a member
of the Century Club. The principles of the Republican party have his
loyal support, and he is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity. He also
holds membership in the First Congregational Church, while his wife
belongs to St. Paul's Episcopal Church. In June, 1917, Mr. Thurston
was united in marriage to Miss Shirley Smith, of Muskegon, and they
have three children, Harold McBride, Jr., Ann Merrill and Patricia
Biddulph. Mrs. Thurston is a granddaughter. of Elias W. Merrill,
one of the very early and prominent citizens of Muskegon.
Emil J. Torbeson, who owns and conducts one of the leading
drug stores in the city of Muskegon, is a native son of Michigan and
a representative of a family that has here given excellent account for
itself. It is interesting to note that the family name is one of special
prominence in connection with the drug business in Michigan. He is
one of the five sons in the family, and all but one of the number are
representatives of the retail drug trade, with combined precedence as
owners and conductors of eight well-equipped drug stores-two at Ludington, three in Muskegon, and one each at Cadillac, Baldwin and
Remus. Concerning the other brothers it is to be recorded that Sahlmark is a druggist at Ludington, where he has prominence also in
banking enterprise; that Arvid, the only one of the number not associated with the drug business, is foreman and shipping clerk in a factory at Ludington; that Nels is a druggist at Remus; and that Peter
is a druggist and banker at Cadillac. The three sisters are Mrs. William Hall, of Ludington; Mrs. Frederick Drew, of Des Moines, Iowa;
and Mrs. Edward Bengston, of Ludington. Emil J. Torbeson was
born at Ludington, judicial center of Mason county, Michigan, April
29, 1890, his parents being August and Emma Torbeson, both natives
of Sweden, where the former was born in 1855 and the latter in 1845.
August Torbeson, now a resident of Ludington, was reared and educated in his native land and was an ambitious young man when he came
to the United States and established his residence at Ludington, Michigan, in 1871. He was for many years associated with lumbering operations in that section of the state and he is now living retired, save for the
active assistance that he gives in the drug store of his son Sahlmark.
He is a Republican in politics and an earnest communicant of thee
Swedish Lutheran church. The mother is deceased. She too was a
member of the same church. After his graduation in the Ludington
high school Emil J. Torbeson took a one-year course in pharmacy at
Ferris Institute, Big Rapids, and he then took a position in the drug
store of his brother Sahlmark, at Ludington. He continued to be associated with his brother until 1916, when he came to Muskegon and
purchased the well-established drug store and business of F. G. Neumeister, at 117 West Western avenue, where he has since continued the




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


enterprise with distinctive success. In 1923 he purchased from the
Chase estate the Chase drug store on Peck street, and this he has since
continued to conduct, he and his brother Peter being the owners of
the building in which this drug store is established and also of the
building next, to the west. The. loyal progressiveness of Mr. Torbeson
finds expression through his active association with the Muskegon
Chamber of Commerce and his membership also in the Exchange Club,
of which he served two terms as president. He is affiliated with the
Masonic fraternity and the Knights of Pythias, is a communicant of
the Swedish Lutheran church, in the faith of which he was reared,
and his wife holds membership in the Congregational church. February 23, 1915, Mr. Torbeson was united in marriage to Miss Pearl Hansen, of Ludington, and the one child of this union is a son, Robert
Clinton, who was born in the year 1921.
Frederick Alexander Towner, who owns and operates well
equipped sheet metal works in the city of Muskegon and who has here
developed a substantial and prosperous business through the medium
of effective service, was born at Willsboro, Essex county, New York,
January 5, 1867, the same town having figured as the birthplace of
his parents, Charles and Margaret (McGee) Towner, the former of
whom was born in 1815 and the latter in 1827. -After having been
for a number of years employed as a skilled bookkeeper in his native
place, Charles Towner was appointed postmaster of Willsboro, under
the administration of President Polk, when postage of ten cents was
required for the dispatching of each letter. He kept a general store
in connection with the postoffice, and later he was for a number of
years a successful teacher in the schools of his native county. He continued his residence at Willsboro until his death, in 1890, and there
the death of his widow occurred in 1893, both having been earnest
members of the Presbyterian church, and he having been a staunch
advocate of the principles of the Democratic party. Of the children
the subject of this sketch was the youngest in order of birth, and the
names of the others are here recorded: Marian, Sarah, William A.,
Nellie, George B., Kate and Emma. William A. and George B. Towner
were the founders of the Towner Hardware Company, long one of
the leading concerns of its kind in Muskegon, and here the death of
William A. occurred in 1910. The parents of Mrs. Margaret (McGee)
Towner came from the Highlands of Scotland and were pioneer settlers
at Willsboro, New York, the father having been a representative of
the nobility in Scotland, where he had been known as Laird McGee.
Frederick A. Towner attended the public schools of his native place
until he was sixteen years old, and in 1890 he came to Muskegon and
took a position in the hardware store of his brothers, but the death
of his father occurred about a year later and he returned to Willsboro
to care for his widowed mother, with whom he remained until her
death, in 1893. In the meanwhile he was there employed by a sheet
metal concern. Later he was engaged in sheet metal work for the
New York-Pennsylvania Paper Company, and two years later he resumed his association with the J. J. Rogers Company, with which he




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


295


had gained his initial experience as a sheet metal artisan. From 1893
to 1906 he was foreman of the sheet metal and lead-burning departments of this concern, and in the latter year he returned to Muskegon,
where for the ensuing six years he was associated with the hardware
business of his brothers. In 1912 Mr. Towner purchased two lots on
Jefferson street, and there erected the attractive modern house that
is now his place of residence. On one of the lots he built a shop for
sheet metal work, and he now has one of the well-equipped sheet metal
plants in Muskegon county, all work here turned out being of the
highest grade and the enterprise being one that contributes not a little
to the industrial facilities and prestige of Muskegon. Mr. Towner is
an active member of the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce, is a Republican in politics, and he and his wife are members of the Methodist
Episcopal church at Muskegon Heights. In the Masonic fraternity he
is affiliated with both York and Scottish Rite bodies and also the Mystic
Shrine, his ancient craft membership being in Lovelmore Lodge No.
182, F. and A. M., of Muskegon. He is a member also of the Knights
of Pythias and the Independent Order of Foresters. In 1910 Mr.
Towner wedded Miss Winifred Cook, of Muskegon, and she died
October 19, 1919, leaving no children. The second marriage of Mr.
Towner was with Miss Josephine Hartgerink, of Zeeland, Ottawa
county, and their one child is a daughter, Clavera, born August 12, 1924.
Jerome E. Turner holds rank as one of the veteran and honored
members of the bar of Muskegon county, where he initiated the
practice of law more than forty years ago. He has served, with
characteristic loyalty and ability, in various offices of public trust,
and since 1916 has been on the bench of the police court of Muskegon. Judge Turner was born at Howell, judicial center of Livingston county, Michigan, December 29, 1858, and is a son of the late
Jerome W. and Martha F. Turner, who were honored pioneer
citizens of Michigan and who were residents of Owosso, this state,
at the time of their death. The public schools of Owosso, Shiawassee county, afforded Judge Turner the major part of his preliminary education, which was supplemented by his attending the
University of Michigan during a period of two years. He then
began the study of law under the preceptorship of the representative Detroit law firm of Maybury & Conley, and he made substantial
advancement in his absorption and assimilation of the involved
science of jurisprudence, with the result that in December, 1882, he
proved himself eligible for and was admitted to the bar of his
native state. He forthwith engaged in the practice of his profession in Shiawassee county, afterwards moving to Muskegon, and
this has been the stage of his loyal and effective stewardship during the long intervening years. In 1890 Judge Turner was elected
city attorney of Muskegon Heights, and, by successive re-elections,
he retained this office eleven years. In 1905 he was elected a representative of Muskegon county in the Michigan legislature, and
the popular estimate placed upon his service in this office was
shown in his re-election in 1907. From 1907 to 1916 he was es



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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


tablished in the general practice of law in Muskegon, and in the
latter year he was elected police judge, the office of which he has
since continued the incumbent. Judge Turner is one of the veteran
and influential members of the Muskegon County Bar Association,
of which he has served as president, and he has membership also
in the Michigan Bar Association and the American Bar Association. He has always been a stalwart in the ranks of the Republican party and has wielded much influence in its councils and campaign activities in this section of Michigan. He and his wife are
zealous members of the Central Methodist Church, and he is a
member of the Lions Club in his home city. In the year 1911 was
solemnized the marriage of Judge Turner to Mrs. Bessie Perry
Fishbeck, and the two children of this union are sons, William H.
and Denham R.    Judge Turner has stood exponent of broadminded and progressive citizenship, and in all of the relations of
his earnest and constructive career his influence has been distinctly
helpful. He is tolerant in judgment, and places true estimates on
his fellow men and upon human thought and action, so that he has
been well fortified for leadership in popular sentiment and service.
Willard J. Turner has been engaged in the practice of law in
Muskegon during the past thirty-five years, has built up a substantial and important general law business, and is one of the
representative members of the Muskegon county bar. He has
made a record of successful achievement in the profession of which
his father was long an honored representative in Michigan. Mr.
Turner has his suite of law offices in the LaWrence building, where
he has maintained headquarters during the past twenty-six years.
Willard J. Turner was born at Corunna, judicial center of Shiawassee county, Michigan, July 30, 1861, and is a son of Jerome W.
and Martha Frances (Gregory) Turner, the former of whom was
born in Vermont, in 1836, and the latter of whom was born at
Saline, Washtenaw county, Michigan, in 1837, the year that marked
the admission of the state to the Union. In the year following that
of the birth of Jerome W. Turner his parents came to the new state
of Michigan and established their home at Howell, Livingston
county, and his father, Josiah Turner, was not only one of the
leading pioneer lawyers of Michigan but also served a number of
years as judge on the bench of the circuit court. Jerome W. Turner was a graduate of Michigan University with the degree of
Master of Art. He was admitted to the bar in 1867, when he was
twenty-one years of age and thereafter practiced at Owosso and
Corunna for many years. He long held precedence as one of the
foremost members of the bar of Shiawassee county, and continued
to maintain his home at Owosso until his death, in 1901, his widow
having there passed away in 1911. Jerome W. Turner was for
many years an influential figure in Michigan political affairs, and
was a leader in the councils of the Republican party. Of his ten
children two died in infancy, the only surviving daughter, Eva,
is the wife of Edwin Decker and resides in the city of Lansing.




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


297


Another son, Edward E. Turner, was prosecuting attorney of
Oscoda county, at the time of his death, and besides Willard J., of
this review, only five other of the sons are now living. In the
public schools of Owosso, Willard J. Turner continued his studies
until his graduation in the high school, as a member of the class
of 1878, and thereafter he was signally favored in carrying forward
his study of law under the able and scrupulous preceptorship of
his father. He was admitted to the bar in 1882, and while studying law he had fortified himself also in the study of Latin and
Greek, under the direction of a private tutor. From 1882 to 1889
he was engaged in the practice of his profession at Owosso, and he
then removed to Lake City, judicial center of Missaukee county,
where he was engaged in practice one year. In 1890 he engaged in
practice at Muskegon, where he remained until 1894. He thereafter was in practice in Detroit about two years, and since 1895 he
has continuously been established in active general practice in
Muskegon, he being now next to the oldest member of the Muskegon county bar. Mr. Turner has never wavered in his allegiance
to the Republican party though he has consented to hold no offices
save those in line with his profession. He served two terms as
circuit court commissioner in Shiawassee county, was for one
year acting prosecuting attorney of Missaukee county, and he held
for two terms the office of city attorney of Muskegon and one as
county prosecuting attorney. In a fraternal way he is affiliated
with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In 1885 Mr. Turner
was united in marriage to Miss Louise G. Gute, of Owosso, and
they have three children: Williard G., Jr., was born July 13, 1886,
and is now a resident of Muskegon, where he is engaged in the
practice of law; Margaret is the wife of Samuel A. Jackson, M.D.,
of Muskegon, and John G., who was born October 18, 1895, is
now associated with his father in the practice of law, as a representative of the fourth generation of the Turner family in the
legal profession in Michigan. Mrs. Turner and the children are
members of the Congregational church.
Willard G. Turner, Jr., is making a record of successful stewardship in the legal profession, and is one of the representative younger members of the bar of his home city and county, his father having long been a leading lawyer in Muskegon. Prior to turning
his attention to the law as a vocation Mr. Turner had gained high
reputation in connection with newspaper editorial work, in which
he manifested much versatility. Mr. Turner was born in Owosso,
metropolis of Shiawassee county, Michigan, July 13, 1886, and is
a son of Willard J. and Louise (Gute) Turner, the former of whom
was born at Howell, this state, July 30, 1863, and the latter of whom
was born at Owosso, both families having been founded in Michigan in the pioneer period of the history of this state. In the Muskegon high school Willard G. Turner, Jr., was graduated. in 1905,
and in the following year he was here graduated in the Hackley
Manual Training School. He was a student in the law department




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


of the University of Michigan in 1907, and he then returned to
Muskegon and identified himself with local newspaper work, in
which he continued until 1915. Within this period he served as
city.editor of the Muskegon Morning News, later in a similar
capacity with the Muskegon Daily Times, and in the closing term
of his service here he was associated with the Muskegon Chronicle.
In the meanwhile he had made a record of admirable work as a
special staff writer for the Chicago Tribune, the Detroit News, the
Milwaukee Wisconsin and the New York World. In 1915 he resumed the study of law, and at this time he was favored in having
the able and punctilious preceptorship of his father.  He made
rapid progress in his absorption and assimilation of the science of
jurisprudence, and in 1917 he passed the examination that gave
him admission to the bar of his native state. He opened an office
in the Lawrence building, where he remained until August 2, 1923,
when he assumed his present spacious and attractive office headquarters, the entire third floor of the Lumberman's National Bank
building. Mr. Turner has built up a substantial and representative
law business of general order, and he has as students in his office
in 1925 three ambitious young men, Ray J. Engle, R. Burr Cochran,
and Paul L. Nelson, each of whom, when admitted to the bar, will
be admitted to partnership in his law business. Mr. Turner is
a stalwart advocate of the principles of the Republican party, and
is an active member of the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce and
the Exchange Club, he having been one of the organizers of the
last named club and having served as its first president. The marriage of Mr. Turner to Miss Mathilde C. Morin, of Muskegon, was
solemnized March 18, 1908, and they have two children: Louise
R., born July 7, 1909, and Jane N., born December 7, 1912.
George Earl Turrell is one of the vital young business men of
his native city of Muskegon Heights, where he is now associated
in the management of the general and important transfer business
that was established by his father more than thirty years ago.
Here G. Earl Turrell was born August 26, 1902, the only son of
William and Lizzie (Hamblin) Turrell, both natives of Romeo,
Macomb county, Michigan, where the former was born in 1862
and the latter in 1868, they having been reared and educated in
that county, where their marriage was solemnized, and whence
they came to Muskegon Heights in the year 1872. Upon coming
to Muskegon Heights, William Turrell here took the position of
stationary engineer at the plant of the Morton Manufacturing Company, and he remained with this industrial corporation until 1908,
when, with an equipment of one team and one wagon, he engaged
in the transfer business. The expansion of his business soon required additional teams and wagons, and finally he kept in line
with modern advancement by replacing his teams with motor
trucks, the business now basing its operations on equipment of
the best modern type. The reputation that Mr. Turrell has long
held in the giving of careful, prompt and reliable service, constitutes




,L


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY               299
one of the best assets of this old established trucking and transfer
business, the major part of the operations being in connection with
the local manufacturing plants, and the son, G. Earl, being now a
partner in the business. William Turrell is one of the substantial
and public spirited citizens of Muskegon Heights and his political
allegiance is given to the Republican party. In the public schools
of his native city G. Earl Turrell continued his studies until his
graduation in the high school, as a member of the class of 1919,
and thereafter he was employed one year as a draftsman in the
offices of the Shaw Electric Crane Company. He then, in 1920,
became associated with his father in business, and in this connection he is making an excellent record as the resourceful coadjutor
of his father. He is a Republican and is affiliated with the Masonic
fraternity, the while he is a popular figure in the social activities
of his home city. On April 18, 1925, Mr. Turrell married Miss
Rebecca Bush, of Whitehall, Michigan.
Arthur J. Vallier. Through his skill and his effective service
as a painter and decorator Mr. Vallier has built up a prosperous
and representative business in the city of Muskegon, where he
maintains his home at 1514 Sanford street. He is of sterling French
lineage and is a native of Montreal, Canada, where he was born
February 17, 1879, a son of Joseph and Martha Vallier, both likewise natives of Montreal, where the former was born in 1860 and
the latter in 1863. Joseph Vallier, a carriage painter by trade and
vocation, came with his family to Muskegon in 1879, the year in
which his son Arthur J., of this review, was born, and here he was
for many years employed as a skilled painter in the establishment
of the Hutchinson Carriage Company, with which he continued
his association until his death, in 1903, his widow having here
died in 1917, and both having been devout communicants of the
Catholic church. They are survived also by three daughters, Rose,
Pearl and Clara. Arthur J. Vallier was fourteen years old when
he completed the studies of the eighth grade in the Muskegon public schools, and thereafter he worked one year as a painter for the
John Hutchinson Carriage Company, under the direction of his
father. In 1893 he entered the employ of Frank Wachsmuth, a
leading painter and decorator, with whom he remained eight years.
Thereafter he was in similar service with G. V. Panyard & Company until 1920, since which year he has been successfully established in independent business as a painter and interior decorator,
his business having been extended even outside the borders of
Muskegon county. Mr. Vallier is a Republican in political adherence, and he and his wife are communicants of the Catholic
church of St. John the Baptist, besides which he is affiliated with
the Knights of Columbus. The marriage of Mr. Vallier to Miss
Edwidge Dion, of Muskegon, was solemnized February 15, 1900,
and of their ten children eight are living, namely: Edward, Gerard,
Wilfred, Robert Louis, Annette, Beatrice, Genevieve and Paul
James.




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


Charles J. VanderVeldeis one of the vital, progressive business
men of Muskegon Heights. His rise, while not meteoric, has been
steady and consistent, until now he is a co-partner and general
manager of one of the livest and fastest growing business organizations in either Muskegon or Muskegon Heights, the "Muskegon
Heights Furniture Company." He has risen from office boy and
general factotum at thirteen to the title and position outlined above
in seventeen years. Mr. VanderVelde was born in Muskegon,
January 16, 1890. He is the son of John and Elizabeth VanderVelde, whose marriage was solemnized in Muskegon in 1889. His
parents are still Muskegon residents. His sister, Evelyn Marie, is
also a Muskegon girl. Mr. VanderVelde, Sr., is of Dutch extraction, coming to this country with his parents when he was but a
few years old. He attended public schools till he reached his thirteenth year, when he started work in a lumber camp. The elder
Mr. VanderVelde is now in the employ of his son's organization,
being in charge of the finishing department. At the age of thirteen
Charles VanderVelde, having completed the eighth grade public
school work, was obliged to leave school and go to work. His
first job was with the Pine Street Furniture Company, where he
was employed as office boy, crate unpacker, and at other menial
tasks. In two years he began sales work on the floor. He continued, by intelligent, hard work, finally rising to the position of
senior salesman, in charge of the sales department of the store.
In 1916, a branch store, operating under the name of the Muskegon
Heights Furniture Company was opened at the Heights. Joseph
E. Bouwsma and Jacob Peterman were the proprietors. Mr. VanderVelde, being in the employ of the Pine Street Furniture Company,
was made manager of this branch. The store was in its present
location, at Broadway, then McKinney and Fifth streets, but the
store proper occupied only the first floor. The upper floor was
devoted to housekeeping rooms, and the basement was not used
at all. Four years later, in 1920, Bouwsma and Peterman dissolved
partnership, and Charles VanderVelde and Ernest J. Hentschel
purchased the building, stock and good-will of the business from
them. Business under the new owners was so flourishing the first
year that they were obliged to build the present balcony around
the entire main floor. The balcony was, and is, given over to reed
and fibre furniture. Business further increased until at the end
of the second year the entire second floor of the large' building was
remodeled, partitions between rooms taken out, and the whole
floor made into a showroom. The next addition was the basement,
now filled with stoves, refrigerators and kitchen furniture, which
had to be cleaned and finished until it was as fine a showroom
as either of the floors above. The company now uses as warehouse
and storehouse a part bf the Michigan Washing Machine building
at Columbia and Sanford streets. Two years before taking the
position as manager of the Heights furniture store, Mr. VanderVelde and Miss Ruth Hoekenga, of Muskegon, were married. They




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


301


moved to their present home at 809 Peck street in 1916. They
have two children: John Charles, ten, and Clarence Albert, four.
Mr. VanderVelde was one of the first members of the Muskegon
Heights Board of Trade, and has continued as one of the most
progressive, active boosters of the organization. He has served
on many important committees named by that body. Politically
he is a staunch Republican. In local affairs, however, he has stood
with the upright, progressive element, regardless of party; an
advocate of public improvements, not passive but rather a pusher
of needed legislation and public works, one of the "go-getters"
who keep the ball rolling. He was one of the earliest converts to,
and advocates of, the new Junior high school, for which an expenditure of $350,000 was voted last July. His work among his personal friends, at the Board of Trade and the Muskegon Chamber
of Commerce and at his church, was a large item in turning the
tide for the school. Churches have never come to VanderVelde or
his organization in vain. Although both he and Mrs. VanderVelde
are members of the Covenant Reformed church, which they helped
to organize, his gifts to other churches have been both liberal and
numerous. He believes in the church and its teachings as the only
method of combating the laxity of morals so prevalent among
the younger generation of today. The Muskegon Heights Furniture Company holds a unique place in the minds of Heights people.
It is one of the very few stores into which anyone may go and
feel perfectly at home. His business success has been builded upon
the foundation of personal contact. From VanderVelde his employes have learned the secret of meeting everyone as a personal
friend. No partiality is shown; all receive the same kind, courteous
treatment, whether they purchase or just look around. VanderVelde's firm has been honored on numerous occasions by large
retail and wholesale furniture men's associations; business experts
and advisers have named him and his store as models. His method
of getting the "personal touch" in his business has been commended in innumerable instances. The unqualified success of the
Muskegon Heights Furniture Company as indicated by the wholesome good-will of its patrons and friends, and by its credit rating
locally and outside, speaks volumes for the personality and methods
VanderVelde has incorporated in his business. Others hope to
attain it, but few do. Honesty and sincere, progressive interest
in the city and in its patrons are largely responsible. Mr. VanderVelde is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and also of the Great
Consistory of the Covenant Reformed church of the Heights.
John VanderWerp, who is now serving his second term on
the bench of the circuit court of the Fourteenth judicial circuit of
Michigan and who had previously gained rank as one of the leading
lawyers in his present home city of Muskegon, besides having
served as judge of the probate court of Muskegon county, takes
pride in adverting to Michigan a~ the place of his nativity. Judge
VanderWerp was born in Allegan county, this state, May 25, 1866,




302


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


and is a son of Douwe J. and Gerritdina J. (Brummeler) VanderWerp, who were born and reared in Holland, where their marriage
was solemnized and where the first five of their eight children were
born, the other three having been born in Michigan. Rev. Douwe
J. VanderWerp received in his native land good educational advantages, including those that there resulted in his ordination as
a clergyman of the Christian Reformed church. In 1864 he came
to the United States and established the family home in Michigan,
a state that has owed much to its fine element of sturdy Holland
Dutch settlers, both in the pioneer days and in later years. Rev.
VanderWerp here gave the remainder of his active life to able and
earnest service in the Christian ministry. In 1872 he became pastor
of the First Christian Reformed Church in Muskegon, and this
charge he retained until his death, in 1876. His was a noble and
gracious personality and his memory is revered by all who came
within the sphere of his benignant and kindly influence. He was,
born April 13, 1811, and thus was sixty-five years of age at the
time of his death. His wife, who was born in 1830, survived him
by more than forty years and was of venerable age at the time of
her death, in 1918, she having been held in reverent affection by
all who knew her. Of the eight children Judge VanderWerp, of
this review, was the sixth in order of birth, and concerning the
others the following brief data are available: Mrs. Katherine
Rietdyk resides in the city of Chicago; Dirk J. VanderWerp resides in Grand Rapids; Mrs. John Vermeulen is a resident of Paterson, New Jersey; George D., still maintains his home in Muskegon; William D. resides at Zeeland, one of the old and prosperous
towns that was founded by Hollanders in Ottawa county, Michigan, in the pioneer days; John D. was a resident of Muskegon at
the time of his death, and the other, a son, Reinder, who died in
1908 at Fremont, Michigan. Judge VanderWerp was about ten
years of age at the time of his father's death, and such were the
financial circumstances of the family that he soon began to depend
largely on his own resources. He left school and found employment when he was but twelve years of age, and his early fellowship
with adversity quickened his human sympathies and tolerance,
which have found helpful exemplification in his loyal work as a
member of the bar and in his service on the bench. While employed Judge VanderWerp advanced his education by attending
night school, and naught was permitted to curb his courage and
ambition. Of such experience is born self-reliance, and thus in
due time he was enabled to follow the course of his well formulated
plans for a future career. He began the study of law in the office
of Nims, Hoyt & Erwin, one of the leading law firms of Muskegon
at that time, and in 1887 he was admitted to the bar of his native
state. In 1896 he was elected judge of the probate court of Muskegon county, and of this office he continued the incumbent five
years. Thereafter he continued a member of the representative
local law firm of Cross, VanderWerp, Foote & Ross until 1917,




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


303


when he was elected to the bench of the circuit court, an office that
has since continued to be dignified and honored by his loyal and
efficient service, he having been re-elected in 1923. Punctilious
observance of the principles of equity and justice have marked the
judicial career of Judge VanderWerp, and he has not failed to
temper justice with mercy, as his is deep appreciation of the springs
of human thought and action, with the result that he is tolerant
in judgment and always ready to be helpful and kindly when such
attitude is justified by conditions and circumstances. His rulings
on the bench have been signally fair and impartial, marked by
accurate knowledge of law and precedent, and few of his decisions
have been reversed by courts of higher jurisdiction. In 1911-12
the Judge was representative of Muskegon county in the upper
house of the state legislature, and no citizen of the county has more
secure place in popular confidence and respect. His political allegiance is given to the Republican party, he and his wife are
zealous members of the Second Reformed Church of Muskegon,
and he is a valued member of the local Rotary Club. Judge VanderWerp gave five years of characteristically loyal and effective
service as a member of the Muskegon board of education. He is
a director of the Union National Bank in his home city and is
president of the Farmers State Bank at Montague. On the 18th
of December, 1889, was solemnized the marriage of Judge VanderWerp to Miss Agnes Vogel, daughter of the late John Vogel, one
of the honored pioneer citizens of Missaukee county, later living
in Muskegon. Judge and Mrs. VanderWerp have three daughters:
Helen, the wife of Henry Langeland, Jr.; Barbara, the wife of
Harold R. Gilman, and Miss Agnes M., who remains at the parental
home.
John Wagner & Son conduct one of the well ordered plumbing
and heating establishments in the city of Muskegon, and John
Wagner, Jr., the junior member of the firm, now has active management of the substantial and prosperous business. John Wagner,
Sr., was born in Holland, in the year 1860, and there his wife, whose
maiden name was Grace Holkenga, was born in 1863. Mr. Wagner was a child two weeks old at the time of the immigration of
his parents to the United States, and the family home was established in Muskegon, where the son was reared to adult age and
where he attended the public schools until he was thirteen years
old. He then found employment in a local sawmill, and later was
associated with house moving and well digging. As a boy he was
first employed in the Davis sawmill, and later he was employed
seventeen years at the Richardson & Hill mill. In 1887 he engaged
independently in the pump business and the sinking of wells, a
line of enterprise with which he continued to be identified twentyfive years, besides developing a gas-fitting business, so that it was
but in normal sequence that in 1906 he should establish a plumbing
and heating business. He eventually purchased the building at
the corner of Spring and Myrtle streets, and September 1, 1924, he




304


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


purchased the adjoining lot and erected thereon the present modern
and well equipped plumbing and heating establishment of the firm
of John Wagner & Son. Mr. Wagner has been identified with
the plumbing business in Muskegon for forty-seven years, and for
fifty-five years has maintained his home at 127 Myrtle avenue,
where he owns a valuable residence property. He is one of the
owners of the Silver & Black Ivy farm on Berry lake, is honored
as one of the pioneer citizens and business men of Muskegon
county, is a Republican in politics, and he and his wife are devoted
communicants of the First Reformed Church in their home city.
They became the parents of three children who attained to maturity. The son Harm was born May 21, 1888, and was associated
with his father in business at the time of his death, March 31,
1922. The daughter Jennie is the wife of Albert Dobb, of Muskegon. John, Jr., who was born June 4, 1902, and who is the
youngest of the three children. After leaving the Muskegon high
school John Wagner, Jr., completed a course in the Muskegon
Business College, 1918-12, and during the ensuing year he held
the position of collection clerk for the Muskegon Savings Bank.
In 1920 he became associated with his father and his elder brother
in the plumbing and heating business, and since the death of his
brother, in 1922, he has had the active management of the business. He is one of the progressive and popular young business
men of his native city, is a member of the Muskegon Chamber of
Commerce and the Original Tennis Club, is a Republican in political alignment, and holds the religious faith in which he was
reared, that of the Reformed church.
John C. Wardell is one of the representative young business
men of the city of Muskegon, which has been his home since his
childhood, and since 1909 he has been associated here with the
Kimball Coal Company, of which he is now the secretary, this
being one of the leading concerns in the wholesale and retail coal
business in the city. At Michigan City, Indiana, the one Indiana
city on the shores of Lake Michigan, the subject of this review
was born June 19, 1891, a son of John C. and Belle (Davis) Wardell,
the latter of whom is deceased. The father is now living retired
in Muskegon, where he is a member of the family circle of his son
John C., whose name introduces this sketch, and who was the fifth
in order of birth in a family of seven children, all of whom survived
the loved and devoted mother. The names of the other children
are as follows: Mortimer, Eliza, Sybil, Hattie, Charlotte, and
Frances. He whose name initiates this review was about two
years old at the time the. family home was established in
Muskegon, in 1893, and here he was reared and educated. In the
public schools he continued his studies until his graduation in the
high school, as a member of the class of 1909, and shortly afterward he became associated with the Kimball Coal Company. He
has been the secretary of this company since 1921, and has been
resourceful in the building up of the substantial business controlled




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


305


by the company. Mr. Wardell takes vital interest in all that concerns the welfare and advancement of his home city, and while
he has had no desire to enter the arena of practical politics, he is
a loyal supporter of the principles and policies for which the Republican party stands sponsor. He and his wife are active members of the Christian church in their home city. On the 4th of
September, 1915, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Wardell to
Miss Cora Henderson, daughter of Hugh Henderson, a representative citizen of Fremont, Newaygo county, this state. Mr. and
Mrs. Wardell have two sons, John and Richard.
William Wasserman is the successor of his father in the conducting of one of the leading florist establishments in the city of Muskegon, where his finely equipped headquarters are in the Regent Theater building. Mr. Wasserman was born in Muskegon, January 11,
1880, and is a son of Louis and Amelia Wasserman, the former of
whom was born in Hanover, Germany, in 1853, and the latter in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1857. Louis Wasserman was reared and educated in his native land, where also he learned the trade of tailor, and
it was within a short time after he had attained to his legal majority
that he came to the United States, in 1872, and established his residence
at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, then in Grand Haven and Grand Rapids,
Michigan, where he worked at tailoring, as did he later in Muskegon,
to which city he came in the year 1879. In Muskegon he continued
in the work of his trade until 1884, when he turned his attention to
floriculture. He established a retail store and also a greenhouse for
the propagation of plants and flowers sold in his retail place. This
greenhouse, at the corner of Terrace and Irwin streets, he sold in 1923,
when he retired from active business, and he and his wife now spend
their winters in the state of California. Their three other children are
daughters-Mrs. Francis Smith, of California; Mrs. Arthur Bigres, of
Chicago; and Mrs. Margaret Carpenter, of Detroit. Louis Wasserman
is a Republican in politics, and is affiliated with the Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks. After his graduation in the Muskegon high
school, as a member of the class of 1898, William Wasserman completed a course in the Muskegon Business College, and he then, in
1899, became actively associated with the florist business conducted
by his father. In 1920 he was given charge of the store, and since
the retirement of his father he has had entire control of the substantial
and prosperous business, which is one of the oldest of its kind in the
city. He is a stockholder in the People's State Bank, the Muskegon
Building and Loan Association and the Muskegon Co-operative Oil
Company. Mr. Wasserman is an active member of the Chamber of
Commerce and the local Lions Club, as well as the Lakeside Athletic
Club, is a Republican in politics, and is affiliated with the Elks, the
Eagles, the Loyal Order of Moose, including the Mooseheart Legion,
the Izaak Walton League, the Protective Home Circle and the Arbeiter
Club. In 1907 he married Miss Margaret Miller, of Muskegon, and
they have two children, Louis and Lucile. Mr. Wasserman is one of




300


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


the representative business men of his native city and is loyal and progressive as a citizen.
Sanford H. Watson, who resides in the village of Montague and
whose business activities during the past score of years have included
well-ordered real estate operations in Montague and Whitehall, in connection with which he has developed a substantial insurance business,
has been closely associated with productive farm industry in the county
that has represented his home from his infancy and in which his parents gained a goodly measure of pioneer priority. Mr. Watson was
born near Springwater, Livingston county, New York, May 25, 1852,
and is a son of S. J. B. and Mary (Hewitt) Watson, whose other
child, Ellen M., died in July, 1871. In May, 1855, S. J. B. Watson
arrived with his family in Muskegon county, Michigan, and made settlement at the mouth of White river, near the present site of Montague.
He was a millwright by trade, and this trade he continued to follow to
a greater or less extent after coming to Michigan, besides which he
reclaimed to cultivation a small pioneer farm. He became one of the
substantial and honored citizens of his community and contributed his
quota to the civic and material development and progress of the county,
he and his wife having been well-known and highly esteemed pioneer
citizens of Muskegon county at the time of their death. Sanford H.
Watson was reared under the conditions and influences that marked
the pioneer period in the history of Muskegon county, and his early
education was obtained by attending the district schools. After leaving
school he continued his alliance with farm industry several years, and
when lumbering operations became an industry of prime order in the
Montague district he found profitable employment as a lumber inspector
and scaler. He became an authority in this service, and continued in
the same until about twenty years ago, when the lumbering industry in
this section of Michigan began to wane. During the past twenty years
Mr. Watson, as previously noted, has been engaged in farming and
also in the real estate and insurance business. He is a Republican in
politics, was supervisor of Montague township three years, and in
1891-92 he served as register of deeds of Muskegon county. It is
pleasing to note that he takes deep interest in the history of Muskegon
county, especially that pertaining to Montague and Whitehall and that
touching service of Muskegon county men in the Civil war. In the
latter connection he has the distinction of having been elected the only
honorary member of the Grand Army of the Republic at Montague.
He is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, including the commandery
of Knights Templar in the city of Muskegon, and he and his wife
hold membership in the Presbyterian church. He has written several
valuable reviews concerning the history of western Michigan and has
compiled also manuscripts concerning important phases in the history
of Montague and Whitehall. On all scores Mr. Watson is a representative citizen who is especially entitled to recognition in this publication. On the 25th of February, 1872, was solemnized the marriage of
Mr. Watson to Miss Cornelia Hewitt, of Montague, and the one child




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


307


of this union is Mrs. Nellie Meinert, who resides in the city of Mus.
kegon.
Carl J. Westlund was the organizer and is the president of the
Cardinal Petroleum Company of Muskegon, and besides having had
broad and varied experience in connection with the oil industry, he
honored his native state of Michigan in his loyal overseas service in
the World war. Mr. Westlund was born at Traverse City, Michigan,
June 26, 1891, and is a son of Larsen J. and Mary (Ennis) Westlund,
the former of whom was born in Sweden, in 1852, and the latter in
Norway, in 1862. Larsen J. Westlund came to the United States in
1880 and established his residence in Michigan, where he gave long
service in connection with lumbering operations, besides having passed
a number of seasons as a sailor on the Great Lakes. He was long
numbered among the substantial and honored citizens of Traverse City,
and there his death occurred in June, 1922, his wife having passed away
in 1898 and both having been earnest communicants of the Lutheran
church. He was a Republican in politics and was a member of the
Swedish Brotherhood of America. Of the children of the family the
names and years of birth are here indicated: Hulda, 1877; Lena,
1880; Carl J., 1891; Ole, 1892; Fred E., 1894; and Edith, 1896. In
the public schools of Traverse City Clark J. Westlund continued his
studies until 1908, when he went to Topeka, Kansas, where for eighteen
months he was employed as stockkeeper in the establishment of F. W.
Woolworth & Company. He next made his way to Albuquerque, New
Mexico, and he continued to be employed there in the electrical department of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad until 1910. He
next went to Los Angeles, California, where he became a salesman for
the Sanborn & Vail Paper Company, with which he continued his
connection until 1912. Thereafter he was for six months a clerk in
a hotel in San Francisco, in 1913 his headquarters having been estab,
lished at McGill, Nevada. In 1915 he gained further experience by
going to Montana, and later he went to St. Louis, Missouri, and took
a position in the sales department of the Kyoleum Company, jobbers
in fuel oil. He was later transferred to the company's traffic department at Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he remained until 1918, when he
returned to St. Louis. In that city, on the 5th of July of that year,
he enlisted for service in the United States Army. He was stationed
at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indianapolis, Indiana, until the 26th of
the following October, when he accompanied his command to France.
He was in active overseas service for several months after the armistice brought the war to a close, arrived in the port of New York City
May 26, 1919, and at Camp Grant, Illinois, he received his honorable
discharge on the 19th of the following month. He remained for a
time at the old home in Traverse City, and thereafter was employed
six months by the Moorhead Oil Company, at Hammond, Indiana.
He then went to Chicago and re-entered the employ of the Kyoleum
company, with which he continued his service as a salesman until
November, 1920. In the following May he organized at Three Rivers,
Michigan, the Independent Oil Company, of which he became the




308


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


president. He sold his interest in the business in the following August
and then engaged in the oil brokerage business at Grand Rapids, in
connection with the Colonial Oil Company. In January, 1922, Mr.
Westlund came to Muskegon, and in the following May he here organized the Cardinal Petroleum Company, of which he has continued the
president and general manager. The company maintains four oil service
stations in Muskegon, delivers oil to seven other stations, supplies about
twenty retail dealers and operates three motor trucks. The company
has provided facilities for the storage of 120,000 gallons of bulk products and his service is extended to Montague, Whitehall and Grand
Haven. Mr. Westlund is one of the progressive young business men
of Muskegon and has here developed a substantial and prosperous
jobbing enterprise for the company of which he is the executive head.
He is a Republican, is an active member of the Chamber of Commerce
and the Lions Club, the Century Club, is affiliated with the Elks, is
a member of the Muskegon Country Club and American Legion. His
religious faith is that of the Congregational church and his wife is a
communicant of the Protestant Episcopal church. August 12, 1919,
Mr. Westlund was united in marriage to Miss Jessie Mae Fox, of
Thompsonville, Benzie county, and there is one child of this union,
Dorothy Eloise.
Rev. Kyran J. Whalen is one of the able and honored members
of the Catholic priesthood in his native state of Michigan, and his
service in the priesthood has included work of missionary order over
an extended territory in the northern and eastern part of the state,
where came into effective play his exceptional ability as an organizer
and builder, his missionary territory having had an area of 1,500
square miles and it having been his to organize many congregations
and erect many church buildings within his eighteen years of earnest
and consecrated labors in this wide field, where his work entailed heavy
responsibilities and no small measure of hardship, much of his assigned
province having been sparsely settled and with but few improved roads.
With such experience of faithful devotion to the work of the Divine
Master, it may well be understood that Father Whalen is giving equally
earnest and productive service in his present pastorate, that of the
important parish of St. Mary's church in the city of Muskegon. Father
Whalen was born on a pioneer farm in Wyoming township, Kent
county, Michigan, just south of the present corporate limits of the
city of Grand Rapids, and the date of his nativity was April 17, 1863.
He is a son of Kyran and Catherine Whalen, both of whom were
born in Queens county, Ireland, and both of whom came to the United
States in their youth, their marriage having been solemnized in St.
Andrew's church, Grand Rapids, Michigan. The parents remained
in the old Empire state a few years before coming to Michigan and
numbered themselves among the early settlers in Kent county, the
present city of Grand Rapids having then been a mere village and
having been known as Grand River. There Kyran Whalen purchased
wild land and instituted the development of a farm, both he and his
wife having passed the remainder of their lives on this farm, earnest,




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


309


upright and industrious folk who were devoted communicants of the
Catholic church and who carefully reared their children in the faith
of this great mother church of Christendom. Of the family of nine
children only four are now living: Martin remains on the old homestead place in Kent county; Father Kyran J., of this review, is the
older of the surviving sons; and Sister Mary Martin and Sister Mary
Kyran are members of the Catholic Sisters of Charity of Mount Saint
Joseph, Ohio. John, first born of the children, died in childhood;
Dennis died at the age of twenty-one years; Mary, the wife of Patrick
Eardley, died in 1911; Dr. Michael was engaged in the practice of
medicine at Dowagiac, Michigan, at the time of his death in 1921; and
Rev. Thomas L. was pastor of St. Joseph's church in the city of Saginaw at the time of his death, in 1924.
Father Kyran J. Whalen passed his boyhood on the old home farm
and supplemented the discipline of the district school by two years of
attendance in the parish school of St. Andrew's church in the city
of Grand Rapids, he having walked each day the distance of four
miles from his home to the city while thus pursuing his studies. He
was but fourteen years of age at the time of his father's death, and
was compelled to abandon his studies and assume charge of the
home farm, to the management of which he gave his attention until
his younger brother was old enough to take up the work. In consonance with his cherished ambition to enter the priesthood, Father
Whalen then, on the 7th of January, 1884, entered Assumption College,
Sandwich, Ontario, Canada, where he completed the prescribed five
years' course in three and one-half years and was graduated with
highest honors. At Mount Saint Mary's Seminary, on Price Hill,
Cincinnati, Ohio, he thereafter completed the two years' course in
philosophy in one year, and the four years' theological course in three
years. He was ordained to the priesthood in St. Andrew's cathedral
in Grand Rapids, Michigan, by Rt. Rev. H. J. Richter, D.D., on the
29th of June, 1892, and his first pastoral charge was that of the Sacred
Heart parish at Mount Pleasant, Isabella county, where he remained
three months. He was then assigned to service as assistant pastor
of St. Mary's church at Cheboygan, and after there continuing his
service some three years, he was assigned to Carson City and missions
comprising 1,500 square miles with churches at Greenville, Montcalm
county, Stanton, Harvard and Maple Valley, Kent county,
his zealous labors having there been continued eighteen years and
having been fruitful in spiritual and temporal advancement of the
various parishes within his jurisdiction. In 1914 Father Whalen was
placed in charge of the parish of St. Joseph's church at Saginaw, and
a few years later he exchanged parishes with his brother, Rev. Thomas
L. Whalen, who was pastor of St. Mary's church in Muskegon and
whose nervous breakdown was the reason for this change, the death
of Father Thomas L. Whalen havifg occurred in 1924, as previously
recorded in this sketch. Father Kyran J. Whalen has vitalized the
work of St. Mary's parish along both spiritual and material lines, and
is the revered and honored executive head of this old established parish,




310


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


which was organized in 1856 and which is the oldest religious organization in Muskegon county, with a history of most interesting order
and with present-day service of great value to the community. Father
Whalen is a man of fine intellectual ken, deep human sympathy and
tolerance, and is unfailing in his efforts to aid his fellow men and to
advance the work of the Divine Master whom he serves.
William A. Whitman, who owns and conducts one of the leading general insurance agencies in the thriving village of Whitehall,
was born at Warsaw, Indiana, October 29, 1857, and of the family
of seven children three others are living, Mrs. Ella Parks, of Los
Angeles, California; Mrs. Philip R. Van Kuren, of Whitehall, Michigan, and Mrs. Hattie Linthicum, of Los Angeles. James D., who
died in 1865, and Ann L. Whitman, parents of the subject of this
review, came with their family to Muskegon county in 1867, and
became pioneer settlers at Whitehall, the remainder of their lives
having been passed in this county. The public schools of Whitehall gave William A. Whitman his early educational discipline,
which was supplemented by a course in the Grand Rapids Business
College, in which he was a student in 1876-7. After his return to
Whitehall Mr. Whitman entered service as a lumber inspector,
and as an authority in this important phase of the lumber industry
he continued his activities until 1891. He then became a principal
in lumber manufacturing in Michigan, Wisconsin and British Columbia, and from 1891 to 1906 he and his family resided in the localities where his business interests required his special attention.
In the latter year he returned to the old and ever appreciated home
at Whitehall, where he has since been engaged in the insurance
business and where he finds that his "lines are cast in pleasant
places," for in Muskegon county he and his family have a circle
of friends that is limited only by that of their acquaintances. He
has ever been found a loyal advocate and supporter of the cause
of the Republican party, and in the Masonic fraternity his affiliations are with the organizations of both the York and Scottish
Rites, in the latter of which he has received the thirty-second degree, is a life member in Blue Lodge, Knights Templar and Shrine,
besides being in the city of Grand Rapids a noble of Saladin
Temple of the Mystic Shrine. His maxium York Rite affiliation
is with the commandery of Knights Templar in the city of Marquette, Michigan. September 17, 1883, Mr. Whitman married Miss
Kate Dalton, who was born and reared near Whitehall, her parents having been among the very early settlers in this part of Muskegon county. Mr. and Mrs. Whitman have three children: John
D. is traveling auditor in the office of the Michigan auditor general, at Lansing; B. F. is official reporter of the circuit court in
Wayne county and thus maintains his residence in the city of Detroit, and Wm. C. holds a responsible position with the Ford Motor
Company, in Detroit.




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


311


Andrew Wierengo is a representative of one of the old and honored families of Muskegon and here has gained place as a prominent figure in the industrial activities of the city, where he is president of the Standard Malleable Iron Company. He was born in
this city December 18, 1882, and is a son of Andrew and Jennie
(DeHass) Wierengo, the former of whom was born in Holland,
in 1855, and the latter at Grand Haven, Michigan, in 1861. Andrew
Wierengo, Sr., was a young man when he came from his native land
and established his home in Michigan. After having conducted
a retail grocery store here he developed a substantial wholesale
grocery business, for which he erected a building on Pine street,
where he maintained headquarters many years. The business so
expanded as to necessitate large headquarters, and he traded his
building to the late L. G. Mason for the property now constituting
the Hackeley Athletic Field. He had planned to buy the Wierengo
hotel building and remodel the same for his wholesale grocery
business, but his death occurred before these plans could be consummated. The wholesale business which he founded was sold
after his death to George Hume & Company, which has since continued the enterprise, now one of the largest of its kind in this
section of the state. Mr. Wierengo was about thirty-nine years
of age at the time of his death and his widow still resides in Muskegon, the other one surviving child being John L., who was born
September 18, 1885, and who is now engaged in the advertising
business in Grand Rapids. Andrew Wierengo, Sr., was a man of
Sterling character and marked business ability, loyal as a citizen
and held in unqualified popular esteem. He was a staunch Republican, he and his wife were members of the Congregational
church, and he was a charter member of Muskegon Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. After completing the work
of his junior year in the Muskegon high school, Andrew Wierengo,
Jr., was for two years a student in Northwestern College in the
city of Chicago, and in 1904 he entered the employ of the Standard
Malleable Iron Company, his first eighteen months of service having been in caring for electric lights, at a salary of one dollar a
day. Thereafter he passed four years in the foundry, where he
had charge of the mixing of iron and also of casting, and in the
executive department of the business his initial work was as purchasing agent. He was advanced to the position of secretary after
having given effective service as assistant secretary, and after the
death of the president of the company, Eugene L. Howe, in March,
1923, he was elected president of this staunch industrial corporation, the affairs of which he has since administered with marked
ability-an ability based on broad practical experience and progressive policies. Mr. Wierengo is a Republican in political allegiance,
is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club, the
Century Club, the Muskegon Country Club, and the local lodge
of Elks, and he and his wife hold membership in the Congregational church. January 15, 1908, was the date that marked the mar



312


HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


riage of Mr. Wierengo to Miss Eva Howe, daughter of the late
Eugene L. Howe, of Muskegon, and the names and respective birth
dates of their children are here recorded: Eugene, April, 1910;
Andrew, Jr., February, 1915, and Marianne, June, 1916.
Fred L. Winter is president and manager of one of the leading
general insurance agencies in his native city of Muskegon, where
he controls a substantial and representative business in the underwriting of the various lines of insurance, his office being in the
Union National Bank building. Mr. Winter was born in Muskegon on the 29th of September, 1882, and is a son of William and
Sietje (Bierema) Winter, who were born and reared in Holland
and who established their home at Muskegon in the year 1880.
William Winter here found employment in a sawmill, and later he
engaged in the retail grocery business, at the corner of Sixth street
and Washington avenue. Thereafter he was for some time engaged in celery growing in this county, and afterwards engaged
in the cement and fuel business. Here he is now living retired
from active business. William Winter was born November 20,
1856, and his wife was born November 30, 1859, Fred L. Winter,
the subject of this review, being their only child. He was graduated from the Muskegon high school in 1899, and thereafter was
employed in the local insurance agency of Leigh B. Smith until
1907, when he purchased one-half interest in the insurance agency
of Max Lange, the following year having been marked by the
consolidation of this agency with that of Charles L. Chamberlain,
under the corporation name of Lange-Chamberlain-Winter Company. In 1918 Mr. Winter acquired by purchase full control of the
business and the corporate name was then changed to Fred L.
Winter, Inc., and has since been continued with a high degree of
success. He is one of the progressive and popular members of
the local Kiwanis Club. He is a stalwart in the ranks of the Republican party, has been active in public affairs in his home ward,
and from 1912 to 1916 he was a member of the county board of
supervisors. He and his wife are active members of the Second
Christian Reformed Church and he is president of the Men's Bible
class. On the 12th of December, 1906, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Winter to Miss Hattie Bolt, daughter of John H. and
Jennie (Meyring) Bolt, of Muskegon, and the one child of this
union is a daughter, Celia Jean.
George W. Woodcock is one of the popular and successful representatives of the hotel business in western Michigan and as
proprietor of the Hotel Muskegon he is giving to the public effective service in the progressive city that is the metropolis and
judicial center of Muskegon county. Mr. Woodcock is able to
claim the old Pine Tree state as the place of his nativity, his birth
having occurred at Princeton, Maine, February 22, 1880, and he
being a scion of colonial New England ancestry. His father, Aaron
Harvey Woodcock, was born at Baring, Maine, in 1834, and his




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


313


mother, whose maiden name was Martha Robbins, was born at
Baileyville, that state, in 1844. After the family home had been
established at Calais, Maine, George W. Woodcock there attended
the public schools until he was sixteen years of age, and his initial
experience in his present line of business was gained by his
serving as an assistant in a local hotel while he was still attending
school. His father, who was purchasing agent for the International Leather Company, died in 1904, and his mother is now a
resident of Calais, Maine. From 1898 to 1908 the subject of this
review was employed in the celebrated Copley Square hotel in the
city of Boston, and during the ensuing year he clerked in the resort
hotel known as Hampton Terrace, in Augusta, Georgia. He then
assumed the management of the Pokegema hotel at Grand Rapids,
Minnesota, where he remained until 1910, when he came to Muskegon and took the position of clerk in the Occidental hotel.
He was thus engaged until 1914, and during the ensuing year he
had management of the Stearns hotel at Ludington, this state. In
1915 he purchased the Hotel Muskegon, which he has remodeled
and otherwise improved and which he has made one of the attractive and well ordered hotels in Muskegon, the building being
modern in accommodations and service and being opposite the
Union railroad station, on Western avenue, so that its location as
well as its service contributes to the distinct success of the business.
Mr. Woodcock is a Republican in political alignment, is a loyal
and valued member of the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce, is
affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, is a member of the Exchange Club, and his
interest in the piscatorial art is indicated in his affiliation with the
Izaak Walton League. In the year 1910 Mr. Woodcock wedded
Miss Mary Summerville, of Newberry, Michigan, and she is a
popular factor in the social circles of Muskegon.
Daniel Wurtz has long been a popular and skilled exponent of
the sartorial art in Muskegon, and is now one of the leading merchant tailors of this city, with a well equipped establishment in
the Lyman building. Mr. Wurtz was born in Toronto, Canada,
May 27, 1869, and is a son of Tobias and Louise (Eberhardt)
Wurtz, both natives of Germany, where the former was born, in
Wurtemburg, in 1829, and where the latter was born in 1841.
Upon coming to America the parents first settled in Huron county,
Ontario, Canada, and in 1901 they established their home on a
farm in Huron county, Michigan, where the venerable father is now
living retired and where-the death of the mother occurred in 1902.
Of the family of eight sons and six daughters, those now living are:
John, Samuel, Jacob, Daniel, Mrs. James Peddler, Mrs. James
Michiner, Mrs. Louis Stoubes, Mrs. Joseph Krupp, and Mrs.
William Mathinson. The public schools of Ontario, Canada, afforded Daniel Wurtz his youthful education, and he continued
his residence in his native province until 1887, in the meanwhile
having served an apprenticeship to the tailor's trade. In 1887 he




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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


came to Muskegon, and after a two years' course in the Muskegon
Business College, he opened a tailor shop in the room now occupied
by the "Coffee Ranch," on Jefferson street. There he continued
business until 1906, when he sold out and found employment as a
tailor in the establishment of the Baldwin Company, with which
he remained two years. He passed the ensuing two years on the
farm that he purchased in Sullivan township, and this property
he still owns. On leaving the farm and returning to Muskegon
he was employed by English Brothers, as an expert workman at
his trade, and with this firm he continued to be thus associated
fifteen years. He then, April 21, 1921, engaged independently in
business, and as a merchant tailor his reputation and his personal
popularity have combined to gain to him a large and representative supporting patronage. He is a fancier of fine poultry and
gives much attention to the raising of high grade poultry, in which
connection it is to be noted that he was one of the organizers and
is an influential member of the East Shore Poultry & Pet Stock
Association. He is a Republican, and is affiliated with the Knights
of Pythias. In 1899 Mr. Wurtz married Miss Mary Snell, of Muskegon, and they have four children: Elmer C., now a resident
of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Glenn, who remains in Muskegon;
Marie, the wife of Eldridge Van Riper, of Chicago, and Kenneth,
of Muskegon.
Ferdinand J. Young is secretary and manager of the Lake Shore
Machinery Company, which is one of the substantial industrial
concerns of Muskegon, his father, Mathias C. Young, being
president of the company, and his mother, Mrs. Emma (Muerer)
Young, being the vice-president. Ferdinand J. Young was born
in Muskegon, June 28, 1892, and the other four children of the
family are Edwin C., Helen M., and Charles R. In addition to
being president of the Lake Shore Machinery Company Mathias C.
Young is likewise general superintendent of the Lakey Foundry
Company. After completing the curriculum of the Muskegon
public schools Ferdinand J. Young was for four years a student in
the University of Michigan, and in 1916 he became associated with
Walter E. Bassett in the ownership and conducting of a retail
grocery business in Muskegon. Eight months later he sold his
interest in this business, and thereafter he was identified with
various concerns until July, 1922, when he became one of the organizers of the Lake Shore Machinery Company, of which he has
since continued the secretary and general manager. He is a loyal
member of the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce, is a Republican
in political allegiance, and, like the other members of the family,
he is a communicant of the Catholic church. Mr. Young still continues a member of the parental home circle and is popular in
both business and social relations in his native city.
Carl E. Zachau, an electrical engineer, has made splendid advanceiment in his chosen profession and in industrial achievement




HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY


315


within the comparatively brief period of his residence in the United
States, and in specific evidence of this is his tenure of the office
of manager of the large and modern plant of the Shaw Crane
Works at Muskegon Heights. Carl Eric Kristoffer Zachau, who
is more familiarly known by the second of his personal names,
was born at Venersborg, Sweden, in the year 1879, and is a son
of Anton and Charlotte Zachau, the other one survivor of the
family of five children being his sister Anna (Mrs. Wallander),
who resides at Halmstad, Sweden. Anton Zachau was for many
years prominently identified with banking enterprise and the
wholesale merchandise business in Sweden, and his death occurred
in 1918 at eighty-one years of age. The excellent public schools
of his native city afforded Carl E. K. Zachau his early education,
and in 1900 he was graduated from the Chalmers Electrical College of Sweden, an institution of the highest efficiency and most
modern equipment and facilities. After his graduation he followed
for three years the work of his profession in his native land, and
then, in March, 1903, he came to the United States, where he felt
assured of wider opportunities for the achievement of success and
independence. Before the close of that year he came to Muskegon,
in the capacity of electrical engineer for the Shaw Crane Works,
which is one of the important plants of the Manning, Maxwell &
Moore Company of New York City. Mr. Zachau soon won advancement to the position of sales engineer, chief engineer and
manager, which position he now holds. He is an influential figure
in the industrial and general business circles of the Muskegon
district, and commands unqualified confidence and esteem in his
home community. He is a director and the treasurer of the Home
Finance Company of Muskegon, the Michigan Manufacturers' Association and the Muskegon Employers' Association, as is he also
of the Western Manning, Maxwell & Moore Company. His is a
vital and loyal interest in all that pertains to the welfare of his
community, and in Muskegon he is a member of the Chamber of
Commerce, the Rotary Club and the Century Club. He is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, his political allegiance is accorded to the
Republican party, and in the city of Muskegon he and his wife
are communicants of the parish of St. Paul's church, Protestant
Episcopal. In November, 1907, was solemnized the marriage of
Mr. Zachau to Miss Phoebe Collier, daughter of Thomas and
Phoebe Collier, of Racine, Wisconsin, where the father is a retired
manufacturer and where the death of the mother occurred. Mr.
and Mrs. Zachau have one child, their daughter Ruth.




















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