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MRS. MARGARET CUSTER
CALHOUN, the present State Librarian, was appointed
to the position March, 1891; she is a sister of Gen. Custer and widow of Lieut. James Calhoun, heroes in the battle of the Little Big
Horn. The lady, who is distinguished not only for her high connection with military heroes, but also for her fine presence, striking individuality,
culture and accomplishments, holds her friends and admirers by the magnetism of individual and personal
power. She was born in Harrison County, Ohio and is a daughter of Emanuel H. and Maria
(Ward) Custer. Her father was a farmer at the time of her birth, and removed from Ohio to Monroe, Mich., when Mrs. Calhoun was but a small child.
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Image of Mrs. Margaret Custer
Calhoun
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Mrs. Calhoun, whose portrait is presented on the
opposite page, was educated and spent her girlhood days in Monroe. One winter she spent with her
brother, Gen. Custer, at Ft. Leavenworth, Kan., and at that time (1870) met Lieut. Calhoun.
Those who have read Mrs. Custer's charming book, "Boots and Saddles" can understand how a woman's
presence is appreciated in camp life on the frontier, how every soldier, from general down to scullion,
willingly bows before a charming woman and offers her the delightful compliment of his devotion.
Miss Custer took the hearts of all by storm, but after two years spent in a courtship that was
carried on chiefly by correspondence she became the bride of Lieut. Calhoun. After their marriage he
was stationed in Elizabethtown, Ky., being with Gen. Custer's Seventh Cavalry. Later he was detailed farther South to Lincolnton and Charlotte,
N.C. and in the spring of 1873, with their regiment went to Dakota. Mrs. Custer and Mrs.
Calhoun made the journey of five hundred miles up the Missouri River from Yankton to Ft. Rice,
proceeding thence to Bismarck, the entire trip being made on horseback. During the summer of
the same year Mrs. Custer and Mrs. Calhoun returned to Monroe, Mich., to visit the parents of
the latter, while the regiment was sent to the Yellowstone to guard the engineers who were surveying the route for the Northern Pacific.
In the fall of 1873, when the regiment went into winter quarters, Mrs. Calhoun went back to Ft. Abraham Lincoln where she remained for the winter. The following summer the regiment went out on the Black Hills expedition, during which time Mrs. Calhoun again returned home, going back to her husband at Ft. Lincoln in the autumn of 1874. The regiment did not leave the ensuing summer remaining near the fort in temporary camp. In 1876 the regiment for the last time took leave of their dear ones and went forth to what proved to be a most terrible battle, that of the Little Big Horn in Montana. They were surprised by the Indians June 25, and the result of that expedition is one that darkens the page of the annals of
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history on which it appears, being well known to all.
There Lieut. Calhoun, three of the brothers of Mrs. Calhoun and a nephew were killed. The ladies
remained in the West until August, when they returned to the heart-broken parents in Michigan.
The following winter Mrs. Custer went to New York, and Mrs. Calhoun staid at her home giving
her undivided time and thought to caring for her invalid mother whose sad life, was prolonged until
January, 1882. Her father is still (1891) living, aged eighty-four.
The family being so reduced in numbers only the father being left besides herself, arrangements were made by which
he should make his home with a brother who lives on a farm not a great distance from Monroe.
Mrs. Calhoun, feeling that she must have some absorbing occupation, went to Detroit to study dramatic elocution under Mrs. Edna
Chaffe-Noble, who is the head of the celebrated training school of elocution bearing her name. Her naturally fine talent being here cultivated and polished, she has since devoted her attention to this branch of art and has given readings throughout different parts of the country.
She was thus engaged when her appointment of State Librarian was made known to her, and although
she has always been received most cordially and graciously by the public,
she has gladly taken the position to which she is appointed as a token of respect that the citizens of her adopted State give to the dear
ones who are gone.
Mrs. Margaret Custer Calhoun has made a great success as an elocutionist.
She has much of the dash and enthusiasm of her distinguished brother and personally is gifted with great
ease, grace, power and magnetism. The press notices that have been given her throughout the country show her to be an elocutionist of the highest order, and one who does not ape the style or mannerisms of some one else, but whose impersonations show a genius in their originality of conception. She is possessed of a very sweet and clear voice and her readings
are given with such power of expression that one loses his identify in listening to her. She has not worked for herself alone but has given various benevolent institutions the advantage of her splendid talent. So gracious has been her submission
to the great trouble to which she has been subjected and so unselfish her
work, that we are reminded of the summing up of the character of Lucile.
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"The mission of genius on earth! To uplift,
Purify and confirm by its own gracious gift,
The world, in despite of the world's dull endeavor
To degrade and drag down and oppose it forever.
The mission of genius. To watch and to wait,
To renew, to redeem and to regenerate.
The mission of woman on earth! |
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Born to nurse, |
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And to soothe, and to solace, to help and to heal
The sick world that leans on her." |
HENRY D. BARTHOLOMEW, A.
M.
It is said that the three most popular professions at the present day are medicine, law and civil engineering, and the weight of favor among
the young graduates that are yearly turned out from our colleges seems to be in the last-named direction. It was not so when our subject took up this study, although perhaps the supply was fully equal to the demand, for there were not then so many
railroads; or mammoth public buildings that required the aid of the scientific engineer as at the present time. Mr. Bartholomew was born in Waddington, then in Madrid Township St. Lawrence County, N.Y., February
15, 1831, and during his lifetime he has seen great advancement made in the progress of his chosen
calling.
The gentleman of whom we write is the son of Charles
D. Bartholomew, a native of the same place with his son and born January
19, 1806. Our subject's grandfather was Isaac Bartholomew, a native of Farmington, Conn., and there born in 1761. He was in the Revolutionary War from 1780 until the close, and in 1780 removed to
Tinmonth, Vt. where
he was engaged in farming until 1801, and then removed to Waddington Township, N.Y.
He was the first militia captain commissioned in St. Lawrence County. N.Y.
He was a thorough-going Whig and greatly interested in politics. Our subject's great-grandfather was
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Abraham Bartholomew who died in Connecticut while yet in early manhood. His father was also named Abraham and his father was Isaac. The next ancestor was William and the one preceding him was also William Bartholomew, who was born at Buford, England, in 1602. The town of Buford is only eighteen miles northwest of the old University City of Oxford. This last named William Bartholomew came to America September 18, 1635, landing in Boston at that time.
He made the journey hither on the sailing vessel "Griffin" and soon after landing located at Ipswich, Mass. He was there engaged as a merchant and at that early day was the hero of many adventures. His daughter, Abigail, was taken prisoner by the Indians when only four years old and with twelve other children was carried away to Canada. They were kept in the tribe until their parents
had paid a ransom of £200 sterling, their return home being made in May, 1678, and having been prisoners for eight months. They were the first prisoners taken by the Indians from Massachusetts to Canada for the purpose of exacting a ransom. This ancestor of our subject was the general court representative for Suffolk County and received a commission as Lieutenant in command of the militia of the town. Charles D. Bartholomew, the father of the original of our sketch was reared on the home farm in St. Lawrence County, N.Y. He followed his calling of agriculture steadily, never having been away from the home farm for a whole month. He was considered well-to-do for the time, having been the owner of four hundred acres of good
land in Waddington and Lisbon. He was Captain of the State Militia and was elected major of the company, but refused the commission. He
died February 11, 1889. For a number of years before his death he was Deacon in the Universalist Church.
As a young lady Mr. Bartholomew's mother was Betsey Hawley. She also was born in Waddington although her father, John Hawley, was a native of Vermont. He, however, emigrated at an early day to St. Lawrence County, locating on a farm there in 1803. His first home here was on
the banks of the St. Lawrence River at the narrows, but six years later he located in Madrid Township and there resided until his decease. His father who was of English descent, was born in Connecticut but died in Vermont, and his mother died in the year of 1862. She was the parent of eight children, four of whom are still living. Of the eight he of whom we write is the third in order of birth.
He was reared on the home farm and in his boyhood attended the common schools in the district and was thoroughly grounded in the English branches. He remained at home
on the farm until he was past twenty years of age attending school at the Ogdensburg and Canton Academy. During the winter he pursued the study of the Latin and French languages, following the same outline of study that he had in school. When twenty years of age
he entered the New York Central College at McGrawville, Cortland County, and there attended over one year. In 1853 he entered the University of Michigan with a determination to acquire a degree in the classical course. He entered the junior year and was graduated in June, 1854, having the right to append to his name the honorable initials A. B. He then became the assistant of J. M. Gregory in his school at Detroit and continued with him until 1856.
In the spring of that year, he of whom we write, went to Chicago and became a teacher in the Gregory Commercial School, remaining in that position for one year. The following year he became a book-keeper in the packing establishment of Cragin & Co., and the next year was engaged in teaching in Gregory's Kalamazoo Commercial School. January 1, 1859, Mr. Bartholomew came to Lansing, Ingham County, and soon after went into partnership with Dr.
I. H. Bartholomew in the drug business. They were also proprietors of the grocery store. At the end of two years, however, our subject sold out his interest and in 1861 became a clerk under John Owen, the State Treasurer, and in 1867 he succeeded James Turner as the Deputy State Treasurer, and held that office until April, of 1874, during which time he had entire charge of the business. These offices were all tendered him and were entirely unsought. In 1874
he resigned his position and soon after went to New York and went back to his old home on the farm where he remained for four years. His wife's
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health failed in 1878, and soon after in the fall he returned to Michigan, and in 1879 was appointed City Surveyor, which position
he has held with that of Civil Engineer ever since. In 1889 he became Secretary of the Union Building and Loan
Association in this city.
Mr. Bartholomew is called upon to do nearly all
the platting that is done in and about the city and also in different parts of the State and has been
special examiner of city plats since 1885. Our subject was married in Detroit in July, 1855, to Miss
Julia Sprague, a native of New York. She died without issue in the city of Lansing.
He was a second time united in marriage, his bride being Miss Jane E. Howe. Their nuptials were celebrated in
Manchester, this State, in May, 1862. She also was a native of New York State, born in
Bainbridge, Oneida County, and came to Michigan in 1831 with her parents. She enjoys the
distinction of being the oldest living white woman in the city of Lansing. She came here on a visit a
week after the capital had been located here. Only two children are the fruit of this union. The
eldest, a daughter, Bessie, still remains at home. The younger, George D., is a teacher in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, being, an architect of no small reputation. Two other children
are deceased--Katie was drowned in the St. Lawrence River at the age of sixteen. The other
child died in infancy Mr. Bartholomew is a member of the Universalist Church, in which denomination
he is a Deacon. Politically he is a Republican and one of the stanchest sort. His wife is a member
of the Episcopal Church.
FRANK A.
DREW. The following is a clipping from a well-known daily paper: "A curious memorial stone has recently been placed in an old cemetery at Kingston, Mass. it
is a rough block of granite five feet high, into which is sunken a large slate tablet, bearing a genealogical inscription of the Drew family, the
founder of which was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1589 ". The representatives of the Drew family living in the United States are all related. Those of the American branch of the family are descended from an ancestor who came to this country,
at an early day and settled in the East. That one of the family of whom we shall endeavor to give the salient
points of his career is a general farmer, residing on a fine and fertile tract of land located on section 20, Alaiedon Township, Ingham County, and which comprises eighty acres of land. He also manages two hundred and sixteen acres of land owned by his father, Isaac Drew,
on section 29, of the same township.
The original of our sketch was, born in the town of Mason, Ingham County, this State, December 28, 1858. His father, Isaac Drew, is a retired farmer now living in Mason. He is a native of New York, and was born September 28, 1827. He came to Michigan
when a young man and purchased the farm upon which his son is now living. His mother, that is the mother of our subject, Maria
(Stillman)
Drew, came into the township with her father Daniel Stillman, at an early day and was early made familiar with every phase of pioneer life. She was born October 29, 1832, and died March 3, 1865.
He of whom we write remained under the parental roof until
he was twenty-one years of age, and attended the Mason and district school.
On reaching his majority he moved upon the farm willed to him by a friend, and has been engaged in farming ever since. May
11, 1880, Mr. Drew was married to Miss Belle Van Branken, a daughter of William Van
Branken, a merchant of Mason where Mrs. Drew was
born. She was educated in the public schools of that town. Our subject and his wife are the parents of two bright children: Blanche, who was born August 18, 1882; and
Bessie, born January 26, 1884.
The original of our sketch is liberal in his religious views. His wife is a member of the Presbyterian Church of Mason. In politics
he of whom we write is a stanch Democrat and has been honored by his party in being elected Township Clerk,
a position he has held for three terms. Personally Mr. and Mrs. Drew are very superior young people. They are of the highest social standing and no one
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in the township has more warm friends. Our subject is at present
suffering from ill-health and his many friends in this section earnestly trust that
he may enjoy a speedy recovery. He is a young man of more than average intelligence and foresight,
and keeps well informed on the events of the day.
FREDERICK HINES is the owner of a good farm of eighty acres, located on section 21, Alaiedon Township.
He was born October 8, 1840, in Wurtemberg, Germany. His father was also named Frederick Hines and was a native of Wurtemberg and while a resident in his native
land was engaged as a rope-maker. He brought his family to the United States in 1848, and settled with them in Huron County, Ohio. The subject of our sketch spent one year in the public schools of Germany before coming to this country and after locating here attended the district school and also the public schools of Norwalk, more or less, until
he was nineteen years of age.
Up to the time of the breaking out of the war the original of
our sketch was engaged in working on the farm and in a blacksmith shop in Norwalk,
in which last-named business he was employed for two and a half years. When the war broke out
he patriotically responded to the call of his adopted country and went to the front with the One
Hundred and Sixty-sixth Regiment of the National Guards. After three months' service
he was discharged because of disability, but recovering his health in a measure he afterward responded to
a call for machinists to work in Nashville, Tenn., and was there engaged for about six
months.
At the close of the war Mr. Hines and
his father came to Alaiedon Township, Ingham, county and bought the farm now owned by him. His
father died in 1878. Our subject was married to Christiana Summerville, a daughter of the late William
Summerville, of Delhi Township. She was born near Glasgow, Scotland, January 11, 1849, and came to the United States with her parents when but a small child. Their marriage was solemnized
July 2. 1866. Four children have been born to this worthy couple. They are
Jenny S., Nettie N., Mamie E., and Frank J. The eldest was born September 19, 1868. After spending two terms in
the Flint Normal School she went into training to become a nurse, which she now is, and has
acquired a flattering reputation in this line. Nettie, who was born July 9, 1869, spent
one year in the Mason High School and then graduated in the Kindergarten department of the Hailmann School of
LaPorte,
Ind., in 1889. She is now engaged as a primary teacher in the public
schools of Mason, having had an experience of three years. Mamie E., who was
born September 19, 1871, was graduated from the Mason High School in 1889 and is a successful teacher of three years' experience. Frank, who was born September
12, 1876, resides at home. The whole family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Mason. Mr. Hines is connected with the Farmers' Alliance of Delhi.
Our subject is a Republican in his political
affiliations. He and Mrs. Hines have cleared up the farm they now own and have secured a comfortable home for themselves and their family and are justly proud of their bright and interesting group of children. The family are all interested in a good class of literature. Nine good
publications are taken and it is safe to say that every journal receives a careful perusal. They are progressive people in the best
sense of the term.
JAMES H. IRISH. Our subject belongs to a family that has made itself
an honorable name in the annals of American history by its devotion to the
country and its loyalty to the cause of freedom and right. Each generation since the days of the Revolution, has sent representatives to fight for the flag, and
for union. He, whose name is at the head of this sketch has not been an exception but has added another page
to the honorable record in the family archives, for he served through the War of the Rebellion
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helping to put down the enslavement of hundreds of thousands of human beings, and to preserve the unity of the States. To-day he still bears evidence that to every loyal American citizen must be a badge that is most honorable for the owner to wear.
Mr. Irish is a farmer and stock-raiser residing on section 1, of Vevay Township, Ingham County, where he has forty acres under cultivation. He was born in Logan County, Ohio, April 8, 1843, and is the son of Talcott and Sara (Madison) Irish. The father was a native of Summit County, Ohio, and the mother, of Pennsylvania. The family moved to Michigan in 1852 and located on section 36, of Alaiedon Township, Ingham County, where he purchased eighty acres of land, spending the remainder of his life with the exception of the time that he was in the army, in cultivating his purchase.
Our subject's father and a brother served throughout the war being volunteers in the Twelfth Michigan Infantry, both in Company G. The father's service extended over a period of three years, and the brother served over four years. Both saw much hard fighting. Talcott Irish, our
subject's father, was taken prisoner at Shiloh and confined at Macon, Ga, for a period of about six months. He was exchanged and returned to his regiment, where he served for nearly two years longer, his death finally occurring and was caused by disease which had been contracted in the army. The old gentleman, although never a man of wealth, was in comfortable circumstances and so abhorred debt that his sons early learned to beware of speculative dealings. The farm which he owned was never under mortgage during his life.
Our subject's boyhood days were spent on the farm, and his opportunities for education were very limited, as he was the oldest son left at home and the responsibility of caring for the family and of promoting the resources of the land fell on him. His youthful blood was fired by the letters that came from his father and brother containing descriptions of battles and camp life, and in 1864, he could stand it no longer, but enlisted in the Eighth Michigan Cavalry, in Company L.
He was captured by Forrest's Cavalry, soon after he was sent to the front and was confined in Andersonville Prison about five months. He has ever since been disabled, having suffered intensely from the privations and cruelties to which he was then subjected. After his liberation at the close of the war, Mr. Irish was sent to Camp Chase, Ohio, and there remained some four weeks, after which
he returned to Michigan, and within a year after his home coming he purchased eighty acres of land.
He of whom we write was married September 15, 1868 to Miss Eva Stroup. She is a daughter of John and Mary (Linden) Stroup and was born in Washtenaw County, July 16, 1848. Our subject with his wife and family, lived on the farm which he purchased directly after the war for a period of
ten years. He then sold his place and with the proceeds purchased his present home. Four children have graced our subject's home by their advent and presence. They are by name, Blanche L., Bertha S., Madge A. and J. Fred. Blanche was born August 1, 1869. She is a graduate from the Mason High School and has since devoted herself to the work of teaching, in which she has been very successful. She brings to her work a zeal and conscientiousness that cannot but have an effect for good upon the young minds that she is developing and forming. Bertha was born September 29,1871, and is just blossoming into the beauty of perfect womanhood. Madge was born November 11, 1876, while the only son made his appearance in the world March 9, 1884.
Our subject affiliates with the Republican party
in whose executive power he has all confidence and faith. He has been School Inspector for three terms,
and has brought to the work an intelligent oversight and judgment that have redounded greatly
to the advantage of educational affairs in the township. He himself has been engaged in the work of
teaching, having thus been occupied for sixteen consecutive winter terms. After returning from the war, he determined to gain more of an education and to feel himself on a par with men who
had learned to think in accordance with advanced methods, and he had strength of purpose enough, man as he was, to attend the school at Mason, and
by diligent study both in and out of school, he acquired a good common-school education, and is
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recognized in his township as being a man of more than ordinary attainments. His example should
be an encouragement to young men who, like himself, have been deprived of advantages in their early years. With
only the right kind of ambition, and an unswerving energy a man can make of himself what
he wishes. Mr. Irish is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and is Sergeant Major in the Phil McKernan Post, and
he has also been Senior Vice Commander.
The grandfather of the gentleman of whom we write, whose name was Abel
Irish. was born in Vermont. He served as a soldier in the War of 1812 and was one of
the pioneers of Summit County, Ohio, settling near the present town of Akron, which is so noted for its manufactures of various kinds.
He died in Alaiedon Township, Ingham County, this State, at the age of about seventy-eight years. One of Mr. Irish's
brothers, Ambrose, was taken prisoner in the early part of the War of the Rebellion and shot in cold blood May 9, 1862.
He was taken by Stewart's Virginia Black Horse Cavalry. Our subject is the recipient of a pension of $16 per month by
the Government in recognition of the services done and the suffering endured during the war.
HON. MARSHALL F.
RUMSEY, President of the People's Bank of Leslie, Ingham County, was
born in Bethany Genesee County, N.Y., January 17, 1840, and is the son of George W. and Fannie
M. (Canfield) Rumsey, natives respectively of New York and Connecticut. The father was very prominent in the affairs of the community where
he passed his entire life and became well-to-do. Politically, he was first a Whig, but upon the organization of
the Republican party became identified therewith, and retained the connection until his death in 1884.
In all topics of local and national importance he was well informed and
was firm in his opposition to slavery. He followed the calling of a farmer and was very domestic in his nature, preferring the
quietude of home to the turmoil of public life. He and his wife were consistent members of the Baptist Church and
he was a Deacon in the Bethany Church for almost fifty years. He lived a life above reproach and died mourned by a wide circle of friends, who appreciated his worth of character and his integrity. His death,
as well as that of his wife, occurred in Genesee County, where they had been married many years before.
The paternal grandparents of our subject were
Jesse and Anna (Ashley) Rumsey who were natives of Vermont and moved thence to Western
New York at all early day. The maternal grandparents were Daniel and Hulda (Main) Canfield,
natives of Connecticut. The Hon. Mr. Rumsey is one of six children, who were named as follows:
Florilla M., Daniel C., George W. Jr., Marshall E., Albert J. and Nathan
E. The fourth child, our subject, passed his boyhood on his father's farm
in Bethany, Genesee County, N.Y., and received an academic education at Bethany Centre and
Genesee, Livingston Count y N.Y. Until he was twenty-one years of age
he remained under the parental roof, teaching school during the winter and working on the home farm in the summer
season.
At the age of twenty-two years, our subject left
the Empire State and going to Chicago, engaged in trade in hides, until 1867, when
he came to this State. Here he at once located in Leslie, and embarked in business in lumbering, farming, real-estate and banking. Success has crowned
his efforts in Ingham County and he is now the owner of a fine farm of three hundred and forty acres adjoining the Leslie Corporation. He also owns considerable land in different
parts of the country and has done large lumbering business in the Michigan
pineries. His labors as a real-estate dealer have been marked by shrewd judgment
and keen
foresight, and in fact, in whatever direction his attention has been turned,
he has always given to the duties attending it his best efforts.
The first bank in Leslie was Walker, Allen
& Co.'s private bank and the Hon. Mr. Rumsey was one of its organizers. Later the National Bank of Leslie was organized with him as Vice-President, a position
he retained until in August, 1883, when (292)
he was elected President of the bank.
He remained in that capacity until January, 1887, when the bank surrendered its charter and was organized as
the People's Bank with our subject as President. He is studious in matters relating to his profession and has made it his life habit to do thorough and systematic reading, both professional and miscellaneous. He has a good private library and from that and other sources has kept himself abreast of the times upon all current topics, especially those pertaining to economic, social and political welfare. He is a typical self-made man, having commenced in life with no other capital than a clear head and willing hands, and may feel justly proud of the
success which he has attained.
The first Presidential vote deposited by Mr. Rumsey was for Abraham Lincoln in 1864 and he
is still a strong Republican and a leader in the party. In every campaign since he became a voter
he has been active for the political principles of his adoption, yet he is aloof from party prejudice and
allows it to have no weight in his social and business relations. His varied experience long ago
taught him to accord to others the same enjoyment of opinion which he demands for himself. He is
especially qualified for public life, and this fact being recognized by his fellow-citizens he has been called to several important and responsible positions. For several years he served as a member of
the Common Council of Leslie, and for fifteen years he was on the School Board.
In 1884 the Hon. Mr. Rumsey was elected to the Legislature from Ingham County on the Republican ticket and was re-elected to the House of 1887-88. During both sessions he was Chairman of the Committee of Ways and Means, and was ever found faithful to the interests of his constituency. He came within four votes of being made Speaker of the House in 1887. He has never aspired to office, and in fact, the positions filled by him have always been accepted reluctantly and almost forced on him. He is a genial companion and a man of fine physique. Socially, he belongs to the Masonic fraternity,
and is a Knight Templar. In his religious belief he is a Baptist, although he is not connected with the church. In 1872 he and Arnold Walker built
twenty-two miles of the Detroit & Bay City Railroad from Vassar to Bay City, Mich.
On May 15, 1865, the interesting ceremony was performed which united in marriage the Hon. Mr. Rumsey and Miss Hattie N.
Wickwire. The bride was born in Akron, Erie County,
N.Y., and is the daughter of Rensselaer and Sarah (Whipple) Wickwire, natives
respectively of Connecticut and Vermont. Her father still survives at the venerable age of eighty-six years, but the mother died in February, 1891, aged eighty-two. The elegant home of our subject and his wife was brightened by the presence of two children, one of
whom Edward M.--died when seventeen years old. The daughter, Fannie M., is the wife of Fred Haynes, of Leslie.
JAMES W. TWAITS, JR.
Many of the most able and efficient business and professional men of Michigan are English by birth and parentage, but have made
themselves by training and in their sympathies thoroughly American. We have small appreciation of those who come to America from foreign lands, and retaining all their Old-World prejudices and notions, hold themselves aloof from the interests and institutions of our country, refusing to be naturalized or to help in conducting and improving, according to their best judgment, our public affairs; but to those who come here, realizing that this a composite country and that we were all once foreigners, yet seeing the grandeur and appreciating the spirit of Americanism, and having the full intent to become one of us, we give a most hearty welcome.
Mr. Twaits, who is one of the most prominent men of North
Lansing, is such a man. He was born in Norfolk, England, December 1, 1849. His father, James W.
Twaits, and grandfather,
James, were both natives of England, who trace their lineage back to France and the Huguenots.
Their ancestors escaped from France by crossing (293)
the channel in boats, and finally, after generations of living in England, have sent some
representatives to America. The grandfather of our subject was an officer in the English navy, and one of his sons was also with him in that line of service.
The father of our subject was a baker by trade, which
he followed for a number of years in early life. He finally decided to locate permanently in this country, and brought his wife and family with him. Before coming here he became mixed up with the Chartist party, and the British soldiers surrounded the building where they held their meeting, to arrest the delegates, but he with a few others made his escape. Later, however, he was arrested, and after undergoing an examination, he was put under surveillance by the British Government. This grated upon the feelings of the honest and sturdy Englishman, and he made up his mind that in America he would find larger liberty and a right to exercise his own opinions.
The senior Mr. Twaits located in Cleveland, and took a position to run on the lake as cook. After several years' experience in this line, he had managed to gain a knowledge of lumber, and entered the employ of Harmon &
Crowl, lumber dealers, taking the position of lumber inspector. He soon took charge of the yards at St. Charles, Mich., as inspector, and followed it there for a number of years, after which he went to Saginaw, where he still resides and is in the same line of work, although he is past seventy-five years of age. He is
a man of strictly temperate habits, and has ever been in favor of all movements in this line. He is connected with the Congregational Church, as was also his wife, the mother of our subject, whose maiden name was Mary Leggett; she died in Saginaw at the age of forty-nine years, having been the mother of nine children, of whom our subject is the oldest now living. After her death Mr. Twaits
married for his second wife a Mrs. Mason.
The subject of our sketch was so young when he came to this country that he remembers only two or three incidents of his life in Merrie
England. The passage across the Atlantic Ocean, which was made in a sailing vessel, made a deep impression upon his mind, as it was a long trip, and the winds and waves were boisterous. He was reared in Cleveland until he reached the age of about six years, when the family removed to St. Charles, Mich., and in 1885 they came to East Saginaw, where he faithfully attended
the city schools, and was within a few weeks of graduation at the High School when he ceased his studies. He was not much more than thirteen years old when
he began "hustling for himself," and has been ever since.
The youth now became clerk in the post-office at East Saginaw under
Hon. DeWitt C. Gage, ex-Secretary of State, and after three years' service
he came, in the fall of 1868, to work at Lansing for the corporation which is now known as the Michigan Central Railroad, but which was then called the Jackson, Lansing & Saginaw Railroad.
He continued in their employ for some three or four years, and then served various parties as bookkeeper, being at different times in the establishment of Mr. A. Turner, with J. E. Warner & Co., and J. F. Schultz & Co.
It was not until a year before this young man became a clerk in the law department of the State Library that he became interested in legal matters, and determined to turn his attention and energies in that direction.
In the spring of 1886 he was given the entire charge of that department of the library.
He began to study under C. F. Hammond, and finished in the law
department of the State Library, and was admitted to the bar June 16, 1887, receiving liberty to practice as an attorney,
solicitor and counselor in all the courts of Michigan, his admission being granted by Hon. James V. Campbell, then Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, after examination by a committee of attorneys in open court. He continued as clerk in the library until May 15, 1891, when
he retired from that position that he might devote himself to the practice of law in Lansing. He has built for his family a beautiful home at No. 627 Cedar Street. His wife, who bore the name in maidenhood of Lizzie Price, was born in Lansing, and is a daughter of Capt. John R. Price, who was a Captain in the army during the Civil
War. More may be (294)
learned of this interesting family in the sketch of Capt. Price, which appears elsewhere in this ALBUM. This lady, who became Mrs. Twaits May 25, 1882, is a graduate of the Lansing High School and taught in different places in Michigan for a number of years before her marriage. Both she and her excellent husband take an earnest interest in all matters of education, and he is now a member of the School Board. Two children have blessed this
home--Bessie E. and Ford J.
A number of the social orders claim Mr. Twaits in their membership, as he belongs to the Free and Accepted Masons, the Royal Arch Masons, the Royal Arcanum, and was an Odd Fellow, but is not now an active one. He is a true-blue Republican, and besides being a member of the City Central Committee and the County Committee, is Chairman of the First Ward City Committee and a frequent delegate to county and State conventions. He is a man of unusual intelligence and enterprise and liberal and broad in his thought and life. His lovely wife is a prominent member of social circles in Lansing and an active worker in the Presbyterian Church.
DANIEL BARRINGER. The beautiful
capital of Michigan with its stately public buildings, its business streets lined with
handsome stores and manufactories, and its avenues of beautiful homes where dwell the
intellect, wit and beauty of the city, resembles on the map nothing so much as a fat spider with numerous logs of railway sprawling in every direction. The fact of its being a railroad center, is to
a student of ethics a most important item, for it proves the place to be an important manufacturing as well as distributive point, where the brawn
and sinew that make the social structure integrally strong is to be found. Of the men who have worked
with the single view to the upbuilding and support of the city, none are more deserving of credit
than he whose name is at the head of this sketch. Unassuming and simple, doing conscientiously his
best in his own line of business, it the same time he has always held a broad outlook over general improvement and evolution, never omitting to say the word that would cast the balance in favor of Lansing.
Mr. Barringer, who by birth owes allegiance to England, is well and favorably known in Lansing as being the efficient incumbent of the position of Deputy City Treasurer. He is now serving his second term in this capacity. He was born in Middlesex, England., in the Parish of Hillingdon, January 25, 1849. His father, Daniel Barringer Sr., was a native of the same country. He was a wheelwright by trade and died in his native land. The maiden name of our subject's mother was Elizabeth Goodall, like her husband, a
native of Middlesex, England.
Our subject was reared and educated in New Market, Canada, arriving here in the spring of 1865. He first was in the employ of a Mr. Buck, with whom
he learned the trade of a cabinetmaker. He began at the foot of the ladder but worked his way up to the position of foreman, and continued in that position for eight years,
superintending the entire shop. In the spring of 1888 he was elected City Treasurer on the Democratic ticket, and officiated in this capacity for two years. In 1890 he became Deputy Treasurer, and since thus employed his time has been entirely occupied by attention to his official duties.
After thoroughly establishing himself in business in the city, our subject found life incomplete without a home, and in 1874 he established a domestic relation, placing over his house as sovereign ruler Miss Sarah Patten. Their marriage was solemnized in 1874. The lady was born in Hamilton Canada, but was reared and educated here.
For four years Mr. Barringer has served as Alderman in the
city--from 1883 to 1887 inclusive and for one year he held the chair as President
pro tem. Socially he belongs to the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows. He also belongs to the Foresters, and has associated himself with the Knights of Labor, in which order
he is a Past Master Workman, and has been Representative to the State bodies of the said orders. Politically
he fraternizes with the Democratic party and is one (295)
of the best representatives of that political body in this city, being noted for his integrity and adherence to principle rather than to party prejudice. Mr. Barringer is a most enterprising gentleman, and is liberal and broad-minded both in, his social and political relations.
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