Marcus Aurelius Ferris Submitted by Rick Ferris

Marcus A. Ferris, who is one of the largest land owners in the township of Cheshire, as well as one of its most intelligent and progressive farmers, is a native of this township, where he was born on December 17, 1857, and where he has lived ever since upon the same farm, which is located in section seventeen. Mr. Ferris is justly proud of his ancestry and a suitable review of the same in this connection is most appropriate. His father, Hon. Richard Ferris, was the seventh in a family of nine children and he was born in the town of Butler, Wayne county, New York, August 7, 1822. Until he was eighteen years of age he remained upon the farm of his father in the Empire state, and then he began life for himself. In 1842 he decided that the middle west, which was in those days called the far west, was the place for a young man to achieve success, and accordingly he went to Indiana, stopping at Mishawaka, where he stayed for some time, working summers on a farm and the remainder of the year in a sawmill. Then he came to Michigan and worked for some eight months in Cass county. By this time he realized that a man without education was greatly handicapped in the contest for a comfortable livelihood, so he returned to Mishawaka and attended a select school during one winter and in the spring went to work again in the millyard, his wages at this time being only twenty dollars per month. His employer, William Milburn, soon realized that there was ability in the young man and he promoted him to head sawyer and finally gave the entire mill into his management. Here he remained constantly from 1845 until 1851, with the exception of one year passed in study at Notre Dame University, where he acquired much useful knowledge. April 19, 1851, Mr. Ferris married Miss Hannah Milburn, a sister of his employer. He passed one summer in a sawmill at Lawrence, Michigan, teaching school in the winter, and then returned to Mishawaka again, where he purchased an interest in a new sawmill which had been established there. After operating it a short time he returned to Lawrence and bought an interest in another sawmill, which he operated until 1854. Then selling this property, he came into Allegan county and settled upon a four hundred and eighty acre tract of new land in Cheshire township, where he built a log house of unusually large dimensions and began to clear his land.

In the spring following his arrival he built a sawmill and ran it successfully for a number of years, when it burned. Nothing daunted, he erected another mill, but when the water power which operated it failed a few years later he gave up lumbering operations altogether and devoted his entire attention to farming. He sold a portion of his tract of land, reserving three hundred and forty acres, and in a few years he had two hundred and forty acres of this under cultivation and had many improvements. His house, which was erected in 1860, was for many years the finest dwelling in the township, and his other buildings were on a par with it. In later years he devoted a great deal of attention to raising fine stock in the way of sheep and draft coach horses, and he did much to improve the class of live stock in this vicinity.

It was but natural that a man of Mr. Ferris' ability and energy should take a prominent part in the public affairs of his township and county, and for years he was considered one of the foremost men of this section. In educational affairs his deep interest led to his selection as a school officer and he served his district faithfully in this direction for many years, also acting for a number of years as township school inspector. He was also township clerk here and in Lawrence township, Van Buren county. Mr. Ferris was during the most of his life an ardent Republican and his first presidential vote was cast for Henry Clay. In the early history of Cheshire Township he was a power for his party and he did much to give the township its long continued Republican majorities. In 1870 he was chosen as representative from his district in the state legislature, and here on his sterling qualities were evident. He was chairman of the committee on lumber, a member of the committee on prisons and also a member of the joint committee of both houses appointed to visit the penal and reformatory institutions of the state.

Although his affiliations were for so many years with the Republican party, nevertheless Mr. Ferris was always deeply interested in temperance work and he did great good in this direction. Ever obedient to the dictates of his conscience, he thought he saw great financial relief in the free silver movement and he bravely differed from his party on this question and during the remainder of his life he advocated the free silver doctrine. Mr. Ferris was reared as a Catholic, although in his later years he was not affiliated with this faith. He was an organizer and faithful member of the Allegan County Pioneer Society, and for many years a meeting of this organization was not considered complete without his cheerful presence. He had much to do with the history of the township and county and he possessed a most interesting fund of reminiscence. He spent the remainder of his life upon the farm which he had made, and here he died May 28, 1904. Mrs. Ferris was a most capable helpmeet for her worthy husband during his long and successful career. She was an earnest member of the Church of England and was noted for her generous and charitable deeds. Her death preceded that of her husband, she passing away November 15, 1900. They were the parents of four children, as follows: William M. is a resident of this township; Mary E. married Robert O'Brien and she is now deceased; Marcus A. is the subject of this review, and Joseph G. is deceased.

Marcus A. was reared upon the home farm and this has been his home ever since. With his father's example before him it is no wonder that he became a capable man and a good farmer. He is the present owner of the old homestead of two hundred and forty acres and he has continued the improvements started by the senior Mr. Ferris until now "Swan Creek Stock Farm" is one of the finest places in Allegan county. Although it has always been a general purpose farm, the present owner is determined to make it in the future a model dairy farm, and here we find some excellent strains of Jersey and Holstein cattle. Mr. Ferris was married in 1890 to Miss Florence V. Motter, who was born in Lee township, April 19, 1870. She is the daughter of George and Mary J. (Smith) Motter, who were natives respectively of Ohio and Indiana. They were married in Indiana and came to Lee township in 1866, with a family of five children, two more being born after they became residents of this section. They passed the remainder of their lives here, where the wife and mother died at the age of forty-eight, the husband and father passing away at the advanced age of seventy-two.

Mr. and Mrs. Marcus Ferris have had seven children, as follows: Hannah B., Joseph G., Harold, Carl, Henry Howard, Jannette and Richard. All are living with the exception of Henry Howard, who was accidentally drowned when two and one-half years old.

Mr. Ferris was always a Republican until the advent of Bryan, since which time he has advocated the doctrines of this brilliant westerner. He has never accepted public office, although his counsel and good judgement are eagerly sought on many matters. He is a member of Deer Lake Grange and the Cheshire K. O. T. M. He is devoted to his family, and his fine farm and his home is one of the model farm places in the prosperous county of Allegan.

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