Cass County Michigan Biographies
From The History of Cass County by GloverPage G
EDGAR J. GARD
GARD, FULTON, SHAW, HEPWORTH, WARNER, RICHEdgar J. Gard is one of the extensive land owners of Cass county, having in one tract three hundred and seventy-three acres, but half belongs to his sister, Mrs. Fulton, upon which he has lived since 1898. This constitutes one of the valuable farms of the county. It is located on section 20, Volinia township, and is improved with modern equipments and accessories, many of which have been placed thereon by the present owner. Mr. Gard is one of the native sons of the township, his birth having occurred here on the 9th of February, 1856. The family name has figured long and prominently in connection with the development and improvement of this portion of the state. His paternal grandparents were Jonathan and Elizabeth Gard, who came from Ohio to Cass county in a very early day, locating in Volinia township, where Jonathan Gard entered land from the government. He was a typical pioneer citizen, courageously meeting the hardships and trials of frontier life in order to establish a home for his family and his labor proved a factor in the substantial development and improvement which has followed the united and concerted labors of the early settlers.
Isaac N. Gard, father of our subject, was born in Ohio, and with his parents came to Cass county, here being reared, educated and married. In fact he continued a resident of Volinia township up to the time of his death, which occurred when he was about seventy-six years of age. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Nancy Shaw, still resides in Volinia township. By her marriage she became the mother of one son and two daughters, namely: Julia, now the wife of Henry Hepworth, of Kansas; Mrs. Orley Fulton, and Edgar J., of this review.
The youngest of the family, Edgar J. Gard was reared in Volinia township and was given good educational privileges, pursuing his studies in the village school of Volinia, also in Decatur and later in the Indiana Normal School at Valparaiso. He was thus well equipped for life's practical and responsible duties by thorough mental training, which stimulated his latent talents and prepared him to meet the business duties and obligations that devolved upon him as he started out in life on his own account. He lived at home up to the time of his marriage, and then settled upon a farm on section 21, Volinia township, where he resided until 1898, when he bought his present farm, the tract comprising three hundred and seventy-three acres of rich and valuable land all in one body, but half of this land belongs to his sister, Mrs. Fulton. He has since given his attention to general farming, raising the various cereals best adapted to soil and climate. He also has good grades of stock upon his farm and the buildings are in keeping with ideas of modern progress. He also owns a sawmill on section 21, Volinia township, which he operates in addition to his agricultural pursuits.
On the 14th of October, 1879, Mr. Gard married Miss Flora Warner, a daughter of James H. and Rachel (Rich) Warner. She was born in Cass county, her parents being pioneers of this part of the state. Mr. and Mrs. Gard now have one son, Dana W., who is pursuing his education in the schools of Decatur. Fraternally Mr. Gard is connected with the Knights of the Maccabees, while politically he is a Republican, having never faltered in his allegiance to the party since he cast his first vote. All his life he has lived in this county and he is a typical western man, alert and enterprising. He possesses an indomitable spirit and strong will that have been factors in winning for him his present desirable success, enabling him to overcome all the difficulties and obstacles which checker every business career. He is a man of strong convictions, quick to discern the best course to pursue. Difficulties vanish before him as mist before the morning sun and he is penetrative and practical in all that he does.
Typed by Barbara O'Reagan
HUGH P. GARRETT
GARRETT, PETTICREW, DUNN, CRAWFORN, McCARTY, JONESThe people of the younger generation cannot realize the conditions which were met and the work which has been done by the early settlers of the county. The traveler of today noting the enterprising towns and villages and improved farms, the substantial homes and other evidences of prosperity and culture, cannot realize that scarcely more than a half century has passed since the greater part of Cass county was an undeveloped wilderness. It requires stout hearts and willing hands to subdue the wilderness and plant the seeds of civilization in a wild district, and early settlers certainly deserve the praise and gratitude of those who follow later and enjoy the benefits of their labors. Mr. Garrett is numbered among the early and honored residents of Cass county, and at his pleasant home on section 31, LaGrange township, is enjoying the fruits of his former toil. His mind forms a connecting link between the primitive past and the progressive present. He was born in Montgomery county, Ohio, his natal place being in Miami township and the date of his birth October 26, 1830. His father, John Garrett, was born near Belfast, Ireland, and when twenty years of age crossed the Atlantic to America, thinking that he might enjoy better opportunities and privileges in the new world than could be secured on the green Isle of Erin. He landed at Philadelphia and made the journey on foot across the Allegheny mountains to Cincinatti, Ohio, whence he afterward went to Montgomery county, that state. He had no money and he worked at anything that he could get to do that would yield him an honest living. He was thus employed up to the time of his marriage to Miss Rosa Petticrew, a native of Montgomery county, Ohio. He then turned his attention to farming, and in partnership with an uncle established what was a large distillery for those days in Montgomery county. They conducted quite an extensive business not only in the manufacture of whiskey, but also engaged largely in the raising of cattle and hogs, which they fed upon the refuse of the distillery. They shipped their stock by canal to Cincinnati and for a number of years conducted a prosperous business. At length, however, Mr. Garrett disposed of his interests in Ohio and came to Michigan, arriving in Cass county on the 2nd of April, 1848. He afterward removed to VanBuren county, this state, where he remained until called to his final home in the sixty-third year of his age. His widow continued to reside upon the old homestead farm there until her death, which occurred in 1878, when she was in her seventy-third year. This worthy couple were the parents of ten children, three sons and seven daughters, all of whom reached adult age before there was a death in the family. Five of the number, three sons and two daughters, are yet living at this writing, in 1906.
Hugh P. Garrett, the eldest, spent the first seventeen years of his life in his native state and during that period worked with his father and attended the common schools. He then accompanied his parents to Michigan, locating in LaGrange township, Cass county, and when about twenty years of age he started out upon his own efforts for a living. He was first employed as a farm hand by the month and he also spent two years in a commission warehouse at Lockington, Shelby county, Ohio. Following that interval he returned to Cass county and here he sought a companion and helpmate for life’s journey, being married on the 15th of November, 1854, to Miss Elizabeth White. Losing his first wife, he was married October 22, 1857, to Miss Julia A. Dunn, and unto them were born two sons; John S., who is now a resident farmer of Hamilton township, VanBuren county, Michigan; and David E., who makes his home in Fillmore county, Nebraska. The wife and mother died October 9, 1874, and on the 10th of April 1876, Mr. Garrett was again marred, Miss Phoebe Crawford becoming his wife. She died leaving three children: Charles W., who was born in 1877 and is living in Howard township; Ralph F., who also resided in Howard township; and Rosa A., who was born May 14, 1885, and died August 21, 1903. Mr. Garrett’s second wife had a son and daughter by a former marriage: William H. Garrett, who is living in Nebraska; and Emma J., now the wife of James McCarty, of Owosso, Michigan. His third wife had one daughter by a former marriage, Mrs. Viola F. Jones, the wife of Warner D. Jones, of Cassopolis.
At the time of his first marriage Mr. Garrett rented land in Wayne township, whereon he resided for a year. He afterward lived a various places and he found his second wife in Franklin county, Indiana, where he resided until 1865. In that year he returned to Michigan and bought the farm where he now resides. In 1880 he sold this property and removed to Fillmore county, Nebraska, settling on a farm of one hundred and sixty acres. In the fall of 1883 he sold this farm and returned to Cass county, where he purchased the old homestead upon which he now resides. He rents his land at the present time, but gives his personal supervision to the property, having on hundred and five acres which constitutes a valuable farm that returns him a good income. He has been a Republican since the organization the party “under the Oaks” in Jackson, Michigan, in 1854. Previous to that time he had voted with the Whig party and he cast his first presidential ballot for General Winfield Scott. He voted twice for Lincoln and twice for Grant, also for McKinley, and in fact has supported each presidential nominee of the Republican party. He has kept well informed on questions and issues of the day and has never faltered in his allegiance to the principles which he espouses, but he has never sought or desired political preferment for himself. He was reared in the faith of the Presbyterian church. His life has been straightforward characterized by honest in all his business dealings, and he is well known in Cass county for his genuine personal worth.
Typed by Carol Foss
BENJAMIN F. GARWOOD
GARWOOD, BROWN, LAMB, BONINE, ELLIOTT, THOMASAmong the early settlers who have long been witness of the growth and development of Cass County is numbered Benjamin F. Garwood, who now makes his home on section J, Penn township, where he owns a well improved farm of ninety acres. He still gives personal supervision to the property and the cultivation of the fields and his life record in this respect should put to shame many a man of much younger years, who, having grown weary of the struggles of a business career, would relegate to others the burdens that he should bear. Mr. Garwood has now passed the seventy-ninth milestone of life’s journey but is yet a factor in agricultural circles here, giving supervision to the care of his farm.
A native of Logan county, Ohio, he was born on the 19th of May, 1827, and was third in order of birth in a family of eleven children, five sons and six daughters, all of whom with one exception reached adult age. Their parents were William and Elizabeth (Brown) Garwood, the father born in Virginia and the mother in North Carolina. The father was reared, however, in Logan county, Ohio, and was there married to Miss Brown. They resided for a long period in Ohio, whence they came to Cass county, Michigan, about 1845, locating in Jefferson township, but Mr. Garwood soon afterward purchased one hundred and twenty acres of land in Penn township, to which farm he removed his family, but afterward was a resident of Missouri for some time, continuing there about two years, when he returned to Penn township to reside up to the time of his demise. His widow survived him and died in Missouri.
Benjamin F. Garwood was about eighteen years of age when he came with his parents to Michigan. He had attended the district schools of Logan county and he continued his studies in the district schools of Jefferson township, Cass county, which he attended through the winter months, while during the remainder of the year he worked at farm labor. He continued to assist in the cultivation of the fields and in harvesting the crops until his marriage on the 27th of October, 1853, to Miss Catharine Lamb. There were four sons and four daughters born of that marriage: Elvira, Mary Ann, William, Charles, Lydia, Warren, Euceba and John A. The mother passed away October 8, 1881. On the 12th of April, 1883, Mr. Garwood was again married, his second union being with Malinda T., Bonine, who was born in Henry county, Indiana, December 2, 1835, and was a daughter of Simeon and Olive (Elliott) Thomas. Her first husband was Jacob Bonine and to them were born two children: Lot J. and Olive. Mrs. Garwood came to Michigan about 1854. Both Mr. & Mrs. Garwood are old settlers of Cass county and are widely and favorably known. His first presidential vote was cast for a Republican candidate. He is a member of the Friends’ Church and his life has been in sympathy with that religious sect, whose followers exemplify a spirit of Christian patience, consideration and virtue that has made them widely known and has awakened a universal feeling of respect for the denomination which they represent.
Typed by Carol Foss
WILLIAM H. GARWOOD
GARWOOD, PRATHER, DEMMONS,The arduous task of developing and cultivating new land is one familiar to William H. Garwood, a representative farmer of Pokagon township, who in the successful management of his business interests has displayed excellent business ability, keen discernment and unfaltering diligence. He was born in the township where he yet resides November 5, 1846. His father, Jesse Garwood, was one of the old settlers of the county and was a native of Warren county, Ohio, where his birth occurred in the 15th of August, 1806. There he was reared and educated, and on leaving the Buckeye state he removed to Terre Coupe Prairie, Indiana, in 1827. He worked at the Indian mission for two summers and in 1829 he came to Pokagon township, Cass county, Michigan, settling on his present farm. He had located this land in 1832. It was all raw and unimproved, but he cleared sixty acres. He had two hundred and forty acres in the original tract and the arduous task of developing a new farm fell to him and was successfully carried on. His marriage on the 6th of December, 1844, to Miss Rachel Prather was celebrated in this county. The lady was a native of Madison county, Indiana, born September 24, 1808, and William H. Garwood was the only child born of this marriage. The father voted with the Republican party and was the champion of many progressive measures, especially those which contributed to substantial progress and improvement. He died September 11, 1889, while his wife passed away in 1885.
In his youth William H. Garwood worked upon the old farm homestead and cleared the entire place save the sixty acres which his father brought under cultivation. At his father's death he took possession of the entire farm and has since been one of the representative agriculturists of the community, giving undivided attention to the further improvement of his property. Everything about the place is neat and thrifty in appearance and the fields annually return to him golden harvests.
On the 21st of November, 1866, Mr. Garwood was united in marriage to Miss Lucinda F. Demmons, a native of Michigan, born on the 23d of November, 1844, and a daughter of Alanson Demmons, who was a farmer by occupation. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Garwood have been born nine children, of whom six are deceased. Those living are: Amanson W., on his father's estate; Dwight, in Kansas City, Missouri; and Blanch, wife of Charles Phillips, of Pokagon. All were born upon the old homestead farm.
Mr. Garwood is a member of the Masonic fraternity and also belongs to the Woodmen camp at Pokagon. In politics a Democrat, he takes an active part in the local work of the party, served as supervisor for two years and was also township treasurer for two years. His efforts in behalf of public progress have been effective and beneficial and his support can always be counted upon to further any movement for the general good. He has spent his entire life in Pokagon township and as a native son and pioneer settler of Cass county well deserves representation in this volume, while his genuine worth entitles him to the confidence and good will which are uniformly given him by his fellow townsmen.
Typed by Barbara O'Reagan
EUGENE B. GILBERT
GILBERT, BeGAU, SAMMONS, CUSHING, TICE, LOCKWOOD, BARKER, BISSETTEugene B. Gilbert is numbered among the early settlers of Cass county. The story of pioneer life has never been adequately written and only those who have gone through such experiences can really know of the conditions that exist upon the frontier, which has little or no railroad communication with older points and must therefore be deprived of many of the advantages and comforts that are found in districts which have long been settled. Mr. gilbert's memory forns a connecting link between the pregressive present and the primitive past when the settlers were denied many of the comforts and conveniences which are now enjoyed by the citizens of Cass county. He lives on section 29, Silver Creek township, where he owns a good farm. His birth, however, occurred in the town of Springfield in Otswego county, New York, September 21, 1833, and he is the son of W. B. Gilbert, better known as "Uncle Tommy" Gilbert. His paternal grandfather was a sea captain and the owner of the ship on which he sailed. The vessel, however, was confiscated and he was thrown into an English prison at the time of the Revolutionary war. He lost all his welath and died while being held as a prisoner of war. His wife afterwards returned to England, where her last days were spent. Mr. Gilbert, however, was of French birth but had become a citizen under the English government.
W. B. Gilbert was born in New York state and was reared by an uncle, Jimmie BeGau, in Otswego county, New York. When a young man he engaged in teaming to Michigan from Albany and Buffalo, New York, prior to the era of the building of the canal. He also engaged in burning lime, furnishing all of the lime for George Clark on Lake Otswego and for many buildings of that period. His children were all born in Otswego county. He served in the war of 1812, enlisting as a private, but became an officer, and later he was granted a pension and given eighty-six acres of land in Michigan in recognition of the aid which he rendered the government during the second military struggle with England. On leaving the east he came to Michigan in 1838 and in 1839 removed his family to Cass county, settling in Silver Creek township when there was not twelve acres of land cleared in the entire township. He bought five eighty-acre tracts, all wild and unimproved, and at once began converting the raw land into productive fields. He had to clear away the timber and upon his farm he built a log house. Nearly all of the homes in the county were thus constructed in that early day. The task of developing and improving a farm was a very arduous and strenuous one, but he carried on his labors unfalteringly and in the course of time his land became rich and productive. The trading was done at Niles and at St. Joseph, Michigan, which were then the nearest commercial centers.
Mr. Gilbert continued a resident of this county up to the time of his death, which occurred when he was in his seventy-fourth year. He was justice of the peace for many years and his decisions were characterized by the utmost fairness and impartiality-a fact which is indicated by his long continuance in office. He was one of the prominent and influentila men of his day, and his efforts for the community and its development were far-reaching, effective and beneficial. He engaged in speculating in land to a considerable extent, buying and selling property and making his money in that way. He became very familiar with land values and was seldom at error in matters of business judgement. In politics he was a Whig in early manhood and upon the the dissolution of the party he joined the randks of the new Republican party, of which he became a stanch advocate. He was, morever, a well-read man and had a library of fifteen hundred volumes in New York. He was interested in everything pertaining to his country and her welfare and his reading not only embraced social, economic and political problems but also took in much of the literature of the past and present. He married Miss Cynthia Sammons, a native of New York, who was born on the banks of Sharon Springs, her father clearing a place there. He was Casey Sammons, and was of German birth, while her mother belonged to an old Prussian family. Mrs. Gilbert was in her seventy-third year at the time of her death. She was a worthy pioneer woman who bravely shared with her husband in the hardships and trials incident to frontier life and did her best to care for her family and provide a comfortable home for them. She became the mother of six children, three sons and three daughters, all of whom reached years of maturity, but only two of the number are now living, namely: Mrs. Jane Cushing, who is mentioned on another page of this work; and Eugene B.
In taking up the personal history of Eugene B. Gilbert we present to our readers the life record of one who is widely and favorably known in this county. He was the fifth child in his father's family and the third son, and was in his sixth year at the time of the removal from New York to Cass county. He began work when a very young lad, for his sevices were needed upon the home farm and he was fourteen years of age before a school was built in this township. To a limited extent he pursued his studies in a log schoolhouse, bbut his educational privileges were meager and it has been through his own efforts, his reading, observation and experience that he has broadened his knowledge, becoming a well informed man. He assisted in clearing the land which his father secured on coming to the county and has resided continuously upon the old homestead from the age of five years.
On the 20th of February, 1864, Mr. Gilbert was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Tice, a daughter of Isaac and Sallie Ann (Lockwood) Tice, both of whom were natives of the state of New York, her mother having been born in Newberg. They came to Michigan about 1850, settling in Niles, and afterward removed to Silver Creek township. Mrs. Gilbert was born in Albany, New York, August 9, 1843, and came with her parents to Cass county when about seven years of age. She was here reared in a pioneer home in the midst of the forest and thus became acquainted with the conditions of frontier life. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert have been born a daughter and son: Mary L., who is now the wife of Louis Rudolph, of Dowagiac; and William L. who resides upon the home farm. He married Miss LIzzie Bissett, a daughter of Alexander and Isabelle (Barker) Bissett. Unto Mr. and Mrs. William Gilbert had been born a little daughter, Ione.
As stated, Eugene B. Gilbert has followed farming throughout his entire life and it today the owner of about five hundred acres of valuable land, of which one hundred and sisty acres is located in Berrien county and the remainder in Cass county. His house is on the east bank of Indian Lake and is known as Gilbert Castle. It is one of the landmarks of the county, being the second house built on the banks of the like. Few men have more intimate knowledge of the history of the county and events which have formed its annals. He can remeber when tyhe Indians were very numerous in this part of the state and remembers seeing the chief "LoPole" Pokagon. His father assisted in removing the Indians to Kansas under government contract. Mr. Gilbert has lived in this part of the state for sixty-seven years, has been closely identified with its interests and has done much for its substantial development and improvement. In politics he is a Republican, but he would never accept office, although he could undoubtedly have filled public positions very credibly had he consented to become a candidate. He is a man of independent spirit, not bound by any creed, belief or fraternal ties. He forms his own opinions and is honest in upholding them and his life has been characterized by principles of integrity and honor, while his business career has displayed unfaltering diligence and perseverance.
Typed by Gloria Gibbell
SAMUEL H. GILBERT
GILBERT, COLGROVE, MOTLEY, ELKINGTON, ORROn the list of pioneer settlers of Cass county appears the name of Samuel H. Gilbert, who is now living on section 23. Porter township. He dates his residence in the county from 1835. Few, indeed, have longer resided in this portion of the state or have for a greater period witnessed the changes that have been wrought here. He is not only familiar with the history of the county from hearsay but has been an active participant in the work that has led to its present development and upbuilding. The story of pioneer life is a familiar one to him, for he settled here in the days when the homes were pioneer cabins, when much of the work of the fields was done by hand, when the sickle and scythe formed a part of the farm implements, when the houses were lighted by candles and when the cooking was largely done over the open fireplace.
Mr. Gilbert is a native of Onondaga county, New York, his birth having occurred in Lysander township, on the 18th of April, 1824. His father, Stephen Gilbert, was born in Massachusetts and there was reared. When a young man he left New England and went to New York, whence he came to Michigan in 1835, making his way direct to Cass county. He located in Porter township, and at once became engaged in the arduous task of developing a new farm, making his home thereon until his death, which occurred when he was seventy-three years of age. His father, Samuel Gilbert, was a native of Huntington township, Fairfield county, Connecticut, born March 10, 1761, and was a soldier of the Revolutionary war, espousing the cause of the colonists when they could no longer endure the yoke of British oppression. He saw Major Andre when he was hanged as a spy. Mr. Gilbert was under the command of General Washington for one year and three months and for thirty years of his life received a pension of twelve dollars per month from the government in recognition of the aid which he had rendered to his country in her struggle for independence. He was supposed to have been of English descent and he died September 10, 1849. The mother of our subject bore the maiden name of Almira Colgrove, was a native of Rutland, Vermont, and a daughter of Calvin Colgrove, of English parentage. She lived to a very advanced age, passing away in her ninety-fifth year. By her marriage she became the mother of five sons and three daughters, who reached adult age and all were married and reared families.
Samuel H. Gilbert is the eldest living member of the family today. He was a lad of eleven years when his parents left the Empire state and came west to Michigan, locating in Porter township, where he pursued his studies in a log schoolhouse. He was also educated in a similar school-house in New York. The methods of instruction were very primitive, in keeping with pioneer times and conditions, and he pursued his studies only in the winter months, for throughout the remainder of the year he worked in the fields and assisted in clearing and cultivating the farm. He was an expert in handling a mall and wedge and was a very strong man in his younger days. All the farm work became familiar to him from actual experience and he assisted in the fields from the time of early spring planting until after crops were harvested in the late autumn.
Mr. Gilbert was married on the 31st of October, 1847, to Miss Elizabeth Motley, a daughter of James and Fannie (Elkington) Motley, both of whom were of English lineage. The mother died in Montreal, Canada. Mrs. Gilbert was born in England, July 5, 1829, and was only six months old when her parents bade adieu to friends and native country and sailed for America. Her mother died when the daughter was but fourteen months old and the father afterward married Bethesda McNeil, by whom he had nine children. At the time of their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert located on the farm where they now reside, it having been their place of residence for fifty-nine years and he has owned it for a year longer. Full of hope and courage they began the task of establishing a home here in the midst of the wilderness, Mrs. Gilbert carefully managing the household affairs, while Mr. Gilbert performed the work of the fields, transforming the raw and undeveloped land into a tract of rich fertility, from which he annually harvested good crops. In all of his work he has been practical and as invention has given to the world improved farm machinery he has introduced this into his work and thus facilitated his labors. There is little similarity in the methods of farming today, and those which were followed by the agriculturists a half century ago. Then the farmer walked back and forth cross the fields, guiding his handplow. His grain was cut with a scythe and bound by hand into sheaves. Today he rides over the fields upon the plow and the cultivator and the harvesting machine and thresher are familiar sights in all farming localities.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert have been born eight children, of whom four are now living: Ida, the wife of Frank L. Orr, who resides in West Pullman, Illinois; Orrin, a contractor and builder, carrying on business in Portland, Oregon; George, a farmer of Porter township; Arthur, a twin brother of George, who follows farming in South Dakota; and Helen, who died at the age of twenty-eight years. She was a student in Hillsdale College, Michigan, and afterward engaged successfully in teaching school. Mr. Gilbert has led an honorable, useful and active life. He has always been a strong temperance man and is a Prohibitionist in his political views, regarding the use of intoxicants as one of the most important questions today before the people. He has never used tobacco in his life and none of his sons is addicted to it. He and his family are members of the First Baptist church in Porter township, in which he has served as trustee for many years, while in the work of the church he has taken a most active and helpful part. He is today the oldest resident in Porter township, having for seventy-one years made his home within its borders and has seen the country develop from a wilderness to its present state of cultivation and improvement, while cross-roads villages have grown into thriving towns and cities. His life has been actuated by many noble principles and toward his fellow-men he has displayed consideration and fairness that have commanded uniform confidence and esteem. His record is indeed in many respects worthy of emulation, showing what may be accomplished through earnest and persistent effort in the business world and at the same time displaying sterling traits of character which work for development along the lines of truth, righteousness and justice.
Typed by Barbara O'Reagan
L. H. GLOVER
GLOVER, CARR, HARPER, RYANThe Publishers, in acknowledging their indebtedness to the Editor, Mr. L. H. Glover, whose true historical instinct, keen memory for dates and facts and unabating interest in every department of the undertaking insure to the public the faithfulness of the endeavor and the value of the volume as a history of the county, take this opportunity in the closing pages of the volume to give a brief sketch of the life of the Editor.
Having considered on previous pages the sources of emigration of the early settlers, it is not surprising to find that Mr. Glover, like so many of his fellow citizens, is a native of New York state. Born in Orleans county, February 25, 1839, he is none the less practically a native son of Michigan, since his parents moved west to White Pigeon prairie, in St. Joseph county, in the same year. His father, Orville B. Glover, who was born at Upton, Mass., April 11, 1804, died at Edwardsburg in 1852; and his mother, Julia Ann (Carr) Glover, who was born at Albion, N. Y., June 28, 1818, died at Buchanan, Mich., in 1893.
The family came to Edwardsburg in 1840, and when the boy, Lowell, first came to a knowledge of circumstances and events beyond the walls of his own home he looked about upon the people and the environments which characterized the Edwardsburg of sixty years ago. Edwardsburg in those days was the metropolis of the county, and by its situation on the Chicago road had a thriving, bustling air such as stimulated more than one boy to rise above the commonplace in life.
Mr. Glover's early experiences were marked by a brief period in the village school and by a period spent as a clerk in one of the early mercantile enterprises of Edwardsburg. An accident by which he lost his right hand when about sixteen years old limited his choice of pursuits, and it was about this time that his decision to become a lawyer became a definite aim to be striven for without ceasing.
After a residence at Edwardsburg until April, 1861, he moved to Cassopolis that he might have the association and opportunities of study offered in a lawyer's office. His preceptor was the late Judge Daniel Blackman, to the value of whose example and the strength of whose character Mr. Glover never ceases to give credit. In October, 1862, he was admitted to the bar after an examination in open court, and as elsewhere mentioned, is at this date the oldest lawyer in length of active practice in the county. Mr. Glover has been a life-long Democrat and confesses to having often offered himself upon the altar of sacrifice as that party's nominee to various offices. In April, 1862, he began official service through his election as a justice of the peace of LaGrange township, and with the exception of one year has held that office to the present time. Under Cleveland's first administration he held the office of postmaster, serving from September, 1885, to November, 1889. The only break in his long residence and professional activity in Cassopolis was occasioned by his service as deputy commissioner of the state land office at Lansing in 1891-92.
Mr. Glover is himself a true pioneer of the county and took for his wife the daughter of one of the prominent pioneers of Cassopolis and the county. October 3, 1865, he married Miss Maryette, youngest daughter of Joseph and Caroline Harper. The one daughter of their marriage, Fanny Eugenia, is the wife of John F. Ryan, of Marquette, Mich.
Since the death of C. W. Clisbee, in 1889, Mr. Glover has been historian of the Pioneer Society. Before, as well as since that time, he has been enthusiastic in his interest in Cass county history. His painstaking care in the preservation of historical material and his recognized cyclopedic knowledge of Cass county, led to his selection as the editor of this history, and it is a simple statement of fact that the worthy fulfullment of the publishers' purposes is due to the conscientious thoroughness of the Editor.
Typed by Darwina Michael
SIDNEY J. GRAHAM
GRAHAM, KNAPP, BAGLEY, RUSSELLSidney J. Graham, a prominent farmer living on section 2, Mason township, was born in Medina county, Ohio, March 18, 1842. His father, Lyman Graham, was a native of Vermont, and after leaving New England took up his abode in the middle west. He settled in Cass county, Michigan, in 1835, and as much of the land was still in possession of the government, he entered a claim and began the development of the farm upon which his son Sidney now resides. It was in the year 1845 that he removed his family to this place. His attention was given to its cultivation and development, and as the years passed, he transformed the land into rich and productive fields. He was of Scotch descent and displayed in his life and character many of the sterling traits of the Scotch people. His political allegiance was given to Democracy, and he died in Union, Michigan, at the age of sixty-seven years. In early manhood he had married Miss Sarah Knapp, a native of Ohio.
Sidney J. Graham is the only child of their marriage, and was three years of age when his parents took up their abode in Mason township, Cass county, so that he was reared upon the farm where he how lives, early becoming familiar with the practical methods of tilling soil and caring for the crops. He was only nineteen years of age when he offered his aid to the government, becoming a member of Company H, Twenty-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He joined the service as a private for three months, and on the expiration of that period, it being seen that the war was to be a prolonged and bitter contest, he re-enlisted on the 12th of August, 1861, for three year’s service, or during the continuance of hostilities. At this time he became a member of Company E, Forty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served as a private until the close of hostilities. He once more enlisted in 1864 as a member of the same company and regiment, and continued with the army until the 9th of June, 1864, when he was wounded at the battle of Buzzard’s Roost by a gun shot in the left arm. On the 20th of June, because of his injuries, he received an honorable discharge after a faithful and valorous service of over four years. His military record is one of which he has every reason to be proud, and he is numbered among the brave boys in blue to whom the country owes a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid for what they did in support of the Union cause. He was with the Army of the Cumberland and participated in all of the battles of that military organization until he was injured.
In the spring of 1866, Mr. Graham located on his present farm, which is the old family homestead that was taken up as a claim by his father. He made further arrangements for having a home of his own by his marriage on the first of June 1866, to Miss Elizabeth Bagley, a daughter of Knapp Bagley. She was born in Ohio and has been to his a faithful companion and helpmate on life’s journey. They have become the parents of two daughters: Lulu, the wife of George Russell, who is living in Mason township; and Myrtie, who married Albert Keeley, their home being in Calvin township, Cass county.
Mr. Graham owns one hundred and sixty-five acres of well improved land and now rents his place, thus leaving the active and arduous work of the farm to others, while he is enjoying a well-earned rest. He is a member of Carter Post No. 96 G. A. R., at Union, and is also a member of the Masonic lodge at Edwardsburg. His political allegiance has always been given to the Republican party, and he has taken an active and helpful interest in its work, doing all in his power to secure its success. With the exception of a period of about four years spent in Ohio, he has resided continuously in Cass county for six decades, and at all times has been loyal in his citizenship, displaying the same devotion to the public welfare that he manifested when at the outbreak of the Civil war he donned the blue uniform of the nation and entered his country’s service. His farming interests have been carefully conducted and his labors have resulted in bringing to him a goodly measure of success.
Typed by Carol Foss