KELLY BOSWORTH

KELLY BOSWORTH, a representative farmer and general merchant of Chester township, is one of those sturdy pioneers who came here in an early day and grappled vigorously with the forest, strong of heart and willing of hand, and he has won success through his own toil and endeavor and fully appreciates the value of the independence and prosperity which he has thus gained, while his life is further crowned by the confidence and good will of his fellow men. Mr. Bosworth was born in Cuyahoga county, Ohio, January 1, 1824, being a son of Luther and Lomyra (Kelly) Bosworth, the latter of whom died at the time of his birth. The parents were born in the state of New York, where their marriage was solemnized, and in 1824 they removed to Ohio, becoming pioneers of Cuyahoga county, but the wife and mother survived only, a few months after their arrival in the Buckeye state. Luther Bosworth later married a second wife, whose maiden name was Lucy Sprague and who is now deceased. He became a farmer in Cuyahoga county, reclaiming this land from the wilderness and there remaining until he was of advanced age, when he came to Eaton county, Michigan, passing the closing years of his life in Roxand township, where he died at the age of eighty-four years. Kelly Bosworth was reared on the pioneer farm in Ohio and waxed strong in mind and body under the strenuous discipline involved. He recalls the scenes and incidents of the day with pleasurable appreciation, and states that his education was acquired in a little log school house, with slab benches, puncheon floors and other primitive equipments common to the place and period. That his memory compasses a great transition is evident when it is recalled that Cuyahoga county, the scene of his birth and youthful experiences, is that in which is located the great city of Cleveland, which was then little more than a village. Mr. Bosworth was stout and rugged and in 1846, when twenty-two years of age, he decided to strike out for himself into the woods of Michigan. He arrived in Eaton county in the fall of that year, his only possessions being an ax and a shovel. He secured one hundred and thirty acres of heavily timbered land, in Chester township, and remained on the place two years, felling trees and making ready to reclaim his land to the uses of civilization. After erecting a log house on the place he returned to Ohio, where, August 18, 1850, he was united in marriage to Miss Almira Bark, who soon afterward accompanied him to-his rude forest lodge in the wilds of Chester township. She was born in Ohio, February 25, 1830, and was a daughter of Francis and Lucina (Granger) Bark, the former native of the state of New York and the latter of the Dominion of Canada. Mrs. Bosworth proved a true helpmeet and devoted mother; and the great loss and bereavement of Mr. Bosworth's life was that involved in her death, which occurred about ten years ago. They became the parents of six children: Frederick G., born April 9, 1853, is married and resides on a farm in Sunfield township; Francis F., born July 15, 1856, is likewise married and resides in the same township; Lomyra S. became the wife of Louis Lemmon, and died in Sunfield township, leaving three children; Myron K., who was born December 8, 1860, married Miss Jennie Rogers, and they reside on the old homestead with his father, he having charge of the same; Charles, who was born October 1, 1862, died October 2, 1864; Edwin L., born January 16, 1866, is married and occupies a farm adjoining that of his father. Mr. Bosworth has been markedly successful in his operations as a farmer, having owned at one time three hundred acres of land in the county, and now retaining his homestead one hundred and thirty-three acres. He stands to-day a splendid type of the venerable pioneer, having a strong constitution, which gives little evidence of the strenuous toil and the hardships which he endured in past years. He became a true woodsman, endured trials with fortitude, faced obstacles with courage and equanimity and wrought out for himself a home in the wilderness. When he located on his farm there were only three houses between the same and Charlotte, which is ten miles distant. He gathered in his due share of the wild game which was so plentiful in the day’s agone, and he had numerous acquaintances among the Indians who then roamed about in this section. He has been a staunch supporter of the principles of the Republican party from the time of its organization, and has taken an active interest in public affairs of a local nature, attending caucuses and elections invariably and doing all in his power to further the welfare of the community. He is a man of broad mental ken, well informed on the topics of the day. In 1901 he and his son Myron erected and stocked a store on the corner north of the residence, and here they are carrying on a very successful business in the handling of such general merchandise as is demanded in the community. Mr. Bosworth enjoys the latter days of peace and prosperity, but has no regret for the earlier experiences. He is surrounded by tried and true friends and feels that his "lines are cast in pleasant places."