Bradley Hayes Hannaford Page 506-507 - Bradley Hayes Hannaford has had broad and varied experience in the hotel and restaurant business and is now one of the veteran representatives of the restaurant business in the city of Grand Rapids, where he owns and gives his personal supervision to the popular Hannaford Restaurant, at 9-11-13 Commerce avenue, northwest. Mr. Hannaford was born in New Hampshire, December 31, 1846, and is a scion of New England colonial ancestry. He was reared and educated in the old Granite state and was a youth of seventeen years when he first came to the west in 1864. He resided in Illinois until 1869, when he made his initial appearance in Grand Rapids. In earlier years he was long and closely identified with railroad service, and after coming to Grand Rapids he was employed first on the railroad line that is now a part of the New York Central system. He was associated with the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad (now a part of the Pennsylvania lines) at the time when its line was under construction by the Continental Improvement Company, the line having at that time been extended only as far as Paris, Mecosta county, Michigan. He was employed also on the Chicago & West Michigan Railroad, now a part of the Pere Marquette system, Whitehall, Muskegon county, having then been the terminus. For two years Mr. Hannaford was employed at the Coulter House, long a leading hotel at Grand Haven, and thereafter he was employed in the old Rathborn House in Grand Rapids. He next conducted an eating house for the Illinois Central Railroad, in Mississippi and he conducted similar places in Chicago. In the latter city he was manager of the Kenwood Club, a representative institution, during the period from 1896 to 1910, and he was thus engaged at the time of the erection of the beautiful new club house at Forty-seventh street and Lake Park avenue. In 1913 Mr. Hannaford returned to Grand Rapids, and here he conducted the restaurant of the Cody Hotel until 1921, when he opened his present attractive and well ordered restaurant, the service of which, as combined with the popularity of the owner, has gained to it a large and appreciative supporting patronage. Mr. Hannaford has recently platted his farm property on the outskirts of Grand Rapids, and this is to be developed as the Hannaford addition to Grand Rapids, the property being eligibly situated along what is a virtual continuation of South Division street. Mr. Hannaford is affiliated with the Hotel Men's Mutual Benefit Association. In 1876 Mr. Hannaford wedded Miss Louise Long, of Grand Rapids, and her death occurred in Chicago, in 1900. Walter J., eldest of the children now has the active management of his father's restaurant. He married Letitia Kern and they have one son. Miss Adelaide Louise Hannaford, younger of the two children born to Mr. and Mrs. Bradley Hannaford, is known for her exceptional business ability and is now publicity agent for the great and exclusive Blackstone Hotel in the city of Chicago.

Transcriber: Gloria Paas
Created: 25 November 2002