Homer E. Hudson

Page 347 – A prosperous farmer residing on section 33, of Georgetown Township, Ottawa County, has for a number of years been closely identified withthe agricultural interests of this section of the state. He is the son ofWilliam P. Hudson, a native of Massachusetts, who followed the trade of amechanic until 1855. He then located on a farm in the vicinity of Cleveland,Ohio, where his remaining years were passed. His marriage united him with MissDelphia, daughter of A. S. Shurwin, a Revolutionary hero, who is an early dayremoved from Massachusetts to Cleveland, Ohio, settling on a farm near thatcity.

In the parental family there were five children, four of whom are now living,viz.: William P., a resident of Ohio; Homer E., of this sketch; Asa S. and RuthD., both of whom live in the Buckeye State, the latter being a widow. Thesubject of this notice was born near Cleveland, Ohio, May 30 1827, and wasreared on a farm, until attaining to manhood years. Meantime he received a goodcommon-school education and also gained a thorough knowledge of agriculturalpursuits, as well as the nursery business, having since made a specialty of thelatter. In 1848 he was united in marriage with Miss Clarinda Burt, who as bornin Medina County, Ohio, in 1829. Her parents, Daniel and Stata (Ganyard) Burt,removed from Massachusetts to Granger, Medina County, Ohio, where they resideduntil their death. He was a Captain in the State Militia of Ohio, and was a manof influence in his community.

The union of Mr. And Mrs. Hudson resulted in the birth of eighth children,five of whom are now living. The are: Delphia C., the widow of Adelbert Barnaby,and the mother of two children; Horace A., who married Nellie Purdy and has twochildren; Homer F., who chose Miss Millie Anable as his wife, their union havingresulted in the birth of one child; Elliott E., who married Miss Kate Pierce;and Belle M., the wife of Adrian Pompe and the mother of two children. Mr.Hudson came to Michigan in 1848 and located in Grand Rapids, where he enteredthe employ of Elisha Kellogg, in the nursery business. Thence, in 1849, he movedto Holland, this state, whither the Dutch colony had come the year previous.There he embarked in the nursery business, becoming the pioneer nurseryman ofthe place, and conducting an extensive trade, in company with Rev. A. C.VanRaalte, the founder of the Dutch colony.

After remaining thus engaged for ten years Mr. Hudson disposed of his nurserybusiness and removed to the farm, where he has since resided. The places wasthen wholly unimproved, and it required arduous exertions on the part of theowner to clear the land and cultivate the soil. As soon as he had sufficientlyimproved the place, he set out trees and commenced in the nursery business,which for seven years, he conducted on a large scale. Then selling out hisinterests in that line, he commenced farming, and has since devoted hisattention to the tilling of the soil. He has thirty-five acres in the homeplace, which he devotes to mixed farming. He also purchased eighty acres ofLuman Jenison, of which the thirty-five acres mentioned above are a part, and hehas another eighty-acre tract, which is devoted to agricultural purposes.

On the corner of Mr. Hudson’s farm there was a little schoolhouse, known asHudson’s Schoolhouse, where religious services were frequently held. When theland was surveyed for railroad purposes, our subject furnished the property onwhich the depot was erected, and the station was called Hudsonville in hishonor. He platted twenty acres and laid out town lots, many of which he hasdisposed of. His interest in the welfare of the town has been deep andunceasing, and to him more than to any other man is due the present prosperityof the village. He has given his children excellent educational advantages, allof them having completed the studies of the district schools. The eldest son,Horace A., received a collegiate education at Kalamazoo College, and engaged fora time in teaching school.

After the death of his first wife, Mr. Hudson was again married, in 1889choosing as his wife Mrs. Maryette Aurora (Fox) Manning, a native of New York.By her former marriage she has one child, Clarence. Mrs. Hudson is an activeworker in the Congregational Church at Hudsonville, and has for years beenprominent in the Ladies Mite Society of which she is an officer. She is ateacher in the Sunday-school and a successful worker in the temperance cause.Mr. Hudson is a Christian, and by his life proves the sincerity of his religiousbelief.

Socially, Mr. Hudson is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows,in which he has occupied all the chairs, and has served as Treasurer for manyyear. He is also an active member of the Grange, of which he has been Master foreleven years. For nine years he served as Director of Schools, resigning theposition on account of the pressure of other duties. In politics, he is aDemocrat, firm in his allegiance to the party of his choice. He has been electedto the positions of Highway Commissioner, Township Treasurer (in which he servedfor two years), and Justice of the Peace. On the 1^st of May, 1868, hewas appointed Postmaster of Hudsonville, and filled that position for severalyears, the postoffice being located in his residence. The village was thencalled South Georgetown, and upon the change of the name to Hudsonville,February 18, 1872, he continued Postmaster, serving in that capacity until 1881.

One of Mr. Hudson’s brothers, Asa, served throughout the entire period ofthe Civil War and was under Gen. Sherman, being Orderly-Sergeant for that famousgeneral. In three different engagements he was the last man on the field, andhis bravery gained for him the respect and admiration of his comrades in arms.Another brother, Thomas, enlisted in the defense of the Union during the latewar and served in Gen. Garfield’s army. He was a valiant and daring soldieruntil he died from injuries received in the service.