The county of Eaton, Michigan : topography, history, art folio and directory of freeholders / Bullock, Taggart & Morrell, topographers and publishers.

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S[/IISC ELLANEOU" sKET
J. VAN OSDALL. of the plant, owing to the decease of its founder, was
U J. Van Osdall was born April llth, 1839, in Wayne changed to James Gallery's Son's foundry and machine
county, Ohio. He was united in marriage to Mrs. shop. A stock company was formed in 1893, for the
S Susanah B. Dixon, February 1st, 1865; In the spring of manufacture of plows, and the new institution received
1860 they moved to Michigan, settling on a farm in corporated privileges from the Secretary of State in
Windsor township, where they still live. Mr.Van Osdall April of the same year. The capital stock is $25,000.
discovered, soon after his settlement on the new farm, The plant gives employment, at good wages, to twentythat an excellent quality of stone lay hidden beneath five men, and the output, consisting of thirty-eight difthe soil and decided to quarry some of it as an expert- ferent styles of plows, is about six thousand a year.
Sment. In color, the stone is a very light gray with a The Bissell Plow Co's. principal market is the Eastern
faint bluish tint. It is free from lime and iron and does and Central states.
not tarnish as quickly as many other kinds of sandstone. LYMAN BENTLY.
About twenty-five or thirty men will be employed this Lyman Bentley was born in Gustavus, Trumbul Co.,
season in quarrying it. Ohio, December 14th, 1838. His father was a cheese
s.. HORNER & SONS. manufacturer of Gustavus, and the family, of whom
The Eaton Rapids Woolen Mills, of which S. Homrer Lyman was the oldest, consisted of four children.
& Sons are the proprietors, are located on the north end Lyman attended the district schools of Ohio, but at the
Main St., andrepresents one of Eaton county's varied early age of fifteen began life for himself as a maker of
industries. This plant succeeds the pioneer carding cheese boxes. Later he entered a general store in
mill of William Gallery, the change from carding exclu- Wayne township, Ohio, where he spent several winters
sively to woolen manufacturing having been effected as a clerk, At the age of twenty-one he secured employsome years ago. Yarns, flannels, cassimeres and blankets ment in a dry goods store in Warren, Ohio, where he
all of excellent quality are manufactured. The mills remained as clerk most of the time for about three
consist of a long three story frame building 35x90 feet, years. In 1863 Mr. Bently and his father formed a
a dye house, a boiler house, and a one story frame struct- partnership and purchased a good hotel equipment in
ure 20x40 feet. The mills usually run the year round Warren and for several years did a successful business.
and employ, when doing full duty, from twenty to thirty From Warren Mr. Bently went to Louisiana where he
hands at good wages. The mills represent an invest- spent four years as a farmer. He has resided in Eaton

CHES.
four daughters, Fannie, Malinda, Sally Amanda, Anna
A., and Mary. Horace B. settled in Concord, Michigan,
in 1846 and two years later married Miss Lodema Hicks,
eldest daughter of Samuel and Betsy (Reynolds) Hicks
of Marshall. Of the five children born to them three survive, Cornelia Ann, George Avery and Nathaniel James.
The latter has been a school teacher and Inspector of
forBrookfield. The former married Dr.W. E. Vanande
now of Sunfield. His mother died when Horace was
about eight years old, then he was thrown upon his
own resources. He refused to be bound out, and by
dint of persevering industry he gained a good education
for those days. Mrs. Perry, who was born at Newsted,
Erie Co., N. Y., January 12th, 1829, was educated at
Rockford, Ill1., her earlier home.
Mr. Perry has been honored many times with positions of trust, among them being that of supervisor of
Brookfield, which office he resigned in his fifth term en
account of poor health. His official as well as his private life will bear closest scrutiny. The home of Mr.
and Mrs. Perry has always been a refuge for the unfortunate ones. The hungry never pass from their door
unfed or unassisted. Charles, a little foster son, finds a
substantial home with them. He attends the district w
school, studies music and is an affectionate and obedient
boy. These esteemed pioneers of Brookfield have lived
quiet, unassuming lives, and their strict honesty and
intelligent industry make them worthy of the good
name which is theirs. The world is made better by the

r N ment of about twenty thousand dollars and bring to Rapids since 1872, and has given most of his time to the
SEaton Rapids a gross amount of some seventy-five boot and shoe trade. There are many other enterprises
thousand dollars each year. Messrs. Horner are also however, in which he takes a lively interest. Numerous
proprietors of the Eaton Rapids electric light plant, municipal positions such as city treasurer, president of
SMRS. T. w. DANIELS. council, and chief of fire department have been bestowed
Mrs. T. W. Daniels, nee Anna N. Sherd, was born i upon him. He was honored with the presidency of the
Alleghany county, New York, in 1841. She was the State Firemen's Association and holds also a seat of
daughter of John and Catherine Sherd who came to membership in the National Association. Mr. Bently
Michigan in '44 and settled in the town of Onondaga, was uted na age to Miss Carrie Decker in March,
g Ingham county, where she grew to womanhood, coming 1866, at Geneva Falls, Ohio. Mrs. Bently is a cousin of
lughamn county, where she grew to womanhood, coming th1ol eone ila oy
to Eaton Rapids to live when but seventeen years of age. the world renowned William Cody.
She had the good fortune to meet and marry T. W. Dan- MS. T. D. WILLIAMS.
iels who was known in Eaton county as one of the Mrs. T. D. Williams, of Duttonville, is the widow of
brightest of merchants and business men. Mr. Daniels T. D. Williams, one of the pioneer physicians of Brookdied Sept. 7, 1891, and by his will showed his great love field. She has, for a number of years, kept the store
and the confidence he reposed in his wife by giving her located opposite the postoffice. Her store is always
his entire fortune, well stocked with groceries, hardware, boots and shoes,
SWM. B. VAN ALLEN. dry goods and necessaries of all kinds. Mrs. Williams
William B. Van Allen, who was one of Hamlin town- has the confidence of her many customers who speak of
ship's historic landmarks, was born in Cayuga county, her as strictly honest and fair in all her dealings with
New York, January 10th, 1816. He was the third son them. She is an earnest worker in the church at Dutof Daniel Van Allen of New York. and was given a very tonville and gives material financial aid. She is popuS good education in that state. At the age of eighteen lar and successful as a business woman, esteemed by the
he came to Michigan and located in Hamlin township, community in which she lives for her many excellent
then called Tyler. Here in a vast wilderness he began qualities.
the subjugation of the soil and soon made for himself a HORACE B. PERRY.
valuable and comfortable home.- He lived the life of an Horace B. Perry, of Brookfield, was born August 28th,
Horace B. Perry, of Brookfield,Wobr ugs
active, enterprising farmer, and was instrumental in the 1525, at Murray, Orleans Co., N.Y. He is a descendant
introduction of numerous local improvements. With of Ebenezer Perry, who, with three brothers, came from
democratic interests of the state and county, he was England about 1735. One of the brothers settled in a
actively identified from the beginning. On the 7th of southern state, one in Massachusetts, and one in Rhode
July, 1887, he passed peacefully away at the residence Island. Two grandsons of the latter. Oliver Hazard
of his son, D. D. Van Allen, mourned by hosts of friends Perry and Matthew Calbraith Perry, have placed their
living in Eaton and other counties and states. He names high in the history of our country. Ebenezer,
was the father of six children, four of whom are de- the great grandfather of our subject, settled in Connectceased. Mrs. Albert Clegg and D. D. Van Allen are of icut and there married Miss Mary Williams about 1765.
the county's substantial citizens and are still residents To them were born Nathaniel, William,Ebenezer,Aiaph,
of the township in which they were born. James, Fannie and Mary. The youngest son, James,
T. N. BISSELL. marriedMiss Fannie Avery, of Vermont, about 1810.
The T. M. Bissell PlowCo., No. 115 Canal street, was They had six sons, James Atkinson, Oliver Williams,
established in 1848 by James Gallery. In 1882 the name Walter Avery, Harrison G., Horace B., and George, and,ae aley n 82te ae.

v
influence of such people as Mr. and Mrs. Horace B. Perry.
GEORGE D. PRAY.
George D. Pray was born in the township of Superior,
Washtenaw Co., Mich., February 2, 1843. His parents,
Nathan H. Pray and wife, settled in Windsor township
in 1837. There were only two families living in the
township at this time, Mr. Pray being one of them; the
other family had come in some time earlier. In 1842
Mr. Pray moved to Washtenaw county, but after a brief
stay of three years returned again to Windsor. Mr.
Pray's well equipped farm of two hundred acres is a part
of the homestead on which he has lived since between
two and three years of age. On Friday afternoon, January 18, 1895, he was attacked by his bull which he was
leading, and was so badly injured that he died the following evening. Because of his unselfishness, straight
forward honesty, his high purpose in life, and pure character, he was one of the best known and most highly.
respected men in Eaton county. He leaves a wife, two
daughters, a son and an adopted daughter.
JACOB UPRIGHT.
Jacob Upright-' is a resident of section twenty-one,
township of Benton. His birth occurred in Oil Spring,
Maulbron Co., Wertenberg, Germany, November 2, 1839.
He was educated in the district schools of his native
country.. In the spring of 1854, John Upright, the father
of Jacob, accompanied by his family, emigrated to
Oneida, then to Benton township, where he bought a
forty acre farm which is now a part of Jacob Upright's
possessions and the-site of his present home. Our subject remained at home until the first call for volunteers
was issued, when, although foreign born, he determined
t') enter the service of his new country. He joined the
66th Illinois Regiment, Sharp Shooters, and stayed until the close of the war. He is one of the very few men e
who escaped all the showers of shot and shell, and came
oAit as good a man as when he entered. In May, 1866,
he was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Brunn, also of
German extraction, and a native of Lewis Co., N. Y.
Five children are the fruit of this happpy marriage.
Eva, Clarence, Ray, Estella and Maud; the first men