Portrait and biographical album of Ingham and Livingston counties, Michigan, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the counties ... the governors of the state and of all the presidents of the United States.

594

PORTRAIT A~ND BIOGRAPHICAL AL;BUM.II

594 ~~~ ~ ~- PORRAI AN IGRPIALABM

to start out with. Our subject is a member. of the
Farmers' Alliance and is in favor of every measure that promises to be for the benefit of the class
to which he belongs, believing that legislation
should look as much to the betterment of the agriculturists as to that of the manufacturers. Mr.
Christian has served in positions of public trust,
having been Highway Commissioner for several
years, during which time he accomplished much in
improving the condition of these avenues of traffic
and travel, and was Township Superintendent for
five years. He has also been School Moderator for
many years and is a progressive man in regard to
educational matters. For many years lie and his
wife have been associated with the Methodist Episcopal Church and lie is now acting as Class-Leader
and also does the work of the Recording Secretary
of the church. He of whom we write has acquired
his success in life by a steady adherence to a fixed
outline of purpose. He is justly classed among the
intelligent, public-spirited and enterprising agriculturists of Ingham County.
G EORGE SCHREPFER. The annals of the
I( - poor boys who become rich men are to be
\J found everywhere in America and nowhere
more than in the rich and fertile West, for here it
is that the virgin soil gave of her wealth to the
sturdy seeker after success. It is not alone to the
native-born that this good fortune has come, but
many who came from the older countries of
Europe (where generations of hardships and poverty had disheartened the people) have found in I
the New World the prosperity which they never
could have looked for at home.
Our subject who is now a prosperous resident of
Cohoctah Township, Livingston County, was born
August 5, 1832 in Byran, Germany, his honored
parents being Henry and Catherine Schrepfer, who
upon their farm reared five children to maturity.
These children, Christie, Barbara, Rachael, George
and John, have all established homes and families

of their own, but our subject is the only one that
has crossed the ocean and found his home in the
United States. Before coming to America he took
the advantages of a thorough German education
which is given to every son of Germany, and at
the age of nineteen he decided to emigrate and
upon reaching this country, made his home in
Philadelphia. After one year in that city and two
years in Baltimore he decided to make a visit to
the old home and spent the winter of 1858-59
in Germany.
It was in the spring of 1859 that our subject
returned from his native land and came to Detroit, whence he journeyed to Howell, by stage,
bringing with him his intended wife, to whom he
was married the following year. Subsequent to
this happy event the young husband purchased
forty acres of land upon which he now resides on
section 29, Cohoctah Township.
This land was covered by dense forests and the
young wedded couple moved into their log hut,
which had but one door and one window. and
there they lived in humble contentment for many
a year. Prosperity attended the efforts of Mr,
Schrepfer and he was able by economy and thrift
to accumulate a large property. He at one time
had two hundred and forty acres, eighty of which
he gave to his son, and he has himself with his
strong right arm cleared the trees from about one
hundred and twenty acres, and has placed substantial and fine improvements upon his farm.
His beautiful residence and good barns form a
striking contrast to the little log house in which
he and his wife made their first home, but in the
new home there is no more happiness and contentment than was to be found in the humbler abode.
The happy marriage of George Schrepfer and
Mary Read took place in November 1860 and the
bride, who was born September 25, 1838, is a daughter of Nicholas and Knutguinte (Bar) Read. Mr. and
Mrs. Read reared to maturity three sons and six
daughters and one son and four daughters came to
America. Their mother died in Germany, but the
father came to Michigan and ended his days here.
He lost one son in the Franco-Prussian War and
another son still resides in Germany.
He of whom we write has ever cherished a warm