History of Oakland County Michigan a narrative account of its historic progress, its people, its principal interests / compiled from the official records of the county, the newspapers and data of personal interviews, under the editorial supervision of Thaddeus D. Seeley.

HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY

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in business, but just where, I do not now remember. He was the same
upright, careful business man in those days, as we ever found him afterwards. Of his sterling worth you all know, he having so recently passed
from our midst.
"The Hodges House, then, as now, the leading hotel, was built by
Mr. Hodges, of whom I am unable to say anything, since he died two
years before I came to Pontiac. Right here, I wish to pay tribute to
the memory of Mrs. Mary A. Hodges, who kept the house for so many
years after her husband's death. Most of the young men clerks boarded
with her and when sickness came, as it did in those days of chills and
fever, she was ever ready to care for us, as a mother.
"Dean & Hovey and James A. Weeks were the druggists of Pontiac.
Lull and Draper were in business on the same ground where now stands
the store which I occupied so many years. Mr. Lull is now living and
one to see him, as he walks about our city, would hardly say that he
is old enough to have been in active business in the forties. Thomas
Turk did a small business somewhere below the Hodges House. He
afterwards became the leading groceryman of Pontiac. Few people
knew of his sterling worth and his many charities. James Andrews
and Thomas Turk always had money to relieve those in need.
"Of the hardware dealers I remember only B. C. Whittemore and
Horace C. Thurber. B. C. Whittemore was an active, thorough-going,
old-style gentleman. He afterwards became state treasurer. Horace
C. Thurber was one of those shrewd, careful business men who was
very successful. After going out of business he was unfortunate in
speculation, and lost most of the money he made.
"Other men in business at that time were Charles Brodie, Fred Williams, William Gilmore, and Mr. Page with John Crombie as clerk.
Mr. Crombie afterwards succeeded him in the furniture and undertaking
business. Mr. Page's son is now a leading minister in Leavenworth,
Kansas."
AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY OF PONTIAC
The automobile industry of Pontiac is less than a decade old but
it is a lusty youngster. The latest general estimate of the business places
the turn-out from the various plants at over i,6oo per month, or about
a complete machine every ten minutes. They are now placing on the
market every conceivable style of gasoline and electric autos, several of
the plants developing such specialties as manufacturing the bodies of
machines alone, or painting and trimming them, or making the accessories
and selling to manufacturers of entire automobiles.
There are about forty manufactories in all lines of industry now
located at Pontiac, employing some five thousand hands. The disbursements amount to more than a quarter of a million dollars. It is a
conservative estimate to place five-sixths of the employees and disbursement of money throughout the local markets, in the form of wages and
salaries, to the credit of the automobile industry. The story of its importance to the well-being of Pontiac is told in detail in the sketches of
the plants which follow.