History of Muskegon County, Michigan: with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers.

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H1ISTORYU OF M IUSKEGON COUNTY.

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N elsonr. His father was a clothier and farmer. C. D. Nelson received his early school education in his native town. Iin 1846i he
went to Boston, Mlass., where for a time he was engaged in contractina and building. He afterwards entered a commercial college
in Boston, where he received a thorough business training. After
graduating from that institution in 1853, he became manaaer of a
large contracting firm, and remrained about three years. Ill 1857
he moved to Michigan, and settled in Mluskeg~on; where, for nine
years, he was manager of the lumber business of Marsh & Foss. In
1808 he formed a partnership with William B. Phillips and Samuel
A. Brown, of Chicago, for the purpose of manufacturing lumber in
Muoskegon, the firm name being Brown, Nelson & Co. In 1873 M~r.
D. K. Loveland, of Chicago, purchased Mir. Brown's interest, and
the firm name became C. D. Nelson & Co. Thley manufactured, on
an average, about 20,000,000.feet of I-Lmber annually, and this year
30,000,000 feet. EMr. Nelson hats held various offlees of trust and
responsibility. -He was elected city Treasurer in 1865-6, and has
been Alderman of the city for several years, and also President of
the Board of Education in Muskegon shice 1871. He htts been a
Republican since the organization of that party. In 1875 he was
elected to the Michigan Senate, and inr 18'77 was re-elected. Ill thee
latter year he was made President pro teinp~ore. His legislative
career has been marked by that good sense and independents judgment which distinguish the statesman Who serves hzis constituency,
from the politician who connives for his party.
He was ma~rried ~in 1845, to M~iss Carrie Wason, an estim~able
young lady of Newbury, Vermont. They have a son and daughter.
H3is son, Harley W., is book-keeper to tile firm. Residence corner
of Third S~treet and Clay Avenue. M~r. Nelson has been Alderman,
City Treasurer and Supervisor for many years.
F. A. NIims is an old and prominent resident of the city, all
though still a very young man. A perusal of the general history
will show~ that he has infused a p~rogressive spirit into the city, andl
that h~e has beeen identifiedi with its progress in many ways. Com —
ing from Grand Rapids in 1865 hie has secured the leading position
as a railway lawyer, and has been connected with all the railway
movements in the countyY, succeeding at least ill collecting the scattered mem~bers into one orgaznization. H~e has an enzviable record
in thle Board of Education, and the legal firm of wvhich be is a
prominent member, stands high throughzout the State.
The firm of SMIITH, NimsS, HOYT & ERWCIN, hats a very fine suite
of offces, and one of the largest libraries ill the Sta~te. Mr. Smith
came from Canada in 1866, and a partnership was formed in 1867
between a Mlr. Gray pf Grand Rapids, and M~Lessrs. Smith and Nims.
M~r. Erwin, the business man of the firml, was a student in the office
of Gray, S'mithl & Nil~ns, admittedl to the bar and into the ftirm ill
April, 1870. M~Jr. Hoyt came ill 18746, and the firm tooki its present
namne in 1879.
W;C. W. OWEN, bookseller and stationer, Western Ave., Miuskiegon, was born in Sussex County, N. J., August 15, 1840, at the ane
of 15 came to Pontiac, Miich~., atnd learned the book and stationery
business, coming to' Muskegon in September, 1859, enter-ing into
'post-office bookstore; after ~five years be traveled two years with
Mrs. Owen to recover her health.. Then after two years ill business.in music aud real estate, he enteredi into th~e book and stationery
business. He built the first brick store ever erected in the city, now
occupiedi by Dennis Smith. M~r. Owen does a large trade. His pres

ent place of business is in the Bolza, block.
PATHER EDWARD VAN PAMEL, priest of the Rtoman Catholic
Church,,-:is a most genial and courtly gentlem~an. full of remniniseences of the early times and cheerfully communicative of his knlowledge of the past. He was born in Belgiumz in 1828, received a
careful training in the 'old Stone College of - the 15th century in

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Thielt, finishing his studies in"Detroit, where he came in 18-50, having at th~at time a brother, a missionary to Lakie Superior Indians,
who is now in England. Rev. Father Van Erp? was pnriest at Grand
Rapids in 1853, having all the region from Holland to Mi;anistee.
Father Van Pamel was first in Muskiegon in 1853, visiting the Catholic fanlilies quarterly. In 1857 he brought over the first resident
priest, Father F. Steinhauser, and purchased the lots cornering on
Clay Avenue and First Street for $ 50, and built the first church in the
city. In 1877 he came to Muskegon from Detroit, and has been
settled there ever since.
Among the respected pastors of the Catholic congregation In
AMuskiegon was Father Henry Rievers, who officiated from July,
1866, to 1876, zealously discharging his duty. He died Februlary,
1877, acted 54 years and 3 months, having been born in Holland in
1822. He was courteous and affable to all, irrrespective of their
belief.
GEORGE RUDDIM~AN, retiredl mill owner and lumberman, is a native of Scotland, whoe came to M~uskegon in April, 1840. In 18499
he, built the first tug ever oil Muskegon Lake, built like a scow, with~
paddles in the stern..Before this date logging was done by oxen. He
made an improvement on this tug, and built another seventy feet
long by sixteen wide, a side-wheeler, which was a success. He was
an active lumlbermant from 1844 to 1866, Nyvhen he retired, and now
enjoys the fruits of his labors atnd well. earned ease. ~He is a, worthy
andi upright citizen whose memaory will be cherished by all who have
known him.lfll
JOHIN RUDDIM'AN, retired lumberman, was born in Aberdeenshire,
Scotland, in 1814, and immigrazted to America when 16 years of age,
wvhen he had' fini~shed hIis sch~ool education. H-e came first to Pennsylvania, and served his apprenticesh~ip as a pattern m~aker-`at Pittsburg, remaining there from 1832 to 1836. He then went to Detroit,
and shortly after to Chicago, alnd after 1840 was three years engaged
in farming in Wisconsiti, coming in 1843 to Muskegon, where hris
brother George had been for three years. HIe worked for George for
one year lumbering at thze mouth of Bear Lake, and then went to
nMilwaukee for four years, occasionally visiting Miuskegon. In 1848
he built a steam mill in North niluskegokl, near w;here the Torrent
& Arms mill is, aud operated it until 1860, but the financial panic
of 18-57 was a severe blow to Mir. Ruddimaii. After 1860 he operatedl a mill on1 the site of the present Farr mill, and in 1862 moved
to the mouth of Bealr Lake, and1 built a grist mill, the first in the
county, and ground in tile summer, one dlay a weekr being -sufficient
for tile gristing. H~e also raised fruit, having a 1 5 acre orchard and
vineyard. He has not sought public honor, but has been three
times elected Supervisor of Latketon. He married. in 18410 in Wisconsin, Muiss Mary Bunkier, who died in 1877. I-e has two surviving children, Adieline (Mrs. Eldr -ed), with whom nMr. Ruddiman
resides in her fine residlence corner of Terrace andni DelawTare 'Streets,
formerly the property of J. B. Murpuhy. IHis second daughter is
Emma (now MCrs. Horning), wh~o resides at Winfield, KFansas.
M~r. Rud-din-ln is one of the most respected 1_ioneers of Miuskegon, and is regarded withl universal esteem. His portrait wvill be
'foundl in this wor~k.
McAJOR Wm.~I L. RYAN, Police Justice and Justice of the Peace
was born in Queen's Co., Ireland, April 15, 1832, and received his
education at the common-school.. Actuated by a desire to achieve

fortune in the New World, he emigrated in th~e Spring of 1854, remaining a few months in th~e Huron district of Canada, but in the
same Fall settling in Grand Rapids, afterwatrds going to Spring
Lake, and in 1857i to Muskegon. In the Spring of 1861, on the
first call for 75,000 men, he went out as Second Lieutenant of the
Muskegon Rangers, afterwvardls Co. H-. of the Third M/ichigan Infantry. In three months he was promoted to the E'irst Lieutenancy,

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