History of Hillsdale county. Michigan, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers.

228

HISTORY OF HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

he now resides, which was better adapted to a man of his
limited means. Upon this land there was a small log house
and a few acres of the timber girdled. In August of
that year Mrs. Huff died, leaving two small children. The
future as well as the forest must have looked dark, but the
sturdy pioneer, determined to have a home for his children,
moved steadily on. Dec. 25, 1838, was again married, to
Miss Mary Driscal, formerly of Onondaga, N. Y. By this
union Mr. H. has been the father of two children,-William
H., who is a farmer in the town of Adams; Mary Eliza,
married Emery Kasey, and lives near the old home. John
U. and Lyman P. were children by the first wife. The former
is a farmer in Kansas. Lyman P. was a soldier in the war

I —

of the Rebellion, enlisted in a battery, was taken prisoner
at Pittsburg Landing, and died at Macon, Ga., May 16,
1862. Politically, Mr. Huff is a Republican; is now serving
his fifth term as justice of the peace, which term will make
twenty consecutive years; was sergeant of a company at
the time of the Toledo war; warned out his company, and
had them at Jonesville. Mr. Huff is a member of the
Congregational Church. Has been identified with all the
improvements of his day. There has been no sudden accession of property, but slowly the work has been carried
forward year by year, amid the severest hardships and privations, until in the lapse of time ease and comfort have
been reached.

Photos. by Carson & Graham, Hillsdale.

WILLIAM KIRBY.

MRS. WILLIAM KIRBY.

WILLIAM KIRBY
was born near Leeds, Yorkshire, England, in 1805. He
married Miss Hannah Sykes. They emigrated to this
country about 1825. Landed at Quebec, and crossed over
to Ogdensburg, where they remained for a time; then went
to Ohio, near Painesville, where they became acquainted with
the Fowler family. In the spring of 1834, in company
with Richard Fowler and Caleb Bates, Mr. Kirby came to
Adams, and took land from the government. Mr. Fowler
moved on to his land the following fall, and was the first
settler in the town of Adams. Mr. Kirby came the next
spring (1835), with his large family of small children, all
the money he possessed being seventy-five cents. He went
out to work by the day for Mr. Fowler, and at Jonesville; and
slowly, amid the severest hardships and privations, they
struggled on. Frequently did the mother divide the last
morsel of food among her children; heroically did she stand
to her post until the original forty acres of land had expanded to a well-cultivated farm of two hundred and forty
acres, and ease and comfort had been secured. She died
May 12, 1876, aged seventy-five years. Mr. Kirby, although in feeble health, lives to relate many a thrilling inoident of the times that run back to the cutting of the first

tree in the town of Adams. The children are Emma, who
married Chas. White. Mary is the wife of the Rev. Isaac
Taylor. James is a farmer, and has a portion of. the old
farm. Reuben lives in Jefferson. William lives on the
old home. Francis N. is a farmer in Adams. Ann Louisa
married James Braynard. Cordelia died when a child, and
Edwin died in infancy.
LEMUEL ROBERTS
was born in Junius, Seneca Co., N. Y., March 18, 1822.
The next year his father, with his family, moved to Niagara
County, where he remained some ten years, then went to
Erie County, where his wife died in 1840. In 1841 he
came to Adams, Hillsdale Co., and died in 1845, leaving
five children,-four sons and one daughter,-of whom the
subject of this sketch was the third son. He lived at home
until he was eighteen years of age. He worked out for
two years for small wages. When he came to Michigan he
had no money; worked at chopping, clearing land, etc. The
second year he cleared a piece of land and put in wheat on
shares; sold his part of the wheat at Hillsdale for forty-four
cents per bushel. In 1846 he was married to Miss Alice