Compendium of history and biography of Hillsdale County, Michigan Elon G. Reynolds, editor.

HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

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which he now resides in Pittsford township. He
increased his land by subsequent purchases until he owned 430 acres; in fact, he has bought and
paid for more than 700 acres of land since coming
to Hillsdale county, but has since disposed of all
but about seventy acres, and is now living upon
the old homestead in retirement. His success and
prosperity in farming and stockraising was for
many years steady, extensive and most gratifying; and they were the legitimate results of his
shrewdness, business capacity, clearness of vision
and intelligent application of wide knowledge
gained from reading and judicious observation.
Every detail of the work connected with his enterprises had his personal care and supervision,
and no effort was omitted that seemed necessary
to secure the highest and best result.
Mr. Lane was married on November I9, I849,
to Miss Clotilda C. Sawyer, a native of Manchester, Ontario county, New York, born on March
26, I816. Her father, Luke Sawyer, and her
grandfather, Thomas Sawyer, were born and
reared in Vermont. When her father was but a
boy the family moved to New York. There he
grew to manhood, was educated and there he
married with Miss Rhoda P. Cook, a daughter of
Asher and Rhoda (Phelps) Cook. Their wedded
life was wholly passed in Ontario county in that
state, and, after the death of her husband, Mrs.
Sawyer came to Michigan where her closing days
of life were passed. Mr. Lane has two brothers
living, Charles D., of Cleveland, Ohio, and Peter,
of Bay City, Michigan. His own family consists
of three sons, Orville B.,a representative of Hillsdale county in the State Legislature; Hon. Victor
H., late judge of the Second Judicial Circuit
Court, and now a professor in the law department of Ann Arbor University; William H., who
is living at the parental home. The only daughter of the family, Esther Eliza, died at the age
of four years. In politics Mr. Lane has held
firmly and consistently to the Republican party.
While he is not a specially active partisan, and
has had no desire for public office, he has been
called to that of township supervisor, which
he filled with credit for six years, also to several other local positions. He also was chosen

to a number of local offices while living in Ohio.
Both husband and wife are generous contributors
to the churches, but they are not members of any
church organization. The evening of life finds
them well situated in the possession of this
world's goods and secure in the respect and cordial esteem of the entire community.
JAMES LONG.
James Long, one of the best-known and most
highly respected farmers of Jefferson township
in this county, is an old soldier of the Civil War,
who enlisted in defense of the Union early in
the contest and kept his place at the front until
his cause was won and peace was restored between the sections. His service was long, arduous and trying, and he still bears the marks of
its burdens in a hip, which was disabled by a
wound received in one of its hotly contested battles. He is a native of Erie county, New York,
born on April 28, I840. His parents were William and Isabella (Colvin) Long, the former a
native of Ireland and the latter of Pennsylvania,
but of Scotch descent. His father came to the,
United States with his parents when he was but
three years old, grew to manhood in Pennsylvania, where they settled on their arrival, there
he received a common-school education and followed farming after leaving school until he removed to Erie county, New York, where, in
the course of time, he and his wife died, he passing away in November, I859, aged sixty-nine,
and she in 1872, at he age of fifty-five. They
had three daughters and one son, all of whom
are living and residents of Michigan, except one
daughter. The grandfather was William Long,
a native of Ireland, where his ancestors had lived
from time immemorial, and who prospered in
Pennsylvania as a farmer, dying there at a good
old age.
In his native state James Long was reared;
in its public schools he received his education.
There, also, after leaving school, he was engaged in farming until I86I, when armed resistance threatened the integrity of the Union,
and then, among the first, he enlisted in Co. C,