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.

278

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

nine children our subject was the next to the
youngest and was brought up upon a farm and
educated in the district schools until he reached
the age of nine years, after which he attended the
Portland schools.
At the age of nineteen our subject began business life as a clerk in a dry-goods establishment,
but after one year lie decided to enter the newspaper business in connection with the Portland
Advertiser, which had already been inaugurated,
but which was at that time printed in Grand
Rapids. After nine months' experience the young
man bought out his partner in this paper and continued it alone, and soon enlarged it and continued
it under the name of the Portland Observer. It
became a six-column quarto, and besides publishing the paper the office became well known as an
efficient job office, where excellent work could be
had upon prompt time. He gradually worked into
tile real-estate business, and in 1882 sold out his
paper and devoted his time entirely to this new
line of work. -Ie built the Observer Block and
continued there until 1888, and finally bought out
Mr. S. M. Miller, of the firm of Miller & Klockseim, which now became Klockseim & Bailey. While
living in Portland he platted eighteen acres, which
is known as "Bailey's Addition to Portland." lie
still owns Portland property and is also one of
the largest real-estate dealers in this city. Besides
this specialty the firm is largely interested in insurance and represents some fifteen companies.
The marriage of our subject, which took p)lace
August 20, 1872, and which was solemnized in
Eagle Township, brought to his home an amiable
and faithful helpmate, in the person of Miss Dana
Jenison, daughter of the Hon. William F. Jenison. This lady was born at Eagle, Clinton County,
where her family were early settlers, and she received her education at Ypsilanti and taught in
the Lansing schools before her marriage. Mr. Jenison is a prominent and wealthy farmer in Clinton
County and for some time acted as its Sheriff. Six
children have blessed the home of Mr. and Mrs.
Bailey, namely: Mary, Willie, Lena, Stella, Eva
and Bessie.
The fifteen years during which MrI. Bailey was
engaged in newspaper work in Portland were

years of prosperity and progress in that little
town, and his work no doubt contributed largly
to promote many of the movements for inlprovement which were being forwarded at that
time. That he was appreciated in this way was
evident from the fact that he was made President
of the village for two years, and was at the time
of his removal from Portland and for several years
previous Village Assessor. In his political views
lie is a decided Republican, and during the days
when lie had the ear of the people through his
paper his "trumpet sent forth no uncertain sound."
He is identified with the Free and Accepted Masons at Portland, and is connected with the Universalist Church. As a citizen of thorough integrity, enterprise and intelligence, lie is lighly prized
in Lansing.
1 OL. JOHN (:. SN(OOK. The honorable title
that prefixes out subject's name is an insig-, nia of the loyalty with which he las served
his time and nation. (ver a century ago, it would
have been thought degrading to have taken tip
arms for wllat many people even to-day, consider
an inferior race, but the essence of truth and principle was lacking in our nation as long as there
was a freedom restricted to certain classes, and
those who were consistent and loyal to the Collstitution to which the wisest men of our nation gave
their approbation and countenance, could only be
maintained by concessions on one side or a forced
fight for local rights.
IHe of whom we write now resides in Mason,llngham County, Mich., where he has a pleasant and
attractive home. lie was born June 3, 1845, at
Waterloo, Seneca County, N. Y., and is a son of
Casper and Caroline (Groff) Snook, natives of
Sussex County, and Seneca County, N. Y.
respectively. His father, who was a farmer, moved
from Michigan when our subject was about three
years old adl located in Argentine 'Townshil,
(Genlesee County. Here our subject spent his boyhood days on a farm learning the duties incident