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.

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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

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of Seattle; Julia, Mrs. Sanborn, who died in Oswego
County, N. Y.; Franklin, who died in Leelanaw
County, this State; Horace, a farmer in Oswego
County, N. Y.; Marquis D., our subject; and Mary,
Mrs. Brand, who died in Utica, N. Y.
Having been reared in Portlandville, Otsego
County, N. Y., after ten years the boy removed to
West Lawrence, same county, and resided there for
five years before going to Oriskiny Falls. After
attending the common district schools he completed
his education at Eastman's Commercial College,
(swego. and worked in a factory learning tile business of a woolen manufacturer. At the age of twenty
he took chalrge of a jack of two hundred and forty
spindles whiclh lie worked himself. This was too
much for hiln and leaving this work lie began
clerking in a general store at Oswego and also
took a complete course at Eastman's Comlmercial
College in that city. In 1855 he came West and
tried to get a job as bookkeeper in Ottawa, LaSalle
County, Ill. Not succeeding in this he went into
the carpentry business with his brothers, working
in this way for some eighteen months.
Returning to Oswego, N. Y., in the fall of 1867,
he acted as clerk in his brother's hotel for one year
and then availed himself of an opportunity to buy
some land in Leelanaw County, Mich., and removed
there October 6, 1870. IHe also bought some timbered land at Glen Arbor, going there with some
$1,000 in cash. lie started a store and kept it in
operation for seven years and came out with
*49,000, with liabilities to the amount of $12,000.
He disposed of his entire property and returned
to New York. Previous to his removal to the
East he built the bridge across the Narrows which
are one hundred and twenty rods long at Glen
Lake, doing this in ninety days, and he made
$3,000 in three months.
In 1868 Mr. Todd was united in marriage in
Oneida County, N. Y., to Miss Lizzie J. Holmes,
daughter of Philo Holmes, a farmer in that county.
This lady had taught after completing her school
education up to nearly the time of her marriage.
The young couple now came West and settled
at Farwell, Claire County, this State, where Mr.
Todd engaged in the hardware business. After
six years he was urged by Mr. Scott Garrish to go

into the mercantile business with him. They established the finest store on that road and had a
trade which reached $2,300 in one day, carrying
general stock and lumber supplies. This business
was continued for one year only at a profit of
$20,000 although they had to run accounts with
many of their customers. They sold out to"Little
Jake," of East Saginaw, and disposed of the whole
business, real estate and all, in the fall of 1879.
Mr. Todd then came to Lansing and bought out
Ilibbard & Klocksiem and engaged in the grocery
business with a nephew, under the firm name of
Todd & Sanborn. After operating it for six
months they sold, and bought the grocery store of
Allen Nichols which they placed under the managenent of Mr. Klocksiem for three years, part of
whllich time our subject spent in Dakota where lie
was engaged in buying and selling land. He
bought property in the counties of Cass and LaMoure from the Northern Pacific Railroad and
operated farms, each of which comprised a section
of land, and upon them he raised wheat and other
grains. He at one time owned four and a half
sections of land in LaMoure County and remained
there for nearly three years. He still has land in
both of those counties as well as real estate at
Fargo and at Morehead, and there is said to be no
finer land in Dakota.
In June, 1885, he of whom we write helped to
organize and inaugurate the work of the People's
Savings Bank of North Lansing, and for the first
year he was one its Vice-Presidents and Directors.
He then withdrew from that bank and upon November 1, 1886, he started the Ingham County
Savings Bank, in which he became Cashier and
Director. This institution 'has been remarkably
successful as it has nearly doubled its money in
five years besides paying five per cent. interest on
deposits. It is called the most successful bank in
in the county, having a capital of $50,000 and a
surplus of $40,000 made in four year's business.
The President of this institution is the Hon. H. H.
Smith, of Jackson. In connection with their banking business they also have a safety deposit vault
for the accommodation of the citizens.
Mrs. Todd is a lady of more than ordinary ability and efficiency and is a prominent worker in the