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.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

347

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When Mr. Dryer was residing in White Oak
Township, lie served as Supervisor and Township
Clerk as well as School Inspector. Ite helped to
organize the township and the county, and served
as County Commissioner, being also Chairman of
the Board for two years. In Lansing Township
he was Supervisor for fourteen years, and during
most of that time was Chairman of the County
Board. He helped to build all the schoolhouses,
and had a broad acquaintance throughout the
county. He is a member of the State Pioneer
Association, as well as of the Ingham County
Pioneer Association, and was its honored President
for many years.
The Methodist Episcopal Church is the religious
body with which our subject is in sympathy, and
he has been an official member of it for many
years, but he also sympathizes warmly with all religious movements, and has aided in the erection
of every church in Lansing. In his early days he
was a Free-soil Dlemocrat, but when the Fugitive
Slave Law came into force, it sent him with mlany
others into the newly formed Republican party in
1854. His first Presidential vote was cast for Martin Van Buren, and his second for John C. Fremont. Since that time he has been a pillar in the
Republican party, and until recently he has attended nearly every county and congressional
convention, and was a member and Chairman in
the Republican Committee of Ingham County for
years.
ILLIAM HENRY RAYNER, is a farmer
\\A and stock-raiser, who OWns two hundred, and eighty acres of land within the corporate limits of Mason. His farm is located on
section 9, of Vevay Township, Ingham County,
but his residence is in the city proper. The distance between his residence and the farm which lie
operates being so short that he can readily go fron
one place to the other. Mr. Rayner was born in
the town of Brutus, Cayuga County, N. Y., April
24, 1836. He is the son of John and Emily

(Meech) Raynor, the father a native of Oranege
County, N. Y., and the. mother of the town of
Brutus, where our subject was born.
Our subject's parents came to Michigan when
their son was but three years of age, and they located in the village of Mason, at a time when there
was but a limited chance for the lad to obtain
many educational advantages, as they were in
such financial position that he had to work on the
farm at the time when he should have been in
school. lie had a great desire to become a surveyor and although he never had any opportunity
of studying the science of surveying in school, yet
he gave what time he could to the study, while engaged in farming until he became quite an expert
at the business, even going so far as to construct
some of his leveling instruments. HIe was recognized in the neighborhood in which he lived as
being an ingenious young man, and his services
were frequently in requisition as a surveyor. lie
still possesses an instrument for leveling that he
himself made, that ct bant e surpassed )by any instrument made at the present time. lie served
faithfully upon his father's place until the age of
twenty-one, giving his time to the very day, but
immediately after began to do for himself.
William Henry Rayner began to work by the
month or day, or any other way in which he could
earn money, and in ai short time he had made a
position for himself and was recognized throughout the township as a progressive, go-ahead young
man. In two or three years lie was elected Constable, in which capacity he served for eight years
and he has served as County Surveyor some twelve
or sixteen years, although not consecutively. He
has also frequently performed the duties of City
Engineer.
Our subject began to feel himself in a position
in which he could have a home of his own, and on
September 6, 1866, he made Miss Frances Robbins
the presiding genius over his domestic affairs, as
well as the custodian of his best affections, his
companion and helpmate. She was born in Alaiedon Township, Ingham County, March 15, 1846,
and is a daughter of William P. and Lydia M.
(Wells) Robbins. Our subject and his wife are the
parents of three cchildren: Robbins B. Rayner,