History of Detroit, a chronicle of its progress, its industries, its institutions, and the people of the fair City of the straits, / by Paul Leake ... [Vol. 3]

HISTORY OF DETROIT

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he entered the Detroit College of Medicine, from which he was graduated in 1889 with the degree of M. D. He entered the practice of general
medicine and surgery in the city during this same year, locating on
the West side, on Fort street. Here he continued to practice very
successfully until October, 1911, when he sold his west side property
and bought a fine home on Bethune street, in North Woodward, to which
he moved, at the same time opening offices in the Detroit Opera House
Block down town. The change has proved to be wise by his increased
practice during the past year.
Professionally Dr. Kirke is a member of the Wayne County Medical
Society, the Michigan State Medical Society, and the American Medical
Association.
Dr. Kirker has always been very active in the Presbyterian church,
of which he is a member. He was one of the organizers of the Emmanuel
Presbyterian church, on the West side, and was an elder of that congregation until his removal to North Woodward. Since that time he
has been a member of and an active worker in the Woodward Avenue
Presbyterian church.
Dr. Kirker has been twice married. His first wife was Louise McAfee, of Greensburg, Pennsylvania. She was a daughter of the late
Honorable James R. McAfee, a well known lawyer and editor in Pennsylvania, who at the time of his death was secretary of state of Pennsylvania. Louise McAfee Kirke died in 1876, leaving three children.
Annette, the eldest of these, is now Mrs. Bert Long, of Ithaca, Michigan, and James Ross and George are her brothers. The Doctor's seeond marriage was to Miss Isabelle Richardson, a daughter of William
Richardson, of Detroit. To this marriage have been born three children:
Gilmore, Oswald and Isabella.
MARTIN JOHN SCHWANZ, M. D., is well known in the medical and
social circles of the city of Detroit, and his reputation as a reliable
and trustworthy practitioner rests chiefly on his ability as a surgeon.
He is one of the younger members of the medical profession in the
city, and while he has only been practicing for eight years, he has sucsteded in building up a reputation that is based on the solid foundation
of real ability and skill, with a thorough medical training as the cornerstone. Although devoted heart and soul to his professional work Doctor
Schwanz also takes a deep interest in all the affairs of the country and
of the city in which he lives.
Martin John Schwanz was born on the 6th of September, 1871, in
Colburn, Huron county, Ontario, Canada. He was the son of the late
Martin John and Annie (Nie) Schwanz. The father, Martin John
Schwanz, was a native of Germany, who had come to Canada and settled
in the province of Ontario with his parents, he being at the time a lad
of twelve. When he grew to manhood he took up the study of veterinary surgery, and became one of the well known veterinary surgeons
in Canada, and he later came to Michigan. Here he still maintained
his reputation up to his death, which occurred in Harper Hospital, Detroit, in March, 1912. The mother of Doctor Schwanz was born in
Chyahoga, Ontario, Canada, and was the daughter of William Nie.
She only survived her husband a few weeks, dying on the 14th of
April, 1912.
The boyhood days of Doctor Schwanz were spent in Saginaw, Michigan, for shortly after his birth his parents came into this country, and
his father located in this thriving lumbering town. Here he was sent
to the public schools and to the high school, and later attended the
Michigan State Normal School at Ypsilanti, Michigan. Then followed
three years of splendid training as a teacher in the rural schools of the
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