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]

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HISTORY OF DETROIT

velt appointed General Trowbridge general appraiser of customs, and
for a number of years thereafter his venerable military figure was
associated with the old government building on Griswold street.
In politics General Trowbridge was always a Republican. He nailed
the Republican flag to the flagpole in front of his father's house the
year that John C. Fremont ran for president, and from that time until
the close of his life the party might always depend upon him to do good
works in its interests. He always did considerable public speaking during the campaigns, and his clear, incisive voice carried conviction with
each simple statement of facts. He was the direct antithesis of a
demagogue, and he worshipped regularly in Christ's church, on Jefferson avenue, as do also his family.
In April, 1862, General Trowbridge was united in marriage with
Miss Julia M. Buel, the daughter of his partner, Alexander C. Buel.
They had seven children: Clara Buel, now deceased, married Charles
M. Swift, an attorney of Detroit; Mary E., living at home; Alexander
Buel, an architect of New York City, where he is a member of the
firm of Trowbridge & Ackeman, married Miss Gertrude Sherman, daughter of John T. Sherman, a merchant, and they are the parents of four
children, Sherman, Buel and Alice, twins, and Stephen V. R.; Margaret Riggs, the fourth child of General Trowbridge, married Charles
A. Ricks, the son of Judge Ricks; Luther S., Jr., attorney-at-law of
Detroit, with Gray & Gray, married Mable Hartsuff, daughter of General Hartsuff, and they have two children, Albert and Luther S., third;
Julia A. married Daniel Quirk, Jr., of Ypsilanti, Michigan, and they
have three children, Trowbridge, Buel and Julia Buel; a fourth son,
Edmund Buel, died when fourteen years of age. Mrs. Luther S. Trowbridge passed away on January 3, 1909, and rests in Elmwood cemetery,
and on Friday, February 2, 1912, her honored husband, General Luther
S. Trowbridge, was called from this life.
Of his sudden passing, a Detroit publication said in part: "General
Luther S. Trowbridge, appraiser of the port of Detroit, veteran of the
Civil war, comrade of the gallant Custer, by whose side he fought with
distinguishing bravery, and a prominent citizen of Detroit, died this
morning at 4:30 o'clock at his home at 609 Jefferson avenue, where he
had lived for more than forty years. General Trowbridge was seventyfive years old. Though the General suffered a nervous shock of paralysis two years ago, his death was entirely unexpected. Only the day
before his death he was about, seemingly in the best of health and spirits.
Though General Trowbridge was a heroic figure throughout the war,
he was distinctly a man of peace,-kindly, placid, unassuming and sympathetic. He had an aversion for war, but deemed it due to his country that he go to the front. He was extremely averse to the wearing
of gaudy uniforms, and when inspector general of the state militia
under Governor Bagley, he wore a uniform only when absolutely necessary. General Trowbridge was very proud of the fact that President
Grant appointed him collector of customs at this port without consulting
him. He took an active part in politics and was at the head of many
political marching parties that were so popular after the war. After
severing his connection with the state militia, General Trowbridge was
appointed city comptroller by Mayor William G. Thompson, an office
which he held for a year and a half, resigning to take a place of importance with the Wayne County Savings Bank."
General Trowbridge was a man of musical talent and inclination,
and was a most influential member of the Philharmonic Society, being
at one time its president. When he died there passed away the last
member of the "Early Risers," one of the first base ball teams Detroit