Biographies for Ellington, Tuscola County, Michigan Copyright © 1998 by Bonnie Petee. This copy contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives. USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. ___________________________________________________________________ ELLINGTON BIOS Contributed by Bonnie J. Petee. Extracted from, "The History of Tuscola, MI," H. R. Page and Co., Chicago, 1883. JAMES ANDREWS, farmer, was born in Burton, Geauga County, Ohio, July 14, 1827. He left his native State when about twenty-two years of age, and resided nearly five years in Wyocena, Wisconsin. From there he came to Juniata, Michigan, then called Rogers, and from there he went to Indian Fields and while there he scorehacked the large timbers for the saw and grist-mills in Wahjamega, and then removed to Ellington in 1853. He had been married to Miss Eliza Stone, of Claridon, Ohio, Dec. 5, 1847. She was born there Sept. 3, 1832. They had five children, Mary E., (now deceased), Charlie, Cornelia E., James H. and Frank E. Mrs. E. Andrews died Dec. 24, 1876. Mr. A.'s second marriage was to Mrs. Alice E. Russell, of Newburg, Ohio, May 9, 1878. They have one daughter, Mary Alice. They have now over 130 acres of land in Almer and Ellington, with 105 under cultivation. They have a fine fruit-bearing orchard of apples, pears, peaches, cherries, and small fruits, and an excellent dwelling and other farm buildings, where, a few years since, the forest seemed to bid defiance to the purposes and courage of coming pioneers. He himself has chopped and cleared over 150 acres of land, doing very much of the work while barefoot. On Aug. 9, 1862, he enlisted in the Twenty-third Michigan Infantry, Company D, and served his country in the late civil war until honorable discharged, Feb. 19, 1863, because of disability from sickness. Some years ago he and one son fitted, logged, plowed, fenced and sowed twenty-six acres of fallow in one season, besides doing their other work on the place. He had to prepare a good deal of the track from Indian Fields toward his home, and the last four miles had all to be underbrushed and opened. The nearest hut was over four miles away. He was then farther up the river than any other settler. Several years ago he went with a Mr. Kesler, over eighty-two years of age, to show him some lands at or near the forks of Cass River. Mr. K. located the lands and afterward the place was derisively names "Moonshine." The county seat was located there and a log court-house was built, but an injunction was served against the removal of the county records to "Moonshine" and the county seat was changed to Caro. He has not been a hunter, but he one day in the woods found a large bear and two cubs, and with no weapon but a pocket-knife he rushed within arms' length of the three bears. The two cubs he frightened up trees, but while watching the one the other escaped. Soon, a neighbor, hearing him shout, came and watched while Mr. A. got a long cord from his house, and, ascending the tree nearly eighty feet with the cord and a forked stick, he caught Bruin in a noose of the cord, choked him from the tree, and then went and adjusted the cord on his neck, getting bitten through his hands in the act; after which he led him home to be tamed, but getting a pair of new pants torn off himself on day by Cuffie, he sold him shortly after to a Jew for another pair of pants. Mr. Andrews has served as highway commissioner nine years, township clerk one year and township treasurer three years, and is now in his twelfth year of service as justice of the peace. WILLIAM C. BEACH, Mrs. Gage's former husband, was born in Troy, Mich., January 19, 1823, and came with his family to what is now Ellington in the fall of 1855, and engaged in preparing them a home in the forest, and also in furnishing the early settlers and the Indians with goods and supplies. He also dealt in lands. He enlisted in the service of his country in August, 1861, and served until the retreat from Richmond. In October, 1862, he died in the hospital at Washington, and his remains were brought to Highland, Oakland County, Mich., and interred in the family cemetery. JAMES BROOKER, farmer, was born in Canada, March 26, 1832. He received his education in his native country, spent five years in mercantile business and two years in a law office, and built sixteen miles of the Grand Trunk Railway. Later he spent two years in New York City in hardware business, and still later about five years in Iowa, dealing in horses for transportation West. He also assisted in locating the line of road for the Pony Express from Iowa City to California. At this time he was called to Canada by the death of his father, James Brooker, Sr. On April 9, 1859, he was married to Miss Lois Thompson of Escott, Canada. She was born in Young, Canada, June 1, 1841. They have seven children, Nina J., Addie E., James D., Alphena Z., Lottie, Lois M. and Myrtle May. Mr. B., settled in Ellington, Michigan, Nov. 10, 1864. He now has 521 acres of land, 185 of which are improved, with a thriving orchard of apples, plums, peaches, pears, cherries and small fruits, and also with farm buildings and other home comforts. He has served as school director ten years, health officer three years and justice of the peace sixteen years, and is now serving in his sixth term as township supervisor. EDWARD J. CARPENTER, farmer and lumberman, was born in St. Lawrence County, N.Y., December 15, 1832. He left his native State when about nineteen years of age, and spent some two years as an overseer of men in the building of the Great Western Railway. He afterward took part in building the Utica & Black River Railroad, and later was a conductor on that road. On December 10, 1855, he was married to Miss Mahala Denslow, of Boonville, N. Y. She was born there January 28, 1838. They have had five children, Lester J., Fred E., Albert D. (now deceased), Edward J., Jr., and Jennie Mahala. Immediately after marriage Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter stated for the West, and located on the Elkhorn River. The summer of 1859 Mr. Carpenter spent in traversing the Rocky Mountains, and that fall they returned to their native place. They next came to Ellington, Mich., July 3, 1862, and settled in section 19, where they now reside. Mr. Carpenter has 213 acres of land, about 160 of which are under cultivation. He had two thriving orchards of the best varieties of apples, pears, peaches, plums, cherries, grapes and small fruits, besides numerous other enticing home comforts and luxuries. Mr. Carpenter has spent most of his winters in lumbering, and with good success. He has frequently found it a more pleasant employment than farming. He has conducted his lumbering business mostly without a partner, yet the enterprise has reached at least ten million feet. Mr. Carpenter has been township clerk two years, and two years supervisor. JOHN DEITZ, farmer, was born in Germany, December 11, 1838. He came with his parents to America when about eight years of age. On the voyage they encountered a dreadful storm, which so damaged the ship that it drifted to the Azores Islands, where they obtained repairs, and then made the rest of the trip. He came to Michigan in the fall of 1856, and worked for a time in lumber camps and at farm work. On October 23, 1861, he enlisted in the Second Michigan Infantry, Company F, and served until discharged, January 5, 1863, for disability from epilepsy, caused by a gunshot wound in the head, received at the battle of Fair Oaks, May 3, 1862. He had previously fought in the siege of Yorktown, at the battle of Williamsburg, and in other encounters. He suffered much from the wound for abo