2012.055.2 burton barber bio

7/24/2019 2012.055.2 Burton Barber Bio

1/13

g uJieated

J

t

f Ae

: : .

.

.

. .

Florence Luelle Boynton :Olver

.

.

Ruth

lvadell

Boynton

age

. .

Elan

aul

Reynold .

Boynton

..

. . . I

Beverly Nan . arber

~ u r p y

..

Mary

a1e Barber

sw ar IWood


2/13

I

BURTON

REYNOLDS B RBER


3/13

BURTON REYNOLDS BARBER

Burton R. Barber

was

born in Green Oak, Livingston

County,

May 23 1860. His father

was

Samuel L.

and

mother

Elizabeth

Field

Barber-whose

mother lived

to

be

96

years

old. He had a brother, George four

years

old and a sister,

Anna,

two years old at that time

and brother,

Harry, born

years later, who died at the age

of

sixteen. George and

Anna are still living-George

in Bellvue,

Wash., and Anna

in

Harbor Springs. As a very young child he remembered

his father and the

men

as they trained out on

the

hills for

war

service

in

the

Union

Army-1862-4. His father enlisted

three

times before being taken and then for

two

years he

cared for

the sick and wounded-was

in Co. A, 11th Mich.

Cav.

The

family

lived

on the

farm until he was

12

years

old

then moved to Brighton where he attended school until

March

1875 and then they all moved to

Harbor

Springs, in

northern Michigan where they did some real pioneering

work. Many Indians lived around there. Aunt Anna

says

she was one of three white girls then living there-not

much

sociability for a girl of 6 years.

Today she is the oldest person

in that

county in years of

being a resident.

They

saw very poor times and

had

many

reverses-so

much

so it

inspired

my

father

to

do something

to get ahead in life and

what

hurt him most

was

to see his

mother

work so hard and go without

the necessary

and need

ful things to make life happy.

On

one

of

the windows dedicated

in the Presbyterian

church there you can see

their

names-Grandma

Barber was

a true christian and a

lady greatly

loved.

In 1885 Rev. Newell

Dwight

Hillis boarded and roomed

with

them. Later going to Harry \Vard Beecher s

large

church

in

Brooklyn

N.

Y.

and

well-known among

Presby

terians.


4/13

During 1875, my

father,

then 15, entered

the

employ

of

Hartwell and

Feltus,

a

wood

and

lumber

company, as

clerk

in

their

general store,

working

there about two years, when

they sold out toW. E.

Parker,

and

he

continued with him

for

a

year and,

in

1878,

on account of health,

went back

to the

farm

and outdoor

wvori


5/13


6/13

On December 24, brother Harry died. Father and

Mother

came

over and

stayed with us

3

or

4

weeks after

Harry

died.

We soon sold

the

house in east end. During the sum mer

we

took

over Hartwell

Shoe Stock from

Creditors-Ford

and

Co.,

Toledo,

Ohio-and

gave my note for the full stock

few hundred dollars at this date, have forgot how much the

stock cost

but

I

think about $800. and

I bought

for

40%

on the

dollar their

cost.

Then I think I sold

the

farm out

and

got about $300.00

or

little

over

the mortgage.

Then

I

went

to

Grand Rapids

and

bought about $800.00 bill shoes

and we added

to-fast.

Took over C. W. Caskey

office building 12x34

and moved

up on

corner of Center

and

Main

St.

Cost

us $40.00. Also

moved

our

stock to the corner building by side of Shoe Store

we started, Father Newkirk clerked

for us in shoe

store

.

In summer

of 1890 I took

Brother

George in as

partner

giving him 112

interest with

all privileges as my self. I took

his note for all

of

it, no

interest,

to get them started.

In August 1891 Milton Burt was born.

In the fall

of

1892 I

had

a sick spell coughing and couldn't

stop.

I bought a span

of

horses,

harness, and

sleighs $295.00

from

a mossback that thought the world was to come to an

end

soon and he sold all his possessions.

Yet

in

1934

the world

still stands. I drew in over 340

cord

18" wood and corded up

to become

dry then made SOc cord extra

on

cord

because

of

doing it.

In

the spring

of

1893

we

sold

out every

thing I was dissatis

fied

for

all we had good big business as both families

dreaned

the profit and I couldn't be held back.

We

sold out to George

Adams.

The sumemr of 189 our store was broken

into on

Saturday

night

and our

safe was blown open lost about $120.00 cash. I

say

had it not been for brother George we would of lost over

$500.00 for I

had put cash

in

safe and he

came

by and said

here don't leave that there all night." So I said, you take

care of

it"

and

he did. Boys 10 days

later

found checks

and

paper by side of R. R. tracks

over

in weeds and returned to

store ok.

)

l

t


7/13

W

c

hnd

hundreds of

dollars

standing on our books

to

collect

and

a big lot

of

loss

we

never

ot.

First

of April

1893 I

started for Olicago

or

west

to find a

place for

Commerce General Cash Store and

was hooked

at

Fennville by

Grand

Rapids Dry Good-Shoe

and

Grocery

firms who

had Bankrupt

stock to sell. I

think we paid SSe on

the dollar for the stock

of about

five thousand dollars as

we

remember

now.

Well

what change took place left

our

good

neW home, moved what few house hold goods we had and

wife

and children

came

down

to join

me. Rented old

house

and put

things

in order.

Conunenced business.

Trade

did

come slow but

sure. We

moved 2400.00 Shoe Stock also.

In the spring of 1894 we bought a lot and built the Brick

house at

East Main

St.,

Fennville. As

one

of

the

evidences

of

our achievemnts and happy times spent there. As one

place

our

kiddies

never

can forget such family gatherings

we

had. Christmas

and

etc

What

a loss came to us on Jan. 25, 1895. Fire

had

that

morning sweep the whole block by 8:00

A.

M . And we could

gaze on the

smoldering

smoke

and

ashes thinking of our

busi-

ness gone and loss of

over

12,500.00 stock gone and did

no

one any good. Carried 4

thousand

dollar

insurance owed

2

thousand on winter goods came into store

and

about 500.00

on

new

spring shoes

just

came into store day before

and

owed

freight bill on

them. This

left us

over

1900.00 to

start

over again.

Only

one store left in town to

do

our kind busi

ness

in

and

a

man had

a lease

on

that

.

We

bought

him

out

then

adjust

with

insurance

companys. Such

an experience

we had.

We

had a real standing with past finns who gave us

all the goods

we

wanted to stock up a real

store

again .

and

dWay we went again in less than a month. How we

did

pros

per paid

dollar

for dollar on

every

obligation and

claim

our

success all we owe is being

honest with

yourself, which

will

not

allow

others to

suffer

from your conduct

in life.

Our

encouragement

and

advice came from

such

men as L.

J.

Ringe

and

Logie,

Sam Lemon

and credit

man

R.

J.

Pren

dergust, Higgenbotham credit man of Marshall Field and

Co. Chicago. Also in early business such a man as Rowe,


8/13

sold me car of flour (I wasn t worth much) founder of VaUey

City

Mill

Co.

and

Lilly White

Flour.

Those

were

men

I

gleaned

some valued advice

from.

Well

about

three years later

we

built the double store

(Brick) at

Fennville (1898-9),

and

moved

into

it.

Happy

days

these were for our kiddies too such

interest

in our pro

gress.

We sold

the 7

room

house

at Harbor

Springs

built

in

1890. That

helped out

a lot as

we

were paying off loans and

we

could use money to make money. Our double store gave

us room

to

expand and

we

did in all lines yearly.

End

o

His ccount

Besides his interest in

Sunday

School he

was President

of

Christian Endeavor Society, and one July 4th started across

the State

some 150 miles to go to

Detroit

to the

Convention of

Endeavors--45

miles a

day was

considered good mileage

(horse

and

buggy days)

and

Dad always had good horses to

drive. He

left

the rig

at

Hamburg or Whitmore

Lake and

went on by train.

In

1906, the year after Elon

came

to Fennville, Dan Shan

non was our Evangelist and

one

day

we

were at Hutchins

Lake

where he

was baptising a

number. Dad

was

there,

watching, and suddenly

he

walked down to Shannon and

talked

a bit,

came

back to the buggy, t.

ook

off his

coat and

left

his

watch

with us and

returned

and was baptised, leaving his

pocket-book still in his pocket.

The

folks

had come

into the

Baptist Omrch

by

letter

from the

Presbyterian

Church.

Mother being immersed many years before.

In

those

years our

town

bad

4 saloons

and when

the

ques

tion

of local option came up,

father used

to go out speaking

on

the temperance side.

In April1902

father bought the

Dan Davis

ann,

one north

west of

Allegan,

9 acres for 3,350.00 and

Uncle

George and

family moved there

and

managed it for

some

time. Then

later another

place was

purchased

in .Trowbridge

Twp.

and

Uncle George moved to that one

and Ben

Kinney

and

wife

moved

to the

former

one.

Later

they

were

sold and

went into

Kalamazoo property.


9/13

In those days we children were given advantages

that

have

been

dear

to us these many years. Besides the business side

of

experiences, they gave us opportunities in the music field.

Lynn attended Orchard

Lake

Military Academy when it

was a real school and was in the orchestra of 25 pieces. He

had had

very

good violin teachers-Pro.

and Mrs.

Weed

before

going there and

we had had

our

own

little orchestra

Burt M. playing clarinets, I the piano,

later

Burt

played the

piano.

The summer

of 1904

Uncle Ed

and

Aunt

Anna

Fer

guson invited us to furnish the music for noon and evening

meals

and

especially on Sundays at their summer hotel in

Harbor

Springs.

(What

good times

we

had

I

The folks gave

me

two

years

at Albion College - I

' 'majored as they say, in a Business course first

year

and

Music

the second year.

Burt

M. later took Business course at Parsons College at

Kalamazoo.

At

the present

he

is playing the

Hammond

Organ

at the Bethel Church there,

where

he has been pianist

for 25

years.

Father

used

to get us the

latest

musical selections

at

Lyon

and Healy's whenever

he

went

to Chicago to buy

goods-was

so thoughtful.

In 1907 Lemon

and

Wheeler. Wholesale Grocers of Grand

Rapids urged father to be their manager of the new branch

wholesale at Kalamazoo

and in

October

Father, Mother

and

Burt M.

went

to live in Kalamazoo

and

into a new house at

510 Oak St. which they bought

for

3250.00.

CLIPPING

From

Fennville

Herald-Oct.

1 9 7 ~ w h e n folks moved to

Kalamazoo:

''Mr. Barber has always

taken

a deep interest

in

the

up

building

of

Fennville especially along educational and moral

matters.

He has

served

faithfully as a

director of

the school

board, is a member

of

the

Free

Baptist Church and

served

for five years as a S. S. Supt.

He is treasurer of

Damascus

lodge F.

and A

M.

and

is also

a member of the K 0. T. M.

Mr.

Barber's

success is largely

due

to

plenty

of push,

hard

work, and perseverance, having faith in what he undertook,


10/13

honest with himself and his patrons and always striving to

improve

his condition along

moral

as well as financial lines.

nd of Cli J Jint

Lynn

and I continued with the

store

at Fennville.

He

was

married June 16, 1909. I was married the next Jan. 18th,

1910 and went to Kendallville, :Ind., to live. Their gifts to us

nt these two occasions were an interest in the business to

Lynn and

to

me

$500.00.

The folks bought a lot at

comer

of Paterson and

M. Burdict

and

built a large building 2 stores wide below

and

3 apart

ments

above

each

having five rooms

and

bath.

Lynn moved here with the Fennville stock

of

goods

in 1911.

The store

building in Fennville was sold

and

in 1935 or '36

was divided and a grocery stock is in the west side

and

res

taurant in the east side.

Our

old safe with father's name on

it

is still used in the grocery side.

Later the

stock

of goods

were

sold

and

a trade was

made

and

a four apartment house was bought on John St. across

from Bronson Hospital, now a Methodist Hospital.

The

folks' next building was on the corner of Portage and

Washington St. and at this date Burt

and Helen

are occupying

it with a nice dry goods line.

Lynn and Lila moved to Flint in 1914 nnd

went

into busi

ness there.

In Jan. 1914 father and mother went to Florida for the first

time and

spent

2 months.

In the spring of 1916 father bought the grocery stock in

Battle

Creek, and

Burt

nnd

Helen and

Elon

took the stock

to manage.

In the spring of 1917

Burt

took part of the stock

and

re

turned to Kalamazoo

and Elon

continued four years

more in

Battle Creek. Then in Oct.

1921

we moved back to Kalama.

zoo and

occupied the

new

store building the folks built

for

us

that summer at 145 Burr Oak St. The 7 roo.ms and bath on

second floor were very nice

and

pleasant, and I enjoyed them

much. A

dumb waiter'

saved

many

steps

for

me.

In

1924

we

sold stock

and

moved

to

Lansing

and

the

build

ing is rented to Krogers.


11/13

In 1925 the folks bought a cottage at West

Lake and

later

traded

it for

a lot

at Portage

and

Vasser.

In

the fall of 1917 father got a cold

that

settled in his

bron

chial tubes and bothered considerable so the

Dr.

suggested

Florida

and

they got

ready and

left in four days and the sun

shine and

outdoors soon

had him

well again,

and

he

knew

that was the place

for him and

so settled for the

winter

in St.

Petersburg. They bought a little place at 524 7th Ave. North

and

later sold that

in

the

winter

of '19 and '20

and

built two

nice white stucco bungalows each having 2

apartments

of

3 rooms, hall

and

bath, and a 3

car

garage between.

This

is

at the comer of

Dartmoor and

9th Ave.

North.

There they

attended

the

Presbyterian

church,

comer

of

3rd

St. and 4th

Ave. North

and enjoyed it so much. There was a

large men's class, taught by a real fundamental Baptist

preacher-and

father did like his teaching

They left their membership in the Kalamazoo

Pres.

Church

and gave $600.00 when the new church

and

church house was

built.

Father

was on the committee in about 1918 when Rev.

Wert

Dunning was chosen as pastor, which he continued

until 1938 when he resigned to be President of Alma College.

For a number of years father was on active quoit player

and

enjoyed such sports. Skating

in

the earlier years

he

also

enjoyed.

Father

and

mother were members of the Michigan Society

nearly from its beginning and he was elected Vice President

in the spring of 1935 having refused offices as President

and

others many times. The membership is very large, numbering

some years

around

1400

or

1500.

On December

25 1932

father

and

mother

celebrated their

50th

Wedding Anniversary by

giving a .dinner at a hotel for

several couples

of

their

friends-4

couples also passing

their

50th anniversaries at about that same time.

Mr.

and Mrs.

Putney

of

Kalamazoo were on the

entertain

ment committee of the Michigan Society that winter and they

arranged

a complete surprise

for

these couples, but because

of illness

of

several, only father

and mother were present

that

evening meeting

of December

15

1932-around

600

be

ing present,


12/13

,.

The

program

was ns follows:

I

Love

You Truly -Bond

At Dawning -Cadman

Wedding

March -Lohengrin

Recessional -Mendelsohn

Put On Your Old Gray Bonnett

When

You

And I Were Young, Maggie

When Your

Hair

Has Turned To

Silver

Silver Threads

Among

The

Gold

Minister presiding, Dr. J. A. McOure

(their

pastor)

Soloist

and

Song Leader-C. S. Cornell

lone

Miller Brubaker-Accompanist

L. B. Putney-Master of Ceremonies

President-George B. Selby

Vice-President-Andrew

Swenzie

Secretary-Alice Dewey

Treasurer-Henry

W.

Smith

Program Committee-Mrs. E. S. Dean

Mother was given a beautiful bouquet and later the blue

bonnet with the blue ribbons on it.

Refreshments of

ice cream.

Particular friends through these

years are

Mr.

and Mrs.

Perry

Atkins, of Kalamazoo

and

St.

Petersburg.

We as a family got together

on June

18, 933 to celebrate

at

our

home-1002

So. Pennsylvania Ave., Lansing, Michi

gan-Lynn

and Lila

bringing the beautiful wedding cake.

May 23rd, 1935,

back

at

their

home in Kalamazoo,

father

had

his 75th

birthday and

apparently feeling

as

well as usual.

On

May 30th they drove over to the cemetery

at

Fennville,

and had a nice day. On the

way

home

he remarked, some

day they will

be

taking us over for the last trip, and that

proved true so soon, as on

June

18th,

he passed

away so

quietly

with

only a short 2 weeks

and

one-half of illness.

The

sunshine he loved so much, came

out

so beautifully

at

the last services at the

cemetery

that it seemed like a real

benediction sent from above.


13/13

He

was

not afraid

of work,

but

enjoyed it, glad for the

chance of living, enjoyed company, glad to see young people

get started right in their life's work, was very kind

in

his

home and with us children, and helped us in so many ways

all thru

life-a real father.

His good judgment was shown in the good christian girl he

chose to be our mother-and they together worked out their

life as quite an ideal one.

He

took care of whatever they

had-business,

houses, good

driving horses, autos,

or

whatever it

was-and

when

it came

to finance and credit he had that and tried to instill into us

the real values of life-one

phrase

he used many times, Be

good and you'll be happy.

Two days before he left us we were in an upper room and

talking of spiritual things

thru

the past years, and he was so

happy-it s been a real blessing to me since.

Father

and

Mother could have traveled more, had more

pretentious homes and what not,

but

choose to help us, in

business ways, in

order

to help ourselves and not be a

burden

on some one

else-and

to have a little t fall back on in time

of need

or

old age.

Yes,

I am thankful to

God

for the christian

parents

He

gave me.

IVY

DELL

BARBER BOYNTON

May-1941

6

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2012.055.2 burton barber bio

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