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 WILLIAM G. POWELL
At this point we enter brief record concerning another of the
representative
farmers of Milton township, Antrim county,
and aside from the position which the subject occupies as a
leading and highly esteemed citizen of the county there is added
interest attached to the resume of his career
from the fact that he is a pioneer of this
section, having maintained his residence in
Antrim county for the past thirty-five years,
which fact implies that he located here as
one of the advance guard of progress and
material advancement.
Mr. Powell is a native of the dominion
of Canada, having been born in the province
of Ontario, on the 5th of November, 1849,
and being a son of John and Rebecca
(Drury) Powell, both of whom were born
and reared in old Yorkshire, England,
whence they emigrated to the dominion of
Canada in early life, locating in Ontario,
where the father became a well-to-do farmer.
He there continued to reside until 1874, when he came to
Michigan and located in Antrim county, where he has ever since
made his home, being one of the sterling
pioneers of the county and owning a good
farm in Torch Lake township, thought he
is now living retired from active labor,
having attained to a venerable age. His
devoted wife died in Canada, the subject of
this sketch having been about eleven years
of age at the time. In the family were four
children, all of whom are living.
William G. Powell, whose name introduces this article, passed
his boyhood days
on the old homestead farm in Canada, where
he was reared to maturity, securing his educational training
in the common schools of
the locality and period. He was married in 1869, when but twenty years of age. When
he came here settlers were few and the clearings in the
midst of the woods were widely separated in most instances, while
deer,
bears and other wild animals were to be
found in abundance, and the Indians, whose were to be found
in no inconsiderable numbers. Mr. Powell
is today the owner of a most fertile farm of
eighty acres, nearly all of which is under effective
cultivation, and he not only cleared
the land but has made excellent improvements on the place,
including the erection of
one of the attractive and comfortable farm
residences of this section. In politics he is
a stalwart Republican and always shows a lively interest in
local affairs of a public
order, while he has served as highway commissioner and as
a member of tile school board of his district for the long period of
fourteen years. He and his wife are consistent and valued
members of the Methodist
Episcopal church at Miller and he is
identified with the Grange of their township.
In I869 was solemnized the marriage
of Mr. Powell to Miss Margaret Johnson,
who likewise was born and reared in Ontario, Canada, being a
daughter of Thomas
and Jane (Page) Johnson, native respectively of England and
Ireland. They continued their residence in Canada for a term
of years and then came to Antrim county, Michigan, being early settlers here and here
passing the remainder of their lives. honored all who knew them. Mr. and Mrs.
Powell became the parents of seven children,
concerning whom we offer the following
brief (late Jennie is deceased; Fred is a successful farmer of 'Milton township
Harry is likewise a prosperous farmer of
this county; Nellie is residing in Elk
Rapids at the time of this writing; Alta and Charles
remain at the parental home, and the seventh
child died in infancy.
Author:
Powers, Perry Francis, 1857-1945.
Title:
A history of northern Michigan and its
people / by Perry F. Powers ; assisted
by H.G. Cutler.
Publication
date: 1912. |