JONATHAN PARSONS.-Jonathan Parsons died at Saratoga, N. Y., whither he had gone for treatment, on August 17, 1892, aged 72 years, and was brought to his home at Kalamazoo for interment.

born in West Springfield, Massachusetts, October 7, 1820, and lived there during his boyhood. When a young man he removed to Marshall, Michigan, and stayed there a short time, going from there to Bellevue, where he was a clerk in the employ of the late J. P. Woodbury. In the early forties he went to Kalamazoo, and engaged in the dry goods business with the late William A. Wood, continuing in the same a few years. He afterwards engaged with the late Hon. Allen Potter and Mr. Henry Gale in the hardware business. March 1, 1860, a partnership was formed by him in the hardware business with the late Mr. Henry Wood, which continued until March 1, 1888, since which time he has not been actively engaged in business pursuits.

Mr. Parsons was a staunch republican and had seen the party pass through many changes. He was three times elected to the State legislature, and served several times as a member of the village board of trustees. He had been a member of the First Presbyterian church for about a half century, and was a member of the session for many years. He was also an elder and was clerk of the board of elders at the time of his lamented death. Mr. Parsons was at one time a trustee of Michigan Female seminary of Kalamazoo.

His business interests were large and varied. He was a director of the Michigan National Bank, a heavy stockholder in the Kalamazoo Paper Mill, and also had an interest in the Parsons Paper Company of Holyoke, Massachusetts. Mr. Parsons owned the old homestead at West Springfield, Massachusetts, which has been in the family about two hundred years. Among his interests was & large mint farm at

Decatur.

As a member of the legislature Mr Parsons served his constituency well, voting on all questions as he thought would best serve his State. As a trustee of Michigan Female Seminary he had the best interests of that institution at heart. As an active member and supporter of the church he will also be missed, and as a business man his word was all that was necessary to obtain and hold the confidence of the people. Mr. Jonathan Parsons was a thoroughly good man and his life may be well considered an example in the community where he had lived so many years.

He leaves a wife and three sons and three daughters: Mrs. C. M. Phelps of Holyoke, Mass.; Miss Adella of Kalamazoo; Mrs. Edward P. Bagg of Holyoke, Mass.; and Mr. E. C. Parsons of Kalamazoo, Mr.

George S. Parsons of Holyoke, Mass., and Mr. Allen Parsons of Denver.

GEORGE NESBITT.-George Nesbitt, whose death occurred March 25, 1893, at the ripe age of 87 years, was one of the very few who settled in Kalamazoo county as early as 1830. Mr. Nesbitt settled on as beautiful

a piece of government land as could be found in the State, which he cultivated and on which he erected all the buildings necessary for a comfortable home for himself and family, and all necessary buildings for farming purposes. This was his Prairie Ronde home where he resided till the day of his death. He was of a very quiet, domestic nature; one that required no laws to keep him from transgressing on the rights of others, but on the other hand set such an example to others as helped to make the neighborhood a more desirable place to live and to enjoy all that makes man's own broad acres a home so independent over the city or the village.

Mr. Nesbitt's education was sufficient to enable him to fill any office in the gift of the citizens of his township, and while he never sought office he held the office of supervisor for a number of years, and the office of justice of the peace for some forty years, but only used it to legalize documents to go on record, always preferring that his neighbors should be at peace with each other without his assistance officially.

Those first settlers had a hard struggle to obtain the bare necessities of life; and clothed themselves in a cheap, home made material, and they became so enured to that mode and manner of living that when more prosperous times came to them they did not feel like entering into the more modern extravagant way of living, or to run any risk of losing the home they had struggled hard to obtain.

STEPHEN F. BROWN.-Hon. Stephen F. Brown was born in Loudon county, Virginia, December 31, 1819, and came with his father to Michigan when a boy at the age of 11 years, and settled on a farm in the township of Schoolcraft, December, 1830. His only chance to procure an education was at a district school, then kept three months in the winter, the other nine months he was employed on his father's farm, but he was very ambitious to fit himself to take an active part in politics; first began to speak at school lyceums, then on the stump in the interest of the whig party, and after the organization of the republican party he became a zealous member and represented his county as its representative two terms in the State legislature, in 1856 and 1858; in 1860, 1864, and 1884 as senator, which offices he filled

honestly and so ably as to render himself very popular with his constituents and was ever after, as long as he lived, looked upon as one who had served them honestly and faithfully. He was a great admirer of Henry Clay from whose life and speeches he first entered the field of politics, and he became a very convincing public speaker.

manner.

He was the first master of the State Grange of Michigan and served. as its treasurer ten years, filling both offices in a very acceptable He has also filled the office of president of the Kalamazoo county pioneer society. He purchased a farm near the old homestead where he resided until he died, June 2, 1893, highly respected by all who knew him. He did more than his full share in saving the country during the late war by furnishing two sons in the cavalry, all he had old enough to serve their country. His family consisted of these two sons, one daughter, and one other son, then an infant. Mrs. Brown, then speaking of her family, said she had two sons in the cavalry and one in the infantry. The men of Stephen F. Brown's stamp are fast passing away. What his farm produced by good management and hard labor he used prudently to support himself and family. He commenced life at a time when the latch string always hung out and when, if he had money, he had no fear of being robbed. His home farm life and domestic habits, and surrounded by neighbors of like character, enabled him to live more in accord with nature's simple requirements and away from the strife and turmoil and the mode and manner of too many now in the villages and cities, who are living on the fruits of others' labor.

Having been intimately acquainted with Mr. Brown for over fifty years has induced me to write this imperfect, humble tribute to his

memory.

1

H. B.

KENT COUNTY.

BY WILLIAM N. COOK.

JAMES BLAIR.-James Blair' died at his residence in Grand Rapids, December 18, 1892, from heart disease.

Mr. Blair was born at Blair's Landing on Lake George, in New York state, January 2, 1829. When twelve years of age he removed with his parents to Jackson, Michigan, and a year or two later located on a farm near Grand river, about eight miles below Grand Rapids. Farm life did not suit his active nature, and, when the Mexican war broke out he desired to enlist, but his parents objected. Seeing a steamer coming up the river one day, he left his oxen and plow standing in the field, boarded the boat and went to Grand Rapids, where he signed enlistment papers, but being too young, his father took him back to the farm. Soon afterwards he went to Grand Rapids, and engaged as a clerk in W. D. Robert's and other stores. Later he was a partner with the late Lewis Porter in the clothing business. During the war he was with the army of the Potomac as a suttler. About 1868 he entered the law office of Col. Geo. Gray, then the leader of the Kent county bar, as chief clerk. Here he acquired a taste for the commercial branch of law practice and in 1871 opened a law office for himself. A few months later, when Col. Gray left Grand Rapids, Mr. Blair formed a partnership with the Hon. L. D. Norris and purchased the retiring attorney's office and business. The following year Willard Kingsley became a partner and, excepting one year, has been associated with Mr. Blair ever since. Mr. Norris left the firm and Judge J. W. Stone went in. Upon the election of the latter to congress, Messrs. Eggleston and Kleinhans took his place, but Mr. Eggleston soon after withdrew, and the present firm of Blair, Kingsley & Kleinhans was formed and became the oldest law firm in Grand Rapids.

OLIVER BLEAK.-Oliver Bleak, who has been in the grocery business at the corner of Lagrave and Fulton streets, Grand Rapids, for so many years, died at his residence over his store, June 6, 1893, aged 78

years.

Oliver Bleak was born in Holland, December 14, 1824. He served in the Holland army as a lad, then in the dykes department, where by his special ability before he was twenty-four years old, he secured a position worth some $5,000 a year. His mother had come to the