In presenting the biography
of Honorable Nathan Barlow we feel that we can do no better than to give in full
the following paper read before a meeting of the Barry
County Pioneer Society by Honorable Charles Mack:
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen:
I have been called upon to give a sketch of
the life and character of one of the early pioneers, one,
who in his lifetime, was well & personally known
to every person in Barry County. I refer to the Honorable
Nathan Barlow. He was, indeed, one of the early pioneers. Coming
to this county with his parents from the state of New York,
in the year 1810, the family settled on a new farm in the
township of Yankee Springs. In the year 1842
he was elected County Clerk of this county. The whole
number of votes cast in the county that year was 315. There
are today more legal voters in any one township in
Barry Co, than there were in the entire county at that
time. The population of this city at that time was
about 100.
In the year 1844, Mr. Barlow was elected to
the office of County Treasurer. After finishing his
duties as a county official he launched into business for
himself, by renting and operating the old flouring
mill owned by Messrs. Dibble and Hayes.
He built his first residence on the ground where
now stands the Parker Hotel. He soon opened the
residence as a hotel and operated it as such for several
years.
Later on he associated himself with the late Wm. S. Goodyear. The
firm Barlow & Goodyear proved to be one of the strongest
and most reliable that ever did business in this county. The
firm was engaged in the mercantile business; they were
also the owners & operators of the large flouring mill
that was located on South Hanover street, which in its
time was a great boon to the farmers of this county. They
also operated the old woolen mill located on Fall Creek,
which will be remembered by the surviving pioneers of this
county.
Mr. Barlow’s push, enterprise, and business sagacity
were perhaps best shown in his connection with the building
of the Grand River Valley railroad. The project lay
dormant for more than twenty years after the act had
been passed by the Legislature authorizing the construction
of this road. Mr. Barlow was a member of the Board of Directors
of this company, and with this spirit of enterprise
that marked his whole career, resolved to put an end to
the hauling of all merchandise used by more than one-half
of the population of this county. This hauling was
done over the long & tedious wagon road from Battle
Creek to this city. There are some here today, who well
remember the sand hills and the mud holes they had to contend
with, while teaming over this road. As I said before,
Mr. Barlow resolved to put an end to this hauling of goods
by wagon, & in the fall of 1863, and during the dark
days of the War of the Rebellion, when it was no easy
task to arouse men, and raise money for a project
of this kind, he was instrumental in getting the directors
together in the city of Jackson, and at that meeting
it was resolved to build the Grand River Valley railroad,
or perish in the effort. The labors performed, and
the trials endured by the Board of Directors during the
construction of this road, will never be fully known by
us. Reward finally came to them and in April, 1869,
the cars rolled into Hastings for the first time; and in
March of the following year the road was completed to the
city of Grand Rapids.
In politics, Mr. Barlow was a lifelong Democrat and took
an active part in political affairs.
That he was held in high esteem by the people of
this city and county is shown by the honors showered upon
him by calling him to fill so many positions of public
trust, having filled with marked ability the
offices of County Clerk, County Treasurer, Representative
in the State Legislature, Postmaster at this place, and
member of the Board of Education of this city. He
was a member of the School Board in 1872, when our present
high school building was erected. This building stands
today as a monument to the enterprise and good judgement
of the members of the board at that time.
The agricultural interests of the county were near
and dear to him, and perhaps no class of people could say
more kind things of him today than the pioneer farmers
of Barry County. They remember him as their friend,
and their benefactor in their early struggles, when the
county was new, and when money and favors were hard to
get. In truth, and in conclusion I will say that Mr.
Barlow was one of those men who do things, and say little
about it. He belonged to that noble stock of pioneers
who are fast passing away, and whose good works live after
them.”
In addition to the above excellent and well written sketch
by Judge Mack, it might be well to recite something of
the home life of Mr. Barlow. On February 02,
1843, he married Melissa B. Tyler. To them were born
four children- Chas. E., Fred H., Henry H., and Sarah
L., of whom two, Sarah L. and Henry H., are still living,
Sarah L. being Mrs. Chas. Huffman of Hastings. Mrs.
Barlow died March 28, 1869 and on May 31, 1870, Mr.
Barlow married Hannah M. McNair, who survives him,
as does also their son, Royce E. Barlow of Chicago.
Another subject which perhaps should be commented upon
more fully is the connection of Mr. Barlow with the organization
of the Grand River Valley railroad and in dealing
with this efforts in this direction we believe an account
written by Edward W. Barber of Jackson will be read with
interest. The sketch is as follows:
In the fall of 1863 it was determined by the directors
of the Grand River Valley Railroad Company to organize
for the purpose of building the road from Jackson to Grand
Rapids. Prior to that time the idea had been to construct
the road by way of Lansing, but this was given up on account
of the proposed construction of the Jackson,
Lansing & Saginaw. Pursuant to the plan to build
by way of Eaton Rapids, Charlotte, Vermontville & Hastings
to Grand Rapids, a meeting of the stockholders of the Grand
River Valley Company was held in Jackson on the
20th day of October, 1863. Before the meeting was
held the question of who should be chosen was fully
talked over, and the result of the election was that
all of the shares represented, were cast for the following
persons, namely: Nathan Barlow, Edward W. Barber,
Henry A. Shaw, Amos Root, Joseph E. Beebe, William H. Withington
and Moses A. McNaughton. This is the order in which the
names are given in the official minutes of the meeting. Of
the persons then elected Mr. Barber is the only one now
living.
As soon as notified of the action of the stockholders,
Mr. Barlow filed the oath of office required by law with
the Secretary of the company, which bears the date of November
21st, 1863, and on that day a meeting of the new board
was held in Jackson, and the purpose to proceed at once
to build the road was evidenced by its action in adopting
a resolution that Director Barlow of Barry County, Director
Shaw of Eaton County and Director Root of Jackson County,
be authorized and directed to procure on behalf of
the company the right of way through their respective counties
for the track of the road.
At every subsequent annual meeting of the stockholders
of the company until the year of his death, Mr. Barlow
was chosen a director, and from the outset took an active
part in the construction of the road, and as to every detail
with reference to building the line in Barry County he
was consulted and his advice accepted.
Matters with reference to the road in Barry County were
placed formally in his hands. At a meeting of the
directors, held in Jackson, August 3, 1865, at which Mr.
Barlow was present and the contract was let for its construction,
the board authorized him to make such arrangements with
Mr. Hiram J. Kenfield, or some other person, as he
should deem for the best interest of the company, to procure
subscriptions to the stock and rights of way in Barry County. Later
in the same year, at a meeting held November
9th, Mr. Barlow was authorized to negotiate for rights
of way in the County of Barry.
At a meeting of the directors held in the village of Hastings
on the 24th day of June, 1868, the matter of locating depot
grounds was considered, and it was determined, after remarks
by Messrs. Mills, Holbrook and others, that plats of the
lands which would be needed either east or west of the
village, would be made and sent to Hastings to be viewed
by the public, and that written propositions sent to the
President and Secretary of the company would be considered
by the board. Mr. Barlow was especially anxious for
an open and square deal in this matter.
This subject came up again at a meeting of the Board
of Directors held in Jackson, October 07, 1868, when the
proposition of Mr. Barlow and H.J. Kenfield to donate ten
acres of land east of the village of Hastings for depot
purposes was formally accepted. This action was unanimous
on the part of the board.
During all the years that Mr. Barlow was a member of the
board there was entire harmony, and in regard to every
important action the determination was unanimous. In
attending meetings the members paid their own expenses. Building
the road was a hard financial struggle. About
four years after his first election as a director,
in the fall of 1867, the road was completed & cars
commenced running to Onondaga in Ingham County; in July,
1868, to Eaton Rapids, and in October, 1868, to Charlotte;
in April, 1869, to Hastings, and in March, 1870, to Grand
Rapids. With all the details of the work during its
slow progress Mr. Barlow was familiar and his advice
and counsel in regard to the work in Barry County were
regarded by the other members of the board as of great
value. He seldom, if ever, seemed to be in doubt as
to the best policy to pursue.
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