Clare Rood/Mary Dodge descendants and ancestors
Grampa Clare and Nonnie's Grandparents are my 2 Great Grandparents
Edward Ariel Rood - Clare's fraternal grandfather
Edward Ariel Rood life story: Edward was born 18 May 1840 in Plainfield, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts. He was the youngest of nine children born to Josiah Foster Rood (age 49) and his wife Abigail Alden Howes (age 46). Family papers state: "In 1861 Edward... was 21 years old and so was "entitled to leave his parents" [love that phrase] and went to Glenn, Michigan [Ganges Township, Allegan County] to work for his Uncle William Packard in the lumbering business. After one year of this employment he returned to Plainfield and married Flora Mary Warner 25 Oct 1863 [the day after her twenty-first birthday; Edward was 23] and at once returned to Glenn." Their son Frank Edward Rood was born a year later on 27 Oct 1864. When timber grew scarce in Ganges Township, the Packard company moved (about 1868) to "a wild, wooded township just south of South Haven, then called Deerfield" (current Covert), and Edward and his family followed (about 15 miles). That fall, their only other child, Lillian Augusta Rood, was born there 7 Oct 1868. In 1869, Edward's older brother Thaddeus moved from Plainfield to Covert and also joined in the Packard operations. Thaddeus brought his wife Martha, their 3 surviving daughters and their widowed sister Abigail (Rood) Pixley.
Religion had always played an important part in Edward's life and on 27 Sep 1870 (age 30), with 19 others including wife Flora, his brother Thaddeus and Thaddeus’s wife Martha, organized the Covert Congregational Church. Per his obituary "he was a steady worker in the mid-week prayer meeting, in the Sabbath school and at Sabbath services... he was the architect of our church building [built 1879, modern photo below left]... and especially interested in foreign missions. His brother David, twenty-two years older than himself, was forty years a missionary among the Zuloos in South Africa."
Edward remained with the Packard lumbering company for 11 years and (also per his obituary) "in 1873 [age 33] established a hardware store in Covert village which he ran with success for a number of years, until he settled upon his Prospect Ridge Fruit Farm [above, right], which was his home to the end." This home was on the north side of the Covert-Bangor Road and is no longer in the family but is still standing today; however the second story has been removed. It is across the road from the current Rood homestead that was later built by Edward's son Frank. According to a biography written in 1880: "he is the owner of two hundred acres in the township of Covert... he continues to operate a hardware store, handling agricultural implements and a general line of hardware. Politically, Mr. Rood is a Republican, but he has not aspired to office." In Aug 1888, oldest brother Rev. David A. Rood and wife Alzina moved to Covert from South Africa, having retired as missionaries.
Edward's lengthy obituary was written by close friend and shirt-tail relation Levi P, Spelman. In it, Spelman has a couple interesting descriptions of Edward: "Some years ago he was lowth to go into fruit-farming, but grew into it through his son's interest, until he let it have his energies at last. His life of 57 years was not long, but he was a worker. He could turn his hand to most any work. He had gathered a multitude of tools and implements and could use them all effectively. He had given up shoeing his horses of late, but he kept the old tools for so doing, and his shop turned out only last year a new wagon, low and strong and large, for gathering peaches. Except the wheels, he made the woodwork, put it together, and had help only from a blacksmith to iron it." Near the end of the obituary, Spelman included a rather surprising description of Edward's personality: "The life honored by this expression of interest was by no means perfect. No one thought it so, and he who lived it, least of any. Our friend could be quick and blunt and speak harsh words against what he conceived to be wrong. He was a positive man and had prejudices and caused hard feeling here and there, but he was a man of principle, his word was as good and his note, and all will say that Edward A. Rood was a most valuable citizen."
Edward died 9 Feb 1897 (age 56), the year before grandson Clare Rood was born. When Edward passed away, he was on a train in Alabama, returning to his home in Michigan from a health resort in Pensacola, Florida, where he had "sought a prolongation of life by change of climate last fall which proved less than ineffectual". I have not found what illness he suffered from or what was his cause of death. He was buried in the Covert Cemetery.
Flora Mary Warner - Clare's fraternal grandmother
Flora Mary Warner life story: Flora (sometimes known as Mary) was born 24 Oct 1842 in Plainfield, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts. She was the third of four children born there to William B. Warner (age 38) and his wife Annis Crittenden (age 29). Flora's mother Annis died when Flora was ten years old and her father William remarried just over 2 years later. As noted above, Flora married Edward the day after her 21st birthday and together they had 2 children- Frank (Clare's father) and Lillian (who died in 1899, age 31). About 7 years after her first husband Edward's death in 1897, on 12 Jan 1904, Flora (age 61) married his widowed brother Thaddeus (age 70); this is known as a 'levirate' marriage. However, family lore has her agreeing to the marriage only if, following her own death, she were to be buried next to her first husband Edward. Flora also outlived Thaddeus, who died in Covert 8 Sep 1910 (age 77). Flora died eight years later on 25 Sep 1918 (age 75) at the home of her son Frank in South Haven, where she had lived since Thaddeus' death. She is, as promised, buried in the Covert Cemetery with her first husband Edward and they share a headstone. Thaddeus is buried nearby with his first wife Martha.
Joseph Atkinson - Clare's maternal grandfather
Joseph Atkinson life story: Joseph was born 10 Oct 1821 in Mullica Hill, Gloucester Co., New Jersey, about 20 miles south of Philadelphia and 25 miles east of Wilmington, Delaware. He was the 4th of 7 sons born to Samuel Atkinson (age 37) and his wife Mary Elizabeth Garwood (age 30). In 1827, when he was 5 years old, Joseph moved with his family to Raisinville, Monroe Co., Michigan Territory; Michigan was not admitted to the Union until 26 Jan 1837 as the 26th state. According to family papers ("Told to Me by Aunty"), Joseph attended school at The Raisin Institute (founded 1839) near Tecumseh (15-20 miles away). This was the first integrated school in Michigan, and provided educational opportunities for fugitives and freed slaves. On 8 Nov 1847 (age 26), Joseph married Josephine Beauharnais Fish (age 23) in Monroe County; they had 6 children. Family papers indicate that Joseph was a teacher, but five U.S. Censuses and his Civil War draft registration all list his occupation as 'farmer'; possibly he was both. Their homestead at Raisinville was on 76 acres (12 rods wide by 2 miles deep) that he inherited from his father. It was located on the South Custer Road, 7 miles west of Monroe and 6 miles east of Dundee; between the King Cemetery and Dixon Road. It had 429 feet of frontage on the south side of the River Raisin. Three brothers (Jonathan, Isaac and Amasa) were their neighbors to the west. Joseph's daughter Clara had these comments: "Although our father was very helpful with our lessons, he was also very strict... He'd set the boys to hoeing, and if they didn't have the set amount done when he got home, they'd get thrashed. We were not allowed to go swimming... The men worked very hard plowing with oxen and using tools which would now seem quite primitive." In 1884, Joseph (age 62) and wife Josephine (age 60) moved to Covert, Michigan, buying the farm west of the Edward Rood place. They joined their two daughters (Clara, married and Anna, teaching) already living in the area. On 25 Nov 1909, the widowed Joseph (age 88) died in nearby South Haven, MI and is buried in the Covert Cemetery.
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Josephine B. Fish - Clare's maternal grandmother
Josephine Beauharnais Fish life story: Josephine was born 14 Jun 1824 in Hardwick, Caledonia Co., Vermont, the oldest of 10 children (5 boys, 5 girls) born to George Palmer Fish (age 25) and Matilda Trow (age 18). In 1836 (age 10), Josephine moved with her parents and 4 siblings from St. Albans, VT to the Michigan Territory. Family papers indicate she "attended the Young Women's Seminary in Monroe... and It was while she was teaching near Monroe that she met her future husband." As indicated above, she married Joseph Atkinson in Monroe County on 8 Nov 1847 (age 23). They went on to have 6 children- Grampa Clare's mother, aunts and uncles:
1) Joseph Atkinson- born 1848 or 49. No further information found; most probably died young.
2) Clara Orelana Atkinson (Aunt Clara; 1850-1939)- probably Clare's namesake. She graduated from Olivet College in 1881 and married two wealthy men- Alfred S. Packard in 1882 and (following Packard's death) Charles J. Monroe in 1905. She never had children, so she was generous with her relatives. Described as a "vivacious red head".
3) Charles H. Atkinson (Uncle Charlie; 1852-1901). Married Katie King from a neighboring farm in Raisinville; took part in the Klondike Gold Rush around 1898; like most prospectors, he must not have struck it rich, as he returned and worked as a boilerman in Toledo; as described by my father: "he threw cold water into a hot boiler and was blown to Kingdom Come." He did die in a boiler explosion at age 49.
4) George F. Atkinson (Uncle George; 1854-1918). College Professor; head of the Botany Department at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY; he was on a leave of absence from Cornell Univ. and was "engaged in the collection of fungi along the Pacific coast in preparation for an extensive publication on which he was working at the time of his death".
5) Paul Joseph Atkinson (1856-1892). Was a superintendent of the Alfred S. Packard farm (sister Clara's first husband) and his death record lists his occupation as 'bookkeeper'; cause of death: pneumonia.
6) Anna Eliza Atkinson (1858-1930). Clare's mother- see 'Great Grandparents' section. Note: she named her second son "Paul Joseph Rood" (born 1893) after her brother who died the preceding year. That name has continued through two additional generations.
Daughter Clara wrote of her mother: "Mother, who had been a schoolteacher and had always lived in the city, had to adjust herself to doing many unpleasant tasks. It was the custom when butchering was done to bring the entrails in for the rendering of lard. Although it nauseated her, mother went about it as if she had always done it." Josephine died 26 Aug 1906 (age 82) in South Haven and was buried in the Covert Cemetery. Shares a headstone with husband Joseph.
Henry Judson Dodge - Nonnie's fraternal grandfather
Henry Judson Dodge life story: Henry was born 15 Jul 1844 in Granville, Milwaukee Co., WI. He was the 2nd of 4 children born to Philander Dodge (age 29) and his wife Thirza (Eastman) Dodge (age 26). On 4 Aug 1862 (2 weeks after his 18th birthday), Henry enlisted at Racine, WI in Company K of the 33rd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry for the duration of the Civil War. His description at enlistment was: height 5 ft. 8in, dark complexion, black eyes, black hair, occupation farmer. The 33rd participated in the sieges of Jackson and Vicksburg, the Red River Campaign, the Battle of Nashville, the campaign against Mobile and its defenses, the siege of Spanish Fort and the capture of Fort Blakely. Along with the rest of his Regiment, Henry was mustered out on 8 Aug 1865 (age 21) in Vicksburg. During those 3 years, out of a total strength of 1,066 men, 202 died- only 33 were killed in action while 169 died from disease. Click here for a detailed Regimental history as posted by the Wisconsin Historical Society. On 26 Jan 1866 (age 21), five months after his discharge, Henry married Mary Elizabeth Shumway (age 22) in Madison, Dane Co., WI. They would have five children together and in 1916 celebrated their golden anniversary. For three years after their marriage, they resided in Mt. Vernon, Wisconsin and in 1869 came to Michigan, settling in Casco Township, Allegan County. He was a farmer in or near South Haven Township until 1910 (age 65) when they moved about 15 miles south to Hartford. They lived there with their daughter Thirza and her family and for a while was engaged in the milling business with son-in-law W.A. Keeney. Henry served as highway commissioner for South Haven Township for fifteen years, "doing much of the early construction for the better improvement of the highways in said township." From 16 Sep 1891 until his 1920 death, Henry received a pension of $12 per month for his Civil War service due to "rheumatism and resulting disease of heart". Henry died 5 Aug 1920 (age 76) at the home of his daughter, Mrs. W.A. (Thirza) Keeney, in Hartford Michigan, after a kidney illness of eight months. He is buried in Lakeview Cemetery, South Haven. He was a charter member of the Zach Chandler Post #35 of the Grand Army of the Republic, who conducted the burial service; six grandsons served as pall bearers. Per his obituary: "Coming when the country was a wilderness, with very few houses between his home and South Haven, he has lived to see the country he helped clear from a virgin forest become one of the most productive sections of the state. In politics he was always a staunch Republican. Mr. Dodge was a faithful and beloved member of the Hartford Baptist Church and was highly esteemed for his sterling character by all who knew him."
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![Dodge, Henry & wife Mary (guess) 'picture [incorrectly] labeled Alda Keeny' from Leah Burm](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/3ea86f_c930f50470d5469fb26ca5eea914e03e~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_61,y_328,w_879,h_1213/fill/w_317,h_426,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/Dodge%2C%20Henry%20%26%20wife%20Mary%20(guess)%20'picture%20%5Bincorrectly%5D%20labeled%20Alda%20Keeny'%20from%20Leah%20Burm.jpg)
Mary E. Shumway - Nonnie's fraternal grandmother
Mary Elizabeth Shumway life story: Mary was born 9 Jan 1844 in Ira, Cayuga Co., NY, the oldest of 4 children of Sanford Shumway (age 22) and his wife Julia Matilda Lewis (age 18). Sometime between 1850 and 1853, she moved with her family from New York to Wisconsin. As mentioned above, she married Henry J. Dodge on 26 Jan 1866 (age 22). They had a total of five children- Nonnie's father, uncle and three aunts:
1) Truman Arthur Dodge (1866-1927). He was listed as a farmer in Allegan Co. until the 1920 census, which listed him as a foreman for Chevrolet Motor Co. in Flint.
2) Warren Sanford Dodge (1869-1954). Nonnie's father- see 'Great Grandparents' section.
3) Clara Edith Dodge (1872-1964). Married Isaac McKenzie, a Canadian whose parents were born in Scotland. For many years he operated his own tailor shop, but at the 1920 census had his own fruit farm in South Haven Township.
4) Thirza Marsha Dodge (1873-1959), known by her middle name, sometimes spelled Marcia. She first married Wilbur Keeney, a miller with his own grist (flour) mill; they had 3 children. After Wilbur's death, Marsha (age 69) re-married Willis Mosher.
5) Ella May Dodge (1874-1878). No information on Ella. Obviously, she died young (3 1/2 yrs).
Mary died 14 Jul 1918 (age 74) in Hartford, MI and is buried in Lakeview Cemetery, South Haven in the Dodge family plot with Henry.
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Jeremiah M. Cranmer - Nonnie's maternal grandfather
Jeremiah M. Cranmer life story: Jerry, as he was sometimes known, was born 1826 in Summit Co., Ohio, the 2nd of 5 children born to Abraham B. Cranmer (age 19) and his wife Eliza (no maiden name found, age 24). He spent his youth in Ohio, but on 16 Mar 1852 (age 26) married his first wife Anne B. Robinson (age 18) in Wabash Co., Indiana. They had three sons in rapid succession- Abram (1854-1934), Andy (1855-??) and Israel (1856-??). On 14 Jun 1861 (age 35), Jeremiah enlisted in the Union Army. He left his wife and sons behind and joined "I" Company of the 15th Indiana Infantry as a Private; his assigned duty was as a 'boatman'. From the 2008 book First Flag on the Summit: History of the 15th Indiana Civil War Regiment by Sam Passo and Billie Crane: "The 15th Indiana Infantry Regiment was in the forefront of two of the most decisive battles in the Western Theater of the Civil War. In the Battle of Stones River, the 15th played a crucial role in reversing the tide of the battle, which was almost a total disaster for the Union forces. At the battle of Chattanooga, the 15th claimed to be the first regiment to plant a flag on the summit of Missionary Ridge during the famous charge up the slope. At both of these battles, the 15th paid a tragic price in dead and wounded. However, these battles were key to defeating the Rebels in the west. The book starts out with recruitment in Lafayette, Indiana, and follows the regiment's campaign in western Virginia, then to Kentucky and the march to Shiloh where they participated in the second day of the battle at Shiloh. From Shiloh, they took part in the occupation of Corinth and the invasion of northern Mississippi".
After three years of service, Jeremiah was mustered out 25 Jun 1864 in Indianapolis, IN. While he was in the service, his wife Anne died in the fall of 1862 (age 28) at the home of her brother. On 27 Jul 1865, a year after his return from the war, Jeremiah (age 37) married for a second time to Susanna H. Lee (age 23) in Huntington Co., IN. Susanna died one year later, on 30 Aug 1866; one informal record says "during childbirth", but no records of that child have been found. In Jun 1867, Jeremiah moved to Allegan, Michigan where he worked in a saw mill. Later that year, on 2 Nov 1867 (age 41), one year after the death of his 2nd wife, Jeremiah's third marriage took place when he married the recently widowed Eunice Mary (Gile) Lamper (age 34) in Cheshire Township, Allegan Co., MI. He became step-father to her 8 children, ranging in age from 16 years to 9 months. In Sep 1869, Jeremiah and Eunice had a son (unnamed) who only lived one month. Finally, on 22 Oct 1871, Jeremiah (age 45) and Eunice (age 38) had their last child together, a daughter, Wealthy Eunice Cranmer- Nonnie's mother (see 'Great Grandparents' section). Just short of 4 years later, Eunice died in Sep 1875 (age 42). A farmer in the 1800s did not usually stay single for long. Less than a year later, on 1 Aug 1876 Jeremiah (age 50) married for the fourth time, to Esther Ann (Harrington) Armstrong/Fargo (43); this also was Esther's 4th marriage. She cared for him until his death on 29 Dec 1898 (age 72) in Allegan County, Michigan. He is buried in Lindsley Cemetery, Cheshire Center, Allegan County, Michigan. His grave is marked by a metal stake.
Eunice M. (Gile) Lamper life story: Eunice was born in Sep 1833 in the state of New York. She was the 2nd of at least 6 children born to John Gile (age 32) and his wife Madgalane "Lany" Schrambling (age 34). Sometime prior to the 1840 U.S. Census Eunice moved with her family and was counted in Columbus, Warren Co., Pennsylvania. Sometime before the 28 Sep 1850 Census, when they were listed in Pierpont, Ashtabula Co., OH, Eunice (age 16 or 17) married Henry H. Lamper (age 21 or 22). They eventually had 8 children together- 6 in Ohio (4 daughters and 2 sons) and 2 more daughters after moving to Michigan around 1861. Henry died 9 Oct 1866 (age 38) in Cheshire Township, Allegan Co., MI, leaving Eunice (age 33) a widow with 8 children. As mentioned above, about a year later, on 2 Nov 1867, Eunice (age 34) married Jeremiah Cranmer (age 41). After having 2 children with Jeremiah (unnamed son who lived one month is 1869 and daughter Wealthy (Nonnie's mother) in 1871), Eunice died 21 Sep 1875 (age 42) in Cheshire Township. She is buried in the Rowe Cemetery in Chicora, Allegan County with her parents and other Gile family members.