Biographies Michigan Biographies Project |
One of the successful and enterprising agriculturists of Onondaga township is Mr. S. H. Sanford, who is a native of this State, having been born in Jackson Co. on the 25th day of May, 1855. He is the son of T. M. and Helen (Snyder) Sanford. The father was born in Green county, N. Y., in 1813, and died in 1876 at the age of sixty-three, while the mother is also a native of the Empire State and was born in New York City in 1823 and died in 1900.
S. H. Sanford was one of a family of nine children, whose names are as follows: Mary, born 1850, now resides in Chicago; Frank, born in 1852, resides on the old homestead in Jackson county; Lyman D., born 1854, is a resident of Oil City, Pa.; the fourth is our subject, Nellie, the fifth, became the wife of Richard Peck and resides in New York; Truman M., died in Birmingham, Ala, aged thirty-two years; Edward B., is a resident of Oil City, Pa., while Harry T., the eighth, died in Jefferson barracks, Mo., whild in the regular army. The father of this family came to Michigan in 1849 and located in Jackson county and thus became one of the pioneers of that section of the State. At this place he made his home for a number of years and eventually moved to Parma, Mich., and lived there four years. Moving back to the farm, w here he lived a number of years before he died.
The early education of S. H. Sanford was acquired at the district schools, attending until the age of twelve and he then remained under the parental roof until about the age of twenty-four years of age, going to Dakota, where he obtained a position as fireman, where he remained for two years. Returning to Onondaga, he engaged in the hardware business for one year.
In 1882 occurred an important event in the life of Mr. Sanford, when he was united in marriage to Miss Nellie Baldwin, who was born in 1861and who died in 1889. To this marriage were born two children, namely: Nellie, now aged seventeen, a student at Ypislanti, and Fannie, fifteen years of age, at home attending school. Mr. Sanford wa again married, the second union being with Miss Mattie Gordon of Tompkins Center, Jackson county, which occurred in 1892, and to this marriage two children were also born, the eldest, Florence, now eleven years of age, and the younger, Mabel, nine years of age.
S. H. Sanford handles a farm of one hundred and sixty-five acres of well improved and valuable land and upon this he has devoted his energies to general farming and stock raising. He has taken an active part in politics, casting his vote for the Democracy; was nominated for Highway Commissioner, and was appointed chief janitor at the State capitol for two years. He is a Mason and has lived according to the teachings of this order, honored and respected by all who know him.
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Biographies Michigan Biographies Project |
 Sondra Higbee
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