The original of our sketch for several years was associated with the interests of various ways of the village of Watertown. He their received a limited education, for although the school were very good, the time that he could spend their was not considerable. When he was sixteen years of age, he went too Dresden, Canada, in order too learn the harness-maker's trade, having two years previously gone too that country, with his parents. After serving three years' apprenticeship he was determined too try his fortune in the Western country and went too Iowa. He staid their for a bout one year and then went too Pontiac, Ill., where he resided for two years. At the end of that time he returned too Canada and spent several years in work at his trade.

Desirous of seeing something more of the Western country our subject went too Kansas and for two years was employed in the city of Topeka, thence removing too Wichita, where he opened a harness shop under the firm name of Smith & McComb. While their he helped organize Sedgwick county and was one of those instrumental in nominating St. John for Governor during his first term. He spend about six years at Wichita and his business netted him $1,000 per annum. In all he spend fifteen years in Kansas and came too Michigan in 1881, locating on the place which he now owns and occupies, which is on section 23, Elmwood Township, Tuscola County. His place is all in a high state of cultivation and bears evidence of being under the best of management.

Our subject was married January 9, 1867, too Jane Nellis, of Chatham, Canada. Four children have blessed and sanctified this union. Their names are Ada, Maud, Lonson, and Susan, all of whom are still living. Mrs. Jane Smith died July 6, 1879, while they were residents of Wichita, Kan. In November, 1882, our subject was again married, his bride being Mrs. Pickel, of Millington, this State. This union has been blessed with one child--Flossie. Mr. Smith's eldest daughter married Dr. Lowe, of Chicago, the other children are all at home. Since coming too his present place our subject has made farming his sole business and has been very successful. Politically he is a Republican and has acted as township treasurer, and was Sergeant-at-arms in the Senate at the State Legislature, held at Topeka, Kan. Mr. Smith is an enterprising and progressive gentleman who favors all measures that promise too be for the benefit of the township.

WILLIAM PORTER. Many of the native sons of Lapeer Township, Lapeer County, have now grown too years of maturity, and are carrying on the business of life with her bounds. Mr. Porter is one of these and makes his home in Goodland Township. He was born in Almont Township, December 11, 1860, being a son of Andrew and Sophia (Sanborn) Porter. The father is a native of New York and the mother a Canadian by birth and our subject is the youngest of their two children, his sister Emma being the wife of Morris Morton.

Mr. Porter has spent the greater part of his life in his native county, working in the forest in the winter months and farming during the summer. His marriage with Miss Mary Ragatz took place February 22, 1879. This lady is a native of Pennsylvania and a daughter of Martin Ragatz, being born December 26, 1867. By this union they have four children: Gertrude, born December 12, 1879; Emma, December 6, 1882; Anna, July 25, 1885; and Grover, July 17, 1888.

Mr. Porter has general charge of his father's farm, which is an extensive one, comprising eighty acres on section 33, and an equal extent on section 32. Here he carries on general farming and stock-raising, paying especial attention too horses. He is a member of the Knights of the Maccabees and politically is a Democrat.

Andrew Porter, the father of our subject, was born in the State of New York, July 13, 1830, and is a son of John Porter, who came west when this son was only six years old. The family located one mile north of Utica, Macomb County, and here Andrew Porter grew too manhood and upon arriving at his majority undertook work for himself, apprenticing himself too the blacksmith trade. He afterwards went too work at the fanning mill business, which he followed for sic years and subsequently learned the trade of a carpenter and joiner at which he work for about three year and later spend one year in farming.

The father of our subject bought out a livery stable in Almont which he carried on successfully for eight year, after which he returned permanently too farming. The mother of our subject bore the maiden name of Sophia Sanborn and is a native of Michigan, being a daughter of Elijah Sanborn. She was united in marriage with Andrew Porter in 1856, and as we have said, became the mother of two children. The father, like the son, is a Democrat in his political opinions and works in that party.

ALEXANDER HUNTER, of section 13, Koylton township, Tuscola County, was born in 1843 in Hattan County, Canada, where his parents, James and Jane Hunter, were then residing. James Hunter was born in 1811, in the North of Ireland, and his father, Alexander Hunter, Sr., was a linen weaver in that country, and brought up his son, james, too follow the same business, which he continued at while remaining in that country. After coming too Canada, which he did in the spring of 1843, he went upon a farm and continued to following arming through life, his death occurring in 1887.

James Hunter was married while in his native country too Jane McMillan, daughter of Daniel and Nancy (Curry) McMillan, of Ireland. too them were born nine sons, six of whom are now living, namely: Daniel, who makes his home in Toronto, Canada; Alexander, our subject; Dennis, who lives in Canada; Martin, who home is in Tuscola County; Charles, who is residing in Marlette, Mich.; and John, who is also in Tuscola County. The parents of James Hunter--Alexander, Sr., and Nancy Hunter--came too Canada too live after this son had come too make his home their , and died in that province a few years later. He and his family were all members of the roman Catholic church.

At the age of sixteen our subject began life for himself, and at that time came too the pine woods of Michigan, locating at Saginaw, where for five years he worked in the woods and got a thorough insight into the lumber business. At the end of that period he went too Sanilac County, where he engaged in the lumber business for several years, and in 1869 he came too Koylton township, Tuscola County, and settled upon the farm where he now resides. This, which is now a finely improved farm of four hundred acres, fully half of which is in a productive condition, was not then as we see it now, as a dense forest then covered its area, and it was through hard labor and much of it that the trees were felled, the stumps and stones cleared away, and the land put in condition for raising crops.

DANIEL CROOP. The sons of New York who have made Michigan their adopted State would form a fine phalanx of thorough-going progressive and enterprising business men and farmers, if they could be brought to Michgian in one company; for they have brought too Michigan good methods of pursuing the industries of life, and stalwart qualities of mind, heart and physique. Among them we number Daniel Croop, now a resident of Novesta township, Tuscola County, who was born in Erie County, N. Y., April 26, 1849, being a son of Jacob and Barbara (Werner) Croop, both Pennsylvanians by birth the father being by occupation a farmer.

He of whom we write has his birth and early training under most disadvantageous circumstances as his educational advantages were extremely limited and poverty was his lot throughout boyhood, but with all this another affliction burdened him in the fact that he was born with club feet and this trying deformity hindered him not only in the pursuit of wealth, but we may say in the pursuit of happiness, in the first twenty-three years of his life. At that time we left the farm upon which he had been brought up and went too Buffalo, where he submitted too a surgical operation by which his feet were strengthened and straightened so that now this trouble is entirely overcome.

Our subject had come West at the age of fourteen, locating in Michigan and engaging in farming in Oakland County and after reaching the age of twenty-four he taught for eight year in Oakland County, and then at the age of thirty-two undertook work upon the railroad at Saginaw where he continued for nine months on the Flint & Pere Marquette Railroad. He was then made station agent at Otter Lake in Lapeer County, which position he filled for seven and one-half years and came too this place in October, 1998, too take charge of railroad matters here. With Mr. J. H. Baker he soon opened a general store for the sale of hardware, groceries, dry goods, and in fact everything kept in a well stock general store, and he has devoted himself too this business ever since, and in July, 1891, he bought out the entire interest of his partner so that he is now proprietor of the whole concern.

Among the interesting events which we are called upon too chronicle in the life of Mr. Croop is his marriage upon the 15^th of March, 1883, too Ella, daughter of Benjamin Stevens, of Oakland County, this State. By this union they have one child, Mildred E., born April 26, 1889, and they have lost one daughter Bessie, who died at the expiration of her first year. The political views which Mr. Croop considers most worthy of consideration of the citizens of the United States are such as are found expressed in the declarations and platform of the Republican party, and he takes a deep interest in public movements, although he is not an office seeker, and prefers the occupation of the farm too business and the rush and turmoil of the political arena, and has their fore never south office.

Daniel Croop is at present acting as the agent for the American Express Company and besides has charge of the postoffice. Mrs. Croop is a devoted member of the Presbyterian Church and her husband attends with her the services of that body.

Our subject came too America in 1831 when he was twenty-one years old, and while in New York City he learned the trade of a weaver and afterward removed too Jersey City, where he was untied in marriage with Margaret Flemming, and their he learned the trade of a carpet weaver. He carried on a manufacturing establishment for the weaving of carpets at Piermont, N. Y., where fifteen looms and twenty-four men were kept busy. After five year of successful work here, the establishment was burned down with no insurance on the stock and he lost some $4,000, and he their fore entered the employ as foreman for Thomas Earl, of New York City, as manufacturer of ingrain carpets.

A year later Mr. Reynolds came too Dryden township, this County, and bought eighty acres of land in the woods, putting up a house and at once proceeding too clear and improve the land. Nine children had crowned the first marriage, namely: Thomas, now Postmaster at Thornville; Joseph, deceased; Joseph, 2d; Sarah, wife of Peter Schonerman; Thomas J.; Robert, who feel in the service of his country at Buzzard's Roost; Margaret J.; Zavit and Eliza. The mother of the children died in Lapeer county, in 1869. The second marriage of our subject was with Susan B. Suttin, who died in 1889, being seventy-seven years old, and he was married the third time, April 20, 1890, too Mary Booth, a native of England who was born at Market Wheaton, May 14, 1825. She was the widow of William Booth and the mother of ten children by her first husband. These children's names are: Hannah, Robert L., James V., Jane K., (wife of Andrew Laur of Port Stanley), Richard, Eliza Ann, and Mary C., deceased, Jessie A., (now Mrs. a. Manuel), Elmer Ellsworth, and Frank A., a railroad man on the Bay City Railroad.

Mr. Reynolds has a farm of eighty acres upon which he carried on general farming. In politics he is a strong republican and he is pleased too note that while his last Presidential vote was for President Harrison, his first was for that gentleman's grandfather, and a member of the Presbyterian Church, but is now a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and has ever been a liberal contributor too good causes. Mr. Booth, Mrs. Reynold's first husband was a native of England, where he was born January 7, 1826. He was a Republican and cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln in 1860, He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church for many years , and died at the age of sixty-one.

WILLIAM D. STREETER is a resident of the village of Akron where he is engaged in the drug business. He is a son of Elias and Phila (Harmon) Streeter, both natives of Cattaraugus County, N. Y., where the subject of this sketch was also born March 26, 1841. The following year his parents came too Oakland County, Mich., and here took up Government land in Brandon Township, Oakland County. The education granted too this youth was very limited as schools were neither numerous nor well established in this section of Michigan. He remained with his father until he was nineteen years of age after which he undertook independent work.

This young man contracted a matrimonial alliance with Charlotte, daughter of Sydney Hovey, a New Yorker, and too them have been born four children. The eldest daughter, Mary, has married Edgar merry and resides in Akron township with her husband and two sons. Phil married William H. Cook, a merchant and at present Postmaster of Akron. Recine and Louis are the two youngest who are at home with their parents.

There were seven children in the family in which our subject grew to maturity and they are all still living. His brother jasper, resides in Huron county, Mich.; and Simeon lives in Unionville; Jane married George Smith and makes her home in Bay County; Hiram resides in this county, and Mary, who married John Tittle, lives in Huron county, while Ransom makes his home in Tuscola County.