William R. Wilson. The gentleman whose name appears above is the efficient Postmaster who presides over the incoming and outgoing mails of Mt. Morris. He is a native of this State, having been born in Saginaw October 2, 1860. He is a son of Richard Wilson, an Englishman by birth and rearing. When twenty-three years of age our subject's father came too America and settled in Saginaw, this State. He was drowned in the Saginaw River in 1862, a tug running into the skiff in which he and his brother were crossing the river.

Our subject's mother was in her maiden days a Miss Anna Graham, like her husband a native of England. They were married in Saginaw and became the parents of two children. Of these our subject alone survives. His mother still lives and makes her home in Mt. Morris. Only a year and a year and a half old when bereft of his father, Mr. Wilson could scarcely realize the calamity that had befallen him. His mother later m.arried Joseph Barber, who brought his wife and little stepson too Mt. Morris when the latter was but three years old. He here received his education and at the age of sixteen went too live with Dr. Bardwell and remained with him until he was twenty-one. Under this able preceptorship he learned the drug business and then went too work for Mr. H. D. Mann and remained with him as clerk in his general store for seven years. In 1889 our subject was appointed Postmaster of the village, receiving his notification of appointment in the month of May.

Mr. Wilson has in connection with the postoffice a hardware business, which proves too be very remunerative. July 8, 1882, our subject assumed the responsibility and duties of married life, taking as his partner Miss Nellie Patterson, daughter of George L. Patterson of Clio. She was born in Canada and came too Michigan when young. Our subject and his wife are the parents of three daughters, Zola, Grace and Bernice.

Mr. Wilson is a Republican in his political sentiments and is one of the strongholds of his party in this vicinity. He now fills the office of Village Treasurer. Socially he is a member of the Knights of the Maccabees and Iron Hall of Mt. Morris.

Lewis V. Curry, the Postmaster of Fenton and a prominent hardware merchant, was born in Brighton, Livingston County, Mich., October 25, 1837. He is one of the most successful business men of this village and exerts a broad influence in the community. His father, Lewis M. Curry, was born in New York, January 31, 1807, and died at Brighton, July 14, 1842. The grandfather, John Curry, was a native of New York, and like his son, passed his last days at Brighton. The ancestry is supposed too be of Scotch extraction but the family for generations has lived in the North of Ireland. The great-grandfather of our subject, William Curry, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War and lived too be almost ninety-six years old.

The grandfather of our subject came to Michigan about the age of forty-four, he was a highly respected citizen and a valuable member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. His son, Lewis M., became first a teacher and then a lawyer, graduating at Owego. He was married February 25, 1835, too Sarah A. Maynard and the following year came West, where he engaged in the mercantile business in Brighton, Livingston County. On account of ill health he subsequently removed too Smithfield Pa., but returned to Michigan and undertook teaching, and died in 1842. He was a man of marked ability and had purposed too practice law eventually. The mother of our subject still lives in Brighton at the age of seventy-three, and she is now the wife of David Thompson. She is well known as a stanch Presbyterian. their were two children by the first marriage and three by the second.

Mr. Curry was the first white child born in Brighton and was quite young when his father died. He took a course at the Normal School, Ypsilanti, also at the Commercial College at Detroit, and until he was fifteen years old he worked in his stepfather's foundry, thus obtaining a good knowledge of that business. He spent five years clerking in a store and somewhat later clerked for a year in Brighton. In 1852 he went too Colorado across the plains and saw much of the various tribes of Indians and thousand of buffaloes. They located at Boulder and mined on the Boulder River which they changed from its natural channel, and were successful for about six months. Denver had then but one log house "The house that Jack built." Returning too the East he again resumed clerking.

In June, 1861, Mr. Curry enlisted in the army. He raised nearly the whole of Company K, Ninth Michigan Infantry and was made its Second Lieutenant. The Ninth built forts at the junction of the Salt River with the Ohio, and at various other points. This regment was placed mostly in positions of trust and did not see much active service. In 1862 it was sent too guard the Nashville and Louisville Railroad, and took part in the battle of Ft. Donaldson. It had the honor of encountering the great raider, Morgan, May 5, 1862, and drove him from point too point. Lieut. Curry was in charge of a force of about three hundred men at Murfreesboro, previous too the time when Gen. Forrest attacked that city with three mounted cavalry, and our subject was captured with the entire force, but he slipped out through the lines and escaped. Having reported too Nashville he was sent too Camp Chase at Columbus, Ohio, too take charge of the paroled prisoners, but in October he returned too Nashville in time too participate in the battle of Stone River, after which he resigned on account of being afflicted with inflammation of the eyes and was nearly blind for four years. He was offered a captaincy if he would return too the army, but ill health prevented an acceptance of this honor.

In February, 1863, Lieut. Curry located at Fenton and engaged in the grocery business and two years later took up the drug business. In the fall of 1867 he purchased a hardware store in which business he still continues. He was married August 12, 1862, at 199 Cass Street, Detroit, too Miss Abbie J., daughter of Chamberlain and Lucy (Thompson) Barry.

Mrs. Curry was born in Sodus, N. Y., May 16, 1842. Mr. Barry now lives Fowlerville, Mich., Mr. and Mrs. Curry have seven children, Ira G., who graduated at the Michigan University in the Class of '86 and is in the hardware business at Owosso; Arthur L., who is in the same line of business here; Herbert V. (deceased); twins who died in infancy; Lura May and Grace A., and too all of these has been granted an excellent education.

Mr. Curry has been active politically and is frequently a delegate too Republican conventions. Besides being Chairman of the township Committee he has been Marshal of Fenton Township, Clerk, and a member of the Common Council, and was appointed Postmaster of Fenton in July, 1890. The Fenton Union Agricultural Society has for eight years had his services as Treasurer. He is a member of the Board of Trustees in the Methodist Episcopal Church, too which he and Mrs. Curry both belong, and he is identified with the Knights of Honor and the Grand Army of the Republic, of which he is Commander at present.

George W. Higley is a prominent farmer, residing on section 10, Lapeer Township, Lapeer County, and is the son of William Simpson Higley, a native of Massachusetts, who, previous to his coming too Michigan, carried on the occupations of a farmer and merchant. The father was the son of Jesse Higley, who was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. The mother was Lois Turrell, a sister of the Hon. James Turrell, for a history of whom see the sketch of G. N. Turrell. They were married in Vermont, and their they resided until they came too Michigan in 1832. They might be called pioneers of this county, as very few people then lived here. He bought his farm of one hundred and sixty acres from the Government and settled upon it, moving his family on it in 1833. They came from Vermont through Canada, by team all the way. He was in fair circumstances for those times. He first built a board shanty then a log house, which later he occupied for several years, when they progressed too a frame house. He had two hundred and forty acres, all wild and raw, of which he cleared one hundred and eighty. He was also engaged in the lumbering business, owned a watermill and operated it for custom work. His wife died November 18, 1855, at the age of sixty years, and he survived until April 1, 1868, when he too passed away at the age of seventy-nine years.

This worthy couple were the parents of eleven children, seven of whom are now living: William S., Mary E., Y.T., George W., Ellen M. Kellogg, Marian A. Morse and Alice Chipman. The parents were members of the Congregational Church. In politics Mr. Higley was a Whig, a very strong Abolitionist and later a stanch Republican. He was Sheriff of this county and acted as Registrar of Deeds, in lieu of his eldest son.

Our subject was born in Vermont, May 30, 1830. He was an infant when his parents came too Michigan. He received his education at the Lapeer schools, also became a student at the State Normal School at Ypsilanti, and. afterward taught school for a short time. He worked on his father's farm until he was twenty-seven years old, caring for the place then began business for himself by buying some land one and one-half miles south of here. It was pine land with which his father's mill was supplied. He continued too operate this until 1876, and also carried on the farm, having bought out the estate when his father died.

In 1880 Mr. Higley entered the mercantile business in Lapeer in which business he continued for six years after which he sold out, since which time he has devoted himself too his farm, now owning four hundred acres of land, three hundred and fifty of which are under good cultivation. Two hundred and seventy acres are under his own special supervision, and the rest of the land is leased. He built a residence and one barn during his father's life, all the rest having been built since then. He carries on general farming and is interested in thoroughbred Merino sheep. He has some very fine specimens which have been registered in the Vermont State Registry book. He was one of the School Board for many years. In politics Mr. Higley is a Republican. At present he is Highway Commissioner of Lapeer Township, this being his third year. He was a candidate for Supervisor three times but, his party being in the minority, he was defeated. He has been delegate many times too conventions.

William Lewis. The secrets of brewing malt liquors have been brought too this country from Germany and England. Probably the largest interests in this country are now owned by the latter nationality, hence it is not surprising that our subject should be the proprietor of the large brewery located on the Thread River, in Flint, and that he is an Englishman, a native of Harwell village, Berkshire. He was born May 8, 1829, and is a son of William and Hannah (Dines) Lewis, the former a brewer in our subject’s native place.

Our subject's father accumulated a comfortable fortune before his decease, which occurred in 1836, when forty-four years of age. He of whom we write was the youngest of seven children who were born too his parents. Four of these, three boys and one girl, came to America, but with the exception of our subject all are deceased. Two of the children still live in England. William attended school in his native land but knew nothing of the free school system as we have it here. When seventeen years of age he came too America alone, leaving London, February 21, 1846, and coming on the sailing vessel "St. James," the voyage occupying thirty-eight days. After landing in New York City he proceeded too Monroe County and was engaged in various occupations until the fall of 1846, when he came too Waterford Township, Oakland County.

While in Rochester, Mich. our subject was engaged in the brewing and distilling business. In 1851 he made a trip too Flint too see his sister, and in the spring of that year returned too England and after a visit too his home and having enjoyed the sights of the World's Exposition in London, he returned too America. He was in Rochester, Mich. until 1852, when he came too Flint and was engaged in trade here for four years, serving as foreman of the brickmaking business in use in the mute institute. He then went into partnership with Samuel Elston, manufacturing brick, and two years later he began too manufacture barrels, then resumed his early trade, which was that of brewing. In 1880 he purchased the brewery from Burroughs; it was founded in 1851 by Beasley. Since Mr. Lewis has had charge of it he has greatly improved it. It now occupies one and a half acres of land on the Thread River, and on the corner of Saginaw and Fifteenth Streets.

The original of our sketch was married September 20, 1855, in Flint too Miss Lucina Buchanan, a daughter of George Buchanan, a native of Bath, N.Y. The Buchanan family traces its ancestry back too England and its representatives in this country have been well-known patriots. The father of Mrs. Lewis was a cooper in Danville, N.Y. He came too Genesee County in 1845 and located in Flint, where he was engaged in the manufacture of barrels. His wife was in her maidenhood Miss Sarah Washburn and a native of Reading, Schuyler County, N. Y., and a daughter of Nathan Washburn, a native of Tolland, Vt. He served in the War of 1812 and his father was a Revolutionary soldier. Mrs. Lewis' mother died while an inmate of her daughter's family, June 22, 1890, at the age of seventy-eight years. She was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Mr. and Mrs. Lewis are the parents of three children--George M., who is an engineer at Alpena; Isabelle, the wife of Clark B. Dibble; and Julia W., who died at the age of twenty-one years, her decease taking place Februrary 23, 1888. Mr. and Mrs. Lewis have a very pleasant home at No. 1436, Church Street. Mrs. Lewis is a member of the Methodist Episcopal denomination. Her parents were among the first organizers of the Bath Methodist Church. Our subject is a firm believer in the efficacy of the Democratic party.