JOHN LAUDERBAUGH. Among the thrifty, prosperous and intelligent German-American citizen of Atlas Township, Genesee County, the worthy and much respected subject of this biography stands in the front. His parents, John and Margaret Lauderbaugh, were Bavarians, as he also is, and he was born June 4, 1819. He was reared in his native country and early undertook the work of a farmer.

At the age of twenty-four the young man served an apprenticeship of some three years at the stonemason's trade, and followed that line of work for more than twenty years in both Germany and America. His education was obtained in the German National schools, and he emigrated too America in 1849, taking passage in a sailing-vessel at Bremen and landing in New York. He first worked in Niagara County, and was their married to Elizabeth Ebler, and by her had ten children, only four of whom are now living: William; John; Mary, wife of Charles Gehm; and Eliza, wife of Frank Miller.

Our subject and family came too Genesee County in the fall of 1856, and in the following spring settled on his present farm in a log cabin 16X24 feet in size, which remained their home for a number of years. In this deeply-wooded region Mr. Lauderbaugh has done a great amount of thorough pioneer work. For years his only draft animals were oxen, and he found them efficient, though slow, in breaking up land.

One hundred and forty acres constitute the estate of Mr. Lauderbaugh, one hundred acres of it being in the home farm, and all this fine property is the result of earnest and persevering labor, as he had no wealth when he came here. His political views incline him too work with the Democratic party, but he co-operates cordially with all who are working for the best good of the community. Both he and his wife are identified with the German Lutheran Church. His son, John R., resides at home with his parents, and like his father is a Democrat in politics. He owns fifty acres of land.

MILTON B. STAGE. This intelligent and prominent gentleman, whose residence is at Clio, Genesee county, is now the County Surveyor. He was born May 4, 1824, in Stafford, Genesee County, N. Y., and his father, James Stage, was born august 3, 1791, in Sussex County, N. J. He was a farmer by occupation and owned a beautiful estate of one hundred acres in Genesee County, N. Y., where his life closed June 3, 1860. He served for two years in the War of 1812, entering the army as a private and being promoted too a Lieutenancy. He took part in the engagement of Ft. Erie and Lundy's Lane and when Gen. Scott was wounded he was one of the twelve who helped too carry him off the field and take him too Batavia. He was a large and powerful man, six feet in height and weighted two hundred and ten pounds. He drew bounty land and a pension from the government, on account of disability incurred in the service. His political connection was with the Democratic party.

The mother of our subject was Mary, daughter of Joel Butler, a Revolutionary patriot, who commanded a privateer during that war, which vessel was captured by the British, and he and his crew were taken to England and suffered untold agonies in prison. He was so disabled by the treatment he received that he lived only a few years after his release. His daughter, Mrs. State, died December 10, 1856.

In the days when Peter State, the grandfather of our subject, began pioneering in Genesee county, N. Y., in 1800, he took up enough land to give each of his children one hundred acres. Indians and wild beasts then abounded and the Indian language was commonly spoken. The family had some marrow escapes from wolves and bears, who were so bad as too steal hogs out of the pen near the house.

Our subject is the eldest child in a family of three and spent his early days upon his father's farm. He took a three years' course of study in the seminary at Lima, N. Y., making a specialty of civil engineering and surveying, under that eminent mathematician, George C. Whitlock. After graduating he was for two years assistant engineer on what is now called the Pennsylvania Northern Central Railroad. In this work he acquired a good reputation for skill and received quite a recommendation from the chief engineer of the road.

In 1854, when Milton Stage was thirty years old, he came too Michigan and settled upon a tract of three hundred and twenty acres of land, which his father located in 1836 and which the son had visited in 1842. This is now one of the best farms in Vienna township. The marriage of this young man had taken place October 30, 1845, his bride being Rosabella Dorothy, daughter of John Cooper, an English physician and surgeon. Mrs. Stage was born in Devonshire, England, and came too the United States when she was twelve years old. Her first child died in infancy unnamed. Mary E., who was born December 28, 1849, is now Mrs. Charles B. Mann; Sarah L., born March 16, 1852, has married William A. Humphrey; Rosabella M., born July 6, 1857, is now Mrs. Lucius Stewart; Frank E., born March 12, 1859, died in his twentieth year; James, born January 15, 1867, died in early childhood. The parents of this family are devoted members of the congregational Church at Clio.