Union City Fire Department - 1937

South Broadway Business District - 1937

Union Township School or Church Picture - Early 1900's

The picture was scanned while visiting the Hammond House in September 2013.  In searching census records for the children listed in the picture, it appears that a common point found is all appear to have been living around the Gower and Coldwater Road area in the 1900 census.  The Morey School was located on the northwest corner of Gower and Coldwater Roads in 1900.

The 1st Union City Boy Scout Troop, Feb 1918 - Re-posted with newspaper article

Photo provided by Duane Hooker....

Picture and information forwarded to me by Duane Hooker's daughter Denise ...Duane notes; "First Boy Scout Troop" - I believe the photo of the boys is the first Boy Scout Troop in Union City. A note on back of picture reads: "February 1918, picture copy by Douglas Hobday". Eli T. Hooker (Duane's father) is the third boy from the right in the photo. Duane comments that he suspects a lot of grandpa's will be recognized by their grandchildren in this picture.

Sandra Plettner originally posted the newspaper article on the "Union City, Michigan Memories" Facebook group.  The newspaper article notes the names of the boys appearing in the picture.

Comment: Looks like the Civil War Statue in the Soldiers Park beside the Congregational Church in Union City is behind the scouts. You can also see a little of the bandstand that once stood in the park on the very left in the picture. ....Ron

C. S. Bartlett - Furniture and Undertaking

The following biography was found while visiting the Hammond House in 2013.  The pictures were also scanned during the visit.

C. S. BARTLETT FUNERAL HOME - Charles S. Bartlett was born in a log cabin on January 26, 1875 in Shiloh, Ohio.  His family moved near Clinton, Michigan before settling in Hillsdale County.  He married Gertrude Older, a school teacher, on August 14, 1901 and they made their first home in Hillsdale.  While living there, they had three children, Charles born in 1902 and twins, Lee and Lynn, in 1907.  Mr. Bartlett had been working for C.E. Singer and Son in the furniture and undertaking business for several years.  The opportunity to be in business for himself prompted him to move to Union City in August of 1909.

The family first lived on Ellen Street across from the furniture store they owned.  At that time, funerals were either held at the deceased's home or in a church.  In 1928, the family moved to a two story house on the comer of Charlotte and Ellen Streets which was formerly owned by C..M. Hall.  During the depression of the 1930's, the furniture store was closed and the residence was remodeled into a funeral home with funerals held in the parlor.  The Bartlett's were active members of the Methodist Church and a few of the "old timers" remember that a knock on their door would give them the key to get into the church.  The home was surrounded by beautiful flower gardens and these were always available when flowers were needed for the Mother & Daughter Banquets or other church functions.

Gertrude died in 1960 at the age of 84.  Charles carried on the business until 1961.  When at the age of 86, he conducted his last burial, thus ending 52 years as a mortician in Union City.  He passed away at the age of 91 in 1966.  Charles and Gertrude are both buried in Riverside Cemetery.

The C. S. Bartlett Furniture & Undertaking on Ellen Street, the building 

later was the the Amstutz Hatchery behind the bank on Ellen Street.

C. S. Bartletts horse drawn hearse.

The Bartlett home across from the C. S. Bartlett Furniture & Undertaking business on Ellen Street.

Gertrude and Charles Bartlett in front 

of their home on Ellen Street.

C. S. Bartlett Funeral Home and residence at the southeast corner of Charlotte and Ann Streets.

C. S. Bartlett Funeral Home Hearse

Maynard Home - built in 1915 at the corner of Washington and Railroad Streets

The picture was submitted by Louis Cuyler with the following remarks:

Information under picture:  Ray, Lelia, May, Leslie, Kennard, Aunt Cora, & Uncle Lem,

Grandma Ormsby setting (Mary Maynard)

Written on the back:  Spring 1916, Uncle Lem's home in Union City on corner of Washington Street and Railroad Street.  After Aunt Lelia Northam died in 1938, Uncle Ray Northam married Mary Fredrick.  Grandma Ornsby was Grandpa Maynard's mother.  She was married to a man named James Maynard  first.  Grandpa Maynard had this house built in 1915.

She had 4 children by James Maynard:

3 - Elizibeth - Maynard - Ornsby - Rigby

2 - L. J. Maynard

1 - Carrie Dunbar - Howe

By Milton Ormsby 1 - Ida Ormsby - Monroe

Tom Thumb Wedding in 1921 - Repost with Bill Gough's Comments

The picture above title "Tom Thumb Wedding" in Union City, Michigan on Feb. 11th 1921 appears to have take place in the Congregational Church.  The original picture was loaned to me to scan back in 1998, by Barbara and Vernon Cline.  They lived in the apartment across from my parents in the Butler Apartments where the old school once stood.  Barbara is in the second row back the 3rd from the left.  My father is located in the second row from the rear, the boy on the right looking off to his left.

Additional comment from Bill Gough ....My mother's older sister, Margaret Corbin, is also in the picture taken at the church. She is 2nd to the left from the organ console in the 2nd row from the top, wearing a bandanna.

Comment from Bill Gough ....My mother Eleanor Corbin Gough is in the "Tom Thumb" wedding picture taken inside First Congregational…she was four years old. I am happy to report that she is still alive and turning 96 is October. I recognized that picture as soon as I saw it, and picked my mother out right away…in fact she is on the right side of the picture in the second row and her head (black hair with a bandana) brushes up against your dad who you say is looking to the left. As the story goes, all the kids are looking at one of the bridesmaids who just became sick and is actually vomiting in the picture!

The picture above was scanned while visiting the Hammond House in 2010.  The picture notes "Tom Thumb Wedding".  Appears to be in the opera house.

Opera House

Another picture sent to me by Bill Gough of the old opera house on Hammond Street from his mother's photo album.

Sherwood - Pictures and comments from Frank Gorsline - Posting #4

Some more pictures sent to me from Frank with his comments. Pictures from he Riley Farms.  The first picture is of Erny Rosenberry, foreman of the Riley Farms.  He was a super guy and always worked harder than any of us hired for the farm.  Erny graduated from UCHS in 1942.  He was a baseball player for UCHS, and a terrific fast pitch pitcher.  He was one of the best pitchers I ever had the privilege of catching.  (Erny is the guy standing beside the Farmall  tractor in the second picture).  I drove that thing for a lot of hours on the farm. The farm was on Arbogast Road in Union City.

 Erny Rosenberry.

 Erny Rosenberry standing beside the tractor.

Erny Rosenberry's daughter.

Baseball team picture from the 1942 UCHS Yearbook (Earnest Rosenberry mentioned).

Sherwood - Pictures and comments from Frank Gorsline - Posting #3

Some additional pictures sent to me from Frank Gorsline from Sherwood for the 1950's.

Frank shoveling snow at Williamson's Phillip 66 Station.

 Removing snow from in front of Williamson's Phillip 66 Station on Main Street in Sherwood.

Snow piled up along Main Street in Sherwood.  The empty lot on the left is where the Sherwood House once stood.

Wadsworth's Garage looking North on Main Street. They were a Marathon station. Next door on same side was Kaechle's General Store (they sold everything). The open area between the General Store and the next building, the Phillips 66 station owned by Pat and Helen Williamson, was where the Sherwood House was located.

Men playing cards in the Pool Hall at Williamson's Phillip 66.

I didn't know everyone who came in to play cards at the pool hall, the only one I remember in the picture was Clancy Hicks...the man seated on the right with cap on his head.  I played a lot of pool, but never was allowed to play cards.

Sherwood - Pictures and comments from Frank Gorsline - Posting #1

Over the past couple of weeks have been corresponding with Frank Gorsline who lived in Sherwood and graduated in the class of 1955 in Union City.  In his emails he noted that he and his wife Lyonie both graduated from the Seattle Pacific University, and have moved many times and lost many of the photos from his past from Sherwood.  He noted that he is in the process of putting together his thoughts on what he remembers from living in Sherwood for his family.  My brother Marty and I have sent a few pictures that we have collected, and in return he has forwarded several pictures that he has copies of.  He noted he has moved many times the same goes for me ...I have moved 28 times since leaving Union City in 1960 ...so I can relate to loosing things during my many moves.  With Frank's permission, I am going to post several pictures along with his comments and thoughts from what he remembers regarding the pictures.  This being the first of a few postings I will be doing over the next week or two on Sherwood.

Frank lives in Vancouver, Washington, but has a winter retreat in Lakeland, Florida, where he spends three to four months each year (referred to as a Snowbird by those living in Florida all year).  Most of his family lives in Vancouver and Seattle, Washington, where he spends time visiting his three children and 8 grandchildren.

The picture is of the Sherwood House, or as some refer to it as the Merrill Hotel. Frank noted that as a kid he remembers exploring inside the building.

The 1915 map cutout of the north side of Sherwood notes the location of the hotel at the corner of Fulton and Main Streets.

Another picture of the Sherwood House. See note below regarding the automobile in the picture.

I'm sending this photo from an article published in the Union City Register Tribune, published May 8, 1975. The article was one from a series on the history of Sherwood, written by Jerry Mack who taught school in Athens, Michigan.  I talked to  his wife Gayle, she indicated that several photos in the 10 article series published, came from Velma (Klose) French, a long time resident of Sherwood. It is her father who is at the wheel of the car.

To quote the article: "The first automobile in the Village of Sherwood was this 1908 Buick owned by Hal Klose, who is shown behind the wheel with his family in the rear seat."  I have compare this photo to the car in the Sherwood Hotel postcard.  It sure looks like the same car, and looks like the only photo of the hotel with a car at the side.  It is a news copy so I'm not sure how well it will print.  

Gayle Mack said she is fine with posting this photo if you think it is appropriate to make a qualified guess about it being the same car ...I agree with Frank, appears to be the same car. 

Frank also sent a newspaper clipping from the Battle Creek Enquirer and News about a large willow tree that once stood at the corner near the hotel.  The date of the photo is not known, but judging by the autos in the picture, would guess sometime in the early to mid 50's.

In this postcard picture Frank remembers the Michigan Central Railroad that run through Sherwood.  The depot on the left, pickle factory and grain elevator on the right.

Not sure what year ended passenger service in Sherwood and Union City, but the postcard looks to be from the early 1900's.  I know train still provided freight service in Union City before I left Union City in 1960, but not sure what year the trains stopped running through Union City and Sherwood, or when the railroad tracks were removed.

The 1915 map cutout of the north side of Sherwood notes the location of the of the Pickle Factory, Grain Elevator, Stock Yards, and Train Depot.

Early 1900 picture of downtown Sherwood looking north.

Early 1900 picture of downtown Sherwood looking south.  The Methodist Church Steeple in the background.

The 1915 map cutout of the downtown area in Sherwood.

Sherwood - 1915 Village Map - Posting #2