chester. He attended the district school at Chili for six months each ye
ar from age six to thirteen, and worked at farming in the remaining six mo
nths. He was strong and healthy and large for his age. He weighed 150 po
unds when thirteen years old.

George was apprenticed to learn the wagon maker's trade when thirteen yea
rs old. For three summers he worked at the wagons makers, and attended t
he Genesee Wesleyan Seminary in the winter. He moved with his paren
ts to South Dansville in Steuben County, New York in 1833. He taught at t
he South Dansville District School in the winter while only sixteen yea
rs old. He bought a new building and opened a wagon maker's shop whe
re he did business for about two years. He then sold the shop and mov
ed to Angelica, Allegany County, where he entered into partnership with Th
omas Babcock in wagon making. During 1837 Thomas married George's siste
r, Hannah. George met Sarah, a farmer's daughter of Oak Hill and they we
re married in 1837 also.

George and Sarah moved to Orion in Oakland County, Michigan where his unc
le Needham was building a flouring mill. George's sister and brother-in-l
aw came to Michigan at the same time and they continued as partners in wag
on making. Wagons were not in demand and the partnership was desolved. G
eorge became a carpenter and joiner and built houses and barns. He bui
lt a small house for his family in Orion and his first child was born ther
e. After following the carpentry trade for a few years he moved to Hadle
y, Lapeer County, where he received a license to preach. He is list
ed in the 1840 census at Hadley with two children. George was pastor of t
he Hadley church in 1842 and 1844. He followed the Michigan conference f
or eight years as a traveling preacher. He left the conference due to tro
uble with his throat. He then practiced dentistry and photography with li
ttle success. Finally he returned to Hadley where he purchased a house a
nd five acres of land and worked at carpentry. After a few years, ju
st as his mortgage was paid off, his wife, Sarah , died on June 18, 185
2. She was buried in the Hadley churchyard. They had nine children. So
me of his children were taken by his brothers.

He married Harriet and they moved to Newport ‎(now Marine City)‎ where he ta
ught school in the winter of 1853-1854. They returned to Hadley in 1854 a
nd in 1855 they moved to Tittabawassee Township in Saginaw County where th
ey farmed. Shortly they moved to Midland and resumed house building.

George read a friend's law books for a year and was admitted to the practi
ce of law. He served as prosecuting attorney for a few years. In the fa
ll of 1860 he was elected to the state legislature from Midland distric
t. In 1861 he practiced law in Buchanan. In 1865 he moved back to Midla
nd and was in partnership with Henry Hart. In 1870 he was elected prosecu
ting attorney. He contracted to build the Union School House in Midlan
d, but he lost money due to rising prices. He had a number of law partne
rs in Minland until he moved to Saginaw in 1882 where they lived with h
is daughter, Ella and her family.

George and Harriet had four children. They returned to Midland in 188
6. George voted with the Republican party and later joined the Prohibiti
on Party. In 1892 he had his autobiography published and at least two cop
ies have survived.

George died in 1894 and was buried in Midland Cemetery in Midland, Michiga
n. His second wife, Harriet, died in 1898 and was buried with George in M
idland.