Week 37 - In the News - Sheridan

My grandparents John and Pauline (Prince) Sheridan took over the family business from grandpa's parents, Michael and Elizabeth (Holland) Sheridan. Michael had taken it over from his parents Patrick and Margaret (Hughes) Sheridan. It was named the M E Sheridan Poultry Hall, and they processed chickens, turkeys, etc. and also shipped eggs and meat to Detroit to market. All the poultry were raised on the family farm that was located south of the town of Perrinton, Michigan. It was a small community with a population of approximately 300 people. 

ME Sheridan Poultry Hall - John O Sheridan on right at upper level
Michael Sheridan standing in front with moustache

It was a thriving business for the area and the times. I grew up with the story that when my mom was a baby the business burned down, and all was lost as they did not have insurance on the building or contents. From then on, it seemed like they moved around a lot into different houses never straying from town. Grandpa worked often for the government planting trees (CCC during the war?) and Grandma somehow seemed to keep body and soul together.

Mom told stories about her brother Rexie going hunting for deer, squirrel and other small game for dinner and of walking the railroad tracks behind Borden's to pick up pieces of coal for heat in the winter. By standards, they were poor, but they didn't seem to know it. They went to school, played with friends, and generally lived day to day just like anyone else during the days of the depression and going forward into the beginnings of WWII.

Mom and her sisters, Agnes and Alice were having a discussion about when the hall burned down one time and Aunt Aggie swore that "Rain was just a baby" when it happened. I never followed up on the timing over the years until one day I was at the Library of Michigan reading newspapers on microfilm looking for obituaries.

A lightbulb went off and I thought...maybe it made the news(paper)...after all it affected more than just their family.

I found it on the front page of the Gratiot County Herald newspaper on December 20, 1925. My mom was born January 5, 1924, so she would have been just shy of 2 years old when the fire happened. 

--------------------

PERRINTON IS HIT BY LARGE FIRE FRIDAY

Three Business Places Are Wiped Out With Loss Estimated at $12,000

Fire completely wiped out three business places in Perrinton early last Friday morning with an estimated loss of $12,000. The fire started in the John Sheridan building and spread rapidly through the frame structures until it had also enveloped Clarence Helms' Recreation parlor and Fred Richards general store. After the Perrinton Chemical tank proved inadequate fire trucks were called from Maple Rapids, St. Johns and Alma but arrived too late to stop the flames.

Mr. Sheridan who lives on the second floor of his building, arose about five o'clock that morning, and, after building a fire, returned to bed. Soon afterwards flames were discovered in the interior of his building thought to have started from a defective chimney. Fire quickly consumed the double front two-story building with all of its contents including the household furniture and equipment for the produce business. Mr. Sheridan had $1000 insurance on the building and $150 on the contents which only partially covered the loss.

Mr. Helms carried no insurance, and his building was entirely raised (sic).

Mr. Richards carried $3100 insurance on his stock and building. He is moving his goods into the building formerly occupied by Bert Carson's Hardware where he will continue in business.

Many thanks is extended to the fire departments and townspeople for their great help in saving the surrounding buildings. The George Carr building was badly scorched but was kept from burning by the use of chemicals.

--------------------

The article answered those questions and generated a few more. Yes, mom was just a baby, and all was lost. But they did have insurance and in today's dollars it would have been equal to $26,600.00 today. Why they didn't rebuild or start another business I don't know. Maybe grandpa felt bad and helped the other businesses rebuild? They still had the farm south of town at that point although Great Uncle John Sheridan and his wife Audrey lived there.  

Questions I never thought to ask. Maybe one of you did? Let me know please.

Barbie




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 32 - Wide Open Spaces - Prince / Bliss

Image
Uriah Bliss was the son of Jacob and Bethiah (Brown) Bliss, Jr. He was number seven in birth order of 11 children and one of seven that lived to adulthood. He was born 4 May 1803 in Rehoboth, Massachusetts. When he was a young boy his parents and his siblings traveled from Massachusetts to Huron County, Ohio. The trip would have been by wagon and taken 4-6 weeks over rugged terrain only to arrive in an area full of dense forests that would have to be cleared, and a log home built. The Bliss family settled in the Firelands of Ohio. The Firelands make up over 500,000 acres of land in northernmost Ohio and was land given by the government to those who had been burned out by the British during the Revolutionary War. March 10, 1836, Uriah married Sarah Inscho in Greenfield, Huron County, Ohio. After the birth of their children: Pardon, Miles, Asa, Uriah, Jr, Caroline, Lucinda, Charles and Sarah the family pulled up roots and headed to Jefferson County, Kansas around 1854. They left behind t...
Read more

Week 42 - Fire - Conner/Graham

Image
Isaac Graham was around 19 years old when he immigrated from Canada into Marion township, Michigan to join his older brother John in 1862. The two brothers had purchased land using funds that their father had supplied. Land was becoming too expensive in Canada, so he had sent them to Michigan to settle. Isaac's twin brother Charles had come with them, but after a bad winter and getting sickly from working in the woods, he decided to go back to Canada. Isaac purchased 80 acres in what became the town of Deckerville in Sanilac County, located in the thumb of Michigan. He cleared some acres, planted an orchard and built a small wood frame home. In 1871 Isaac returned home to Taylor's Corner in Victoria county, Ontario, Canada and there he married Charlotte Harmon on July 17th.  During the year of 1871, there was a severe drought that ran from the Dakotas, across Minnesota and into Wisconsin and also included the state of Michigan. Following lightning strikes in the Dakotas, fires ...
Read more

Week 11 - Brick Wall - Porter family

Image
There are numerous brick walls in my family research, but the hardest one to find information for is Aaron Porter. Aaron (Arron) was my 3x great grandfather. Many would say, why do you want to know more? You are already into the late 1700's. But he was an explorer, a man who had a bit of wanderlust. I connect with that. Always wanting to see what is on the other side. Is it better? Or worse? Not contented until the answer is found. A typed missive from his daughter Minerva's husbands' side (Barrick) states the following information: Our efforts to trace the Porter line have been unsuccessful, through various sources, principally through Uncle Amos, we learned that Arron Porter was a native of Vermont, and his wife was a native of New York, Lovina Chapman, born near Lake George, they settled in Indiana, do not know the location where their children were born and where Mr. Porter died. We have names of five of their children – James (a bachelor) John Jay (I remember him and...
Read more