Person Page

     Isaac Perkins was baptized on 26 January 1611/12 in Hillmorton, Warwickshire, England.¹

     Hanna Perkins was baptized on 9 October 1614 in Hillmorton, Warwickshire, England.¹

     Lydia Perkins was baptized on 1 January 1617/18 in Hillmorton, Warwickshire, England.¹

     Mary Perkins was baptized on 16 September 1621 in Hillmorton, Warwickshire, England.¹

     Henry Perkyns was born about 1500 in Hillmorton, Warwickshire, England.¹
     The link between Henry Perkyns and his son Thomas may be somewhat questionable. Although Henry Perkyns' will cannot now be found, an abstract made in or before 1894 says that "Thomas Perkyns, the son, is mentioned." A more recent abstract does not mention Thomas, however.¹
     Henry Perkyns was named in his father Thomas Perkyns' will, dated 3 April 1528 and proved on 21 Apr 1528. His mother Alice was left all of her husband's lands and tenements in Fylds, Hillmorton, and Lylborne for as long as she remained a widow. If she were to remarry, they were to go to Henry.² He was executor of his mother's will, dated 31 July 1538 and proved on 15 Oct 1538, and was left a legacy.²
     His own will, which is missing, was proved on 16 June 1546. The executors were Simon Clare, Thomas Cumpton, and Richard Bayle.¹

     A William Perkyns was buried on 1 April 1590 in Hillmorton, Warwickshire, England.¹
     He was appointed administrator of his sister Joan's estate on 17 June 1578.¹ He was named in the will of his brother Thomas Perkyns, dated 15 September 1588 and proved on 11 May 1592, and received a ewe and a lamb.²

     Her brother Thomas Perkins was appointed administrator of her estate on 17 June 1578 in Hillmorton.¹

     Thomas Perkyns was born about 1475.¹ He married Alice (?).¹ He died between 3 April 1528 and 21 April 1528.¹
     He' will was dated 3 April 1528 and proved on 21 April 1528. The executors were his wife Alice, and Thomas Clerke. He directed that he be buried in the church of St. John the Baptist before the Rood, and that the usual gift be made to the church. He left gifts of 8d to the high alter, 4d each to the "mother churches of Coventry and Lichfield," and 6s 8d to the parish church of Hillmorton. His wife Alice was left all his lands and tenements in Fylds, Hillmorton, and Lylborne for as long as she remained a widow. If she were to remarry, they were to go to his son Henry. If Henry were to die without issue, they were to go to his daughters Jone and Jelyan and their heirs. If they were to die without issue, "the tail lands and tenements shall remain to the next heirs," and the fee simple lands and tenements were to go to the people of Hillmorton. Whatever remained was to go to his wife and Thomas Clerke.¹

     Alice (?) married Thomas Perkyns.¹ She died between 31 July 1538 and 15 October 1538.¹
     She and Thomas Clerke were executors of her husband's will, dated 3 April 1528 and proved on 21 Apr 1528. She was left all of her husband's lands and tenements in Fylds, Hillmorton, and Lylborne for as long as she remained a widow. If she were to remarry, they were to go to their son Henry. She and Thomas were to receive whatever remained of the estate.¹
     Her own will was dated 31 July 1538 and proved on 15 October 1538. Her son Henry was the executor. She asked to be buried in the church of St. John the Baptist. She left legacies to her son Henry and to her daughters Jeyn Sleyter and Juliana Cumpton.¹

     Joan Perkyns married (?) Sleyter before 1538.¹
     She was named in her father's will, dated 3 April 1528 and proved on 21 Apr 1528. Her mother Alice was left all of her husband's lands and tenements in Fylds, Hillmorton, and Lylborne for as long as she remained a widow. If her mother were to remarry, they were to go to their son Henry, but if Henry were to die without issue, they were to go to Joan Perkyns and her sister Jelyan and their heirs.¹ She was also left a legacy in her mother's will, dated 31 July 1538 and proved on 15 Oct 1538.¹

     Julian Perkyns married (Thomas?) Cumpton before 1538.¹
     She was named in her father's will, dated 3 April 1528 and proved on 21 Apr 1528. Her mother Alice was left all of her husband's lands and tenements in Fylds, Hillmorton, and Lylborne for as long as she remained a widow. If her mother were to remarry, they were to go to their son Henry, but if Henry were to die without issue, they were to go to Julian Perkyns and her sister Jone and their heirs.¹ She was also left a legacy in her mother's will, dated 31 July 1538 and proved on 15 Oct 1538.¹

     (?) Sleyter married Joan Perkyns, daughter of Thomas Perkyns and Alice (?), before 1538.¹

     (Thomas?) Cumpton married Julian Perkyns, daughter of Thomas Perkyns and Alice (?), before 1538.¹

     Charles Lohr was born on 4 March 1848 in Camden, Hillsdale Co., Michigan.^3,1 He married Ida Ann Youngs, daughter of Jacob Youngs and Elizabeth Swikert, on 2 July 1876 in Tekonsha, Calhoun Co., Michigan.^1,4 He died on 23 July 1898 in Albion, Calhoun Co., Michigan, at age 50.² He was buried at Riverside Cemetery in Calhoun Co., Michigan.³
     After their marriage, Charles Lohr and his wife Ida lived near Ida's parents in Tekonsha Twp., Calhoun Co., Michigan.⁵ They had two children, an unnamed son (stillborn 28 December 1879), and Norah E. (b 7 December 1880, d 9 May 1958).^6,7,8,9

     Arba D. Blind was born in October 1866 in Oswego, Oswego Co., New York.^5,4,3 He married Elizabeth Youngs, daughter of Jacob Youngs and Elizabeth Swikert, on 26 November 1890 in Tekonsha, Calhoun Co., Michigan.^3,1 He died on 26 November 1942 in Three Rivers, St. Joseph Co., Michigan, at age 76.⁴
     In 1900 Arba D. Blind and his wife Elizabeth were living in Tekonsha Twp., Calhoun Co., Michigan. Elizabeth's widowed mother Elizabeth was living with them.⁵ They apparently moved soon afterwards to Coldwater, Branch Co., Michigan, where Elizabeth's mother was living with them at the time of her death in 1905¹, and where they were listed in the censuses from 1910 to 1930.^2,6,7,8
     He and Elizabeth had three children, Gladys J. (b 14 August 1891, d 17 September 1959), and twins Elma E. and Azelma A. (b 19 April 1893), all born in Tekonsha Twp., Calhoun Co., Michigan.^9,10,8,5

     Jefferson T. Youngs was born on 9 August 1861 (the 1900 census says August 1860) in Michigan.^3,4 He married Flora Patch, daughter of Freeman Patch and Angeline Elliott, on 22 February 1893 in Coldwater, Branch Co., Michigan.⁵ He died on 16 July 1919 in Coldwater, Branch Co., Michigan, at age 57 from pernicious anemia.³ He was buried on 19 July 1919 at Oak Grove Cemetery in Branch Co., Michigan.³
     He and his wife Flora lived in Coldwater, Branch Co., Michigan.^4,6 He was working as a beer wagon driver in 1900, and painter for an engine works company in 1910.^4,6
     He and Flora had two children, Kenneth Patch (b 30 August 1895) and Charles (b 30 August 1898). From the records, it appears that at birth Kenneth's name was recorded as Leon K. Youngs, with a birth date of 31 August 1896. However, in the handwritten record the name and date have been changed to Kenneth Patch Youngs and 30 August 1895, with the notation "Aff. filed 7-6-42." To confuse matters a bit, there's also a birth record for Leon K. Young, with parents Jefferson and Flora, dated 3 August 1895. Further, the 1900 and 1910 census entries for the family list both Kenneth P. and Charles, but the 1900 census says Flora had had just one child, while the 1910 census says she had two.^7,8,9,4,6

     George Jay Youngs was born on 22 April 1869 in Tekonsha, Calhoun Co., Michigan.¹ He was married by L. E. Lennox to Bertie Peterson, daughter of James Peterson and Avilla Spaulding, on 27 October 1902 in Coldwater, Branch Co., Michigan.⁴ He died on 13 June 1919 in Burlington Twp., Calhoun Co., Michigan, at age 50.³
     He was living in Tekonsha, Calhoun Co., Michigan, in 1905.² In 1910 he and his wife Bertie were living in Burlington Twp., Calhoun Co., Michigan.⁵ They had at least two children, both dying before 1910.⁵

     Desdelena Jenkins was born in 1848 in Verona, Calhoun Co., Michigan.^2,1 She married Lyndon K. Phelps, son of Asa Phelps and Rachel Shaw.^3,1 She died on 5 December 1919.¹ She was buried on 8 December 1919 at Oak Hill Cemetery (Lot 46, Rt. 5) in Battle Creek, Calhoun Co., Michigan.⁴

     Asa Lyndon Phelps was born on 3 March 1874 in Emmett Twp., Calhoun Co., Michigan.¹ He married Mary E. Ham, daughter of George A. Ham and Ellen J. Tucker, on 27 June 1911 in Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts.³ He died on 26 September 1931 in East Braintree, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts, at age 57.^4,5 He was buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Eliot, York Co., Maine.^4,6
     While young he began studying music in Battle Creek, Calhoun Co., Michigan, then moved to Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts, to continue his studies.
     His studies were interrupted by the Spanish-American War, and he enlisted on 11 May 1898 in Co. E of the 9th Massachusetts Infantry.^7,8 He contracted typhoid fever while in camp with his unit waiting to be sent to Cuba, and was sent back to Boston. After being in the hospital "for some time," he was mustered out after the war, on 26 November 1898.^7,8 On 6 June 1899 he re-enlisted, this time in the Massachsetts National Guard, as a private in Co. E, 9th Regiment. He reached the rank of major before retiring on 15 January 1912.⁸ When the Massachusetts State Guard was created in 1917, he was named commander of the 2nd Battalion, 10th Regiment, and his unit saw service during the Boston police strike in 1919.^9,5 Later, he was an active member of the Major O'Connor Camp, United Spanish War Veterans.⁴
     In his civilian life he worked for the U.S. Customs Service in Boston, first as a weigher, then as an inspector.^10,11
     In the 1910 census he is listed in Boston, living as a lodger with the family of George Bradford.¹⁰ He and his wife Mary are listed in Boston in the 1920 census¹², and in Braintree, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts, in the 1930 census.¹¹

     Richard Gerald Phelps was born on 11 November 1878 on what was known then as the "Gulf Farm," at the northeast edge of Battle Creek in Emmett Twp., Calhoun Co., Michigan.^1,2 He married Clara D. Frick in 1905, in a house he built for his bride at what is now 731 N. E. Capital Ave.² He died on 28 July 1941 at Calhoun County Hospital (later the Kimball Sanitorium) in Battle Creek, Calhoun Co., Michigan, at age 62 after being a patient there for about a year.² He was buried in 1942 at Oak Hill Cemetery (Section S, Lot 8, Rt. 5) in Battle Creek, Calhoun Co., Michigan.³
     He was a successful general contractor, and built many of the largest public and industrial buildings in Battle Creek and the surrounding area.
     He began his working life as a clerk in his father's grocery store. He left school when he was 15 to work for J. F. Halladay in the wholesale grocery business, using some of the money he earned to help his father in his business. After six years his father's health began to fail, and he took over operation of his father's store for two years. He began doing carpentry work for Ransom H. Howes, a local contractor, and left that position after three years for a job in the assembly department of Nichols & Shepard.
     After a year with Nichols & Shepard, he traveled to Boston to visit his brother Asa. While in Boston, he noted in the Battle Creek paper, that Asa subscribed to, that carpenters were needed for the construction of a new school in Battle Creek. He returned home to work on that project, eventually becoming a foreman.
     Around 1900 he became a partner with Mr. H. L. Vanderhorst of Kalamazoo, and then around 1906 with S. B. Cole of Battle Creek. At about this time he was the superintendent during construction of the Old-Merchants Bank, the Willard Library, the city hall, and the high school.
     He went into the contracting business himself in 1916, and built the city jail and the Grocers, Inc., building. Porter Bros. hired him as general construction superintendent, where he oversaw the construction of all war department buildings at Camp Custer. His company grew rapidly, and was responsible for the construction of many more buildings in the Battle Creek area, including schools, hospitals, and churches.²
     At various times he served on the Board of Directors for the Central National Bank, the Security National Bank, and the Realty Bond & Mortgage Co. He was also president of the Battle Creek Coach Co.²
     He was a member of the Masonic Lodge, Scottish Rite Consistory (32nd. degree), and Shrine; the Battle Creek Chamber of Commerce; the B. P. O. E; and the Athelstan Club.²

     Clara D. Frick was born in 1877 in Sunfield, Mississippi.² She married Richard Gerald Phelps, son of Lyndon K. Phelps and Desdelena Jenkins, in 1905, in a house Richard built for her at what is now 731 N. E. Capital Ave.² She died at 3:25 PM on 13 February 1955 in Battle Creek, Calhoun Co., Michigan. She had been seriously ill for five years.² She was buried on 16 February 1955 at Oak Hill Cemetery (Section S, Lot 8, Rt. 4) in Battle Creek, Calhoun Co., Michigan.^2,1
     Her parents died in an epidemic that followed a flood when she was a small child, and she and her brother Jerome moved to Battle Creek to live with their uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. John Adams.² She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, the Women's Club, the Social Club, and earlier in her life, the Sunshine Circle of Verona.²

     Daisy Phelps was born about February 1882 (based on her age at death of 3 months) in Michigan.² She died of "spinal complaint" on 16 May 1882 in Emmett Twp., Calhoun Co., Michigan.² She was buried on 18 May 1882 at Oak Hill Cemetery (Lot 46, Rt. 6) in Battle Creek, Calhoun Co., Michigan.³

     Gerald F. Phelps was born in 1907.² He died in 1991.² He was buried on 23 July 1991 at Oak Hill Cemetery (Section S, Lot 8, Rt. 2) in Battle Creek, Calhoun Co., Michigan.²
     Gerald Phelps and Frank C. Wagner (later mayor of Battle Creek) were partners in his father's general contracting business in Battle Creek, Calhoun Co., Michigan, and took over the business when his father died in 1941.¹

     Alexander McColloch married Ann (?).¹

     Ann (?) married Alexander McColloch.¹

     Margery (?) married Thomas Hamilton, son of James Hamilton and Rebecca (?).¹