Charles Mears
Encyclopedia
Charles Mears was a Michigan
lumber businessman, a Chicago, Illinois capitalist, and a developer of the western part of Michigan.
. Mears was born in North Billerica, Massachusetts
on March 16th, 1814. His mother's family had the Scottish name of Levistone; which was anglicized to "Livingston." Mears's father was, from 1821 to 1828, one of the town’s fathers. He built and operated a sawmill, owned several farms, and kept a store.
In 1795, ground was broken at Billerica Mills for the Middlesex Canal
(the first canal in the United States) which opened in 1802. Mears’s father owned one of the locks on the canal. Mears and his brothers became familiar with canals, canal locks, control of water power for dams, and mill machinery because of their father’s operations on the Concord River
.
Mears and his siblings were not allowed to follow their own desires, which was the New England
custom of the time. Mears used to look forward to "Training Day" because then he could get "a card of gingerbread." He was ambitious, revealing his early entrepreneur
ial trends. He was known to have said he was willing to "run a mile for a nickel."
Unfortunately, Mears and his siblings were left orphans very early in their lives by the death of their mother in 1827 and of their father a year later. Guardians were then appointed to take care of them. They were sent to the academies of that day to finish their education. Mears went to country schools to learn his basic schooling and then went to trade school in Lowell, Massachusetts
to learn the cabinet trade.
in 1835 and 1836. By then Mears and his brothers, like most of the young men of New England, were looking toward “the West” for new life adventures. In 1836 Mears's sister married and the brothers no longer felt obligated to stay in Massachusetts. They studied the “Farmer's map of Michigan” and decided to move to the newly opened western territory of Michigan. Mears and his brothers went to Paw Paw, Michigan
, because of the Paw Paw River
and its navigational capabilities to Lake Michigan
.
They decided to start a general merchandise business in Paw Paw which they called E. & C. Mears & Co. In the fall of 1836 they bought a large and general stock of goods which they shipped from Detroit. The steamer carrying this first set of goods was routed through the Straits of Mackinac
and then down south on the western coast of Michigan to St. Joseph and eventually to Paw Paw. However their first stock shipment was broken into at Mackinac and much of it stolen. They took a stand and eventually prospered in Paw Paw in spite of the hardships. In 1837 their youngest brother Albert came to join them from the East.
The business Mears and his brothers did consisted of buying and selling anything which the few white settlers and the many Indians might wish to purchase or dispose of. Game was plentiful and a large business was done in furs. The firm may have also speculated in land and village lots, since the records of the county recorder indicate that they did acquire title to land which they later sold.
Mears soon became restless having heard of locations farther north along the Lake Michigan shoreline better suited for general business and lumbering. He was anxious to reach this virgin territory in order to obtain some of this valuable pine timber in advance of the speculators already coming in large numbers. An exploring expedition was decided upon by Mears and his older brother. A small craft was built for the purpose of navigating the rivers going north and Lake Michigan. The sixteen year old Albert was also eager to go. They added to the party two other men called Charles Herrick and Benjamin True or Trew. It was on or about May 8, 1837 when they left Paw Paw and went as far north as Manistee. Going into 1838 they scouted out many areas with lumber mills along the Lake Michigan western shoreline. They came back down south and settled initially in an area now called Whitehall, Michigan
.
In the next 25 years, Mears would purchase about 40 acre (0.1618744 km²) of land in Michigan, construct and operate 15 mills, and build five harbors along the western coast of Michigan for the transport of his lumber. Mears was known as the "Christopher Columbus of the West Coast."
Mears had a hand in developing many of the towns on the west coast of Michigan. His motive for doing this was because he owned thousands of acres of timber land and needed to transport the lumber from his sawmill operations to Chicago. He was well known for opening many harbors in towns of western Michigan to be able to transport his lumber.
Mears built and sailed his own boats. He also constructed and operated his own sawmills for his lumber since he owned thousands of acres of timber in Michigan.
going to Lake Michigan that wandered through the sand dunes area. He built his sawmill on its north bank in 1855 to make and haul lumber to his yards in Chicago.
Mears shortly thereafter built a store and boarding house for the necessary people he needed for labor to work his sawmills. When he discovered a deposit of clay there, he built a tile and brick factory. Mears first called this community Middlesex and it was renamed to Pentwater when the village was formed in 1867.
Mears built sawmills in the Ludington area
in settlements then called Little Sauble (1851) and Big Sable (1854). These two settlements were later renamed by Mears to Lincoln and Hamlin in 1861 in honor of the successful Republican Presidential ticket.
Mears served in the Michigan senate and was a member of the Republican Party
. He was a personal friend to Abraham Lincoln
and had the town he lived in near Ludington
renamed to "Lincoln."
The Mason County Courthouse
was moved from Burr Caswell
's farmhouse to Lincoln in 1861 to the first building specifically built as a courthouse for Mason County, Michigan
. The county seat moved into the city of Ludington in 1873 when Mears built some sawmills in the area.
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
lumber businessman, a Chicago, Illinois capitalist, and a developer of the western part of Michigan.
Early life
Mears was the son of Nathan Mears and his wife Lucy. Mears had an older brother, Edwin. His next brother, Nathan, was younger than him, with his sister, Lucy Ann, younger yet and the youngest sibling was Elbert (also known as "Albert"). His grandfather was Thomas Mears, a minuteman in the American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. Mears was born in North Billerica, Massachusetts
North Billerica, Massachusetts
North Billerica is a unincorporated village of the town of Billerica, Massachusetts, United States, one of the nine sections that make up the Town of Billerica. It is the home to Faulkner and Talbot mills and the North Billerica Train Depot...
on March 16th, 1814. His mother's family had the Scottish name of Levistone; which was anglicized to "Livingston." Mears's father was, from 1821 to 1828, one of the town’s fathers. He built and operated a sawmill, owned several farms, and kept a store.
In 1795, ground was broken at Billerica Mills for the Middlesex Canal
Middlesex Canal
The Middlesex Canal was a 27-mile barge canal connecting the Merrimack River with the port of Boston. When operational it was 30 feet wide, and 3 feet deep, with 20 locks, each 80 feet long and between 10 and 11 feet wide...
(the first canal in the United States) which opened in 1802. Mears’s father owned one of the locks on the canal. Mears and his brothers became familiar with canals, canal locks, control of water power for dams, and mill machinery because of their father’s operations on the Concord River
Concord River
The Concord River is a tributary of the Merrimack River in eastern Massachusetts in the United States. The river drains a small rural and suburban region northwest of Boston. One of the most famous small rivers in U.S...
.
Mears and his siblings were not allowed to follow their own desires, which was the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
custom of the time. Mears used to look forward to "Training Day" because then he could get "a card of gingerbread." He was ambitious, revealing his early entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
ial trends. He was known to have said he was willing to "run a mile for a nickel."
Unfortunately, Mears and his siblings were left orphans very early in their lives by the death of their mother in 1827 and of their father a year later. Guardians were then appointed to take care of them. They were sent to the academies of that day to finish their education. Mears went to country schools to learn his basic schooling and then went to trade school in Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
to learn the cabinet trade.
Adulthood
One account has Mears in the lumber and provision trade in MassachusettsMassachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
in 1835 and 1836. By then Mears and his brothers, like most of the young men of New England, were looking toward “the West” for new life adventures. In 1836 Mears's sister married and the brothers no longer felt obligated to stay in Massachusetts. They studied the “Farmer's map of Michigan” and decided to move to the newly opened western territory of Michigan. Mears and his brothers went to Paw Paw, Michigan
Paw Paw, Michigan
Paw Paw is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 3,363. It is the county seat of Van Buren County.-Overview:...
, because of the Paw Paw River
Paw Paw River
The Paw Paw River is located in the U.S. state of Michigan in the southwest portion of the lower peninsula. It is formed by the confluence of the north and south branches at in Waverly Township in the northeast of Van Buren County. It flows approximately through Van Buren County and Berrien...
and its navigational capabilities to Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
.
They decided to start a general merchandise business in Paw Paw which they called E. & C. Mears & Co. In the fall of 1836 they bought a large and general stock of goods which they shipped from Detroit. The steamer carrying this first set of goods was routed through the Straits of Mackinac
Straits of Mackinac
The Straits of Mackinac is the strip of water that connects two of the Great Lakes, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, and separates the Lower Peninsula of Michigan from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is a shipping lane providing passage for raw materials and finished goods, connecting, for...
and then down south on the western coast of Michigan to St. Joseph and eventually to Paw Paw. However their first stock shipment was broken into at Mackinac and much of it stolen. They took a stand and eventually prospered in Paw Paw in spite of the hardships. In 1837 their youngest brother Albert came to join them from the East.
The business Mears and his brothers did consisted of buying and selling anything which the few white settlers and the many Indians might wish to purchase or dispose of. Game was plentiful and a large business was done in furs. The firm may have also speculated in land and village lots, since the records of the county recorder indicate that they did acquire title to land which they later sold.
Mears soon became restless having heard of locations farther north along the Lake Michigan shoreline better suited for general business and lumbering. He was anxious to reach this virgin territory in order to obtain some of this valuable pine timber in advance of the speculators already coming in large numbers. An exploring expedition was decided upon by Mears and his older brother. A small craft was built for the purpose of navigating the rivers going north and Lake Michigan. The sixteen year old Albert was also eager to go. They added to the party two other men called Charles Herrick and Benjamin True or Trew. It was on or about May 8, 1837 when they left Paw Paw and went as far north as Manistee. Going into 1838 they scouted out many areas with lumber mills along the Lake Michigan western shoreline. They came back down south and settled initially in an area now called Whitehall, Michigan
Whitehall, Michigan
Whitehall is a city in Muskegon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,884 at the 2000 census. The city is located in the southwest corner of Whitehall Township. Montague, Michigan is its neighbor....
.
In the next 25 years, Mears would purchase about 40 acre (0.1618744 km²) of land in Michigan, construct and operate 15 mills, and build five harbors along the western coast of Michigan for the transport of his lumber. Mears was known as the "Christopher Columbus of the West Coast."
Western Michigan development
Mears built and sailed his own boats. He also constructed and operated his own sawmills for his lumber since he owned thousands of acres of timber in Michigan.
Pentwater
Mears dug a wider channel for the Pentwater RiverPentwater River
-References:*...
going to Lake Michigan that wandered through the sand dunes area. He built his sawmill on its north bank in 1855 to make and haul lumber to his yards in Chicago.
Mears shortly thereafter built a store and boarding house for the necessary people he needed for labor to work his sawmills. When he discovered a deposit of clay there, he built a tile and brick factory. Mears first called this community Middlesex and it was renamed to Pentwater when the village was formed in 1867.
Whitehall
In 1837 Mears built his first lumber mill on White Lake. Mears platted the village of Whitehall along with Giles B. Slocum around 1859. It was originally named “Mears” which in 1862 was renamed to “Whitehall” because of its association with nearby White Lake. The town is a strategic location for floating and distributing lumber to Lake Michigan. The town prospered because of this advantage.Ludington
Ludington, Michigan
Ludington is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 8,357. It is the county seat of Mason County.Ludington is a harbor town located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Pere Marquette River...
in settlements then called Little Sauble (1851) and Big Sable (1854). These two settlements were later renamed by Mears to Lincoln and Hamlin in 1861 in honor of the successful Republican Presidential ticket.
Mears served in the Michigan senate and was a member of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. He was a personal friend to Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
and had the town he lived in near Ludington
Ludington, Michigan
Ludington is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 8,357. It is the county seat of Mason County.Ludington is a harbor town located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Pere Marquette River...
renamed to "Lincoln."
The Mason County Courthouse
Mason County Courthouse (Michigan)
The Mason County Courthouse is in Mason County, Michigan. It is in the town of Ludington in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.- History :The area early in its history attracted several lumbermen because of the abundance of white pine timber. Among these early settlers in the area were Burr Caswell,...
was moved from Burr Caswell
Burr Caswell
-Early life:Caswell was born at Glens Falls, New York, in 1807 with the given name of Aaron Burr although he always went by just the name "Burr." As a young man Caswell learned cabinet trade skills. He practiced this business for several years in Glens Falls....
's farmhouse to Lincoln in 1861 to the first building specifically built as a courthouse for Mason County, Michigan
Mason County, Michigan
Mason County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 28,705. The county seat is Ludington.-History:...
. The county seat moved into the city of Ludington in 1873 when Mears built some sawmills in the area.