A history of Pickford Area Pioneer Families Daniel Morrison

FOUNTAIN

Elisha and Sarah Ann (Taylor) Fountain came to Goetzville in the 1870's with their five children: George, Sarah Jane, Hannah, Elilis, and Andrew. They had lived in Nova Scotia, then in Harrison, Ontario before coming to Goetzville.

GEORGE, father of James H., filed a homestead claim on the farm that is now the Hank place. SARAH JANE became Mrs. Huffman. HANNAH became Mrs. Hunter. ELILIS married WilliamWahl. ANDREW married Elizabeth Gordon of St. Joseph Island. To this union were born 12 children, 3 dying in infancy: Margaret, Sarah, James, David, Roy, Thomas, Isabell, George, and Harvey.

ANDREW came to Goetzville in the 1870's at the age of 23. He helped to survey all the territory including DeTour, Raber, and Goetzville. He tells of being lost in this vast territory for three days, coming out at some lumber camp many miles from home. He was one of the first settlers in Goetzville. His wife's parents, Thomas and Margaret (Wilson) Gordon, came to Canada from Ireland. He and Elizabeth were married in 1885. The homestead at Goetzville proved to be stony - - the stones were used to build fences. In spite of large gardens and orchard, Andrew's money earned as a longshoreman and his mother's by boarding teachers and teamsters, drought and grasshoppers ruined the crops. They cut and baled wild hay from the Sunshine area to feed their stock at Goetzville.

So Andrew decided to move where the land was good and crops would grow. His kind, hardworking wife found it a grievous task to pull up roots now that her family was almost reaching adulthood. The muddy roads of Sunshine are well remembered by all that must travel them. Margaret married Charles Scales. James, Roy, George, and Harvey bought and cleared farms for themselves. They pooled their resources and helped one another get established. Sarah married William Holmes, James married Ellen Rapson, and Isabell married Joseph Cryderman. All were married in the summer of 1916. Roy, Thomas, and David were in the service during World War I. After the war, David married Viola Vasiere, Roy married Ethel Gray, and Thomas married Zada Larder. A few years later, George married Lucille Hillock and Harvey married Grace Huyck. When ANDREW and Elizabeth celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary, they had 40 grandchildren.

Today, Harvey's son, Roger, now lives on the original Andrew Fountain farm. Raymond, James' son, lives on the James Fountain farm; Harvey lived at Rockview until his death in July, 1972 as do his son, Robert, and daughter Harvetta. Roy's widow and son, Oren, and daughter, Shirley, live in Pickford. Seven of the family are deceased: James, David, Sarah, Roy, Thomas, George, and Harvey. Belle lives at Salt Point and Margaret in Sault Ste. Marie. The children's families have scattered.

GALER

Martin and Elizabeth Galer came over from Germany to Canada and settled in Brussels, Ontario had eight children: Maggie, Kate, Mary Lizzie, Annie, Conrad, John, Henry, and Wiliam. Martin Galer died in 1933 and Elizabeth Galer in 1943.

CONRAD left Canada and came to Mackinac County and settled on a farm three-quarters of mile west of Pickford. On March 31, 1880, he married Ellen Wonnacott. They had six children: Fred (deceased); Annie (Mrs. Percy Allen); Kate (Mrs. Bert MacDonald, deceased); Conrad (deceased); Minnie (deceased); and Lizabelle (Mrs. Russell Allen).

Fred married Pearl Caldwell They had five children: Verna (Mrs. William Watson); Murial (Mrs. Wilmer Lawson); Lavonne (Mrs. Raymond Winnimakii); Joyce (Mrs. Nelson Holt), and who married Mona Grabens. They live in Colorado and have three children: Bradley Steven, Michael Francis, and Lisa Kay*. Mrs. Pearl Galer died in the spring of 1972.

Annie married Percy Allen. They had two girls, Etta (Mrs. Howard Leedle) and June (Mrs. Stewart Veltema).

Kate married Bert MacDonald. They had five children: Edwin, Marvin, Gertrude, James, and Jay (deceased).

Lizabelle married Russell Allen. They had four children: Janel (Mrs. Douglas Batho), Delores (Mrs.Alex Cottle), Belva (Mrs. Clayton Ball), and Roger.

Conrad married Izetta Wise. They had three children: Willis F., Merlin C., and Connie E. Willis married Olive Roe and they had two children: Rodney and Linda (Mrs. Davld D. Thompson)". Merlin married Lorraine Cottle and they have four children: Sheila, Dana, Douglas, and Jeri Lynn* married Ronald P. VanLuven and they have two children, Noel Rene and Michael Paul*. Conrad operated the last blacksmith shop in Pickford until his death in 1960. He apprenticed under Adam and 0. S. Roe of Pickford. During his earlier years in blacksmith work, when he started in business for himself, he took his tools and forge in back of a trailer and went through the country from farm to farm, doing horse-shoeing and repairing farm machinery. Later, he built a small shop in his garage and did a little lighter work there until his illness and death in July, 1960. The building still stands behind the house where Mrs. Galer lives.

GOUGH

William Henry Gough, Sr., was united in marriage with Fannie C. Hewitt of Huron County, Ontario (near Goderich). His family was from Northern Ireland. He was one of the counsels of Howick Township and trustee of the school there which was called the Gough School. It was built in 1857, one mile west of Fordwich, Ontario. The Goughs came to Pickford in 1877, one month before their son, William, arrived. They were among the first settlers to locate here. William Henry, Sr., died in 1901 and Mrs. Gough in 1916, They had six children: George, William Henry, James, Mary, Jennie and Mrs. Frank Barber of Cheboygan.

WILLIAM HENRY GOUGH, JR., was born May 4, 1857. He left his home in Huron County on the steamer Manitoba on June 18, 1877. He landed in Sault Ste. Marie on a Saturday and walked out to Donaldson to the home of James Crawford (brother of Sandy), with whom William Henry had attended school in Canada.

He and several other early settlers had left Canada for Chippewa County to acquire land at low prices. They homesteaded land here, acquiring 160 acres for an outlay of only $18. William Henry bought 160 acres and later acquired 160 acres more for a total of 320 acres. This land was later burned over and there was little timber.

He was married in 1885 to Mary Ann Taylor, who had come here with her family in 1882. Her father Patrick Taylor and her mother Jane Allison. Her father came from Arnprior, Ontario, and mother from Hacksborough, Ontario. Patrick Taylor settled where Clifford Taylor farmed. John Kronemeyer now operates this farm. Patrick died in 1884, leaving a wife and eight children, after having built a house at Pickford. These were the parents of the Taylor family which has had a leading part in the life of Pickford. Patrick Taylor's house was built of hand-hewn logs.

Mr. Gough used to guide prospective settlers looking for land and he abo worked in the woods during winters earning $13 per month which was the going wage for good sawers: He worked for Murray and Shortread who had a camp about four miles southeast of Pickford.

Mr. and Mrs. Gough had ten children. Henry Taylor Gough (deceased) married Mary Smith. He farmed, then had a carriage livery on Mackinac Island. It is now owned by a grandson, William Gough*, a professor at Lake Superior State College. Lyla (Mrs. Albert Tate) is deceased. Edna (Mrs. Jack MacInnis) is also deceased. Helen was a secretary in Chicago and Pickford and is now retited and living in Pickford. George (deceased) was a butter maker and later worked at the Union Carbide plant for many years before it closed. Jack was a creamery manager for many years and also worked in refrigeration installation and repair. He married Cora Beacom (deceased). Mildren married Worden Rowse, and he was a teacher. They are both deceased. Fred, a farmer, married Lillian Dorst (deceased), and later married Reba (Grennell) Hickman and now lives in Grand Rapids. Thelma (Mrs. Howard Adams) lives south of Pickford. WILLIAM HENRY, JR. died in 1942 and Mrs. Gough in 1952. Frank of Pickford married Hazel (Brown) Jones. A son, George married Ethel Armstrong.

GEORGE went to Chicago after coming to Michigan.

JAMES married Ellen Raynard. They had one son, Glen, and two daughters, Beatrice and Ethel. Glen married Mildred Jacobson and they have two children. Twila works as a nurse at War Memorial Hospital. Terry is a math teacher at Rudyard High School and also head foatball coach. He married Janet Nash and they have 5 children. Beatrice married William Sanderson (deceased September 1972) and lives north of Pickford. They had one son, William, Jr., and four daughters, Lorraine, Lyndell (deceased), Donna and Norma. Ethel married Rollie Hill (deceased) and had a son, Rollie, Jr., and a Arleen (Mrs. Leonard Hillock).

MARY died at the home of her sister, Jennie. JENNIE, a teacher, married Ftank House and lived all her married life at Whitefish Point. They had two sons, George and Harry, and five daughters: Irma, Margaret, Janice, Irene and Gladys. Mr and Mrs. House, harry and George are buried at Whitefish Point.