A history of Pickford Area Pioneer Families Daniel Morrison

STIRLING

In April, l840, James Stirling, his wife, and five sons left Canoustie, Scotland, for Canada. In 6 weeks and 3 days the ship reached Quebec. After 4 days here they voyaged on through Montreal, Kingston, Toronto, and Hamilton, Ontario. Their baggage was shipped in schooners for Goderich, since the schoonets could carry no passengers, and the family traveled in wagons and on foot. Some days they were without food and some became ill. Such glowing reports had been sent them in Scotland by an uncle who had earlier come to spy out the land in Canada, that they were determined to find homes in the new country. They settled in Goderich, paying $3 per acre for their farms.

The youngest son, William, married Rebecca Colwell, a girl from a family of 12. They lived on the farm with the now-aging father, who knew little about farming, having been a sailar. He was a quiet man, a great readet, and under his management the fatm became very productive. His otchatd was one of the best producers in the district. What a community in which to raise a family, where for a lifetime the neighbors lived in peace and harmony! The Stirlings were Liberals in politics and Presbyterians in religion.

To this marriage were born five boys and seven girls. Before his death, William left the to the youngest son, Sandy, who sold it in 1940, thus keeping the farm in Stirling hands fot 100 years. Three of these children went west to Alberta and Saskatchewan, five remained in Ontario, and five came to the U.S., making their homes in or near Pickford.

JAMES STIRLING married Jane Beacom. He was an implement dealer, then in the creamery business. They lived in the house now owned by Bert McDonald and then in the one next to it on the corner, where they were living when Mrs. Stirling passed away. They had three girls, Gertrude (Mrs. Donald Brumbaugh), Ruby, and Grace, all of whom are deceased. Gertrude was the mother of D.S.Brumbaugh, who was Superintendent of SchooIs in DeTour, Norway, and then accepted a position in the Department of Education in Grand Rapids. Ruby became Mrs. Chatles Hamilton. Grace was Mrs. Hilton Roe and her children are Patricia Pennington, Jack Roe, Jane Smith, Donald Roe, Mason Roe, and Emily Foley.

GEORGE STIRLING married Eliza Smith. He was a life-long farmer and held the office of County Supervisor of Marquette Township for several years. Their farm is now owned by Frank Zwolinski. They had one son, Herman, who lives in Colorado, and four daughters: Marguerite Bowers, living in Illinois; Ada Wallas, who lives near Rudyard; Marie Bumstead in the Soo; and Freida Korman or Detroit. Mr. Stirling is buried in Cottle Cemetary.

SADIE martied John Crawford and had two daughters: Wilma(Mrs. Forbes McDonald), mother of William, Jack, and Marty McDonald; and Sarah (Mrs. Isaac Rye), mother of Donald and Barbara. John and Sadie Crawford are buried in Donaldson Cemetery.

REBECCA married Fred Johnston. They spent their early married life in Pickford, then moved to St. Ignace. They had 9 children: Vern, Jean, Winifred, George,Maude, William, Glen, Beulah, and Marion. Mr. and Mrs. Johnston and son, George, are buried in St. Ignace Cemetery.

JOHN married Ruth Rye. He was a farmer, road commissioner, and was Treasurer of Marquette Township Schools for 35years. They had four boys: Sandy (who died in infancy); William, married Cora Smith and their children are Euline (Mrs. Herman Campbell) with Judy, Janet, Jimmy, and Jerry; Jerrry, is married and lives in Westland, Michigan; and Robert is married and lives in Garden City, Michigan. William died in 1953 and is buried in Cottle Cemetery; James, is married to Eva McDonald and now lives on the Stirling farm one and three-fourths miles west of town and has one son, Donald who married Norma Kennedy and has Donna(Mrs.Ronald Hanison), Cheryl (Mrs. Paul Harrison), Mary, George and Jenny*; and John married Myrtle Leach and lives one-half mile south of Pickford. Their daughter, Josephine is Mss. Mynor Seaman and they live in DeTour with Brian and Pamela*. Mr. and Mrs. Stirling and two sons ate buried in Cottle Cemetery.

The first school built in Pickford was on the site of the faim that Mr. and Mrs. Stirling now live on south of Pickford.

STOREY

Joseph Storey married Jennie McKechnie in the Goderich area of Ontario before moving to Chippewa County in 1880 where they lived near Rosedale until 1887 when they moved to Stalwart. They lived on a farm and in the winter Joseph worked in the woods as a foreman and bookkeeper for the Haynes Lumber Company, east of Cedarville, for many years. They had five children: Hannah, James, Jack, William, and Harry - all lifetime residents of Chippewa County. About 1912 or 1913 Joseph and Jennie moved to Donaldson where they ran the Halfway House. People were able to stop on their trips to the Soo and feed their horses and get meals for themselves. Jennie died there in 1918. Joseph then made his hane with his son, Harry, until his death in 1931 at the age of 87.

HANNAH married Milton Travis from Sault Ste. Marie and they had one son, Elmer. They lived in the Soo and both are deceased. Elmer married Dorothy Smeltzer from the Soo and they have four children and live in Wisconsin.

JAMES married Lyla Kinnee and they live in Stalwart. They have five sons: Mervin, Voyle, Mason, Paul, and Wayne. He and Lyla are both deceased. Mervin and Paul still live on the home farm in Stalwart. Voyle married Mary Markey and they live at Stalwart. Mason married Ruth McLean (deceased) and they had 5 children: James, Shafon, Mary Jane, and Charles. Mason lives with his daughter, Mary Jane Bennin, her husband, Charles, their daughters, Lori and Christy*, and his son, Charles(Chuck). Sharon married Gerald Cottle and lives in Pickford with their children, Cammy and Brent* (Brad died when small). James, Jr., married Mary Ann Stoll and they live on a farm at Pickford with their son, Jason*. Richard married Mary Alice Batho and they live in Pickford. Wayne married Dorrie Batho and they live in Pickford. Beverly married Robert Huyck and lives in Pickford with their daughter, Kelly. Marty is in college and Amy is in high school.

JACK married Mabel Havelock from DeTour and they had 7 children: Evelyn, Hazel, Kenneth, Russell, Roy, Allen, and Gordon. They made their home in the Soo. Jack and Mabel are deceased. They have two daughters, Gail Lynne and Diane Marie. Gail married Victor Ulfich, Jr., from Birmingham, Michigan. He is in the Air Force and they live in the Sault. Diane lives at home and works at the nursing home in the Sault. Hazel married Fred Wilson and lived in the Sault. Their children are Donna and James. Hazel and Fred are both deceased. Donna married William Porter and they have three children, they live in Ann Arbor. James married Janice Fowler and they and their three children (Constance, Kathy, and James*), live in the Sault. Kenneth married Violet LeBeau. Kenneth is deceased and Violet lives in Royal Oak. Russell married Inez Koivisto from Rudyard. They lived in the Sault for a long time and now live in Dearborn. Their children are Harold and Nancy. aro from Sault Ste. Marie, where they lived for some time. They now live in Kalamazoo and have two children, Priscilla and Suzanne. Allen married Adele Brams and lives in the Bronx, New York, with their two children, Kenneth and Rhonda. Gordon married Marie Manganello and they live in the Sault. Their children are June, Bruce, Cynthia, Steven, and John. Roy married Jean Hart

WILLIAM married Stella Kinnee and they have four children: Thomas, James, Cora, and Otto. They lived on a farm in Sunshine five miles from Pickford. William was a lumberman and Stella cooked in the lumber camps in the early years of their married life. They owned the Pickford Restaurant for a few years. They are both deceased. James married Doris Dustman from Flint, Michigan. They live in Pickford, where Jim has been the Pickford Township Clerk. They had two children, Josephine Gail and Mary Lou. Josephine is deceased. Mary Lou married David Snell and they live in Decatur, Georgia, where is an ABC news correspondent. They have one son, Christopher*. Thomas married Pauline Haddix from Flint. They live on the home farm in Sunshine and have three children: Karen (deceased), William, and Susan. Pauline is secretary to the Pickford High School Principal-Robert Howell. Cora married Warren McCord and lives in St. Louis, Missouri. One son, Thomas, is at home. Warren works for the Air Force and is stationed in Greenland. Otto married Frieda Wilson of Pickford and they live on a farm.

HARRY married Sarah MacDonald and they ran a general store at McCarron, Michigan for years before moving to the Sault where they owned the Martin Apartments. They are both deceased. Harry was a schoolteacher and taught at Stalwart and in the Donaldson area. Evelyn married Fred LaMothe from the Soo where they live.