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Edinborough family of Berrien County, Michigan

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Edinborough family of Berrien County, Michigan

Posted: 25 Jul 2005 3:56PM GMT
Classification: Query
Edited: 12 Feb 2006 12:34PM GMT
Surnames: Edinborough, Schoonover, Yerrington, Dickinson
EDINBOROUGH FAMILY
(Source: History of Berrien County, Michigan)
Mrs. Olive a. Edinborough, who resides in Hagar township, is the widow of Thomas Edinborough, who was born in England in 1830, and came to the United States when but two years old, having been brought to this country by his parents. His father died soon afterward in Ohio, and the mother with her two sons and a daughter came to Michigan, settling in St. Joseph about 1835, making the trip with the family of Joseph Caldwell. In Berrien county she secured a small tract of land and here she afterward married Robert Dickinson, and became the mother of a family that included Arthur Dickinson, who is now living on the old Dickinson homestead in Benton township. Mrs. Dickinson continued to reside in this county until her demise, which occurred when she was sixty years of age. The three children of her first marriage were William, Mary and Thomas Edinborough. Of this number, William owned a farm adjoining his brother Thomas’ property and developed it into a productive tract of land, which he continued to cultivate until his death, which occurred on that place when he was forty years of age. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Ruth Clawson, survived him for ten or fifteen years. He left three children; Frank Edinborough, who is in Valparaiso, Indiana; Millie, the wife of Richard McDowell; and Jessie, the wife of De Forest McDowell, a half brother of Richard, and a resident of Osceola county, Michigan. Mary Edinborough became the wife of David McKenzie, a sailor, who died a few years later.
Thomas Edinborough, like his brother and sister, remained with the mother on the Dickinson farm after her second marriage and was trained to farm labor. In 1854, when twenty-four years of age, he was joined in wedlock to Miss Olive A. Yerrington, of Benton, Harbor, a daughter of Edwin and Olive (Thomas) Yerrington, who were born; reared and married in Jefferson county, New York, and came to Michigan when their daughter Olive was a little maiden of nine summers, arriving in the year 1843. In their family at that time were four children. Mr. Yerrington secured land on what is now Highland Avenue, three and a half miles east of Benton Harbor. There he hewed out a farm, which at the time of his purchase was covered with heavy timber. There was a plank house upon the place, but hardly a tree had been cut or an improvement made, and he continued the work of clearing and developing until he had a fine farm of forty acres. Upon that place both he and his wife spent their remaining days, his death occurring when he was seventy years of age, while his wife survived him for some time, lacking but a few months of being eighty-seven years of age at the time of her demise. She had lived upon her farm for sixty years and was one of the last surviving members of the original band of early pioneer settlers, who did so much to plant the seeds of civilization in the west and develop good farms here. In the Yerrington family were thirteen children, ten of whom reached mature years, while nine are still living. Of this number there are seven daughters and two sons; Charles, a resident of Bainbridge; James O., who resides on the old homestead; Theresa, the wife of William Stover, who is living in Canada; Roxy, who is the widow of George Schoonover and makes her home in Canada; Mrs. Celestine Watson, a widow living in Canada; Elizabeth, the wife of William Burdick, of Sodus township; Belle, the wife of James Watson, of Sodus township; and Viola, who married William Phillips and is living in Watervliet. The other member of the family is Olive, now Mrs. Edinborough. At the time of his marriage Mr. Edinborough had a log house to which to take his bride and about ten or twelve acres of his land had been cleared. She has since lived upon the farm, making her home here from 1854, or for fifty-two years. Mr. Edinborough continued the work of cultivating and improving the property until failing health caused him to seek a change of climate, and he went to California, where he spent several months but the change did not prove beneficial and he passed away there in 1875. His remains were brought home and his grave was made in the Hagar cemetery. Throughout his business career he devoted his energies to agricultural and horticultural pursuits, having half of his land under cultivation, devoted to the raising of fruit and grain. He had been a sufferer from asthma for twenty years and because of this was rejected when he offered his aid to the government at the time of the Civil war. His political allegiance was given to the Democracy and he always kept well informed on the questions and issues of the day, so that he was able to support his position by intelligent argument. Both he and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Benton Harbor, and his life was at all times upright and honorable.
Unto Mr. And Mrs. Edinborough were born two sons and three daughters; Emma, the wife of Fred McKee, who is living in Benton township; Warren, who spent his life on a farm save for a short time when he was engaged in the grocery business in Benton Harbor, and he passed away at the age of twenty-six years; Dora, who is the widow of George Caldwell; Charles, who operates the home farm; and Daisy, the wife of E.C. Allen, of Hagar township. Of this family Charles has spent his life with his mother and from the age of seventeen years has been engaged in carrying on the farm work. His elder brother, Warren, died when about twenty-six years of age, and the father also having passed away, upon Charles devolved the task of cultivating and improving the property. He resolutely undertook the work, which he has since carried forward to successful completion. He is a fruit-grower, having about half of his farm devoted to peaches, pears and grapes.
On the 17th of June 1888, Mr. Edinborough was united in marriage to Miss Amelia Miller, the daughter of William Miller, of Benton Township, and they have become the parents of three children, Arthur, Minnie and Thomas. Charles Edinborough devotes his entire time to the farm and his undivided attention has resulted in the acquirement of good success, so that he is now in possession of a comfortable competence and is regarded as one to the substantial citizens of the community.

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