Bay County MI Archives Obituaries.....Eddy, Joseph May 5, 1888
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Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society
Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society

Including

Reports of Officers and Papers Read

At the 

Annual Meeting of 1888

VOL. XIII

Second Edition

Lansing, Michigan

Winkoop Hallenbeck Crawrod C., State Printers

1908
 

Memorial Report:  Page 117

BAY COUNTY

Joseph Eddy was born in Providence, R.I., Nov. 15, 1807.  At the age of eleven
years he was apprenticed to learn the trade of morocco dressing.  He worked for
the same man, inclusive of his apprenticeship, twenty-five years.  In 1826 he
married Susan Salsbury of Tiverton, R.I.

In 1836 he was induced to move to the State of New York, to Little Genesee,
Allegany county, hoping to better his condition.  His farm was very rough and
hilly, and for eight years he and his family struggled along through great
discouragements, until finally he made up his mind to leave his farm and move to
Palmyra, Wayne county, N.Y., little dreaming that he was leaving a fortune
behind him.  Had he kept the farm twenty years longer he would have a wealthy
man, as some of the richest oil wells are still flowing on that farm.  But if
not a wealthy he was an honest and gave him an opportunity to feed and clothe
and educate his growing family, which had now increased to eight children. 
Twice death had come and left and empty chair - the first a little on of two
years and later a youth of nineteen.

Finding little chance of accumulating anything, Mr. Eddy began to think of
coming west, where land was cheap and he might hope to lay up something for his
old age.  Therefor in 1855 he came to what was then known as Lowers Saginaw. 
Pioneers of Bay county will easily believe that his first view of the town was
anything but encouraging, but he had made up his mind to stay and no
discouragements, no entreaties could ever thereafter induce him to change, and
the results justified his decision.  Had he cared only to be a wealthy man, he
had here abundant opportunity, but he would not run away risks for the sake of
getting property, though the little he did get was sold at a great increase.

As a man Mr. Eddy was remarkable for perfect honesty and integrity, firm as a
rock where honesty and justice was concerned.  He would have held his right hand
in the flames until it consumed, before he would have used it to do a wrong to
his fellow man or to oppress the widow of or the fatherless.  His life was clean
and pure; his faults were all outside; he had nothing to conceal; he had great
interest in politics; he was a republican and a strong partisan; he was born and
reared in a time when not to be a partisan was to be a tory and a traitor, and
both he and his good wife were always well informed on all the topics of the
day, to which I think they owed their long hold on life.  They never lost their
interest in life, though since his dear wife died a year and a half ago, the
only man has sat with his work all done, only waiting for the call that came so
softly that no ear but his heard it, and he obeyed.  Sitting in his chair as the
sun went down the evening of May 5, 1888, the waiting spirit went out to meet
those who had gone before, the loved wife, the dear children and the two little
granddaughters so dear to his loving heart.  With all his labors o'er, with
clean hands and a pure heart, who could wish a better ending to an honorable life?

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