Genesee County MI Archives Biographies.....Blake, John W. 1847 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com December 13, 2007, 9:24 pm Author: Chapman Bros. (1892) JOHN W. BLAKE, M. S. The long distances that produce is now sent, entailing journeys of thousands of miles through varying temperatures, has necessitated what to our ancestors would have seemed a most unfeasible scheme, but which is- now commonly enough known as cold storage, and which is used by every large wholesale produce dealer. Our subject, who does a very large business as a wholesale produce dealer in Flint, has the best cold storage house in the place. He has been very successful in his business, which is not surprising, as he has every convenience to work with. Mr. Blake was born October 28, 1847, eighteen miles south of Rochester, N. Y., and one mile north of Honeoye Falls. He is a son of Anthony and Mary (Phillip) Blake. His father was a native of Germany, his grandfather Blake having come from the Fatherland with his family, and they located at Dunkirk, N. Y. Anthony Blake was but eleven years of age when brought to America and he soon became a thorough American citizen. He engaged in farming in Monroe County and in 1852 located in Kendall, Orleans County, N, Y., on what is now one of the best farms in the county. He also owns a farm in Morgan County, that State. Our subject's mother who was a native of Dutchess County, N. Y., died in 1882, at the age of seventy years. She was the mother of eight children, of whom our subject is the third in order of birth. Mr. Blake was reared on the home farm in Orleans County and received a good common-school education. When seventeen years of age he entered the Brockport Normal School and was there one year, then went to Genesee College at Lima and was in attendance there for two years, when the college was removed to Syracuse and became the Syracuse University. Our subject graduated in 1872 with the degree of Bachelor of Science. After finishing his course he was engaged in teaching in Orleans County for eight years and prior to that taught for one year. He was Principal of three different schools. The degree of Master of Science was conferred upon Mr. Blake from his Alma Mater in 1876. In May, 1879, he came to Flint and started in the grocery business on South Saginaw Street, continuing as a retail grocer for five years, but during the time he was gradually drifting into his present line and about 1884 dropped the grocery business and gave himself exclusively to dealing in produce. In 1884, he built his fine brick block, which has a frontage of sixty-six feet, extends back one block, and is conveniently located on the sidetracks of the Flint & Pere Marquette Railroad. The block is a two-story building with basement and is the finest cold storage establishment in the city, He handles all lines of produce in their season, making a specialty of butter and eggs, and handling from ten thousand dozens of eggs, and from three to five thousand pounds of butter per week. He ships East by the car load and averages two cars a week, exporting more largely than any other firm in this locality. Mr. Blake was married in this city February 15, 1881, to Miss Ella Stowe, a native of Flint. She is a daughter of Joseph Stowe, an old settler here, who was born in England. Mr. and Mrs. Blake are the parents of three children—Herbert S., Elmer S., and Mabel E. Socially Mr. Blake is a member of the Fraternal Order of Home Protectors and in politics he is a Republican. In connection with this sketch appears a lithographic portrait of Mr. Blake. Additional Comments: Extracted from: Portrait and Biographical Record of Genesee, Lapeer and Tuscola Counties, Michigan, Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens, Together with Biographies of all the Governors of the State, and of the Presidents of the United States Chicago: Chapman Bros. 1892 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/genesee/bios/blake919gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/mifiles/ File size: 4.3 Kb