William Colerick Biography, Lapeer County, Michigan

This Biography extracted from “Portrait and Biographical Record of 
Genesee, Lapeer and Tuscola Counties, Michigan…”, published be Chapman 
Bros., Chicago (1892), p. 990

This copy contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives.




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p. 990

WILLIAM COLERICK, of the firm of Colerick & Martin, of Almont, Lapeer 
County. was born in Quebec, in June, 1827. The father, Samuel Colerick 
was born in Birmingham, England and the mother, Margaret Murphy, was a 
native of the Island of Corfu. Samuel Colerick was a British soldier 
for twenty-seven years and fought in the battle of Waterloo, where he 
was wounded and received a decoration for his bravery. His death 
occurred in London, Canada in 1857, and he left four children, three 
sons and one daughter, only one of whom besides our subject survives; 
Henry, who lives in London, Canada, and has a large family.

   Most of the boyhood days of Mr. Colerick were spent in London, 
Canada, where he received his common-school education and at seventeen 
began his apprenticeship to the tinners' trade, and in 1846 came to 
Almont, where he kept a tin shop until 1861. The following year he was 
appointed Post-master. Five months later he left the office in the 
hands of a deputy and enlisted in Company L, First Michigan Cavalry, 
serving from August 17, 1861 to March 22, 1866. He was in all the 
battles in which his regiment was engaged and received one flesh wound. 
It was while carrying orders for Gen. Custer that our subject had his 
horse shot from under him in the battle of Hagerstown and was 
consequently taken prisoner, but made his escape by the aid of a kind 
negro and a friendly Scotchman, by whose help he was enabled to return 
to his regiment. He was promoted from the rank of a private to that of 
an Orderly Sergeant, then to that of Second Lieutenant and in 1864 was 
made Captain. He was on the staff of Gen. Custer and was appointed 
Inspector General on the staff of Gen. Peter Stagg. During the latter 
part of his term of service he was at Ft. Bridger, Utah.

   He of whom we write had been married in March 1849, to Miss Clarissa 
Humphrey of Almont, who was a native of Darien, N. Y. Their eldest 
daughter Alice, married Frank Follansbee and with her husband and one 
son lives in Port Huron. Emma is the wife of Frederick Bristol, a 
druggist of Lapeer, and son of U. D. Bristol whose sketch appears 
elsewhere in this work. Upon his return from the army our subject 
entered into the mercantile business in a general store and has been 
thus engaged ever since.

   The Republican party commands the vote and influence of Mr. Colerick 
and his first vote was east for Gen. Lewis Cass. He was elected Sheriff 
in 1880 being re-elected at the end of that term. He belongs to the 
order of the Knights Templar and is a member of Blue Lodge No. 51, 
Almont.




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