Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Webber, Samuel W. April 19, 1902 ************************************************ 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: Marilyn Ransom mlnransom@chartermi.net May 9, 2010, 11:16 pm The Ionia Daily Sentinel, Monday, April 21, 1902 Samuel W. Webber, one of the most active and best-known citizens of the county, died at his home in Lyons village, between 6 and 7 o’clock Saturday evening. Deceased had been a resident of Lyons for 43 years, and during most of that time his aggressive business qualities have brought him into contact with the most prominent men of this section. He was genial, honest and enterprising, and his activities extended far and wide, giving him a high reputation for business acumen and energy, which his success well justified. He was one of the wealthy men of the county, owning considerable real estate, town and country, large interests in Dakota lands, and was the owner, in part or whole of six banks in this state, located at Lyons, Muir and Pewamo in this county, and in Mt. Pleasant, Newaygo and Shelby. He was also a large stockholder and a director of the Ionia County Savings bank of this city. In the early days of the First National bank of this city he served for years as a member of the board of directors. Deceased was born in Newbury, Vt., May 25, 1823. When four years old his parents moved to Steuben County, N. Y. Samuel W. lived the usual life of the farmer’s boy of that period, tilling the soil in summer, and doing chores and attending the district school in winter, until he was 23 years old, when he made his first important business venture by buying the homestead farm. In the same year, 1846, he married Miss Marietta Bowen. Later, Mr. Webber engaged in the mercantile business, still carrying on his farm, but finally sold out his possessions there and moved to Portland, this county, in ’55 or ’56. He located a piece of new land in Portland, and spent four years in bringing it under cultivation. His wife died in 1859, and the same year he moved to Lyons, where he first engaged in general mercantile business. He subsequently bought a farm near the village, which he added to until it became one of the largest and finest farms in the county. He first engaged in banking in Muir, in company with his brother, the late Geo. W. Webber of this city. This line of business he adhered to and increased greatly as before stated. He was again married in June, 1861, to Miss Marian N. Bowen, a sister of his first wife, with whom he lived happily a number of years, but who died several years ago. Two sons survive, one being born to the first marriage and one of the second. The elder, William A., is carrying on the homestead farm, near Lyons, and the other, Samuel W., Jr., is cashier of the Lyons bank. Mr. Webber has never had any political ambition, and has uniformly declined public office. He has always manifested an interest in the moral welfare and business prosperity of his home town, and has contributed to the agencies he though of effect in these directions. His great force, shrewdness, integrity of character, with many kindly social impulses, gave him the confidence, esteem and respect of the community to an unusual degree. Funeral service will be held at family residence, Lyons, tomorrow afternoon at 2 o’clock, conducted by Rev. W. H. Thomas, D. D., of this city, and will be attended by many residents of this city. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/ionia/obits/w/webber3850nob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/mifiles/ File size: 3.8 Kb