David C, Wattles 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. 1022-1023

This copy contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives.

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DAVID C. WATTLES. We here present a life narrative of one of the 
prominent citizens of North Branch, who was born in Troy, Bradford 
County, Pa., February 9, 1821, and has now reached the age of a 
septuaganarian. Wattles Ferry, Conn., was the native place of his 
parents, John and Eliza (Cash) Wattles.

   The father was by occupation a stone-layer and brickmason and the 
early home of the family was in the county where our subject was 
brought up. His was not a happy childhood and youth as he became an 
orphan by the death of his mother at the tender age of three years and 
when he was twelve years old he was bound out to a man who proved to be 
addicted to the use of liquor and the unhappy and abused boy ran away 
and found refuge in Chemung County, N. Y., where at the age of fourteen 
years he found employment.

   After spending a year or so there the youth determined to come West, 
but as he had no money he could not secure passage on a boat. With more 
than ordinary pluck and determination he made up his mind to go on 
board the vessel and take his chances and as he fell into kind hands he 
was brought across to Detroit and having made his way on foot through 
the wilderness he came to Lapeer County in 1837.

   This boy had, received but slight schooling in the East and after 
coming to Michigan was able to attend school but thirty-three days when 
he was sixteen years old. For about seven years he continued working on 
farms and in 1844 purchased a piece of land. He enlisted in Detroit May 
28, 1847 for the term of the War with Mexico, receiving his honorable 
discharge at Governor's Island, New York harbor August 13, 1848, after 
which he returned to Michigan.

   Mr. Wattles was married February 5, 1851, to Mrs. Susan M. Rood of 
Lapeer. After carrying on farming in what is now Lapeer City until 1854 
he came to North Branch Township, where there were two bands of Indians 
living at the time. From 1869 to 1873 he lived in Lapeer and now has a 
line place of four hundred acres on sections 9, 10, 15 and 16. It was 
in the fall of 1889 when he removed to the village of North Branch. 
Here he now makes his home although he still carries on farming. In 
politics he is a Democrat and has been Supervisor of the township for a 
number of years, besides filling at one time the office of Township 
Clerk.



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