Tuscola-Saginaw County MI Archives Biographies.....Gardner, Melville G. 1844 - ************************************************ 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 February 23, 2007, 7:29 pm Author: Chapman Bros. (1892) MELVILLE G. GARDNER is one of the progressive citizens of the village of Reese, Denmark Township, Tuscola County, where he carries on a stave and heading works, turning out about five million staves and three hundred and fifty thousand sets of heading per year. He employs about forty men and boys, paying out for labor and timber about 130,000 per annum. The money is all disbursed within a radius of a few miles of Reese for both employes and material. Mr. Gardner is a son of George W. and Mary (Husted) Gardner, natives of New York, where our subject was born December 11, 1844. He was reared on a farm and remained with his father until he was thirty years of age, assuming the charge of the farm at the age of eighteen. At the age of thirty he engaged in the mercantile business at Dresden, N. Y., and continued therein for four years. He then came to St. Charles, Mich., and entered the employ of Hood & Parsons as book-keeper, remaining with them for one year. He came to Reese in in 1879 and entered into partnership with Mr. F. Hood, the firm continuing its existence until January, 1886. In April, 1878, Mr. Gardner was united in marriage to Miss Emma Hood, a daughter of F. and Mary J. Hood. As the years passed they became the parents of two daughters—Annie M., born June 22, 1879, and Edith A., born September 29, 1881. Both of these are still with their parents. Politically, our subject is a Democrat and is a firm believer in the theories and policy of his party. He has been President of the Village Board since its organization. Mrs. Gardner, who is a lady of pronounced attractions and ability, is a member of the Presbyterian Church. Socially, our subject belongs to Milo Lodge, No. 200, of the A. F. & A. M., of Penn Yan, N. Y. He also belongs to the Independent Order of Foresters. Mr. Gardner's parents still survive. His father is seventy-four and his mother sixty-eight years of age. They live in Yates County, N. Y. He is one of four children and is the eldest of the family. The others are Annie, Mrs. Albert Gilbert; Lydia M., Mrs. Burton Chase, of Yates County, N. Y., and Charles, also of the latter place. Our subject is a grandson of Abner Gardner, who was a native of Rhode Island and of English ancestry. Mrs. Gardner's father is a native of Frankfort, Germany, and one of the most prominent German-American settlers in this vicinity. 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/tuscola/bios/gardner589gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/mifiles/ File size: 3.3 Kb