Tuscola-Lapeer County MI Archives Biographies.....Hartnell, Richard 1858 - ************************************************ 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 26, 2006, 10:26 pm Author: Chapman Bros. (1892) RICHARD HARTNELL. Our subject unites the business of farming with the care and superintendence of a saw-mill. His place is located on section 13, Vassar Township, Tuscola County and his interests, which are wide, are also remunerative. Mr. Hartnell is a son of John and Elizabeth (Richards) Hartnell, both natives of England, Our subject is one of a family of ten children, there being five sons and five daughters. Mr. Hartnell, Sr. came to America in 1871 and settled on a farm in Canada. He there resided for about nine years and thence came to Richfield Township, Genesee County, and there lived for five years, thence came to Fremont Township, Tuscola County, where he now resides. Although a portion of his life was spent as a miner, he has the greater portion of his time been a farmer. He and his family are in religions sentiments all Latter-Day Saints. Politically they are Republicans. Mr. Hartnell was born March 22, 1858, in Centillar, Cornwall, England, and was only about nine years of age when brought to Canada by his parents. He remained at home until of age and then learned the engineer's profession, following farming, however, during the time. While in Canada he was married to Elinor Carroll, a daughter of Charles Carroll, a native of Canada. One child, Marion, was born to this couple. Mrs. Elinor Hartnell died May 15, 1886. January 30, 1888, our subject was married to Lillian Needham, a daughter of M. V. Needham, of Lapeer, where our subject's wife was reared. To Mr. and Mrs. Hartnell have been born one child— Hazel. The original of our sketch came to Vassar Township in 1885 and located on a farm of eighty acres, to which he has since added forty acres more. He has cleared the greater part of the farm and has put upon it a good class of buildings. Mr. Hartnell was in the milling business in Lapeer for three years and still is engaged in the same business, having been very successful therein. He saws on an average of four million, six hundred eighty thousand feet per annum, and also manufactures pine and cedar shingles, turning out about one million a year. Mr. Hartnell is much interested in the breeding of Clydesdale horses and last year he imported five stallions. He now owns two of the progeny of "Touch-and-Go" which are two-year-olds, and which took first premiums at Port Huron, Flint and Vassar, the only places where they have been shown in America. One of the colts has also taken first premium in Canada and sweep-stakes at Forest, Canada, for the best Clydesdale on the ground. Mr. Hartnell's horse "Tam O'Shanter" also took the first premium in such places as London, Sarnia, Thetford, Forest and Park Hill, Canada, and also at Port Huron, Mich. He weighs nineteen hundred twenty-five pounds. The two-years-old each weighs fourteen hundred pounds. Mr. Hartnell at present owns several brood mares. Our subject is Republican in politics and is the present Postmaster of Juniata, having held the office throughout Harrison's administration. He has also been engaged in mercantile business at Juniata for two years. When a boy of nine years of age he drove horses on a canal in Wales, receiving seventy-five cents per month and boarded himself, and although he has had various discouraging events in his life, such as the burning of his home and mill, he has been undaunted and has been very successful in his later efforts. 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/hartnell56nbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/mifiles/ File size: 4.3 Kb