Eleazor F. Crocker
1809-1886
Death of Eleazor F. Crocker
Mr. Eleazor F. Crocker, an old and esteemed citizen , died at his home on north Sixth street, on Sunday morning last, aged 77 years. Mr. Crocker was born in Washington county, New York, in 1809, and at the age of 18 removed to Pennsylvania, settling in Erie county. His business life was a varied one. His first business venture was in buying a lot of clocks and selling them in the South, Travelling at that day having to be done by steamboat, team or on horseback. After this he purchased a stock of goods in Buffalo, shipped them to Detroit, and from there to Niles by team, in 1832. Here he sold his stock to E. Griswold. After a short time, he established a livery here, this being the end of the stage route, and Mr. Crocker carried passengers from here to Chicago by private conveyance, making it quite a business. Later on he went into the milling business at Middleton, Indiana. Selling out there he returned to Niles and engaged in the foundry business. Merchandising here for a time, he lived later at Dowagiac and Watervliet. He engaged in various enterprises along until ten years ago when he purchased a saw mill near Buchanan. Five years ago this mill was burned to the ground. Mr. Crocker was something of an inventive genius, but this did not profit him.
Mr. Crocker was a kind hearted, genial man, and had many friends, especially among the older settlers, who will remember his good qualities with pleasure.
(Source: Niles Republican, Thursday, Nov. 11, 1886, page 5, col. 2, microfilm Niles District Library)
Another Old Settler Gone
Eleazor F. Crocker, one of the oldest settlers in this city died at 5 o’clock Sunday morning, aged 77 years. Mr. Crocker has been a man of misfortune. He was a native of Washington county, N.Y., born in 1809. At 18 years of age he moved to Erie county, Penn. Here he secured a lot of Yankee clocks and took them down the Alleghany river to Pittsburg, then by raft to Cincinnati, thence by steamer to Vicksburg, where he sold them on time, first at retail and closed out at wholesale. He returned to Erie county and shipped a lot of dry goods to Detroit, and he started with a team for the same place and took the goods by team across the territory to Niles, where he arrived in 1832. These he sold to Eber Griswold, the first baker in Niles. He then went to Princeton, Tenn., going on horseback to Cincinnati to collect dues on clocks, and out of $400 only saved $100, the man to whom he sold having failed. He returned to Cincinnati, took his horse and arrived home in January.
He then opened a livery stable, and whenever the stage company brought four passengers he took them to Chicago for $6 each. He traveled the south road via Laporte for some time and crossed the Calumet near Lake station. By treaty with the Indians a strip of land for a road from Logansport to Lake Michigan was obtained and it struck the lake at what is now Michigan City. A village was laid out there by a Laporte man and he offered Mr. Crocker a village lot if he would run his team and passengers that way. He would not take the lot as a gift for there was nothing there but a log house for workmen that were opening the road, but he went that way for the reason it was “better” getting around the beach to Chicago than by the southern route. He forded all the streams. At Michigan City there was no visible stream. At Calumet he never went over the wagon box. This he carried on for nearly two seasons and went to Middleton, Ind., bought a mill partly built, finished it, set it running and got a village started then called Middlebury and sold out, making a clean profit of $1,500. He sold the obligations to Jasper Mason, merchant at Niles, for the foundry and flour shop that stood opposite Dennison’s plaining mill. This he traded with Thad Warren for a stack of goods which he sold and trusted out, losing nearly his all. He then leased a grist mill at Dowagiac and sold the lease and went to Watervliet and put a grist mill and saw mill in running order for Jesse Smith & Co., for the sue fo the mills three years. He built the dam, the foundation of which is there now, and put in a lock. Here he made about $1,200.
He then took a contract at St. Joseph to furnish the lumber to build the first railroad bridge in this city. The logs were run down the Paw Paw river to the St. Joseph and sawed in steam saw mill and the lumber was towed to Niles by steamer in flat boats owned by Paine & Porter for $2 a thousand. In this Mr. Crocker lost $700. He then came back to Niles and bought out B.Y. Collins in the grocery business and did a prosperous business but sold out to Robert Gephart and rented Townsend’s mill on the Berrien road and ran it about three years, and the dam going off frequently he gave it up and went to Sumnerville and purchased a saw mill of Mr. Brookfield and started a carding machine and woolen factory and made a debt of $1,200 and paid $200 every six months. He made the three first payments and sold out to Mr. Taylor for $2,300. He carried on woolen business there for three years and at the same time bought a carding machine and run[sic] it at Paw Paw. He sold out all his interest in both places and bought a saw mill in Bloomingdale, Van Buren county, and run[sic] it about 18 months and made about $1,000. He then bought car lumber for M.C.R.R. for 18 months, and finally went to inventing a new ay to propel steamboats, getting patent rights on water wheels, and by these invention lost all he had. About his last venture was in 1876. He bought a saw mill below Buchanan, which some one set fire to about 5 years ago and it finished up nearly all of his earthly possessions. He was naturally a good man, meant well, and everyone felt a sympathy for him in his misfortunes. He was always inventive, talked about patent rights even in his delirious moments on his death bed. Every one liked him for the good nature, if nothing else. He took misfortune well, and he, who should have been rich, died, poor and his casket is paid for by kind friends, and generous hearted Bunburys’ furnish the hearse and teams to give him a respectable burial which takes place from his residence at 1 p.m. to-morrow, and it is hoped there will be a large number to pay respect to an old, enterprising, but unfortunate fellow citizen. Mr. C. Leaves a wife, son and a married daughter.
[NOTE: The above brief sketch was furnished by Mr. Crocker himself, at the solicitation of the editor of the MIRROR about two years ago. It was left unfinished, but it will be interesting to the early settlers and all who knew Mr. Crocker.]
(Source: Niles Mirror, Wednesday, November 10, 1886, page 5, col. 3 & 4, microfilm Niles District Library)