Cleland, Andrew J.

Andrew J. Cleland
1823-1909

Pioneer resident of Berrien County passes away.

Mrs. James E. Harder today received a telegram from Minneapolis, conveying the sad intelligence of the death of her father, Andrew J. Cleland who passed away this morning.’

Mrs. Cleland, who was in his 87th years, was a son of Martin Cleland, a native of New York, who came to Niles in 1932 and remained for two years, after which he removed to a farm in Bertrand township where he lived till 1858 when he returned to Niles with his family. He then engaged with his sons, in the manufacture of fanning mills and safes. In 1862, Andrew purchased the fanning mill business, and for many years conducted an extensive manufactory of fanning mills, safes and other agricultural implements. He was for several years a member of the common council and prominently connected with the political and business life of the city.’

Mrs. Cleland is survived by four children, Herbert Cleland and Mrs. Fred H. Bacon of St. Louis, Mo, Vincent Cleland of Minneapolis and Mrs. James Harder of Niles.

The remains of the late Mr. Cleland will be brought her for burial. Funeral announcement hereafter.

J. Cleland an Early Settler

Reminiscence full of historical interest.

Came to Niles in 1885

Typical Pioneer in spirit-Public Service in This city Limited to council

 

The death of Andrew J. Cleland at Minneapolis, and his burial in Niles last Thursday, marks the passing of a pioneer of the community whose life has been closely identified with the city’s development since its earliest day.

At the time of his death he was one of the few men living whose connection with Niles dates back to the first decade of its existence, and he enjoyed the distinction of being the oldest living member of the Presbyterian Church of Niles, a congregation with which he allied himself in April 1846.

Mrs. Cleland had in the later years of his life contributed frequent articles to the Niles papers, relating to the early history of the city. These reminiscences were full of historical interest, but seldom made reference to his own association with the development of the village and city of Niles. Infrequent contributions from his pen illumined interesting passages of his own life. 

Early in 1835. Mrs. Cleland came to Niles with his parents from Chatauqua, New York. At that time he was in his thirteenth year, his birth occurring in Chautauqua county, August 22, 1822. the family came to Niles at the time of the Indian reservation lands were being opened west of the city. Martin Cleland, the father of Andrew J. Cleland, and efficient mill-wright and builder had gone through to the new town of Chicago the previous years, and on his way back to New York he fixed upon claim near Niles to which he determined to move his family the following year.

Starting from New York State in February with ox team and heavy camping wagon, the family of pioneers made a 40 day journey through what was to a large extent unsettled country.

They reached Niles after a journey full of hardships, and settled in the village of Niles for the summer and following winter. Andrew Cleland drove a four ox team out into the wooded country towards Edwardsburg during the summer, the 12 year old boy doing a man’s work toward securing building material for the growing village.

The family moved to the new farm west of Niles the next spring the Indiana, who occupied the claim, moving peaceably for the gift of some provision. The statement is made, although there are no records at hand upon the matter, that the Cleland house was build partially from logs that formed a part of the old Carey Mission house built on the Carey Mission in the early part of century. The family lived with peaceable Indiana as neighbors and with hungry Indians as frequent callers at the kitchen door.

Andrew Cleland was married in March 1848, to Mary Barron, daughter of Dr. Jabes Barron a resident of in the country School, and had had a year of education at the local academy which brought to Niles some of the advantages of the University of Michigan of which it was a part. He secured added advantage of tutoring form the country school master, who for several years made his home at the Cleland farm house.

Mrs. Cleland, four years after his marriage, moved back into the limits of Niles, and began the manufacturing business which continued up to the time of his retirement from active work a few years ago. He built and sold throughout the central western county thousands of provision safes, an article that at that time took the place of the refrigerator in the growing western country. H. D. Donmall, the present freight agent of the Michigan Central at Niles, received from Officials at Chicago a curio in the shape of a freight bill made out b y Mr. Cleland in 1864, for the shipment of a car load of these safes from Niles to Calumet, now known as Kensington, near Chicago.

With the aid of his sons, Mr. Cleland continued in the manufacture of these his father had manufactured for many years. In 1873 he started a foundry in Niles, known as the Valley City Iron Works. The business was well launched and promised a big enterprise for Niles, when fire wiped out the entire plant, causing a total loss, and forcing the Clelands to devote their entire energies to the lines of manufacture which they had previously established themselves.

Operations were taken up in the northwest in 1885, distributing headquarters being established at Mankato, Minn. For several years the Niles plant turned out the grain cleaners sold in the new northwestern wheat country, but a factory was subsequently stated at Mankato later moved to Minneapolis, where it is now conducted by A.V. Cleland.

Andrew J. Cleland did not lose his identity with Niles during his business operations in the Northwestern states. He retained his legal residence her and voted her. In his later years he looked upon Niles as his home, and spent a great portions of his time here. He was a strong republican, and a man of great force in both his business and personal life. He was the typical pioneer in sprit, a man who had overcome and tamed the forces of nature in the early days of western development and who had thereby built for himself a character which mad him a leader among men.

His public services in Niles was limited to several years of connection with the city council, and to participation in the Political conventions and gatherings of the days when he was actively identified with the city’s affairs. He retained a deep interest in national affairs up to the time of his death, and had a broad grasp of public questions and policies.

Mary Cleland, his wife, died in Niles in 1896. They had four children, all of whom survive the father. They are Mrs. James E. Harder of this city; Mrs. Frederick H. Bacon of St. Louis, Andrew Vincent Cleland of Minneapolis, and Herbert W. Cleland of St. Louis, Mo.