Paul F. Mantke
June 5, 1864-June 2, 1928

The Niles Daily Star (Niles, Berrien Co., MI), Monday, June 4, 1928, page 1 col. 4

PAUL MANTKE IS TAKEN BY DEATH AFTER STROKE AT NILES ELKS CLUB

Death came to Paul Mantke, suddenly on Saturday evening at 7:15 at Pawating hospital, where he was taken on Friday noon after he had suffered a stroke of paralysis while at the Elk temple. Had Mr. Mantke lived until tomorrow he would have celebrated his sixty-fourth birthday anniversary.

Mr. Mantke was born in Germany on June 4, 1864. He was brought to Niles by his parents when he was a small boy, possibly five or six years of age, and had since lived here. Early in his life he entered the employ of the Michigan Central railroad company and continued in the railroad company's employ for about 40 years, and was one of the veteran employes of the company for several years. He was engaged in switching at South Bend when he met with an accident in which one of his feet was so severely crushed that amputation was necessary. He worked for a short time after the foot had been amputated but was soon pensioned by the railroad company and retired.

Since his retirement he had practically made his home at the Elk temple. He was a member of the South Bend lodge of Elks before the Niles lodge of Elks was organized but was one of the first in Niles to transfer his membership to Niles. He never married. He is survived by one sister, Mrs. Pauline Kolks, so is expected in Niles, this afternoon from Glasglow, Mo., William Mantke, of Kansas City, Mo., and Paul Korman, of St. Louis, Mo, Nephews reached Niles this morning. Mrs. Thomas Leonard and Alderman Paul Mantke, of Niles are niece and nephew of the deceased.

Besides the lodge of Elks, Mr. Mantke was a member of the Michigan Central Pioneer association.

The funeral services will be held tomorrow afternoon at 2 o'clock at the Rutherford Funeral Home. The services will be under the auspices of the Elk lodge. Burial will take place in Silver Brook cemetery.

Frank W. Curtis
November 10, 1895-January 12, 1978

The Niles Daily Star (Niles, Berrien Co., MI), Saturday, January 14, 1978, page 2 col. 1

BRADENTON—Frank W. Curtis, 82, of 1500 Ferndale, died at 11:15 p.m. Thursday at Manatee Memorial Hospital here after an illness of two years.

A veteran of World War I, he was a member of the First Presbyterian Church and a retired employee of the National Standard Company.

Mr. Curtis was born on November 10, 1895, in LaPorte before moving to the Niles are in 1929. On June 30, 1923 he married Edna L. Bauman, who survives.

Also surviving is a daughter, Mrs. Margaret Evick of Niles, and three grandchildren.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Halbritter Funeral Home with the Rev. William J. Fuerstenau of the First Presbyterian Church officiating. Burial will be in the Silverbrook Cemetery.

Friends may call at the Halbritter Funeral Home from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday.

Edna L. Curtis
April 22, 1901-July 15, 1982

The Niles Daily Star (Niles, Berrien Co., MI), Friday, July 16, 1982, page 2 col. 2-4

Mrs. Edna L. Curtis, 81, 0f 530 W. Tanglewood, Mishawaka, died at 1:35 p.m. Thursday at the St. Joseph Medical Center in South Bend after a brief illness.

She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church and the Brotherhood of Railway Clerks. She was a retired employee of the N.Y. Central Rail Road.

She was born April 22, 1901 in LaPorte, Ind., and had lived in the Niles area since 1929.

She married Frank W. Curtis June 30, 1923 in South Bend. He preceeded her in death January 12, 1978.

Surviving are; a daughter, Mrs. Melvin (Margaret) Evick of Niles and a sister, Mrs. L.D. Sies of Gresham, Oregon. Three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren also survive.

Services will be held at the Halbritter Funeral Home at 11 a.m. Saturday. The Rev. William J. Fuerstenau of the First Presbyterian Church will officiate.

Burial will follow at Silverbrook Cemetery. Friends may call from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.

Memorials may be made to the First Presbyterian Church or Niles Community Library.

Pierre Burt
February 26, 1850-January 27, 1927

The Niles Daily Star (Niles, Berrien Co., MI), Monday, January 31, 1927, page 1 col. 3

PIERRE BURT DIES AFTER APOPLECTIC STROKE IN CALIF.

Pierre Burt, a former resident of Niles for 20 years, died on Thursday, January 27, at Glendale, Calif., after being stricken with apoplexy on January 23.

During his residence in Niles Mr. Burt was deeply interested in city affairs and had served for two terms as supervisor from the third ward. He worked diligently developing which is now known as Riverview addition. He engaged in gardening in a small way and in raising chickens. In the fall Mr. and Mrs. Burt went to Glendale and upon his health began to improve rapidly. His sudden affliction and resulting death therefore, comes as a shock to relatives and many friends.

Mr. Burt was born in New York state, February 26, 1850. When he was four years of age, his parents moved to Manitowoc county, Wisconsin, which at that time was a wilderness and very sparsely settled, the neighbors being chiefly the Indians. It was here that the Burt family built their log cabin, cleared the land for tilling, raised their twelve children and endured the many hardships common to the pioneer.

Mr. Burt was married to Mary E. Peck in 1873 at Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Seven children were born to them, five girls and two boys, the boys dying in their infancy. Besides the widow, he is survived by the following daughters: Mrs. Jay Hall, Manitowoc, Wisc. ; Mrs. Laura Luth, Niles; Mrs (Dr.) L.K. Atherton, Washington, D.C.; Mrs. Harl Searl, Spokane, Wash., and Mrs. Austin Hayward, Fond du Lac, Wis.. He also is survived by 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

After his children had grown to young womanhood he moved from this farm to the city of Manitowoc where he spent several years actively engaged in politics and business. For two terms he served as sheriff of Manitowoc county. During the remaining years he lived in Wisconsin and operated shoe stores at Manitowoc and Fond du Lac.

Contemplating a change of resident, he and Mrs. Burt made a tour of the country in 1908 seeking a favorable place to locate. After visiting many places on the way back to Wisconsin, when the train stopped at Niles, they were so impressed with the beautiful Michigan Central park, that they got off for a further inspection of the city. They did not leave Niles until after they purchased the Dye property known as the Colonel Bond place. Since then Niles had been his home and he has often expressed his opinion that Niles was the most beautiful city he had visited.

The Niles Daily Star (Niles, Berrien Co., MI), Friday, February 4, 1927, page 4 col. 1

News in Brief: BURIAL TO BE DELAYED

Mrs. Laura Luth has been advised the body of her father, Pierre Burt, who died in January will be placed in a mausoleum in Glendale but will be brought to Niles for burial or as soon as Mrs. Burt can close her business affairs there.

The Niles Daily Star (Niles, Berrien Co., MI), Tuesday, February 15, 1927, page 4 col. 1

News in Brief: BRINGING BODY TO NILES

The body of Pierre Burt is being brought to Niles from Glendale, Calif., by his daughter, Mrs. Austin Hayward , of Fond du Lac, Wis., and is expected here on Michigan Central train due at 11o'clcok tomorrow morning. The body will be taken directly to mausoleum in Silver Brook cemetery and the funeral services will be conducted there at 2:30 o'clock by Rev. H.T. Scherer, pastor of the Presbyterian church. The body will be entombed in the masoleum [sic] crypt. Mrs. Burt, widow of the deceased was unable to make this trip to Niles on account of illness, but she plans after the disposal of their property there to return to Niles later.

Pierre Burt
February 26, 1850-January 27, 1927

The Niles Daily Star (Niles, Berrien Co., MI), Monday, January 31, 1927, page 1 col. 3

PIERRE BURT DIES AFTER APOPLECTIC STROKE IN CALIF.

Pierre Burt, a former resident of Niles for 20 years, died on Thursday, January 27, at Glendale, Calif., after being stricken with apoplexy on January 23.

During his residence in Niles Mr. Burt was deeply interested in city affairs and had served for two terms as supervisor from the third ward. He worked diligently developing which is now known as Riverview addition. He engaged in gardening in a small way and in raising chickens. In the fall Mr. and Mrs. Burt went to Glendale and upon his health began to improve rapidly. His sudden affliction and resulting death therefore, comes as a shock to relatives and many friends.

Mr. Burt was born in New York state, February 26, 1850. When he was four years of age, his parents moved to Manitowoc county, Wisconsin, which at that time was a wilderness and very sparsely settled, the neighbors being chiefly the Indians. It was here that the Burt family built their log cabin, cleared the land for tilling, raised their twelve children and endured the many hardships common to the pioneer.

Mr. Burt was married to Mary E. Peck in 1873 at Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Seven children were born to them, five girls and two boys, the boys dying in their infancy. Besides the widow, he is survived by the following daughters: Mrs. Jay Hall, Manitowoc, Wisc. ; Mrs. Laura Luth, Niles; Mrs (Dr.) L.K. Atherton, Washington, D.C.; Mrs. Harl Searl, Spokane, Wash., and Mrs. Austin Hayward, Fond du Lac, Wis.. He also is survived by 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

After his children had grown to young womanhood he moved from this farm to the city of Manitowoc where he spent several years actively engaged in politics and business. For two terms he served as sheriff of Manitowoc county. During the remaining years he lived in Wisconsin and operated shoe stores at Manitowoc and Fond du Lac.

Contemplating a change of resident, he and Mrs. Burt made a tour of the country in 1908 seeking a favorable place to locate. After visiting many places on the way back to Wisconsin, when the train stopped at Niles, they were so impressed with the beautiful Michigan Central park, that they got off for a further inspection of the city. They did not leave Niles until after they purchased the Dye property known as the Colonel Bond place. Since then Niles had been his home and he has often expressed his opinion that Niles was the most beautiful city he had visited.

The Niles Daily Star (Niles, Berrien Co., MI), Friday, February 4, 1927, page 4 col. 1

News in Brief: BURIAL TO BE DELAYED

Mrs. Laura Luth has been advised the body of her father, Pierre Burt, who died in January will be placed in a mausoleum in Glendale but will be brought to Niles for burial or as soon as Mrs. Burt can close her business affairs there.

The Niles Daily Star (Niles, Berrien Co., MI), Tuesday, February 15, 1927, page 4 col. 1

News in Brief: BRINGING BODY TO NILES

The body of Pierre Burt is being brought to Niles from Glendale, Calif., by his daughter, Mrs. Austin Hayward , of Fond du Lac, Wis., and is expected here on Michigan Central train due at 11o'clcok tomorrow morning. The body will be taken directly to mausoleum in Silver Brook cemetery and the funeral services will be conducted there at 2:30 o'clock by Rev. H.T. Scherer, pastor of the Presbyterian church. The body will be entombed in the masoleum [sic] crypt. Mrs. Burt, widow of the deceased was unable to make this trip to Niles on account of illness, but she plans after the disposal of their property there to return to Niles later.

Wilber N. Burns
November 18, 1879-February 17, 1964

The Niles Daily Star (Niles, Berrien Co., MI), Friday, February 17, 1964, page 1, column 2

PROMINENT NILES ATTORNEY DIES AT FLINT TODAY
Wilbur N. Burns, 76, Was Prominent in Civic and Business Affairs

Atty. Wilber N. burns, 78, of 544 Oak Street, senior partner in the law firm of Burns, Mollison and Hadsell here, died at 7 a.m. today in the home of his son-in-law and daughter, Dr. and Mrs. Edwin P. Vary, of Flint.

The veteran attorney had been ill since September when he entered the hospital at Flint. Since his release from the hospital, he had been at the home of his daughter.

HE WAS BORN Nov. 18, 1879, in Pekin, Niagara County, N.Y., the son of Newton and Mary Maxon Burns and moved to Michigan with his family at the age of eight. He was married Sept. 28, 1904, to Grace Bartram of St. Louis, Mich. She preceded him in death on June 4, 1951.

His family settled in St. Louis where he graduated from high school in 1897. He taught school for two years before entering the University of Michigan where he graduated with his law degree in 1902. On Aug. 1 of that year he was admitted to the bar and shortly after that opened his practice in Niles. He held the distinction of introducing the first typewriter to the city.

In 1903 he formed a partnership with Charles E. Sweet of Dowagiac, with whom he practiced until 1907. The partnership was dissolved at that time and he operated alone until 1910 when he formed a partnership with Arthur J. Hillman. He practiced alone again from 1913 to 1919. In August, 1919, Philip A. Hadsell, now circuit Judge, entered the firm and became a partner in 1920. In 1951, Andrew R. Mollison of Detroit entered the firm as a partner, and 1954 Philip A. Hadsell, Jr. because a partner in the firm.

DURING HIS 53 years of active practice he gained recognition as (continued on Page Two) a specialist in corporation law and served as attorney for the Indiana and Michigan Electric Company, and National-Standard company.

He served as city attorney from 1959 to 1963, was president of the State Bar of Michigan from 1945 to 1946, was president of the Berrien County Bar Association from 1938 to 1939 and service as a county circuit court commissioner from 1904 to 1908.

He was elected commissioner of the State Bar in 1938 and held that post until 1946. He also was a member of the American bar Association and the American Judicature Society.

ACTIVE IN ALL civic affairs he was a charter member and first president of the Niles Rotary Club, served as a member of the Board of Education, was secretary-treasurer of the Niles Hotel Association and served as an elder and Sunday school superintendent of the First Presbyterian Church where he was a member.

He was a member of the St. Joseph Valley Chapter of the Masonic Lodge, holding the thirty-second degree.

He also was a member of the Fraternal Order of Police and held life memberships in the Knights of Pythias and the Elks Lodge.

Surviving besides his daughter are: two sisters, Mrs. M.E. Moore, of Alma, Mich., and Mrs. Clare Rogers, of Sherman Oaks, Calif, and four grandchildren, Mrs. Gerald Robbins, of LaCrosse, Wis., Wilber Burns Vary, of Lansing, James Vary, of Flint, and Miss Janette Vary, also of Flint. His son, Robert Burns, died in 1927.

Funeral services will be held at 3 p.m., Sunday in the First Presbyterian Church here with the pastor, Dr. T.Mi. Greenhoe, officiating. Burial will be in the mausloeum[sic] at Silverbrook Cemetery. Friends may call at the Kiger Funeral Home here Saturday afternoon.