Homer E. Hudson

Page 347 – A prosperous farmer residing on section 33, of Georgetown Township, Ottawa County, has for a number of years been closely identified with the agricultural interests of this section of the state. He is the son of William P. Hudson, a native of Massachusetts, who followed the trade of a mechanic until 1855. He then located on a farm in the vicinity of Cleveland, Ohio, where his remaining years were passed. His marriage united him with Miss Delphia, daughter of A. S. Shurwin, a Revolutionary hero, who is an early day removed from Massachusetts to Cleveland, Ohio, settling on a farm near that city.

In the parental family there were five children, four of whom are now living, viz.: William P., a resident of Ohio; Homer E., of this sketch; Asa S. and Ruth D., both of whom live in the Buckeye State, the latter being a widow. The subject of this notice was born near Cleveland, Ohio, May 30 1827, and was reared on a farm, until attaining to manhood years. Meantime he received a good common-school education and also gained a thorough knowledge of agricultural pursuits, as well as the nursery business, having since made a specialty of the latter. In 1848 he was united in marriage with Miss Clarinda Burt, who as born in Medina County, Ohio, in 1829. Her parents, Daniel and Stata (Ganyard) Burt, removed from Massachusetts to Granger, Medina County, Ohio, where they resided until their death. He was a Captain in the State Militia of Ohio, and was a man of influence in his community.

The union of Mr. And Mrs. Hudson resulted in the birth of eighth children, five of whom are now living. The are: Delphia C., the widow of Adelbert Barnaby, and the mother of two children; Horace A., who married Nellie Purdy and has two children; Homer F., who chose Miss Millie Anable as his wife, their union having resulted in the birth of one child; Elliott E., who married Miss Kate Pierce; and Belle M., the wife of Adrian Pompe and the mother of two children. Mr. Hudson came to Michigan in 1848 and located in Grand Rapids, where he entered the employ of Elisha Kellogg, in the nursery business. Thence, in 1849, he moved to Holland, this state, whither the Dutch colony had come the year previous. There he embarked in the nursery business, becoming the pioneer nurseryman of the place, and conducting an extensive trade, in company with Rev. A. C. VanRaalte, the founder of the Dutch colony.

After remaining thus engaged for ten years Mr. Hudson disposed of his nursery business and removed to the farm, where he has since resided. The places was then wholly unimproved, and it required arduous exertions on the part of the owner to clear the land and cultivate the soil. As soon as he had sufficiently improved the place, he set out trees and commenced in the nursery business, which for seven years, he conducted on a large scale. Then selling out his interests in that line, he commenced farming, and has since devoted his attention to the tilling of the soil. He has thirty-five acres in the home place, which he devotes to mixed farming. He also purchased eighty acres of Luman Jenison, of which the thirty-five acres mentioned above are a part, and he has another eighty-acre tract, which is devoted to agricultural purposes.

On the corner of Mr. Hudson’s farm there was a little schoolhouse, known as Hudson’s Schoolhouse, where religious services were frequently held. When the land was surveyed for railroad purposes, our subject furnished the property on which the depot was erected, and the station was called Hudsonville in his honor. He platted twenty acres and laid out town lots, many of which he has disposed of. His interest in the welfare of the town has been deep and unceasing, and to him more than to any other man is due the present prosperity of the village. He has given his children excellent educational advantages, all of them having completed the studies of the district schools. The eldest son, Horace A., received a collegiate education at Kalamazoo College, and engaged for a time in teaching school.

After the death of his first wife, Mr. Hudson was again married, in 1889 choosing as his wife Mrs. Maryette Aurora (Fox) Manning, a native of New York. By her former marriage she has one child, Clarence. Mrs. Hudson is an active worker in the Congregational Church at Hudsonville, and has for years been prominent in the Ladies Mite Society of which she is an officer. She is a teacher in the Sunday-school and a successful worker in the temperance cause. Mr. Hudson is a Christian, and by his life proves the sincerity of his religious belief.

Socially, Mr. Hudson is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he has occupied all the chairs, and has served as Treasurer for many year. He is also an active member of the Grange, of which he has been Master for eleven years. For nine years he served as Director of Schools, resigning the position on account of the pressure of other duties. In politics, he is a Democrat, firm in his allegiance to the party of his choice. He has been elected to the positions of Highway Commissioner, Township Treasurer (in which he served for two years), and Justice of the Peace. On the 1^st of May, 1868, he was appointed Postmaster of Hudsonville, and filled that position for several years, the postoffice being located in his residence. The village was then called South Georgetown, and upon the change of the name to Hudsonville, February 18, 1872, he continued Postmaster, serving in that capacity until 1881.

One of Mr. Hudson’s brothers, Asa, served throughout the entire period of the Civil War and was under Gen. Sherman, being Orderly-Sergeant for that famous general. In three different engagements he was the last man on the field, and his bravery gained for him the respect and admiration of his comrades in arms. Another brother, Thomas, enlisted in the defense of the Union during the late war and served in Gen. Garfield’s army. He was a valiant and daring soldier until he died from injuries received in the service.