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.UDINGTON, MICHIGAN98thAnniversary Here TodaysMX(By AGNES E. MACLAREN1Two years before Burr Caswell, first white settler in Mason county, arrived here in 1845, there was born in Prussia Arthur Ursum, who today is celebrating his 98th birthday anniversary at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Thomas Loy, 110 East Danaher street, with whom he resides.senof ]Mr. Ursum has seen many strange and unusual things occur during his lifetime—things we of today take for granted, but which were awe-inspiring at the time of their inception— things like the automobile, the radio, the airplane, the telephone, mechanical refrigerators, electric lights and numberless other modern conveniences.Born Dec. 17, 1843, in Prussia, Arthur Ursum fought in thePrussian-Austrian war of 1866.When he was 26 he came to this country, planning to return to his fatherland in a year, but he has never returned, and neverwanted to.riSISykdbils,Tdeisit3.Sddnet0nr.tyssfs3On his arrival in New York City, he stayed there day and night, then went on to Chicago.; getting work at once in a lum-I ber yard. A few days later he j was asked by the lumber yard j manager if he would like to go to Manistee to work in lumber mills. Having worked in a grist mill m Germany, Mr. Ursum immediately said he'd go. A boat was leaving at once so Mr. Ursum boarded her, but, as hethought Manistee was just a short distance up the river, he left everything behind, dinner pail, clothes, in fact he took nothing with him except what he had on. Imagine his surprise and dismay when the ship didn't stop for two days.Arriving in Manistee the last of June, he started to work, m the mills July 1. He later/went to Filertown where heworked for many years operating a machine that cut inch, two-inch, four-inch and six-inch lumber. In the winter months he worked in the woods.Mr. Ursum often walked from Manistee to Ludington and he remembers many of the early landmarks—the sawdust streets, the little Engleman steamers, the mills, the schooners.On April 5, 1871, he was married at Manistee to Miss Frederica Springborn, ' who had come from Germany to make her home with an uncle in Manistee. This uncle had previously lived at Susquehanna, Pa., subsequently moving to Manistee, inducing all his relatives to followhim.Mr. Ursum and his wife continued to live at Filertown until 1896 when on their silverwedding anniversary, theymoved to a farm in Grant township. Thick with timber, this land had to be cleared by Mr. Ursum before he could farm it. Nineteen years ago the Ursums left the farm, coming to Ludington to live with Mr. and Mrs. Loy. Three years ago Mrs. Ursum passed away.Mr. Ursum has three daughters, Mrs. Loy, Mrs. Frank Smith of Detroit, Mrs. Lawrence Van-Zile of White Pigeon, and four sons, Fred and Emil of Manistee, Abel who lives near Detroit and Herman who lives on the Grant township farm. Five other children have passed away, two of them, Emma and Bertha, dyingof membraneous croup on thesame day while the family livedat Filertown.While the Ursums lived in Grant township, Mr. Ursum was active in community affairs. For 18 years he was director of Flynn school, of which his son Herman is now director; for 13 years he was justice of the peace and for many years was road commissioner. While he was road commissioner, he built many roads, among the a gravel road between Grant and Filertown, and he also constructed a bridge across Sable river.Mr. Ursum spent two years at a camp at Shingleton lake. “We had only pork and beans, hash, a little blitter and potatoes, he said, “but we had a good cook, who did the best he could.Mr. Ursum’s vigorous life and advanced years have not benumbed him in any way. He leads an active life, chopping wood and doing countless other things that people far younger than he often find too strenuous. His mind is clear and strong, and he converses readily on subjects of today as well as happenings of his early life. His memory for dates is almost miraculous.bee-arrrefecHwarordi4.teiNavy Recruiter WillBe in ManisteeA Navy recruiting officer— “this time for sure—will beTo Relieve Misery Rub on Time-ProvedVicks VapoRubMl£at the Manistee post office for a period of approximately two weeks starting Friday, Dec. 19,according to an announcement received by The News. today from A. V. Hoffman, district recruiter at the Grand Rapids branch office.A similar plan, announced two weeks ago, was subsequently cancelled by reason of the heavy rush of recruit applications at the Grand Rapids office immediately following outbreak of the war with Japan.The temporary recruiting station at Manistee, he said, will be open from 8 a. m. to five p. m. each week day starting Friday. Examination and information, he added, will be given by appointment for the convenience of any whose occupations make regular hours jimpracticable to contact the ‘station.
Newspaper Details
Ludington Daily News
Ludington, Michigan, US
Wed, Dec 17, 1941
Page 8
Full Page
Clipped by
Winnefox L.
WI, USA 29 Apr 2020
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Ludington Daily News
