Squint Shot 101210

J. H. Place Dead~~James H. Place died at his home in this village early Sunday morning after an illness of about five days.

He was born at Jerusalem, Yates county, New York, April 21, 1836, and after a few years, moved with his parents to Ohio, where at the age of 14 years, he left his home and came to Michigan, locating at Flint for a year or two, after which he came to this township, and with the exception of eight years spent in California in the sixties, had resided here until death.

He married Angeline Metcalf at the home of her parents Nov. 8, 1856, who died about 15 years ago. He was the father of three children; two sons and one daughter, only the daughter, Mrs. Anna Bell Elliott, surviving him.

For many years, he operated as a contractor and builder here and also constructed many of the best farm houses in Handy and Conway. He was absolutely honest in all his dealings and had the confidence of all with whom he transacted business.

In February, 1880, in company with W.B. Gale, they purchased the general merchandise business of Glenn & Co. and conducted it together for over 21 years, He was an obliging neighbor, always ready to accommodate and help in a time of need.

The funeral services were held at the house Tuesday morning, Dr. C.C. Willett, assisted by the Rev. A.A. Rose, officiating, and the remains, by his request, were taken to Detroit for cremation and the ashes will be interred on the family lot in Greenwood cemetery.While working on The Fowlerville Chronicles, I found the following picture of the northeast quadrant of the downtown area. The photographer would have been standing at about where the Handy Township offices are located, and looking southeast. The main four corners would be at the right side of the picture. In all of the close-to-600 pictures, maps, and aerials in the book, this particular snapshot may be shown under the wrong year -- by a bunch -- but I didn't notice it until after the book had been sent to the printer. So now I am waiting to see if anyone will ask about it.

The main reason, though, that I am showing it here is due to the fact the words "Place & Gale" were carved into the upper part of the building located in the middle of the block. This was where the mercantile store could be found for shoppers (in later years it became part of the Curtis Grocery location). As I look at this building in present times, the carved letters no longer exist. So the next time you are sitting at the traffic light on North Grand, heading south, look upward to the east and let me know what you see.