Bancroft had about the finest home in the county! MONROE VAN VALKENBURG SIMONSON and CHARLES BRADFORD SIMONSON Sons of John L. and Rosina (Van Valkenburg) Simonson Residence of Mr. Charles Bradford Simonson - 1910s Contributed by Paul Petosky Among the old families of Shiawassee county, the Simonsons have had a permanent place from the time when this county was still on the Michigan frontier. Throughout the county the name stands for all that is honest and of good report, for successful thrift and business integrity, and for a position in the community which all must respect. The late John L. Simonson was the pioneer merchant of the town of Bancroft, and likewise one of the largest land owners in this section. The careers of the different members of the family have been led along the paths of quiet industry and prosperity, and as farmers, merchants and good citizens they have done their full share for the enrichment of community life. John L. and Rosina (Van Valkenburg) Simonson, the father and mother of Monroe V. Simonson, were both born in Delaware county, New York. John L. Simonson came west and founded a home in Shiawassee county. He then returned to his home in New York and married, bringing his bride here. Though without capital he was full of ambition and energy, and few residents of the county have made a larger and better deserved success than John L. Simonson. With the small means at his command, he started his career as a peddler of goods sold from a wagon drawn by a single horse throughout Shiawassee county. From this humble start he gradually prospered, and finally in 1877 opened a small store at North Newburg. Soon afterwards the village of Bancroft was established, and his was the first stock of merchandise opened in that place. Energy and enterprise enabled him to keep abreast of all improvements, and increases in population, and practically from that time forward he was the leading citizen in the vicinity of Bancroft. From merchandising his interests gradually extended to the ownership of a large amount of land, and during his later years he owned and had under cultivation one thousand acres of the finest farm land in Shiawassee county. All his success was due entirely to his energy and perseverance and the most scrupulous business methods. The flourishing town of Bancroft will always owe much to his effective public spirit during its early years, since his co-operation was readily enlisted in behalf of any movement for the community welfare. The death of John L. Simonson occurred in October, 1883, when he was sixty-three years of age. His wife also died at the age of eighty-three, in 1909. The bodies of both now rest in the Fremont cemetery. There were two children: Charles Bradford and Monroe Van Valkenburg Simonson. Charles Bradford Simonson was born at North Newberg, in Shiawassee county, September 12, 1862. His education was received in the public schools of Newburg and Bancroft, and at the age of nineteen he entered his fathers store, and continued to be associated with the elder Simonson until the latters death. At that time the mercantile interests were sold. His attention since then has been chiefly directed to farming, and probably no citizen of Shiawassee county conducts farming operations on a more modern and progressive scale than Charles Simonson. For ten years his activities were extensively employed in the buying and shipping of stock, but for several years now he has devoted his entire time to the cultivation of two hundred and twenty acres of as fine farm land as is to be seen in any part of Michigan. These lands adjoin the town of Bancroft on the south, the main street leading up to and opposite the old homestead built by his father. That old home has been remodeled since first built, and is now considered one of the three finest residences in Shiawassee county. In politics Mr. Charles Simonson is a Republican, and is affiliated with the Masonic Order and the Knights of Pythias. In May, 1901, he was united in marriage with Miss Eva Harrington, a native of Durand, and a daughter of Marvin and Mary (Kitson) Harrington. The Harringtons have a place among the pioneer farmers of Shiawassee county. Mrs. Simonsons mother is now deceased. Mrs. Simonson takes an active part in the Ladies Aid Society at Bancroft, and she and her husband derive much pleasure and recreation from travel. Monroe Van Valkenburg Simonson, whose name has been placed at the beginning of this article, was born at North Newburg, in Shiawassee county, November 3, 1859. His career has been an essentially busy one, and marked with varied experiences, although chiefly devoted to farming. With a public school education, completed at the high school of Holly, he early became associated in business with his father and brother. In 1894, having a desire to see and perhaps locate in the West, an extended trip took him throughout California, but after a thorough investigation his decision was that his own county and state were better suited for his purposes. A year later he was again drawn to the west, this time to South Dakota, but after an extended survey of that country, he returned well satisfied that nothing better could be had than the four hundred acres of farm land owned by him in Shiawassee county. The greater part of his land lies in close vicinity to the town of Bancroft, while his beautiful residence fronts on a city street, and is handsome and modern in all its appointments. Mr. Simonson has served six years as a member of the Bancroft Village Council. In politics he is a Republican. His family comprises his wife and one child. Mrs. Simonson before her marrige was Miss Cora Spencer, a native of Shiawassee county, and a daughter of Harry Spencer, an old settler and prominent farmer in the county. The one daughter born to their marriage is Selma. Transcribed by Christine Walters from History of Michigan, Charles Moore 1915 Vol. II
Posted on: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 15:53:49 +0000
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