James McMichael
Pioneer Shoemaker of Muskegon
By Frances Harrington
While I was riding my bike through the cemeteries, as I often do, I spotted what seemed to be a fairly new looking monument. I’d seen it before but never really read it. This time I did. The family name was “McMichael” and there were 8 names on it, with death dates ranging from 1865 to 1944. I wondered if they were all from the same family so I decided to investigate. This is what I found.
The patriarch of the family was James McMichael. James was born in Coleraine, Derry County, Ireland, on May 24, 1834. He was the son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Campbell) McMichael. The McMichael family later moved to Brantford, Ontario, Canada, where James started learning the trade of a shoemaker when he was 11 years old.
James immigrated to the United States around 1847 where he continued in his training. It wasn’t until 1856 that he moved to Muskegon (at that time, Muskegon was still a part of Ottawa County), making him one of Muskegon’s early pioneers. He started out working in Mr. Cotie’s Shoe Shop at the corner of Pine and Western. Later, he worked for Geo A. Kilbourne. Mr. Kilbourne was a blacksmith who decided to start a boot and shoe business near Mr. Cotie’s shop. James was the shoemaker, and also in charge of ordering and buying supplies. He worked from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. every day, and only had Sunday off. In 1858/59, Mrs. Julia Witherell built and operated a boarding house for 20 residents at the corner of Terrace and Western. The 1860 US Census shows James listed as a shoemaker and living at that boarding house.
Phedina Nancy Barton was born in Belchertown, Massachusetts, on August 13, 1832. Her parents were Horace and Harriet C. (Jones) Barton. In 1857, Mr. Barton was one of the first settlers in Cassnovia Township, located on the boundary of Muskegon and Kent Counties. In 1860, Phedina crossed paths with James McMichael while she was working for the Heber Squier family in Spring Lake, Ottawa County. They had met once before while James was living in Berlin, Michigan, before he moved to Muskegon. After he moved to Muskegon, they continued to see each other and were married on March 4, 1861, at the home of her parents. If the date March 4, 1861 sounds familiar, it was the same day as Abraham Lincoln’s first inauguration as President of the United States. Phidena was very proud of her genealogy that showed her family fought in every war from the Revolution to the Civil War. In fact, her two brothers, Osman and Stephen were Civil War veterans.
On February 3, 1862, James went into business for himself. He rented his first place from Thomas and Joseph Mills for 3 years. He then moved into his own place on the corner of Pine and Clay, with his family home in the back. Pine Street at the time was Muskegon’s business district (this was before Western Ave. became the place to be). On August 16, 1874, just before midnight, Muskegon experienced its first “great fire”. That day, James and his family had attended the circus that was in town. After an exciting evening, they returned home and went to bed. They were awakened by the alarm from the Ryerson Lumber Mill. Someone had purposefully started the fire using wood shavings and kerosine in a burn barrel at the back of a building near Terrace and Western. Soon the entire building was ablaze. The fire first traveled down Terrace and Western. A high easterly wind off the lake caused the fire to cross over to Pine Street, spreading quickly over the area. It spread to Webster, Clay, Muskegon, Spring, and Cedar. By the time it was over, 36 acres of businesses and residences were destroyed leaving hundreds of people homeless and destitute. Both James’ shop and his living area were a total loss. He and his family barely escaped the blaze as they ran from their home with only the clothes on their backs and a few of their possessions. They ran to a friend’s home a few blocks away to take refuge, only to have the fire travel in that direction, and that place burned down too, taking with it what few things the family had managed to save. The cost of insurance had been so high during that time, that James only had coverage for approximately 7% of the building and contents. The only place he could find to stay after the fire was in Fremont. They had to spend the winter there where the snow was almost always 4 feet deep. It was a hard time for the family. Months later, they were happy to return to Muskegon.
Back in those days, the shoemaking business was nothing like today. Everything was done by hand. Measuring, pounding and preparing the leather or other materials used, cutting, boring holes, sewing, adjoining heels and soles, etc. It was a highly specialized trade and if you were to be successful, you had to have real skill. James had that skill, but now, he had no materials or tools. He would have to send to Chicago to get what he needed. After the fire, the city made a new ordinance that said you could only build with brick and stone. Most of those who were burned out couldn’t afford that kind of expense. In order to get the money he needed, James sold most of his property to J. B. McCracken.
It took some time, but James sent to Chicago for new tools and was able to build his shop on a portion of the property that wasn’t in the deal with Mr. McCracken on Pine Street. Then came May 12, 1891, and another “great fire”, called the great Pine Street fire, and he was burned out again! This time, James was able to save some of their belongings, and he was insured. So, he rebuilt, this time a two-story brick building where the family lived on the upper floor. In 1899, according to the Muskegon Chronicle, James had the longest running business in Muskegon.
There was a time when James’ shoemaking shop was doing so well that he had to hire five people to help him keep up with the orders. As time went on, the shoemaking business became more automated. Shoes were being massed produced and sold in the stores. It no longer became profitable to run the business. He slowly had to let his employees go, but kept operating the shop for shoe repairs, and he also sold shoemaking supplies. In May of 1910, they sold the building where James worked and lived for almost 20 years. They bought a small house on John St. (now known as Leahy), where they lived, and James set up a small shoe repair business. James and Phidena celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on March 4, 1911, with a large party at their home with over 70 guests. Even though his health had been failing, James insisted on going ahead with the celebration. In honor of it also being the 50th anniversary of Lincoln’s inauguration, the house was largely decorated with American flags. James died at home a week later on March 11, 1911. Phidena (who was named after her grandmother, Phidena Miller), continued to live at their home on Leahy St., until her death on January 28, 1926.
Back to the headstone I mentioned at the beginning of this story. The eight people listed on the stone are: James McMichael 1834-1911, Phidena (listed as Nancy) 1842-1926, their children: George E. 1863-1865, Frank 1865-1865, Ida 1865-1867, Minnie 1869-1870, Mina 1871-1944 (a Muskegon teacher for 45 years), and George McMichael 1841-1917 (Civil War Veteran and brother of James). James & Phidena also had a daughter, Hattie (McMichael) Benedict 1874-1959 (society news writer for the Muskegon Chronicle and telephone operator) who is also buried in Evergreen, and their first-born son, Fred E. McMichael 1862-1937 (carpenter and car inspector for the railroad) is buried in East Montcalm Cemetery in Greenville, MI.
Sources: Evergreen Cemetery listing, Findagrave.com, Ancestry.com, Muskegon Chronicle, and Hackley Public Library – Local History & Genealogy Dept. (City Directories).