C. H. Cowdin C. H. COWDIN - THE ROCKFORD REGISTER.-The press is the
great leveler of all differences, and promoter of opinions, and is acknowledged
to be one of the greatest forces as a civilizer. The functions of a cleanly
edited paper are multifarious, and the eye of the editor must be that of a
critic as well as that of a detective, that articles of a dangerous and
scurrilous character may not find a place in the columns which he supervises or
controls. Each and every city or town is proud of an ably edited journal, of
home news and enterprise. The home newspaper has the " open sesame " to every
home, which comes under its influence. The Rockford Register, an eight - page,
forty - eight column quarto, was established February II, I87I, and was at that
period a little folio. C. H. Cowdin, founder and present proprietor, whose
former years had been partially spent as a teacher, forsook the haunts of
pedagogy to take up the duties of a journalist. He is a native of Dexter,
Washtenaw county, Mich., and was born May I, I833. His education was mostly
obtained under the tutelage of his parents, since they were more than ordinarily
well educated. They were both teachers and were well-known for their standing in
the educational line. His life has been passed in the professions of teacher and
journalist. We clip from the home journal the following, which is very
complimentary to the gentleman: C. H. Cowdin, founder and proprietor of the
Register, celebrated his fiftieth anniversary Thursday, June 3, I897. Not of his
wedding, however, but this is about the size of it. The morning of June 3, I847,
he presented himself, as a "cub" in the office of the Lima (Ohio) Reporter, Mr.
Edward Maro (who died in October, I849), being the proprietor. The Reporter was
a whig paper of four pages, five columns to the page, set in small pica and long
primer type. For fifty years the printing business has, in the main, been his
occupation, and he has not quit it yet, but, like eating, he still keeps at it,
'these few lines," being a specimen of his skill. He worked at his trade at
Lima, Sidney and Republic, Ohio; Fort Wayne, Ind.; Newport, Ky., then came to
Rockford, Mich., and February I, 1871, issued the first copy of the Register.
He wedded in February, 1862, Miss Margaret H. Underwood, a native of the Buckeye
state. She was born in the vicinity of Lima, November 1o, I838, and two sons
have been born to this marriage, viz: Charles R., who is a practical newspaper
man of Belding, Mich., in partnership with El B. Lapham. They are the editors
and publishers of the Belding Banner, a six-column quarto, forty-eight columns,
and is a beautiful paper, typographically. It has a circulation of I,000. These
gentlemen have one of the most complete newspaper plants in the state of
Michigan, and they are making of it a signal success; Charles R. Cowdin married
Miss Mae DeGeer, a native of Michigan and an adopted daughter of a
Congregational minister, Rev. W. W. DeGeer, and a niece of the latter's wife.
Two children have been born to this marriage-Walter and Florence. Mr. Cowdin is
a stanch republican, is a member of the county committee, and has been elected
three times as the city clerk of Belding. H. Earl Cowdin, the younger son of C.
H. and Margaret H. Cowdin, and the present editor and general manager of the
Rockford Register, is a native of Lima, Ohio, was born July 20, I87o, and is a
graduate of the Rockford high school, of the class of I887. He is a born printer
and journalist. He and his brother Charles are said to be the youngest editors
in the state. When but a little boy of eight summers, he would climb up to the
case to set type. In May, 1889, he assumed the entire management of the
Register, the third oldest paper in the county outside of Grand Rapids, and is
classed among the practical printers of Kent county. He also is the editor and
publisher of the Michigan Messenger, the official organ of the Michigan
division, Sons of Veterans, and which is sent to every member of the order in
Michigan, the issues averaging 2,500 copies. He wedded Miss Flora J. Arnott, a
native of Kent county, September 2I, 1893, and a little son, Alden Arnott, born
May 17, I896, and a baby daughter, Marjorie, born August 28, I899, grace the
union. Mrs. Cowdin was born in November, I870, graduated from the commercial
class of 1889, and then attended Alma college one year. Mr. and Mrs. Cowdin are
both members of the Congregational church at Rockford. Mr. Cowdin is a stanch
republican politically, cast his first presidential vote for Benjamin Harrison;
was vice-president of the Kent County Young Men's Republican club for the two
years 1897-99 -and in 1899 was elected first vice-president of the Lincoln
Republican club; was elected as village clerk within two months after his
majority, and is now the incumbent of that office. Socially he is prominent as a
member of the Sons of Veterans, was state commander of the Michigan division in
X896, was re-elected in I897. He doubled the membership in nine months during
the first year he held the office, and the next year he increased the membership
eighty-five per cent. At the completion of his first year he was awarded the
silver cross of the order, and at the end of the second year was presented an
officer's sword, which is a high testimonial to his competency. He was asked to
again assume the office, but declined on account of pressing business interests.
He is also a member of Rockford lodge, No. 246, F. & A. M., and of the K. O. T.
M., No. 684. To revert to the career of C. H. Cowdin, the father of H. E. Cowdin,
it should be recorded that he was one of the brave men who went to the front
during the Civil war. He enlisted in company I, Thirty-fourth Ohio volunteer'
infantry, September I5, I862, and served until his honorable discharge, June 27,
I865. Mrs. Cowdin's brother, Robert Underwood, was a member of the same company,
but it should be added that Mrs. Cowdin had four brothers in the war, two of
whom were captains, and C. H. Cowdin had two brothers in the service, one of
whom, Frank B., was adjutant of the Twenty-seventh Ohio infantry. The name
Cowdin is of Scotch origin, and a branch of the family emigrated from Scotland
to America in the sixteenth century and settled in Massachusetts. Miss Ada
Howard, of Methuen, Mass., a first cousin of C. H. Cowdin, was a former
president of Wellesley college. The Register plant is complete in its
furnishings and contains an eight-column Prouty press, which is capable of
running off 800 to I,OOO copies per hour; and is also furnished with a Gordon
press, with platen Iox I5 inches, both run by the Backus water motor power,
twenty-two inches in size. The large press was placed in the office in 1893 and
the water motor in 1897; the Gordon took the place of an (' Aldine," and there
is also a 7 x I I Model jobber, and a twenty-three-inch Leader paper cutter. The
plant is valued at $I,500. As already mentioned H. E. Cowdin is the editor and
compiler of the work of the paper, and also the manager of the job and
mechanical department. The job work is metropolitan in style, and consequently
entices the patronage of the business men of Rockford. The paper itself is
cleanly edited, is typographically and grammatically correct, and will class
well with any paper in a town of 2,500 population. LIFTON S. COWLES, a scion of
one of the best-known pioneer families of Spencer township, Kent county, Mich.,
and himself a highly respected citizen, is a native of Moline, Ill., was born
September 24, 1853, and is the second child in the family of Shepard B. and
Louise J. (Fletcher) Cowles, whose family history will be found in full in this
work. I Clifton S. Cowles was but a mere child when his parents removed from
Illinois to Ohio, where they lived two years only, and then came with the family
to Kent county, Mich., where he has since lived, and engaged in the pursuit of
agriculture. He received a rudimentary education in the district school, but was
an apt scholar and very observant, and as he grew to manhood's years was noted
for his industry, firmness of character and decision of purpose. July 5, 1878,
Mr. Cowles wedded Mrs. Louisa (Cowles) Hart, and this union was graced with five
children-one son and four daughters-of whom, however, three only survive, viz:
Edith L., and Persis S., who are students in the high school, class of 1901, at
Greenville, and Georgia L. Mrs. Louisa Cowles was born in Dumfries, Ontario,
Canada, June 19, 1846, and is a daughter of Solomon and Persis (Shaw Cowles,
whose family consisted of four sons and three daughters, of whom, besides Mrs.
Cowles, only two are living, viz: Charles S., and Richard B., extensive farmers.
Mrs. Cowles received a common-school education and is a lady of most pleasing
address. Her parents, now deceased, were of English descent; and her uncles, the
Shaws, were renowned as tanners in Canada and the New England states. Mrs.
Cowles was but thirteen years of age when she came to Michigan with her parents,
who settled in Ionia county, where her father took up 320 acres of land in
Keene, twelve miles from Ionia, and there died, aged sixty-seven years. Her
mother then lived with Mrs. Cowles till her death, aged eighty-one years, having
survived her husband twenty-one years. In politics the father was of republican
tendencies, and in religion he and wife were at first Presbyterians, but in
their latter years became Congregationalists.
Transcriber: ES
Created: 29 May 2009