Henry W. Carson

Henry W. Carson, better known to his generation as "Kit Carson," proprietor of the hotel and boarding-house at Sears, Orient Township, was born Nov. 3, 1837, in Yates Township, Montgomery Co., N.Y. His father, Stephen Carson, is deceased. He died Dec. 7, 1883, aged 85 years. The mother, Elizabeth (Williams) Carson, is living in Crawford Co., Pa., where her husband died, and is 75 years old. The family went to that section of Pennsylvania in 1852, where the father engaged in farming. In earlier life he was a carpenter.

Mr. Carson was 15 years of age when he went to the Keystone State with his parents. Sept. 23, 1865, he came to Genesee Co., Mich., and located at Clio, where he spent seven years engaged as a lumber manufacturer. He built four saw-mills at Clio, Genesee County. Later on he removed to Osceola County, arriving Sept. 2, 1871, and locating at Big Lake, two miles south of Sears. He built two miles of railway with iron track, running from Sears to Big Lake, for facilitating lumber manufacture and transportation. It was the first piece of locomotive railroad constructed by a single individual in the United States, and was designated the "Orient, Big Lake & Chippewa Road." Mr. Carson operated it five and a half years.

At the end of that time he sold out and located on his farm for a time, while he was building a saw-mill between Loomis and Coleman. Six months after its completion he sold it, and in 1879 built a mill at Chippewa, which he managed a year. On disposing of that he again resided for a time on his farm which had been occupied by his family since their removal to the county. In 1880 he established a lumber yard at Harrison, which he conducted 20 months, and lost the property by fire, which entailed a loss of $1,000. He then built a mill at Big Lake, which he managed three months and sold. His next venture was the renting of the hotel which he is now conducting. When he first came to Sears in 1871 it contained six buildings, five of them engaged in the sale of liquor.

Mr. Carson is a republican in political principles and connections. He has officiated as School Director and Highway Overseer. He is everywhere known as "Kit Carson," all his social and business correspondence being addressed to him under that style.He was married April 27, 1863, in Crawford Co., Pa., to Melvina Collins, and they have had five children: Minnie E., who was born April 14, 1865, in Crawford Co., Pa., married Frank Jeffs, Dec. 7, 1881; Alice M. was born Sept. 15, 1867; Laura M., Dec. 21, 1870; Henry H., May 27, 1878, in Orient, and died June 15, following: Mattie E., Sept. 3, 1879. Mrs. Carson is the daughter of John P. and Abigail (Robinson) Collins. The former was born Jan. 21, 1820, in Pennsylvania, and resides in Crawford County in that State. Her mother was born in 1823, in the State of New York, and died July 29, 1869, in Crawford County. Mrs. Carson was born Sept. 23, 1847, in the county where she was reared, and is one of nine children born to her parents - four sons and five daughters.

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