GEORGE KILPATRICK GETTY, the fourth child of James and Matilda Getty, was born September 21, 1840, at Craigs, County Antrim, Ireland. He was baptized on October 15, 1840, at Craigs Parish Church, by Rev. George Kilpatrick for whom he was named. He was listed on the 1851 Ahoghill Census as 11 years old, occupation filling bobbins, education can read. In 1852 he came to America with his family, and in 1854 they settled in Ridgeway Township.

On December 23, 1863, George married Naomi Russell, daughter of William D. and Elizabeth J. Gifford Russell of Ridgeway Township. William D. Russell was born in 1820 in New York to Abijah and Naomi Russell. They moved to Ridgeway Township where William married Elizabeth J. Gifford. William and Elizabeth had at least three children, Naomi, David and George, when they moved to Dundee Township, where they may have had more children. On January 5, 1863, a tree, which William was cutting down, fell on him and killed him. He is buried in Oak Grove Cemetery south of Dundee.

My Husband's Grave William D. Russell Died Jan. 5, 1863 Aged 43 yrs. 7 mos.

Elizabeth returned to Ridgeway Township and married Francis Dibble.

In 1868 George bought forty acres in Section 31, Milan Township, from N. Willis. He sold it to A. VanDeventer in 1875. In 1870 he bought eighty acres in Section 6, Dundee Township from his father. He sold it to his brother, William, in 1872.

On June 30, 1875, George bought 125 acres in Section 36 in Macon and Ridgeway Townships for $62.50 from Coonrod and Emma Lowe. In 1877 he bought forty acres in Section 33 in Macon Township for $1700 from John Stewart. A year later he sold the forty acres to George Daykin for $1800. In a twenty year period he bought and sold land in Dundee and Milan Townships, as well as in Macon and Ridgeway Townships, but his homestead was situated on both sides of what is now Downing Highway in Ridgeway Township. Later in life he moved to Britton, and lived just east of the tracks. He owned a grocery store for awhile.

George and Naomi had four children:

• Bettie Elizabeth was born October 27, 1864

• Matilda Adeline was born February 17, 1867

• George Francis was born January 15, 1869

• Ervin Leonidas was born May 10, 1871

Tragedy struck George's family threefold. His wife and two daughters all contracted consumption. Naomi died at the age of 36 years on February 15, 1883. Sixteen year old Matilda died just four days later on February 19, 1883. And Bettie died at the age of 22 on February 8, 1885.

A year and a half after Naomi's death, George had just finished shingling the barn when he made the announcement that he was going to Ireland to marry his childhood sweetheart, and go he did. He brought back Ellen Agnew, daughter of Robert and Sarah Ann Hillis Agnew of Limnahary (a Townland in Ahoghill Parish) • They had been married by Rev. William Colquhane in the Presbyterian Church in Ballymena on September 29, 1884. Witnesses were John and Margaret Belle Getty. John was a cousin of George, and Margaret was Ellen's sister. Their story appears on another page.

Ellen died of diabetes mellitus at the age of 55 years, on March 27, 1906.

After Ellen's death, George moved back to the farm and spent his remaining days with his son, Ervin, and family. He died of general debility at the age of 66 years on March 1, 1907, and is buried with both wives and his two daughters at the Ridgeway Cemetery.

The following is the obituary which appeared in a Dundee newspaper:

"George Getty, an old resident of this vicinity, died at the home of his son, Irv, last Friday. He was born in Ireland, 67 years ago, and for the past 50 years has lived for the most part on a farm west of town. During a few years he was engaged in the grocery business in Britton, but failing health compelled him to relinquish this and retire to private life. His wife preceded him in death about a year. Two sons, Irv and George, and eleven grandchildren survive him. The funeral was held at the Reformed Church of Britton, last Sunday."

 

THE GEORGE GETTY STORY as told by Selma Moore: "My Grandpa Getty was George Kilpatrick Getty. His homestead was on Downing Highway. However, in later years he lived in Britton. He was postmaster for a time, he owned a coal yard, and he owned a store where men would come in to buy a jug of 'vinegar'. I only remember seeing him once he walked with two canes. My Grandma Getty was Naomi Russell. Her father was William Russell, and when she was a child they lived in a small cabin on the corner of Rogers Road near Dundee. William was killed in the woods by a falling tree which he had cut down. He is buried in Oak Grove cemetery. After Naomi died, Grandpa went back to Ireland and married his childhood sweetheart, Ellen Agnew. Ellen was a big, big woman, but my folks said she had a beautiful voice. Grandpa was well educated, and even taught school for a while. He made a large beautiful black walnut secretary which he kept filled with books. My cousin, Veyirl, has it now. Grandma and my father's two sisters all died of consumption. It's no wonder, for when that area was first settled, it was nothing but swamp. Pa said they raised lots of hogs to clean up the snakes. Now it's some of the best farm land in Michigan. "Aunt Matilda had a set of silverware with her initials, M. G., on it. It was stolen right out of the house. A few days later, while in the woods, the men folk noticed a tree on fire. After they got the fire out, they discovered the missing silver, which had been stashed in a hole near the roots. They were able to save only three spoons. The rest was melted. I had two of those spoons which I gave to my niece's daughters. "After Grandpa's second wife, Ellen, died in 1906, Grandpa moved back to the farm and lived with Uncle Ervin's family. He died March 1, 1907."

George Francis Getty was born to George Kilpatrick and Naomi Getty in Ridgeway Township on January 15, 1869. At the age of 24, on March 23, 1893, he married Olive C. Merrifield in the Dutch Reformed Church of Britton. They were married by the Rev. E. Yager; witnesses were A. E. Yager and Mrs. E. Yager. Olive,. age 20, was the daughter of John and Cornelia Vroman Merrifield of Dundee, but originally of New York. The Merrifields were of the Free Methodist faith.

George and Olive had ten children. Russell (1895-1967) married Helen Lucille Bowman (1901­1981). Rena (1896-1931) married Harold Cilley on May 29, 1917. Selma Maude (1898) married Thomas Cleveland Moore (1886-1968) on June 12, 1917. Ernest John (1900-1976) married Eva Lorena Fick on June 28, 1924. Ernest's second wife was Amelia Meyer Palouse. His third wife was Armeta Gallock, married August 6, 1950. Ernest died in Lapeer County, Michigan, on October 26, 1976. Ruby Hortense (1902) married Raymond Manion (1896-1956) in 1921. Rilla Christine (1907) married on June 18, 1922. Samuel Armand Greco (1900-1975). William (1908-1973) married Helen I. Stull (1916). Margaret Fern (1910) married in 1928 Benjamin Hall (1893). Clyde "Bud" Edison (1914-1978) married Helen Wolgamuth (1920).

The following story was told to me by Selma Moore, granddaughter of George Kilpatrick Getty, and daughter of George Francis Getty.

"Pa was a very hard worker. He was a farmer, a builder, he had a saw mill, and he owned two complete threshing rigs-steam engines, separators and all. He was a man of small stature. He had weak lungs, but he neither drank nor smoked.

My mother was the daughter of John and Cornelia Merrifield. The Merrifields went to the Free Methodist Church. John's great grandfather, Michael Merrifield, sailed from England on the second boat behind the Mayflower - about 1640. John Merrifield dug the first grave at Oak Grove Cemetery south of Dundee. Some of the early Merrifield women were killed by Indians in a massacre in New York. Grandpa Merrifield was about fifty years old when he married my grandma. They had four children. He had been married previously, and had eight or nine children with his first wife.

"We lived several places in the Dundee area - renting some of the farms, and others we would buy, then Pa would fix them up and sell them. First we lived near Petersburg, then on Ida Madeira's place in Summerfield Township. Russell was born on Oak St. right near the Merrifields, who lived on Dixon Road. Some neighbors by the name of Langshied named me Selma Maude after an actress in Germany. When I was six years old we bought a place on Petersburg Road near Rea.

"I remember us walking beside my mother about a mile and a half to the store ­ one baby in the buggy and one on my mother's arm. Ruby was born at Rea. She was named by our neighbor, Jenny White. Jenny named her Ruby Hortense Jenny White Getty. The last place we lived was a ten room house on Rogers Road. From there I walked to Dundee to high school. In later years my parents moved into town and lived in a small house across from the elevator."